I Thought I Was Dead After Getting Stabbed While Protecting a Girl From a Random Attacker, but a Goddess Gave Me a Special Reward and Brought Me Back to Life in My Original Body—Now, All These Girls Are Coming on to Me!? - Chapter 34: A Trip With Kanade

Chapter 34: A Trip With Kanade… Another Incident Occurs…

“Every bento looks delicious…”

“Tokyo has all sorts of specialties. Shall we buy different ones and share?”

“Ryu, are you a genius?”

“If this makes me a genius, then almost everyone in the world is a genius.”

I don’t know why, but I came here with Makoto, yet somehow I’m heading back with Kanade.

You probably don’t understand what I’m saying, but I’m the most confused.

Makoto, for some reason, is staying overnight with the newspaper club members before returning.

No, is such loose management okay for a high school club activity?

I’m very worried about our school.

Well, I can’t send Kanade back to the newspaper club now, and worrying won’t help, so I’ll switch gears and enjoy the trip with Kanade.

“Then I’ll choose this one.”

“The [tuna and ikura bento]? Looks delicious. I’ll go with meat then.”

“The [sangen pork katsu bento]… just hearing the name makes me drool.”

“The shinkansen is about to leave, so let’s hurry, buy them, and head to the platform. We’ll eat the bento calmly at our seats.”

“Got it. Shall we go quickly?”

Saying that, Kanade pulls my hand.

She seems quite excited. Her voice tone is higher than I’ve ever heard.

Unlike with Makoto, we board the shinkansen without any weird guys bothering us. We sit in our seats, relax, and wait for departure.

“Here, the tea I bought earlier.”

“Oh, thanks. Shall we eat the bento now?”

“Since we’re here, I’ll eat after the train leaves the station. I want to enjoy the scenery while eating.”

“True, that’s better. I’ll do the same.”

Kanade takes a sip of tea and exhales, “Phew…”

“This is my first time in Tokyo, but it was really fun.”

“Same here. We didn’t do much sightseeing, but the scenery, the crowds, everything felt fresh.”

“Exactly. And above all, I was happy to see Yuna’s performance.”

“Watching a friend’s competition like this was fun too.”

We chat leisurely about our Tokyo trip impressions.

Soon, the shinkansen we’re on starts moving slowly.

Maybe because it’s an evening train, the seats around us are mostly empty, almost like we have the place to ourselves. In the quiet space, we share our bento and spend relaxed time together.

We don’t exchange many words, but it’s not uncomfortable at all.

The space, where words aren’t needed, feels very pleasant.

“…This kind of thing feels nice, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah… things have been hectic lately, so this kind of time is nice.”

“…Shall we hold hands?”

“Yeah, sure.”

She slowly grabs my hand from above, next to the seat.

I turn my hand and hold hers back, enveloping it.

“…Hehe. Ryu’s hand is big and warm, so I want to hold it forever.”

“Hold it as long as you like.”

“Then, is it okay if I never let go?”

“Of course.”

“Then I’ll keep holding it.”

Saying that, Kanade leans her head toward me.

I feel the softness and warmth of her cheek through my clothes.

“…Zzz… zzz…”

Soon, I hear soft sleeping breaths from her.

It’s her first time in Tokyo, and she worked hard in an unfamiliar place for club activities. She must be tired.

For me, enjoying her innocent sleeping face is quite a reward. I don’t know how much rest she’ll get sleeping seated, but I’ll let her sleep until she’s satisfied.

—

“Mm… mmm…”

“Oh, you’re awake?”

“…Ryu? Where are we…?”

“We’re almost at Hakata. Let’s get ready to get off.”

“…! Sorry! I leaned on you the whole time…”

“It’s fine. You’re light, Kanade. It was a reward for me.”

“Muu… it was our special trip, and I slept the whole time… what a blunder…!”

“Haha, we’ll have plenty of chances to travel again.”

“It’s not funny…! I’ll make up for it from here…!”

While Kanade gets fired up for some reason, I pack my things to get off quickly. It wasn’t a sightseeing trip, and we only have overnight luggage, so it’s not bulky and easy to manage.

As I prepare, I notice the scenery outside the shinkansen looks familiar.

“We’re back, huh.”

“Yeah. We weren’t gone long, but it feels so nostalgic.”

