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 29: Dojima Is Waiting

“I’m home!”

“Excuse me for intruding!”

“Welcome back!”

When I returned home with Char, Ami, who had already come back from cram school earlier, greeted us with a smile. Ami headed straight for Char and hugged her.

“Wait, Char-chan, what’s with that plain outfit! I made you look so pretty this morning!”

“You idiot, if Char looked like that she would’ve gotten hit on so much we couldn’t have done any sightseeing.”

“Ah, I see. A wimp like Jinta wouldn’t be able to chase them away anyway.”

When I somehow managed to give a reason, she insulted me as naturally as breathing.

“Also, Char-chan! When you come home, don’t say ‘excuse me for intruding’, say ‘I’m home!'”

“Eh!? B-but this isn’t my house…”

“What are you saying! This is already Char-chan’s house!”

Char showed a confused expression while being hugged by Ami. For Char, who had no family, she probably didn’t have any sense of what “her own home” meant.

“Wait for me, Char-chan! Mom is making delicious food right now!”

“You should cook sometimes too.”

“I’m helping! Well then, after you wash your hands and gargle, come to the living room!”

After saying that, Ami headed back to the kitchen to help again. When we were alone in the entrance, Char said to me:

“I’ll look for a place nearby soon. I can’t keep intruding forever.”

“From the looks of it, wouldn’t it be fine for you to stay at our place?”

“They’re just being considerate. Having a stranger in the house must be unsettling.”

Char said that and headed to the washbasin.

◇◇◇

“Let’s eat!”

When we put our hands together and began eating dinner, my mother, Fushimi Sakura, spoke to Char in her usual easygoing manner.

“Come to think of it, I’d like to greet Char-chan’s parents. After all, we’re taking care of their precious daughter.”

“Ah, I don’t have parents. Both of them disappeared when I was small.”

When Char said that, Sakura and Ami stopped eating and opened their eyes wide in surprise.

“…What do you mean?”

“My mother went away somewhere, and my father… died in an accident.”

Char, who obviously couldn’t say she had killed him with her own hands, chose her words carefully. Incidentally, Char had already atoned for her crimes by serving as a mercenary. Well, from my perspective, Char had no sins anyway.

“…”

“…”

Upon hearing about Char’s circumstances, Ami and Sakura were left speechless. Perhaps thinking the atmosphere had become too heavy, Char hurriedly forced a smile.

“Ah, but when my father died, a lot of insurance money came in! That’s why I could come study abroad in Japan like this, and I’m free! Ahaha!”

Despite her trying to turn it into a funny story, Sakura and Ami stood up from their seats and hugged Char tightly from both sides.

“It must have been painful… It’s okay, you can stay here as long as you want.”

“Char-chan, from now on you’re our child.”

Char showed a confused expression at their behavior.

“N-no! I’m fine, I can’t cause you trouble…!”

“It’s not trouble at all. As long as Char-chan doesn’t find it troublesome.”

“Yeah, if you don’t like it, you can leave, but let’s live together.”

“Eh… um… huh?”

In their arms, Char cried tears of confusion. For the first time, she experienced parental love and was told she was family. It seemed like one of the unfillable gaps in Char’s heart had been filled.

“Sniff, I’m sorry. Somehow, tears started coming out…”

“You can be spoiled as much as you want. I’m happy to have gained another daughter.”

“Yeah, stupid Jinta and I are here too. Say anything you need. Right, Jinta?”

For Char to become family was like a long-held dream for me. I responded to Ami’s question.

“If you don’t eat soon, the food will get cold.”

“…We can just ignore that idiot.”

Feeling embarrassed after saying that, I ate my meal while being glared at by Ami.

◇◇◇

“…”

When I came back to my room after getting out of the bath, Char was in my room messing with the computer. She seemed to be looking at the smartphone data we had taken from those gals today and taking some kind of action. Well, that was fine, but…

“Char, that’s my shirt. Why are you wearing it?”

“…This is loose and just right. I’ll take it off when I leave the room.”

Char, fresh from the bath, continued typing while wearing the baggy shirt. She should have been wearing something underneath, but because it covered her whole body, it looked like she wasn’t wearing anything at all. Such was the convenient mental supplementation of a pitiful man.

(At this rate, I won’t be able to handle it. Should I have her leave after all?)

While I was thinking such things, a message came to my phone. The sender was… Dojima.

“Come to school at 6 AM tomorrow don’t be late”

Apparently, he wanted to beat me up early in the morning so that the teachers wouldn’t find out. As usual, he couldn’t use punctuation. Knowing him, he had naturally called all our classmates and planned to have everyone film while he beat me to a pulp. If only it would go that smoothly for him.

Tomorrow, Char would also be transferring in, so it would be better to accept this guy’s invitation and settle things in the early morning.

(…Now, I wonder how things will go for Char?)

Behind Char, who was messing with the computer with a devilish smile, I was thinking such things.