Arifureta/ From Commonplace to World’s Strongest Vol. 4 Ch. 5

Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest Volume 4.

Extra Chapter: Kaori Shirasaki, Age 17. Specialty: Shock and Awe.

The first time she’d ever seen him was in a busy street filled with people. On that day, she’d had to go to the supermarket one city over to get groceries.
She’d been staring at her text messages and going over the long list of ingredients. Kaori’s mom was an exceptional cook, but the spices she needed to make her dishes could only be found in specialty markets.
Still, in return for going out of her way to get obscure ingredients, Kaori got to eat three-star meals every single day. It was hard to find places that stocked the things Kaori needed sometimes, but it was kind of fun to go exploring and see new places.
Besides, Kaori never could say no to her mom. Not that she ever wanted to, anyway. After all, her mom was so nice. Plus, she was elegant and beautiful and everything Kaori idolized. Though when she got mad, she turned into a demon. Whenever she glared at Kaori, it felt as if she were being swallowed up by some monstrous beast. Even her father couldn’t stand up to Shirayasha, Kaori’s mom. In fact, it was almost pathetic how easily he capitulated to his wife’s demands. Just what was it about her mother that was so scary? I feel like it’d be dangerous to probe too deeply into that. Kaori spotted the supermarket that was her destination. At the same time, she heard someone yelling in the distance.
“Hey granny. These are vintage jeans, you know that? Do you have any idea how much they cost? An apology won’t cut it, old hag! You better pay me back for this!”

“Really, I’m so sorry. I’ll pay the cleaning costs, so please…”
“Didn’t you listen to a word I said!? No amount of dry cleaning can fix this!”
Kaori turned to see what the commotion was. A terrified young boy was hiding behind his grandmother, who was continually bowing her head to a group of what appeared to be university students.
The university students seemed to be threatening the poor old lady. To be honest, they seemed more like delinquents than students.
The boy’s takoyaki had spilled to the ground, and a very tiny amount of the sauce had splashed on the delinquent’s “vintage” jeans.
Kaori understood what must be going on. It’s not like the delinquents were being very subtle about it.
“What should I do… The right thing to do would be to save them, right?” Kaori mumbled to herself.
But maybe his jeans really are as expensive as he’s saying. If they are though, why would he wear them in a busy street like this? Besides, normally you wouldn’t ask someone to compensate you if it’s just an accident. Regardless, they were in the wrong for terrifying such a little boy over something so trivial.
But even if helping is the right thing to do… I’m scared… Kaori stood stock still, unable to take a single step forward. The more she thought to herself she needed to save them, the more she grew terrified of the delinquents. Her mind focused on their dyed hair, the familiarity with which they shook the poor grandmother down, and the intimidating glint in their eyes. Her legs began to tremble.
“S-Someone…” Kaori frantically looked around, looking for someone to turn to. She knew it was pretty pathetic of her to beg someone else to help, but that was all she could think of to do.

However, while there were a few other curious onlookers, all of them seemed unwilling to even meet her eye, much less step in.
I suppose I don’t have any right to blame them. After all, I’m doing the same thing.
“O-Oh, I know. I’ll call Shizuku-chan… and Kouki-koon and Ryutarou- koon.” Kaori suddenly remembered her friends, who were much more used to these kinds of conflicts than she was. She pulled out her cell phone and began dialing Shizuku’s number, but before she could press the call button, the situation grew worse.
“Hmph, I’m getting tired of this shit. Just hand over your wallet, you hag. I bet you don’t have enough money on you to pay for this. We’re gonna go to the bank so you can transfer me what I need. I need your wallet to make sure you don’t try to run away.”
“B-But…”
“Hey, it’s your job to clean up the mess your little brat made! You better not be trying to talk your way out of this!” The delinquents were planning on squeezing the old lady for everything she had. Kaori began to panic. She looked around frantically, and nearly forgot about her phone call.
“Shizuku-chan… won’t make it in time. I-I have to do something about this myself!”
Kaori continued repeating the same thing over and over, while making no actual progress. It’s just so scary. I’m terrified, but… they say women are made of courage. When you’re not sure what to do, start by taking a step forward! Just as Kaori was about to do what Shizuku and Kouki were always telling her not to, something else happened.

“Umm… Don’t you think asking for her wallet is a bit much?” A boy walked up to the group of delinquents. He was about the same age as Kaori. She didn’t recognize his uniform, so she guessed he went to one of the schools nearby.
Kaori put down the foot she’d raised and once again began to stare.
The boy seemed ordinary in every way. He didn’t seem dazzlingly charming like Kouki, nor was he built like a bear, like Ryutarou. The only thing that stood out about him at all was his troubled smile. It seemed to Kaori that he’d have to be pretty brave to smile under these circumstances. Despite all of that, Kaori couldn’t take her eyes off him.
“Huh!? You’ve got nothing to do with this, so scram before I beat your face in!”
“Uh well, I guess you’re right that I don’t have anything to do with this… b-but you know… I think it’d be best for everyone involved if you just took the cleaning fee and left it at that…” Though he seemed pretty scared himself, the boy wedged himself between the old lady and her harassers. He bowed deeply to the delinquents.
He was purposely being evasive in an attempt to defuse the tense atmosphere. However, all he succeeded in doing was make the delinquents even madder.
“Fine then, you pay for her. It’ll cost 10k for the cleaning.” To that, the boy gave a simple reply.
“Sorry, I don’t have the money.” Despite his evasive attitude, his reply was surprisingly direct. Kaori actually found it kind of cute.
The delinquent grabbed the boy by his collar and lifted him up. The boy’s face paled, and sweat began pouring down his forehead.

He tried to talk his way out of it, but the delinquent just angrily thrust him to the ground. The delinquent looked even angrier than before. Kaori had seen Kouki and the others get into plenty of fights. She’d seen those kinds of eyes before, and she knew from experience what the delinquent was going to do next.
She opened her mouth to yell out a warning, but before she could—
“Gah!” The boy grunted. The delinquent had already started kicking him. As she’d thought, he was someone who had no compunctions about using violence.
The old lady tried to help the poor boy up.
“It’s okay, you’ve done enough,” she said softly as her grandson sobbed silently.
However, even the onlookers couldn’t ignore such a blatant display of violence. A few of them had pulled out their cell phones to presumably call the police. At least, Kaori hoped it was the police.
That’s right, the police! Why didn’t I think of that!? I’m so stupid!
She’d gotten so used to Kouki and the other jumping in and resolving problems by force that she’d totally forgotten that the police were what normal people relied on for help.
God, I’m an idiot! While Kaori was lamenting her own uselessness, the boy looked up at his attackers. His expression was so serious that Kaori momentarily forgot about the predicament he was in. She couldn’t be sure, but it felt like the temperature rose a little even though it was still midwinter. Things progressed rapidly after that.
Grimacing in pain, the boy opened his mouth.
“Please, can’t you be satisfied with just the cleaning fee? If not, I have another solution in mind.” Kaori’s eyes went wide with surprise.

Is he planning on fighting them? Maybe he’s actually really good at martial arts or something?
The delinquent was thinking the same thing, and his lips curled up into a sneer.
“Oh, you wanna go? Fine, bring it!” The lead delinquent cracked his knuckles menacingly. He was more than ready for this fight. However…
“I’m truly sorry for all of the trouble I’ve caused!” The boy interrupted him by apologizing at the top of his lungs. He then prostrated himself before the delinquent in an exaggerated fashion.
“The hell?” The delinquent, who’d been expecting a fight, was at a loss for words. He was so stunned that he actually took a few steps backward.
Everyone on the street stopped to stare. It wasn’t every day that you saw someone prostrating themselves on the street.
It was the first time Kaori had seen something like this too.
Heedless of the attention he was attracting, the boy continued yelling.
“Please, find it in your heart to forgive them! I know this poor boy and his elderly grandmother ruined your precious jeans by accidentally spilling sauce on them! I know it’s a fiendish act that deserves nothing but the most horrific retribution!”
“Huh? Uh, wait, I-I mean…” The delinquent faltered. Even for someone as shameless as him, it was embarrassing to hear a “simple accident” be referred to as a fiendish act. The effect was multiplied by the fact that the boy was kneeling at his feet.
However, the boy’s eloquent apology didn’t stop there.

“In truth, a million yen, no even five million yen, no even ten million yen wouldn’t be enough to make up for the wrongs we’ve committed upon you!”
“T-Ten million!? Now hold on a second, I never said it cost—” The delinquents started backing away. Even the old lady and the onlookers were surprised by the boy’s sudden outburst. However, that was exactly what he wanted. The situation grew more chaotic.
“Still, this poor old lady cannot possibly hope to pay such a price. She has to pay off the huge debt her late husband left her. Though her neighbors all vilify her for being a demonic old lady, she works hard every day just to save up enough money to see her grandson once every year! Can you imagine how much blood, sweat, and tears went into that single ball of takoyaki that young boy spilled!?”
No way!? That old lady really has to deal with all that!? The other onlookers, and even the delinquents seemed shocked. In truth, the old lady herself seemed just as confused.
“Umm, actually, my husband is still alive. And he’s not in debt…” She didn’t deny the part about her neighbors vilifying her, though.
Before she could argue any further, the boy continued.
“So please, I beg of you! Show mercy to these poor souls! Forgive them for their transgressions, I beseech youuuuuu!” His voice resounded throughout the street.
Everyone present was likely confused as to what exactly was going on.
However, the boy’s speech was effective.
The delinquents were bright red with embarrassment. I almost feel
bad for them. The boy’s actions had made them out to be some sort

of exaggerated villains from a cheap B-rated drama. If they tried to shake down the old lady under these circumstances, they’d probably have their social lives destroyed.
“Y-You’re sick in the head, you weirdo! What do you even know about this old lady, anyway!” Of course, they tried to clear their names. However, before they could get more than a few words out, the boy interrupted again.
“I’m truly so very sorryyyyyyyyyyyy!” Kaori didn’t think his voice could get any louder, but it did. It sounded so heartfelt, too. He was kneeling and everything.
“Sh-Shut up! Let’s go somewhere else and—”
“Please, anything but ten million yen! You’ll kill this poor lady!” “Hey wait, I never asked for that—”
“Please, please, I’m begging youuuuuuuuu! Have mercyyyyyy!” “Shut up! Just shut the fuck—”
“Mercyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!” The delinquent grabbed the boy by the hair and forcibly tried to pull him up. When that didn’t work, he kicked and spat at him, but that had no effect either. It was like the boy was glued to the ground. Finally, the delinquents began to panic.
The longer they stayed there, the worse things got for them. Now even the old lady was playing along, hiding her face and trembling. Things would come to a head soon if someone didn’t do something.
In the end, the delinquents relented.
“Shit, forget it, I’m done here! Let’s head home!” The lead delinquent ran away as fast as his legs would carry them.
“Wait, H-Hide-chan!?” His two lackeys followed after him.

