I Thought I Was Reincarnated as a Mob Character in a Game, but I'm a Bugged Character Loaded with Cheat Skills!? The Strongest Hero? The Most Evil Demon King? I'm the Most Astonishing Nudist, So Clear the Way! Episode 2 [Creative Award 2024 Manga Original Work Category Entry]

2
"We have arrived!"
"Hmm..."

A woman with beautiful black hair in a ponytail, wearing a kimono, steps off the ship. As her ponytail sways, the sword hanging at her waist makes a sound.

"Reporting! The guards have evacuated! Many have minor injuries!"
"...And the dead?"

The woman turns her narrow, sharp eyes toward the reporter and asks.

"Yes! No deaths or serious injuries have been confirmed at this time!"
"That is a relief... Send in the medical team immediately."
"Yes!"
"...Did they prioritize escaping over fighting...?"

The woman mutters, placing a hand on her chin. Another person runs up.

"Reporting! It appears Jack's gang orchestrated the prison break!"
"Jack the '"Barbarian'...The guy who's been rampaging back in the home country too..."
"Yes! Based on eyewitness reports and other information, there is no doubt!"
"To think he'd set his sights on the prisoners here... Do barbarians attract each other...?"

The woman mutters. Another person runs up.

"Reporting! It appears the escaped prisoners fled to the beach on the opposite side!"
"I see, so Jack landed on this island from that side..."
"There is also information confirming a suspicious ship!"
"First Platoon, check the prison! Second Platoon, take the ship to the other side of the island! I will head there by land!"
"A-are you sure you'll be alright alone!?"
"I'm faster alone!"
"B-but, if something were to happen to you, my lady..."
"I am not a lady! I am Ayaka! Everyone, do not neglect combat preparations!"

The woman who called herself Ayaka dashes off briskly.

"S-so fast!"
"She has legs that no average man could keep up with..."
"But... isn't she being a bit too eager?"
"Anyway, let's move according to orders."

Her subordinates move efficiently.

"...Jack, that elusive man. I thought he'd be hard to catch, but he's even brought pirates under his command by sea... It would be bad if he targeted the coast of our home country with these violent prisoners..."

Ayaka mutters to herself as she heads toward the beach. Her pace is quick. Since she memorized the island's map before landing, she heads to the beach without getting lost.

"H-hey, what the hell is going on!? Why did you come back!?"
"Apparently there's a dangerous guy on the beach!"
"What do you mean, a dangerous guy!?"
"I don't know! We haven't seen him either!"
"You don't know!?"
"Anyway, it's better to run away from here! There should be ships!"
"Y-you're right, the guards must be thin right now! Huh!?"

Three prisoners run into Ayaka. Ayaka reaches for the hilt of her sword.

"...Return to the prison quietly..."
"...Hahaha!"
"...What's so funny?"
"No, I thought the pursuers had arrived, but it's just one frail girl... You must be really short-handed..."
"...One of me is enough for the likes of you... even without using my sword..."

Ayaka lets go of her sword.

"D-don't underestimate us!"
One of the three prisoners, a small man, attacks Ayaka.

"Hah!"
"Gah!?"

The small man is tripped by Ayaka and falls. He hits his face and stops moving.

"Fast movement, but too linear..."
"Damn!"
"Hmph!"
"Dugh!?"

A large man approaches Ayaka and tries to grab her thin arm, but Ayaka easily throws him. The large man flies through the air, slams into the ground, and stops moving. Ayaka brushes off her hands and mutters.

"Don't you know the saying, '"softness controls hardness'..."
"D-damn it!"
"Hah!"
"Doh!?"

The remaining man of average build swings his sword, but Ayaka quickly dodges it and delivers a sharp hand-chop as she passes by. The man of average build collapses on the spot.

"That level of skill is no match for me..."

Ayaka quickly ties up the three prisoners and rushes to the beach.

(Why did they turn back...? They said there was a dangerous guy... A monster? There shouldn't have been any monsters that dangerous on this island...!)

"...Hmm?"
" I-it's the dangerous guy!?"

Ayaka cries out when she encounters Kyo standing on the beach almost completely naked.

"W-what is this!?"
"No, what are you!?"

The woman with the black ponytail who appeared in front of me points at me. She narrows her already narrow, sharp eyes even further. A beautiful lady... No, wait, that's not it. Judging by her appearance, she seems like a decent person. I met someone I could talk to relatively quickly. This is no time to be lazing around sunbathing. I should handle this calmly.

"...I am definitely not a suspicious person!"
"You look suspicious no matter how you slice it!"

The woman draws her sword from its scabbard. It's a katana—since there is no Japan in this world, the name is probably '"Samurai Sword'—but that's fine. Still, is she short-tempered to draw her sword so suddenly? Or is she in a state of panic? I raise both hands.

