[Chapter:16][Rewards~~!]

It was nearly ten minutes later, that Grace returned from the house.

Alone.

"I'm done~~! Thanks for waiting~~!"

No one spoke. Or rather, the blood on the metal rod in his hand that had previously dried being fresh was enough for them.

As for those that think it is merely because of some of 'them' being inside the house?

While all those in the bus were certainly high schoolers, they weren't that naïve. Nor are the readers.

But well, if the readers need to know, then Grace got 2 more Golden Points.

"By the way, haven't we been moving in circles?"

That question, from Grace, broke the awkward silence, as nearly eighteen pairs of eyes fell onto Kyoko.

"He-Hey! I'm not used to driving around here alright!? I haven't explored the city since I moved in from Kyoto two years ago!"

She protested while defending herself.

"So? Anybody know a place where so many can stay the night?"

Grace asks, before the air headed Nurse raises her hand with her trademark smile.

"I do I do! My friend's place is a pretty big apartment! We all can stay there!"

Grace looked at Shizuka, as did the rest, before nodding.

"We'll go there then. But right after a quick trip to the nearest supermarket."

Those in the bus weren't idiots enough to ask why…

"Why?"

Or so Grace, and even Author-san thought.

"Why? Really? Are you asking that, Takashi?"

Saya looked at Takashi as though looking at an idiot, but he didn't respond to her. Instead, he kept staring at Grace.

"Why?"

"Why what, Takashi-kun? Ah, please don't mind what I call you all, I'm not really used to Japanese names callings and honorifics and what not, I just know 'kun', 'chan', and 'san'."

Grace lied through his teeth as he simply didn't want to put up with the whole 'first name level of intimacy' bullshit. Besides, it's a plus that the girls would feel closer to him that way.

"Why did you kill them?"

Those in the bus, even Saeko, flinched.

"Who? I didn't kill anyone? All I did is dispose of trash, don't you do that too? Clean up and burn the trash?"

Grace maintained his smile, though he was inwardly groaning.

'Of course he's a self righteous idiot…*sigh*…I suddenly don't feel that bad for pushing you onto you best friend To be cucked #1…'

"Don't joke around! I'm asking you why you killed them!?"

*sigh*

Grace sighed softly as he got up. The atmosphere tensed almost instantly as he approached Takashi.

They all had seen how strong he was, maybe not as strong as superman, but far stronger than all those in the bus. After all, it's not everyday a guy could carry a grown adult and a growing teenager like they weighed nothing, not to mention he was also a skilled fighter.

That, and the blood on the metal rod tied to his belt was still fresh and dripping down.

And even Takashi began regretting his decision when his shoulders were clutched. He instinctively clenched his legs together, as did the rest of the boys as all those in the bus suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu…

"Takashi-kun, don't be a hypocrite."

Takashi stiffened.

"Wha-What?"

Grace merely smiled at the guy. Trash he might be, he was, after all, going to sacrifice him for the greater good, especially with the new thing he got from the lottery, so Grace didn't mind wasting a little time on disciplining him a little.

"Takashi-kun, how much do you know about that Trash? Do you know who his father is, his mother is? Do you know where he lives, what he does in his free time? Do you know what rumours fly around him, what deeds he has done? No? Then why are you trying to defend him?"

"It isn't my place to speak of them, not that I actually know what he did. But even a blind fool would be able to tell that he isn't exactly well liked. And you saw no problems at all that those who I assume are your childhood friends seem to hate him? No problem at all?"

"But let's put that all aside for now."

"Takashi-kun, did you take care of at least one of 'them'?"

"A-ah? Yes, I did."

He instinctively nods his head.

"Then, I want you to remember, the first one that you killed, whether you did it by bashing their skulls in or slicing their heads off or piercing their eyes, who are they to you?"

"Wh-What?"

Not only him, but everyone in the bus flinched at that.

"Takashi-kun, before they turned into 'them', who are they all to you? Classmates? Friends? Acquaintances? Rivals? Students? Teachers? Non teaching staff? Gardeners? Sweepers? Perhaps even neighbours or relatives?"

