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Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 4

Page 26

by Ryo Shirakome


  The longer they stayed there, the worse things got for them. Now even the old lady was playing along, hiding her face and trembling. Things would come to a head soon if someone didn’t do something.

  In the end, the delinquents relented.

  “Shit, forget it, I’m done here! Let’s head home!” The lead delinquent ran away as fast as his legs would carry them.

  “Wait, H-Hide-chan!?” His two lackeys followed after him.

  An awkward silence hung in the air. No one wanted to be the first to move, but eventually, the kneeling boy rose to his feet. He ignored the multitude of stares directed at him and grabbed the old lady’s wallet off the floor. He turned to face her and handed it back.

  “Th-Thank you,” she stammered. Her smile seemed a little stiff.

  “Sorry for turning it into something awkward. Anyway, I’m gonna go home now, bye!” With that, the young boy dashed off into the crowd. The old lady reached out to stop him, but before she could say anything he was gone.

  “That was one amazing kid...” The crowd began to disperse, but Kaori remained rooted to the spot. She was looking in the direction the boy had run off in. She could feel a slight warmth blossoming inside her chest.

  “And then, and then, you know what he did, Shizuku-chan? He just ran before anyone could say anything... Hey Shizuku-chan, are you listening to me? You haven’t said anything for a while...”

  “I’m listening, I’m listening. This is the tenth time you’ve told me about the amazing kneeling boy, you know that right?”

  “Not amazing kneeling boy, Shizuku-chan, Amazing boy who kneeled in the street! You make it sound like his kneeling was what was amazing.”

  “Ah, my mistake. Sorry. Anyway, Kaori. It’s 2 AM, and we have school tomorrow. I get that you’re excited, but could you please stop now, for my health’s sake?”

  “What? No way. It’s already this late!? S-Sorry, Shizuku-chan.”

  Kaori looked at her clock in surprise. She couldn’t believe she’d spent so long talking to Shizuku. When she’d gotten back home, she’d felt this burning desire to tell someone about what she’d witnessed. And since Shizuku was Kaori’s best friend, she was the natural first choice. It had been 10 PM when she’d called. Four hours had passed while she repeated the same story over and over.

  She felt guilty for keeping her best friend up for so long.

  “Mmm, it’s fine. I’d like it if you don’t tell the whole story an 11th time, but... I get that it’s important to you. Hehe, but you know, I never thought I’d see the day you’d be this interested in a boy... I can’t even count how many guys’ hearts you’ve broken by now. I guess your spring has finally come.”

  What’s Shizuku-chan talking about? And why does she sound so happy? Kaori easily imagined the grin that must have been on Shizuku’s face.

  “Shizuku-chan, what do you mean? I’m not a swordsman like you, why would I be breaking anyone’s anything? Also, it’s still winter.”

  “Kaori. In a way, I’m kind of happy you’re this much of an airhead. Also, just because I train with swords doesn’t mean I’m actually hurting people, alright!? Please stop assuming I go around killing people like some kind of maniac!”

  Oops, I made her mad. Still, what exactly is she trying to say?

  “Haaah... Whatever, I get it now. You’re just not aware of it. Well, he is your first, as far as I know... And it’s possible it’s not even really a crush yet... Anyway, you should take a good hard look at your own feelings. Granted, considering how dense you are, you might not be able to figure it out after all. As your friend, should I just lay it all out for you? Hmm...” Shizuku started mumbling to herself.

  Did Shizuku-chan just insult me?

  “U-Umm, Shizuku-chan?”

  “Huh!? Ahem... Uh, where was I?”

  Now that Shizuku was paying attention again, Kaori could bring up the other thing she’d called Shizuku for. For some reason, she felt embarrassed to ask. She could feel the heat rising on her face. Why is this so embarrassing?

  “U-Umm... there’s somewhere I want you to go with me...”

  “Oh, what’s this? No need to hesitate. We’re friends, right?”

  Bolstered by Shizuku’s words, Kaori continued.

  “Thanks, Shizuku-chan. So uh, could you come with me to that boy’s school tomorrow?”

  “Que?”

  Why’d she suddenly start talking in Spanish?

