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
“Oh my, so you’re Themis chan mentioned, aren’t you?”
Her nun’s habit stood out like a sore thumb in the city. Her silver hair fell to her waist, and her features—though refined—had a friendly air, accentuated by her thick eyebrows. With a constant smile on her face, she waved to the children running toward their parents.
After seeing them off, she introduced herself.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Nemesis Necrosia. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“Ah, I’m Aragaki Saito. This is my childhood friend, Rika.”
“Nice to meet you…!”
Necrosia-senpai’s older sister—Nemesis—seemed to tilt her head slightly.
But she immediately broke into a delighted smile and said,
“Rika san! You’re so cute! I wish I had a little sister like you too~!”
“Uh, um… ah, ahaha…”
And with such natural ease, she ruffled Rika’s hair.
My childhood friend didn’t seem to mind at all; she blushed slightly, looking somewhat embarrassed. For her, who had always said she wanted an older sister, Nemesis must be something of an ideal older sister.
I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of this pseudo-sisterly interaction.
Then, Nemesis said—
“Ah, it’s not fair to leave just one out, is it~?”
“——Huh?”
For some reason, she said that and started stroking my head too.
Her warm palm touched me, and she gazed at me with a gentle expression. As she did so, strangely enough, I felt a warm glow deep in my chest, and it was incredibly comforting.
There is simply no trace of malice in the person known as Nemesis Necrosia.
All there is, surely, is compassion from the very bottom of her heart.
“Ah, ahaha… thank you?”
“You’re welcome~”
The fact that I could tell that in such a short time means she must be quite a remarkable person.
As I managed to suppress the smile spreading across my face and voiced my gratitude, she nodded contentedly. But immediately after that, a problem arose.
“……Huh? Nemesis, where’s your suitcase?”
“Oh my~?”
Nemesis’s luggage, which had been right there just a moment ago, had vanished into thin air.
We looked around in bewilderment. Then,
“……Ah! Saito, look at that!!”
“Damn it, a pickpocket!?”
A short distance away, a man was pulling a suitcase of the same color as she’d been using and walking away. Judging by his appearance, he didn’t seem like the type to use a pink suitcase. He was definitely the culprit.
And it seemed he’d realized he’d been spotted.
He turned around and, clutching the luggage, started running as fast as he could.
“Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, what shall we do?”
“Saito-kun…!”
“I know, leave it to me!”
While Nemesis-san was flustered, Rika was the one who immediately shouted out.
I responded to her and dashed off like an arrow released from a bow.
And in one swift move, I closed in on the thief—
“W-whoa…! Who the hell are you!? You bastard!!”
“—Tch!”
But it seemed the guy had no intention of letting himself be caught so easily.
He fired a low-powered spell at me, trying to hinder my movements. I immediately pulled a knife from my pocket and slashed through the spell.
As I closed the distance bit by bit, the thief panicked and collapsed to the ground.
“H-help…! Please, just… spare my life!?”
“Hey, wait a minute. That makes it sound like I’m the bad guy, doesn’t it?”
Trembling as if his life were in danger, he began prostrating himself on the spot.
He seemed to have absolutely no backbone; the man begged for his life over and over again. As I reluctantly tried to calm him down, Rika and Nemesis san arrived a little later.
“Saito-kun, are you… hurt? What’s wrong with him…?”
And then, upon witnessing the scene—which could be described as bizarre—
“Oh my~? Is something wrong~?”
—Ignoring Rika, who was bewildered by the unexpected situation,
Nemesis-san, like a saintly maiden who had journeyed with him through another world, knelt before the man and spoke to him.
“It’s all right, you know? First, let’s take a deep breath!”
“In… in… out…”
Then, finally, the thief began to regain his composure.
Nemesis-san spoke gently to him.
“Is that alright? No sin is ever beyond redemption. As long as you’re not a heretic, God will forgive even a sinner and allow them to live on~”
“R-really…?”
“Of course. But you do understand what comes next, don’t you~?”
After a brief silence following her words,
he stood up smoothly, his expression refreshed, and declared:
“I’ve stolen countless times before. That’s why—”
There was not a shred of hesitation left in him.
“I’m going to turn myself in to the police right now…!” he said.
◆
“I’m so glad I got my suitcase back. Thank you so much, Saito-san!”
“N-no… that’s nothing. More importantly, that was amazing. In so many ways.”
I never would have imagined she could reform a man in such a short time.
I found myself feeling not just surprise, but even a sense of awe at the saint-like presence of this woman, Nemesis Necrosia. I’m sure, to her, it was just an ordinary thing.
But from my perspective, it was just so… bizarre.
“By the way, Saito? Is it okay if I ask you one thing~?”
“—Hmm, what is it?”
Just as I was thinking that and giving a wry smile, Nemesis suddenly asked me.
“That ‘thing’ from earlier… was it magic…?”
“Ah…”
By “that thing,” she must have been referring to my swordplay.
Come to think of it, I’d just used it on impulse—how should I explain it? After giving it a moment’s thought, I decided to brush it off like this.
“It’s sort of like a little magic trick, I guess…?”
“A magic trick, is it~?”
At that, Nemesis tilted her head slightly and peered at me.
I found myself getting nervous, but she quickly returned to her usual self and said,
“Is that so? That’s amazing~!”
“Ah, ahaha…”
It seemed I’d managed to fool her.
Scratching my cheek, I decided to prompt her for now.
“Well then, I’ll show you to the academy for now…?”
And as I headed toward Rika, who was standing a short distance away,
I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking how close that had been.
◆
“…………Magic, is it…?”
Watching Saito’s back, Nemesis muttered that.
Then, in a voice no one else could hear and without changing her expression, she said:
“It’s a lie, isn’t it~”.
Maiban