The last date was with the Fire Keeper.
We decided to have that date at home.
“Are you sure this is all right?”
“Yes! I’m happy just being with my beloved, really.”
She pressed herself right up against my side.
To explain how things ended up like this, I have to go back a little.
******
Early in the morning, I was summoned to the [Fraxinus].
It was obviously going to be about that sphere in the sky, but for some reason, I was there alone, without Itsuka-kun, Rinne, or the Fire Keeper.
“Why did you call me?”
“Ah, you know how I asked what that sphere was made of last time?”
“Right?”
When I dug through my memories, I remembered that it was composed of the spiritual power of the spirits Itsuka-kun and I had sealed.
I relayed this to the commander, but she raised a single index finger and said,
“You’re missing one.”
“One? What else is there?”
The tip of her finger pointed directly at me.
“You.”
“...Me?”
“Yeah. Your spiritual power is included in it too.”
“·····.”
At the commander’s words, I tried to recall the details more clearly.
—...and Hiki too.
In the list Murasame-san had rattled off, I had been included at the very end.
“Ah, right.”
“Exactly. So, your spirit waves haven’t disappeared yet. Is there anything you want?”
“Hmm... something I want...”
If that sphere really was a manifestation of my subconscious, then I had to satisfy whatever desire it represented.
The other spirits' issue had been jealousy, which a single date had fixed, but I didn’t even know what my own desire was.
“Maybe... rest?”
While I was pondering, a crew member chimed in.
“Rest?”
“Yes. Hieta-san has probably been worn out from all those dates with the spirits, so maybe some rest would be best.”
“That does make sense.”
I agreed with the crew member.
Dating the opposite sex is wonderful, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t exhausting.
Perhaps what I truly wanted was just a break.
“Then how about taking a day off and staying home?”
“That sounds right.”
With that settled, I went to see the Fire Keeper.
“...And that’s what happened.”
I explained everything that had transpired aboard the [Fraxinus].
“Then wouldn’t it be fine to have your date at home?”
And that was how we ended up here.
“C-could you maybe... move a little farther away...?”
The problem was that she was too close. Way too close.
She wasn’t just leaning against me; she was practically hugging my arm with all her strength.
“What’s the problem? You’re mine right now. If I want to do as I please with what belongs to me, do you have a complaint?”
The calm, reserved Fire Keeper I had first met was nowhere to be seen. In her place was a bold, brazen woman clinging to my side.
Still, since she had given up on going out and chosen to rest at home with me, I decided to enjoy it in my own way as well.
“No, not at all. I’m just not used to having such a beautiful woman cling to my arm.”
“Ngh...!”
When I met her eyes and said that, she quickly looked away.
“Honestly... did you seduce all the others like this too?”
She raised an arm, perhaps to hide her flushed face, but because she was so beautiful, even that gesture looked graceful.
“Ahaha, when did I ever say I seduced anyone?”
“Even so, you know there are a lot of women who’ve fallen for you, right?”
“Well...”
I was at a loss for words in the face of an undeniable fact.
Even if I tried to deny it, several names immediately sprang to mind.
“Are you thinking about other women right now?”
“No, but this can’t be helped...”
What was I supposed to say when she was the one making me think of them?
We were supposed to be resting during a home date, but somehow, I felt even more exhausted.
“Hehe. Revenge. Serves you right for teasing me first, doesn’t it?”
“...Really, you've got me.”
She was drifting farther and farther away from the Fire Keeper I once knew.
******
Since staying home all day felt a little pointless, the Fire Keeper and I went out to buy ingredients for dinner.
On the way to the supermarket, we spotted a group of punks.
“Grandma, you can’t even carry this! Hahaha!”
“We’ll take that for you! Hahaha!”
They were the same guys I’d encountered shortly after arriving in this world.
“Beloved. Am I seeing this right? Those delinquent-looking people are helping an old lady...?”
The Fire Keeper seemed confused because their appearance and behavior were completely contradictory.
I understood how she felt. The first time I saw them, I had mistaken them for actual delinquents because of their look.
“Ahaha, people like that actually exist.”
Just as I was about to head toward the supermarket, one of the group spotted me and stared intently.
He whispered something to the person beside him, finished helping the old lady with her things, and came straight over to me.