An awkward silence hung in the air. No one wanted to be the first to move, but eventually, the kneeling boy rose to his feet. He ignored the multitude of stares directed at him and grabbed the old lady’s wallet off the floor. He turned to face her and handed it back.
“Th-Thank you,” she stammered. Her smile seemed a little stiff.
“Sorry for turning it into something awkward. Anyway, I’m gonna go home now, bye!” With that, the young boy dashed off into the crowd. The old lady reached out to stop him, but before she could say anything he was gone.
“That was one amazing kid…” The crowd began to disperse, but Kaori remained rooted to the spot. She was looking in the direction the boy had run off in. She could feel a slight warmth blossoming inside her chest.
“And then, and then, you know what he did, Shizuku-chan? He just ran before anyone could say anything… Hey Shizuku-chan, are you listening to me? You haven’t said anything for a while…”
“I’m listening, I’m listening. This is the tenth time you’ve told me about the amazing kneeling boy, you know that right?”
“Not amazing kneeling boy, Shizuku-chan, Amazing boy who kneeled in the street! You make it sound like his kneeling was what was amazing.”
“Ah, my mistake. Sorry. Anyway, Kaori. It’s 2 AM, and we have school tomorrow. I get that you’re excited, but could you please stop now, for my health’s sake?”
“What? No way. It’s already this late!? S-Sorry, Shizuku-chan.”
Kaori looked at her clock in surprise. She couldn’t believe she’d spent so long talking to Shizuku. When she’d gotten back home, she’d felt this burning desire to tell someone about what she’d witnessed. And since Shizuku was Kaori’s best friend, she was the natural first choice. It had been 10 PM when she’d called. Four hours had passed while she repeated the same story over and over.
She felt guilty for keeping her best friend up for so long.
“Mmm, it’s fine. I’d like it if you don’t tell the whole story an 11th time, but… I get that it’s important to you. Hehe, but you know, I never thought I’d see the day you’d be this interested in a boy… I can’t even count how many guys’ hearts you’ve broken by now. I guess your spring has finally come.”
What’s Shizuku-chan talking about? And why does she sound so happy? Kaori easily imagined the grin that must have been on Shizuku’s face.
“Shizuku-chan, what do you mean? I’m not a swordsman like you, why would I be breaking anyone’s anything? Also, it’s still winter.”
“Kaori. In a way, I’m kind of happy you’re this much of an airhead. Also, just because I train with swords doesn’t mean I’m actually hurting people, alright!? Please stop assuming I go around killing people like some kind of maniac!”
Oops, I made her mad. Still, what exactly is she trying to say?
“Haaah… Whatever, I get it now. You’re just not aware of it. Well, he is your first, as far as I know… And it’s possible it’s not even really a crush yet… Anyway, you should take a good hard look at your own feelings. Granted, considering how dense you are, you might not be able to figure it out after all. As your friend, should I just lay it all out for you? Hmm…” Shizuku started mumbling to herself.
Did Shizuku-chan just insult me?
“U-Umm, Shizuku-chan?”

“Huh!? Ahem… Uh, where was I?”
Now that Shizuku was paying attention again, Kaori could bring up the other thing she’d called Shizuku for. For some reason, she felt embarrassed to ask. She could feel the heat rising on her face. Why is this so embarrassing?
“U-Umm… there’s somewhere I want you to go with me…”
“Oh, what’s this? No need to hesitate. We’re friends, right?”
Bolstered by Shizuku’s words, Kaori continued.
“Thanks, Shizuku-chan. So uh, could you come with me to that boy’s school tomorrow?”
“Que?”
Why’d she suddenly start talking in Spanish?
“Like I said, could you come with me to his school tomorrow? I, uhh… want to talk to him… A-And maybe see if he’d want to be friends.”
Oh no. My face is definitely red. Why’s this so embarrassing? Kaori started banging her feet on her bed. She then wrapped herself in her blanket and started rolling around. After a minute of silence, Shizuku finally responded.
“Now hold on just a minute here. You met the guy today, right Kaori?”
“Yep. I wish I’d had the chance to talk to him.”
“If you didn’t even talk to him, how do you know what school he goes to?”
“I looked it up, duh. I just made a list of all the middle schools in the area and checked to see which one had his uniform.”

“……”
Shizuku-chan’s really smart, so how come she couldn’t figure that out? And why’s she not saying anything now? Maybe she’s just really sleepy?
“Earth to Shizuku-chaaan. Sorry, are you tired? Should I call back later?”
“Ah, um, sorry. I just saw a side of you I didn’t think existed…” Shizuku cleared her throat.
“Anyway, I’m fine with it. We can go together. I’m used to you jumping headfirst into things without thinking by now. But you don’t even know his name, right? How are you going to find him?”
“He’d probably be annoyed if we went around the school asking for him, so… I was thinking we’d just wait by the front gate until he comes out. If we can’t find him there, we’ll try waiting at the place I saw him today.”
“You’re starting to sound like a stalker… Though I guess that’s really all you can do if you don’t even know his name.”
Come on Shizuku-chan, I’m not a stalker. Though the more she considered her actions, the more Kaori realized she was beginning to act like one. Anyway, that’s not important right now.
“Y-Yeah. If I’d known it would be this hard, I would have taken a picture of him when I had the chance… I’ll make sure to get one next time I see him.”
“Please don’t.” Shizuku’s voice was surprisingly stern. After that, Kaori heard Shizuku muttering to herself.
“Shit, I never realized my best friend was a natural at this…”

Wow, I’ve never heard Shizuku-chan curse. Is she really alright? Maybe I should hang up and let her sleep.
“Anyway, let’s go to his school tomorrow. I’m definitely going to find him and a-ask him to be my friend. And then, we’ll start hanging out on our days off, and maybe I’ll even get to go to his house… Ehehe. Shizuku-chan, I’m gonna do this!”
“It’s too late to stop her now. Mysterious kneeling boy, I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do.” Shizuku apologized to the nameless boy whose life would soon be turned upside-down.
Shizuku-chan’s definitely acting weird today. I really should let her sleep. Sorry, Shizuku-chan.
A year had passed since that fateful day that Kaori met Hajime.
In that time, she spent time with her friends as usual. Getting wrapped up in Kouki’s crazy antics, getting Kouki wrapped up in her crazy antics, and so on. Her final year of middle school was nothing if not hectic.
She spent a great deal of her time waiting around Hajime’s school hoping to meet him, but in the end they never met.
Kaori herself didn’t understand why she was so obsessed with him, but she knew she didn’t want that to be only time she ever saw him.
As time passed, she grew to regret not calling out to him when she’d first seen him. Or at the very least, not taking a picture of him. God, I’m such an idiot.
Shizuku made sure to accompany Kaori every time she went Hajime- spotting. Shizuku couldn’t afford to leave Kaori alone when she became like this. She knew from experience Kaori would just rush headlong into everything without even thinking. When Kaori had tried to tell Kouki and Ryutarou about the incident, Shizuku had stopped her. And so, their attempts to discover the true identity of Kaori’s mystery crush remained a secret between the two of them.
Unfortunately, a year passed without Kaori ever finding him.
It was spring now, and she was a high schooler. Today was the day of her entrance ceremony.
The cherry blossoms were in full bloom. Their petals fluttered through the air as Kaori made her way to her new school. She was a little disappointed at being unable to meet the boy she was searching for, but she was still excited to start her new life as a high schooler.
“Kaori, what are you doing? If you don’t hurry, we’ll miss the entrance ceremony.”
“Ehehe. Sorry, Shizuku-chan, I spaced out watching the cherry blossoms. They’re so pretty.”
“Heh. I know what you mean. I could watch them for hours too.”
Shizuku stood next to Kaori and looked up at the blossoms. Her ponytail swayed gently in the breeze. Though she was just a high schooler, Shizuku’s mature expression made her seem like an adult. It seemed to Kaori that Shizuku had really grown up in the past year.
“So pretty…” Kaori mumbled.
“Yeah, they really are,” Shizuku replied while looking up. Kaori
smiled. I meant you, dummy.
“Not the trees. I meant you, Shizuku-chan. You look like a goddess.”
“Wh-Where’d that come from?” Shizuku looked away in embarrassment. Her face and ears were bright red.
Oh, she’s blushing. How cute.

