“what’s this”
Was my first impression after reading the printout. Glancing beside me, Karasuma looking over the printout also had a complex expression, while the one who made it was the only one puffing her chest confidently.
“How is it! And I wanna be a novelist in the future! Ehehe!”
“No way, impossible with this…”
Karasuma immediately replied from beside me. Kurashiki’s eyes went wide at his words. She seemed clearly shocked as she dropped her shoulders.
“Wha—No way… And I was so confident.”
Seeing the crestfallen Kurashiki, I turned my gaze to Karasuma.
He gave me a look like ‘Huh, I’m the bad guy!?’ but no, you’re the bad guy here. Even I read the mood. Show some consideration.
“While there’s lots I want to say… two things in particular. First, it says there are four types of abilities, but what’s that unwritten ‘top-ranking’ one?”
“Oh, that. Ms. Sakaki said it’s ‘purely hypothetical, just imaginary speculation’. A kind of urban legend. She said it’s an absolutely impossible thing in reality. Less likely than encountering thirty shiny Poke*mon in a row.”
“That’s… yeah, looks fine hypothetical.”
What ridiculous odds. Hearing that, we can consider Blessings to be the de facto top-rank right? On top of that, among them, an ability blessed by the mightiest god—Asahina’s power might be in the top five or so at this academy.
“So what’s that other thing you wanted to mention?”
“Hm? Ah… No, it’s nothing. Don’t mind it.”
I said that and returned the printout to her.
…The ‘other’ thing I wavered on asking that I really wanted to know was:……I really wanted to ask “one more thing” that I was wondering whether to ask.
“If we quit this school, will we be able to return home safely? 』
In the past two years, several students withdrew from this academy.
And every one of them has gone missing… according to a rumor.
But seeing how this academy operates, it makes you wonder, ‘Really?’
Could that actually be just a rumor? The disappearances are real, and the academy covered it up?
I shouldn’t be the only one harboring such doubts. Surely the fact that not one student has voluntarily withdrawn proves this. …They too must have some uneasy feelings deep down.
—That if they left this academy, they might not be able to safely return.
Missing persons and the like were just ‘urban legends’ before enrolling.
I knew they were just rumors, and only used them to reassure myself when entering.
But now that I know what this school is like, they aren’t laughable information.
Once you’ve enrolled, there is no way to safely return until graduation.
I resolved myself to at least that extent when I saw the brochure.
…Well, not something I’d discuss here, so I’ll keep it unsaid.
“Thank you Kurashiki-san, that taught me a lot.”
“You’re welcome! …I feel like I said more stuff too, but the details can come later! Feel free to ask anytime!”
“Okay, question—Kurashiki-san, do you have a boyfriend or anything?”
“No comment on questions like that, Karasuma-kun!”
As those two laughed together pleasantly, I recalled the printout’s contents.
There wasn’t anything particularly unnatural or out of place in the wording but… leaving halfway through the most explanatory day, the first day of school life, really hurt. Maybe I shouldn’t have provoked Kirido so much.
As I thought about that, my gaze inadvertently left the two and glanced down the hall.
Idly looking towards the hall, I discovered—
“Wha—!?”
A woman peeking from the corner of the hall staring at us, sending a chill down my spine.
With waist-length black hair and bloodshot eyes, she wore this school’s uniform with a red ribbon. Undoubtedly a first-year… Once I calmly determined that, I finally realized—
“Hey, Karasuma-kun.”
“Huh? What’s up all of a sud—ooh!?”
When I pointed at the figure, Karasuma saw it and screamed.
But after properly looking at the person, he muttered softly.
“Huh, Asahina…-san?”
The black-haired monster reacted with a start.
Kurashiki looked back curiously at where we were watching, but at the same time, the black hair receded into the depths of the hall. Then fake coughs, “Ahem, ahem.”
A few seconds later, the flawless Asahina Kasumi emerged from the other end of the hall.
“Oh my. What a coincidence everyone! I just happened to pass by here!”
“””…Just happened to?”””
Karasuma’s and my voices overlapped.
Only Kurashiki, who hadn’t seen directly, was lost and tilting her head… No, maybe it was better she didn’t see. It was quite a horrific horror scene.
Uh, Asahina-san, you’re aiming to be a hero of justice… right?
That’s stalki—no, I won’t conclude yet. It’s only the first time. Calling her a pervert based just on this would be too hasty. Still too early. Probably. Surely!
