As Long as You Have the [Shop] Skill, the Dungeonized World Is a Breeze ~The Bullied Youth’s Payback

Chapter 85 – Secret Agreement

“……Saito-san.” (Chake)
As Kuzuhara stood there frozen in shock, Chake called out his name in an apologetic tone.

“Ch…Chake…?” (Kuzuhara)
“That’s not good. Have you forgotten your partner’s face already?” Chake asked, lightly poking some fun. But just as Kuzuhara was about to respond…

“Impossible! How the hell are you here?! At that time, you died right before our eyes!” (Ryudou)
As if voicing Kuzuhara’s doubts, Ryudou yelled out.

“Are you talking about this by any chance?” (Komon)
At that point, I, the answer to all their questions, cut in. Everyone naturally turned their eyes to me, staring in shock, particularly at the person standing next to me.

That was because the person standing next to me was none other than Chake.

“Two… Chakes?” (Kuzuhara)
“The hell is that… How in the world… That’s insane…!” (Ryudou)
Ryudou seemed to be having a hard time understanding the incomprehensible situation. With a chuckle, I tapped Chake, who was standing by my side, on the back. A few seconds later, the being that had been Chake transformed into a small plush-like doll.

“”Huhhhh?!””
At the same time, Kuzuhara and Ryudou let out cries of astonishment at this mysterious sight.

“N-No way…. There’s no way…?!” (Ryudou)
The perceptive Ryudou seemed to have arrived at the answer immediately. I held up the [Copy Doll] and declared to Ryudou—

“Right. You were fooled by me from the very beginning.” (Komon)
“….?!” (Ryudou)
“….? W-What is the meaning of this? Chake?” (Kuzuhara)
Kuzuhara turned around and asked Chake. Chake shrugged his shoulders and confessed the truth.

“Sorry, Saito-san. Actually, before coming here—” (Chake)

—

It was today, when we were meeting in the house that Kuzuhara was living in before the dungeon attack. Kuzuhara had just left his seat in the middle of the conversation to go to the toilet.

At that time, Chake had confessed to me himself that he was a traitor.

“….A traitor? What do you mean?” I asked with a wary expression while looking at Chake, who had explained this to me with a mysterious look on his face. In fact, I wasn’t that surprised because I had guessed from the beginning that he had already fallen into Ryudou’s hands.

Yeah, as expected, love was more important.

“I have someone that I really cherish.” (Chake)
“….Could it be that girlfriend you mentioned earlier?” (Komon)
“….That’s right.” (Chake)
“Did something happen to your girlfriend?” (Komon)
“……..She was captured by Ryudou.” (Chake)
“…?! I see…” (Komon)
According to what he told me at the time, Ryudou had kidnapped Chake’s girlfriend and ordered him to become a spy in exchange for her personal safety.

In order to protect her somehow, he was doing as Ryudou said and feeding him detailed information on Kuzuhara’s forces, even though it was painful for him to do so. As a result, the people that Chake had gathered for Kuzuhara were threatened by Ryudou using their weak points that Chake had informed him about.

In other words, Chake had betrayed not only Kuzuhara, but his own friends and comrades as well. All in order to protect his girlfriend.

“That’s why I can’t defy him.” (Chake)
“….Why did you tell me this story?” (Komon)
Perhaps he told me this to make me feel a little sympathy for him. If so, I could only look down on him for that.

“….Sorry. I just wanted someone to hear it.” (Chake)
So that’s exactly what it is. Really, what a helpless guy…

“But I really want Saito-san to win.” (Chake)
“….Huh?” (Komon)
He suddenly said something that didn’t quite follow, so I stared at him with a puzzled look.

“I think Ryudou will probably tell Saito-san about me at the right time. He wants to destroy Saito-san. He’s planning to tell him about my betrayal to make Saito-san feel all alone in this world.” (Chake)
“….So?” (Komon)
“At that time, I’m… going to move for Saito-san’s sake, no matter what happens. Even if I have to die.” (Chake)
“….! What will happen to your girlfriend if you die though?” (Komon)
“…It’s hard to say, but…. But I really admire that person a lot, you know. He’s strong, kind…. I just can’t do this anymore. I don’t want to keep betraying Saito-san.” (Chake)
Chake forced out his words, shaking his body with frustration.

“Just one thing. If just one thing happens that Ryudou doesn’t expect, I believe that Saito-san will somehow find a way to break through. I… don’t want to betray him anymore.” (Chake)
…He was planning to pretend to be Ryudou’s ally, then betray him at the most critical time. But if he did that, he might be killed, and his girlfriend, who was being confined somewhere, would be….

And yet, this guy—he still put the man he admired first. He chose to let Kuzuhara live.

“…Do you know where your girlfriend is being kept captive?” (Komon)
“Eh? Yeah… what of it?” (Chake)
After asking him, I confirmed that it was that love hotel from before. Even now, a large number of Ryudou’s subordinates were stationed there to make sure that the women couldn’t escape.

…But right now, they were being stretched thin.

“If you’re willing to put your life on the line, then follow my plan.” (Komon)
“….Huh?” (Chake)
Then, I showed Chake the [Copy Doll] and created a puppet that looked exactly like him. Chake was naturally surprised, but I told him about my plan to use this against Ryudou.

“If you betray Ryudou, he might have some means to kill your girlfriend on the spot. And even if you do betray him, what will happen if you die?” (Komon)
“Die?” (Chake)
“Right. If you die, it’ll become pointless for him to do anything to your girlfriend. At the very least, she’ll probably be safe until the dungeon attack is over.” (Komon)
“That’s… true.” (Chake)
Ryudou would show no mercy to someone who betrayed him. He would make them suffer and despair, then kill them. But what if that person who betrayed him had already died? He would surely lose interest in it right then and there. That was my conclusion based on my profile of Ryudou after hearing a bunch of things about him.

“And if you die, on the contrary, Ryudou would probably use that to his advantage and say that it was part of his plan. To make Kuzuhara-san feel all alone.” (Ryudou)
“I see…” (Chake)
“But it would only be your copy that died. The real you would still be alive. And then, once everything is over, if you were to appear before Ryudou… wouldn’t that be an interesting scene?” (Komon)
When I asked him that with a smile slowly spreading across my face, Chake voiced his agreement while making an expression that looked like a child playing a prank.

“But it would be better to keep this from Saito-san until the very end, right?” (Chake)
“He’s not a great actor, is he? It would be troublesome if he made Ryudou doubt us even a little bit, so I think it would be best for us to keep it between you and I for now. You know what they say, ‘to deceive your enemies, you must first deceive your allies’.” (Komon)
“…Fine. But what should I do until then?” (Chake)
“You still don’t know what to do after we’ve said this much? How can we turn things around and make Ryudou fall into despair instead? Simple. We just need to do the opposite of what he’s trying to do to Kuzuhara.” (Komon)
“The opposite?” (Chake)
“We just need to take anything and everything from Ryudou.” (Komon)