A hero who wants to help others wants to live a normal life - Chapter 56

Chapter 56   True Feeling and Seiji

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A week after the exam. A lot has happened since then. Really, a lot happened.

The exam’s evaluation was put on hold, and there were investigations, inquiries, phone calls from seniors, and more.

After causing such a huge commotion—large monsters appearing, and two massive lightning strikes—it’s no surprise the teachers rushed over in a panic. They briefly interviewed us about what had happened and then forcibly ended the exam, sending the injured students to the hospital. The exam results were based on the scores at the time of its interruption.

That part’s fine, but the real issue is that a traitor was among the students.

We still don’t know how he gained the power to control such monsters. The culprit, Moriya, is already dead.

But Moriya didn’t originally have that kind of power, and his academic performance, as he himself admitted, wasn’t particularly remarkable. For him to suddenly gain such abilities is suspicious, so it’s assumed that someone from outside must have made contact with him.

Connected to that, it turns out that Moriya was also the culprit behind the student disappearances at the academy. When we looked into the time frame when the disappearances began and when Moriya started growing stronger, it became apparent that he had been approached by outsiders, likely during a Clan recruitment attempt.

The target of this plot was most likely Kujou. Since Moriya actually attacked Kujou, it’s natural to think that was the goal. It’s also believed that promising students were other targets, but we can’t know how far-reaching the plot was.

Well, whatever. The important thing is that Moriya, who attacked the students, seriously injured Toko and the others, and even tried to kill us by controlling monsters, is dead. Anything beyond that is up to the seniors and those “above” to handle.

What Moriya did and what his goals were no longer concern me.

That incident has finally come to an end, but not everything has returned to normal.

Summer break starts in a week, but I can already tell that the coming week will be rather troublesome. Or maybe “annoying” is a better word.

“–––You’ve become quite the popular guy.”

As I walked alone down the hallway, trying to avoid the crowd of people who wanted to talk to me, someone spoke to me from behind. When I turned around, it was Kujou. However, her demeanor was different from before.

How should I describe it? There was a certain coldness, perhaps even a thorny attitude, that wasn’t there before. It was unlike her usual polite and distant behavior.

“Huh? Oh, Kujou. Yeah, I guess. But that’s just because I’m a Blessed, right?”

The reason for my sudden popularity is not just because I’m the brother of a Blessed, but because I, too, turned out to be one. This naturally increased my—no, our—value as siblings. It’s no surprise. Even though it’s said that blessings and abilities aren’t hereditary, having both siblings be Blessed is rare. It wouldn’t be strange for people to think there’s something special about our bloodline. Even if lineage isn’t involved, there’s no harm in befriending a pair of Blessed siblings.

As a result, I’ve received all sorts of approaches—from subtle to blatant—trying to build a good relationship with my family.

But all of this is just because I’m a Blessed. Knowing that, I can’t bring myself to truly connect with anyone.

“Isn’t it natural to adjust how you interact with someone based on their abilities?”

I suppose it’s reasonable to change your approach depending on the other person. It’s something necessary for living in society. And Kujou is one of those who has changed her behavior toward me.

“You mean like you?”

“…Yes. But you do understand that’s just how humans are, right?”

“Yeah, I get it. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

I do understand, just like Kujou said. But understanding something and accepting it are two different things. I can’t accept it, and it pisses me off.

Kujou listened to my response with a gentle look in her eyes, as if she understood my frustration.

“Maybe you’re right. After all, you’re a kind person.”

Kind? Does she have that look on her face because she thinks I’m spouting some nonsense? How ridiculous.

“…I’m not kind. If you feel that way, it’s only because I’m bound by a curse.”

The desire to help someone. The feeling that I must save others. The need to extend a hand to someone in need.

That kind of “wish” has taken root deep within me. So, all my actions aren’t driven by my own will but rather by this “curse.”

“You’re the only one who’d call a blessing a curse.”

“They just don’t say it out loud. Don’t you feel the same? You don’t really believe your blessing is a wonderful thing, do you?”

“That’s not true. My ability is necessary for humanity.”

…Ha. What a thing to say. You of all people, who never even wanted a blessing.

“–––’I must drive away all evil.'”

“…”

“That’s the phrase that defines your blessing, right? Unlike a skill, a blessing reflects a person’s deepest wish. It doesn’t say ‘I want to drive them away,’ but ‘I must drive them away.’ That’s not really your true wish, is it?”

