A hero who wants to help others wants to live a normal life - Chapter 17

Chapter 17   Brother and Sister Make Up

“I wanted to apologize properly. Inori was in the wrong last time.”

“…Why so formal all of a sudden?”

“Well, I just thought that if someone insulted someone who’s like a sister to you, it’s only natural you’d be angry. Besides, I never directly apologized to you.”

Inori had apologized to Kujou, and I had also offered my apologies to her. But neither of us had ever apologized to Toudou. So I figured it would be best to do it now, once and for all.

“Is there any reason for you to apologize? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Maybe not, but I’m supposed to keep an eye on her. If she did something, then it’s partly my responsibility too.”

I knew that Inori still hadn’t fully adapted to society, and I understood that she was a bit unusual. Even so, I’d let my guard down and failed to keep her in check. I created a situation where I couldn’t control her. So, in a way, that argument was also my fault.

“…I see. But I’m not worried about it anymore. I was at fault too, and it’s all in the past.”

Toudou’s eyes widened slightly in surprise at my apology. After a moment, she turned her face back to the front.

Her response seemed a bit curt, but it had that classic “tsundere” vibe. Whether it was her natural personality or a side effect of her skills, she seemed prone to emotional expressions. Still, she didn’t seem like a bad person. Up until now, there had always been a bit of a barrier between us, but somehow, it felt like it might be a little easier to talk to her from now on.

“Alright, if that’s how you feel… thanks.”

“I told you, it’s fine already. Let’s drop it!”

Not used to being thanked so directly, Toudou sped up a bit and walked ahead of me. I chuckled at her reaction and quickened my pace to walk beside her again.

“I know, I know. I meant thanks for being nice to Inori.”

“Huh? I’m not being nice or anything!”

As soon as I mentioned being nice to Inori, Toudou stopped in her tracks, turned to me with a sour look, and spoke in a displeased tone.

It seemed she had let go of the past incident and didn’t intend to fight, but she was still unhappy with the idea of being called friendly.

Still, from my perspective, even how she treated us now was more than enough. I was grateful for how she’d dealt with us so far.

“Maybe you’re not really friends, but you’ve still been willing to deal with her, right? Inori has her awkward moments; she’s a bit immature compared to others in many ways. She needs to interact with all kinds of people, but as you can see, she doesn’t leave my side. So, even if it was forced at first or if you don’t like her, I appreciate that you’re still here with her.”

“Even if you dislike her, you still have meals together and talk at least to the minimum extent. For Inori, who had been abandoned by both her father and mother and had no one but me to interact with normally, having ‘someone who treats her like a human being’ is incredibly valuable.”

“…It’s not like I like her or anything, but I can at least handle that much. It doesn’t bother me,” Toudou mumbled in a much quieter voice than before, perhaps embarrassed by what I had said. Her reaction was somehow endearing, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“Th-that aside, you know, I found it surprising. I didn’t expect you to actually be a proper big brother.”

“Well, I am her brother, after all.”

We looked at each other and laughed at the same time.

As I thought, it’s better not to build walls between people. Even though our first encounter wasn’t great, actually talking to her like this was fine. We could talk normally, and it was fun.

“Both of us have troublesome little sisters, huh?”

“Yeah, well, my Sakura has her difficult moments, but she’s such a good kid that it doesn’t bother me.”

“Thanks for bragging about your sister… Oh, is that the club room?”

It seemed we had walked quite a distance while talking, and I could see the room designated as our club room.

When we arrived at the club room and entered, it was a tiered room like a small lecture hall, and there were already many people gathered. However, the colors of their ties and ribbons were varied. It seemed that not only first-year students but also second- and third-year students were present.

I considered striking up a conversation, but since those present were likely people with a certain degree of status and standing, I hesitated.

Toudou, who had come here with me, quickly left to join some acquaintances, and I was left alone.

Thinking I might just stay along the walls, I was fortunate that a change occurred less than ten minutes after I arrived in the club room.

It seemed there would be an explanation about the club activities, as a student stood at the podium in the back of the room. That student appeared to be the club president, but since the club’s name was “The International Affairs Observation Club,” the president was referred to as the chairperson.

“—Welcome, first-year students, to our club. First of all, let me express my gratitude for this encounter. Now, most of you may already know, but our club’s purpose is to use a tool for spatial teleportation to visit countries around the world and learn about both our own and other countries. This is—”

“Isn’t the principal the only one who gives such long-winded speeches?”

The chairperson’s speech was quite lengthy. We didn’t need to hear about the origins of the club or who had belonged to it in the past.

There were some necessary points, but I had already read about those in the club pamphlet, so I decided to tune out most of the chairperson’s speech.

After enduring about thirty minutes of unnecessary talk, the bragging about the club finally ended, and the conversation shifted to the actual activities that would take place in the future.

“—Now, as for our first trip of the new school year, it will be within Japan. In subsequent trips, we will visit various countries, but the initial trip will focus on getting to know the country where our school is located. Many students from other countries may not be familiar with Japan, and even Japanese students might not know much beyond their usual surroundings or hometowns, so it shouldn’t be a boring experience.”

Japan, huh… I assumed we would be going abroad since it’s called the “International Affairs Observation Club,” but it’s true that this academy is located in Japanese territory and has many non-Japanese students.

Besides, even for us—or rather, for me—I haven’t really traveled much within Japan. Maybe once, at most. I’m sure there are others like me.

Considering that, having the first trip in Japan might not be a bad choice.

“For these reasons, the destination will be within Japan: Kyoto. It’s a classic choice, but because it is a classic, it should allow for a relatively relaxed first activity without too much tension.”

Thus, it was decided that the first trip of the new school year would be to Kyoto. The date was set for this Saturday, and it would be a day trip.

Since this academy is located on an artificial island within Japan’s territorial waters, getting anywhere isn’t as simple as just walking. Naturally, there are special means of transportation available. If we were to take a plane, it would take a considerable amount of time, and the trip would end up being rushed, leaving us with only a few hours to actually see anything.

However, this isn’t a problem anymore. In the past, our only options for travel were trains, boats, or planes, but now things are different. Thanks to the development of technologies using blessings and materials from magical creatures, a spatial teleportation device has been created that allows for instantaneous travel between specific locations.

Using this device, it takes less than an hour, including the necessary procedures, to complete a journey.

Of course, the cost of using such a device is quite high, so airplanes are still the most common means of transportation for civilians, and not all cities have teleportation devices. So, sometimes people still need to travel to a major city before using one.

“And then, even though it’s a trip, traveling together in such a large group would reduce the fun by more than half, wouldn’t it? Therefore, we will be forming pairs for the trip. But just pairing up randomly would be boring. If the same people were to pair up every time, it wouldn’t feel any different, even if the locations changed. Since expanding social connections is also a goal of our club, there should be opportunities to interact with a variety of people. Therefore, we will draw lots.”

Lots? Well, I guess that makes sense. If we were to explore somewhere in a large group, there would be a lot to consider, and it might be hard to genuinely enjoy it.

On the other hand, if everyone were allowed to act individually, it would pose issues for both the club and the school, and some might end up wandering alone. That would also create a negative atmosphere within the club.

Those who want to move in larger groups can do so by gathering with multiple pairs after they are formed. Even if someone ends up in a pair with whom they don’t get along, they only have to endure it for that one time, as the lots will be drawn each time.

Considering all this, it seems like this club has given a lot of thought to its activities, despite the name and its apparent nature.

Well, given that there are children of high-ranking people here, it makes sense that they can’t afford to be careless about anything.