After Kokonoe met with her parents, we walked together in silence. Since I sent her to a place that’s new for her, I couldn’t leave her alone and decided to walk with her to escort her back. The thing now is, the mood is extremely awkward.
“… Are you really fine with not spending some time with them?”
“Yes, it’s fine. It’s fine that way.”
Kokonoe replied to my attempt in breaking the silence with her usual timid voice. She had been saying that it’s fine, but does she earnestly think that way? Putting aside entering the house, Kokonoe didn’t even talk to her parents. She just watched them from a distance and left the place. The sad face she was making didn’t see to be satisfied with just doing that much.
“They won’t recognize me anyway, so it’s better this way.”
“What does that mean?”
“Metron-sama casted some magic on our parents so that they wouldn’t recognize us in fear that we may stay here, on Earth.”
As I heard those words that left her mouth, Kokonoe darkened her expression even more. So that why she didn’t want to talk to her parents. I didn’t expect that she would be troubled by such an issue like that. I see, so Metron still plans to send them back to defeat the Demon Lord.
“And, besides…”
“Besides?”
“I can’t allow myself to meet them alone.”
It looks like she is thinking about her cla.s.smates even in this situation. Usually, a group of people often has some members that are excluded or some members who disturb the order. But as far as I can see with Tenjouin’s group, such flaws didn’t exist. Their bond is stronger than expected. Kokonoe resisted her sorrow and prioritized her cla.s.smates. That is something that not everyone can easily do. I replied to her with a nod and continued walking before she gathered up her courage to ask me something else again.
“U-Um…”
“Yeah?”
“Are, you really the kind of, person, Metron-sama, said?”
She asked me while hesitating and cutting between her words a few times, most likely because she felt nervous. It looks like she started doubting my evilness from what happened between us today. I took a short moment to think of how I should answer her, then proceeded to speak.
“Yeah, it’s true.”
Again, I decided to answer honestly.
“I-I see…”
Kokonoe who was expecting a different answer this time lowered her sight while seeming disappointed. There is no guarantee that the rest of the cla.s.s would believe me even if I tell her the accurate truth. In the worst case, they might doubt that I have threatened her to tell them that I was innocent. That’s why I decided to keep acting like an evil.
“I honestly find it strange that you survived in the other world until today.”
“T-That’s because, I was with, everyone.”
Kokonoe refuted and soon blushed from the embarra.s.sment of saying that line.
“At first, everything was scary. Battles and magic. I thought that, it was impossible, for me. But, everyone else cheered me up, and encouraged me, despite me being, a coward, girl.”
She whisperingly spoke with a glad-looking expression as she reminisced her past.
“That why, I will do my, best for their, sake too.”
She suddenly stopped walking before a street corner and raised her head high to look at me with her resolved eyes. Her voice was still barely
audible, but its tone was stronger.
You shouldn’t be saying that to your enemy though…
She was basically saying that she will do her best at defeating me. I couldn’t frankly tell her to her best and hesitated on how I should react.
“I’m sorry for ruining the mood for you, but you can’t defeat me.”
“Eh?”
“I’m not sure what you were doing all this time, but the difference in the experience we went through is like the one between the Earth and Heavens.”
I don’t know if they ever fought against a G.o.d who was plotting to engulf the world with darkness and hatred, or a monster who is able to destroy an entire world like it was nothing of noteworthy. I’m even doubting if one of them were able to face an army of youkai and monsters alone.
Anyway, the difference in our levels is too wide. The one with the highest level among them is Tenjouin. His level was 183. There wasn’t any chance for them to win against me even if they attacked all at the same time.
“W-We won’t lose!”
“I hope so.”
I vaguely replied to Kokonoe’s peeved reply and made her irritated.
“Our paths which we have been, walking for a long time now is made up of, an irreplaceable treasure; that is friends.h.i.+p! I won’t forgive someone like you, who, doesn’t know about us, to say something, so arrogant!”
Kokonoe got too emotional and shouted at me angrily. I was taken aback a little from seeing her screaming with a loud voice. The moment she realized what she did, her face turned bright red as she cooled back.
She then bowed down to me repeatedly while feeling embarra.s.sed by what she said. I didn’t know that she could scream like that; I’m actually surprised. I remained making the same amazed face for a short while but eventually replaced it with a faint smile. I don’t dislike this type of people.
“T-Thank you for, today. I-I will be, going, now.”
“Is that so? Careful on your way then.”
“Wan (Later~)”
I waved my hand to Kokonoe who turned her back to me and left. When Rouga bid her farewell, she smiled back to her despite not understanding what she said. I muttered to myself as I watched Kokonoe walked away.
