Perhaps, Probably, a Scene from Youth

Perhaps, Probably, a Scene from Youth

That morning, I was watching TV before leaving for school when a report about a spiritual disaster in America came on.

'The spiritual disaster that occurred in Miami yesterday at 2:30 p.m. local time has left 104 dead, 23 missing, and 57 injured, some seriously and some lightly...'

'An ability-user big brother came to save us!'

'President Freeman is holding a press conference regarding the disaster...'

'According to eyewitness testimony, ability users who immigrated from Japan were involved in resolving the spiritual disaster...'

'Wow, that's frightening. I guess spiritual disasters really can happen anywhere in the world.'

'Yes. Even the United States suffered damage on this scale, so the Japanese government needs to take this much more seriously...'

'The governor of Florida expressed his condolences for the victims at a press conference last night and spoke about reconstruction...'

When I glanced at the clock in the corner of the TV, more time had passed than I expected.

"Mom, I'm heading out."

"Okay, have a good day. Leave the TV on."

"Got it. I'm off."

After calling out to Mom, who was hanging laundry, I grabbed my bag and headed for the entrance.

Perhaps because of my elf blood, I could still hear the TV in the living room even while putting on my shoes.

'President Freeman's secretary, Ms. Catherine, also passed away recently. That may have affected the slow response.'

'No doubt about it. Until now, the president has responded extremely quickly to spiritual disasters in the United States...'

The president's secretary had died?

It caught my attention for a moment, but getting to school on time was more important than the death of some stranger in a distant country.

"I'm off!"

After calling out to Mom one more time, I left the house.

The strong sunlight greeted me immediately. The forecast had said it would rain in the afternoon, but was that really true?

After confirming that my folding umbrella was at the bottom of my bag and closing the front door,

I set off for school at a slightly brisker pace.

＊　　　　＊　　　　＊

Lately, it had become a little easier to be in the classroom.

If I greeted people, they would reply without being excessively frightened. I no longer heard voices from the edge of the classroom saying, without any basis, that they might get caught up in a spiritual disaster.

I had also started talking to a few boys, Matsuda-kun among them, when we formed groups for class. We weren't close enough to call each other friends, but school life was no longer a problem.

I felt like I could breathe a little more easily even while at school.

Even so.

"Let's eat."

In a corner of the third floor, in a space used as storage, I pressed my hands together over my lunch box, alone.

I still didn't have the courage to eat alone in the classroom. I didn't like frightening people, but I didn't like having them awkwardly cater to me either.

Put another way, I didn't want their pity. I thought being alone was lonely, yet here I was. Even I thought I was a troublesome person.

Well, I had evolved—from being treated as a hazardous object into an ordinary loner. Evolved? As things stood, school life could be called smooth sailing. As long as I didn't become a target for bullying, I was starting to feel that was enough.

I kept working my chopsticks and mouth and finished eating in about ten minutes.

I put my lunch box back in its bag, drank tea from my thermos, and let out a small breath. Then I took out my smartphone, thinking I might clear my daily quests in a mobile game.

That was when I noticed small footsteps approaching.

Was it a third-year student? No, the footsteps were far too quiet even compared with those of an ordinary female student. This was...

"Ah, there you are, just as I thought! Kota-kun!"

"Torimari-san."

A girl with reddish-orange hair poked her head out.

Her cat ears bobbed, and she smiled brightly. She looked young enough to be a middle schooler.

"It hasn't been long enough to call it a long time, perhaps, but I'll say it anyway! It's been a while!"

"Hello. It has been a while... I guess. Um, did you need something?"

As I asked, I found myself hoping, 'Could it be...?'

Torimari-san rubbed her cheek, her eyebrows drooping into a little frown.

"Well... The 'trouble at home' I mentioned before has more or less settled down. So I came to let you know that my schedule might be opening up..."

Apparently, she had remembered what we'd discussed before.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Would now work? You said you wanted to talk to me."

