"Sniffle! I-I'm sorry! Sorry! Please, stop hitting me!"

Behind the academy building, I was being beaten pitifully.

The person kicking me in the stomach was none other than the game's protagonist, Emily Epiris.

I, who was somewhat in the position of a spectator for the beating of my own body, was feeling conflicted.

[Ken Feinstein's immersion level is increasing.]

It seems that being bullied has caused Ken's personality to surface.

Likely due to his settings.

Thanks to that, I don't have to feel the pain.

'But why is she doing this?'

My head was full of questions.

"Lose some weight, you pig!"

Emily was stomping on me with all her strength.

The three girls who usually bullied Ken (me) were laughing beside her.

'Well, I understand those three, but...'

The problem was Emily.

Just a few days ago, I saved her.

She should know that too, but instead of thanking me, she’s bullying me.

I just can't understand it.

From what I remember, she’s supposed to be righteous and unable to stand injustice, as befits the protagonist of the game...

"Ha ha… Look at you, rolling around on the ground so pitifully."

...Is that really her?

Emily was smiling with genuine joy, her face flushed.

"Ouch… I'm sorry, please stop now."

And whenever I groaned in pain, her smile only deepened, as if she was enjoying the bullying.

At that moment, the system displayed a message to me.

[System: Emily Epiris' sexual arousal is increasing.]

'...What is this?'

Checking the message, I immediately looked at Emily's status.

[Name: Emily Epiris

Unique Skill: Selective Sealing

Unique Trait: Sadism

Possessed Trait: Reality Denial LV 1]

'Sadism?

And reality denial?'

What the heck is this?

I've never seen these traits before. Emily is the protagonist of this game, meaning she’s the character whose status I've viewed more than anyone else while playing.

But sadism?

I've never seen such traits in all my playthroughs.

"Hahaha! Cry more, you pig!"

"Oink… I am a foolish pig!"

"Haha… Hahaha...."

Emily, her breathing rough, seemed to be enjoying the pig sounds, her face turning red.

She looked down at me, licking her lips as if she couldn’t hold back her excitement.

Eventually, she bit her finger, as if trying to restrain herself.

What's wrong with her?

So, several days passed with Emily leading the bullying. Recently, it’s been raining a lot, and on rainy days, Emily would call for me.

"You smell, go wash up. Do you know you smell like sausage when you walk by?"

"Sorry, I-I won't walk by you."

"I said go wash up!"

Of course, I've been washing up thoroughly every day. It's just my natural body odor, so what can I do?

But I didn’t mind the bullying.

Is it because I am a masochist?

Of course not.

[System: Due to continuous physical damage, you have acquired the skill 'Physical Resistance LV 1.']

I gained a skill.

"You foolish pig!"

"Consider it an honor to be stepped on by Emily!"

"You're just annoyingly big!"

[Yeah! Stomp on that pig even more!] (TL: This is MC)

"Eek!"

From my perspective as an observer, I cheered Emily and her group on even more.

Honestly, it’s a bit uncomfortable that the pain lingers even after Ken’s immersion ends.

But I’ve gained an unexpected benefit.

Physical resistance!

If I can develop this skill, it will definitely help me survive!

[System: Due to continuous mental damage, you have acquired the skill 'Mental Fortitude LV 1.']

Huh?

[System: Due to Mental Fortitude LV 1, Ken Feinstein's immersion level is decreasing.]

Oh no…

"Ugh!"

"You foolish pig! Hurry up and lose weight!"

I could now feel the pain of Emily stomping on my head, exactly as it was.

Damn it!

Why now?

It was nice, like being on auto-hunt with a clone!

Because of the Mental Fortitude skill I suddenly acquired, Ken's personality receded.

At this rate, I'll fully feel the pain...

'No, stay strong. I have to survive!'

But I must not give up.

This is a chance to develop a skill that I’ve luckily been able to gain.

If I were to try and grow the physical resistance skill through normal combat, I wouldn’t get away with just a scratch or two.

This is the only time I can grow the skill safely and efficiently.

Come on, endure it!

Challenge myself!

Me, Ken Feinstein!

Resolving myself, I turned my gaze to Emily and her group. With a determined look, I confidently shouted.

"Come on! Hit me more! Insult me more! Stomp on me more!"

Physical resistance and mental fortitude, please!

"..."

"..."

What's with those

‘Ugh' looks?

The only one who smiled at my shout was Emily, her face flushing.

"...Ha… Ha… Haha."

She breathed heavily. It was a bit scary.

"...Um, Emily. Sorry, but I'll back out now."

"Yeah, no matter what, I can't handle a perverted pig."

"Do whatever you want. I don't really care."

With disgusted expressions, the rest of the group left.

W-wait...

Don't leave me behind.