“I guess I will send them back to their world when I finish teaching them a lesson.”
Nothing good will come out of them staying here, anyway. And besides, they still have their duty to defeat the Demon Lord as the heroes of that world. There is no meaning in wasting their time here. I let out a sigh and kept watching Kokonoe walking away until Rouga talked to me.
“You changed, chief~”
“I changed?”
“You weren’t this positive the first time I knew you~”
Staring back at Rouga, I wondered if I really did change. Maybe she’s right. All this time, I used to do things only because I had no other choice but to do them. I never went out of my way to do something I decided by myself. Does that mean that I changed? I can’t find an answer as I’m still personally not aware of it. Who knows, maybe I changed. That was the only thought that ran through my mind the entire way back to my place.
At that night, Tenjouin and his cla.s.smates were discussing the events they
they went through today. They were having a fun time talking about their parents and how they were doing. Some of them were laughing while others were crying. Various emotions and expressions were unmasked in that conversation, but only Tenjouin was gazing at the town while still making his usual face. He did meet his family as well. He checked on his parents and made sure that his little sister was doing fine. However, what was occupying most of his mind was the current situation of the other world.
“Everyone…”
Looking somewhat depressed, he looked up the starry sky. He couldn’t feel at ease despite trying to convince himself that things would be alright. Tenjouin was saved by many people from that world. He still had many favors to return to them. While those thoughts were refusing to leave him at ease, Tenjouin remained quiet until Miki called his name from behind.
“Tenjouin-kun.”
When he was about to turn around, he felt something binding him from behind all of a sudden. He let out a confused voice and tried to find out what it was, only to realize that it was Miki’s tight hug that restrained his moves.
“M-Miki? What are you doing so sudden—”
“Why did you leave me when you left the kingdom half a year ago?”
Listening to Miki’s words inside the dark room, Tenjouin couldn’t find the proper words to return to her. Time pa.s.sed silently as Miki’s question was left unanswered. She knew well that Tenjouin didn’t have the words to answer her, but still insisted on making him say something by burying her face in his back.
“You know. I had shut myself in my room for a while after finding out that you left. I thought that you didn’t want me to be by your side and ran away.”
As she continued to speak, the strength she poured in her arms gradually increased. She wanted to tell him about how she felt all this time, but didn’t find the perfect timing for them to be alone. Tenjouin, who stayed quiet for a while, judged that he should say something and opened his mouth.
“I’m sorry, Miki. but that was the only way for me to get stronger, so—”
“I know. You’re always like this, Tenjouin-kun”
She knew that he would always prioritize innocent people before himself and would give his full efforts to serve them. Miki knew about that, however, she also couldn’t control the feelings of waiting for him for half a year.
“I’m sorry for bringing this topic in this critical situation. This is not the time to be talking about this, is it, Tenjouin-kun…”
Miki released Tenjouin from her hug and walked a step behind. Tenjouin immediately turned around after getting released and finally realized that Miki’s eyes were clouded with tears as her face was faintly blus.h.i.+ng.
“Miki…”
“Tenjouin-kun, you see, I……”
It was at that moment; the moment when Miki was about to tell him something important, that she noticed a large shadow moving behind her.
“Hey, don’t pus.h.!.+”
“I want to them too!”
“Was Miki able to say it?”
“Rather you guys are speaking too loudly, they will hear us you kn — UWAA!!”
The other member who were pus.h.i.+ng each other to see the development between Miki and Tenjouin crumbled inside the room and met their gaze with them.
“…”
“……”
“………”
For a while, everyone went quietly in that place. Tenjouin
place. Tenjouin was the first one to laugh bitterly before Miki started trembling with her face dyed in red.
“What, are you, all, doing?”
Hearing the few words that left her trembling lips, everyone stood up in haste and made up an excuse.
“Ah, I was just walking by…”
“Don’t mind us, just continue.”
“Yes, please continue.”
“Go ahead, imagine as if we aren’t here.”
“As if I COULD!!!!”
Miki’s anger reached its summit and she exploded at them with an enraged scream. Following that scream, they all started running away with all their power, though they chose the wrong person to make angry.
“Wait up!!!!”
“W-Wait!! Miki! Teleporting is not fair!”
“How dare you get in my way when I was about to do it!!!!”
The words of her cla.s.smates didn’t reach her anymore as she went completely berserk and stormed the entire house with her teleportation. No wonder her surroundings were so calm when she was talking with Tenjouin. Tenjouin watched over her catching every single person who was peeping at them and naturally started laughing. He felt as if he can do anything as long as he is together with his friends. As long as the cla.s.s is together, defeating Kamiya, or even the Demon Lord is not an impossible task.
