On a clear, pleasant dawn, standing in front of me in the garden of the mansion is Yuzuki-san, who’s running around at a frightening speed.
[Miyama-senpai~~, this is so much fun!]
[You’re really fast. I can’t even keep up with you with my eyes anymore.]
[Ahh~ If I can make it into the Olympics with this, I’m sure I’ll win~.]
[Ahaha, that would certainly happen.]
Although it had only been a few days since both Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san awakened their magic power almost simultaneously, it’s likely due to them being otherworlders that, as Kuro said, they both possess abilities far beyond the norm.
Yuzuki-san, in particular, seems to have an extraordinary aptitude for Body Strengthening Magic. After just a few days of awakening her magic power, she’s gained a level of physical ability that could be called inhuman—especially since running was already her strong suit. When it comes to speed, even Lilia-san and the others seem no match for her.
Incidentally, Body Strengthening Magic is considered one of the most basic forms of magic, and I can use it as well, but… Unfortunately, I have no talent for this type of magic at all.
It seems that Yuzuki-san originally had a record of 12 seconds for a 100-meter run. At this point, she’s already much faster than me, as my record is around 14 seconds, but with the speed Yuzuki-san gains when she uses her Body Strengthening Magic, running a hundred meters… would only take her about a second. In terms of speed, you could say she could reach over 300 km per hour.
That’s right—when Yuzuki-san uses her Body Strengthening Magic, she can run as fast as a bullet train. Magic really is amazing.
By the way, when I tried using Body Strengthening Magic myself and did a hundred-meter run, my record, which was originally 14 seconds… turned into 13 seconds. To put it simply, it was a difference that could be considered within the margin of error.
As for Kusunoki-san, she doesn’t seem to use any special kind of Magic, but she has an unusually high aptitude for earth-attribute Magic. If it’s earth-attribute Magic, she can even use intermediate-ranked Magic.
So, if we were to rank our magic abilities based on combat potential… mine would be the weakest.
Well, it’s not that I think Magic is all about combat abilities, and we’ve never had the chance to fight in the first place, but the young man in me still finds it a bit disappointing.
I know this is a peaceful world, and it’s forbidden to use offensive magic in urban areas. I don’t think I’d want to fight against monsters either.
But, still… I’m a boy, after all. It’s hard not to yearn for the cool offensive magic, and having a way to protect yourself in a pinch is always a good idea.
[……So, are you expecting something to happen?]
[……Eh?]
After recounting the events of this morning, I asked Kuro, who hadn’t shown up for the past few days, probably because she’s been busy.
At that, Kuro looked unusually puzzled, as though my question had caught her completely off guard.
[N-No, Kaito-kun. Isn’t this the part where you do that? Isn’t this where you follow up on what Chronois-chan told you the other day? Isn’t this where you’d go “Kuro, who the heck are you!?” or something like that?]
[……Unn? Arehh? How come Kuro knows about that?]
[Chronois-chan is a really serious person, after all. She asked for my consent before coming to you and telling you about this, Kaito-kun.]
[How should I put this… I guess that’s really like Chronois-san.]
I see. I don’t know if there’s something like privacy protection in this world, but it seems that Chronois-san asked Kuro’s consent before revealing any of her background to me.
I guess she really is like Lilia-san—Chronois-san must have a very upright personality…
[Well, it’s not like it really matters though…]
[It doesn’t really matter!? No, no, look, Kaito-kun. Wasn’t that a pretty shocking fact?]
[That is pretty shocking, and I’ve had various thoughts about it, but… it’s just that those unexpected situations—how should I say this… “I guess I got used to it.”]
[……Somehow, it kinda looks like Kaito-kun has grown into someone indomitable.]
It’s not that I don’t have thoughts about Kuro’s past based on what Chronois-san told me. Of course, I was pretty surprised, but after thinking about it in my own way… I came to the conclusion that I still don’t really understand, even after thinking about it.
[B-But, look! Aren’t you curious about what my true form is?]
[Ahh, I think she mentioned you were a black smoke, right? Hmmm. So, in short, you’re some kind of “cotton candy monster,” right?]
[That’s not even close at all!?]
[I see, hmm. Well, I guess I don’t really… care about it that much.]
[Eeeehhhh!?]
