The Story Where I, the Strongest Mercenary, Was Reincarnated as a Bullied Introverted High School Student ~ When I Was Freely Enjoying My School Life, for Some Reason the Girls Around Me Started Glancing at Me~ - Chapter 18: A Beautiful Girl in My Room

While carrying the dishes filled with food, Mom, Fushimi Sakura, smiled.

“Tonight it’s Jinta-kun’s favorite curry.”

“Oh, nice.”

Though I had eaten three plates of curry for lunch, I kept that to myself and showed joy. Well, curry at home and curry outside were different things. Besides, on the battlefield we caught snakes and ate them, so this was definitely a feast.

After carrying curry, salad, and soup to the table, everyone put their hands together and said “Thanks for the meal!”

“Char-chan, how is it? Does it suit your taste?”

“I-it’s very delicious!”

“Hehe, I’m glad.”

Now, the most blessed aspect of Fushimi Jinta. It was this mother of his who was showing a gentle smile before my eyes.

Fushimi Jinta’s memories retained some recollections of meals he’d eaten until now, and all of them were quite nutritionally balanced. In this household that was essentially single-parent, Fushimi Sakura had probably worked to earn living expenses while also cooking meals considering the health of her two children. That might have been harsher than being a battlefield soldier. Despite her easygoing atmosphere, she was a very strong and resilient woman.

“…I’ll do the dishes.”

“Oh! How wonderful, Jinta-kun!”

“What’s this, Jinta~ Are you trying to show off because Char-chan is here?”

Ami grinned. According to my memories, Ami usually helped with housework. Fushimi Jinta had hidden his bullying from his mother, and fearing it might be discovered accidentally, he had basically been holing up in his room.

Char stood up in a panic.

“Ah, I-I’ll do it! Since I’m staying here!”

“Char, bring out the gift. You went to the trouble of choosing it, right?”

“Ah, that’s right! Please wait a moment!”

I collected the plates from the table and washed them. Since Aaron had taught me the tricks, I was used to dishwashing too. Meanwhile, Char brought the plastic bag containing the gift.

“…I-it’s nothing special, but!”

Saying that, what Char took out was a gift fruit set she’d bought at the department store. Apples that cost 5,000 yen each and peaches that cost over 10,000 yen each, so-called top-grade fruits. I had deliberately made her put them in a bare plastic bag to make it seem like she’d bought them at some local grocery store.

It was a compromise between Char’s feeling of “I want to give high-quality items!” and my opinion that “if a poor family like ours receives something like that, they’ll feel obligated”.

“Oh, perfect for dessert!”

“Wow! I love peaches! Char-chan, thank you!”

“Ah, because peaches are Ami-san’s favorite.”

“Ahem! Char, I’ll cut these up for you, so bring them here.”

“Ah, okay!”

Char, you don’t need to say unnecessary things. If she knew I was the one who chose them, Ami’s mood would probably drop.

“I’m not used to knives… Char, don’t you have a survival knife?”

“Of course I don’t. That would violate Japan’s sword and firearms law.”

When I cut them up, Char arranged them on plates next to me. We then brought the completed plates to the table.

When they took a bite of the fruit, Mom and my sister’s eyes widened.

“!? S-so delicious! It must be because you two prepared it for us!”

“The peaches are so sweet too! My cheeks might fall off~! It’s because Char-chan brought them! Thank you~!”

Mother and sister dearest, unfortunately, it wasn’t anything emotional like that. It was undeniably the power of money.

Seeing their joyful expressions, Char also smiled with satisfaction.

◇◇◇

“This is Ryuji’s room? It’s surprisingly tidy~”

After getting out of the bath, Char entered my room with steam rising from her body. She had changed into pajamas, and perhaps still feeling hot, she had unbuttoned the front of her shirt.

“Fushimi Jinta basically had no hobbies except playing games occasionally.”

I immediately looked away and sat at my desk to continue writing today’s diary. It would be better to keep records to organize information too.

“Now! I need to look up how to enroll at Shigemichi High School…”

Saying that, she flopped down on my bed and started messing with her laptop.

“Ah! It looks like foreign students can transfer in too! Look, Ryuji! Look, look!”

Char brought her laptop over and forcibly squeezed her body into the single-person chair I was sitting in, sitting next to me.

“I can see it. Also, you’re too close and it’s stuffy. Don’t bother coming over here.”

“Why not? It’s easier to see this way, right? Ryuji should know about Shigemichi High School’s information too.”

Char showed no signs of moving away and placed the laptop in front of us. Then she pressed her body even closer and innocently began sharing information.

“The exterior looks like this… If we’re attacked by enemies, couldn’t we use this location?”

“Ah, yeah.”

“How about here as an emergency meeting place?”

“Ah, certainly.”

“Hey! Are you listening properly?”

When I gave halfhearted responses, Char glared at me.

(…This is bad.)

There was another effect from inhabiting Fushimi’s body. Just having Char nearby made my heart pound like crazy. Now that we were the same age, this girl was too beautiful and I couldn’t focus on the content at all.

Damn this virgin bastard. It was probably due to the biological instinct of a high school boy. Even though my body was that of a high schooler, mentally I was a grown man. If she knew I was thinking such things, Char would definitely be disgusted.

“Sorry, but I have something to do. You can research the high school by yourself.”

“Geez! Fine!”

Saying that, I escaped from next to Char. Just her body temperature and scent made my heart beat faster than when I was boxing.

(Begone worldly desires… begone worldly desires… Maybe I should check tomorrow’s schedule.)

Now, tomorrow was Saturday… I had a part-time job scheduled. I should do it to pay back even a little money to Char, since that store paid cash immediately.

At that moment, I remembered the words that hired store manager had said to Fushimi.

“There’s an international exhibition nearby starting this weekend, so lots of foreign customers will come, it’s going to be a busy time!”

…International exhibition. When I looked it up on my phone, it was apparently quite a large exhibition that would run for over half a year. It was going to get busy, with lots of foreign customers coming.

That restaurant had mostly female staff, but Fushimi Jinta was despised by all of them. He was often ignored, which sometimes caused order delays. Service required staff coordination. I’d like to work in sync with them if possible, but…

(Speaking of which, does anyone at that store speak foreign languages?)