vol-13 Ch 2 – The Heavenly Sacred Festival and Mysterious Encounter

Part 1

This was just a day before Kuuya and Meiko started living at Yuuya's house──.

──Night woke up early in the morning.

"Woof…"

Night always woke up at the same time, and after giving a small yawn, he went to the bedroom of Yuuya, his master, and his beloved family.

He then stood by Yuuya's bedside, stopped the alarm clock just before it rang, and gently tapped Yuuya's face with his paw.

"Woof."

"Nn…? Nn… ah, good morning, Night…"

Yuuya looked at Night gently with somewhat sleepy eyes.

Night liked the way Yuuya looked at him and slid his face close to his.

"Haha… thank you for everything."

"Woof!"

Yuuya also set an alarm clock, but instead of that alarm clock, Night was the one who always woke him up.

After completely waking up, Yuuya went straight to the kitchen and started to prepare breakfast.

After seeing Yuuya off to the kitchen, Night went to Akatsuki and the others' bedrooms.

There, he found Akatsuki and Ciel sleeping peacefully. And Ouma was there.

Night went to Akatsuki and dexterously shook Akatsuki's body with his paw.

"Woof."

"Fugo… fugo…"

But Akatsuki showed no sign of waking up at all.

"Woof…"

As Akatsuki breathed pleasantly in his sleep, Night sighed helplessly and gently pulled him with his mouth, carrying him to the dining table.

After carrying Akatsuki to the place where he usually ate, Night called out to Ciel.

"Woof."

"Suu… pii… Pii…"

"Woof…"

Ciel, too, did not seem to wake up at all.

Again, like Akatsuki, Night carried Ciel to the dining table and gently set Ciel down in the seat.

Then Yuuya, who was cooking, noticed Night and smiled bitterly.

"Haha… You shouldn't bother with it, Night."

"Woof."

Night shook his head.

Yuuya could get up on his own without being woken up by Night, but waking Yuuya up was also an enjoyable morning routine for Night.

In contrast, Akatsuki and Ciel were brought to the table like this by Night each and every time, and while it was certainly disheartening, Night had no intention of changing this routine.

"Night is like a big brother, isn't he?"

"Woof?"

Although Night was unaware of it, the way he was dumbfounded and hands-on made him seem like an older brother to Akatsuki and Ciel.

In fact, Yuuya's firm eldest son is Night, and Akatsuki is the second son who goes at his own pace. He considers Ciel, who is very sweet, to be the third son.

As for Ouma, he is much older than the others, so he has never really looked at him in that way.

Despite this, Ouma still slept freely in his room.

And it was Night's job to wake him up.

"Woof!"

"Mm…? Night, huh…? I'm still sleepy. Let me sleep like this…"

"Woof, woof!"

"No, I mean… hey! Don't bite my tail! Alright, alright! I'll walk by myself!"

When Night bit Ouma's tail and dragged him away, Ouma quickly surrendered and reluctantly followed Night to the dining table.

By this time, Yuuya had also finished preparing breakfast, and Akatsuki and the others were beginning to wake up, albeit gradually.

"Fugo… fugo?"

"Supi… pii?"

"Hey, Akatsuki, Ciel. It's time for breakfast, so get up. And good morning, Ouma-san."

"Umu."

"Then, let's eat."

While everyone was eating breakfast together, Night suddenly remembered something from the past.

The "Black Fenrir" Night, who boasts of a fighting power comparable to that of the "Genesis Dragon," has no parents.

The same was true for Ciel and Akatsuki.

Akatsuki is born naturally as a result of the self-cleansing action of the world of Argena itself, and Ciel is a special being born in conjunction with the birth of the "Holy King."

Then, what exactly is Night?

In fact, even Argena did not know how the "Black Fenrir" Night was born.

A young "Black Fenrir" appeared out of nowhere, grew up and showed its power to the fullest, and then disappeared without notice.

That is why even Ouma knew about the combat power of Black Fenrir but not its ecology.

Night also did not know why he was born so suddenly.

That was why, shortly after he was born, he was attacked and unilaterally beaten by the Orc King of the Great Devil's Nest.

Night was born with high status, but because he didn't know how to fight when he was just born, he fell behind an opponent that he shouldn't have lost to.

