Vol 1 Chapter 4 – About How My Childhood Friend Was Cute【Vol 1 — A Happy Childhood】

Roughly half a year had passed since I started learning knowledge and techniques about magic from Sophia, on the strict condition that it remain secret from everyone else.

And through daily, diligent practice, I’d become able to manipulate the four basic elements of magic—earth, wind, water, and fire—just a little.

The convenient development where exceptional magical genius hidden within me suddenly bloomed… never happened.

Rather, I could tell from Sophia’s poorly concealed apologetic attitude that my talent for magic was probably below average.

But, well, that’s fine. I was satisfied just being able to wield even a little of the romance that is magic.

However, I currently found myself in a bit of a predicament.

The season was winter.

Deep snow accumulated everywhere, and the pristine white world created a somewhat fantastical atmosphere.

The region I lived in during my previous life rarely saw snow, so when I came to this world and saw so much snow for the first time, I got pretty excited.

No matter how mature my mind was compared to my appearance, my mental age had stopped at first-year high school.

Of course I’d be thrilled to see snow—I wanted to play in it.

I decided to play in the snow that had fallen overnight first thing this morning.

Sophia was holed up in her room rustling about and wouldn’t let me in, so I went outside alone to make a snowman.

But snow really is cold, huh.

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is—I used the fire magic I’d just learned in a place where people could see me, ignoring Sophia’s instructions.

I was trying to warm myself up.

And I was spotted by my childhood friend girl.

“Hey, hey! Was that magic just now!? Will, you can use magic?”

“Eh… ah… well.”

The girl peering at me with sparkling eyes was Aria.

She was one year older than me and lived next door.

Our parents were close too, so we’d had many chances to play together since we were small.

After learning she was older, she occasionally acted like an older sister toward me. A lovely four-year-old acting grown-up. I believe she’d be turning five soon.

She gazed at me with those dark navy, round eyes that seemed to draw you in, shining with curiosity. So close. Way too close.

Her soft, wavy blue hair brushed against my cheeks, tickling them.

Her glossy, cherry-colored lips—close enough that stretching a little would reach them—kept flickering at the edge of my vision, making me restless.

“W-Wait, Aria, back up, you’re too close…”

“No! I won’t move until you tell me properly about the magic!”

Aria puffed out her cheeks, clearly expressing her dissatisfaction.

Crap… I let my guard down.

Now how to cover this up.

If Alicia found out I could use magic, she’d definitely be angry, and not just that—Sophia would also get scolded.

That would make me feel guilty. I was the one who pushed and asked her to teach me.

So my only option was to deceive her somehow…

“Wasn’t it… just your imagination, Aria…?”

I subtly averted my eyes from Aria’s spirited gaze and told a casual lie.

How about that?

“Nope, Aria-chan saw it properly! Aria saw fire coming out of Will’s hand properly!”

No good, huh…

No, I have to stick to it.

I leaned back to create distance from Aria, who was bringing her face even closer,

“M-Maybe you’re the one lying, Aria?”

“I’m not! Aria doesn’t lie like Will does.”

“…Me?”

Why am I coming up here? Well, I am currently lying, so I can’t exactly make excuses.

“Sophia-chan told Aria quite a while ago. She said Will had learned to lie. She was crying.”

“Eeh…”

What is that pseudo-obsessed sister grumbling about to a four-year-old…

Was she that sad that I’d become so crafty? There’s no need to cry.

Had some strange relationship developed between Sophia and Aria without my knowledge?

Well, apparently Sophia had been taking care of Aria since she was born, just like with me. It’s natural they’d be close.

Then I noticed Aria’s face turning red as if angry.

“Don’t change the subject!”

No, no, no—you’re the one who went off on a tangent.

“Will the liar! Teach Aria magic too!”

“No, I mean…”

Aria tried to step forward again, already having approached her limit, so I stepped back to match her.

But at that moment, I had completely forgotten that my feet were buried in deep snow.

I lost my balance.

“Ah, crap.”

A floating, weightless sensation.

The scenery flowing through my vision slowly, like slow motion, and my hands reflexively grabbed Aria’s hands.

My back collided with the ground, using the cold snow as a cushion.

