/
After that, the police visited my workplace and interrogated me.
Because it turned into a bigger deal than I thought, I had to go home later than usual.
“Is the bandage really necessary?”
“Of course it is! You bled a lot!”
I stared helplessly at my bandaged arm as Kawasaki said those words firmly.
“Just putting some spit on it should cure it in a jiffy.”
“It’s because you’re saying such stupid things that is why I’m doing this for you.”
“*Sigh*…”
It seemed like my standard became too twisted for this world.
Ever since I remembered about my previous life, I started thinking with the mindset of someone who lived in the other world more. Back then, bar fights were common occurrences and no one made a big deal out of them, but here, it was the total opposite.
I didn’t mind about anything that happened, but Takase-san was crying while apologizing to me.
“Senpai, are you used to fighting?”
“What made you think so?”
I answered her question with a question of my own.
“How do I say this… Back then, even in that kind of situation, you didn’t seem to panic at all…”
Well, there was no reason for me to be wary of those kinds of small fries. No matter how weak my current body was, I could beat them all on my own if I wanted to.
But, if I actually tried to fight back and win, I would be in the wrong, thanks to the law of this country. That was why I decided to just let him hit me.
Also, if I was actually panicking in that kind of situation, I’d be disqualified as a hero.
“Do you think I’m a delinquent?”
I asked while picking up an empty can that was sitting by the side of the road and threw it into a nearby trash can.
It made a loud noise as it hit the bottom of the trash can.
“You don’t seem like one… Are you a rehabilitated delinquent by any chance?”
“Of course not. Besides, I’ve never got into a fight in my whole life.”
I shrugged my shoulders as I said that. It was true, I had never got into a fight in this world.
“Hmm…”
Kawasaki didn’t seem to be convinced.
“You’re keeping a lot of secrets, huh, senpai?”
Actually, I wasn’t trying to keep everything a secret, but if I were to tell any sane person in this world about me being a hero of another world and that I was reincarnated here for some reason, nobody would believe me.
So, I brushed her off with a mysterious smile.
Kawasaki furrowed her brows. This was getting a little hard to handle… I should try to change the topic… It was at that time, I noticed an old woman carrying a lot of things in the corner of my eyes.
“Huh? Is that Maruyama-san?”
“Who?”
“An old lady who lives nearby. She seems to be in trouble… I should help her.”
I ignored Kawasaki, who was about to say something and called out to Maruyama-san.
“Hello, I’ll help you out, Maruyama-san.”
“Oh my, aren’t you Shiraishi-san’s son? Thank you for offering. Then, can you help me bring these back home? It’s around the corner, but carrying these really puts a burden on my old back…”
“Of course. You can depend on me.”
Maruyama-san smiled as she handed over her shopping bags that she was holding.
“You’re such a good child. You took care of my grandchildren the other day too, didn’t you?”
“Well, it was fun with them around, you don’t need to mind that, Maruyama-san.”
As a part of volunteer work, I’ve been helping the elderly around the neighborhood.
Maruyama-san was one of the people I helped out.
The other day, I played with her grandchildren while their parents were away.
“…Senpai, did you forget that you’re injured? Give me one of those.”
Kawasaki forcefully took a bag from my arm.
I guess she had a point. My arm was actually hurting a little.
“You don’t really need to help me.”
“I’m not that heartless. I won’t let you do anything on your own.”
Said Kawasaki with a ‘hmph’.
“Oh my, you’re walking with a girl at this hour? Is she your girlfriend?”
I answered her question with a chuckle. I knew that she was joking.
“Haha, you’re such a joker, Maruyama-san! Don’t you think so, Kawasaki? …Huh? Kawasaki?”
She was blushing for some reason.
Normally, she’d just proceed to go along with the joke and tease me, but not this time, I guess. Maybe, she wasn’t used to this kind of joke.
“I-I’m not his girlfriend.”
Kawasaki replied with difficulties.
Before we knew it, we had arrived at Maruyama-san’s place.
“Thank you, you two. I appreciate it.”
Maruyama-san thanked us several times and gave us some tea cakes as a thanks.
I didn’t expect something in return, but it didn’t feel bad to receive thanks like this sometimes.
That meant my efforts in helping weren’t in vain.
“…Do you do this kind of thing often, senpai?”
“I do it whenever I feel like it. So, are you still thinking that I’m a delinquent?”
I shrugged my shoulders as I said that. Kawasaki sighed in response.
“…Fine, you convinced me. But, you shouldn’t do something like this until your injuries are cured, senpai. Seriously, you need to take care of yourself more.”
“Yes, mommy, I get it.”
“I’m your kouhai, not your mommy, you pervert.”
“That’s my way of telling you that you’re a caring person.”
“Even so, I don’t want you to call me that!”
Seeing her disgusted face made me feel hurt.
While we were having this exchange, we arrived at my house.
“Alright, senpai, see you at school.”
Whenever Kawasaki and I worked on the same day, we would walk home together like this. Her house was ten minutes away from mine.
“…No, wait, I’ll walk you home.”
