Volume 1 Chapter 12

Volume 1 + Chapter 12: So Long

Carrying my schoolbag on my back, lost in thought, I unconsciously stepped around the “obstacle” in my path.

[Waaaaahhh…… Boss!!!! I’m sorry!!!! Don’t ignore me!!!!!]

Someone had wrapped their arms around my legs. The person wailing with tears was my underling, the same one who had exploded at me yesterday.

For some reason, snot was streaming down his face, making him look filthy. And that overly feminine leg-hugging posture was seriously testing my patience.

[What is it?]

I kept my face expressionless as I looked down at my underling, who was putting on quite a theatrical display with his intense mood swings.

[Boss!!!! I’m really sorry!!! Forgive me! Please forgive me!]

Shouting like that, my underling suddenly dropped into a perfect dogeza, a deep bowing apology, and started prostrating himself before me like I was some kind of deity, again and again.

I felt like this would shorten my lifespan.

Thinking this, I moved aside very quickly, not accepting my underling’s “great gift.”

Whether out of nervousness or something else, my underling, his eyes squeezed shut as he frantically bowed, hadn’t even noticed that I was no longer standing in front of him.

What was going on with him anyway?

Already accustomed to children’s noisy, excitable behavior and their bizarre thought processes, I couldn’t help but want to sigh again. I could only press a hand to my forehead.

[I forgive you. Hurry up and get up.]

[Really?! Wah!!!! That’s great!!!! Boss!!!!!]

My underling hugged empty air. Whether through some kind of instinct or by tracking my voice from earlier, he quickly located where I was standing.

With snot and tears still streaming, he twisted his head around to face me. The sight was not only a bit frightening but also rather messy and gross. It also made me wonder if he might hurt his neck.

[Boss, I’m sorry for saying all those terrible things yesterday.]

After standing up, my underling came over with his head lowered, wilted like a faded flower.

[It’s fine.]

Personally, I didn’t think there was anything wrong with what my underling had said yesterday, but since he was apologizing, I couldn’t be bothered to argue with him.

Truth be told, I didn’t need his apology.

I waved my hand to show I didn’t mind.

[Heheh~ As expected, you’re the best, Boss.]

My underling gave a simple, honest smile. With tears and snot still on his face, he looked rather ridiculous and comical.

[Here.]

I tossed him a pack of free tissues I had picked up on the road. He fumbled and scrambled to catch it.

[Boss!? You’re giving this to me?!]

Why was he getting so excited over a pack of tissues anyone could get for free on the street?

It was just like how I couldn’t understand why my underling would respect a rotten person like me. All of it was baffling.

Sighing inwardly but keeping my cool on the surface, I returned to my seat. I could hear my underling still muttering something about how he would use it well and treasure it.

Since I’d given it to him, he could do whatever he wanted with it. Pretending not to hear, I pulled out my book again.

A history book about the Piano Healer and the Spirit Users. I had only decided to seriously look into this after finishing the books I had bought previously.

Barely making it before closing time, I went to the bookstore and bought the following volumes.

By last night, I had only gotten halfway through. But the more I read, the more confused I became. It seemed that books about mystical powers, both in this world and in my previous one, required a guide to truly understand the content and the world they described.

If an uninitiated person tried to read them, they would not only feel utterly lost but also experience a sensation like walking through thick fog. You might think the system was loose or imprecise, yet surprisingly, it had prerequisite conditions.

This was unexpected. It appeared there was a very rigorous system of power in place. But thinking about it, it made sense, after all, this power was recognized by the world itself. It was only natural that it would be so structured.

Not only had I stopped disliking the Piano Healer and the Spirit Users, but I had also become genuinely interested.

I decided to continue with my original plan: to keep learning and searching.

[Yuu, are you interested in the piano again?]

Back to her usual self, Yuna spoke to me with a smile that seemed just like always.

[I looked into it a bit. I think it’s worth learning.]

[Is that so? Then do you want to talk to Tomoya-nii?]

Yuna made a suggestion. Thinking it over, I decided it wasn’t a bad idea and looked up to ask.

[How do I get in touch with him?]

Seeming surprised that I was serious, Yuna widened her eyes.

[…Tomoya-nii is coming to visit this Saturday.]

[Can I come that day?]

[Of course you can. You’re Yuu, after all.]

Yuna spoke as if our relationship was very close. I smiled at that, thanked her, and didn’t say anything more.

[Don’t mention it. Hey, Yuu, are you free after school today?]

[What is it?]

[My sister woke up today. After school, will you come with me?]

[Alright.]

I believed in not leaving debts of gratitude unpaid. I agreed readily.

Arriving at the hospital, we found Hina sitting on her bed, looking out the window. She seemed rather down in spirits.

Noticing us enter, Hina turned her face toward us. Unlike the talkative Hina from the spiritual world, the real-world Hina was the silent, reserved type.

[I’m sorry.]

Another day of people apologizing to me. Hina apologized the moment she saw us, not seeming at all like someone who had no memory of the spiritual world.

She looked like a poor soul who had been forced to drink truth serum and was now dealing with the consequences afterward.

I imagined what it would be like if something like that happened to me…

Yeah… how pitiful.

[What exactly are you apologizing for? You barely made it back alive. Shouldn’t you be saying “I’m home”?]

Feeling unusually kind, I decided to pretend the previous incident had never happened. It was better for everyone that way.

But Hina, apparently not sharing that view, looked at me in silence. Her sky-blue eyes were cold.

[I’m apologizing to Yuna. Not to you.]

