You’re Right, They’ll Expel Me if I Run into the Store with a Weapon!! - Chapter 44: Shall we go then?
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- You’re Right, They’ll Expel Me if I Run into the Store with a Weapon!!
- Chapter 44: Shall we go then?
At a café inside the airport.
Hiroki was seated across from a girl with white hair sipping from a white cup.
“Why are you here?”
Hiroki’s straightforward question struck the girl’s ears.
“…I came for a mission.”
“A mission… I also came to this country on a mission, but it’s already finished.”
That’s right. If the girl’s role was to join the mission midway, now that the operation was over, there was no longer any reason for her to be here.
However,
“…It’s different.”
The girl, denying it, put the cup on the table and continued.
“…A rescue mission.”
A rescue mission.
Upon hearing those insufficient words, new questions began to form in Hiroki’s mind about who, what, and from what they were supposed to rescue.
But before these questions could fully form, Hiroki felt a chill and trembling in his heart.
“Rescuing people, huh… Ah.”
Hiroki was reminded of a traumatic incident he had caused the day before.
His mental state, which had gradually recovered since early morning, once again became shadowed by the resurfacing memory.
“…What’s wrong?”
Hazuki, though expressionless, threw a question at Hiroki.
In a matter-of-fact tone, Hiroki said,
“I told you I had a mission, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“I ended up causing trouble for everyone because of it.”
Hiroki muttered, his voice filled with regret.
The depression that had almost faded was returning, and his complexion began to worsen gradually.
“…”
Upon making eye contact with the girl, Hiroki let out a small sigh,
“Sorry, I made the atmosphere a bit weird.”
“…It doesn’t matter.”
Hazuki shook her head slightly.
Yet Hiroki, feeling disgusted with himself for complaining to a girl who seemed younger, lowered his gaze.
Seeing this, Hazuki took a slow breath and said,
“…Would you like to come with me next time?”
“…Where?”
“On a mission.”
Hiroki was surprised by Hazuki’s proposal and then became hesitant.
Still not meeting Hiroki’s gaze, Hazuki continued,
“…If you come with me… you won’t cause trouble for anyone.”
“…”
With each word, Hiroki began to look more contemplative.
“…I’ll take the lead… Hiroki will be support.”
“…”
“…It’s an easy job.”
“…”
“…If you partner with me… you won’t feel down.”
As the words accumulated, Hiroki slowly raised his face to meet Hazuki’s blue eyes.
◆
“Hiroki-kun! Good morning!”
A bright female voice called behind Hiroki, sitting on a sofa in the spacious lobby. Hearing the voice, Hiroki slowly turned his head.
“Good work, Amakusa-sensei. And you too, Shiori.”
“I’m back, Hiroki.”
Shiori also returned Hiroki’s gaze with her own words.
“Hiroki-kun, did any strange adults talk to you before we arrived? Huh?”
Amakusa-sensei asked with a teasing tone, to which Hiroki tilted his head and replied,
“Strange adults?… No, there weren’t any.”
“That’s good then! You see, it’s a bit worrying these days with how dangerous it is abroad!”
“Hmm.”
“Someone could just come up with some sweet words and kidnap you.”
“Hmm.”
“Worrying about you being lured away by some kind words.”
“Sensei, you’re worrying too much.”
With Shiori’s interjection, Amakusa-sensei turned to the girl and said,
“But it’s Hiroki-kun we’re talking about!”
“There’s nothing to ‘but’ about.”
Saying so, he glanced up at a high-positioned monitor.
“It’s about time.”
With those straightforward words, they gathered their belongings with a sigh.
“I think a little worry wouldn’t hurt, Hiroki-kun?”
“No, I’m already in high school, so being worried about it to this extent is kind of troubling, to say the least…”
“That’s what I’m saying, please understand, Amakusa-sensei.”
Joining the boy’s response, the girl spun her words, and the teacher puffed her cheeks slightly.
“Fine then, Shiori-chan and Hiroki-kun are my ungrateful, no, my unfilial students!”