  “Like I said, could you come with me to his school tomorrow? I, uhh... want to talk to him... A-And maybe see if he’d want to be friends.”

  Oh no. My face is definitely red. Why’s this so embarrassing? Kaori started banging her feet on her bed. She then wrapped herself in her blanket and started rolling around. After a minute of silence, Shizuku finally responded.

  “Now hold on just a minute here. You met the guy today, right Kaori?”

  “Yep. I wish I’d had the chance to talk to him.”

  “If you didn’t even talk to him, how do you know what school he goes to?”

  “I looked it up, duh. I just made a list of all the middle schools in the area and checked to see which one had his uniform.”

  “......”

  Shizuku-chan’s really smart, so how come she couldn’t figure that out? And why’s she not saying anything now? Maybe she’s just really sleepy?

  “Earth to Shizuku-chaaan. Sorry, are you tired? Should I call back later?”

  “Ah, um, sorry. I just saw a side of you I didn’t think existed...” Shizuku cleared her throat.

  “Anyway, I’m fine with it. We can go together. I’m used to you jumping headfirst into things without thinking by now. But you don’t even know his name, right? How are you going to find him?”

  “He’d probably be annoyed if we went around the school asking for him, so... I was thinking we’d just wait by the front gate until he comes out. If we can’t find him there, we’ll try waiting at the place I saw him today.”

  “You’re starting to sound like a stalker... Though I guess that’s really all you can do if you don’t even know his name.”

  Come on Shizuku-chan, I’m not a stalker. Though the more she considered her actions, the more Kaori realized she was beginning to act like one. Anyway, that’s not important right now.

  “Y-Yeah. If I’d known it would be this hard, I would have taken a picture of him when I had the chance... I’ll make sure to get one next time I see him.”

  “Please don’t.” Shizuku’s voice was surprisingly stern. After that, Kaori heard Shizuku muttering to herself.

  “Shit, I never realized my best friend was a natural at this...”

  Wow, I’ve never heard Shizuku-chan curse. Is she really alright? Maybe I should hang up and let her sleep.

  “Anyway, let’s go to his school tomorrow. I’m definitely going to find him and a-ask him to be my friend. And then, we’ll start hanging out on our days off, and maybe I’ll even get to go to his house... Ehehe. Shizuku-chan, I’m gonna do this!”

  “It’s too late to stop her now. Mysterious kneeling boy, I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do.” Shizuku apologized to the nameless boy whose life would soon be turned upside-down.

  Shizuku-chan’s definitely acting weird today. I really should let her sleep. Sorry, Shizuku-chan.

  A year had passed since that fateful day that Kaori met Hajime.

  In that time, she spent time with her friends as usual. Getting wrapped up in Kouki’s crazy antics, getting Kouki wrapped up in her crazy antics, and so on. Her final year of middle school was nothing if not hectic.

  She spent a great deal of her time waiting around Hajime’s school hoping to meet him, but in the end they never met.

  Kaori herself didn’t understand why she was so obsessed with him, but she knew she didn’t want that to be only time she ever saw him.

  As time passed, she grew to regret not calling out to him when she’d first seen him. Or at the very least, not taking a picture of him. God, I’m such an idiot.
r />   Shizuku made sure to accompany Kaori every time she went Hajime-spotting. Shizuku couldn’t afford to leave Kaori alone when she became like this. She knew from experience Kaori would just rush headlong into everything without even thinking. When Kaori had tried to tell Kouki and Ryutarou about the incident, Shizuku had stopped her. And so, their attempts to discover the true identity of Kaori’s mystery crush remained a secret between the two of them.

  Unfortunately, a year passed without Kaori ever finding him.

  It was spring now, and she was a high schooler. Today was the day of her entrance ceremony.

  The cherry blossoms were in full bloom. Their petals fluttered through the air as Kaori made her way to her new school. She was a little disappointed at being unable to meet the boy she was searching for, but she was still excited to start her new life as a high schooler.

  “Kaori, what are you doing? If you don’t hurry, we’ll miss the entrance ceremony.”

  “Ehehe. Sorry, Shizuku-chan, I spaced out watching the cherry blossoms. They’re so pretty.”

