The Assassin Girl Who Stayed by My Side in Another World… Somehow Followed Me Back to Modern Japan - Chapter 24: Maybe She’s Just Feeling Anxious

Chapter 24: Maybe She’s Just Feeling Anxious

Right as the bell rang and class was about to start, Aira finally let go.

…Not that I minded or anything, but still—being clung to for that long, even this time of year, gets kinda warm.

And that’s all it was. Seriously. No other reason whatsoever.

The thing is… she always lets go when it actually counts.

So it’s hard to scold her or tell her off about it.

Or so I thought—until she suddenly plopped herself down right on my lap.

Then, just like that, she wrapped her arms around my chest and snuggled in.

…Wait, huh?

So this is what she wanted to do?

Maybe I really should say something after all.

…But even so.

She got tossed into a totally unfamiliar world out of nowhere.

Maybe she’s just feeling a little anxious.

So maybe… letting her have this much isn’t such a bad thing.

Sure, it was Aira’s choice to come here—

But no matter how I look at it, I was honestly happy to see her again back then.

…Well, whatever.

For now, I’ll just let her stay like this.

I don’t know how she’s doing it, but I can’t feel her presence at all—and I can’t even see her.

Yet somehow, I can still see all the books and notebooks on my desk just fine.

So it’s probably okay.

At least I’ll be able to pay attention in class.

…If there’s one problem with all this, it’d be—

…Never mind.

There’s no problem. None at all.

I mean, I’ll admit it—I’m a total softie when it comes to my daughter.

So yeah, I let Aira sit on my lap and cling to me the entire class without saying a word.

Eventually, the bell rang.

When the teacher called, “Stand,” I got to my feet—basically cradling Aira as I stood up—then gave a small, polite bow, making sure not to put any strain on her.

…Art class next, huh.

Looks like we’re switching rooms.

Not like anyone’s really paying attention to me, but just in case, I gently set Aira down so it wouldn’t look weird.

Then I grabbed what I needed and headed out toward the art room.

Even though I couldn’t sense her presence at all, I was pretty sure Aira was still following me.

“…Hiroto, where are you going?”

“…”

Just as I expected—Aira was following me.

And right on cue, she whispered into my ear.

Even when I know she’s there, having her suddenly whisper that close always makes me flinch.

Seriously, I wish she’d stop doing that.

…That said, I get the feeling Aira thinks I’m super sensitive when it comes to my ears.

So I can’t exactly say anything too reckless.

…Okay, maybe that’s just an excuse.

The truth is, I already feel bad about how cramped and limited her life has to be now.

The last thing I want is to make her feel like she can’t even speak freely.

What I really want… is for Aira—my precious daughter—to live the way she wants, without worrying about anything.

“…”

With all that running through my head, I didn’t respond right away.

Not because I was ignoring her or anything.

There were just more people around than I expected.

No way I could talk back in a situation like this.

Maybe Aira picked up on that too—because, for once, I didn’t feel any sulky or pouty vibes coming off her.