Chapter 32

The hero, Satou Tsukasa, and I, as well as Akira, had always been in the same class since kindergarten .

I noticed this when I was in elementary sixth year, and at that time, I just thought that I always happened to see the same faces .

But, still, for us to be together for over ten years, it must’ve been some kind of curse .

For some reason, Satou was hostile towards Akira, and Akira was indifferent towards those around him, so I wasn’t sure if he noticed it or not .

What were the chances, it was the same even in high school, as expected, I couldn’t stop the chills, but I just thought of it as some sort of fate .

And, the first time Akira and I talked was after we entered high school as well .

Akira and I, who didn’t have an appearance that stood out in particular like Satou, did not talk to our classmates when we were in the classroom, we slept and read books, each of us passed the time by ourselves .

During that time, I found out about Akira’s secret, if I remember correctly, was it the summer vacation of our first year?

「…Oda Akira?」

「Nn? …geh, kendo club’s, uu-m… . 」

「Aah, it’s Asahina Kyousuke . 」

Our high school did not prohibit part-time jobs .

It wasn’t recommended either, but if family circumstances were used as a reason for the permit, it seems that they would give it to you quite readily .

In addition to your grades .

However, Akira was definitely the only one who would really work a part-time job .

And, Akira did not want to anyone know that .

However, of all things, I came across the scene of Akira working and sweating .

On that day, we parted after that .

Akira was in the middle of his part-time job as well .

However, as expected, he didn’t remember my name, huh .

We were, more or less, together for more than ten years though .

The next day, when I went into the classroom, came right in front of me .

「During the lunch break, if you have the time, the library . 」

「…」

Me feeling relieved that it wasn’t behind the gymnasium was a secret only I knew .

It certainly couldn’t be said that the look in Akira’s eyes was good by any standards, because a part of the student body was even circulating the rumor that he was a gentleman from that side .

Anyway, I nodded and sat in my seat .

My heart was thumping loudly .

Although I knew that it was impossible, what should I do if he demanded money, and other such words that showed signs of cowardice were going through my mind .

If I thought about it properly, if he wanted to keep it a secret, I would be the one who would receive money, but the confused me didn’t even think of that .

During the lunch break, I ate my lunch like usual, after that, I would usually pass the time by sleeping, but I left my seat and headed towards the library .

As soon as fourth period ended, Akira rushed out and did not return .

Perhaps, he had departed for the front line in the war to buy the school store’s bread .

It was swarmed with male high school students who were not full with just a bento, he’s quite the courageous fellow, to go to that place that was literally a battlefield by himself .

Our school’s library was behind the entryway, the librarian obasan was always standing there .

It was open all day long, it was even possible to go there on all your free periods, but it was the first time I’ve come here, with the exception of Modern Japanese class .

It was pretty unexpected for Akira to choose the library, as he seemed indifferent towards the library .

「My bad, for calling you out . 」

When I came to the library and the first thing that he did was apologize, I almost unintentionally apologized as well, but I endured it with my poker face .

I limited it to just a nod and I sat in the seat across from Akira .

「Well, I’ll get straight to the point, it’s about yesterday . 」

「Aah, it should be fine if I don’t tell anyone, right?」

When I said this, Akira’s face was shining .

It was definitely because, I faced my own expressionless face in the mirror every day, that I saw the change .

「I want to ask you one thing though, why are you going so far to keep it a secret? It shouldn’t be prohibited though . 」

「Aah, that, huh . 」

Then, Akira unexpectedly turned away shyly and scratched his cheeks .

「…something like, it being similar to how it’s uncool to show off by yourself?」

「Ha?」

「Liike I said, doing something like emphasizing that I’m working hard for my family would, conversely, be uncool . That kind of thing contradicts my aesthetics . 」

「I don’t understand why it is wrong for you to do your best for your family though . 」

「That’s wrong . I, hate letting other people know that I’m putting in the effort . 」

I see, if that’s the case, then I felt like I understood .

Even for me, I don’t tell anyone anything, and even when club activities were over, I practice swinging my sword and do long training runs, I also didn’t want that to be seen .

Come to think of it, I was also in the middle of running when I met Akira .

「That’s why, you definitely can not tell other people, ok? Especially, not my younger sister . 」

「Younger sister? . . you also have a younger sister?」

「Aah, she’s a year younger though…’also’?」

I showed him the purikura that my younger sister took with a friend, on my cell phone .

TN: purikura is a photo sticker that you can get by taking pictures in a photo booth and it prints out the pictures in sticker form .

I used my right hand to point at the tall girl with a ponytail who, for some reason, was in an incomprehensible pose .

「This is my younger sister . 」

「…hee, then I’ll introduce you . This is my younger sister . 」

He said that and pointed at the cute girl with short hair posing next to my younger sister .

「…what a coincidence . How unexpected, for our younger sisters to be friends . 」

「It’s the same for me as well, it’s unexpected for you to be Keika-chan’s older brother . Maa, now that you mention it, you look alike . 」

「No, we lost to you and your younger sister . 」

Akira and his younger sister, Yui-chan, looked so much alike that you could say that they were two peas in a pod .

It was at the present time that, the difference between men and women appeared and you could even distinguish between them, but when they were younger, perhaps it wasn’t possible to distinguish between them other than from the look in their eyes .

「Once again, if it’s ok with you, let’s talk more . 」

I unhesitatingly nodded at Akira’s words .