  “Heh. I know what you mean. I could watch them for hours too.”

  Shizuku stood next to Kaori and looked up at the blossoms. Her ponytail swayed gently in the breeze. Though she was just a high schooler, Shizuku’s mature expression made her seem like an adult. It seemed to Kaori that Shizuku had really grown up in the past year.

  “So pretty...” Kaori mumbled.

  “Yeah, they really are,” Shizuku replied while looking up. Kaori smiled. I meant you, dummy.

  “Not the trees. I meant you, Shizuku-chan. You look like a goddess.”

  “Wh-Where’d that come from?” Shizuku looked away in embarrassment. Her face and ears were bright red.

  Oh, she’s blushing. How cute.

  Kaori was starting to grow a little worried. Even though Shizuku was so beautiful, she still hadn’t ever had a boyfriend, or even a crush. At first Kaori had thought Shizuku might have had feelings for Kouki, since they’d known each other for so long, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. It’d be terrible if Shizuku-chan got duped by some playboy because she’s too inexperienced. As her best friend, I need to warn her.

  “Alright, Shizuku-chan. You better listen up.”

  “Kaori, who are you trying to imitate this time?”

  “This is serious, girl! Anyway, you’re cute, Shizuku-chan. And really beautiful. Now that we’re in high school, boys are going to be all over you. But my dad taught me that all boys are wolves. You need to be more careful or you’ll get tricked by some boy who’s only after your body! Got it!? You need to watch out for any boy that tries to talk to you!”

  “Kaori, do you know what a boomerang is?”

  Where’d that come from?

  “It’s that thing that comes back to you after you throw it, right?”

  “That’s right. It’s that thing that comes back to you after you throw it. And your words right now are a boomerang.”

  Huh? How come Shizuku-chan’s looking at me like that? Shizuku swept her gaze around the courtyard. Kaori looked around too, wondering what she was talking about. A bunch of students had gathered around the two of them. Most of them were male. Whenever Kaori’s gaze swept past one of them, they’d hurriedly look away.

  “It’s been like this the whole time. Seriously, there’s a limit to how defenseless you can get. You should be more careful yourself, Kaori.” Shizuku grabbed Kaori’s cheeks and pulled on them.

  “That hursh, Shizuku-shan! Shtop iiiit.”

  “I can’t help it, your cheeks are too soft. I didn’t think there’d be this many people at the gym already, but I guess you’re just a people magnet. You sheltered, air-headed little girl.”

  Shizuku continued toying with Kaori’s cheeks until Ryutarou finally came to get the two of them. Quite a few of the onlookers had nosebleeds by then, but a little blood loss was a small price to pay for the heavenly sight they’d been treated to.

  Finally, it was time for the entrance ceremony. Shizuku, Kaori, and Ryutarou were all in the same class, so they sat next to each other. Kouki was as well, but as he was the freshman representative, he had to give his speech first.

  “Do you think Kouki-kun’s nervous?”

  “I doubt it. Kouki’s never been nervous in his life.”

  “Yeah. He gave the middle school opening speech too, so he’s used to it.”

  Shizuku and Ryutarou don’t seem worried at all. Guess I can’t really imagine anything making Kouki-kun nervous either. He’s always brimming with confidence. Plus, he’s our leader. And he was popular with the girls even in middle school. He’s probably so used to dealing with crowds now that he could give this speech in his sleep.

  The principal finished his speech, his wig nearly falling off multiple times, and Kouki took the stage. The crowd erupted in cheers. The entire auditorium shook from the force of the girls’ voices.

  “I-I expected something like this... but it still amazes me every time.” Shizuku watched the proceedings with a wooden expression.

  I totally get how you feel. It was like they had suddenly stepped into an idol concert. The fanaticism of Kouki’s female fans was certainly at the same level as idol fans.

  Naturally, Kouki responded to the adulation with his trademark dazzling smile. He wasn’t perturbed by the cheers at all.

  Eventually, the cheers died down and Kouki began his freshman address. His fans hung on to his every word. It was like he was the head of some cult.

  Halfway through his speech, Kaori heard some of the boys mutter to each other.

  “Dude, look. That guy’s straight up sleeping through all of this.”

