The Former Swordmaster Who Pretends to Be the Worst, and the School’s Top-Ranked Chairman’s Daughter Who’s Way Too Sweet in Public, It’s a Real Problem
“This is way more serious than I thought…”
—I muttered that to myself as I skimmed through the data I’d received from Ryotaro.
The so-called “assassins” sent by Euclid seemed to have absolutely no sense of restraint. While it’s true that all the people they killed were conducting research that strayed from ethical standards, I couldn’t sense any hesitation whatsoever regarding the act of taking a human life.
Take, for example, the interception of the aircraft carrying the Novozarsk researchers.
Even though there were no civilians on board, the scale of the operation was staggering. I don’t know the specifics of the methods used, but they vanished without a trace in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Beyond that, there have been countless purges of those deemed heretics.
“…But if that’s the case, why target Rika?”
After closing the documents I’d saved on my terminal,
I muttered the question under my breath as I pondered it.
The assignment I’d taken on from Ryotaro regarding this incident was, as always, to provide security for Rika. But if that’s the case, there must be a reason separate from Rika’s status or abilities.
Nishimiya targeted my childhood friend as a surrogate to produce an exceptional designer baby. But in this case, it seems there’s no reason for her to be targeted in the first place.
After all, Rika isn’t a heretic to begin with.
“I’ll have to ask about this somewhere else.”
I missed my chance to ask yesterday.
But her father is probably still hiding something.
“……Sigh. I’m already feeling down first thing in the morning.”
“Hey, what’s up, Saito? You’re looking strangely gloomy.”
As I let out a deep sigh in the living room, I heard that voice.
Recognizing it well, I replied without looking at the person speaking.
“It’s nothing… no big deal, Dad.”
“If it’s no big deal, then don’t sigh like that.”
The person speaking—my father, Aragaki Masataka —said this while stroking his stubble.
He must be off work today. Dressed in a shabby tracksuit, he pulled an e-cigarette out of his pocket and started puffing on it without asking my permission. I’m used to it by now, so I didn’t really mind; I just watched him as he sat down on the sofa across from me.
Then, as if he’d just remembered, my father asked:
“Come to think of it, Saito. Isn’t it about time for the Seihou Festival?”
“Uh… yeah, I guess so?”
When I gave a half-hearted reply, he ran his fingers through his shoulder-length hair and, for some reason, whispered another question.
“…So? What’s your class doing?”
“What do you mean… running a café, I guess?”
When I answered casually, my dad leaned in close.
And then he continued like this.
“Is that the one? The one where you say, ‘Welcome back~’?”
“Yeah, but what’s with you? That’s creepy.”
“Hoh-oh…?”
Overwhelmed by his intensity, I ended up confessing.
Then my dad put his hand to his chin and thought for a moment. After that, he nodded vigorously and said:
“—Alright, I’m definitely going.”
“Huh…?”
With a slovenly look, his nose practically touching his lips.
Seeing my pathetic father’s expression, I couldn’t help but frown, and he shouted:
“It’s not ‘Huh…?’ is it, Saito!? How could I possibly pass up such a golden opportunity to receive the services of a young maiden—legally and at a reasonable price!?”—he said.
My father—stood there chest puffed out, fists clenched, speaking with great enthusiasm.
Seeing him like that, I was honestly taken aback. And I couldn’t help but think about the fact that I’d inherited this man’s genes.
I don’t know… this is my third life, after all.
But this was the first time I’d ever felt so pathetic and sad.
“You might think this has nothing to do with you, but deep down, aren’t you actually getting excited too, Saito? Like, just imagine Rika-chan in a maid outfit, for example!”
“Are you crazy, Dad? Don’t lump me in with you.”
“Come on, I know what I’m doing! Don’t be so uptight, son!”
“…………”
He really is a hopeless father.
To think that a man like this and Rika’s father, Ryotaro, are best friends—the world is a mystery. I think they went to the same school or something, but I can’t imagine how they ever became friends.
I thought about it for a moment, then suddenly realized something.
“……Huh? Come to think of it, Dad, can I ask you something?”
“What is it? If you’re looking for recommendations on cosplay shops, I can give you plenty.”
“That’s not what I meant, you pervert!”
“Come on, don’t be so cold…”
I was about to ask, but once again, Dad casually brushed it off with a joke.
However, he must have sensed from my expression that this was about something else. With a resigned sigh, he sat down on the sofa and started puffing on his e-cigarette again.
Feeling strangely exhausted, I decided to ask him this for now.
“Dad, you and Ryotaro went to the same school… right?”
“Ah, yeah, that’s right.”
“Which one was it?”
“Hmm… come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever told you that, Saito.”
Then, after taking a deep breath,
as if recalling the past and choosing his words carefully, he began to speak.
“We met at Euclid. Me, Mom, and Rika’s late mother—the three of us were studying abroad there.”
“…Studying abroad?”
“That’s right. But at first, with him—”
With a rare, faint wry smile.
“I thought there was absolutely no way we could ever get along,” he said.
Maiban