How should I even begin to describe the scene unfolding in front of me right now…? No, I don’t think I can describe it if I can’t even see anything…
[Hiiihhhh!? Kyaaaaahhhh!?]
A few minutes after Ein-san and the Goddess of Time started their battle, both of them vanished from sight, and the entire temple began to shake, accompanied by occasional booming sounds.
The shockwaves around us should have been immense, but they don’t seem to be hitting the walls or floors of the reception hall—Lilia-san and I included—so I guess they’re being kept in check.
It feels like the kind of intermittent tremors you’d get during an earthquake. What exactly did we come here for again?
[Hey, how can you be so calm, Kaito-san!?]
[No… It’s just that I’ve gotten used to unexpected things happening out of the blue… ]
[Don’t start getting all philosophical on me! Hiiiihhhh!?]
With the pale expression on her face, Lilia-san, who’s occasionally screaming, trembles like a small animal—it’s honestly pretty cute. The stark contrast between her usual calm demeanor and her reaction to this bizarre situation… Ah, no, actually, I feel like I’ve had moments like this too, when I lost my composure recently.
No, but in a way, this is probably the normal reaction to what we’re witnessing. In fact, the strange part might be me, since I’ve gotten so used to situations like this… Though most of them, including this one, are 90% Kuro’s fault…
[How did this happen?]
[It should be me asking that! Hiiihhhh!? Ka-Kaito-san, please do something!]
Lilia-san, her hands trembling as she gripped my clothes, looked at me with desperate eyes, clearly relying on me.
It seems that Lilia-san is in a complete state of panic, urgently wanting my help—but please, don’t ask the impossible!
In this battle, which feels like the final showdown between monsters, what could an average person… No, what could I, a slightly weaker-than-average adult male, possibly do?
[No, this situation is just too much for me… How about we just wait until the storm passes?]
[H-H-However… If it’s Kaito-san, I think you might be able to stop them…]
[…………….]
Strange, something’s off. Apparently, Lilia-san genuinely believes that if it’s me, I can stop those two. Just how high is her evaluation of me?
Having a beauty ask for your help with teary eyes is an incredibly exciting situation for any healthy man. If I were to respond and show off my cool side, her Affection Ratings might just go up a notch.
But the difficulty required to earn those Affection Points is beyond Demonic—it’s completely impossible for me. It’s like she’s asking me to storm into a battle where the final boss and hidden boss are duking it out while I’m still level 1, wearing nothing but my beginner gear. If this were a game, I’d be smashing my screen by now.
But unfortunately, this is reality, and impossible things are… impossible—No, wait.
It’s impossible for me to jump into their fight, and I can’t stop both sides by force. My words probably won’t reach them either… But if all I want is to end their fight, I might be able to do something about it.
With this move… The odds of it working might not be great, but there’s no real risk of failure.
To be honest, I’d prefer to let the storm pass quietly, but the real issue right now is Lilia-san. Her strength, as she clings to me more and more, is getting stronger by the second… And those bulges—those things men don’t have—that have been inevitably pressing against my arm.
Though, rather than my reason nearly snapping from the sensation of those tender fruits pressing against me, I’m more concerned that Lilia-san’s panic-fueled strength will tear my arm off before that happens.
I honestly don’t know where such power is coming from in those slender arms, but I feel like my arm is starting to creak under the strain, and its time is running out.
Filled with the determination to keep my arm from snapping like a bar of chocolate at any moment, I closed my eyes and began to knead my magic power.
The Magic I was about to use isn’t something a novice like me should be able to invoke. But fortunately, as an otherworlder, I have an unusual aptitude for this type of Magic.
Sympathy Magic… What Kuro discovered about it is that it has an exceptional ability to sense magic power and detect faint emotions contained in it—emotions that would usually be undetectable. But its abilities don’t end there, it can also do the opposite.
By channeling my emotions into my magic power, I can force those around me to become aware of what I’m feeling. This is one of the ways Kuro taught me to use Sympathy Magic. It’s like forcibly connecting with others through telepathy. Although it can’t convey complex information yet, Kuro said that if I get the hang of it, I could even communicate with people who don’t have the ability to speak.
[ [ [ ! ? ] ] ]
In a situation like this… it works on people whose blood has rushed to their heads, where words can’t reach them.
After a few seconds, I release my magic power, filled with the emotions telling them to stop fighting. Immediately after, I finally see Ein-san and the Goddess of Time, both of them standing there with their fists still clenched.
[That was… Kaito-sama?]
[……Hooohhh… You released your magic power, infusing it with your emotions? What an interesting Magic you used…]
Ein-san and the Goddess of Time turned toward me almost in unison and muttered, but neither of them lowered their fists.
[My apologies, Kaito-sama. I’m truly ashamed that I allowed my emotions to get the better of me.]
[……I almost forgot the reason I came here. You mentioned your name is Miyama, correct? I’m sorry, please accept my apologies.]
[Ah, no.]
Ein-san bowed her head and moved behind me, followed by the Goddess of Time, who apologized while straightening her posture.
It seems that the tactic had worked. If it hadn’t, I would have thought it wouldn’t matter anymore, but I had managed to protect my arm.
I did protect it… right? My arm feels kind of numb, and I can barely sense anything in it anymore, but it should be okay, right?
[Lilia-san, I somehow managed to do it.]
[Ka-Kaito-san? What was that just now… It’s hard to explain, but how should I put it… It’s like I suddenly felt Kaito-san’s emotions…]
[Errr, well, it seems to be some kind of Magic. It’s a Magic Kuro taught me that lets me transmit my emotions to those around me…]
Lilia-san was looking up at me with a surprised expression, and I replied, feeling a new sense of anxiety because of the distance between us. It seemed like she understood when I mentioned that Kuro had taught me, nodding several times as if impressed.
[U-Umm, Lilia-san… Err, my arm…]
[…Eh? Huh!? M-My apologies!?]
Once Lilia-san regained some composure, I explained various things to her—mainly about my arm, which was already on the brink of exhaustion. She immediately released my arm, her face bright red, and bowed her head in apology.
I’ve thought this many times before, but Lilia-san is incredibly beautiful. I’m not sure if it’s just her noble nature, but I could feel the dignity of a noblewoman emanating from her. At the same time, there’s a warmth and friendliness fitting for someone of her age. Her figure is perfectly balanced—not too large, not too small—and she truly possesses the grace and beauty of a princess.
I must be incredibly lucky to have locked arms with such a beauty, even if it’s just a coincidence that I’m the one who ended up with her. But still, after arriving in another world, I’ve finally accomplished the feat of linking arms with a beauty—something only riajuus get to do.
I’m sure the men back on Earth would be burning with envy if they saw me now.
No, but seriously… I didn’t know that linking arms with someone could drain the blood from your hands and leave some lingering marks… I can’t even feel my arms at all, but they’re still attached, right? I see, I’ve heard it said that love is a battle, and falling in love is an act of risking your life for it.
All the riajuus must’ve gone through this kind of ordeal and earned the right to be happy… They’re actually pretty amazing, huh? Their arms must be made of titanium alloy or something like that.
Dear Mom, Dad—Using my magic, I somehow managed to stop their fight. And I don’t know if this was a reward for such a feat or not, but—I probably climbed the stairs to becoming a riajuu.