“Hey, buddy! Long time no see! Hahaha!”
“You’re not in armor anymore! Hahaha!”
They seemed to remember me the moment they heard my voice.
“Long time no see.”
“Oh, you’re the guy who helped me out last time? Man, I’m so grateful! Hahaha!”
The stranger held out his hand for a handshake.
I remembered someone mentioning that one of them had been away due to health problems, so I guessed this was him.
I shook his hand and replied,
“I’m just glad I could help.”
“Beloved? You know these people?”
The Fire Keeper, still glued to my side, looked back and forth between me and the "good" delinquents in confusion.
“Ohhh! You were out on a date with your girlfriend! Hahaha!”
“My, my. We really had no idea! Hahaha!”
“G-girlfriend...?”
At their words, the Fire Keeper blushed and clung even tighter to my arm.
“No, it’s not like that—”
I tried to object, but the pressure on my arm cut me off.
The Fire Keeper, who had been hugging me before, was now squeezing my arm as if she intended to wring it like a towel.
More than anything, the look in her eyes was terrifying.
“M-my girlfriend, right?”
The Fire Keeper spoke in short, clipped bursts.
I broke into a cold sweat.
“Y-yes... right...!”
And so, I introduced the Fire Keeper as my girlfriend.
Seeing us like that, the group laughed.
“You’re completely whipped! Hahaha!”
“Buddy, you’re weaker to women than we thought! Hahaha!”
“Well, we’ll be going now! Hahaha!”
They left to help someone else.
Man, what incredible people.
But seriously, when is she planning to let go?
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
The Fire Keeper tilted her head, looking as if she genuinely had no idea.
I lightly tapped her forehead.
“You’re too close. And more importantly, you’re still touching me.”
“Hehe. That’s the point. I’m seducing you right now, you know?”
Now that she had fully admitted her goal, all I could do was let out a dry laugh and head for the supermarket with her still latched onto my arm.
******
Once we got inside the supermarket, the Fire Keeper let out a gasp, her eyes darting around without staying still for a second.
She seemed to be visiting a supermarket for the first time, as she wasn't accustomed to modern life.
At this rate, she looked like she might wander off, so I grabbed her shoulder and pulled her closer to me.
“Eek!”
“I get that you’re excited because it’s your first time, but don’t drift too far. You might get lost.”
“Ah, yes. Sorry.”
“No need to apologize that much.”
We pushed a cart around and loaded it with ingredients.
“Seeing this makes us look like a newlywed couple.”
“...Huh?”
“You and I, sticking together while shopping like this. Don’t we look just like newlyweds?”
Honestly, if anyone else saw us, they’d probably assume we were a married couple without a second thought.
I mentioned it casually, but when the Fire Keeper remained silent, I wondered if I had messed up.
“I-I mean, if that was a mistake...”
“Hehe... newlyweds...”
Seeing a smile bloom across her face as she let out a little laugh, I knew it hadn’t been a mistake.
...Or had it? It felt like I’d stepped on a landmine.
“You and me... husband and wife...”
What on earth was she imagining?
I grabbed her shoulders and shook her slightly as she drifted off into her own fantasy.
“Fire Keeper. Snap out of it.”
“Ah, ah! Yes! I’m fine now.”
Fortunately, she came back to her senses quickly, and we returned to our shopping.
“Huh? Hiki?”
“Huh? Commander?”
While we were at it, we ran into the commander and Itsuka-kun.
It looked like today was Itsuka-kun’s date with the commander.
I’d heard that, unlike me, Itsuka-kun’s dates were spaced further apart.
Well, I had a lot of people to deal with, but Itsuka-kun only had three, so that made sense.
“Ah, Hieta. Want to have dinner at our place together today?”
“Huh? Isn’t this your date with the commander?”
“Dinner is fine with me. The more people, the better.”
“That’s what she says.”
I hesitated at Itsuka-kun’s sudden suggestion.
Then I asked the Fire Keeper beside me for her opinion.
“Would that be all right with you?”
“I think I’d be fine having a meal with everyone else too.”
“If you say so, then... I’ll join too.”
“Then I’ll let the others know.”
With the dinner plan settled, the Fire Keeper and I went back home, stuffed all the groceries into the fridge, and waited for evening to come.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register