"And all of the, regardless of whether or not 'they' are as you remember 'them' to be…didn't you kill them?"

"!!!"

Grace didn't give him, or anyone else for that matter, the time to say anything.

"Don't kid yourself by saying they were no longer human, you as well as I do, that if, right this moment, one of those in the bus suddenly turns, few of us will actually hesitate to take action."

"If you turn, well, my trusty spear's ready to pierce you in one go. And it'll be so fast you won't even feel the pain."

(Gay~~!)

Grace directly ignored the blue firefly that commented so during a rather serious discussion. Underlined 'rather' since he was honestly saying whatever comes to Author-san's mind at this point.

"I told you barely ten minutes ago, didn't I? To me, there are only four kinds of people. Those that I care for, those that I consider allies, those that are strangers, and then there are the trash I dispose."

'There are also those I will cuck, like you, and those that I need to sacrifice for the greater good, also like you, but you don't need to know that.'

(Fufufu~~)

"To me, you are at the borderline between number 2 and 3, between an ally, an acquaintance who I wouldn't mind helping out, and a stranger I don't give a damn about. This question did shift your position in that scale towards the latter, but not enough for me to not care about you completely."

Grace smiled as he removed his hands from Takashi's shoulders.

"Try not to get yourself in my fourth list, alright? Cause if you somehow manage to do so, well…"

He chuckled softly.

"May the Goddess have mercy cause I'm fresh out."

((A/N : My attempt at trying to combine two memes, cool last sentence huh?))

(It would have been cooler if you didn't say that.)

((A/N : Oh Shut up! I'm getting way too little screen time nowadays!))

'Authors aren't supposed to get screen time in their own books though...'

Grace tapped Takashi's face with a smile as he turned around and went back to his seat, before lying down on it.

The group descends into another bout of silence as Kyoko starts the engine and even Shizuka, the ever cheerful airheaded Nurse, approaches her in unexpected silence before showing her the way.

Takashi plops down onto his seat and Rei, who was feeling angry at her crush trying to defend her enemy of all people, clicks her tongue and proceeds to ignore him, while Hisashi sighs before approaching him and tries to console him, while also saying what he knew about the guy to him, something which caused another orange head to tremble as she cries with a bright smile.

Saya sits down next to Saeko, who closes her eyes, her bokken hugged between her cleavage, and rests for a moment.

Misuzu and Toshimi, who glared at Takashi for a moment, looked at each other and chuckled softly before sitting down together and pretending to rest, though they frequently looked back at our dearest MC's handsome and serene face as he 'slept'.

Student A, and the twins, who unexpectedly happened to be nearly identical triplets, if not for them having red, blue, and green hair, huddled together and discussed who-knows-what.

Taniuchi and Kawamoto looked at each other, their hands intertwined, and they leaned against each other as they dozed off with loving smiles on their faces.

Naomi looked back at the burning school, where her boyfriend, no, her former boyfriend and his lover on whom he cheated, and felt her anger, her hatred, along with her love, burn together within those flames. With a sigh, and slapping her own cheeks, she smiled ever so slightly, albeit a sad one, before resting.

Yamada looked at the fatty Kohta, the only one that he could approach, but seeing him so focused while looking at his modified nail gun, shook his head while feeling alienated. With a sigh, he closes his eyes and thinks thoughts he wouldn't even have the chance to regret.

Thus, the eighteen, formerly twenty, survivors of Fujimi Highschool continue onward, most resting while some pondering.

The two outsiders, however, were busy doing their own thing, even if one was invisible and the other looking as though he was taking a nap.

......

(Pleasepleaseplease! Justonemoretimeplease!)

Grace sighed mentally as he heard the little loli beg him desperately.

'I told you why, and even gave you a reason for it.'

(Prettypleasewithacherryontop? Justthisonelasttime!?)

Grace sighed once more.

'Fine, but just once! And you won't ask again till I get another 10 SP.'

(Yes! Thank you so much!)

