Chapter 75: Strangers After School
After everything that happened with Yuna, I’d been worried about what would happen to the relationship between me and my sisters. But once the dust settled, it was almost disappointing how little had changed. Life simply went on as usual.
Yuna treated me the same way she always did, with the air of an older sister. Alicia, too, acted like nothing had happened, as if they’d agreed to ignore it altogether. No one ever brought up that day again.
A few days later, after school. I decided to ask Alicia about it through telepathy. I sat by the window in the library, flipping through the animal encyclopedia she’d wanted to read.
『Hey, Alicia… about what happened the other day…』
『…Yes?』
『That day… it wasn’t just a dream, was it?』
『Why would you think that?』
『Well… even after all that, you and Yuna are acting like nothing happened.』
『…Did you want things to change between you and Yuna?』
『That’s not what I meant, but…』
『In that case, maybe it’s easier to think of it as something that just happened in a dream. We’re both fine with that, after all.』
『…How can you just move on like that?』
『Maybe… it’s because we’re girls?』
I thought I’d gotten used to acting like a girl, but maybe at the core, I was still thinking like a guy.
I didn’t think I could ever see things the way they did.
『If you ever want to have another “dream,” you can just talk to us about it. I’m sure Yuna will be happy to help.』
Hearing Alicia say something so casually left me with complicated feelings.
『…You’re really okay with that, Alicia?』
『Yes. I’m perfectly happy just being able to spend time with you like this.』
There was something calm and accepting in Alicia’s words—and it made me feel a little lonely. Moments like these made me painfully aware of my own helplessness… that I couldn’t even hold her in my arms.
『Ikuto… you’re acting a little strange.』
Her gentle observation broke the awkward mood.
When I lifted my head, I noticed the atmosphere around us had changed. People were restless.
“…Something going on outside the library?”
I followed the students’ gazes and saw a group of four or five male students heading behind the school building. Even from a distance, the tension was obvious, and the students in the library looked nervous.
Then I spotted a familiar face among them.
“…That guy!”
I jumped to my feet and left the library. Still in my indoor shoes, I crossed the courtyard and ran toward the back of the building where the group had disappeared.
Behind the school building, Souta stood face-to-face with the group of boys.
“Souta!”
I ran over to Souta, ready to jump in and help at any time.
I stood beside him, feet shoulder-width apart, squaring up to the group.
Four boys, all wearing our school’s uniform. Three of them looked like typical delinquents, with their uniforms all messed up. The last one wore his uniform properly, which actually made him stand out even more.
And then there was one person who was completely out of place.
Blond hair, blue eyes, and sharply defined western features.
A man dressed in a black leather jacket and black skinny jeans, jingling with chains and rings. There was no way he was part of the school. The kind of guy you’d try to avoid making eye contact with if you saw him in town.
Wasn’t the school gate supposed to be monitored by security cameras? How had someone this shady gotten in?
“…Are you okay, Souta?”
Once I’d gotten a decent read on their strength, I called out to Souta. Now that I was here, this kind of numbers disadvantage didn’t worry me in the slightest.
“What the hell are you doing here!”
But Souta’s response completely caught me off guard—it was a scolding directed at me.
“Obviously, I came to help you, Souta!”
At my words, the delinquents around us burst out laughing. Souta, meanwhile, was holding his head in his hands.
…Well, I guess it couldn’t be helped, considering how I looked.
“Oh come on, is this the so-called ‘Rampaging Wolf of Hirako’ we’ve heard about? Calling for help from a tiny little girl?”
“This is priceless! Hey little lady, we’re having a grown-up conversation here, so why don’t you run along home and go play house or something?”
Being underestimated never felt good.
“Sorry, but I’m dead serious. If you lay a hand on Souta, I won’t show any mercy.”
I glared at them, trying to make my voice sound as menacing as possible. But judging by their reaction, it wasn’t exactly having the intended effect.
…Honestly, I kinda wish they’d just make the first move already.
Then I’d have a perfect excuse to beat the crap out of them in the name of self-defense.
As I was thinking that, the foreigner standing in the middle—the guy dressed in all black—spoke up.
“A brave woman. You need not be so wary. We have no intention of harming that boy here and now.”
Surprisingly, his words came out in fluent Japanese.
However, there was something theatrical about his tone, and combined with his appearance, it gave him an overwhelmingly strange presence.
“…Then why the hell did you drag Souta out here like this?”
I didn’t have the slightest reason to trust a single word from this guy, but I at least wanted to hear what his reason was for approaching Souta.
“Today is simply an introduction. And—I have a proposal to make.”
The man continued to speak with an air of superiority as he introduced himself.
“My name is Aymock Hartor. At present, I am the leader of Team Ouroboros. And I am destined to become the king of this country.”
…Okay, what the hell? That’s terrifying.
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