Chapter 146

Chapter 146 \nIt was by chance that I saw the scene.

　A large ship moving down a river.

　On the boat were people with weapons fighting demons, and a giant frog jumped up to crush them.

　I knew I had to save them, so I ran to the riverbank alone and shot a magic blade with a thunderbolt to repel the giant frog.

　However, the situation did not end there.

　My relief was short-lived when my eyes met his as he looked at me from the top of the boat.

　I couldn’t put my mind at ease at this unexpected reunion with Usato, the man I had vowed to see again two months ago, so all I could do was give him a twitchy smile and wave.

 

　Afterwards, the boat that Usato was on dropped anchor near the riverbank where Kurumia and I were.

　As I waited for them to come ashore, tormented by the joy of seeing them again, fear and some anticipation of how Usato would react, I saw Arc-san, Amako and a strange blonde woman descend from the boat, led by Usato.

　…… Who is that woman? What’s more, she’s tall and quite beautiful, isn’t she?

　From the way she acts, I can tell she’s a very talented woman, but—–

 

“Suzune-san, how long are you going to stay frozen?”

“Wha–!?”

 

　When I came to my senses at the sound of Kurumia’s voice, Usato-kun was already approaching right in front of me.

　On his shoulder is a small, black owl.

　…… S-So cuuuuuuute. I- I can’t. I can’t be in awe at the owl now, right now I need to apologize to Usato-kun.

 

“U-Usato-kun, long time no see!”

“Yes, it’s been a while. I’m glad to see you again, senpai.”

 

　Seeing Usato-kun smiling at me, I couldn’t help but back away.

　I guess that’s what you call a smile that’s smiling but not laughing. The lack of inflection in his words makes the fear more pronounced.

 

“E-ehm, Uhhm, Usato-kun?”

“What is it?”

“Could it be that you’re angry with ……me?”

 

　The fact that I had turned down another country’s prince’s proposal of marriage in the form of mentioning Usato-kun’s name had caused quite a stir.

 

“No, I’m not mad at you.”

“I know that you’ll be angry……… What?”

 

　Looking at me in dismay, Usato-kun finally lost his expression and smiled.

 

“I’m sure you’re aware of the situation. Of course, if someone confesses to you in the middle of a crowd, there’s no way you can handle it calmly. Even if I were to refuse, I would need a reason to convince the other person, so I know it was the spur of the moment.”

“Uu-Usato-kun …….”

“Besides, senpai seems to be reflecting on it a lot, and it’s clear that you didn’t spread it on purpose.”

 

　I couldn’t help but put my hand over my mouth.

　I knew there was no way he would forgive me so easily.

　I had thought that maybe Usato-kun was thinking of a way to get back at me.

　But now, I was ashamed of myself for imagining such a thing.

 

“Aren’t you glad that he understood you?”

 

　I nodded to Kurumia who whispered from behind.

 

“And since you’re my senpai, I think it was just the momentum of the moment, or the tension that got the better of you and you couldn’t stop it, so you couldn’t go back.”

“Ugh!”

“Wow, that’s great. You understand Suzune-san very well, Usato-sama.”

 

　I was taken aback by the surprise, but Kurumia, who was standing next to me, clapped her hands in admiration.

　This guard! You’re enjoying the situation, aren’t you?

 

“Ah, it’s been a while, Kurumia-san.”

“It’s been a long time, Usato-sama and Amako-sama. How have you been, Arc-kun?”

“Yes, how about Kurumia?”

“I…”

 

　And she’s having a friendly conversation with them, which is the opposite of what she was doing earlier!

　What’s this difference?!

 

“——Oh, by the way, senpai…”

“Ha-hahi!

 

　When I was stunned by the scene before me, Usato-kun shifted his gaze to me and took out a folded piece of paper from the pocket of his gray cloak and unfolded it so that I could see it.

 

“Do you understand? Here.”

“Yes, it’s …….”

“It’s not acceptable for this handsome nobleman to have a deformed picture or some other rootless rumour circulating.”