Kaori was starting to grow a little worried. Even though Shizuku was so beautiful, she still hadn’t ever had a boyfriend, or even a crush. At first Kaori had thought Shizuku might have had feelings for Kouki, since they’d known each other for so long, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. It’d be terrible if Shizuku-chan got duped by some playboy because she’s too inexperienced. As her best friend, I need to warn her.
“Alright, Shizuku-chan. You better listen up.” “Kaori, who are you trying to imitate this time?”
“This is serious, girl! Anyway, you’re cute, Shizuku-chan. And really beautiful. Now that we’re in high school, boys are going to be all over you. But my dad taught me that all boys are wolves. You need to be more careful or you’ll get tricked by some boy who’s only after your body! Got it!? You need to watch out for any boy that tries to talk to you!”
“Kaori, do you know what a boomerang is?”
Where’d that come from?
“It’s that thing that comes back to you after you throw it, right?”
“That’s right. It’s that thing that comes back to you after you throw it. And your words right now are a boomerang.”
Huh? How come Shizuku-chan’s looking at me like that? Shizuku swept her gaze around the courtyard. Kaori looked around too, wondering what she was talking about. A bunch of students had gathered around the two of them. Most of them were male. Whenever Kaori’s gaze swept past one of them, they’d hurriedly look away.

“It’s been like this the whole time. Seriously, there’s a limit to how defenseless you can get. You should be more careful yourself, Kaori.” Shizuku grabbed Kaori’s cheeks and pulled on them.
“That hursh, Shizuku-shan! Shtop iiiit.”
“I can’t help it, your cheeks are too soft. I didn’t think there’d be this many people at the gym already, but I guess you’re just a people magnet. You sheltered, air-headed little girl.”
Shizuku continued toying with Kaori’s cheeks until Ryutarou finally came to get the two of them. Quite a few of the onlookers had nosebleeds by then, but a little blood loss was a small price to pay for the heavenly sight they’d been treated to.
Finally, it was time for the entrance ceremony. Shizuku, Kaori, and Ryutarou were all in the same class, so they sat next to each other. Kouki was as well, but as he was the freshman representative, he had to give his speech first.
“Do you think Kouki-koon’s nervous?”
“I doubt it. Kouki’s never been nervous in his life.”
“Yeah. He gave the middle school opening speech too, so he’s used to it.”
Shizuku and Ryutarou don’t seem worried at all. Guess I can’t really imagine anything making Kouki-koon nervous either. He’s always brimming with confidence. Plus, he’s our leader. And he was popular with the girls even in middle school. He’s probably so used to dealing with crowds now that he could give this speech in his sleep.
The principal finished his speech, his wig nearly falling off multiple times, and Kouki took the stage. The crowd erupted in cheers. The entire auditorium shook from the force of the girls’ voices.

“I-I expected something like this… but it still amazes me every time.” Shizuku watched the proceedings with a wooden expression.
I totally get how you feel. It was like they had suddenly stepped into an idol concert. The fanaticism of Kouki’s female fans was certainly at the same level as idol fans.
Naturally, Kouki responded to the adulation with his trademark dazzling smile. He wasn’t perturbed by the cheers at all.
Eventually, the cheers died down and Kouki began his freshman address. His fans hung on to his every word. It was like he was the head of some cult.
Halfway through his speech, Kaori heard some of the boys mutter to each other.
“Dude, look. That guy’s straight up sleeping through all of this.”
“I know people sleep all the time during stuff like this, but I can’t believe the noise didn’t wake him up… He’s one heavy sleeper.”
Someone slept through those cheers!? Kaori turned around to see who it was. The boy sitting directly behind her blushed when his gaze met hers, and he hurriedly turned away. Kaori smiled at him, mentally apologizing for startling him. The smile sent the poor boy’s brain into overdrive. I didn’t know someone’s eyes could roll that far back into their head.
After exchanging the required amount of pleasantries, Kaori turned her attention to the boy sitting one seat further back. When she saw who it was, she gasped.
“Ah.” Her heart skipped a beat.
The boy lazing in his chair with his arms folded across his chest was the same one she’d been searching for.

“It’s him.” Kaori’s gaze was glued to him. She’d spent a whole year looking for him, hoping to talk to him again. And there he was, sitting right behind her.
Oh my god, my heart’s beating so fast. I’m pretty sure everyone else can hear it too. Kaori zoned out Kouki’s speech. The rest of the world faded away, and all that remained in her sight was the boy. All other sounds vanished. Her senses were focused only on him.
“Kaori. Earth to Kaori. Hey!”
“Hwuh!?” Kaori found herself forcibly brought back to reality. There was another round of cheering that was so loud it hurt Kaori’s eardrums. Looks like Kouki-koon’s speech is over.
The girls were going absolutely crazy. The auditorium once again came into view. Kaori noticed Shizuku-chan was shaking her shoulders.
“Hurry up and turn around! The teachers are glaring at you! Plus, that poor boy will die of blood loss if you keep looking back any longer!”
“O-Oh, okay.” Kaori reluctantly tore her eyes away from the boy and turned back to the front.
Wow, that other kid really has a massive nosebleed… Wait, now’s not the time to be worrying about that. Shizuku-chan’s right, the teachers are all staring at me.
“What’s gotten into you?” When the teachers finally stopped glaring at them, Shizuku turned to Kaori and whispered in her ear. Kaori clasped her hands over her chest and tried to calm the wild beating of her heart. Still a little flustered, she turned to Shizuku.
“U-Umm, he’s here. He’s here. What do I do, Shizuku-chan?” “He? Who’s he… Wait, no way? That he? Where!?”

“Behind us. Two rows back, the boy who’s sleeping.”
Shizuku turned around skeptically. She doesn’t mean the kid with the nosebleed, right? The boy, thinking Shizuku might have an interest in him too, hurriedly straightened himself up, blood running down his face all the while. The boys sitting next to him gave him a look of pity.
Shizuku ignored the lot of them and spotted the sleeping boy sitting another row back.
“That kid who’s sleeping through all this noise is the one you’ve been looking for?”
“Y-Yes. I’m sure of it. What do I do, Shizuku-chan? If he’s sitting that close to us, that means he’s in the same class, right? What do I dooo!?”
I feel like my heart’s going to fly right out of my chest at this rate. There was a mini-Kaori jumping for joy inside her head. Do miracles like this really happen in real life? I spent a whole year looking for him and now he’s just sitting behind me… The world was cruel and kind in equal measure.
Unable to control her swelling emotions, Kaori grabbed Shizuku’s arm and started tugging on it.
The two of them were talking in hushed voices, so Ryutarou hadn’t heard what she’d said. He looked at them in bewilderment, wondering what was going on. Everyone sitting around them, and the teachers that had been glaring at Kaori earlier, looked to see what the commotion was.
However, Kaori was too preoccupied to notice.
Shizuku smiled and gently patted Kaori’s head to calm her down.

“Good for you, Kaori. As for what you should do, obviously you should ask him ou— Ahem, ask him to be your friend. Spend these three years of high school with him and make as many memories as you can. Basically, just get closer to him.” Shizuku’s words helped calm Kaori down.
She began envisioning what it would be like.
Going to school together with him. Making pointless small talk about what they’d eaten for breakfast, or if they’d finished their homework on time. Based on what she knew of him, the boy seemed pretty laid-back. He’d probably not put much effort into his appearance and come to school with bed hair and crumpled shirts.
We could eat lunch together every day. I could even make him lunch… and then after school we’d walk around town and just spend time together. It’d be nice to go to cafes and stuff every day, but I don’t have the money for that. Plus, what if people mistook us for a couple!? Kaori’s heart began to race as she thought of the years that were to come.
Just thinking about it made her happy. These are definitely going to be the best three years of my life.
Oh wait, there’s still one big problem…
“Wait a second, Shizuku-chan! What am I supposed to say to his parents!?”
“How’d you jump to that already!? I get that you’re excited, but you’re taking this fantasy way too far! Are you planning on marrying him or something? Are you going to spend the rest of your life with him? But hmm, as for how to introduce yourself to his parents… Ah, wait, I can’t start assuming this is a done deal! You can’t, Kaori! You need to plan your future carefully if you want a happy family!”

Shizuku-chan’s lost it! How can she say such embarrassing things in public!?
“Shizuku-chan, I just want his parents not to hate me, since I’m going to be his friend…”
“Huh!?”
“Sh-Shizuku-chan, your imagination is a little too overactive.”
“Wha—!?” Shizuku curled herself into a ball and started rocking back and forth. Her ears were bright red, and she was hiding her face with her ponytail. I just want to crawl into a hole and die right now.
“What the heck have you two been whispering about this whole time?” Ryutarou stared at the two of them with an exasperated expression. Kaori looked up at him, then followed his gaze and saw one of the teachers grinning demonically at her.
Her first day at school began with her getting a long lecture in the staff room.
Around a year had passed since that fateful day.
And Kaori’s wish had been granted. She’d gotten to spend time with Hajime Nagumo.
Though it wasn’t in the same form as she’d imagined back at the entrance ceremony. Hajime was an otaku, which meant he spent all his free time playing video games, watching anime, or reading manga, so Kaori hadn’t had any opportunities to see him outside of school.
And even in school, he’d always come in right before the bell. Then he’d sleep throughout the day, waking up only after the final bell rang, leaving Kaori no time to speak with him even in school.

Well, at least now I get why I couldn’t find him even though I spent so much time waiting around his middle school. He’d left for home right away each time, so Kaori was too late to catch him.
On the few occasions Kaori did manage to pull Hajime into a conversation, it would always be about the most trivial things. Though it pained her to admit it, she wasn’t really friends with Hajime at all. In fact, they were hardly anything more than just fellow classmates.
Plus, whenever he talks to me, Hajime-koon has this nervous expression on his face… and his eyes keep darting about… It feels like he’s always trying to end the conversation as fast as possible… and he’s always looking at the people around us and not me…
“Nagumo-koon won’t talk to me…”
“If the other guys heard you say that, they’d be crying tears of blood.”
As always, Kaori went to Shizuku for advice. Honestly, I’m amazed there’s a guy out there who can resist Kaori’s charms. This calls for a different approach.
“How about you become an otaku too, then?” Such was the advice Shizuku had for Kaori. And so, Kaori decided to visit the store Hajime had mentioned the next day.
However, things didn’t go according to plan. There were too many things in the store, and Kaori couldn’t make heads or tails of any of them. All she learned from her visit was that there were a lot of anime girls with their panties visible. Though she’d been too embarrassed to get a proper look at any of them.
“Shizuku-chan, based on what I learned… I think I need to show my panties to Nagu—”
“Do not.” Shizuku sternly pulled on Kaori’s cheeks.

