Chapter 36 – Last Struggle

「Just how hard do you think it was to build this Onsen?!」

I shout towards Bandou who is laying on the floor.

There is no response.

The lobby was wrapped in a silence for a moment.

「Ah, what a good bath…… tte, oo!? A person has collapsed!?」
「Ah……」

A customer who just came from the dressing room shouted in a surprise.

It felt like a cold water being poured on my burning adrenaline.

(Just what did I do?)

Let’s review the situation one more time.

The dumbfounded visitors.

The unconscious Bandou and Miyake in tattered clothes.

I have beaten up these two begun acting violently in front of the other customers.

Before wondering why do I have so much power, my reasoning has returned and my face went pale.

「I’m so sorry!!」

I made a loud apology in dogeza towards the customers.

This is an apology from my soul.

「I have caused such uproar in front of unrelated customers, I’m truly sorry!!」

I was prepared for disparagement.

Dealing with problem customers calmly is a basic of the service industry, yet I have snapped and acted violently.

I’m unworthy as the owner.

If this affair spreads, the store’s trust may decrease.

The image of the staff will decrease.

(How do I explain this to everyone……)

When I look up, almost at the point of crying,

Pachi…… Pachi……

「Eh……?」

I look at the unbelievable scene timidly.

Pachipachipachipachi!!

「Eh…… Eh?」

The visitors started applauding.

Even Kevin, Eiri and the other staff members.

「Niichan, you did well!!」
「You were really cool!」
「As expected of the owner! A man among men!」

Cheers of joy together with applause.

There are many among them praising me.

(Umm…… this situation, un?)

I turn my head down and gulp desperately.

…… I somehow understood the visitors’ state of mind.

Two unwanted customers doing as they please, troubling other customers to the extent of swearing and even sexual harassment of the female staff member.

And the owner bravely resolved the situation.

Then, the other customer flew into the rage.

The owner tried to resolve the situation peacefully, but the other customers began to use a dangerous power called the skill.

In order to save the other customers from the danger, the owner reluctantly decided used force.

What a brave owner!

…… The customers are probably looking at me like that.

I think that in their eyes, I look like a hero who put his body in danger to save the female staff and the other customers.

(…… Although I had no intentions like that)

I even ended up beating Bandou senseless in rage.

Was this perhaps a blessing in disguise?

「Ah, thank you very much!! I appreciate you saying that!」

Not familiar with the current situation, I hastily made a smile and said words of thanks to the customers.

◇◇◇

Since the customers called the military police, I have decided to close the business early today.

There won’t be that much of a loss from closing earlier.

We have distributed Coffee Milk free of charge to the customers who were looking towards the Onsen as an apology.

I have also announced that we will continue the business tomorrow as usual.

「W, what is this……!?」

Two military policemen were speechless after seeing the state of the two delinquents.

One red as a tomato with broken lower jaw and many missing teeth.

Another one groaning in pain with a bent body while spitting out blood.

The eyes of the military policemen turned me into a criminal.

However, thanks to the staff’s and few customer’s testimonies who stayed behind, they understood that they are here to arrest the two people rolling on the floor.

Contrary to my expectations of them getting smoothly arrested,

「Wait a minute, oi!!」

Bandou gets up like a zombie and shouts with a mouth full of blood.

Because the floor is getting dirty, I would like him to shut up.

「I’m innocent!! That clerk over there suddenly bumped into us!!」

What crap is this person spewing?

There is a limit to framing people.

「Yes, yes, I understand, I understand. We will listen to the whole story at the station」

As expected, the military policemen looked at Bandou in disbelief, but

「Just who do you think you are talking to!? I’m a hero candidate, you know!?」

The policemen got startled by Bandou’s words.

Bandou’s lips twisted in a grin.

「If you want to drag me, I will drag you with me? How dare you try to make a criminal out of an innocent hero candidate?」

This fellow is rotten from the bottom of his heart.

「Umm, that……」

Although Bandou’s claim is not entirely true, the policemen’s attitude has changed.

Should we contact the castle? The two policemen are discussing.

The staff members tilt their heads in puzzlement after hearing the unknown term, Hero candidate.

I thought that the situation would turn out bad if it continued like this.

It’s obvious from the policemen change in attitude that the hero candidate’s position is higher than theirs.

These rotten guys have the backing of the castle.

Bandou is getting out of this mess.

In the worst situation, he may rub the crime on me.

I’d rather decline.

I thought that I must do something to convince the policemen to take care of those two.

Hero candidate against a Hero candidate(LOL).

I step forward and confront Bandou.

「What nonsense are you saying, Bandou?」
「An?」

Bandou scowls at me with hostility without a change.

「You and Miyake lying down there sexually harassed my staff and dangerously used the skill, that is the truth, right?」

I put emphasis on the dangerous use of skill.

Nanase-san has told me.

Using a skill to commit crime resorts in confinement.

Bandou was caught off guard for a moment, but he immediately retorted.

「Shut up!! Don’t talking shit!! Where is the proof of me using a skill!?」

Bandou looks at me with a triumphant smile.

「There’s none right!? This is a different world after all!? Without surveillance cameras, you don’t have a reliable……」
「I have」
「…… Ah?」

Now is my turn to laugh.

「Certainly this world doesn’t have surveillance cameras, but」

I collect a certain item from the reception desk,

「There’s a similar thing」

After witnessing Bandou and Miyake harassing a middle-aged man yesterday, I thought these would come in handy.

A smile floats on my face after showing him a thin, transparent pillar, glowing with a blue hue.

「…… What’s, that」
「This is called the『Reverberation Magic Stone』you see. It’s a Magic Stone that can record a video of the surroundings」

In other words, this stone recorded everything that has happened in this lobby.

It has recorded everything these two delinquents did.

Even the scene of Bandou using the skill and me beating him up.

Bandou is lost for words.

It seems he finally understood my words.

「Impossible!! As if such unscientific thing existed!!」
「This is a world of sword and magic, right? Something so unscientific is normal around here, is it not?」

I return the words with a smile on my face.

「Shit!! Such thing……!! To think that such bottom feeder could do this to me!!」

There are no more excuses.

I declare to Bandou who is shouting at me while scowling.

「You are the bottom feeder now」

With the definite evidence, he can’t make any more excuses.

Bandou together with Miyake were immediately arrested and carried out.