The World Is Mine For The Taking-Chapter 1163 - 177 - The Forest Of Doom (5)

"That’s right. You heard me correctly." Amakawa-kun’s voice cut through the air, calm yet strangely energized, like he had already accepted whatever chaos would follow. "Well, I guess some of you already had an idea by now. During our stay in the castle, we were provided with... services."

A pause followed. It wasn’t the kind that invited interruption—it was deliberate, heavy, as if he wanted everyone to sit with the implication before he continued.

"And when I say services, I mean all kinds of services." His lips curled slightly, not quite a smile, but not far from it either. "I don’t think I really need to make it any clearer than that. You already know what I’m talking about."

A faint murmur rippled through the group. No one laughed. No one joked. The meaning behind his words was too obvious to pretend otherwise.

"And Kashiwagi here..." Amakawa-kun went on, turning slightly and gesturing toward him with a casual flick of his hand, "...he wasn’t immune to it either. Come on, Kashiwagi. Why don’t you tell the girls yourself? Tell them that you fucked a maid back in the castle too."

Kashiwagi-kun didn’t respond.

He didn’t even look up.

He just stood there, shoulders stiff, gaze fixed somewhere on the ground as if staring long enough might make the moment pass. It felt less like hesitation and more like surrender. Like someone who already knew there was no escaping the outcome, so resisting would only make it worse.

With Amakawa-kun openly admitting everything, it no longer mattered whether Kashiwagi-kun spoke or not. The implication was already there, loud and unavoidable. If one of them had been given those services, then it meant all of them had. The silence itself was a confession.

"So that’s why you’ve all changed," I said, my voice colder than I intended.

My eyes locked onto Kashiwagi-kun. I didn’t look away. I couldn’t. The fact that he had kept something like this from me—kept it hidden so carefully—hurt more than I expected. It wasn’t just the act itself. It was the secrecy. The acceptance. The way he had gone along with it as if it were normal.

It felt like betrayal.

"You, of all people..." I said, my jaw tightening. "I never thought you’d fall that deep into the rabbit hole. To let yourself be seduced like that."

My gaze shifted, sweeping over the others one by one.

"And that goes for all of you."

No one interrupted me.

"You’ve fallen far enough to do something like this," I continued. "I honestly can’t believe it."

One of the girls let out a shaky breath. Another crossed her arms tightly, as if trying to shield herself from the situation.

"I knew you boys were keeping something from us," someone said, her voice sharp with disappointment. "But I didn’t think it was something this bad. You guys are seriously the worst."

"Falling for such an obvious trap," another added, shaking her head. "Even in a situation like this... boys really will be boys, huh?"

The atmosphere shifted completely. The looks directed at the boys were no longer confused or uncertain. They were filled with disgust—raw and unfiltered. It was written plainly on every face.

"I don’t trust you anymore," I said. "I don’t even think I’d feel safe being around you all now."

For a brief moment, there was silence.

Then Amakawa-kun laughed softly.

"You don’t have to trust us," he said. "We don’t really care about you."

The way his eyes widened as he spoke sent a chill down my spine. There was something wrong there—something broken. He didn’t look like the person I remembered anymore. He looked unhinged, like someone who had tasted something forbidden and no longer cared about the consequences.

"When this world gives us everything we want," he continued, his tone growing more animated, "why the hell would we choose people like you? I’d rather stay here and enjoy myself than go back to that place."

There was no hesitation in his voice. No doubt.

And from the way the others stood behind him—silent but unmoving—it was clear they felt the same.

"Is that so?" I said quietly.

I didn’t wait for an answer.

I turned around and walked away.

Behind me, Sakura hadn’t moved.

She stood there, frozen, as if her body refused to follow her thoughts.

"It’s a lie, right?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Kashiwagi-kun... it’s not true, right?"

But there was no response.

The silence answered her question far more cruelly than words ever could.

"I’m sorry, Yamamoto-san," Amakawa-kun muttered, his tone suddenly bitter, almost dismissive.

That was when Sakura finally turned around. As she began walking toward us, tears spilled freely from her eyes. She didn’t bother wiping them away.

"You don’t need to look for him anymore, Sakura," I said gently but firmly. "That person isn’t Kashiwagi-kun anymore. Whoever he is now... he’s a stranger to us."

As painful as it was to admit, it had to be said.

This had to be a trap. Something deliberately prepared to make them stay in this world. A temptation designed to sink its claws into them and never let go.

And if they had traps like that prepared for the boys...

Then it was only logical to assume they had traps prepared for us too.

Which meant one thing.

We couldn’t afford to let our guard down.

***

Hasegawa Chiaki’s POV

I couldn’t sit still after hearing what the boys had done. The information weighed heavily on my chest, twisting my stomach into knots. No matter how much I tried to rationalize it, the unease wouldn’t go away.

So I went straight to Miss Shredica.

The moment I reached her office, I slammed my hands down on her desk, the sharp sound echoing through the room.

"What are you doing, Miss Chiaki?" she said, her voice calm but edged with irritation. "I told you already. If you wake up late and miss the others heading into the forest, you’re supposed to go by yourself. Or is this another one of your tirades about how we’re doing something ’inhuman’ to all of you?"

She looked almost identical to one of my students—someone who should never have been part of something like this. But that was where the similarity ended. Her eyes were cold, lifeless, and there was a heaviness about her presence that made my skin crawl.

She looked like someone who had taken lives before.

She scared me.

Still, I forced myself to stand tall, even as my legs trembled beneath me.

"I heard from my students that the boys were given ’services’ by the maids in the castle," I said, meeting her gaze. "What exactly do they mean by that?"

I wasn’t naive. I knew what kind of service it referred to. Anyone would.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Miss Shredica replied smoothly. "Isn’t it natural for those in higher positions to be rewarded? To receive services from those beneath them?"

Her tone didn’t change. Not even slightly.

"I don’t see why you’re so upset," she continued. "The maids were simply doing their jobs—ensuring that the heroes were comfortable during their stay."

She said it so casually, so matter-of-factly, that my mind went blank.

For a moment, I couldn’t even find the words to respond.