Yeah, I guess that is a bit much. He’d probably think I’m just a pervert. I might even get arrested.
“Just tell him you’re interested in anime and video games, and ask him for recommendations or something. After that, you can talk to him about his favorites.”
That makes sense. The following day, Kaori put Shizuku’s advice into practice and tried to talk to him about his hobbies.
At first Hajime seemed surprised, or rather suspicious, but Kaori’s persistence finally won him over. He began talking to her about his favorite shows and games.
As time passed, Kaori developed a natural interest in them herself, so she became well versed in the culture. Unfortunately, Shizuku got dragged into that world with her. Including the times where Kaori accidentally tried to buy visual novels, or hentai anime, or h-manga.
Well, “accidentally.” A growing girl like Kaori did have a passing interest in such things after all.
And so, the first half of Kaori’s second year of high school passed. She’d gotten a lot closer to Hajime in that time, and she continued concocting absurd plans to close the distance between them in one go while their idyllic days passed by. Until that fateful day where the entire class was transported to another world. Their daily lives were turned upside-down, and the students began their new life in this cruel and unforgiving world.
Kaori still didn’t like to think back on the day they’d been summoned.
She was full of regrets about the things she should have done back then. At the time, they still hadn’t been aware of the dangers that they faced. Everything felt like a fairy tale. They got to meet a real king, and a princess, and they all had ridiculously strong magic. Honestly, they’d been kind of excited.
Everyone except Hajime, at least. He alone hadn’t been blessed with any amazing skills or a powerful job. Kaori had been conceited back then. She’d felt like she was the only one who understood him, the only one who could help him when no one else would.
If she could go back to the past, she would’ve slapped herself for being so dumb. It was all my fault. If I hadn’t been so full of myself, I could have helped Hajime before it was too late!
Of all the students, only Hajime had realized how dangerous this world was from the start. The reason he’d studied so hard even though he had no special talents wasn’t because he wanted to get back at his bullies. It was because he’d known.
He’d known that death was a real danger in this world.
While everyone else had enjoyed playing the part of the hero, Hajime alone had been learning how to survive. He was the only one who’d resolved himself.
Resolved himself to do what needed to be done, if the time came. To keep going, even when his legs were trembling in fear. To putting his life on the line if necessary, all for the sake of making it back to Japan.
He, more than anyone, had understood. After all, he was that kind of man. And I should have understood too. It was that side of him that attracted me in the first place.
When that poor lady and her grandson were being tormented by those college students, he’d been the only one to step in. While Kaori had been shaking in her boots, he’d had the strength to defend them. It was his greatest strength, but also what made Kaori worried about him.

She’d known. She’d known.
When everything was looking hopeless, who had been the first to step forward? Hajime. He’d been just as terrified as everyone else, but he’d had the resolve to take on the most dangerous task. Because there’d been people counting on him to protect them.
But because I hadn’t realized that, I’d thought everything would turn out fine. Even though I had no basis for thinking that, I thought I’d be able to protect him. And because of my arrogance, I lost him.
Kaori remembered everything about that moment. How Hajime’s hand stretched out one last time, grasping at nothing, before he tumbled into the abyss. It was then that she had learned the true meaning of despair.
But miraculously, Hajime had survived. And she’d been able to see him again. He hadn’t come back alone, though. By his side had been a golden-haired, crimson-eyed beauty.
Kaori had been able to recover from the shock of losing Hajime once because Shizuku had been there for her. And because she’d been driven by the desire to see Hajime’s fate with her own two eyes. She’d taken her regrets, her anger, and her sorrow, and turned them into an ironclad will. She swore not to stop until she saw the truth for herself.
However, after his return, everything changed. It was as if Kaori had lost him a second time. Hajime had transformed into a merciless monster that killed without hesitation.
And he had a woman who loved him with all her heart by his side. She was someone who had the confidence to stand by him no matter what kind of person he was.

Kaori’s heart was shattered this time. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t even understand herself, much less Hajime. All she could do was watch as events moved along, and he made preparations to leave again.
Ironically, it was her rival that woke Kaori from her stupor. Yue’s harsh words were the catalyst that helped Kaori realize what it was she really wanted.
Her implication that Kaori wasn’t even worth her consideration stoked the dimming fire within Kaori’s heart. Yue’s disdain angered Kaori more than even she realized. She wasn’t going to lose to this rude little girl, especially not when it came to Hajime. Insults she could take, but she refused to let Yue hold on to the title of the person that loved Hajime most. Plus, it wasn’t just that. Once Kaori looked at Hajime again with a clear mind, she realized he hadn’t really changed that much at all. There was a little girl who adored him like a father, a bunny girl who clearly loved him with all her heart, and even a perverted older lady who seemed happy to stay by his side.
It was then she realized what she needed to do. Her feelings hadn’t been a lie after all.
She could hold her head up high and charge forward with all her might.
She could tell him the words she’d wanted to say for so long. “I love you.”
You better prepare yourself, Hajime-koon. I won’t let you escape this time!
Shirasaki Kaori, seventeen years old. Her specialty? Shock and awe.

Diamond. diamond. diamond.

Bonus Short Stories.
Arifureta Fairy Tales: Alice in Wonderland.

“I’m bored…”A voice muttered from up high in the sky. Its owner was a beautiful blonde girl in a white apron. She floated in the air, far above the lush green fields. It was a mystery as to how she was able to ignore gravity. However, one could allow her astounding beauty to explain that away. After all, anything was possible for beautiful people.
The beautiful girl, Alice, heard something down below and looked to see what it was.
“Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!” A white rabbit-girl wearing stylish sunglasses roared down the green plains on a motorcycle. She seemed to be in a huge hurry.
What an odd sight. I suppose this might make for a good way to kill time, Alice thought to herself. It was interesting to note that she found a bunny girl on a motorcycle odd, but saw nothing strange about the fact that she could float. Alice descended upon the bunny- girl, intent on captur— No, talking to this strange creature. She seemed wholly unconcerned by the fact that the girl was in a great hurry. Alice dropped like a rock, accelerating to the speed of sound. She crashed into the ground in front of the motorcycle with the force of a meteor.
“Hiiiiiiiiiiii!? Wh-What on earth was that!? What just happened!?” The white rabbit-girl shrieked in surprise. She screeched to a halt, drifting her bike to improve her deceleration. Then, she strained her eyes, trying to see through the dust cloud Alice’s impact had kicked up. Eventually, a gust of wind blew the dust away, revealing a

massive crater with Alice standing in its center. Unhurt. With not even a speck of dirt on her clothes.
“Ms. White Rabbit, where are you going?”
“Wait, we’re just gonna ignore that crazy entrance of yours!? I just saw something insane and you want to know where I’m going!?”
The white rabbit’s reaction was only natural. However, Alice responded with her trademark silent glare. It seemed she wouldn’t say anything else until the rabbit answered her questions.
This girl’s bad news! Intimidated by the pressure Alice was giving off, the rabbit finally relented and told Alice her destination.
“I see. So you’re headed for a parallel universe, then. Very well. They say the more the merrier. I shall accompany you.”
“No that’s really quite—” The rabbit trailed off as she saw Alice’s death glare. “G-Glad to have you.” Her rabbit ears drooped. It seemed she wouldn’t be able to defy Alice.
Satisfied, Alice nodded and followed the rabbit to the hole leading between worlds. The two of them leaped into it together, falling a long, long way. Growing tired of the long wait, Alice grabbed the poor rabbit by her collar and accelerated faster down the hole. Finally, they landed with a bang. Alice slapped the poor, unconscious girl awake and examined her surroundings.
“What’s this, Ms. White Rabbit?”
“Ughhhhhh……” Alice pointed to a cookie sitting on top of a table. There was a note next to it that read “Eat me.” Sadly, the rabbit was too busy trying not to puke to answer her question. Sighing, Alice trained her death glare on the rabbit once more, which made her snap to attention. Her face still pale, she squeezed out a reply. “I-It makes you bigger.”
“Interesting.” Alice’s eyes sparkled with mischief. Her gaze fixated on the rabbit’s chest, which jiggled every time she trembled. Alice greedily devoured the cookie.
Sadly, all it did was make her body bigger. Annoyed, Alice groped the rabbit’s boobs. If she couldn’t have them, she’d at least enjoy them. However, their superb softness only made Alice even more jealous. Finally, she remembered what they’d come here for, and summoned a torrent of water to destroy the door. With the path now open, she headed out into this new world. Many of the nearby animals rode the torrent that suddenly appeared as well, gathering around Alice and the rabbit. They invited Alice to join their race. Alice showed off a rare smile, and accepted their invitation.
“Victory goes to the swift— Whirling Darkness.” Alice crushed all the other contenders with a whirlpool of gravity. In order to win, she’d eliminated the competition. It was a very efficient method, albeit rather cruel. She’d won the race without having to run a foot. Furthermore, Alice had flattened the entire area. The poor white rabbit shrunk back, trying to pretend this was all just a dream. However this was reality and Alice dragged her on to whatever lay ahead.
Along the way, Alice encountered the Jabberwocky, the manifestation of all evil in the world. As the Jabberwocky tried to stop her, she sent him packing with a well-placed crimson javelin to the behind. For some reason, this made the Jabberwocky moan in pleasure. Disturbed, Alice instead flattened the Jabberwocky with gravity magic. Once again, Alice flattened the entire area. Many other fantastical creatures tried to bar Alice’s way, but she crushed each and every one of them with gravity magic. The entire topography of Wonderland was beginning to become uniform.
Finally, the pair entered the forest. Alice sensed something above her, and looked up at the trees.
“Hello there young lady! I’m the Cheshire Cat. Why are you here? There’s no food here that will make your chest grow bigger.” A strange creature grinned at Alice. There were cat ears growing out of its head. Alice’s eyebrows twitched. The white rabbit groaned, guessing what was about to happen next. However, the fearless cat continued, heedless of the danger it was in.
“Hey, how did it feel? Eating something in the hopes that it would make your breasts bigger, only to find out all it did was make your whole body bigger? How does it feel knowing no matter what you eat, your breasts are doomed to remain as flat as a washboard? Come on, tell—”
The Cheshire Cat, along with half the forest, was flattened in an instant. No one ever saw the Cheshire Cat again. Alice sullenly walked through the forest. Her irritation vanished in an instant once they reached the exit, though.
“Hm? It’s rare to see a guest here. Are you a friend of the White Rabbit’s?” Alice was smitten at once. Her heart began to race, and her body grew hot.
“Why hello, Mr. Hatter. Are you holding another tea party today?”
“I am indeed. It’s never easy dealing with the queen. I fear I need a cup of tea before going to see her or I’ll likely end up being hauled off for insulting royalty.”
The Hatter was smartly dressed in a tailcoat, and had an eyepatch covering one eye. He smiled awkwardly and offered the pair tea.

