A hero who wants to help others wants to live a normal life - Chapter 19

Chapter 19   Travel Club Activities Started

And so, a week passed, and Saturday arrived — the planned day of the trip. But right from the morning, there had been a problem.

Though the problem itself was minor, it was, in some ways, quite a troublesome one.

“Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! You’re going on a trip, right? Then bring me back a souvenir!”

Maybe because I was going on a trip without Inori, she had been noisy since this morning… no, even from last night.

Perhaps because this was the first time I was going on a trip by myself, Inori seemed overly excited, almost like her mood had bugged out. Probably, she just didn’t know how to react since I’d be doing something outside of our usual routine.

“You can buy souvenirs from Kyoto online, you know. You can get Yatsuhashi on the internet.”

It might be a bit more expensive with shipping costs, but I doubt that would be a big concern.

“That’s not the same thing at all! It’s fun when someone else buys it for you, you know? If you buy it yourself, it just doesn’t taste as good.”

“I get it. There’s something special about a gift from someone else. I have the money, and it’s no big deal, so it’s fine… but could you at least ask more quietly next time? Don’t just tackle me out of nowhere.”

I wish she wouldn’t leap at me like she’s tackling me right when I’m putting on my shoes at the entrance. Now, my stomach hurts, thanks to my little sister.

“But isn’t this how a little sister who’s close to her brother behaves when he’s going on a trip?”

“Maybe, but think about your strength. Also, consider your age. You could show a bit more grace, a bit more calm.”

“Really?”

Apparently still unable to grasp what “a normal sister” should act like, Inori tilted her head slowly from side to side, lost in thought.

But I knew she wouldn’t understand right away. The fact she hadn’t up until now was proof enough. Maybe she would never understand, even if it took a lifetime.

After all, Inori was fundamentally different from ordinary people.

Inori, seemingly giving up on solving the impossible question, slowly shook her head sideways.

“Hmm… well, whatever. Just be careful, okay? Don’t get hurt or anything.”

“I know. But, at least allow for a little scratch or something on my finger?”

“Well, if it’s just that much, sure. But since I’m giving you permission, make sure you bring back a souvenir!”

Such an overprotective little sister. Still, with her attitude, she’d probably rush over if I got hurt.

Although it’s unlikely, I should still be extra careful.

“Alright, I’ve arrived at the meeting place… Ah, there she is.”

After calming down Inori and leaving the house, I headed to school using the same route I always take when going to class.

When I arrived at the school and made my way to the designated meeting spot, I quickly found Toko, my partner for today’s trip. I didn’t have to search very long; her flashy outfit was cute, but it made her stand out quite a bit from the other students, making her easy to spot.

“Oh, Seicchi! Good morning~!”

She had been chatting with her friends, but when she noticed me approaching, she left them and walked over to me.

“Ah, good morning. You seem to have put in a lot of effort today.”

I couldn’t exactly say what, but she seemed more polished, almost glowing, compared to the last time we met.

“You noticed? Right? I went all out today. Can you tell what’s different?”

“Hmm? Uh… your earrings?”

I don’t recall her wearing earrings the last time. It’s a combat-oriented school, after all, and dangling accessories would be nothing but a nuisance. Unless they had some special effect, which would be a different story, but such items are usually expensive, and it’s not common for students to wear them… except for a few of the wealthy ones.

“Bingo! But there’s more, so try to find all the differences!”

“All of them…? There’s no way I’ll get them all right.”

“Come on, come on, give it a try!”

Encouraged by her, I stared at Toko, trying to spot more differences, but honestly, I couldn’t tell.

She looked like she was having a lot of fun, so saying “I don’t know” would probably ruin the mood. I should just guess something at random.

“Uh… did you change your shampoo?”

“Nope, not at all. That’s such a random guess! Take it seriously!”

“Well, um… did you change your makeup?”

“Where exactly?”

Ah, so I was right about the makeup. But when she asks “where exactly,” what does she expect? I mean, this is only the second time we’ve really talked face-to-face — how could she expect me to notice something like a makeup change?

“…Around your eyes? It feels like something there is different from last time… I think?”

I had a vague sense of something being different in that area, so I said it, and Toko blinked in surprise.

“Wow, no way! You can tell? I changed my fake eyelashes! Can you really notice that?”

“Fake eyelashes? How could anyone notice that? I only sensed a slight difference, at best!”

Fake eyelashes… is this some kind of high-level spot-the-difference game? This is way too hard!

“No, no, just noticing that something felt different is impressive! This is only the second time we’ve met, you know?”

“Maybe it’s because it’s the second time? Since we’re not always together, changes are more noticeable?”

“Oh, yeah, that could be it~”

Toko laughed cheerfully, and seeing her smile like that put me in a good mood too.

…Oh, right. Now that the conversation has settled down a bit, I should ask her something, even though it might ruin her fun.

“By the way, are you sure it’s okay that you came over here?”

“Huh? What do you mean? We’re paired up, so isn’t it normal to be together?”

“Well, before I showed up, you were talking with the other girls, right? I mean, you didn’t have to force yourself to come over here—you could have just kept chatting with them.”

It’s not like I have anything particularly interesting to say, and I’m not the type to get upset if we didn’t meet up right away.

Once the trip starts, we’ll be spending several hours together anyway, so wouldn’t it have been better for her to stay with her friends than to hang out with me, someone she’s not especially close to?

“What’s this? Was Seiichi hoping I wouldn’t come over?”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant… I just thought, you know, spending time with friends is important, right?”

But Toko frowned, clearly displeased with my question, and glared at me.

Seeing this, I hastily waved my hands to deny it, but all my words sounded like excuses. I felt pathetic for not being able to say something better.

However, seeing my flustered reaction must have been amusing, because Toko’s annoyed expression quickly changed to a playful smile, and she let out a little laugh.

“I was just joking. Don’t take it so seriously. Besides, those girls don’t matter. I’ll talk to them later anyway, and to be honest… it’s not like they’re really my friends.”

“Is that so? You seemed pretty friendly with them, though.”

“Well, that’s just because I was given a ‘command’ to be.”

When Toko said this, her earlier cheerful demeanor faded, and there was a hint of coldness in her eyes as she talked about those girls.

“A command? From whom?”

Maybe I shouldn’t pry, but not asking felt off given the flow of our conversation. Plus, I was genuinely curious, so I ended up asking anyway.

“From my parents. And then, higher up, like… well, somewhere around there.”

“…So it’s a family matter.”

“Yeah, exactly. Because of the connections between families, we can’t just cut ties and need to maintain a decent relationship. It’s stupid and really annoying, but that’s how it is.”

I don’t know exactly where the Hoshiguma family stands, but it’s probably part of the upper class. It seems there are various troublesome matters they need to manage because of their status.

“We can talk and hang out and laugh together, but in the end, it’s all just surface-level relationships. So, you don’t need to worry about it.”

Though she said it lightly, there was a coldness in her tone, suggesting she finds it all quite trivial.

“Being wealthy sounds like a hassle. Is it like that for everyone?”

“Hmm, not everyone, I’d say. For example, Kujou-san and Toudou-san, whom Seiichi had a fight with, seem to get along just fine, and there are others who make normal friends too.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yeah, that’s about it. But more importantly…”

Toko shifted the topic as if to say the conversation was over. There were still things I wanted to ask and probably should ask, but I didn’t want to risk upsetting her mood by pressing further.

There’s no need to ask right now; I can always do it later.

So, I decided to pass the time by chatting with Toko about random, inconsequential things until it was time to go.