I thought about it for a while, but I really should do that. Hearing my words, Kawasaki frowned at me.
“What? What are you saying, suddenly?”
“I mean, because of that sh*tshow, we came back later than usual, right? I don’t think it’s safe for girls like you to walk by yourself at this hour… Well, it isn’t actually that late, but still…”
When I thought about it, 9pm and 10pm weren’t much different.
But still, after that sh*tshow, I couldn’t help but worry about her mental state.
“Don’t worry, I won’t go through the dark alleys like an idiot. I’ll be fine, senpai. I know you’re worried about me, but I’m mentally stronger than you think… It’s a tempting offer, though~”
Said Kawasaki teasingly with a seductive smile on her face.
Seeing that, my heart jumped a little. She was younger than me, but that smile was too much.
Not realizing my state of mind, she waved lightly at me and left.
“…”
For a while after that, I continued watching her back.
She was a good kouhai who always understood my intentions.
The darkness of the night continued following her back as she slowly disappeared from my sight.
Even though it was night, the breeze didn’t feel cold.
Instead, it felt warm.
As I stood up in silence for a bit, various noises started to enter my ears. The voice of the crickets, the neighbor’s TV and the sound of Kawasaki’s footsteps that slowly fading in the distance. A stray cat approached me and meowed at me.
…Yet, I felt strangely uneasy.
“…Witch, is that you?”
Behind me, there was a crow perched on a branch of a tree.
When I stared at it, it stared back at me without showing any reaction.
There was a faint sign of mana from its body.
Until a few minutes ago, it masked its presence by blending with Kawasaki’s, but now that she had gone, I noticed its presence easily.
“I don’t know since when you’ve been watching me, but can you please not stalk me with your familiars? That’s a crime, you know?”
The crow then spread its wings and flew away.
…What the hell was that all about?
Why was she stalking me, anyway?
Well, I could ask her about it tomorrow.
*   *   *
“…Huh? Did I fall asleep?”
My consciousness slowly rose. I took a look at the clock on my table. It was midnight already.
I tried to stand up with my sluggish body and tried to figure out what happened to me before I fell asleep.
It should be around ten when I got back home from my part-time job.
I laid down in my bed to take a rest for a bit, but I fell asleep instead.
…I planned to study when I got home, though.
Sleeping around that hour felt bad to me. I don’t know why, it just felt that way.
Well, in any case, I didn’t feel sleepy anymore, I could start studying right now if I wanted to.
“…I should take a bath first, though.”
I didn’t turn on the AC, so my body was all sweaty.
My body still felt sluggish, but I could still move around. I walked toward the door to my room and opened it.
It felt dizzy when I walked. Did I catch the summer cold? No way, right? Anyway, I disregarded that feeling and walked down the stairs.
Mom had come back home already. I could hear her peaceful snore coming from her room.
I let out a yawn and opened the door to the shower room.
And then…
“…Huh?”
The first thing that came to my sight was a pair of big breasts.
Then, my gaze moved down to a pair of slender wet legs. I noticed that there wasn’t a single piece of clothing that covered the body parts of the person in front of me.
To put it simply, this girl in front of me, Kirishima Hina, was naked.
“G-Godou?!”
In an instant all my sleepiness went away.
Hina immediately took a towel and hid her chest with it. Her face instantly turned red like a tomato.
Then, she muttered in a small voice,
“…Close it…”
“H-Huh?”
“T-The door! Close it!”
“A-Ah, r-right, s-sorry.”
And so, I closed the door behind me.
“…”
“…”
And now I was trapped inside this room with her.
I was panicking, okay? But, I don’t think that was a good enough excuse.
The silence between us was suffocating.
I knew that I f**cked up.
I could feel cold sweat running through my back.
As I was standing there, paralyzed, Hina shouted at me.
“W-W-What the hell are you doing, idiot?! G-Go outside first before closing the door!”
“S-Sorry, t-that was my bad! B-But, why are you here?”
“Can’t you wait until later to ask that question?!”
“N-No, of course not! I need to know now!”
I sharpened my concentration to burn this scene into my eyes. (T/N: This is the correct way to use your abilities from your previous life.)
Thanks to that, my concentration was at its peak. If I were to give a comparison, it was at the same level as when I fought the witch in earnest.
“Wait! For! Later!”
Hina pushed me with her right hand while her left hand was pressing the towel against her chest tightly.
“F-Fine, I get it! Stop pushing me!”
I opened the door and went outside.
Maybe because she was also panicking at that time…
She used her left hand to hold on the handle, trying to close the door from her side.
Thanks to that, the towel that covered her body gently fell onto the floor.
Once again, her body was exposed to my eyes in its full glory.
*   *   *
“…I can’t get married anymore.”
Hina was lying on my bed. Hugging my pillow tightly, she was clearly sulking.
“…Really, that was my bad. Please, forgive me.”
“W-Why were you staring at me like that, anyway?! Y-You shoulda looked elsewhere! …I should just report you to the police.”
“Please don’t, I beg you!”
I knew that I was in the wrong here, so I discarded my pride and bowed down to her.