From his words, Alice could tell the queen came to visit him often. Though she claimed she was just checking up on her hat orders, as he was known as the greatest hatter in the kingdom, the white rabbit knew that was just a facade. It was obvious to anyone who’d seen them that the queen was head over heels in love with the Hatter. “So, White Rabbit. Would you like to introduce me to that friend of yours?”
“Huh? Oh, uh, she’s not really my friend. She’s more like, how do I put this…” The White Rabbit couldn’t decide how to introduce Alice. She was sure if she told the Hatter what Alice really was—the incarnation of violence—she wouldn’t live to see another day.
Fortunately, she was spared when Alice decided to introduce herself.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Hatter. My name is Alice. I know this is a bit sudden, but… I’ve fallen in love with you at first sight. Will you marry me, Mr. Hatter?”
Time stopped for the Mad Hatter. Once again, the White Rabbit groaned. Alice trotted up to the Hatter and gave him the most pleading, puppy-dog look she could muster. At the same time, her gaze promised death if he refused. Time resumed for the Mad Hatter.
“Gladly.”
The White Rabbit’s groaning grew louder. She didn’t think the queen would sit idly by as some interloper came in and stole away her lover. War was coming. And indeed, when the Queen of Hearts finally arrived, she did not take kindly to her Hatter being in the arms of another woman. Her eyes grew red with rage, and she ordered her card soldiers to attack Alice. However, Alice wasn’t going to give up her new prize that easily.

The battle that ensued was so fierce it razed all of Wonderland to the ground. Poor White Rabbit even wrote a book about it once it was over. She titled it “Attack on Alice” and it was a bestseller.

Diamond. diamond. diamond.

Arifureta Magic Academy 3.

In a faraway land, there was a magic academy that was considered the best in the world. It boasted a massive courtyard, which was about as large as the Tokyo Dome, for its students to train in. Normally it was a rather dreary place, but today it was filled with decorations and ornaments. Furthermore, it was filled to the brim with students, their families, and simple observers. For today was the annual sports meet.
The students had spent the past few months polishing their skills, all for the sake of carrying their team to victory. The morning events had already finished, and after a short break the afternoon events would commence. The reason everyone put such importance on this event was because if one did well, it was possible nobles from various countries would want to scout them for high-ranking positions. However, while most students were pumped up for this event, there was one girl in the broadcaster’s booth who looked dispirited.
“Shizuku can’t take this anymore. Shizuku’s going home…” “P-President!? Why’re you talking like a kid!? Get ahold of yourself!”
Slumped across the broadcaster’s desk was the student council president, Shizuku Yaegashi. She was so depressed that even her ponytail was drooping. Next to her was a special guest who’d been invited to the sports meet, Liliana, the kingdom’s princess.
“Hehehe, I’m fine, Liliana-sama. I just died a little inside when I realized there’s still half a day of this hell left.”
“Then you’re not fine at all, are you!? Your eyes look like a dead fish’s…”

Shizuku looked up at Liliana. It looked like she’d aged a decade over the past few days. Liliana couldn’t hide her worry, but before she could say anything more, the bell signaling the start of afternoon events rang. Shizuku’s expression returned to the stoic mask of the student council president. She flipped the switch on the magic amplifier and began her speech.
“This is the management committee speaking. The afternoon games will begin shortly. I hope you all are rested and ready for the final round of events. Let’s give it our all until the very end… Lastly, I would like to implore everyone to please, please follow the rules, and play safe.”
Cheers rang out throughout the grounds. It seemed her desperate pleas for certain students to play nice had been well received. The rest of the student body was tired of all the collateral damage they’d been suffering.
Finally, it was time to start the first event of the afternoon. The obstacle course. Participants would have to overcome the physical and magical obstacles in their way using a combination of their athletic talents and their magical abilities. The first team to reach the flag at the end would be the winner.
For some reason, though, the pedestal where the flag was supposed to be was covered by a huge cloth. Shizuku’s expression stiffened. She had a bad feeling about this. A teacher walked up to the pedestal with tears in his eyes, and reluctantly pulled the cloth off. The crowd fell silent when they saw what lay underneath.
“Mmmmmm. Mmmmmm. Mgah!”
Instead of a flag, there was a chair on the pedestal. And sitting on it, tied and gagged, was Hajime. He was struggling desperately against his bonds, but to no avail. It was rather pitiful, really. Hajime was probably the best Synergist on campus, and whoever had captured him had taken that into account. His chair was made of the sturdiest wood, and the ropes tying him of the toughest ivy. There was no metal or ore he could transmute within reach.
“H-Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey! What do you think you’re doing!? Why on earth is Nagumo-koon tied up here!? Kudeta- sensei! You’re a teacher, aren’t you!? Hey, look at me! Tell me what’s going on!”
“I-I don’t know! I have nothing to do with this! Yue-sensei just told me if I didn’t do as she said that she’d… err, well…”
Kudeta was known as an upright and thoughtful teacher, which made him very popular with the kids. However, he was trembling in fear at present. After a few seconds of dithering, he dashed off the courtyard as fast as his legs would carry him.
“Tch, he got away. Fine, we’ll just have to handle it ourselves. Someone! Anyone! Untie that student—” Loud music drowned Shizuku out before she could finish. It was an upbeat rock number, one that got everyone’s blood pumping. Confused, Shizuku turned to look at the music control tent. But before she could get a grasp of the situation, the girls entered the stage.
“Let’s settle everything once and for all here on this grand stage. Hajime’s mine, I won’t hand him over to anyone, no matter what obstacles present themselves.”
Yue, the strongest and prettiest magician in the school strode onto the courtyard first, her white lab coat and golden-blonde hair glimmering in the sunlight. Following behind her were a hundred members of the “I want Yue-sensei to give me private lessons after school” club.

“I’ll obliterate any obstacles that get between me and my love. Whether they’re a teacher or a friend, I won’t show any mercy. I’ll drown this field in a sea of blood if I have to!”
Shea stepped onto the courtyard next, swinging her trusty warhammer from side to side. If Yue was the academy’s strongest magician, then Shea was their strongest melee fighter. Not only that, she was revered as an idol by students and teachers alike. Following behind her were a hundred members of the “I want Shea-tan to step on me” club.
“Hajime-koon is mine and mine alone. I’ll seal away any obstacles that try to come between us.”
Kaori stepped onto the courtyard next. She was dressed in a nun’s habit that only showed off the barest hints of her tantalizing legs. She was known as the school’s gentlest healer, but right now her gaze was as cold as ice. Following behind her were a hundred members of the “I want to be healed by Kaori-chan” club.
“My goodness, I cannot believe these youngsters are doing whatever they want on my campus. Know that none who’ve dared to stand against me have survived the encounter. This love nest belongs only to me and my mast— Hajime. All obstacles will be removed.”
Tio’s golden pupils flashed dangerously. She was the last to step onto the courtyard. She was the respected dragon princess who reigned as the chairwoman of this school, and also a raging masochist. Following behind her were a hundred members of the “Dragon Princess Bodyguard” club. Sadly, they were unaware of her hidden perverted side.
After glaring at each other for a few seconds, the girls all simultaneously said,

“I’ll be the one to remove all obstacles in the way of my love!”
“Stop right thereeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! What the hell are you guys doing!? You’re not even entered in this event! Besides, teachers and administrators aren’t even allowed to participate! And just because you guys keep using the word obstacles doesn’t automatically make what you’re doing an obstacle course! What kind of battle are you trying to hold here!? Get off the stage and get back to the stands you idiots! I’ve had enough of you!” Shizuku was panting by the end of the tirade.
“Wow, to think the student council president can argue on equal footing with those four. She really is amazing,” Liliana exclaimed.
Unfortunately, the four of them completely ignored Shizuku and went ahead with their competition anyway. The student council couldn’t hope to match the authority of the chairwoman, so it wasn’t like Shizuku ever had a chance.
The “obstacle course” that followed was one that had never before been seen in history. Shizuku lost a few years off her life from that event alone.
“Heeey! Quit sending lightning dragons into the stands! Chairwoman, you can’t transform here! Hey, don’t use your breath! Kaori, stop using the teachers as catapults. Just because you’re healing them right after doesn’t make it right! Shea, just because Kaori can heal everyone doesn’t give you the right to knock people around like pinballs! Oh no, one of the teachers got thrown right into the pope’s stand! I’m terribly sorry for how unruly the students are being!”
Shizuku kept yelling until her voice grew hoarse. She was respected by the entire student body, and known as the academy’s strongest swordswoman, but there was one other nickname the school knew her by.
“The school’s most pitiful student council president.”
“You braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaats! Cut it out, before I cut you all down!” The student council president’s angry screams had become a regular fixture of this academy.