Huffing, Amakusa-sensei started walking ahead, with Shiori and Hiroki following a few steps behind.
“Why can’t my students understand how I feel?”
“Are you still going on about that…”
“Do you even know how much I care about my students?”
“……”
Shiori and Hiroki, walking ahead, could only offer exasperated words and silence to Amakusa-sensei’s continued grumbling.
“That’s one of the things I dislike about you, Amakusa-sensei.”
“Wow, Shiori-chan says she dislikes me!”
“It’s not that caring about students is bad. It’s just that caring too much is annoying.”
“Well, what I’m doing now is normal for me. If you want, I can treat you with the level of care I consider to be ‘too much.'”
Amakusa-sensei’s words, mixed with a half-joking tone, made Shiori grimace as if she had seen something unpleasant.
“Please really stop.”
“My true dedication involves the delicacy and affection of cradling a baby.”
“That’s creepy.”
“And gradually treating you like my own child…”
“……”
“Buying you clothes I like and taking you out for picnics. Of course, I’ll dress you myself.”
“……Ugh.”
With her arms wrapped around herself and squirming, Amakusa-sensei jokingly, or perhaps not, expressed her affection. Behind her, Shiori felt a wave of nausea.
Not joining the conversation, Hiroki continued to walk with a detached air.
Shiori then turned her gaze towards Hiroki.
“Hiroki, you haven’t said anything for a while. What’s wrong?”
“Hm? No, I guess it’s because it’s a conversation between girls.”
Hiroki’s indifferent face and tone conveyed his disinterest, which made Shiori feel a sense of unease.
“…Is something the matter?”
“……”
“You seem a bit different from this morning.”
“If you don’t want to say, it’s fine… but I’d like to know the reason if possible.”
Shiori’s words were met with silence from Hiroki. Her bright eyes continued to observe Hiroki’s profile.
Tempted by her words, even Amakusa-sensei, leading the way, paid attention to what was happening behind her.
“…Sorry, Shiori.”
“Hm, if it’s about yesterday’s task, it’s already finished. Besides, Hiroki didn’t…”
“It’s not that.”
Cutting across Shiori’s voice, Hiroki continued.
“I’m sorry.”
“……What are you apologizing for?”
A moment later, Shiori asked Hiroki, her curiosity mixed with a hint of fear as she faced an expression on Hiroki’s face she had never seen before.
◆
“Hazuki”
With her short hair clouded in shades of gray, a woman clad in a black suit, holding an attaché case in one hand, spoke to a girl who placed an empty white cup on her lap.
“Well, it’s like that.”
“…”
“I was turned down.”
As the woman continued with a reflective tone, the girl dropped her gaze to the bottom of the cup.
“…Sayaka.”
“Yes, what is it?”
Sayaka, the woman so addressed, knelt on one knee, bringing herself to the girl’s eye level to listen.
“…Why was I rejected?”
“Who knows.”
“…Was it because of me?”
“What do you think?”
“…Do you want to be melted again?”
“No.”
Sayaka refused Hazuki’s declaration.
“I’ve become a woman again after a long time, and I’d like to stay this way for a while.”
“…Then, choose your words carefully.”
The girl spoke indifferently, devoid of emotion.
“…Want to turn back into Saiki?”
“I would dislike that.”
To Hazuki’s question, Sayaka continued with a wavering gaze.
“Besides, as long as Hiroki-kun is in the Combat School, bringing out Saiki is pointless.”
“…I’ll transfer Saiki too.”
“No, no, such convenient stories don’t happen.”
“…”
“To even make a nationality for Saiki and transfer him to a high school was a struggle.”
“…”
Silenced by the past and reality Sayaka hammered in, the existence that was Saiki remained unspoken.
“Let’s go back to the topic.”
“…”
Sayaka sighed, looking at the darkened face of the girl.
“What do you want to do, Hazuki?”
“…With Hiroki–“
Those final words reached Sayaka’s ears clearly, igniting a light in her eyes.
