Classmate wa Isekai de Yuusha ni Natta kedo, Ore dake Gendai Nihon ni Okizari ni Narimashita - Chapter 104

Chapter 104: Preparations for the Cultural Festival Have Begun — Part 7

“Phew, I guess this is good enough.”

On Saturday morning, after finishing cleaning the house, I poured some barley tea from the fridge into a glass and took a break.

As expected, Dad wasn’t coming home because of work, and I handed Kana some extra money for lunch, telling her not to come back until evening, then sent her off to the kendo dojo.

(It’s about time to head out.)

The current time was 8:30 a.m.

The meeting time was 9, but staying at home made me restless thinking about Kyori.

So I decided to go to the meeting spot a little early.

I quickly changed into my outside clothes, shoved my phone and wallet into my pockets, and stepped outside.

“Hot…”

Although it was technically already autumn on the calendar, the outside temperature was almost like midsummer.

I activated ‘Wind Magic’ and ‘Freezing Magic’ to cool down the inside of my clothes like an air-conditioned room, then started walking toward the station.

◇◇◇

The day Kyori and I walked to school holding hands, word spread like wildfire, and soon all the students at school knew we were dating.

Everywhere on campus, we felt countless gazes. Both boys and girls bombarded us with questions like, “How did you start dating? Since when have you been so close?”

After all, Kyori was called the “angel of the academy” — a perfect combination of beauty, brains, and a pleasant personality — so much so that some boys had even unofficially formed a fan club for her.

And here I was, just a plain, unnoticed guy suddenly dating her.

It’s no wonder everyone was curious.

But we couldn’t honestly explain how our relationship came to be, so we had to just dodge their endless questions.

(That was seriously tough…)

I thought bitterly about it, a trauma I never wanted to relive, as I walked — and before I knew it, I had arrived at the station square.

Since it was a weekend morning, couples were likely meeting there for dates, and many were cuddling and flirting.

Just last week, I thought people like them lived in a completely different world from someone like me, a mere background character.

Lost in thought, I headed toward the clock monument in the station square — our meeting point.

…There’s still some time before the meeting.

I figured I’d study some English vocabulary while I waited.

As I reached for my phone—

(Huh? That’s…)

In front of the monument stood a familiar girl, dressed for summer in a semi-large beige handbag, a translucent floral dress, and short boots, checking her wristwatch.

“Kyori? The meeting time isn’t until later, you know?”

“Um, I just couldn’t settle down at home… What about you?”

“Uh, about the same reason, I guess.”

Apparently, we had both come early because we couldn’t wait.

Understanding that, we both smiled naturally.

“Then, it’s a bit early, but shall we go to my place? Besides, I don’t want to stay in this hot place any longer.”

“Sounds good. Please show me the way.”

“Oh, and I’ll carry your bag. It’s tough to carry heavy things in this heat.”

“But that’d be a bother for you—”

“It’s no bother at all. Besides, let me at least look cool.”

“...Okay, then please.”

Kyori handed me her bag with an apologetic look.

“Oh, there are snacks inside, so please don’t carry it roughly.”

“Snacks?”

“Yes. I thought you and your family could enjoy them.”

“Thanks for that. Well then, let’s go.”

Holding hands, we walked toward my house.

The feed from the surveillance drones via ‘Sensory Link’ showed no abnormalities, so I could relax a little.

“By the way, I know it’s late to ask, but is your family home today?”

“They all went out, so it’s just us until 5 p.m. Oh, and another late question — what about lunch?”

“Hmm, what should we do? I can’t just use your groceries without permission…”

“You don’t have to worry about that. But cooking and cleaning up sounds troublesome, and going out to buy food in this heat isn’t appealing either…”

Wait. Since this is a special occasion, why not order that thing again? I just got some money from the UMA-hunting part-time job.

“...How about ordering pizza delivery? We just wait, and cleaning up’s easy.”

“Pizza!? That dough with cheese and toppings!?”

“Yeah, that pizza… Do you dislike it or something?”

“N-No, I don’t dislike it. It’s just I’ve never had much chance to eat junk food before…”

That’s right. At her house, she probably never had junk food, and when she was taken care of after the ox demon hunt, the meals were extremely health-conscious.

“So, maybe because I’m finally free from that house, I’m really interested in pizza and hamburgers…”

“Got it. Then pizza it is for lunch.”

Before long, we arrived at my house.

No sign of Dad’s car, and no sign Kana had returned.

After confirming no one was home, I opened the front door.

“This is really an empty house, but please come in.”

“T-Thank you for having me…”

Kyori and I both entered the house somewhat awkwardly.

It’s been almost two years since I moved here, so the house felt familiar — but with people normally absent, it suddenly felt like someone else’s place.

“For now, rest in the living room. What do you want to drink?”

“Anything is fine.”

“Alright, I’ll bring some barley tea.”

I went to the kitchen, took the chilled barley tea pot from the fridge, and poured some into a glass.

Calling a girl to my house was nerve-wracking.

When was the last time I invited a friend over?

Even when hanging out with Rentaro and the others, it was always outside...

Carrying the tray with the barley tea, I went to the living room.

Kyori sat neatly in seiza, but she seemed bothered by something in the corner.

Ah, no wonder — that thing would catch anyone’s eye.

I had avoided looking at it, so I completely forgot to hide it.

“Kyori, I brought some tea.”

“Th-thank you. I’ll have some.”

“You’re worried about that thing, huh?”

“To be honest…”

Kyori’s gaze was fixed on the Buddhist altar and the memorial photo.

The photo showed a woman in her thirties with a gentle smile.

“That’s…?”

“My mother. She died in a car accident five years ago.”

“I-I'm sorry for such a thoughtless question…”

“I don’t mind anymore. Let’s start the study session. There isn’t much time until the midterms.”

Sensing I didn’t want to discuss it further, Kyori turned her eyes to the table spread with study materials.

Grateful for her thoughtfulness, I covered the altar and photo with a white curtain.

I never want to recall that accident, that time…

With that wish from the bottom of my heart, I returned to Kyori.

◇◇◇

“Ugh, keeping my brain working nonstop is exhausting…”

“Yeah, let’s take a break soon.”

“Agreed. I don’t think I’ll retain anything if I keep going like this.”

After about four hours of study, during which I barely managed to cram in some physics, I put down my mechanical pencil and declared defeat.

Kyori still seemed fine but agreed to the break for my sake.

The point of this study session was mutual help, but actually, I was mostly being taught.

Apparently, Kyori was taking classes a year ahead, so studying for the test was basically review for her.

The notes I took while she was absent only helped her identify what she missed.

Meanwhile, I was totally depending on her to patiently explain things.

Her teaching was so thorough that even someone at the bottom of the class would likely rank high if she tutored them.

Still, just showing my notes isn’t an equal trade…

Well, I could at least buy lunch to make up for it.

“It’s a bit late, but should we order lunch? Kyori, are you sure about pizza?”

“Yes! Please!”

After checking the time, I confirmed with Kyori again.

She was clearly excited about pizza.

I opened the delivery app, pulled up the pizza menu, and showed it to her.

“So, what will it be?”

“There are so many options! What does ‘half’ or ‘quarter’ mean?”

“You can enjoy different flavors on one pizza. Half means two types, triple means three, quarter means four. You can also choose dough types — soft and fluffy or crispy.”

“I see, looks like I’ll want to try many…”

Watching Kyori seriously study the menu was an adorable sight.

I thought to myself,

I’m already living the happiest life I could imagine.

So…

‘Living with your mother, separated from that person and Kana — that’s the happiest way for you.’

So please, don’t make me remember that time anymore.

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