Diamond. diamond. diamond.

A Certain Peaceful Hero Party.

This is a story that occurred a short while after the students were summoned to Tortus. After some time had passed, the students had finally begun to get used to the fantastical situation they’d been thrust into and returned to some semblance of a normal daily life.
Kouki and his party were especially unused to all the praise and respect they were being showered with. As they were the group that would lead the vanguard in the war to come, the residents of Tortus had practically been worshiping them. However, they’d grown accustomed to it, and even made friends with some of this world’s inhabitants.
Happy with the results of the day’s training, Kouki wiped the sweat off his brow and started heading back to his room. Ryutarou, who he was rooming with, had already returned ahead of him. Seeing as there was still time before the sun set, Kouki was thinking of inviting him to hang out somewhere. When he got back to his room, he noticed the door was slightly ajar. As he put his hand on the doorknob, he heard a voice coming from inside.
“Hoooh… Haaah… Haaah…”
Kouki peeked through the gap in the door and saw his best friend posing in front of the mirror. He shifted fluidly from pose to pose, as if he were going through a martial arts form. At times his large muscles relaxed, while at other points they tensed. Kouki could tell that Ryutarou was dead serious about whatever it was he was doing.
I guess he’s checking the condition of his body or something? Or maybe it’s some kind of exercise?
Sadly, Kouki couldn’t muster the courage to find out what Ryutarou was actually doing. In fact, he couldn’t even walk inside his room.

The reason being because Ryutarou was doing all of this buck naked. Just then, Kouki’s gaze met Ryutarou’s. Or rather, the reflection of Ryutarou’s gaze in the mirror. They both froze in place. It was as if time had stopped. Expression stiff, Kouki muttered something.
“Oh yeah, I just remembered I forgot something at the practice grounds. Bye.” Kouki wanted to escape from this awkward predicament as fast as possible.
“Wait, Kouki! Don’t get the wrong idea. I was just practicing my forms!”
“While… n-naked?”
“W-Well, I just… Oh, who cares! Colonel Stuart was naked in the movie too!”
I see. So Ryutarou was just acting out scenes from Die Hard 2. Kouki nodded in understanding, giving his best friend a look full of pity all the while.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t see anything, Ryutarou… Anyway, I should go check up on Shizuku.” Kouki turned on his heel and high-tailed it out of there.
“Ah, dammit, Kouki! Stop right there, you bastaaaaaard!” Ryutarou’s embarrassed shout echoed through the hallway. For days afterward, he could feel his classmates shooting him pitying looks. Needless to say, Ryutarou was traumatized from that day onward.
That night, Kouki was relaxing in his bedroom when the events of that afternoon suddenly came back to him. Back when they’d been kids, they’d often tried to imitate the heroes they’d seen in movies. It had been pretty embarrassing whenever Shizuku had caught them doing it. By the end of elementary school, though, Kouki had grown out of it.

I guess coming to a world of swords and magic brought back a little bit of his childish side.
When he thought about it like that, Ryutarou’s actions seemed kind of cute. He was tempted to tell Shizuku and Kaori about it. Ryutarou himself was still sulking and had gone out to do some extra training. The poor guys he’d roped into joining him were suffering his misplaced wrath right about now. Kouki glanced over at the holy sword leaning against his bed. It really was a magnificent piece of craftsmanship. He could feel something inside him stirring as he stared at it. Before he knew it, he had his sword in his hand and was standing in front of the mirror. He put his left hand on his hip and raised his sword up high, striking a daunting pose.
“Hmm, this feels a bit plain.” Kouki swapped to a different pose. He was getting steadily more into it. After cycling through a few more poses, he remembered something from movie posters and swung his sword in a mighty arc.
“I’ll protect everyone! I swear it on my pride as a hero!”
That was perfect. Kouki sighed contentedly and smiled to himself. Just then, someone barged into the room.
“Kouki-koon, are you here!? We’ve got a big problem! Ryutarou-koon’s started fighting with the other boys and—” Kaori stopped mid- sentence, her mouth hanging open. Kouki was still in the middle of posing in front of his mirror. It felt like time stopped for the second time that day.
Sweat began dripping from Kouki’s forehead. He gave what he thought was a confident smile, his body still frozen in the same pose. With each second that passed, however, his smile grew stiffer until Kaori finally broke the silence.

“G-Guys do this kind of stuff all the time, right? It’s no big deal or anything, right?” Kaori smiled awkwardly and backed out of the room, closing the door behind her. Kouki heard her scream “Shizuku- chaaaaaaaaaaaaaan” as her footsteps faded away into the distance. A few minutes later, Kouki finally recovered enough to stop posing.
“Wait Kaoriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! It was just a misunderstandiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!” His embarrassed shout echoed through the hallway. For days afterward, he could feel his classmates shooting him pitying looks. Needless to say, Kouki was traumatized from that day onward.
Sometime earlier, around when Kouki was discovering the marvels of Ryutarou’s naked body, Kaori was chatting to one of the palace’s maids. They were just talking about usual girl things. It had all started when one of the maids had asked Kaori what kind of drinks one of the male students in her class liked. From there, the discussion had devolved into the topic of love.
One of the maids had been bold enough to say, “I bet if I said ‘I’m here to serve you personally, Master,’ I could make any of the boys fall for me. The topic had gotten a bit too stimulating for the still innocent Kaori. Once the maids started talking about the gory details of seducing men, Kaori had fled from the conversation.
“I never knew the palace maids were so lewd…” As the blush faded from Kaori’s cheeks, she noticed something. In her hurry to get away from the maids, she hadn’t been paying attention to where she was going. As a result, she’d wandered into the storage closet used by the palace servants.
On top of one of the shelves she spotted a pile of maid uniforms next to a sign that said “spare.” Five minutes later, the shelf was one maid uniform short. Kaori dashed back to her room as fast as her legs would take her and held the stolen maid uniform up to her chest.

She examined herself in the mirror for a few seconds, blushed, then changed into the uniform.
This was her first time wearing something like this. Had any of the boys in her class spotted her in it, they would have gotten nosebleeds instantly. She did a little twirl, and her skirt fluttered up. Kaori examined herself in the mirror and muttered something.
“I-It looks pretty good.” A certain boy’s face popped into her mind. After a moment’s hesitation, she said something to the boy in her imagination.
“L-Let me service you, Master~”
She leaned forward, emphasizing her bust, and winked. Her actions were a little stiff, but it was still an impressive display. When she realized what she’d done, Kaori buried her face in her hands and hunched over. Finally, she got over herself and stood back up. She still couldn’t believe she’d actually said that. As she grabbed the hem of her skirt and turned around she found herself face to face with Shizuku, who was sitting in her bed, a book hanging limply from her hands.
“Sh-Sh-Sh-Shizuku-chan!? How long have you been here!?” “Since you got back?”
Kaori had been so preoccupied that she hadn’t even noticed Shizuku was in the room. For her part, Shizuku had been too shocked by the chain of events to say anything. First her best friend barged into their room, then she changed into a maid outfit, then she started doing sexy poses.
“Umm, so, Shizuku-chan. This isn’t what you think. So, like, basically, the maids were all acting really lewd, and then—”

“Don’t worry, Kaori. It’s okay. I understand.”
“Y-You do? Thank goodness. Hey, Shizuku-chan, why are you trying to sneak out of the room? Where do you think you’re going?”
Shizuku surreptitiously put one hand on the doorknob. She smiled as sincerely as she could to Kaori, but Kaori wasn’t buying it. Kaori reached out to stop Shizuku, but before she could, Shizuku bolted out of the door.
“Nagumo-kuuuuun! Kaori’s, Kaori’s—”
“Noooooooooooooooooo! Stoooooooooooooooooop! Shizuku-chan I hate youuuuuuuuuuuu!” Her embarrassed shout echoed through the hallway. For days afterward, she could feel her classmates shooting her pitying looks. From that day onward, the story of Shizuku running around while Kaori chased her in a maid uniform became a legend among the palace residents.

Diamond. diamond. diamond.

Yue’s Magic Lessons.

“Hm? You want to know the trick to using magic?” Yue tilted her head in confusion. It was just past noon, and Shea had asked her what the trick was to using magic. Shea had absolutely no affinity for any of the elements. It was so bad that her affinity was around the same level as Hajime’s.
In fact, the two of them had often spent evenings lamenting to each other how they wished they could use magic. However, despite these shortcomings, Shea had one thing no other beastman had. She possessed mana, and the ability to manipulate it directly. Because of that, she still held dreams of decimating hordes of enemies with magic. As nothing else had worked, Yue was her last hope. If even the strongest magician in history didn’t have a solution for her, then Shea really was doomed.
“Yes, please. Maybe if I learn your secrets, I’ll be able to use a few spells in battle even though I don’t have any affinity for magic. At least, that’s what I’m hoping.”
“Hmm… Okay, I’ll teach you. It never hurts to have more skilled party members.”
“Wow, really!? Thank you so much, Yue-san! I knew I could count on you!” Shea’s bunny ears flopped happily. She was over the moon already, even though there was no guarantee Yue could solve her problem either.
“Oh, is Yue holding a magic lesson? This sounds rather interesting. Would it be alright if I joined in, Yue?”
“Yeah, I don’t mind. It’s kind of moving knowing a dragon wants to be taught by me.” Though Tio already had amazing affinity with most of the elements, she too was interested in Yue’s lessons. It wasn’t every day that she had the chance to learn from the greatest magician of the age, after all.
For her part, Yue had grown up listening to stories of the wise dragonman tribes. It was a mark of pride to her that one such dragonman would be interested in learning from her.
Hajime watched the three girls discuss the finer points of spellcasting with a forlorn look in his eyes.
Sharp-sighted as always, Tio noticed Hajime’s gaze and tilted her head quizzically. “Master, what’s wrong? Would you like to join in as well?”
“Nah, I’m good.” Hajime seemed unusually dispirited. Sensing an opportunity to tease him, Shea grinned and opened her mouth.
“Fufufu. What’s wrong, Hajime-san? Could it be that you already received private lessons from Yue-san, but you still can’t use magic? Is that why you’re too scared to try again?”
“Nah, that’s not it.”
“Then why won’t you join us?”
“Really, I’m good. In fact, you two should probably get out while you still have time. For your own sake, I mean.”
Yue didn’t take kindly to that. She pouted and turned to face Hajime. “You’re so mean, Hajime. Are you saying I’m useless?”
“Not exactly. It’s just, everyone’s suited to certain tasks and not suited to others…”
“Huh, but Hajime-san, wouldn’t Yue-san be the most suited person to teach us magic?”

