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
“That’s just like you, Saito! The other customers were all amazed, too!”
“Well, I have to say, the scale of the defensive magic Rika cast was pretty impressive. If it had been that powerful, there might not have even been a need for me to step in.”
“That’s not true! It was your quick thinking that saved everyone!”
By the time we’d explained the situation to the police who’d arrived late and finished the initial questioning, the sun had completely set. Since the local precinct was located in the restaurant district, everyone walking by was drunk.
Glancing sideways at the flushed-faced adults, Rika and I waited for her father, Ryotaro, the school’s board chairman.
As expected, he’s quite the celebrity, so word apparently got out to him right away.
“But he didn’t have to go out of his way to come pick me up, did he…?”
“Don’t say that. Your dad’s worried about his only daughter, too.”
As a result, a car was coming to pick up my childhood friend.
However, whether she resented being treated like a child or had some other reason, she said this while twirling the ends of her hair with a slightly disappointed look. Even I was taken aback and shrugged my shoulders.
Then, Rika leaned into me and said,
“If it were with you, Saito-kun, I’d go out on the town with you at night… just kidding!”
“I-idiot… what are you saying right in front of the police station?”
It was too dark to tell for sure, but she seemed to be blushing slightly.
Just how serious was she, anyway? Seeing her wrap her arm around mine and hum happily to herself, I let out a small sigh.
She really has always been a bit careless, hasn’t she?
“…Seriously. You really are reckless, aren’t you?”
“Eh? That’s not true!”
“It is, isn’t it? If you keep acting like that—”
I felt a smile naturally spreading across my face.
I told my childhood friend, who was pouting,
“…You’re going to need me by your side forever, aren’t you?”
“Hii…!?”
Rika let out a voice that was somehow both puzzled and adorable.
She blushed so deeply it was obvious even in the dim light, and her mouth moved as if she were trying to say something. Seeing her like that, I tilted my head, wondering what on earth was going on.
I’d assumed she’d just laugh it off…
“……What’s wrong?”
“N-n-n-nothing at all!? Yeah, um—”
In response to my question, she became visibly flustered.
Covering her mouth with her hand, she whispered in a tiny voice:
“I was just wondering… if it’s okay for me to stay this clumsy forever.”
That was a blow from a completely unexpected angle.
“O-oh… y-yeah…”
Since I hadn’t anticipated it at all, this time I was the one who blushed.
Stammering, I scratched my cheek and looked away.
Then my childhood friend replied, “…Yeah.”
“…………”
“…………”
And then, silence fell.
Even the bustle of the night streets felt distant, as if from another world. Between us, there was an atmosphere that felt awkward, yet somehow comforting.
Neither of us said a word. As we soaked in the moment,
“Wow, being young is wonderful, isn’t it?”
“…………”
“…………”
Before I knew it, Ryotaro was smiling behind us.
Rika and I turned around at the same time, and we must have had exactly the same expression on our faces.
“What’s up with you two? You look just like mirror images of each other!”
He said that to us, sounding a little more cheerful than usual.
I looked at him, wide-eyed, and asked,
“By the way, Ryotaro, since when have you been standing there…?”
“Hmm… Since I thought, ‘I need to be by your side,’ I guess.”
“…Oh.”
I couldn’t think of a single thing to say in reply.
Rika and I just stood there in silence, watching the cheerful Ryotaro. Then,
“Well, that kind of relationship is for when you’re adults, you know?”
“We know that!”
“I know that!”
He said it again, just to be mean.
We both instinctively shouted back in unison, but it seemed like we’d just dug our own graves. Ryotaro-san smiled cheerfully—
“—I see. So the two of you are already thinking about that kind of relationship in the future, is that it?”
“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?”
“Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!?”
Nodding repeatedly, he seemed to have come to his own conclusion.
The bustling nightlife district. Our screams echoed out in front of that police station.
◆
“Seriously, Ryotaro san…”
I sighed, thinking back on him as he drove off with Rika.
Some time had passed since all that, and I was walking through the night streets with my shoulders slumped. She’d offered to walk me home, but I didn’t have the courage to sit next to her in that atmosphere. I politely declined for the time being and just gazed at the streets.
“…Still. It’s really different from when I was alive before, isn’t it?”
And what came to mind was my first life.
The obvious difference from back then was, of course, the presence or absence of magic. But beyond that, there were several things—starting with the cars driving through the streets—that looked like something out of a sci-fi movie.
I’m used to it now, but at first, my brain just couldn’t process it.
“Well, that’s that. I should really get a move on—”
Even that feels nostalgic now.
Feeling that way, I turned my gaze in another direction to hurry home. Just then,
“…Hmm. Is that Takanashi?”
The figure of a familiar girl caught my eye. If it was Takanashi, what on earth was she doing out at this late hour? I paused for a moment to think.
The figure that looked like her, visible amid the city lights, seemed to be walking at a somewhat brisk pace.
“……Where on earth is she going at a time like this?”
I couldn’t help but feel strangely curious.
For the time being, I decided to follow the figure that looked like her.
Maiban