I’m currently aboard the [Fraxinus].
“So, let me get this straight. I’m supposed to protect that boy?”
The reason I was summoned here was that the commander mentioned someone I needed to guard. Well, my personal motto is to work for what I’m paid, so I didn’t really have any complaints.
“That’s right. Which is why we’re enrolling you at Raizen High School.”
“...What?”
That crossed the line. They wanted me to go back to high school?
“Are you deaf? I said we’re enrolling you at Raizen High School.”
At the commander’s words, I clutched my throbbing head and groaned, “Haa... Do you even know how old I am?”
“Huh? Your ID says you’re high school age anyway.”
When I checked the ID after hearing that, it really did list me as being of high school age.
“What the hell? Why is my age like this? Then how was I even staying at a hotel?”
“That? We handled it somehow.”
It feels like their manpower is being wasted in the strangest places.
“So get ready. You’re entering high school tomorrow.”
“No, wait. I’m in my early twenties. You actually want me to go to high school again?”
“Since you're in your early twenties, it's possible. You don’t look that different from a high school student anyway.”
The commander's logic gave me another headache.
“And there’s a bonus too, so do your best.”
“Fine. I’ll enjoy my youth to the fullest.”
“That’s way too mercenary!”
But Commander, this world runs on money. If they’re giving me a bonus just for attending high school once more, why wouldn’t I do it? This is Japan, not like they’re drafting me into the military.
“Oh, right. Here, take this.”
The commander tossed me a phone.
“A phone?”
“You don’t have one, do you? We’ll contact you through that, so keep it with you at all times.”
Come to think of it, Kannazuki had come to find me personally today as well.
“So, can I leave now?”
“Yeah. You’re free until we contact you through that phone. Oh, and your enrollment is tomorrow, so make sure you’re prepared.”
“Okay.”
I said goodbye to the commander, headed over to the transfer device, and warped back to the area near my place.
“Now that I’m free, I don’t really have anything to do.”
I used to wander around to get a feel for the area, but now that I’ve mostly memorized the layout, there was no reason to keep roaming. I decided to visit a nearby cat cafe instead.
Ding-a-ling~
“Ah, welcome!”
The staff greeted me warmly as soon as I entered. I returned the greeting and looked around for a place to sit, and then...
“This spot is nice, meow?”
“Meow~”
“Hehe. So cute, meow.”
I spotted the girl I’d helped earlier talking to a cat. Well, a pretty girl doing that was cute enough, I suppose. But... wasn’t she embarrassed?
“Ah! Where are you going, meow...!”
The cat the girl had been petting suddenly bolted toward me. She followed it with her eyes, and then our gazes met.
“...”
“...”
For a moment, silence fell. I was the first to speak.
“Um, hello there, miss?”
As soon as I greeted her, the girl’s face gradually turned bright red. Then, with a metaphorical pop, steam seemed to rise from the top of her head.
“Forget it!”
“Pardon?”
“I said forget it!”
The girl’s eyes were brimming with tears. She was clearly mortified that I’d seen her acting like that. If she wanted me to forget it, then I’d forget it.
“Hello there, miss?”
“You forgot it already?!”
“Pardon? What are you referring to?”
“Haa... Yes, it’s been a while. Sir Knight.”
Fortunately, the girl calmed down and returned my greeting. However, in my own memory, I could never forget it. Acting all cutesy by adding “meow” to the end of every sentence? I’d remember that even if I developed dementia.
“Ahem. So, Sir Knight, what brings you here~?”
“Ah, it’s my day off, so I was visiting places I hadn’t been to before, and this one came to mind.”
After chatting with her for a bit, I ordered some food.
When the girl saw the desserts I’d ordered, she looked surprised. “My, isn’t this a little much~?”
“Ah, I ordered plenty in case you wanted some too, miss. If you don’t feel like eating any, I’ll finish it all myself.”
This was, well... my way of apologizing for having witnessed her dark history.
“Hehe. If you put it that way, I can’t refuse~ I’ll gratefully accept.”
The girl took a bite of the cake and smiled happily. Nice, that was worth it.
“By the way, Sir Knight.”
“Yes?”
“Why do you go around hiding such a handsome face?”
The girl seemed curious about why I kept my face hidden under a helmet. It wasn’t anything special, really. I just did it for the atmosphere.
“It’s nothing major. Usually, it’s a sort of training, I guess? Something along those lines. I wear it for reasons like that. When I want to rest, I just wear ordinary clothes like this.”
“Hmm~ You’re very diligent~”
Seeming satisfied with my answer, the girl didn’t press further. Thank goodness. Honestly, if she’d kept asking, I wouldn’t have known how to answer.
“Oh, by the way, I never got your name, Sir Knight~”
At her sudden question, I told her the name I’d given myself.
“My name is Higakieta Hai. May I ask your name, miss?”