“Precisely. I have lived a long time, but never have I seen anyone with as much talent as Yue. I consider myself a skilled magician, but even I would relish an opportunity to learn from her.”
Hajime raised his hands in surrender. “Just remember I warned you.”
They pondered his words for a few seconds, but the lure of being taught by Yue reeled them back in, so they put it out of their minds.
Yue pulled out a pair of silver-rimmed spectacles—no one knew where she got them from—and began her lecture. She articulated with her hands as she explained the theory behind the original spells she’d created. About ten minutes into the lecture, Shea and Tio began to have an inkling of what Hajime had tried to warn them about.
“So if you just go whoosh with the magic here, it’ll go all zap. Then, you just have to squeeze it like Gyuu and it’s done! Simple, right?” Yue smiled at her dumbfounded pupils. Nothing about that had been simple at all.
“I see. Or rather, I don’t.”
“Yeah, I have no idea what you just said.”
“Huh!?” Yue’s eyes went wide with surprise. Tio and Shea timidly tried to ask for a more elaborate explanation.
“What exactly is the zap part supposed to mean?”
“What do you mean Gyuu?”
“Like I said, it’s when your mana goes Gyuu. Then there’s that little fluffy feeling, and you just have to get to that floaty state where—”
Shea couldn’t take it anymore.

“Like I said, that doesn’t make any sense! All these weird sounds and stuff don’t actually mean anything! I’m begging you, please just use normal people words!”
Yue tilted her head in confusion. How did that explanation not make sense? I tried to make it as simple as possible.
Realizing this was what made sense to Yue, Tio changed track. She asked Yue if she could give a more theoretical explanation. Yue nodded, and did as she was asked.
“So, the Gyuu state is basically when you accelerate your mana from 0 to 2.25. From there, you multiply it by a further 2.25 to 2.27 depending on the element and type of spell you’re attempting to cast. However, unless you restrict it with a resistance ratio of 3.95, you won’t be able to give the spell form. Fortunately, once you’ve cast it, the degree of variability is automatically accounted for, so you don’t have to—”
“I meant a theoretical explanation people can actually understand!” This time it was Tio’s turn to explode. Shea’s rabbit ears were pressed flat against her head, and she was staring off into the distance with dead eyes. Yue grumbled to herself, confused as to why the two of them couldn’t get it.
“That’s why I tried to give you a simple explanation first… Why don’t you two understand?”
“Gah!?” Shea and Tio clutched their chests and collapsed. It seemed from Yue’s tone that she thought the two of them were idiots. In truth though, Yue was thinking no such thing. She was honestly confused as to why an explanation that seemed simple to her didn’t make sense to them. It was as obvious as the fact that the sun rose in the east, and that leaves changed color in fall.

Shea had already known she knew nothing about magic so the hit wasn’t that bad for her, but for Tio it was devastating. She had considered herself if not a master, at least a veteran magician. However, the pride and knowledge she’d built up for centuries had been shattered by a single sentence from Yue.
She crawled along the floor muttering, “A-Am I truly an idiot? Did I honestly believe I was a skilled magician when I don’t even understand the basics?”
Shea tottered over to Yue and threw herself at Yue’s feet. “Please, please make it stop. You’ve already crushed Tio-san’s pride.”
“Don’t worry, all you need is practice. Just follow the steps I said, and you’ll be able to do it too. Come on, stand up and give it a try.”
Shea and Tio staggered to their feet. Even if they told Yue to stop, she wouldn’t. She’d gotten into the role of a teacher and was having too much fun to quit.
“Okay, repeat after me. Gyuu! Paruparu! Soooi!” “Aren’t those sounds different from last time!?”
Yue made a kamen rider pose and tried to lead Shea and Tio through a spell. Naturally, the two of them couldn’t understand her at all. However, that wasn’t going to stop Yue.
“Come on, go Gyuu! Come on! What’s taking you guys so long!” “G-Gyuu!”
“G-Gyuu…”
“Okay, now roonroon!”
“R-Roonroon.”
“Once more, with feeling! Soooi!”

“S-Sooooooi!”
Their voices carried a long way through the empty plains. A few passing adventurers gave the trio odd looks. Shea and Tio were in tears by now.
“I warned you.” Back when he’d been in the abyss, Hajime had hungered for more power, which naturally meant he’d asked Yue to teach him magic. She’d taken him through the same hellish routine Shea and Tio were suffering now.
Geniuses were considered geniuses precisely because they operated on a different level from normal people. Hajime ignored Shea and Tio’s pleas for help and lost himself in thought.

Diamond. diamond. diamond.

Midnight Tag.

The moon’s sinister silver light shone down on the world. A thick layer of clouds sparkled, forming complex patterns, creating an ethereal world of seas, mountains and cathedrals. Such fantastic shapes wouldn’t be possible with the clouds on earth. A single black shape glided through the illusory scenery. It was Tio. Her black scales scintillated in the moonlight as she slipped past towering cloud castles.
“You really enjoy this, don’t you, Master?” Tio flapped her elegant wings and turned to speak to Hajime, who was riding on her back.
“Well, yeah. It’s starting to become kind of a hobby. If it bothers you, you can tell me to stop asking anytime.”
“Oh no, it’s no bother at all. In fact, I am glad you enjoy our nighttime jaunts through the skies. Though, you are the first person to ever ride upon my back. In a way, you could say you took my ‘first time.’”
“Could you shut your mouth? And never open it again?”
“More insults!? Perfect!” Tio started panting, ruining her majestic image. Hajime grimaced and turned his attention to the brilliant night sky. Thanks to the shimmering clouds, it wasn’t too dark.
I’m in a parallel world, riding on the back of a dragon. This was the kind of thing every child dreamed of experiencing. And thanks to Tio, Hajime had been able to experience it for real. He’d enjoyed it so much that it had started becoming a hobby of his. On nights where the sky was overcast and there was no danger of anyone on the ground spotting Tio, he would soar through the skies on her transformed back.

Tio, too, had come to enjoy their nighttime excursions. It was the only time she got to see Hajime, who normally only insulted her, meekly come up to her and ask, “Is it okay… if I ride you tonight?”
She also felt a twinge of pride that he would choose to ask her. After all, if all he wanted to do was fly through the sky, he could easily craft an artifact that would let him. However, he went out of his way to specifically ask her. And while they didn’t talk much during their flights, Tio could tell Hajime enjoyed them immensely.
It made her feel warm and fuzzy inside to know that she was making him happy. To Tio, these trips were an irreplaceable treasure.
“What do you say, Master? Shall we fly through those cloud arches? You won’t see such formations often.”
“Hm? Sure, that sounds good. You know, now that I get a good look at them, some of them aren’t arches at all. They’re rings. I should have expected as much from a fantasy world. Tio, since we’re already up here, why not show me just how fast you can fly?”
“Fufufu. If that is what you wish, Master. I suppose I can show off if you insist. Hang on tight; you wouldn’t want to be blown off!”
“You got it!” Hajime was unusually spirited. Spurred on by his excited response, Tio roared and flapped her wings. They accelerated toward the natural obstacle course the clouds had made for them.
She sped through the sky like a bullet, a black streak through the midnight blue sky. She made sure Hajime was still hanging on and soared through the first arch. Then, she skillfully maneuvered through the next series of rings, using the air resistance to help her turn.
“Haha, you’re amazing, Tio! I should have known a legendary dragon wouldn’t have any trouble with a few rings!”

“You honor me with your praise, Master. If you are in a generous mood, I would like to take my reward in the form of kisses and abuse.”
“I’ll abuse you all you want, but no kisses.”
“Very well. How about kissing me while slapping my arse? Nothing would make me happier.”
“Pervert. These night dates I can accept, but I will not allow you to do something so disgusting with Hajime.”
“Please, could you—” Halfway through her sentence, Tio realized it wasn’t Hajime she was talking to. Yue was flying next to Tio, her arms crossed. Her glare was so intense that most people would have fainted just from being on its receiving end.
“Yo, Yue. What’s up?”
“It looked like you two were having a lot of fun, so I wanted to join in.” There was one part of what Yue said that struck Tio as odd.
“How could you discern what we looked like? We were flying rather high in the sky, not to mention the fact that the clouds were obscuring us. Did you use some form of magic?”
“Hm? I don’t need to use magic to know what Hajime’s feeling.” “I-I see.”
Hajime was taken aback. It was a bit of a shock that she could tell what he was feeling all the time, no matter where he was. Especially since she claimed to not need magic to do it.
“Your love is very stalk— Ahem, deep,” Tio muttered quietly. Yue turned her intense stare onto Hajime. It felt as if she were looking through his very soul.