"...First, calm down a little."
"How can I calm down with this!"
"You seem a bit deranged."
"You're the one who's deranged!"

Yes, refuted... Wait, was it me? Certainly, a man wearing nothing but a slightly large piece of seaweed around his waist looks deranged no matter how you look at it. However, I can't back down here.

"...Exactly what part of me is deranged?"
"T-that shameless outfit!"
"That's just your opinion, isn't it?"
"Eh...?"
"Look, isn't this a very beautiful beach? It's the perfect place to enjoy swimming or sunbathing. If anything, your outfit is the one that's highly inappropriate, isn't it?"
"...First of all, there's a limit to how lightly dressed one should be. Second, while this beach is indeed beautiful, it is not a swimming beach, and this island itself is not a resort."
"..."

What should I do? Now that she's calmly refuted me, I'm starting to feel really embarrassed... Why am I dressed like this...? The woman points her sword at me.

"Don't go silent. Who exactly are you?"
"...If you're going to ask someone, isn't it common courtesy to introduce yourself first?"
"C-courtesy, you say...?"

The woman flinches slightly. Hmm, it seems she's the type who's weak against that kind of thing. Time to push forward. I deliberately spread my arms.

"Good grief... what a young lady who doesn't know courtesy..."
"D-don't talk about courtesy when you're dressed like that in front of a woman you've just met!"
"Ugh..."

My push is easily countered. As expected, this outfit really lacks persuasiveness... What to do? ...Just as I was thinking that, the woman speaks.

"I am not a young lady...! I have a name, Ayaka...!"

'"Ayaka'... A good name. But a woman who uses '"sessha' as her first-person pronoun? The first character I meet is quite eccentric—Jack? Who's that?—still, if it's a small island at the eastern edge of the world, maybe that's just how it is... I think while placing a hand on my chin.

"Hmm..."
"Don't 'hmm' me. What is your name?"
"Ah, I'm Kyo..."
"Kyo... I don't recall anyone by that name being on the island's official registry, nor on the list of prisoners incarcerated in the prison... Who are you, really?"
"Even if you ask who I am..."

I cross my arms. Saying '"I'm a former corporate slave from a black company' would only cause unnecessary confusion. How should I answer in this case... As I was thinking that, Ayaka asked the next question.

"Where did you come from?"
"...When I came to, I was lying here."
"...Do you expect me to believe that story?"
"...There's no other way to explain it..."

Saying '"I was reincarnated from another world' would just get me a 'what is this guy talking about...' reaction. I have no choice but to say this.

"...Are you not one of Jack's gang?"
"...Why would you think that?"
"We have information that they landed on the island to free the prisoners. It's hard to think otherwise."
"...And this outfit?"
"...Most likely, you had a falling out with your comrades and were stripped of your clothes."
"Hmph, that's a very barbaric way of thinking..."
"That's the only evidence I have... so that's the only conclusion I can reach."

Ayaka points her sword at my entire body. What is this, some kind of public shaming play...

"Hmm..."
"Stay quiet, I'm taking you into custody..."
"C-custody?"
"Yes, there's a prison right here, after all..."
"W-wait, I drove Jack away, you know?"
"What?"
"And I beat up most of the prisoners... Look around you."
"!"

Ayaka finally notices the many prisoners lying around her. It's no wonder, since she was glued to my magnificent naked body. I smile.

"...Has your suspicion cleared?"
"...Are you saying you defeated them all by yourself?"
"That's right."

I put my hands on my hips and nod proudly.

"...Hard to believe. How did you do it in that outfit?"
"With my fists."

I clench my right fist and hold it up. Ayaka is dumbfounded.

"Are you joking?"
"I'm perfectly serious."
"I heard Jack is a master of guns. How did you do it?"
"W-with a flick of my finger..."
"What are you talking about?"
"N-no, like this... I went 'ping!' and deflected the bullets..."

I demonstrate the flick. Ayaka is genuinely dumbfounded.

"Don't mess with me."
"I'm dead serious."
"M-my la... Captain Ayaka!"

A man calls out from the sea. One of Ayaka's subordinates? Ayaka raises her voice.

"Did you find Jack's ship!?"
"We confirmed it moving away into the distance! I don't think we can catch up now!"
"Hmm... Then split the platoon into two! Half of you return the ship to its original location! The other half, land and take the prisoners lying here back to the prison!"
"Yes!"

The subordinates who received Ayaka's instructions move efficiently. The man who seems to be the leader of the subordinates looks at me suspiciously and asks Ayaka.

"W-what should we do with this person?"
"Take him into custody. Tie him up tightly."
"W-what!? I told you I have nothing to do with Jack!"
"This island is a proper territory of our country... It's trespassing."
"N-no way..."

Episode 3 ↓