 

　Ugh, the story I feared most!

　As I behaved suspiciously, Usato-kun, with a lecherous smile on his face, tapped the paper with his hand.

 

“What’s with this? He can use healing magic to blind, or punch you, or even be gold-bound.”

“T-That is …….”

“This is so much more than that, you know? How can healing magic wield that much. So what are you gonna do about that?”

“I-I’m sorry okay! The rumour spread from Mia Rak to Lukvis!”

 

　This is where Usato-kun traveled, so they must have made up a story with no roots, adding a footnote to his character.

　No matter how much Usato-kun, he would never do something so out of the ordinary. …… Probably.

　Anyway, it’s all my fault.

　I have to take all his words and show them.

 

“Oh, um, Usato,…… Isn’t that enough? Her knees are shaking. ……”

“Usato, I don’t think you should lie, no matter how much you want to. ……”

“…… I guess so.”

 

　The blonde woman says this as she looks at my knees almost giving out, flustered.

　At the woman’s words, Usato relaxes his shoulders.

 

“Hahaha, I’m just kidding. I was just teasing you a little bit, senpai.”

“……Eh.”

“Now the payback is over for now. As I said before, I’m not really mad at you.”

 

　My cheeks burned with shame at the fact that I was being teased by a younger man.

　However, I was sure that somewhere in the back of my mind there was a part of me that felt happy about this nostalgic exchange.

 

“I haven’t been able to meet Kazuki yet, but I’m really glad that I was able to safely reunite with …… senpai.”

“…… Yeah. I’m glad too!”

 

　Two months may seem like a short time in terms of numbers, but the events that took place during that period were so intense that they cannot be described in a single word.

　The man who is here now, Usato, must have gone through a lot of rough times during his journey. That’s why I’m so happy that we were able to meet again in one piece like this.

 

“…… hmm? Payback….for now?”

 

　As I was about to burst into tears, I suddenly realized that there was a part of his words from earlier that stuck with me.

　In a different way than before, I asked Usato-kun with a quiver in my voice.

 

“Usato-kun, for the time being, is …… perhaps …… not in the right frame of mind?”

“……”

“Uh, Usato-kun? Can you not smile in silence! Say something please!”

 

　Even so, Usato’s mouth still twisted up in silence.

　In front of him, I couldn’t help but be terrified of the prank in the name of revenge that might happen anytime in the future.

 

 

 

　I hadn’t seen senpai in two months, but she hadn’t changed in a good way.

　She was still the same person who likes to tease people, but when it came time for me to do the same, she was as weak as ever, and I ended up teasing her too much.

　After playing a few tricks on senpai, I decided to introduce Leona-san to senpai and Kurumia-san.

 

“I’ll introduce you. She is Leona-san, the hero of Miarak who escorted us here.”

 

　At my introduction, senpai looked at Leona-san in surprise.

　Receiving the gaze of senpai, Leona-san took a small bow and then stepped forward.

 

“It’s my first time meeting you. Inukami Suzune-dono, a hero of the Kingdom of Lingle. I am Leona, the hero of Miarak. I was entrusted with escorting Usato and the others on this occasion, and I accompanied them here.”

“A hero?! I knew you were quite a talented person, but I didn’t think you were a hero like me. ……”

“No, no, I’m just a knight who was given the title of hero. It wasn’t long that I officially became known as a hero ……”

 

Leona-san’s cheeks reddened with embarrassment, she denied the words of senpai, but in fact, she is a very good hero.

I’ve fought with her and I know her well enough to say that.

 

“Leona-san and I fought together during the commotion that happened in Mia Rak. Thanks to her cooperation, we were able to stop Karon-san ……’s dragon form that went amok.”

“I see, I didn’t know much about the details of the situation, but does that mean Leona-san is one of the people who led to the resolution of Mia Rak’s commotion?”

 

　I nodded at Kurumia-san’s words.

　Then I noticed that senpain with her arms crossed was swaying to the side and looking at Leona-san.

 

“…… Leona-san, you’re …….”