“It looked like you two were really enjoying yourselves.” She repeated herself. Tio could see the flames of jealousy burning deep within her eyes.
“W-We should probably head back soon. Let’s do this again sometime, Master.” Pressured by Yue’s glare, Tio suggested they return. Oddly enough, Hajime didn’t respond right away. Normally he spoiled Yue, so it was rare to see him not acquiescing to her wishes. He put his hand on his chin and lapsed into thought. Then, in a flash of inspiration, he grinned at Yue and said something.
“Hey, Tio. If I’m your master, then that means you have to listen to my orders.”
“Fwah!? O-Of course. If there is an order you wish to give me, I will gladly accept.” This would be Hajime’s first formal order for Tio. She was both confused and somewhat excited by the prospect. Hajime’s grin grew wider, and he gave Tio her order.
“Alright Tio, I order you to leave that vampire in the dust!”
“Ah! I see, Master. I must say, I didn’t expect you to have such a mischievous side to you. Still, that’s what makes you interesting! Very well, I shall do as you command!” Tio let out a playful howl and accelerated even more. She easily outstripped Yue. While she was still recovering from the shock of what had just happened, Hajime called out to her.
“Hey, vampire princess! Catch us if you can! If you manage to get us, I’ll give you anything you want!”
“Are you sure you want to make that bet? You know you have no chance of winning, right?”
“This dragon of mine might be a hopeless pervert, but she’s pretty fast! You sure you can win that easily?”

“Hmph, as if I would lose to a pervert. You’ll regret choosing the dragon over me!”
“M-My dear Master, could you please not insult me in the middle of a conversation with someone else? Haaah… Haaah… I might get so excited that I accidentally cancel my transformation.”
Now that he was finally able to enjoy his time in this other world, Hajime wanted to savor it to the fullest. A game of tag through the night sky with Yue was the perfect way to do that. And though her words were harsh, Yue was grinning too. Panting excitedly, Tio blazed through the sky. Yue used her gravity magic to close in on them. The moment she saw her chance, she would rush in for the kill. “Aaah, I’m begging you, Master! Please whip my arse into shape! Drive me like you would a horse! I am certain I could go even faster that way. If you punish me, I’ll have enough strength to sprint through that wall of clouds!”
Hajime ignored the dragon’s perverted words and focused on the race. He didn’t want her ruining this perfect night. Meanwhile, on the ground, Shea had been left all alone.
“The rain won’t stop… and no one’s back yet… Don’t tell me they forgot about me? Don’t they know that rabbits die from loneliness? Hurry up and come baaaaack~ Hic…” Shea huddled inside her tent and stared up at the cloudy sky.

Diamond. diamond. diamond.

Don’t Call Me A Goddess!

“Whoa, look at that! It’s the Fertility Goddess!” “To think she would visit our lowly town…”
“Her kindness knows no bounds. I heard she stood up to an army of sixty thousand monsters just to save the town of Ur.”
“Not only is she improving all of our lives, she’s putting her own on the line to protect us. Though she’s a bit different from what I expected. I thought she would be more… adult-like and beautiful.”
“That’s what makes her such an amazing goddess. Even though she’s short, she’s still working so hard for our sake. This may be rude, but I honestly think she’s kind of cute.”
“I know what you mean. She may be a goddess, but honestly, she reminds me of a baby squirrel. I just want to cuddle her.”
“Oh, you too? I know it’s rude to think this of a goddess, which is why I didn’t say it before… but she’s really cute. I want to take her home and take care of her.”
“Personally, I want to give her a big hug. I’d sit her on my lap and admire her all day long.”
“I just want to look after her.”
The villagers were talking so loudly that it was hard to believe they were even trying to keep Aiko from hearing them. Aiko flushed bright red and tried her best not to say anything. Some time had passed after the incident at Ur, and Aiko had heard the same things from every village they’d gone through on their way back to the capital. Thanks to Hajime’s little scheme, everyone thought it was Aiko the Fertility Goddess who’d saved the town of Ur.

The stories had spread like wildfire, and her name was already known throughout the kingdom. She’d accelerated her fame by making sure she improved the agricultural conditions of every single village she stopped at on the way back as well. Though it was her own actions that had made her look so endearing, and made the villagers all think she was adorable.
Despite her petite appearance, Aiko was 25 years old. She was an independent, working, contributing member of society. She didn’t like being treated like a goddess, nor did she like being treated like a child. She glared angrily at the villagers, but it had the opposite effect of what she’d intended.
“Ah, the goddess looked at us! All hail the Fertility Goddess! Come on everyone, cheer with me!”
“All hail our goddess! All hail the Fertility Goddess!”
Now they were cheering her on in the streets. Tears of embarrassment welled up in Aiko’s eyes.
“E-Everyone, my name is Aiko! Aiko Hatayama! Please stop calling me a goddess!” Aiko had tried to stop people from calling her a goddess wherever she’d gone, but to no avail.
“H-How humble… To think she would allow us poor villagers to call her by her name…”
“Her kindness truly knows no bounds… I have never been so moved in my life.”
“All hail our Fertility Goddess!”
“All hail our kind and merciful Fertility Goddess!”
Trembling with emotion, the villagers continued to cheer on Aiko. Her words had only served to deepen their faith in her.

“Grrrrrr, what do I have to do to get them to use my actual name? Are they trying to kill me with embarrassment? Are the villagers all actually hitmen out to end my life?” Aiko was so embarrassed that she couldn’t even think straight, which was why she was seriously entertaining the possibility that all the villagers were hitmen.
David and the rest of Aiko’s guards tried to cheer her up, but they couldn’t hide their own happiness at how popular their goddess had become. Their obviously insincere attempts to make her feel better only made Aiko feel more depressed.
“Umm, Ai-chan-sensei. We’re the hero’s comrades, and Ehit’s warriors, so we’ll always stand out no matter where we go. You shouldn’t worry so much about the attention.”
“Sonobe-san… I don’t mind the attention. Well, I do a little, but there’s nothing we can do about that. It’s just hard acting like a grown adult when everyone around you is calling you a goddess!”
Without a moment’s delay, David and the other knights started telling Aiko how she wasn’t really that old, and that she was too cute to be an adult. Aiko ignored them.
“Now now, Ai-chan-sensei. Your fame as the Fertility Goddess was spreading even before Ur. All that did was speed it up a little.” Atsushi and the others nodded in agreement.
“I suppose you’re right, but still…” Aiko just didn’t want to accept it. The students all watched her with a mixture of pity and amusement. She decided to flee back to their inn, trying to escape from the villagers’ gazes, but before she made it inside, she heard them start talking about someone else.
“By the way, what kind of person is the Goddess’ Sword? I’ve heard that he has white hair and wears an eyepatch…”

“Well, the only people that strong aside from the knights are Ehit’s warriors, but I heard he wasn’t one of them.”
“Are we even sure he has white hair and wears an eyepatch?”
It seemed it wasn’t only Aiko’s fame that had started to spread, but Hajime’s too. The Goddess’ Sword was just as well known as the Fertility Goddess herself now. Aiko’s ears perked up when she heard Hajime’s title mentioned. She looked around the street while surreptitiously listening in on their conversation. Yuka and the other students strained their ears as well. Now that the topic had been brought up, the villagers were eager to share all the rumors they’d heard about Hajime.
“That much is certain. After all, there aren’t many white-haired guys with eyepatches running around.”
“I heard he shot down all the flying monsters with a spear of light, and destroyed the rest with a meteor shower.”
“He sounds amazing. But if he’s the Goddess’ Sword, how come he isn’t guarding her right now? That group of Ehit’s warriors is.”
He certainly was amazing back there, Aiko and the students thought to themselves. Even David and the other knights begrudgingly had to admit that Hajime had fought splendidly. Though, that didn’t mean they had to like everything else he’d done.
The villagers all puzzled over the question of why Hajime wasn’t guarding Aiko like a Goddess’ Sword should. One of them spoke up, offering a possible explanation.
“Come to think of it, I heard something from a merchant who was staying in the same Water Sprite Inn as the Goddess. Apparently her sword had a lot of women in his party and they were trying to fight with the Goddess for his love. Maybe he felt it would be awkward if he stayed?”
Aiko coughed in surprise, quickly averting her gaze.
“Wait, what!? The Goddess and her sword are lovers!?” Before long, the story had grown completely out of hand. According to the villagers, Aiko and Hajime were now lovers, and he’d had to leave her side because another woman had gotten between them.
“E-Excuse me, everyone. Please don’t spread baseless rumors! I am teacher, and he’s my student! We have no such illicit relationship!”
Aiko’s knights approached the villagers with a dark look in their eyes, but before they could do anything she spoke up. Unfortunately, the desperation in her voice made it seem like she was just trying to hide the truth and what had just been a rumor became cemented as fact in the villagers’ minds.
“Oh yeah, I didn’t want to say this because it might be rude, but I heard from a lot of people that after the fight the goddess and her sword, well you know.”
“Y-Yeah, I heard that too. That they shared a passionate kiss in the town square in front of everyone, I mean.
Aiko blushed so deeply that her face looked like a giant tomato. Her mouth opened and closed, but no sounds came out. The villagers started discussing the kiss, and Aiko began to panic. She turned to look at Yuka and tried to explain herself.
“S-S-S-S-Sonobe-san, it’s not what you think! He was just giving me CPR. There was nothing romantic about it! I swear, I’m an upright and honest teacher!”

“H-Huh!? Why are you trying to explain it to me? B-Besides, whatever you might have done has nothing to do with me!”
Yuka couldn’t understand why Aiko had suddenly turned to her. But even though she tried to protest, Aiko was beyond reason. Yuka couldn’t stop her from repeating “I swear, it’s all just a misunderstanding.”
“What’s this strange feeling welling up…?”
“You don’t have to say it, Atsushi… I know exactly how you feel.”
The girls near them were getting flustered over a guy who wasn’t even here. Atsushi and the other guys watched on with dead eyes, while Taeko and Nana just snickered. Even when he wasn’t present, Hajime was sure to cause a ruckus.

Diamond. diamond. diamond.