She was pouting while hugging my pillows. Her eyes were red, probably from tears.
Currently, she was wearing her middle school’s gym uniform. She probably used it as her nightwear nowadays. Once again, I found myself staring at her. She looked sexier than usual in that outfit. Probably because she had just come out of the bath?
Anyway, what could I do to fix her mood?
For the time being, I should change the topic first.
“Why are you here, anyway? It’s been a while since you visited at all, so I didn’t expect you to be here.”
“…Our bath’s heater broke down, so I was going to go to the public bath. I met your mom on the way there and things happened…”
“…Ah, sorry about that.”
If I could describe her in a single word, my mom was ‘pushy’.
After finding out that Hina was about to go to the public bath, she most likely forcefully dragged her here.
“It’s all okay! Don’t be sorry! When I explained my situation to her, she just told me to borrow your bath instead. It’s to save some money, she said. Anyway, your mom hasn’t changed, huh?”
Her eyes livened up as she tried to imitate my mom. Her expression clearly brightened after that. I managed to subside her wrath, thankfully.
Even so, no matter how well they got along with each other, it was still inappropriate of her to leave Hina on her own. Like seriously, how could she fall asleep after dragging someone into the house?
“By the way, it really has been a while since I last came here.”
“…Yeah.”
Back when we were younger, she used to come here all the time. We were inseparable back then, like family. As we grew older though, she came here less and we slowly grew apart.
“You stopped coming here after everyone teased you about it back in middle school.”
“I-I can’t help it! I-It was embarrassing, okay?!”
By the way, her house was right next to ours. In fact, her room was right next to mine. I could easily go there if I were to use a ladder as a bridge. Sadly, my parents forbid me from doing it because it was dangerous.
“Aside from your new manga, your room hasn’t changed at all, huh?”
She picked up a manga from the bookshelf then started reading it while laying down in my bed.
Using someone else’s bed as if it was her own… Seriously, this girl…
The moment I was about to complain, a wave of dizziness struck me.
“Godou?”
“D-Don’t mind me… It’s nothing…”
I shook my head and my consciousness immediately cleared up. Then, I glanced at the clock on my table.
“By the way, why did you take a bath this late at night?”
“I had dinner with your mom and we talked for a while.”
“Mom was the cause, huh?…”
I slumped my shoulders when I heard it. Seeing my reaction, Hina pouted.
“It’s still your fault that you saw me naked just now, okay? Also, I decided to go in late because I was afraid that you’d wake up and use it. How tired were you anyway? Your mom said that as soon as you got home, you immediately fell asleep.”
“I got a shift tonight, of course I was tired.”
“Don’t try to evade the question.”
She came closer to me.
The sweet scent of her shampoo entered my nose.
Once again, I realized that my childhood friend, who I had always thought of as a family, had turned into a fine woman.
“I know you’ve been doing volunteer work lately. You also helped out both the student council and the sports clubs because they are short-staffed. The final exam is around the corner too… Seriously, are you okay?”
When I heard those words, my eyes widened in surprise.
I see. She knew about everything. I’ve never told anyone about it, but she knew about it anyway. She’s been watching over me, huh?
“Don’t worry, I’m fine. Thanks for asking, though.”
“Don’t force yourself too hard, okay?”
“I’m not forcing myself.”
“Don’t lie to me. How long do you think I’ve known you? You’re feeling unwell, aren’t you? I know you’re trying to hide it from me.”
She stared right into my eyes.
…As expected, she found out.
“You don’t seem to have a fever.”
She muttered as she placed her hand on my forehead.
“You might catch it when morning comes. If that happens, take a break from school and your part-time job, okay?”
“Yes, mom.”
Both Kawasaki and her… I was surrounded by worrywarts.
“You’re such a handful, you know that?”
“My mom said otherwise though.”
“It’s because you’re always trying to do everything by yourself.”
Hina sighed, grabbed me and pushed me onto the bed.
“Go to sleep. Here’s your blanket.”
She wrapped the blanket around my body, grabbed my shoulders and forced me to lie down.
Then, she lied down next to me.
“You’ll catch a cold like that.”
“…Don’t get me wrong. I’m just doing this because I can’t trust you if I were to leave you alone. There’s nothing more to it.”
“Stop that outdated tsundere act.”
Hearing my retort, she smiled mischievously and continued,
“I-I’m just doing this because I’m too lazy to go home!”
“Understandable.”
“Well anyway, I should go home now.”
“You’re going home? I mean, of course, you are… Yes, you should go home quickly.”
“Yes. I mean, if I were to sleep with someone who saw my naked body, who knows what would happen to me, right? Well, just kidding.”
We used to sleep together when we were little, but we were high school students now, so of course we wouldn’t be doing that. She was right, if we were to do that, who knows what would happen…
“Alright, I’m going home.”
She got up from the bed while yawning.
Just before she left the room, she turned around and looked at me.
“Rest properly, okay?”
She said it in a serious tone.
Well, even if she didn’t tell me that, I was planning to do it anyway.
After she left my room, my consciousness slowly faded away.