  “I know people sleep all the time during stuff like this, but I can’t believe the noise didn’t wake him up... He’s one heavy sleeper.”

  Someone slept through those cheers!? Kaori turned around to see who it was. The boy sitting directly behind her blushed when his gaze met hers, and he hurriedly turned away. Kaori smiled at him, mentally apologizing for startling him. The smile sent the poor boy’s brain into overdrive. I didn’t know someone’s eyes could roll that far back into their head.

  After exchanging the required amount of pleasantries, Kaori turned her attention to the boy sitting one seat further back. When she saw who it was, she gasped.

  “Ah.” Her heart skipped a beat.

  The boy lazing in his chair with his arms folded across his chest was the same one she’d been searching for.

  “It’s him.” Kaori’s gaze was glued to him. She’d spent a whole year looking for him, hoping to talk to him again. And there he was, sitting right behind her.

  Oh my god, my heart’s beating so fast. I’m pretty sure everyone else can hear it too. Kaori zoned out Kouki’s speech. The rest of the world faded away, and all that remained in her sight was the boy. All other sounds vanished. Her senses were focused only on him.

  “Kaori. Earth to Kaori. Hey!”

  “Hwuh!?” Kaori found herself forcibly brought back to reality. There was another round of cheering that was so loud it hurt Kaori’s eardrums. Looks like Kouki-kun’s speech is over.

  The girls were going absolutely crazy. The auditorium once again came into view. Kaori noticed Shizuku-chan was shaking her shoulders.

  “Hurry up and turn around! The teachers are glaring at you! Plus, that poor boy will die of blood loss if you keep looking back any longer!”

  “O-Oh, okay.” Kaori reluctantly tore her eyes away from the boy and turned back to the front.

  Wow, that other kid really has a massive nosebleed... Wait, now’s not the time to be worrying about that. Shizuku-chan’s right, the teachers are all staring at me.

  “What’s gotten into you?” When the teachers finally stopped glaring at them, Shizuku turned to Kaori and whispered in her ear. Kaori clasped her hands over her chest and tried to calm the wild beating of her heart. Still a little flustered, she turned to Shizuku.

  “U-Umm, he’s here. He’s here. What do I do, Shizuku-chan?”
r />   “He? Who’s he... Wait, no way? That he? Where!?”

  “Behind us. Two rows back, the boy who’s sleeping.”

  Shizuku turned around skeptically. She doesn’t mean the kid with the nosebleed, right? The boy, thinking Shizuku might have an interest in him too, hurriedly straightened himself up, blood running down his face all the while. The boys sitting next to him gave him a look of pity.

  Shizuku ignored the lot of them and spotted the sleeping boy sitting another row back.

  “That kid who’s sleeping through all this noise is the one you’ve been looking for?”

  “Y-Yes. I’m sure of it. What do I do, Shizuku-chan? If he’s sitting that close to us, that means he’s in the same class, right? What do I dooo!?”

  I feel like my heart’s going to fly right out of my chest at this rate. There was a mini-Kaori jumping for joy inside her head. Do miracles like this really happen in real life? I spent a whole year looking for him and now he’s just sitting behind me... The world was cruel and kind in equal measure.

  Unable to control her swelling emotions, Kaori grabbed Shizuku’s arm and started tugging on it.

  The two of them were talking in hushed voices, so Ryutarou hadn’t heard what she’d said. He looked at them in bewilderment, wondering what was going on. Everyone sitting around them, and the teachers that had been glaring at Kaori earlier, looked to see what the commotion was.

  However, Kaori was too preoccupied to notice.

  Shizuku smiled and gently patted Kaori’s head to calm her down.

  “Good for you, Kaori. As for what you should do, obviously you should ask him ou— Ahem, ask him to be your friend. Spend these three years of high school with him and make as many memories as you can. Basically, just get closer to him.” Shizuku’s words helped calm Kaori down.

  She began envisioning what it would be like.

  Going to school together with him. Making pointless small talk about what they’d eaten for breakfast, or if they’d finished their homework on time. Based on what she knew of him, the boy seemed pretty laid-back. He’d probably not put much effort into his appearance and come to school with bed hair and crumpled shirts.

 

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