For some reason, I felt like I understood Raphne's feelings.

"Are you challenging me now? Huh? Pig Ken… Ha… Ha-ha, fine. I'll break you slowly."

"Eek!"

"You pig! Hurry up and lose weight!"

…My physical resistance and mental fortitude skills reached level 2 that day.

"...Ken, did something happen?"

After finishing Queen Emily's education session, I went to Raphne's tower.

I wanted to craft something with the Cyclops materials I had obtained while having dinner, but Raphne seemed to notice something was wrong.

"Huh? Oh, no, nothing's wrong. Haha."

I can't cause any more worry to Raphne, whose mental state is already unstable.

Despite my words, Raphne didn't believe me and approached me.

"Uwaah! Th-that tickles, haha!"

"......"

Raphne soon started feeling around my body, touching various places.

Ah!

Raphne!

Th-that’s!

"Ken… There are more bruises than before..."

Raphne looked at me with a dark expression.

Her eyes were filled with worry and doubt.

It seems she could tell just by looking.

"...How did you know?"

She didn’t lift my clothes, and the clever Queen Emily only stomped on my head without leaving any visible scars.

You wouldn't be able to tell just by looking.

To my question, Raphne averted her gaze, sweating.

"...Well, the one who used to hit you would know best."

Ah, I see. She was a specialist in this field.

Raphne seemed to recall the times she used to bully ‘me’, looking very apologetic, like a dog that’s made a mistake.

Then, shaking her head, she looked at me again.

"Ken… I know it's a bit much for someone like me to say this, but if something happens, please rely on me!"

Even though her eyes were dark and sunken, her red eyes were genuinely filled with concern for me.

I was somewhat surprised by her unexpected behavior, so I looked closely at Raphne.

For my favorite character to say I should rely on her...

It's touching.

Maybe it’s even more heartfelt because it came from someone with a tough mental state.

But Raphne seemed to have misunderstood my gaze.

"S-sorry, Ken. It was shameless of me to say that, wasn't it? E-even if you rely on someone like me, it'll only trouble you. I'm sorry."

She had shown such a strong will just a moment ago, but now she was shrinking back again.

"No, Raphne. I was happy because of what you said. Thank you."

She brightened up at my words, her expression lighting up.

Then, holding my hand, she spoke in an excited voice.

"Th-then, Ken! If you're ever having a hard time being bullied at the academy."

"Yeah, yeah. You want me to rely on you, right?"

I smiled and responded.

"That's right! If you're having a hard time at the academy, you can always hide out here."

Then her face stiffened.

"...What?"

"Hehe, hehe… If you're having a hard time at the academy, you can stay here as long as you want. If you stay here, I'll take care of everything. You won’t need to go to the academy anymore."

Her dark, sunken eyes consumed me again as she began to lose control.

"Just ignore all the difficulties of life. Push it all aside and stay here, and I'll make you happy. I'll make you forget all the painful things..."

Her gloomy aura made it hard to refuse her tempting offer.

But I've just gone through Queen Emily’s mental training.

I calmly raised my hand in front of her face.

"...Huh?"

Then, I flicked her forehead.

"Ouch!"

Raphne, holding her forehead, looked at me with teary eyes.

"If I stay holed up here, who’s going to break your curse?"

"...Sniff, well, I was just trying to reassure you that it’s okay..."

No, she was 100% serious.

"...But you're saying Raphne can comfort me, right?"

"Yeah?"

It would be a shame to reject her offer entirely, so I came up with a good idea.

She's my favorite character, it's only natural that I have had all sorts of dreams about this.

I decided to make that dream a reality.

"Ah, this is heaven."

I rested my head on the soft cushion of her lap, feeling the tension in my body melt away.

The gentle touch of Raphne stroking my hair was also the best.

"Is this really okay?"

"I didn't get to enjoy it last time since I passed out."

Right now, I was lying on Raphne’s lap as she sat on the bed.

My head was resting on that soft heaven.

The abuse I had endured from the sadist protagonist, with all the insults and violence, had left my mind and body exhausted.

I could feel myself recovering from that torment.

"...Mmmnya."

I was tempted to fall asleep right then and there, but I didn’t doze off despite feeling drowsy.

For some reason, I had the feeling that if I fell asleep here, I might never leave the tower again.

Still, Raphne's pleasant scent and warm body heat made me even sleepier.

I thought I’d rest just a bit before getting back to work.

At that moment, Raphne, who was gently stroking my head, mumbled something.

"Hehe, hihi… If Ken becomes completely obsessed and dependent on me like this, then..."

I felt like I had overheard something terrifying.

But sorry, Raphne. Your plan won’t work.

Thanks to the Queen's training, I've gained a mental fortitude skill.

I won’t fall into an obsession or dependency debuff.

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