Chapter 126: 126

It was almost dusk.

This time of day, on the way back home after school, has been one of my favorite times lately.

I get off at the bus stop closest to my house and cut through the middle of the rice paddy right in front of me.

This is one of the shortcuts I’ve discovered recently.

In the countryside, not all roads are maintained like in the city, so there are many unexpected shortcuts like this.

At first glance, it looks like just a bush, but when you dive down, you find a familiar place.

There are also animal trails that you can’t recognize as roads unless you change your point of view, and it’s fun to feel like you’re on an adventure.

One drawback is that there are a lot of bugs, but I’m a boy.

I’m not so weak that I’d scream over a few bugs.

The sound of birds in the distance.

The sound of water in the nearby canal.

It’s a nice feeling in this early summer when you can start to hear the faint cries of the cicadas.

The unbearable heat will soon be upon us.

I wonder if I should take Jaja and Nana to the mountains.

It would be fun to take them to a shallow riverside to cool off and have lunch.

I should take Aoi out to play, too.

We had planned to go on an outing a while ago, but it all disappeared after the incident at Tusk Crag, and now that Rouge is here, we’re safe.

I’m also going to invite Mikuma and the Saeki siblings.

I wonder if Gasara, Makio, and Hina-chan will come too.

Ah, but Aoi doesn’t like it when I invite Gasara.

It’s unusual for her to so blatantly show her dislike.

That can’t be helped. For Aoi, Gasara and the others are still the enemies of the twins.

While I was alone with my thoughts, the rice paddy road ended before I knew it.

I entered an alleyway in a small residential area.

This is our neighborhood, with a few old buildings scattered about.

Officer Doggy and Yuri-san lives just around the corner.

After exiting here, we arrived at a road sandwiched by the Tusk Crag forest and a stream.

That is the road in front of our house.

It’s a straight road with few buildings, and there are more steel agricultural warehouses than residential houses.

The street lights are spaced far apart, so it is completely dark at night.

As I came to the end of the road, I suddenly found something unusual.

“… limousine.”

It’s a black luxury car that you often see in movies and TV dramas.

It’s not the kind with a stupidly long body.

It’s the same size as a normal passenger car.

That’s obvious.

There would be a lot of impassable roads in this rural area if the car had such a long body.

A luxury car that is not appropriate for such a rural area is parked as if blocking a turn.

I have a bad feeling about this.

I don’t think it’s possible, but have you been chasing me?

After my lunch break, I distanced myself from Prince Atol and the others anyway.

Neither Prince Atol nor Kayone spoke a word in the classroom.

Even at recess, he sat at the last desk, arms crossed in a pompous manner.

Kayone sat in front of him, quietly meditating with a composed expression.

So I took advantage of the opportunity and ran out of the classroom without a second glance at the end of the school day bell.

I skipped the end of day homeroom. Sorry, teacher.

I was so relieved that at least today I could go home in peace and quiet.

The power windows of the limousine quietly lowered.

Ah, I knew it.

This sucks.

A face I had just learned today was looking at me through the window of the limousine with a big smile.

Oh, no.

She’s accumulating her breath!

“Kazamachi Kunpei-kuuuuuuuun!”

“Okay, okay! I’m coming over there, so don’t shout!”

The one who smiled with her white teeth contrasted with her tanned skin was Utai.

The trees around me were shaking unsteadily because I was called by that loud voice that made even the air vibrate.

Wouldn’t it be quite loud in the car?

Ah, that Kayone is wearing earplugs. And the driver, too.

But Prince Atol was suffering while holding his ears.

If you know this road, it means you found out where I live.

I got mixed up with a bunch of troublemakers again.

I’ll have to tell Aoi and Rouge.

Shouhei’s probably home by now, so I’ll send him a text.

I know it’s not polite to do this after being called by someone, but I took out my smartphone and operated the screen.

While typing a message to Shouhei, I walked rapidly because I was in a bit of a bad mood.

【I’m getting tangled up in something annoying. Tell the twins, Aoi and Rouge to stay upstairs just in case.】

I briefly summarized the situation and sent the message.

Then I reached the limousine.

“Ara, Kazamachi-sama. What a coincidence.”

“What kind of strange coincidence is that? What can I do for you?”

I was almost home.

How will you take responsibility if Jaja and Nana are crying?

“You know what I’m talking about. It’s about your duel with me.”

Prince Atol crossed his arms in the back seat.

You were holding your ears and flailing around until just now, weren’t you?

“I refused, that’s it. And you still haven’t told me why I have to fight with you.”

It’s so annoying. I’m not going to use honorifics.

“I don’t know about this country, but in my country, the strong chosen by the dragon must compete with each other for power.”

“Hah?”

Huh?

What did he just say?

“Kazamachi-sama. My country is a country that excels in water magic. And we are a country facing the sea.”

The door opened with a clank and Kayone got out of the limousine and straightened her posture.

“So what?”

Calm down, calm down, Kunpei.

Don’t reveal yourself.

Never.

“We are a demon tribe that has been blessed by the Sea Dragon-sama since long ago, and we have been blessed with the superiority of the water attribute. Only His Majesty the King and a few others know where it is, but there is a place in our country where Sea Dragon-sama rests every ten years.”

“S-sea Dragon?”

Aoi is a sky dragon.

Rouge is an earth dragon.

It’s a dragon race I’ve never met before.

“Heh, heh. I didn’t know dragons really existed.”

“We know, Kazamachi-sama.”

Kayone looked straight at me, her thin smile still intact.

The sound of my heart beating noisily.

I’m also sweating like crazy.

What should I do?

“I have heard from the Rat Sage that there is a dragon living in your home.”

It’s you again! Damn rat!