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Classmate wa Isekai de Yuusha ni Natta kedo, Ore dake Gendai Nihon ni Okizari ni Narimashita - Chapter 98

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Chapter 98 – Preparations for the Culture Festival Begin (Part 1)

“Hmm? You’re heading out already?”

It was just past 7 a.m. As I finished a simple breakfast made from whatever ingredients I could scrounge up and changed into my school uniform, my little sister Kana rubbed her eyes and yawned as she spoke.

“Yeah, I’ve got something I promised to do. There’s breakfast in the fridge—go ahead and eat that.”

“Okay. Take care!”

“See you later.”

After tying my shoelaces, I left the house and—as usual—headed to a quiet alley nearby. Once there, I activated Spatial Transfer Magic.

In the next instant, I was transported from the alley to an old, rundown park—the same one where I’d arranged to meet Kyouri last night.

I sat down on a bench and idly passed the time playing a mobile game. Before long, a girl in the same school uniform came running up to me.

“Sorry to keep you waiting!”

“It’s fine. I just came early on my own. Besides, this whole thing was my idea anyway.”

“...Is that so?”

“Yep. Don’t worry about it. Let’s get going to the station. It’ll be a pain if we’re late.”

“R-right!”

I stood up and started walking toward the station with Kyouri.

The reason I left home earlier than usual was really simple: I just wanted to spend a little more time with Kyouri.

It probably goes without saying by now, but Kyouri is one of the most beautiful girls at our school. Someone like her hanging out with someone like me? Yeah, it’s only a matter of time before that causes trouble.

So for now, our strategy is to spend time together during the morning commute, when there are fewer students from our school around. In this area, we’re unlikely to get spotted. And even if we do, I can always silence things with a quick Perception Obstruction Spell.

“…It feels kind of fresh, walking with you in the morning like this,” Kyouri said shyly.

“Now that you mention it, we usually only meet up in the evenings or at night.”

It’s kind of weird, really. We’re not officially dating, and our usual routes to school are completely different. But now that we’ve acknowledged our feelings for each other, spending time together like this… it’s like our brains just stop functioning properly.

“…By the way,” I began, “are you going to keep calling me ‘Iori-kun’?”

“Is that… a problem?”

“Well, no, not exactly. But I call you by your first name without honorifics, and you still call me by my last name—with ‘-kun’… I dunno, it just feels a little uneven.”

Yeah, I know I’m being childish. But once the thought got stuck in my head, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

As I agonized over how immature I sounded, Kyouri looked down, took a deep breath—and then looked up at me with a slight blush.

“Th-then… would it be okay if I called you Shuu-kun from now on?”

The way she looked up at me shyly, cheeks flushed, calling my name—

Yeah, I completely forgot how to speak for a moment there.

“…”

“Ah—was that too much?! I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—!”

“No, no, it’s not that! It’s just… the way you said my name was so cute, I kinda… short-circuited.”

“E-eh…?”

Kyouri stopped in her tracks, not looking so much surprised as she did completely flustered.

Crap. That was way too fast, man! You need steps! Build-up!

As I panicked, unsure how to recover from the awkward air between us, we somehow ended up arriving at the station.

“W-well, I’ll go on ahead, then…”

“Y-yeah. I’ll see you at school.”

If we arrived together, it would cause a scene. So the plan was for Kyouri to head to school first, while I took a more discreet route—using Spatial Transfer Magic to arrive later.

“Haah…”

Once she disappeared through the ticket gate, I let out a long sigh.

With the tension broken, I slumped down onto a nearby bench like a puppet with its strings cut.

(Ughhh, what a disaster…)

Even though the moment had long passed, a thousand alternate lines and witty comebacks I could’ve said kept swirling through my head. Each one made me feel worse.

Maybe I should just cast Perception Obstruction Magic on myself and erase this whole memory…

As I was lost in my thoughts—

“…P-please, stop…”

“C’mon, just for a bit. Come hang with us.”

I looked up to see a small girl in our school’s uniform with long black hair being grabbed by a rough-looking guy from another school. He had a group of equally delinquent friends behind him.

Yeah, no way I’m ignoring that.

I started to stand up, but then I noticed something strange.

(Wait a second… isn’t this weird?)

People nearby were completely ignoring the situation. Even the police officer stationed in the nearby koban (police box) wasn’t reacting at all.

It’s like no one could see the girl or the delinquents.

(Maybe I should check before getting involved.)

I cast Appraisal on both the girl and the delinquent.

Ikoma Juri – Human – Age 17
Status: Emotionally cornered after being approached by a stranger. Wishing someone would help her.
Note: Experiencing stress due to a deteriorating environment.

Azuma Yuya – Human – Age 17
Status: Approached the girl on a whim while looking for someone to mess with. Willing to use force if she refuses.
Note: Currently suspended. Has a record with the police.

I appraised the rest of the group as well—they were all just standard delinquents. No signs of brainwashing or strange powers like with the Hero Suit incident.

(Still… this whole setup feels staged.)

No time to think it through now. I need to help her.

I walked up to them and grabbed Azuma’s shoulder.

“Yo, could you let go of her? She looks uncomfortable.”

“Huh? The hell’s your problem?!”

I’d tried to speak calmly, but Azuma immediately took a swing at me. Typical hothead.

But his punch was laughably slow to me. I caught his fist effortlessly and tightened my grip just enough to hurt.

“I’ll say it again. Please let go of her. Until you do, I’m not letting go of you.”

He struggled, trying to yank his arm free, but after a few minutes, he was panting from exhaustion.

“…Tch! Screw this!”

Finally realizing he couldn’t win, he let go of Juri. True to my word, I released his arm—after one last little squeeze—and activated Perception Obstruction Magic.

With a calm smile and some magical pressure, I stared them down. The delinquents scattered like bugs under a light.

I turned back to Juri, who was still sitting on the ground.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Y-yes… I’m fine now. Thank you…”

“If you want, I can go with you to the police station and report what happened.”

“N-no! I couldn’t possibly trouble a stranger like that… I really am okay.”

“…Got it. Take care, then.”

After she left, I looked around the area again.

Even after all that, no one reacted. Not one smartphone filming it. Not one adult stepping in.

(Even the cop was just standing there smiling…)

This wasn’t apathy. It was something much more unnatural.

(Guess I’ll report this to Alicia later…)

Still…

(Why is it that I can talk to a stranger like that just fine, but I get totally tongue-tied with Kyouri…?)

With a mix of unease and regret swirling in my chest, I searched for another quiet alley to teleport from.

Next time—I want us to be able to talk and smile together.

That’s what I wished for most.

📘 Translator’s Notes

  1. “Kun” and Name Conventions:
    Kyouri calling him “Iori-kun” is a polite and slightly distant way of addressing him. Dropping to “Shuu-kun” (his first name) implies closeness and affection. Japanese name etiquette is deeply tied to social dynamics and emotional nuance, especially in school romance settings.

  2. “Spatial Transfer Magic” / “Perception Obstruction Magic”:
    These fantasy-style abilities are treated casually in this world, reflecting a genre blend of urban fantasy and slice-of-life. Their use is often metaphorical—disappearing from the world’s view or crossing emotional barriers.

  3. Koban:
    Small local police stations in Japan often stationed at train stations or intersections. Their inaction here adds to the surreal tension of the scene.

  4. The Ending Monologue (Juri’s POV):
    The story quietly shifts to Juri’s perspective, implying some kind of supernatural or reality-altering power she doesn’t fully understand. Her guilt and desire for a “hero” to rescue her aligns with shoujo/fantasy tropes but is played seriously.

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