Volume 6 Chapter 1 – Hero’s Special Skill: Rainy Sunday 1(Human Rescue Quest)

| Todou Kyousuke

Sunday, 7:00 AM.

With half-open eyes, I glanced at the clock.

The dim light filtering through the curtains and the gentle patter of rain brought back memories of the rainy season in the Berquahamp District. Ah, yes, that “100% milk bath” guy.

Last night, as usual, I cast a restraint spell, shackled myself, and went to bed. Thankfully, it hadn’t turned into a gruesome scene. Well, not quite.

As I woke up, I saw two shadows looming over me. In this house, where I live alone with my imouto, there were suddenly two people standing over my bed. Was this a horror story?

“Hey, isn’t he frozen stiff?”

“He really is! So funny. Thanks, Mihane-chan.”

“Hehe, no problem. I kind of get how Aika feels.”

Aika…? The shadows turned out to be Mihane and Aika. Had they made up while I wasn’t paying attention? Frozen? Thank you? You understand?

“Sorry for bothering you so early.”

“It’s like a childhood friend’s morning wake-up call, right? Go ahead; I don’t mind. I’ve never done this before. Surprising, right?”

“…Mihane-chan? Are you doing this on purpose?”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“Hmm. Well… let’s not talk about middle school.”

“Agreed.”

…This felt like that little girl at the inn who used to wake me up. ‘Hero onii-chan, wake up~!’ …Where was that again?

“Kyou-chan, it’s morning! Time to wake up~ But you don’t really have to… unless you don’t get up soon…”

“Onii-san, it’s morning, wake up. But actually, don’t wake up… unless you get up soon…”

Was it… Lutonia? No, Luu… something. Lut-no? No. Luu, Luu…

“Or else we’ll play a prank on you!”

Ah! It was Looninoa! The town of Looninoa. Nostalgic, huh… I wonder if that little girl is still doing well…

◆

Under a blue umbrella, I walked through the city toward my destination. The rain was light, so I didn’t worry about my steps. I wore my olive-green garden rain boots—my favorite. And not needing magic despite the rain was incredibly convenient, if a bit unsettling.

In Alefgard, rain gear meant cloaks, period. That was all there was. I hated how muddy my shoes and clothes would get. I disliked it so much that I modified some magic for it. Remembering that, I headed alone to a family restaurant.

This morning’s intruders were cozily sleeping in my bed. It seemed they really did make up. But why was Aika calling me “Onii”? Bizarre.

And despite it being Sunday noon, they were still asleep. Outrageous. Weren’t they supposed to come and wake me up? Seriously. Because of them, I accidentally ended up using a different “100% milk.” Outrageous. No recovery magic for them.

Well, whatever. I have something to take care of now.

Come, science of the modern world, crystallization of wisdom, reveal yourself to me!

“Th-Thank you for waiting! Here’s the Cheese-In Hamburger, Rice Set!”

“Uh, thanks…?”

Was it her first day on the job? The waitress had neatly tied black hair in a small ponytail, giving off a cute and elegant vibe.

From a table in the back, I could hear soft giggling. It wasn’t mocking or belittling, but rather a warm laugh, like the kind you share when you see a close friend in an amusing situation.

“She’s nervous again.”

“I thought it was a joke when they said Lillie was working in customer service, but she really hasn’t gotten used to it yet.”

There were two girls sitting at that table. They seemed to be friends, possibly here to check up on her out of concern.

“Well then. Itadakimasu.”

At last, it had come. Following my 15-year-old body’s cravings, I’d come to a family restaurant near the station just for a hamburger. They had hamburgers back there, too, but they were too rich. It didn’t sit right. So, I couldn’t fully enjoy them. But here, there was a warm sense of satisfaction that was just… unmatched.

Ah, this is Western food.

This was what I really wanted.

◆

“So, this is science, huh?”

I took each bite slowly, savoring the flavor to adjust to the present. Nostalgia filled me. The days of harsh survival were over. Now, I could live an ordinary high school life… or wait, what exactly is “ordinary”? Well, it doesn’t matter. I can set my own goals at my own pace. This is my moratorium period.

I still have my promise with Tomoka, and then there’s Kuzukawa and the others. For now, I’ll wait for word from Kinuko-chan and Haruharu, who said they’d look into it.

…What a hassle.

If this were a quest to slay monsters, it’d take a day. Even rescuing a town from demons would take about three days. Why must I spend so much time on such trivial matters?

…Oh, right, I can’t just defeat them.

How did I deal with annoying nobles again? At first, I’d come up with all sorts of strategies and compromises, but eventually, Artlily took the lead. After that, it was always, “Now, O Hero, smite the evil!” It was usually me just delivering the final blow, so I never really learned the process leading up to that. I’d just see the look in their eyes and think, ‘Eh, close enough,’ and strike them down. Wait, huh?

…Could it be that I’m just a musclehead?

Now that I think about it, all I ever did was choose “Fight.”

What am I going to do?