As if my reaction was unexpected, Kuro looked very surprised and confused, while I just sipped my coffee.
I was certainly shocked to hear that Kuro had once attacked the God Realm and that she was hiding her true power and form. I thought about it a lot the day I first heard it.
[However, I figured that even if I asked, you’d just dodge the question anyway…]
[Uggghhh, n-no, I don’t know. What if I could have given you some kind of hint?]
But after thinking about it, my thoughts just ended up at “So what?”
Even if Kuro is actually the big bad guy, and even if she asked me what I could do about it, there’s really nothing I can do.
Kuro is far more powerful than I am. It’s more a matter of whether there’s anything I can do.
On the other hand, if she’s just as kind-hearted as I’ve always believed, then there’s nothing wrong with that.
In the end, no matter how much I think about it, there’s nothing I can do about this question… Moreover…
[Even if Kuro had invaded the God Realm with malicious intent in the past, and even if you have some kind of plan for taking care of me… I don’t think it’s going to stop me from being thankful to Kuro, and I don’t think it changes the fact that Kuro is an important friend of mine… So, it doesn’t really matter.]
[……D-Damn… What you said somehow sounds cool, I can’t even think of a response…]
[Well, that’s why I’d like to hear about it from Kuro, if you’re willing to talk to me about it, since I’d like to know more about you… but I’m not really in that much of a hurry to hear it from you.]
[……Mhhmm.]
Yes, that’s the conclusion I arrived at after thinking it over.
I’d love to hear it from Kuro if she’d tell me, but I don’t want to pressure her into talking about something she doesn’t want to. So, I won’t press her with questions.
However, I’m not just going to sit back and wait for her to share. I’ll think about it myself and try to get to know Kuro better. In that case, wouldn’t the answer come to me naturally when the time is right?
Unnn… How should I put this? It might be because I’ve gotten used to this world, but I feel like I’m beginning to approach everything with a calmer mindset.
I’m not sure if it’s because she didn’t like my explanation, but Kuro seems to be sulking, puffing out her cheeks. It doesn’t look like she can find the right words to refute my answer.
Her childlike behavior is so adorable that I unconsciously reached out and poked her swollen cheek.
[Hyyaaahhh!? K-K-Kaito-kun!? What are you doing all of a sudden!?]
[Arehh? That reaction of yours is new…]
[Suddenly poking a girl’s cheek, that’s cellular harassment!]
[……”Sexual harassment.”]
[Mnnggghhh……]
[Ahaha, sorry, sorry.]
How should I put this? Thinking about how we usually act, it’s kind of amusing how our positions are reversed right now, and I can’t help but laugh.
Kuro looks like she’s sulking, pouting with her cheeks puffed out like a hamster stuffing itself with sunflower seeds, but she doesn’t look scary at all—she actually looks kind of cute.
[……It’s not that my heart is beating faster. It’s just that I was surprised to see Kaito-kun looking a little cooler, in a way I like……]
(T/N: I can’t translate how cute I imagined her when she said it, so please imagine this with your own inner loli voices: “……betsuni dokidoki shitenaimon. Chotto Kaito-kun ga, boku konomi ni kakkoi yoku nattete odoreita dakeda mon……”)
[Hmmm? Did you say something?]
[I didn’t say anything, Kaito-kun, you idiot!!!]
[Like I said, I’m sorry already……]
Until now, I’ve probably been stepping back behind Kuro, since I’m really grateful she saved me.
But now that I’ve pushed those thoughts aside and moved closer to her, I can see a side of Kuro I’ve never seen before.
There’s no need for me to make assumptions based on what others have said. Looking at Kuro with my own eyes, I think it’s fine if I take my time to figure it out… About what kind of person Kuro is, and how I should interact with her.
Well, for now, I guess I should focus on getting the grumpy princess in a better mood…
Dear Mom, Dad—I have a lot on my mind, and it’s not like I’m not feeling anxious. However, I can’t quite explain it, but—I feel like I’m getting a little closer to Kuro.
<Author’s Notes>
It seems like Underworld King-sama is trying to increase her Heroine Power to over 9000.
T/N: I gave up translating shimoneta, my head hurts with all the references they’re dropping here and there, so I gave up. I will try to catch up with the kofi donates with me.
3/11.
-LazyCat
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