You’re Right, They’ll Expel Me if I Run into the Store with a Weapon!! - Chapter 68: Don't Call Out to Me...
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- You’re Right, They’ll Expel Me if I Run into the Store with a Weapon!!
- Chapter 68: Don't Call Out to Me...
Suzuko was a recluse.
From before she met Hiroki to the present, her life spiraled into a cycle of “eating,” “sleeping,” and “gaming” – a lifestyle of decline.
Now and then, she was called upon by researchers to take part in experiments involving her abilities.
That was Suzuko’s entire world, her everyday life.
Perhaps because of this…
“Um, can I help with something after all?”
“Ah, it’s okay.”
In front of a store clerk, the girl hid behind the boy.
Her face turning pale, she deeply hooded herself and gripped Hiroki’s clothes with all her might.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“…Hiroki.”
“What is it?”
Suzuko was a shut-in.
But because of that, she had developed a certain illness, a disease crafted by her accumulated lifestyle.
The girl, fear evident on her face, looked up from behind the boy and asked,
“Why… can you talk?”
“It’s only you who can’t.”
Suzuko was somewhat “socially phobic.”
They were visiting a large electronics store, located a distance away from a shopping mall.
Suzuko had mentioned she needed to shop for personal items, which is why they came.
Upon arrival, Suzuko’s condition seemed to worsen, her face gradually turning paler.
The crowded space, the clamor of noises, and the clerks approaching to talk were all too different from her usual environment, causing her health to rapidly decline.
“You were fine at the shopping mall before. Why are you so scared now?”
Hiroki asked, turning slightly to Suzuko who was still hiding behind him, her face downcast. She whispered in response,
“The clerks come to talk… That didn’t happen before…”
“The place before had fewer clerks; it was self-service. And if you browse PCs and catalogues that much, of course, staff will come to help.”
They were in a section filled with specialized equipment. It was common for knowledgeable clerks to approach customers in such areas. If you were looking at PCs, they would come over to discuss setup options, payment plans, or the latest updates. And indeed, they had been approached by clerks several times.
“It’s been a while since we arrived; the clerks must be eager to help.”
“I should be fine… but, when they come smiling…”
“Smiling? That’s just a courtesy smile, don’t overthink it.”
“…They must be plotting something behind that.”
“You’re overthinking it.”
Hiding her face behind him, Suzuko trembled with anxiety. Hiroki, turning halfway towards her, placed his hand on the head of the girl behind him.
“How did you handle it during research assistance? Weren’t there adults, the researchers, around?”
“With specialized equipment… so I didn’t have to face them.”
“Specialized?”
“Equipment that doesn’t require seeing faces.”
Suzuko began to describe that setting. At the Combat College’s research facility, she had participated in experiments using her abilities. However, what was considered crucial was the mental state of the individual.
For a girl who struggled with crowded places and interpersonal communication, the facility chose to adapt the environment to suit her psyche rather than opt for psychological treatment.
This decision was made to avoid any negative impacts on her physically, mentally, and in terms of her abilities due to excessive stress.
Though referred to psychological counseling, she has continued to decline it to this day.
“…It was an emotionless voice from a robot that gave me instructions.”
Alone in the room, the robot would say,
“Please do it like this next.”
“Could you try one more time?”
“Thank you. This concludes our research for today.”
Detailed instructions were displayed on a monitor, and the robot voiced them out. Once the requested tasks were completed, she would return home in a conversation-free designated car.
“Except for those days, I was always inside the house…”
She relied entirely on delivery services for shopping, living a life detached from the outside world. That room was the only environment Suzuko could bear.
“I was most at ease inside the room…”
Without looking at Hiroki, she lowered her face, her voice dropping.
“But… I wanted to come.”
Gripping Hiroki’s clothes tightly, even feeling unwell, her strong will alone had brought her this far; her grip strength became a testament to her feelings, forming into words.
“Why go to such lengths?”
While asking, he looked down at the girl whose face was unseen.
If she wanted a PC, ordering online was an option. Why did she need to force herself to come here? The girl, hidden under her hood, what kind of face was she making as she explained? Even though he couldn’t see, he could guess from her trembling voice.
Surely, the reason she wanted to come here was that there was something she could only obtain by being here.
Probably, she was making a face as if she was about to cry.
“Hiroki…”
Suzuko slowly looked up, showing her face hidden under the hood…
“Let’s buy a PC…”
With eyes that seemed to drag one into their depth, the girl looked up at him.
Yeah, I knew… it’s because I’m with her.
“I had a hunch, but can you drop it already!? I’m not that fond of games!”
“Ah!”
Close to the emergency staircase at the edge of the floor, in a corridor out of sight from the sales area, an altercation resembling a quarrel unfolded.
Suzuko was stopping Hiroki from leaving.
A clerk had once come by, only to be turned away with a fabricated excuse about merely appeasing a whimsical girl.
Indeed, it looked just like that scene.
“Just because you can’t ask for my address, suggesting we go to the store together to buy something is ridiculous!”
“I’ll buy everything for you, so…”
What happened to the scared Suzuko? Now, she was boldly dragging Hiroki by the hand.
“If we get the setup right, you’ll want to play games.”
“Even if we buy a new PC, it doesn’t mean I’ll change that easily! It’s awkward to use something bought with someone else’s money!”
“Then… if that’s the case…”
In the face of Hiroki’s gaze, the girl became silent.
“I’ll use it now.”
“Use what?”
“Please.”
After a moment, what the girl insisted on was a right given to her by Hiroki.
A promise received just earlier, used without waiting a day.
However, what Hiroki would say next made Suzuko shake.
“I’ll say this: I can’t make commands that will harm me.”
“!… Then… if everything I don’t want to do is harmful…”
“That’s different. Certainly, receiving a PC and playing games aren’t harmful.”
Hiroki chose words that Suzuko could understand and explained to her, seeing her unconvinced expression.
“Any wish with lasting effects is harmful.”
“Permanence?”
“Come to clean my room forever. Let’s play every day from now on. Do my homework every time it’s assigned.”
“I wouldn’t make such requests.”
“What was your second wish going to be, after getting me to buy a PC?”
“!?…”
Suzuko fell silent at Hiroki’s words.
“If you said to play games every day, it would only harm my daily life. In the end, it’s about the other person’s feelings. It’s meaningless if I don’t come to like games.”
“…”
“Think carefully before using it. Permanence is out, but I can tolerate something for about a week.”
Before she knew it, Suzuko had lowered her hands. Whether she had reconsidered her thoughts, the girl looked down without showing her expression.
“…Understood.”
“Alright.”
“All I need is to change Hiroki’s heart, isn’t it?”
“…Hm? What was that just now?”
“Nothing.”
The girl harbored a new resolve, reconsidering her plan. How could she acquire that?
(A catalyst is needed…)
That catalyst was closer than she thought.
“I’ve heard some great news, Touka-chan!”
“About that matter?”
“Exactly! With this, my goal seems within reach now!”