“What’s going on? Suzune-dono.”

 

　After checking her entire body, from her toes to her head, senpai turned to me.

　I’m not sure if it’s my imagination or not, but I have a strange feeling of déjà vu and a bad premonition.

 

“Usato-kun! Blonde knights are really nice right! What’s more she’s the cool type.”

“…… I’m relieved that you’re the same as usual.”

 

　Guess she hasn’t changed one bit. I’m sure this crazy behavior in front is exactly what Inugami Senpai is.

　Perhaps it’s a reaction she’s used to, but Kurumia-san, who’s standing next to her, is also cowering her shoulders and smiling.

 

“Usato. What is Suzune-dono talking about? Co~ol?”

“She means that you’re cool. It doesn’t mean anything weird, so please don’t worry.”

“Uh, yeah, I see. ……”

 

　I can’t give this person any weird knowledge.

　When I explained it so simply to Leona-san, I noticed that senpai who had been so excited earlier was strangely quiet.

　If you look at her, she is looking at me and Leona-san alternately and tilting her head.

 

“……No, there’s something a little strange about Leona-san’s reaction to Usato-kun. ……”

“Hmm? What’s wrong with that?”

“Well, I don’t know.”

 

　Senpai also tilted her head as if she didn’t quite understand.

　For some reason, Amako who was standing nearby let out an exasperated sigh.

 

“…… Well, whatever.”

 

　There’s no point in thinking too much about it.

　For now, I think I’m done with Leona-san’s introduction.

　I’ll introduce Nea next. …… I can’t wait to see what kind of response I’ll get.

 

“Well then, next I’ll introduce the companion who became a familiar during the journey. Nea.”

“……”

“Hmm?”

 

　She didn’t react when I called out to the owl on her shoulder, but seemed to be observing senpai closely.

　I thought you’ve been awfully quiet since just now, what’s wrong with you? Are you stunned because she’s so far removed from the hero you imagined?

 

“Uhhhh, Usato-kun. The girl’s name is Nea-chan, isn’t it? Now, if you’ll let me touch her, ……”

 

　I guess she’s been holding back quite a bit, but senpai is starting to become a bit of a dangerous person.

　This reaction is rather natural, since she looks cute from the outside.

　As I was hesitating about what to do, Nea jumped lightly from my shoulder and jumped onto senpai’s outstretched hand.

 

“Cyuuuute! Ahiya huaa bija!”

“Usato. Suzune-dono is kind of a …… sensual person.”

“Leona-san, it’s okay to say it more clearly …….”

 

　Leona-san looks bewildered at senpai who raised her voice in an un-girlish way.

　As for me, it’s normal behavior, but maybe not so from the side I start to feel nostalgic for Inugami-senpai, the highborn girl of my former world.

　It was an admiration for me back then.

 

“Finally …… finally, there was a demon that treated me normally …… Uuuu, I feel like crying …….”

“…… Kurumia-san. No way, not even during the trip.”

“Yes, you guessed it.”

 

　How hungry was this person to touch a demon ……?

　I was starting to feel sorry for her all over again.

　I’m not sure if she was trying to pet Nea, but her hand trembled as she tried to extend it to her head. Once you take a look at the hand, you’ll see that it’s not a hand, but a wing.

 

“……”

“Ne, Nea-chan–“

“Hmph, please don’t pet me so carelessly.”

“!”

 

　As soon as she says that, Nea spreads her wings and returns to my shoulder, and looks at senpai, who is so surprised that she can’t even speak and her mouth is gaping like a carp.

 

“I knew the heroes of the other world were different. The magic power, quality, and everything else is totally different from ordinary humans.”

“Wha- Wha– ……”

“……Eh, no way, you can …… talk?”

 

　It’s not only senpai who is astonished by the owl that suddenly began to speak, but even Kurumia-san.

　It’s no wonder. I’ve been surprised many times before, but Nea is a humanoid demon that can speak human language. I would be surprised if a being who rarely appears in front of people became my familiar.