Now it was my turn to fall silent.

I take back what I said earlier. The talkative Hina from the spiritual world was shameless. And the silent, reserved Hina from the real world was equally shameless.

The only difference was that one did it openly and the other did it covertly.

Looking at it this way, the troublesome situation was still far from resolved. She didn’t apologize to me, which meant she didn’t think she had done anything wrong.

That is, she acknowledged that strange affection she had for me and intended to pursue it in the real world as well.

What I knew so far, Endou Hina had a strange affection for me.  

Inoue Hatsuka had a strange affection for me.

This meant that in the future, I would have to deal with two heroines who had previously kept their distance, now taking the initiative to contact me.

I could easily imagine how my life would be disrupted by Endou Yuna, whom the text boxes forced me to stay in contact with, plus these two heroines actively reaching out.

The only saving grace was that I could refuse two of them. The unfortunate part was that this would be a long, drawn-out battle.

Seriously.

Where the hell was that “distracted by pleasures” male protagonist? Off eating, bleep (civilized censorship), or something?!

For the first time in my life, I cursed someone. For the first time in my life, I resented someone else’s lack of effort.

[I think YOU need to apologize to ME.]

Furious beyond measure, I walked to the bedside and looked down at Hina lying in the hospital bed.

This was not the appropriate attitude to show toward a patient who had just come out of serious care.

[Yuu!!!]

Startled by my behavior as well, 

Not only the Endou Hina in front of me but also Yuna behind me, both of them tensed up.

Shaking off Yuna’s hand that had grabbed mine, I was now dead serious about arguing with a child.

What “childhood love”?! That kind of, bleep (civilized censorship), like nonsense, I don’t want any part of it!

Falling for a rotten person like me, is there something wrong with your head?

Do I need to show you just how rotten I really am before you understand?

How much trouble are you trying to cause me?

All I want is time that I can truly call my own, time free from the text boxes’ demands.

I don’t have the time or the inclination to play house with any of you.

My dark red eyes were frigid. My expression was icy. I stood upright, poised as if ready to strike at any moment.

And the one looking at you with those eyes, is the person you like.  

The one looking at you with that expression, is the person you like.  

The one standing before you in that threatening posture, is the person you like.

How many people do you think could bear that?

How many people do you think could feel anything but despair?

But that didn’t apply to children. No matter how mature they seemed, they were still children.

My clever scheme was bound to fail. Once again, Watanabe Yuu was defeated by the creatures known as “children.”

In front of me was the never-before-seen sight of Endou Hina wailing hysterically. Behind me was the never-before-heard sound of Yuna crying at the top of her lungs.

In between them, sandwiched by their sobs, was me, bawled into questioning my very existence.

Outside the room’s glass window, nurses and doctors who had rushed over to see what was happening were preparing to enter.

This was the darkest moment of Watanabe Yuu’s life.

A black mark she would never want to recall for the rest of her life. A memory that, whenever brought up, would make her want to close her eyes and question her existence.

At this moment, right here and now, 

Watanabe Yuu swore to herself: Never argue seriously with a child.  

Never get close to a child.  

Never treat a child the way you would treat an adult or an adolescent.

Children are demons. They are unconquerable.

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , 

Quietly taking advantage of the gap created by the crowd of doctors and nurses rushing into the room, I slipped out and breathed a sigh of relief. Then, with a somewhat unsteady gait, I began to descend the stairs one by one.

Why the stairs?

Because I needed to process the deeply shocking reality that had just happened to me, and walking down the stairs was how I intended to do it.

After climbing down all ten floors, I had finally calmed down. My legs no longer felt unsteady.

Looking up at the setting sun, I felt a sense of relief, a sense of release, like finally seeing the light of day.

I still couldn’t believe that those wailing sounds had come from those two. From the very first cry, it had been impossible to tell whether it was a little girl crying or a little boy, it was that terrifying.

They had even displayed the hallmark of twins in their crying, they had started wailing almost simultaneously, as if their cries had triggered some violent reaction in my brain.

For a moment, their screaming had made my mind go completely blank, as if I had lost consciousness.

I messed up.

I should have started controlling my temper a long time ago. The emotions I had grown accustomed to releasing would, once they reached a tipping point, erupt.

Now I had none of the endurance I had possessed in my previous life. In that life, I had been a remarkably tolerant person, feeling neither joy nor sorrow.

But in this life, I was like dynamite.

On my way home, I reflected on my life up until now. Finally, I reached a conclusion, I had been too indulgent with myself, too easy on myself.

My head hung low with dejection. No matter how much I projected an image of being tough and carefree on the outside, it didn’t change the fact that I was merely an ordinary person, someone who could still feel worry, dejection, and anger.

I hadn’t repaid a debt of gratitude. Instead, I had made things worse. It had been a messy, chaotic day in every sense.

Well. It is what it is.

I stretched my body and reached my arms up toward the sky.

There was no point in dwelling on what had already happened.

Overthinking things that couldn’t be changed would only add to my worries and create unnecessary trouble.

My breath had already begun to turn white in the cold air.

The weather was getting colder.

I looked up at the overcast sky. It will soon be the snow season.

My birthday was just over a month away.

Nine years old?

Nine years old.

Nine years have passed in this world. Countless changes had occurred around me.

But for me, still a child, the only changes were trivial ones: getting taller, my hair growing longer.

My hands were still small. My perspective on people and objects was still from a low angle. There were still about eight years to go before any major changes would happen to me.

So long.

So very long.

[https://ko-fi.com/golden_dragon]