“My name is Tokisaki Kurumi~”
“What a beautiful name.”
“Sir Knight, do you always speak so politely to everyone?”
This girl had a lot of questions. So the reason she hadn’t asked anything earlier was to take a step back and build rapport, huh? It wasn’t a difficult question, so I answered honestly.
“I do, when I’m meeting someone for the first time.”
“But this is our second meeting, isn’t it~?”
“Even so, I think it would be rude to speak casually unless the other person wants me to.”
“Hmm~ I see~”
The girl lightly twirled her fork, as if pondering her next question. I waited while petting a cat that had wandered over and settled onto my thigh.
“Sir Knight.”
“Yes?”
“How are you so strong?”
The sudden question caught me off guard. Why did she think I was strong? Had she seen me fighting? If so, had she been following me? After a few such thoughts flashed through my mind, I finally spoke.
“...Why do you think that?”
“Well~ You just casually walk around in armor, and you even ran around while carrying me, so I was wondering how you got so strong~”
Her playful tone made me lower my guard. Right, of course. What was I thinking, suspecting a perfectly normal girl like her?
“Hmm... I don’t really think of myself as strong.”
“Is that so?”
If I were really strong, I would’ve already dealt with the AST members. Physically strong? Sure, I can agree with that. But mentally, I’m not strong at all. I once killed a humanoid boss, the Abyss Watchers, and spent a long time throwing up afterward.
After that, whenever I saw human-shaped enemies, it became difficult to kill them. Before the Abyss Watchers, I thought of them as just game mobs, so I could kill them without feeling anything. But after that, for some reason, killing humanoids started to feel wrong. Like I was committing murder.
So, I consider myself mentally weak. Then again, how many people live a normal life, get dropped into another world, and are then forced to kill people?
“Why did you suddenly go quiet~?”
“Ah, sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment. You asked about the secret to my strength, right?”
“Yes. That’s right~”
“The secret to strength, huh. I’ve simply gone through countless experiences. Based on those, I learned many techniques and trained to make up for my shortcomings. That’s about it.”
After hearing my story, the girl seemed to think deeply about something. She shifted her gaze around me and said, “By the way, Sir Knight, it seems animals really love you~”
At her words, I looked around and realized cats had gathered around me without me noticing. What is this?
“Oh my, even the ones that are usually so prickly and never move have come over!”
The staff looked shocked as well. For some reason, animals had been flocking to me even before I was possessed. And after I was possessed, even enemies started flocking to me. Hmm. Let’s stop thinking about that. It only makes me feel worse.
“Haha, I guess I just have that kind of constitution.”
“Hehe. Oh dear, look at the time. I should be going now~ Thank you for the snacks~”
“Not at all. I should be thanking you for keeping me company, miss.”
And so the girl left, while I remained surrounded by cats, trapped by them for several hours before I finally managed to escape.
......
After barely escaping the cats and looking up at the sky, I saw the sunset.
Seriously, can’t I do something about this constitution?
Lost in thought, I walked through a nearby park. When I have things on my mind, taking a walk is a habit.
“Huh? What’s that boy doing?”
While walking, I heard voices and looked over to see the boy I’d seen earlier aboard the [Fraxinus], along with a purple-haired girl.
“What’s going on?”
The boy was shouting something earnestly, but since I was a little far away, I couldn’t hear him very well.
I’m curious, and he is my protection target anyway, so should I go take a look?
With that thought, I walked toward the boy as quietly as possible. Once I got close enough, I could hear their voices.
“If there’s a dangerous existence like this nearby, I’d hate it—”
“—What does that have to do with anything!! If other people deny you!”
“I’ll affirm you several times more than that!!!”
The boy’s shout rang out. From the way they were talking, it sounded like the purple-haired girl had said something self-deprecating, and the boy was trying to comfort her. Then, the boy held out his hand to the girl.
“Take it! That’s all you need right now!”
Just as the girl reached for his hand...
Killing intent?!
I felt a murderous presence from somewhere. A strong will to kill. And that killing intent was aimed directly at the boy and girl.
[Force] Release!
I quickly pulled a talisman from my inventory and used [Force].
Boom!
“Agh!”
“Kyah!”
When the [Force] exploded between the boy and girl, the shockwave knocked both of them over.
Whoosh!
“Gah! What the—”
Then, with the sound of something tearing through the air, a huge hole appeared in the bread the girl had dropped, and a small hole appeared in the outer edge of the boy’s ear.
“How dare you! How dare you attack Tohka!!!”
I felt the air tremble. This pressure was no joke.
“I’ll never forgive you!!!”
With those words, the girl turned to look my way.
Huh?
Yeeeeaaaaahhhh, Kurumi is the best waifu in the series. As a Knight, you should get yourself a princess, and Kurumi is the best Candidate