Grace shook his head as he felt several tiny kisses land on his cheek.

He looked at the previous messages from the System, which changed quite a lot of things.

......

[[Event [(Escape from the Dead!)] completed. Ascertaining rating…]]

[[Saved 'Kyoko Hayashi'. Rank up.]]

[[Saved 'Misuzu Ichijou'. Rank up.]]

[[Saved 'Toshimi Niki'. Rank up.]]

[[Saved 'Eei Bee'. Rank up.]]

[[Saved 'Hisashi Igou'. Rank up.]]

[[Saved 'Cee Bee'. Rank up.]]

[[Saved 'Eee Bee'. Rank up.]]

[[Saved 'Naomi'. Rank up.]]

[[Killed 'Spy Guy'. Rank up.]]

[[Killed 'Yes Guy'. Rank up.]]

[[Final rating : SSS. Finalising rewards…]]

[[Rewards finalised. Rewards issued. Good job, keep it up host!]]

[[Event rewards acquired. GP +9. Function 'Inventory' unlocked.]]

......

And the ones after that.

......

[[Event [(Democracy under the Dead!)] completed. Ascertaining rating…]]

[[Prevent Shido from succeeding. Rank up.]]

[[Expose Shido's misdeeds. Rank up.]]

[[Humiliate Shido. Rank up.]]

[[Kill Shido. Rank up.]]

[[Destroy Delinquent's manhood. Rank up.]]

[[Humiliate Delinquent. Rank up.]]

[[Kill Delinquent. Rank up.]]

[[Have Saeko help you. Rank up.]]

[[Have Kohta help you. Rank up.]]

[[Have Rei help you. Rank up.]]

[[Final rating : SSS. Finalising rewards…]]

[[Rewards finalise. Rewards issued. Good job, keep it up host!]]

[[Event rewards acquired. GP +9. Function 'Redemption' unlocked.]]

[[Golden Mark eliminated. GP +1.]]

[[Golden Mark eliminated. GP +1.]]

[[World Quest 'Despair' progress (4/10) —> (6/10).]]

......

A total of 20 GP, if the two from Shido and delinquent are included, and two new functions.

'Aren't functions supposed to be, like, rare or something?'

Regardless, he looked at his status, or his points, to be precise.

......

Points : 5,469 —> 696 Silver Points : 4 —> 8

Golden Points : 10 —> 30 Crystal Points : 0

......

'Well, at least I got a pretty good one from the Gacha.'

Grace looked at his new ability, which had formerly been in his Skills list.

......

(Mind Palace : F-)

Type : Ability / Passive

Description : Create a mental structure labelled 'Mind Palace' wherein user can store his / her memories, knowledge, etc… securely. The higher the rank, the greater the capacity and defences of the 'Mind Palace'. Constructing the 'Mind Palace' also allows user to access his / her sea of consciousness as a side effect, where the 'Mind Palace' will be constructed.

Note : Converted through usage of special card '(Ability Conversion Card)'.

......

Ability Conversion Card. A special type card that converts Skills into Abilities. That was what he got when Dea-chan spun the wheel. And it was also why he stopped the little firefly from spending more SP before he got at least 20 Silver Points.

It was honestly rather weird for Grace when he felt all the knowledge he had about creating a Rank F- Mind Palace simply…disappear. It was as though he had entirely forgotten about it. And it also spooked him a little, knowing that the System could so easily interfere with his mind.

But then he realised he was the main character of a shitty huge-harem fanfic with the OP MC tag, so he decided to ignore that.

After all, if Author-san tries to pull some shit like the System suddenly rebelling and trying to take over him or something, he was sure his dear readers would 'convince' him not to take that route.

'Wait, is there a 'No Nerfs' tag on the book? No? Guess Author-san forgot to put it up…'

((A/N : Nope, not a flag.))

Putting all that aside, Grace looked at his ability…

'Ah shit…I forgot…'

…and pumped it up straight to Rank EX++.

And with Dea-chan's figure excitedly spinning the wheel as the last thing he saw, he blacked out.