"Ah, no. I'm sorry to bother you when you're busy, too. In that case... Could we meet somewhere outside school sometime soon? As I told you before, it's not really something we can discuss at school..."

They say walls have ears and sliding doors have eyes, but these days, besides ears and eyes, all sorts of electronic devices had joined in.

At school, no matter how carefully you watched your surroundings, talking about secrets was... I couldn't exactly say, 'Are you with Public Security?'

"Um... Could this be a confession...?"

Torimari-san fidgeted shyly and looked up at me.

She was incredibly cute. If I had a little sister, she'd be like this...? No, of course not. I often heard that real-life siblings didn't get along.

...Ah, crap. There was a real possibility I might soon have a much younger sibling, and that thought did a little damage to my mental state.

Knowing that your parents are having a "nighttime sports meet" is simply poisonous during adolescence.

"Are you all right? Your complexion has become rather alarming..."

"Please don't worry about it... And it's not a confession, so you can rest easy..."

"I-is that so?"

I somehow managed to smile at Torimari-san, who looked genuinely concerned.

"Ah, if you're worried about meeting one-on-one with some guy, please rest easy. I was thinking we could meet at the café run by the clan I belong to. The Master is a woman, so..."

"I'm not that wary! Kota-kun is my friend, so I trust you!"

Torimari-san put her hands on her hips and thrust out her small chest.

Every one of those gestures was somehow childlike. She really didn't seem like someone from Public Security, but...

I wanted her to be not merely with Public Security, but also a "righteous police officer."

We really had very few people we could rely on, after all.

"Haha... Then, um. Whenever it's convenient for you, Torimari-san, just let me know, and we'll meet that day..."

"Understood! Today won't work yet, but let's talk sometime soon! Oh, could you tell me the name and location of that café?"

"Yes. Thank you. The café is called 'Alf,' and it's located—"

＊　　　　＊　　　　　＊

"So that's what happened. Please tell the Master I'll be counting on her then."

"Picking up a cat-eared little girl... I've lost all respect for you, Otaku-kun!"

"No, I didn't."

After school, while I told them what had happened at school as we rode the bus, Riko-senpai predictably started fooling around.

Did this fake gal have some kind of curse that made it impossible for her to hold a conversation without cracking jokes?

"YES Lolita, NO Touch! To forget that vow... is unforgivable!"

"I don't remember swearing any such vow, and I'm not a lolicon either."

"What!? If you say you don't remember such a vow... Are you a hardcore pervert who touches lolis!?"

"Should I sue this guy for defamation...?"

"Young oni. Such acts against a child who cannot even resist... are wrong, you know? Seriously."

"I told you I wasn't going to do that."

Rosso-san came into view from behind Riko-senpai, looking genuinely worried.

Besides, it was weirdly infuriating to have this person suspect me of being a lolicon. Should I report you to your mother, seriously?

"For starters, Torimari-san is in the same grade as me. If things are 'as expected,' she might even be considerably older than I am."

"Yes. I estimate that she is of childbearing age. There is no problem."

"Miyu-san. This really isn't that kind of conversation."

"Sorry, Miyu-chi. The way you put that was... way too graphic..."

"That wording is too serious to pass off as a joke, so let's drop this subject... okay?"

Miyu-san declared that with a sharp expression, and the two jokers nodded solemnly.

Besides, you two knew exactly what you were doing and were just fooling around, didn't you?

"Anyway. Please count on me when the day comes."

"Okay, Maru Suisan—leave it to me, loli. I'll be sure to tell Grandma."

"I should ask, though: Is it all right if it's just the young oni, the Master, and Miyu?"

At Rosso-san's words, I nodded.

"Yes. It would be rude to call them to our home turf and then surround them with a large group. Besides, I don't think this will turn violent."

"Yeah. Even if things are 'as expected,' and even if our 'hopes are misplaced,' it's not like we'll immediately start trading blows. The other side has a position to consider, too. If it does turn violent... well, Grandma will handle it somehow. Probably."