“Tenjouin! Stop watching and come to help us!!”
He was asked for help from some of his cla.s.smates, but as he found their earlier conduct to be rude to Miki, he replied telling them to reflect on it and kept watching. And thus, Miki’s terrifying game of tag was set in motion. Despite not showing it on his face, Tenjouin was pretty mad at them too. He was also waiting for that situation, after all. Though, for some reason, he felt more relieved when they got interrupted. It is not that time yet. There are many things left for him and his allies to achieve. Even though a crucial battle was waiting for them the next day, everyone spent a fun and not-so-quiet night.
The next day.
Today, I wasn’t lying on my bed because I was on my way back from the bookstore after buying the new volume of a light novel I’m following. It is an important duty for me as a reader to buy the new book of the series as soon as possible.
I placed the bag inside the interdimensional s.p.a.ce I created using【s.p.a.ce – Time Magic (Extra Large)】. Let’s enjoy reading after returning to my room. I walked my way back to the house while feeling excited to read the new volume already, but then remembered what happened yesterday. Due to the meeting with one of the heroes, Kokonoe, I came to know a little about the situation they were put in. Kokonoe also said that they were taking a break that day, so if they were going to attack, that would be today. I have no idea from where they will show up, but that didn’t matter as I was ready to deal with them in any case. Well, I still can’t detect their presence from the【Presence Detection】skill, so it should still be alright.
“Maybe they will show up in front of me all of a sudden, just kidding.”
“You did good making that guess.”
The moment I muttered to myself, the scenery in front of me abruptly changed into a vast ground.
Where is this place…?
I started feeling confused to find myself to find myself in a completely unknown place. The place looked like a wide valley surrounded by cliffs everywhere and the sky was dyed in a familiar red color. I could already tell what happened from looking around me and a familiar voice coming from my back confirmed my a.s.sumption.
“Kamiya Yato!!”
I narrowed my eyes and followed the direction of the voice to see Tenjouin and his cla.s.smates standing there and wearing their armors.
“We came to defeat you as promised.”
If I were a real villain I’d probably say something like ‘I have been waiting for you, Heros!’ I earnestly considered saying a similar line for a moment with a carefree mood before I noticed a girl who appeared out of the blue near Tenjouin.
“Thanks, Miki.”
“Do your best, Tenjouin-kun.”
“Yeah, leave it to me.”
It looks like she is the one who sent me over here. The girl called Miki informed him something and disappeared again.
Anyway, so they made this place, huh.
I thought about something while looking around the place. It looked like a caved-in hole inside a vast land. It looked artificial no matter how I looked at it. They went out of their way to make a place like this for my sake.
“Couldn’t you just invite me normally instead of asking someone to teleport me? I wasn’t planning to refuse you know.”
“It would have been troublesome if you were to prepare some counter-plan for us in that case.”
I asked him with the same composed att.i.tude, but he just rashly answered my question and went to order his cla.s.smates.
“We still have many things to do on the other side, so we’re going to have to finish this quickly, everyone!!”
The moment he finished his sentence, every member of the cla.s.s took a position and formed a formation composed of front guards, magicians protected by the front guards and rear guard. All of them were glaring at me while firmly holding on their weapons. Apparently, they’re not intending to let me go out alive from this. I watched Tenjouin taking his offensive stance as I stood still without showing a sign of defending myself. It doesn’t look like I can avoid this fight anymore. It can’t be helped. The only thing I found to be funny was Tenjouin’s last sentence that they are going to have to finish this quickly.
“Don’t get the wrong idea.”
“What?”
“I will be the one who will be finis.h.i.+ng with you quickly.”
Both their large number and their flexible formation doesn’t matter to me.
“I have a new book I want to read it as soon as possible, so hurry up and make your move already.”
Nothing matters when there is an overwhelming difference in the level.
“Let me show you the difference in our level.”
I will knock down every single one of them then send them back to where they came from. My last line was the trigger that set start to the battle of Heroes against the villain.
＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
Bonus
Inviting
“Couldn’t you just invite me normally instead of asking someone to teleport me? I wasn’t planning to refuse you know.”
“You’re right. Let me do that.”
— The following day.
Piing pooong
“Master, you got a mail, Desu.”
“Gathering today at 2 pm in the field we made!! The place is overlaid with a red barrier so you should notice it immediately (^o^)/ don’t be late~♪
-Your former cla.s.smates”
“So friendly!”
