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
――It was back when Rika and Saito were still elementary school students.
Rika was a raw gem of talent, but at that time, she still couldn’t fully control her own power. Whenever she tried to unleash magic, the force threatened to run wild. Therefore, even if they were of lower rank, it was self-evident that the surrounding adults were stronger, aided by their physical size advantage.
And at the same time, the Agatsuma family was also one of the most prominent noble houses.
“W-who are you…? …All of you?”
Therefore, whether for ransom or to take her life…
An incident occurred where those attempting to kidnap Rika targeted her. Unable to fully wield her magic, even Rika was no different from any ordinary girl. She was easily restrained and carried into a car.
The kidnappers weren’t reckless; no one witnessed the scene.
For a young girl, it must have been utter, despairing terror.
“U, uu…!”
Her limbs bound, unable to move, the gag making it hard to breathe properly.
“(I’ll never see Father or Mother again… maybe…)”
Her consciousness grew hazy as she thought this, her chest feeling crushed as tears streamed down her cheeks.
But then, in the midst of it all—.
“—Whoa, whoa, watch out!?”
The kidnapper driving the car shouted, jerking the wheel sharply.
Rika rolled around inside the car, her body slamming hard against the interior. By chance, this action dislodged the gag. Coughing, she looked around. All the kidnappers had gotten out of the car.
The doors were open.
But with her limbs bound, all she could manage was to roll out.
“Ah, ugh…!?”
Falling out, she found herself on an unfamiliar pier.
What on earth had happened here, bathed in the setting sun? Rika wondered as she turned her gaze toward the direction the kidnappers were shouting.
And there stood—
“…Eh, Saito…?”
It was the figure of her childhood friend, the boy.
Standing tall before five kidnappers, Saito held a small knife. Unable to comprehend the situation, Rika could only stare at the scene in stunned silence.
Even so,
“Hey, wanna get killed… you little brat?”
The moment one of them spoke, the girl sensed danger.
There was no way a single child could stand a chance against this many adults. So,
“—Saito, run!!”
Rika shouted instinctively.
But that cry seemed to be the signal. The situation began to shift.
“——————!”
Immediately after, the girl witnessed something unbelievable.
Because Saito, wielding a small knife, closed the distance to the kidnappers in a single bound—
“Gah…!?”
“Wh… what!?”
—First, two of them.
He effortlessly cut off their consciousness.
Faced with this blinding speed, the kidnappers began to falter. Seizing the opening, Saito struck again—one blow to the back of each kidnapper’s head, another to the temple.
The men collapsed unconscious, leaving the boy standing calmly.
Rika had no time to gasp at this bizarre scene.
“D-Don’t mess with me…! This brat… AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?”
But the next to move was the kidnapper.
It was the man who stood out as the most imposing, seemingly the ringleader. He thrust his right hand forward, unleashing a fire spell with the power to surely take a life.
Judging the distance, evasion was impossible.
Saito’s fate seemed sealed. Just as that thought crossed his mind—
“———————”
Saito slashed the knife in his hand sharply sideways.
Then,
“No…
The impossible happened.
The flame magic the man had unleashed dissipated as if it had never existed from the start. Only faint sparks of fire, evidence of its presence, danced around the boy.
Rika wasn’t the only one unable to comprehend the situation.
The man stood frozen, utterly stunned. Even so,
“Who… the hell are you…?”
“I just cut it. The magic, I mean.”
“…………Wh-what?”
Speaking with a voice dripping with obvious fear, Saito responded as if it were no big deal. Then,
“Gah…!?”
He slammed the heel of his palm hard into the bewildered man’s jaw.
And so, one battle ended.
“Saito…?”
“Are you okay, Rika?”
“Eh, ah… yeah.”
He walked over to the girl and used the knife that had severed the magic to free her bonds.
After confirming she wasn’t injured, the boy breathed a sigh of relief.
Rika asked Saito.
“Um, why…?”
Why on earth was he here?
And what exactly had just happened?
She had a mountain of questions, but the words wouldn’t come. However,
“Ah… well, I just wanted to protect Rika, that’s all. And—”
Scratching his head as if he understood everything, the boy spoke.
“What just happened… that’s just between me and Rika, okay?”
He smiled, looking somewhat troubled.
His expression, illuminated by the setting sun, seemed too beautiful to the girl. And she thought: I don’t want anyone else to see this smile.
She wanted to be the only one beside him forever.
Without realizing it, the girl had begun wishing for that.
It wasn’t logic; it was simply her heart screaming it out.
“Ah…”
Rika noticed and instinctively turned her face away.
Hiding the blush on her cheeks, different from the sunset, along with the pounding in her chest…
◆
“――Seriously, how many times do I have to tell you to take this seriously!? Aragaki!?”
“Nah… even if I try seriously, magic’s just too hard for me.”
――Time rewinds to the present, outside the faculty room.
As Rika walked through the school grounds, she spotted Saito being scolded by a teacher. Apparently, something had happened regarding his recent grades.
She didn’t know the details, but she suspected she wasn’t far off.
“Got it? You’re the worst student this academy has ever seen!!”
“…Huh. Is that so?”
As proof, the teacher, increasingly worked up, blurted out such words.
It didn’t seem to affect Saito though; he scratched his head and gave a half-hearted response. Watching this scene, Rika found herself wondering again.
“(Why, Saito-kun… why doesn’t he take it seriously?)”
She alone knew he was stronger than anyone else.
Yet the boy neither boasted about it nor seemed to care, drifting through life. Perhaps there was a deeper meaning to this.
Rika began to think this way,
“(…Then—)”
From that moment on, she began to think this way.
“(I’m the only one who can understand Saito-kun!… Right?)”
That day, her admiration for the boy who saved her life.
And in her heart, a definite feeling of love. Holding that, she—.
“—Teacher, may I speak with you? If you’re dissatisfied with Saito-kun’s grades, I’d be grateful if you’d include me in the discussion.”
“Wh—ah, Agatsuma?”
“Hey, Rika… Please, don’t get involved…”
Chest thrust out proudly, she stepped boldly between them.
Maiban