"I see... But I've been wondering. Is the Master strong? From the way you speak, she sounds like quite the seasoned fighter."

"Ah..."

At Rosso-san's question, Riko-senpai looked up as though considering her answer, then—

"She is. Very strong."

She stated it flatly.

She, too, was an adventurer who had weathered countless life-and-death situations. Having been through all that, she still gave a firm nod and said it.

"The thing is, her Unique Ability is 'difficult to use,' so she might have trouble going all out in the city. Even so, if she cuts loose, she's definitely stronger than me."

"That strong?"

"That strong. She's my amazing Grandma."

"As expected... A café Master should be like that...!"

Rosso-san clenched a fist, looking a little pleased.

I understood the feeling. You want a café Master to have a high level of personal combat ability, don't you...? Like a former elite assassin, or secretly an active special-forces operative.

Or someone with connections to a lot of outlaws, or who worked as an information broker in the shadows. You can't help expecting that sort of "romance."

If there really were a café Master like that, though, I wouldn't want to go near her. I'd definitely get caught up in some kind of violent incident.

Anyway, the driver's announcement reached us. Apparently, we were nearing our destination.

About three minutes later, we arrived at the bus stop. I paid the fare and got off the bus.

Just then, a drop of water fell onto my head. When I looked up, a little rain was falling from the dark gray clouds.

The rain gradually picked up, quickly becoming a drizzle. I took the folding umbrella from my backpack and held it over Miyu-san.

"...? Thank you. But you should use it, Kota-san."

"No, I don't catch colds, so I'm fine."

"But—"

It wasn't really like me, but I decided to act a little cool.

As I smiled wryly at Miyu-san, who looked confused, heckling came from behind us.

"He's hitting on her! This time it's definitely hitting on her, Rosson! Otaku-kun is making a move on Miyu-chi, who's practically a loli! What a pervert! That guy's a pervert!"

"We cannot help but be outraged at the disparity in how you treat us. We shall not hesitate to sue. We will meet in the demon world's court. I shall sue you for fraud and property damage."

"Shut up, you fake gal and twenty-something chuunibyou. You both brought your own umbrellas."

Besides, you're already holding them open. There's no room to pull out another folding umbrella from the side.

"I'm not fake!"

"I am not a chuunibyou. I am a genuine noble of the demon world!"

"That's a stretch. All of it."

"All of it!?"

"You're rejecting everything we say!?"

"Rather, what is there to agree with?"

"More importantly, let's get moving. We'll get wet."

"Ah, right."

"Also—"

"Huh?"

With a firm tug, Miyu-san gripped the hand holding the umbrella and moved close to me.

Her delicate shoulder bumped against my upper arm, and her magnificent breasts came close enough to touch, but not quite.

"W-wait, um—"

"If we do this, neither of us will get wet... No, your shoulder is getting wet after all. Let's hurry."

"Y-yes..."

"...We should probably stand a little closer. Then neither of us will get wet."

"This is close enough, please...!"

"...?"

Please don't look so puzzled. I'll die. Of a heart attack.

Miyu-san casually shook her long black hair. Her frighteningly beautiful, perfectly sculpted face made my heart pound whether I liked it or not.

Amid the smell of rain drifting in from around us, the scent of Miyu-san's soap tickled my nose.

...I was really living my youth right now!!

"Wow. This is giving off some serious coming-of-age vibes. What do you say? Should I play some suitably romantic BGM from behind us?"

"Hwa, hwaaaaaaa...!"

"Um, seriously, what's wrong, Rosson? Are you sick? Did you get chilled?"

"I-I, too... No, but, ah... uuuuu...!"

I could still hear their strange conversation behind me as I moved my feet as though Miyu-san were pulling me along.

Even as I reveled in the situation of sharing an umbrella with a beautiful girl, I forced myself to shift gears mentally with every step I took.

After all, we were—

heading toward a dungeon we'd never visited before.