Immediately after, Aria—eyes squeezed shut—was pulled by my hands and dove into my chest.

At that moment, my lips were attacked by a soft sensation.

“…”

“…Nnu.”

…Hmm.

I’ve done it now.

Crap, what do I do.

Aria and I had unmistakably, perfectly exchanged a kiss.

Is this what they call a “lucky pervert” moment?

Maybe I was reincarnated under some amazing star.

In my previous life, I didn’t even have a proper childhood friend girl, after all…

While I was escaping into such irrelevant thoughts, I think a good ten seconds passed.

When I came to, Aria’s navy-purple eyes were wide open, staring at me, and she was on the verge of tears. Her face was red as an apple.

Is this seppuku? Do I have to atone with seppuku…?

She’s a proper young lady, even if she’s only four.

…I wonder if Aria’s father won’t literally chop my head off. That man’s doting on his daughter is insane—he could give Sophia-oneechan a run for her money.

Despite the cold, my body began breaking into an unpleasant sweat and gradually heating up.

This isn’t the time to be thinking “score, score.”

I’ve only been reborn for three and a half years, and now I’m going to die…?

I gazed back at Aria, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes, with a sincere prayer: “It wasn’t on purpose, I’m really sorry. Please don’t tell your father.”

Then, Aria slowly placed her hand on the ground and moved away from me.

Saliva glittering in the sunlight stretched in an alluring thread from Aria’s lips.

“…”

“…………”

Aria, her face burning red like an apple on the verge of tears, glared at me intensely, then—

“Y-You, you, you idiot Will!! I don’t care anymore!”

Oh boy…

And with that, Aria ran away wailing loudly…

—or so I thought, before she tripped spectacularly on the snow, her foot catching.

A magnificent spread-eagle imprint carved into the snow.

Her muffled sobbing grew even louder.

“This is embarrassing… I can’t watch… well, it is my fault…”

While pressing my forehead with one hand, I ran to Aria, my mind racing at high speed.

What do I do? What should I do?

She’s a very cute girl, my childhood friend.

A girl highly likely to develop romantic feelings for me in the future, in other words…

So I, who aim for a harem, cannot afford to be hated by her here.

For now, I approached Aria, who was crying loudly, and gently lifted her up.

I brushed the snow from her wavy blue hair and checked on her condition.

Whether from embarrassment, shame, or the coldness of the snow, Aria’s face was as red as possible, with large tears in her navy eyes.

First, an apology.

“Sorry, Aria, it wasn’t on purpose, but…”

“…U, auu…”

Aria hiccupped and wiped her tears, and after a while, she seemed to regain her composure and met my gaze.

“Will… idiot… idiot… Smoochies, smoochies are… smoochies are supposed to be more…”

“Smoochies…?”

When I asked back, Aria seemed to snap out of it for a moment, then furrowed her brows.

Ah, I have a feeling I said something wrong.

“Nothing! You’re an idiot, Will. …Idiot!”

And then Aria turned her back to me and ran away again… and tripped again.

She’s not doing this on purpose, is she…

Another perfect spread-eagle fall, no different from before.

This time, Aria got up by herself and resumed her escape.

Before she could trip again and become impossible to look at, I circled around to block the path of her wobbling run.

It can’t be helped at this point.

“Sorry, Aria. Hey… if I say I’ll teach you magic, will you forgive me?”

“…Magic? Really?”

“Yeah, magic. I can use it. I was lying earlier, sorry.”

When I said this, hesitation appeared in Aria’s moist eyes.

A small color of hope mixed into her crying face.

“Or did you… start hating me?”

I thought to myself what an underhanded question this was.

From over three years of association, I knew she wouldn’t start hating me over something like this.

But if I didn’t make up with her quickly here, it would cause problems for my future relationship with Aria.

That was the one thing I wanted to avoid at all costs.

“Like you… no way.”

Aria pouted her lips slightly in a sullen manner, looking away embarrassedly, her cheeks flushed.

Seems like I cleared the mission.

I sighed in relief internally.

If Aria were about two years older, it might not have been this simple…

Giving thanks for the purity and simplicity of a four-year-old, I began to worry about how to teach Aria magic without anyone finding out.