Ads

Classmate wa Isekai de Yuusha ni Natta kedo, Ore dake Gendai Nihon ni Okizari ni Narimashita - Chapter 109

on

Chapter 109 – The Cultural Festival Has Begun, Part 1

"Good morning, Kyori."
"Good morning, Osamu-kun."

On the morning of the cultural festival, we met in our usual park, both in school uniforms and without our bags. We exchanged a brief greeting.

Even though the cultural festival we'd both been looking forward to was finally starting, Kyori's expression was clouded.

"Still no contact from Ikoma-senpai?"
"...No. Even if I send messages, they don’t get marked as read. When I call, I’m not sure if her phone’s off or if I’ve been blocked, but she doesn’t pick up."

Two days ago, all contact with Ikoma-senpai was suddenly lost.

Until then, we had smooth interactions—chats about abilities, her pushing her favorite topics, and her relationship with Ibara seemed far closer than ours. Or so I thought...

What’s even stranger is that she isn’t showing up on any tracking or detection magic either.

Clearly, something abnormal is going on.

But…

"For now, I sent Ibara to Ikoma-senpai’s house. All we can do is wait for her report."
"...I see. I just hope nothing bad happened to her."

Even though there's very little we can actually do, staying depressed won’t help. Trying to change the heavy mood, I gently took Kyori’s hand and said:

"O-Osamu-kun...?"
"Let me say it again—there’s not much we can do right now except wait for Ibara’s report. So until then, let’s enjoy the festival as best we can."
"...You're right. It is a rare event, so it’d be a shame not to have fun."

Once Kyori’s usual atmosphere returned, I felt relieved, and we started walking toward the station.

◇◇◇

"Whoa… this is amazing."

As soon as we arrived at the school, I found myself blurting that out as I looked at the festively decorated building.

Stalls lined the ground and parking lot, colorful banners and balloons adorned the school building, and students were dressed in all sorts of flashy costumes.

"It’s really impressive. Everyone looks like they’re having a great time… It truly feels like a festival."
"Yeah. This is my first time going to an event like this, but I didn’t expect it to be this extravagant."

As I said that, Kyori tilted her head curiously.

"Osamu-kun, you’ve never been to something like this before?"
"Yeah. My parents used to move around a lot, so whenever it was time for cultural festivals or sports days, we were always busy preparing to move."
"So you haven’t lived in this town very long?"
"Hmm… we moved here about two years ago, I think?"
"I see. That’s a bit surprising. You seemed to fit in with the class so easily."
"That’s just because I’m always hanging out with Rentarou. I’m actually a pretty hardcore introvert."
"Introvert? What’s that?"
"Something you’ll never have to worry about, Kyori."
"???"

While chatting like that, we arrived at a hot dog stall run by third-years.

It seemed popular—not just because hot dogs are a safe bet, but because they’re convenient to eat one-handed. A decent line had already formed.

Normally I’d avoid long lines like this, but...

"……!"

Just like when we ordered pizza during our study session, Kyori’s face lit up as she stared at the sizzling sausages. There was no way I could skip this line now.

"What do you think? Looks like we’ll have to wait quite a while."
"Um... If possible, I’d like to wait."
"Then let’s wait."
"Yes!"

When I said that, Kyori nodded with a bright, happy smile.

Even though the third-year students were moving efficiently, it still looked like we’d be waiting 10 to 15 minutes.

Well, at least we could pass the time chatting.

…Oh yeah, that reminds me.

"Mind if I ask something really random? Do you know what class Ikoma-senpai is in?"
"...I think she was in 2-B."
"2-B, huh…"

I couldn’t help but feel something strange upon realizing she was in the same class that was caught in that accident.

"Is something wrong?"
"Ah, no. It's nothing. Anyway, looks like we can move forward now."

Kyori peered at me with a worried look. Crap—I must’ve made a pretty serious face.

Feeling a little bad, I kept up our small talk while we waited and finally got our hot dogs.

Just a basic hot dog—store-bought bread and sausage, with ketchup and mustard. The kind you could easily make at home.

(Still… things like this always taste better at events like these.)

As I bit into the hot dog wrapped in foil, I truly felt that way.

"So delicious… This is really delicious!"

Kyori seemed more than satisfied, happily munching away at her hot dog.

Watching her enjoy it so much made me feel like just seeing this moment was enough to make the trip worth it. I pulled the festival pamphlet from my pocket and started scanning it for our next stop.

That’s when one of the mock shops on the second floor caught my eye.

"Osamu-kun, where to next?"
"If you're okay with it, I’d like to check out the haunted house that class 2-B is running."
"…Are you also trying to investigate Ikoma-senpai’s ability?"
"That too. But mainly, I want to understand her relationships."
"Relationships?"
"How she’s viewed in class, how she usually spends her time… I want to know if those things are connected to her power acting up. It’s not every day we get a chance to visit her classroom."

To be honest, when Kyori and I started dating, it caused quite a stir around school.

But according to Ibara’s report, Ikoma-senpai apparently didn’t know about it.

It’s hard to believe someone so close to the people involved wouldn’t know—unless no one around her told her.

Was it because she was just bad at making friends? Or was she being isolated—bullied, even?

I needed to find out what kind of stress she might be dealing with.

"Understood. Then let’s go right away."

Kyori nodded firmly after finishing her hot dog and listening to my explanation.

And so, we began walking toward our next destination—2-B’s haunted house attraction.

◇◇◇

—At the same time

"This should be the place."

Following Osamu Iori’s orders, Ibara had arrived at the apartment where Ikoma Juri lived.

It was an auto-lock building, so outsiders would usually be stopped at the entrance. But...

"This is nothing."

Using her abilities in Architecture and Smithing Techniques, Ibara created a tool to bypass the lock and entered the building without hesitation.

She encountered no obstacles and soon stood in front of Ikoma Juri’s apartment. Just as before, she made a key and entered.

"...What is this…"

The room was completely deserted.

At first glance, it just looked like the resident had gone out.

But the problem was—there were signs of life just moments earlier.

Coffee was still steaming in a teacup on the table. Toast, likely breakfast, was still warm. The TV and air conditioner were left on. Her wallet and smartphone remained inside.

It was as if she had vanished into thin air.

Ibara searched every inch of the room but found no clues. Staying longer wouldn’t help.

So, she tried to contact her master, Osamu Iori.

"...No connection?"

First, she attempted to link minds using Sensory Link, but the skill was somehow blocked.

Next, she tried calling, but all she got was a generic automatic message.

Finally, she used Tracking and Detection Magic to locate him, but…

"That’s not working either…?"

Just like the apartment’s missing resident, Osamu and the others had also vanished—without a trace.

Comments

Post a Comment