POV: Ito Kurumi
“There’s got to be some surefire way to Awaken out there, right?”
I was in a classroom in the Sacred Tree private high school for girls. Just as I was leaving for home, I overheard my classmates talking.
“My dad’s been nagging me about college. But if I become an Awakened One, I can just, like, say I’m gonna be an adventurer!”
“I know, right? You can even go abroad!”
I knew they weren’t talking about me, I knew that but I still couldn’t help but react to their conversation by stealthily touching my ear. It was longer and narrower than the average person’s. It became that way when the world [Returned to the Age of Myths] and I transformed to be part of the elf race.
…whatever the norm for Awakened Ones was, I wasn’t it.
“What’s wrong, Kurumi?”
“Hyaa!?”
I was startled when I noticed that Rin-chan was staring at me.
Koori Rin-chan. My childhood friend. My best friend.
She was tall for a girl, had black hair in a bob cut, and had a sexier figure than mine. Seeing such a girl up close left me quite stunned.
“N-nothing. I was just spacing out a bit.”
“Really? Well, if you’re feeling something, just say it, alright?”
With a worried look, Rin-chan said so and extended her hand. I took it and we made our way home. Kanaya Misaki-chan—a mutual friend of ours—would occasionally tease us but given that we had been going home together ever since we were in elementary, suddenly stopping because of some teasing would only make things more awkward.
And speaking of her,
“Misaki-chan went home early today”
“Yeah, some family matter, apparently”
We usually went home with Misaki-chan, so this would be the first time in quite a while that it would be just us two. As such, it was simply impossible to not look back on those days.
“…say, Rin-chan,”
“Yeah, what is it?”
I looked away as I tried to speak the next words. But my lips wouldn’t move and only air instead of words passed through my throat. I had to ask it, I knew I had to, but I just couldn’t make myself to take that step. I knew I should, but I just didn’t want to.
“Kurumi?”
In response to Rin-chan’s puzzled look, I managed to give her a smile.
“Err, what should we do for dinner?”
“…you really are feeling under the weather, aren’t you? Should I make you something?”
Having lived with her as roommates, I lightly shook my head to her proposal.
“I’m just fine. I mean, I can’t get sick anymore, remember?”
“Yeah, but…I’m not talking about your physical health. You just seem out of it.”
I really can’t hide anything from her, can I?
But at the same time, it’ was hard to be candid about this with her. Like, what if after I ask her she realizes that…
Just the thought made my lips grow as heavy as lead. And whenever the chance to talk about it had passed, I –the coward that I was—felt relieved.
“I’m telling you, I’m just fine! And besides, if I let you cook, you’ll just break another plate.”
“Ahh! That was just an accident! It definitely won’t happen again!”
“You sure~?”
As she opened her mouth wide to argue, I caught sight of her tongue for a moment. Etched on the red flesh were mysterious, golden characters. The moment I saw those, my chest ached. That was “my sin”.
“…Kurumi.”
While I was lost in those thoughts, Rin-chan stopped walking and had a grim look on her face. While wondering what could cause it, I followed her gaze and saw an expensive-looking black car parked on the road.
From the car that totally didn’t belong in a regular neighborhood, an elf woman like me alighted. Even though we were supposed to be of the same race, the woman in the suit was tall and slender. Without a word, she moved to open the door to the rear seats.
When I saw the man that soon emerged from the car, I wore the same expression that Rin-chan had.
“Hey there. It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Rin-san, Kurumi-san.”
Koyama Kosuke, the founder of the [Society of the Sage].
Upon looking at him—who had a shaved head, rather ordinary facial features, and suit and shoes that looked expensive—the elf girl looked like she had seen something divine.
With a smile, he cheekily walked toward us.
“It has been 2 weeks already since we last met, I believe. I’ve come to hear your answer to my proposal back then. To that end, I’ve reserved a table at a French cuisine restaurant. So, shall we?”
“We’re good. We’ve made other plans.”
Rin-chan stepped forward as though to shield me. The way Koyama-san stared at her though—almost like undressing her with his eyes—was utterly repulsive. But more than the disgust I felt, the fear in me had kept me silent.
It had always been like this. Rin-chan was always the one doing the protecting.
“Won’t you reconsider? This is a matter that benefits all of mankind, you see. It should take priority over everything else.”
“Can’t and we’re actually in a real hurry, so we’ll be on our way now.”
Rin-chan led me by the hand and tried to get past the car. Thankfully, they didn’t try to stop us, but their gaze followed me.
“Ito Kurumi-san”
“Hiii!”
Hearing his rich voice say my name made my shoulders shiver. I stopped in my tracks as he continued to stare at me.
“Your power will be vital in saving the world. Of that, I am absolutely certain. So, won’t you go on a journey with me toward this salvation?”
“Have you tried saying those cheesy lines in a mirror? You should so that you know just how much you shouldn’t say them to a high school girl.”
Rin-chan lifted me up, said those words, and returned Koyama-san’s stare with a glare.
His cheek twitched for but a moment and the woman beside him looked at us full of murderous intent.
But Rin-chan ignored all that and continued walking.
“And we aren’t interested in religion!”
She threw that parting shot before running off. I was only a tiny bit smaller than people my age, but even so, she had no trouble carrying me off. And despite holding back, she was going faster than a short-distance sprint athlete.
I glanced back to Koyama-san as we dashed away. For some reason, he still had a smile on his face as he looked at us.
* * *
“I’m home!”
“I-I’m home”
Rin-chan had carried me all the way to our apartment unit. And when she gently let me down at the entryway, I somehow felt reluctant to part.
—but I knew I didn’t have any right to feel that way.
“Geez, I’ve had enough of that guy. If he ever shows up again, that’s it, I’m calling the cops.”
“N-no! If you do that, then—”
I was flustered by her suggestion but she simply stroked my head.
“It’ll be alright. It might cause a bit of an uproar, but nothing strange is going to happen.”
“But…”
I could only mumble my next words, but in my head, the image of Rin-chan’s father along with her past kept popping up.
On the other hand, Rin-chan—after giving me a wry smile—proceeded to take off her loafers and stepped into the entryway.
“Anyway, what are our plans for the rest of the day? We don’t have much of the bathroom cleaner left, so I’m thinking of buying some after I get changed. Want to go to the dungeon as well?”
“…no, let’s not for today. I mean, we still have school tomorrow.”
“Right, good point.”
I took off my own shoes and began making my way to the room I was renting. Before long though, I shouted at Rin-chan: she was walking in what could be considered our hallway while taking off her sailor uniform.
“Rin-chan! That’s bad manners.”
“Huh? It’s fine. We’re both girls here—”
“No, just no. It’s indecent.”
“Tch”
With her face puffed up a little, I saw her off to her room. I then entered mine, but instead of moving to change my clothes, I simply leaned my back on the door.
“…I suppose I can’t even propose that you spend the rest of the day doing singing practice instead.”
Back in junior high, she kept saying she would be a professional singer someday. Even after what happened with her father, she held on to that dream.
But that dream…I shattered it.
“Rin-chan…”
My back still against the door, I slowly sat down and looked up at the cream-colored ceiling.
“…do you resent me?”
That was the question I had been meaning to ask. The question I should ask but was just too afraid to.
About six months after the world made a [Return to the Age of Myths], Shinjuku was part of a widespread dungeon overflow incident.
At that time, I made her eat an [apple] and subsequently robbed her of her dream.
TL note: just in case you’re confused on who these characters are, take a look at Chapter 30
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