「Of course . Also, call me by my name . 」

「Got it, Kyousuke . Call me Akira too . 」

「Got it . …by the way, Akira, it’s good that there’s school even during summer vacation, but if there was no school today, what would you have done?」

「Ahh, I might have distributed leaflets of portraits . My younger sister, is in the art club and she’s good at drawing, I have her draw them . 」

There’s school even during summer vacation, I’ve never been grateful for it until now .

Akira and I continued our deep conversation, and even in our second year we were, once again, in the same class together with Satou, and we were summoned to ‘Morigan’ .

My occupation was, perhaps only for those in the kendo club, a samurai .

Akira was an assassin .

But then, because Akira was erasing his presence after that time, I had first learned about him having also been summoned and his occupation during the first meeting though .

I did not read these types of novels unlike Akira, but somehow or another, I noticed how strange the king and the princess were .

It was perhaps of the samurai’s passive ‘Intuition’ skill .

「Status . 」

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・Kyousuke Asahina

・Race / Human

・Occupation / Samurai Lv . 5

・HP / 400/400

・Attack 1400

・Defense 800

・MP 600

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Skills

・Arithmetic Lv . 6

・Curved Sword Lv . 4

・Two-Sword Style Lv . 1

・Intuition Lv . 8

・Blaze Magic Lv . 1

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Special Skills

・Language Comprehension

・Strategist

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This was my status after leaving the dungeon .

Even though I leveled up, not everything on my status did .

Perhaps there was some other kind of requirement .

The numbers were completely different, but compared to the hero Satou, it should be a slightly worse .

It’s just that, the intuition skill was the only one that was strangely high .

When I looked at the skills like『Arithmetic』and『Twin Sword Style』, it had also reflected the experiences that I had when I lived in Japan .

It seems that, the reason why I immediately find out people’s secrets and the like was also because of this skill .

Maa, I had been saved countless times because of my this, so I’m thankful for it, and wouldn’t be annoyed by it .

The king and the princess were suspicious, but the Commander of the chivalric order, Saran-san, and the Vice-Commander Zeal-san, the people of the chivalric order were very nice people .

The training was harsh, but I understood that them saying harsh things was also because they were thinking about us .

And, Akira was making secret maneuvers .

He hadn’t talked to me even once after coming here, but I knew that he was doing something .

If possible, I wanted to hear it from Akira himself .

And then, I planned to help out where I could .

And yet, I had not heard the circumstances from Akira, and Akira had been charged with the murder of Saran-san and left the castle .

I, wanted you to take me with you too .

Why , did I not escape from the castle with him at that time, even I did not know myself .

It’s just, I only remember that my classmates at that time, including me, were all acting strange .

I didn’t want to be away from this place, I couldn’t forgive Akira who killed Saran-san .

I didn’t know where those kinds of thoughts came from, but my mind was filled with them, and the movements of my body grew dull .

I would return to normal after a few days, but the uncomfortable feeling didn’t go away .

However, that uncomfortable feeling disappeared as well, when I broke the black crystal in the princess’s room .

At that time as well, I also didn’t know why I went into the princess’s room and why I broke the crystal, but I somehow had a feeling that I need to destroy it .

In the few minutes that it took for the people from the castle to come running at the sound of something breaking, I broke six of the twenty-six crystals, including mine, and I finally came back to my senses and I left through the window .

If I was a little slower, I would’ve been found out by the princess .

That was dangerous .

On that day, the hero called for a meeting, and escaped from the castle .

In order for me to meet Akira, in order for me to get stronger, I travelled together with the hero .

「Why did, Asahina-kun’s curse break?」

We left the castle, came out of the forest, took a detour around the town, and on our way towards the east, Satou said that .

This may have been the first time I’ve talked to this guy .

「…after breaking the crystal in the princess’s room, my body became lighter . I also do not know why I broke it . 」

「It not bein’ yer intention to do that, wouldn’t that mean that, it wasn’t the princess, but someone else manipulating ya?」

‘After all, if it were the princess, she wouldn’t break her own curse, right?’ was what the Ueno-san, the girl with the Kansai accent next to me, worriedly said, but Satou was pondering on it for some reason and did not say anything .

I became uncomfortable and left that place .

Because I was pretty far away from the castle, I stopped running and took a break in the forest .

Although they were weaker than the ones in the dungeon, there were monsters in the forest as well, so I couldn’t let my guard down .

「…Akira, I absolutely do not believe that you died, but be well . 」

In the grove of trees where there wasn’t anyone there, I murmured that, and took my weapon, the katana, out from my luggage .

It was placed on top of my bed when I returned to my room after the meeting ended .

I knew that it was a good katana with a glance .

I brought it with me, thinking that even if there was a curse on it, it could help me with traveling expenses, but fortunately, it seems that it didn’t have any kind of curse .

I heard it from Ueno-san, so it should be fine .

Everything from the blade to the hilt, to the scabbard, this katana that was completely pure white was Kogarasu Zukuri, and the inscription, ‘Hakuryuu’, was engraved in Japanese .

TN: for those who don’t remember, Kogarasu Zukuri is a type of sword where the tip of the back of the sword also has an edge . Kyousuke’s sword is like Akira’s, except it’s pure white instead of pure black and its name, Hakuryuu, literally means ‘white dragon’ .

It was just my intuition, but this katana was definitely one that formed a pair with another sword .

Even so, I was almost certain I was correct .

That this katana, would not only let me meet up with Akira, it would also be useful .

Until then, I will get stronger until I can stand next to Akira .

That was my goal .