　It wasn’t what I expected, but I was able to surprise senpai, and now I’ll introduce Nea.

 

“Ah, let me introduce you again. This is my familiar, Nea. She looks like an owl, but this is just her temporary form–“

“Okay, Usato. I can at least introduce myself.”

 

　Interrupting my words, Nea jumped down from my shoulders and simultaneously released her transformation.

　After a moment of light, her original form, a black-haired, red-eyed girl, crossed her arms with a proud expression.

 

“Good day, hero of another world. I am Nea, a mixed breed of vampire and necromancer. I am the familiar of this monster named Healing Magician—–“

“Dojikko (clumsy girl).”

“Clumsy …… who are you calling clumsy!”

 

　Nea was about to introduce herself with the mysterious atmosphere of some mastermind, but those words from Amako made that atmosphere fragile.

　Amako turns away from the angry Nea.

 

“I was annoyed that you were acting. That’s all.”

“This, this ……!　Don’t you dare interrupt my brilliant self-introduction! You little fox!”

“Chibi? Did you just call me little?”

“Hey, hey, hey! Don’t go starting a fight now”

 

　I grabbed Nea and Amako by their collars to stop them from fighting, leaving senpai and Kurumia-san behind.

 

“Let go of me, Usato! Today is the day I’m going to make this little fox see who’s better!”

“I’ll shave off that useless height and chest!”

 

　A sigh escaped me as the two of them wowed and fussed while grabbing me by the collar.

　I feel like we’ve become even more quarrelsome since we left Hinomoto. That’s why we’ve become closer, though.

 

“Huh, I wonder why you guys fight over the slightest thing.”

“Well, well, I’m sure Amako-dono and Nea aren’t really angry either. Anyway, Usato-dono. Suzune-sama is…….”

“Yes?”

 

　Prompted by Arc-san’s troubled look, I look at senpai

 

“Usato-kun, am I still a useless hero? I’ve never had a good encounter with a demon, and the demons I’ve encountered have all been rather bleak. Kuuuuuu….Not only is she an owl but also your familiar who’s half vampire and necromancer. What’s more she’s a black-haired red-eyed girl, and also a dojikko?? …..Fufufu, Is Usato-kun the only one transported to such a fancy fantasy world……….”

 

　I was already feeling like I was going to fall into darkness with just one more push.

　Instantly confirming the situation, I called out to Nea.

 

“Nea, be an owl.”

“Haaah!!!! I’ll take care of this little fox right now.”

“You’ll be an owl, won’t you?”

“Yes! I’ll be an owl right now!”

 

　I asked with a smile, and Nea, her face turning blue, transformed into an owl again.

　After confirming this, I immediately grabbed Nea and put her in the hands of senpai who had empty eyes.

 

“Senpai. You can do whatever you want with this one.”

“Huh?”

“Really?

 

　Wow, what a smile.

　Senpai showed a smile that made anyone fall in love with her all over again, and Nea who showed an expression of despair.

　And while I’m at it, I’ll get back at Nea for her sometime now.

 

“This girl, she also has kemomimi attribute.”

“Fuaaaa ……!　How many attributes do you have to add? I can forgive just about anything!　Woo-woo!”

“Hey,wait…… help …..Usa…….”

 

　Nea lets out a squeal of anguish as senpai rubs her cheek.

　I never forget the humiliation I’ve received at any time,…… almost always!

　And when I can, I’ll always return it …… only to those I can return it to!

 

“Usato is the type of person who is very persistent. He’s a bit insidious in his ways.”

“I’ll offer you to senpai next.”

“You’re a real human being, aren’t you? Yeah.”

 

　I’m amazed at how quickly you’ve changed.

　You know why she refuses when she sees Nea being played with like that?

　Well, it’s that …… –.

 

“Nea, I want you to be my sacrifice to senpai. I’ll make it up to you later.”

“Oh, you’re so cute I want to eat you already!”

“Hiiii!”

 

　I clasped my hands together inwardly, and could only watch the scene of senpai squirming Nea.