Kujou listened silently, but her eyes—neither smiling nor sorrowful—had become completely emotionless.

Noticing this, I continued speaking.

“Before, you said, ‘I have to win.’ Is that because of your family? I’ve heard that in prestigious families, they give strict training to ensure they receive blessings or skills. Sometimes they push to the brink of death. Isn’t that how you ended up with your blessing? That’s what the rumors say–––”

“Stop.”

Kujou interrupted me, her face still emotionless, but this time, her eyes seemed to tremble with sadness.

“Please stop. Those are just rumors, and you’re jumping to conclusions. Don’t make baseless assumptions.”

“…Sorry. It’s this curse of mine—whenever I see someone looking sad, I can’t help but butt in.”

I knew from the start that she didn’t want me to say it. No one wants to have their painful past dug up.

But even so, I couldn’t help but speak up. I thought that if I didn’t, she would have to live forever burdened by sadness.

Those who’ve worked hard deserve to be saved. So she should be saved too.

“Then that’s your misunderstanding. I’m not sad at all, so the effects of the blessing shouldn’t be showing.”

“…”

We both fell silent and stared directly at each other.

In the end, it was Kujou who looked away first.

“…As I said before, have you thought about my proposal?”

“Are you talking about becoming your underling?”

Kujou’s proposal was essentially that. She planned to form a clan in the future and wanted me to be a member.

But no thanks. I’m sure that would lead to some troublesome situations.

“It’s not ‘underling’; it’s ‘comrade.'”

“Both mean the same thing.”

“Oh, do you not even understand the difference between ‘underling’ and ‘comrade’?”

“When it comes to you guys, they mean the same thing. Can’t you recognize that irony?”

“Yes. I don’t have the character to engage in ironic exchanges.”

“That’s rich coming from you. You’ve been pretending to be a refined honor student while hiding your true nature.”

“Everyone has two sides to them, and I doubt there are people who live their lives completely exposed.”

I used to think it would be nice if she could relax her attitude a little, but now I think she could stand to conceal a bit more. It’s just that different now. She has changed too much.

Maybe this is her true nature, but where did that calm, polite, and quiet princess go?

“First of all, it’s too greedy to want us in your clan just to gain political power. You’re already a ‘blessed one’; you should be satisfied with that.”

In a normal clan, there aren’t any “blessed ones.” To have one in a newly formed clan is something special. From there, people would naturally gather, and in a few years, it could grow to the scale of a major clan.

“I could never be satisfied with that. There are places in the world where one clan has multiple blessed ones. It wouldn’t be a discussion unless there’s at least one more person who can stand beside me.”

“In terms of the domestic scene, there are places without even one blessed person, so having you is already enough. Come on, you’re a princess of royal blood, the daughter of a CEO, and a future clan leader. Isn’t it greedy to ask for more?”

“Is it greedy to wish to decide my own life? I don’t want to remain a doll forever.”

Kujou’s eyes were serious, and even without knowing the detailed circumstances, I could tell she genuinely believed what she was saying.

I didn’t know the specifics of her situation. However, I had a sense of understanding. It was clear from the attitude of her fiancé, Oda, and the wording of Kujou’s blessing that she had likely gone through difficult and painful experiences.

But even so, I had no obligation to cooperate.

“…Anyway, I’m not going to join you guys. I’ll just pretend to be held captive by the country.”

“Is that really okay?”

“It’s not okay. But it’s the safest option. If I throw a tantrum, they’ll probably let me live normally to some extent.”

“‘Normal’… Is that really something to be so particular about?”

You might want to break the ‘normal’ you’ve known and become something special, but I want to destroy the current special and return to the ‘normal’ of the past. Even if I know that’s impossible. Still, I want to get as close to it as I can.

“You probably wouldn’t understand. A good life isn’t the only way to live happily, nor is a happy life defined that way. I… we didn’t want this curse. We just wanted to spend our days laughing together as a family. To laugh at trivial things, to get angry, to fight. And then to make up and laugh again—that ordinary life was what we wanted. I never wished for a life like this.”

Even if it’s boring, even if it’s not special, an ordinary, mundane daily life is the happiest life there is.

They say you don’t realize what’s important until you’ve lost it, but I understood that only after everything changed.

“Not everyone gets to lead the life they envision. Isn’t seeking such a miraculous ‘normal’ a bit greedy?”

“…That might be true.”

After exchanging those words, we each began to walk our own paths.