“But I’m glad! It seems the necessary information reached Amamori-kun! Of course I wasn’t listening to your conversation or anything. I just happened to pass by, that’s all!”
“Yeah…well, sure.”
Unable to say anything, I gave such an ambiguous reply.
As Asahina sat beside Kurashiki, I clearly saw Karasuma’s cheek twitch.
Idiot—don’t show it on your face! Right now I’m also unsure whether this girl is the hero of justice she appears to be, or a bothersome woman with half-twisted stalker tendencies. This isn’t the time to give away information to her!
“Karasuma.”
I jabbed his side with my elbow so he’d shut up. His reaction was excessive.
“Ow! W-What the hell, Amamori-kun! Oh yeah, I just remembered something to do—sorry Kurashiki-san, Asahina-san, gotta go!”
He said that smoothly and energetically stood up.
I tried to grab Karasuma’s arm reflexively but he got away just a bit faster.
What danger-sensing ability. And that fleet-footed escape at the crucial moment.
Before I knew it, Karasuma had sprinted to the other end of the hall, and I grit my teeth.
That bastard… abandoned me as a sacrifice to get away!
“W-What’s wrong with Karasuma-kun…?”
What do you mean what’s wrong with him? It’s you. You’re the problem.
I put my hand to my forehead and heaved a sigh, then opened my mouth to Asahina.
“What will you do if Kirido sees this…?”
“Don’t worry. I rushed here using my power. In terms of speed, I’m invincible. No one can keep up, and they can’t even trace where I went in the first place.”
I see. If she uses her power, I can’t run away—is how it is.
“Rather, have you two eaten your lunches?
Saying that, Asahina took out the lunchbox she’d brought. Did she make it herself? If doing that saves on money, maybe I should try it too—and so on. My thoughts swayed in a completely different direction from the fear.
“Now that you mention it, I haven’t eaten yet—let’s eat, Amamori-kun.”
“Huh? Ah, yes.”
Seen from outside, a dream lunch with two of the class’s great beauties!
Seen from inside, a hellish lunch with a bothersome girl and another I don’t understand.
…Here, I made a resolution.
I’ll definitely get back at that Karasuma later.
☆☆☆
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
And so time passed, and before I knew it, it was after school.
Having come to the stairs leading to the roof again, I turned my gaze away from the girl before me.
“Keep it short if you wanna talk. I’m not that free.”
In truth that was a lie. Amamori Yuuto has loads of free time.
With just Kurashiki and Karasuma as friends, even getting two friends on the second day of school life meant I was blessed with more than enough. Facing that escapist reality, the girl before me nervously fiddled with her hair.
“You’re right, sorry for taking up your time.”
What Kurashiki told me before, about ‘creating time to talk with Asahina after school’. That.
Weren’t we able to talk plenty over lunch? I also considered it might not be talk that could just be tacked on during lunch.
“Um… Are you okay, Amamori-kun? Your body…”
“I’ll manage, thanks to you.”
My body was close to fully recovered.
Thanks to the nurse’s first aid and the mysterious medicine.
And Asahina stopping it at that timing. If the fight had dragged on longer, it might have endangered my very life.
“I’m grateful you stopped it. Thank you for worrying about me.”
“It’s not like I’m in a position to be thanked but…”
Asahina was strangely flustered. What was making her so nervous? Watching her like that, she muttered out,
“S-Sorry… I’m not very eloquent right now. This is my first time with something like this, so I don’t know how I should say it…”
“Something like this…?”
I questioned, then immediately realized. It was about Kirido.
In elementary and middle school, I didn’t see many guys who were really warped like that. However badly they acted, even if they formed some terrifying group with their ilk, they were ultimately just a disorderly mob.
Not even a confession, just a girl greeting someone else was enough to make him want to beat the crap out of them—the idea of someone with such twisted thinking probably didn’t exist much in this wide world. With no backing yet… What does he think and live for?
Putting it into words made me seriously worry about Kirido’s mental state.
“Kirido-kun is probably irritated that I’m paying attention to you. And he probably thinks it would all be resolved if I didn’t talk to you.”
“Glad you understand quickly. Then our talk is over.”
Saying that, I started to leave.
But in the next moment, lightning streaked across the edge of my vision—and I found Asahina gripping my arm.
…With speed like that initially, at top speed she might even approach natural lightning speed?
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated.
Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 3-10+ additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