“Then, I have something to say. Your approach earlier was good. I think you did your best in your way.”
Placing the attaché case at Hazuki’s feet and holding the cup with both hands, she turned her gaze to the return slot.
“You’ve created an opportunity. I will return the finished cup now, so please take your time.”
“…Opportunity?”
Sayaka’s words suddenly bred a question.
However, Sayaka had already left the scene before the girl could voice her doubts.
The last thing she managed to see was the hurried, half-panicked back of the woman as she walked away.
“Hazuki.”
Her name was called.
Turning around, she saw Hiroki standing there in a fluster.
“…What’s wrong?”
Her voice choked up at the unexpected reunion, but the hurried Hiroki didn’t notice, merely moving his mouth.
“Have you seen my smartphone? I lost it somehow, and it’s almost time for our meeting, so I need to find it quickly.”
Unable to raise his voice in the quiet café, Hiroki maintained the minimum volume necessary while speaking to Hazuki.
“I searched the path I came by but couldn’t find it. The only place left is here. If it’s not here… no, the woman in the black suit I bumped into just outside the café, something felt off…”
Hearing his words, Hazuki directed her blue eyes to the ground. There, as if hidden by Sayaka, was the attaché case.
“…This?”
She picked up the smartphone and held it out to Hiroki.
Hiroki instantly grabbed it from Hazuki’s hand, relievedly sighing.
A look of relief washed over his face.
“Thank you for holding onto it.”
Why Hiroki’s smartphone was here was a mystery only the girl knew, and she simply responded.
“Then, it’s about time… Hazuki.”
As he was about to walk away, Hiroki paused, turning slowly,
“About the invitation earlier, I’m sorry for turning it down.”
He apologized for rejecting Hazuki’s proposal.
“I think I phrased it poorly, but I was really happy with your proposal.”
“…”
“If it was work that you were doing, I thought I could help too. It seemed like a meaningful job that wouldn’t get me down.”
Hiroki had only seen the surface of Hazuki. He knew nothing of her age, powers, or true identity. Thus, he imagined her work based on her appearance.
“It’s not that I’m rejecting Hazuki herself. If it were me from the night before, I would gladly accept your invitation.”
Hiroki expressed his feelings anew.
“But last night, I was encouraged by a friend. I work within a team.”
Hazuki knew.
She knew who the friend Hiroki spoke of was.
“I hadn’t felt good about this friend until now. But last night, that all changed, and I felt disgusted with myself for having bad thoughts about them.”
The tenth rank.
Her image, ranked nine places below him, appeared behind Hiroki.
“So, I want to see her up close again. Without negative thoughts, just as she is. She’s about to come this way, so first, I’ll apologize again. And then we start over.”
Hazuki couldn’t understand.
Naturally, his explanation was insufficient. She wanted to know more.
Yet, without voicing this, she simply nodded.
“…I understand.”
“Ah, then I’ll see you at Combat School.”
“…Wait.”
Hiroki stopped at her call and looked back at Hazuki.
As the conversation ended, Hiroki was about to leave the scene.
Turning around, he saw the entrance.
It was neither an automatic nor a manual door.
An open door lay behind him, deep in the background.
Outside the door was a girl with ash-gray hair.
She dangled her wrists loosely before stretching her fingers up and down vigorously.
What she showed next was a movement similar to a jab in boxing.
The movement was indeed a jab.
The only difference was that, for some reason, her fists were slightly open, and she extended her arms back and forth at the height of an opponent’s waist.
Unconcerned by the eyes of others.
“—Are you trying to create another chance?”
Hazuki felt as if she heard this in her ears.
“What’s wrong?”
His voice reached her ears.
Seeing the person outside, Hazuki was anxious, though it didn’t show on her face.
The girl, still moving her arms back and forth, stood still, her eyes filled with intensity, continuing to gaze into Hazuki’s.
“—A new relationship.”
The girl stood up from her chair.
“…Hiroki.”
A chance…
“…I want to exchange… addresses.”