It’s a common travel thing.

Being in an unfamiliar place makes home feel so comforting.

Anyway, we safely return to Hakata.

—

“Ugh~! My body’s pretty stiff.”

“Let’s go home and rest.”

“Yeah. After we get home.”

“…? Yeah. Shall we hurry? Missing the train would be bad.”

I feel like she emphasized “going home” oddly, but maybe it’s my imagination.

For now, to get Kanade home safely, we head to the local train platform.

I think we can reach the local platform without exiting the shinkansen gate…

“That way, right?”

“Oh, nice.”

Thanks to Kanade finding the local train gate, we head to the platform smoothly. We’re going the same direction, so we can ride together partway.

“Sorry for sleeping so long. I’ll buy the tickets as an apology. Wait here.”

“Really? Thanks.”

Saying that, Kanade jogs to the ticket counter.

She won’t make a mistake, so I trust her.

She returns quickly.

“Here. Is it correct?”

“Yeah, looks fine. Thanks. The ticket cost…”

“It’s fine, later.”

“But, we can’t spread out luggage on the train…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Let’s go.”

Kanade grabs my hand again and pulls with surprising strength.

Something feels off, but it’s probably fine…

—

After about ten minutes of casual chatting on the train, we reach Kanade’s stop. I have two more stops, so we part here.

“Kanade, see you at school… Kanade?”

“…”

She suddenly goes quiet and clings tightly to my arm.

Um, Kanade-san? The train’s about to leave. You won’t get home if you don’t get off.

“Ka-Kanade? Hurry, or the doors will close.”

“…”

She clings even tighter. Kanade-san, you’re pressing against me! No, that’s not the issue. The problem is how to detach this koala-ized Kanade and get her off the train.

“Kanade, let go. Seriously, Kanade.”

I speak sternly, and her shoulder twitches.

Wait, I scolded her firmly, right?

So why is she blushing and looking up at me?

While this happens, the train doors close.

“Kanade… what’s wrong suddenly…?”

“…My plan… oh no. I spaced out and missed my stop—what do I do? I can’t get home like this—”

“You just said ‘my plan,’ didn’t you?”

No choice… I’ll get off at the next stop, make sure she gets on the right train, and then head home…

Or so I thought…

“Kanade-san!? Why are you clinging again!? Are you a koala!?”

“Suddenly, a koala possessed me. My arms won’t let go of Ryu. Oh no—what a mess—”

At the next stop, I still can’t detach the koala-ized Kanade.

In the end, we both stand on the platform at my home station…

“…What’s your goal, Kanade?”

“Nothing, no goal, my arms just won’t let go, what a mess—”

“Put more emotion into your acting…”

“…Makoto said she stayed overnight with you, Ryu.”

“Well, yeah… that was an accident, an unexpected situation.”

“It’s unfair that only Makoto got to.”

“Yeah, unfair… wait, what?”

“So I’ll stay overnight with you too.”

“…Hold on. I have a bad feeling about this.”

“I’m staying at your place tonight.”

“Wait, wait, wait. With Makoto, it was unavoidable circumstances, but it’s not like that with you, right?”

“There are circumstances. The girlfriend agreement states unfair situations should be resolved.”

“What’s this girlfriend agreement!? I didn’t sign that…?”

“Hehe, girls have lots of secrets.”

“…Your parents won’t agree to you staying at a guy’s place alone, right?”

“It’s fine, I got permission. My mom said, ‘Make sure to secure the fait accompli.’ So don’t worry.”

“What the heck…”

Apparently, the groundwork was laid without me knowing.

What’s this girlfriend agreement… I don’t know anything about it…

“From your reaction, Makoto and Yuna know too, huh?”

“Of course. I can’t sneak ahead. So, when Yuna’s back, it’s her turn.”

“Oh… whatever happens, happens…”

“…Are you upset about me coming to your place, Ryu?”

“…No way. I’m just worried about my self-control.”

“You don’t have to hold back…”

“You heard from Makoto, right? I want to do things properly.”

“I know. So no main event. Not the main event.”

“Stop saying ominous things. We’ll keep things proper.”

“That’s fine for now. I’ll make you lose control eventually.”

“Kanade-san…”

And so, we head home together.

Now, the real battle begins…!