It was when he thought he was going to die without knowing why… that he met Yuuya.

Since then, a lot has happened, and he has a family of his own, including Akatsuki, Ouma, and Ciel.

He had nothing, but now he had an important person in his life.

Night suddenly looked at Yuuya, and their eyes met.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"Woof."

Night shook his head as if to say, "It's nothing."

After finishing breakfast, Yuuya got ready for school and headed for the front door to leave.

"I'm off then."

"Woof!"

Night saw Yuuya off at the entrance.

As he stared at Yuuya's back, he thought to himself that he's going to take good care of him so that he can protect this precious house.

＊＊＊

"Woof?"

As usual, Night, who had been quietly staying at home on Earth, suddenly sensed a disturbing presence.

It was not Yuuya, nor was it the presence of anyone else that Night knew.

Ouma, who also sensed the presence, opened one eye.

"…It seems that someone has broken into this house."

"Woof!"

"Fugo?"

"Pii?"

Night's eyes widened at Ouma's words.

Originally, the sage's house in another world could not even be entered without Yuuya's permission, so it was rare for a stranger to break into the house.

That's why he had just ended up thinking the same thing about the house on Earth…

"Nothing surprising, right? It's not much different from the last time Merl broke in."

"W-woof."

Night reconsidered what Ouma had said, but he didn't want anyone to break into the house in the first place.

"Well… unlike that time, this time it seems to be just a burglar."

"Buhi!

"P-piii!"

Akatsuki and Ciel also seem to have finally recognized that a burglar has broken into their house, and they begin to panic.

If it had been a monster, or if it had been from the other world, they would have defeated it without question.

However, this was Earth, and even if the burglar was a criminal, they could not cause serious injury.

If they did, there was a possibility that it would cause trouble for Yuuya.

However, this did not matter to Ouma.

"It's disgusting that you're breaking into my bedroom. I will make you regret setting foot in this house…"

"W-woof!"

When a disturbing presence began to emanate from Ouma, Night hurriedly called out to him to restrain him.

"What is it? Why are you stopping me?"

"Woof, woof!"

"…Your master is not here? Well, that's okay. Then take care of it as soon as possible. I can't sleep comfortably in this situation."

"W-woof…"

After successfully stopping Ouma's actions for the time being, Night once again followed the signs of the intruding burglar and approached him, killing any sign of his presence.

He found a man who was rummaging through a chest of drawers in the room.

"Damn… what's with this house? …It's so big, but it's got nothing on it…"

The man fished around the room while swearing.

It was true that the house that Yuuya inherited from his grandfather was big, but Yuuya's house, which was originally poor, did not even have a television.

And since the storage room where the most valuable items were kept was located behind the bathroom, no burglar would have thought to search there.

Moreover, the items in the storage room were all of tremendous value, but to a common thief, they would be considered nothing more than junk.

It might have been unlucky for the burglars to target such a house.

But the most unlucky of all is──.

"──Woof."

"Whoaa? Eh… W-what is it, a dog? …It surprised me…"

The man recognized Night and panicked for a moment, but when he realized that Night was still a puppy, he patted his chest.

"Heh… you think you're a guard dog? In such a spacious house, no one will notice the barking of a puppy like you. Now, if you understand that, go away. Or else──"

"Grrrr… Woof!"

"Gaaahh!?"

Before the man could finish his sentence, Night pounced on him.

The man quickly covered his face with his arm, and Night bit into that arm.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch. Y-you! L-let go of──."

"Woof."

"Guheeh!"

When Night lightly twisted his body while biting the man's arm, the man was effortlessly knocked to the floor.

At first glance, Night looked like a puppy, but he was, in fact, a child of [Black Fenrir], who was comparable to Ouma, and a mere thief could not possibly be a match for him.

Moreover, unlike Ouma, Night was very gentle with the man, biting his arm but never ripping it off.

"W-what the hell is this dog?"

"Woof."

Night released the man's arm, jumped up nimbly, and swung his paw in the man's face.

"Woof!"

"Bueee!"

The man was knocked unconscious in an instant.

After confirming that the man had fainted, Night walked out of the house with the burglar by the scruff of the neck in his mouth.

Then, dragging the man, who was still unconscious… Night headed to what turned out to be a police station.

Night carelessly lowered the man to the ground and barked lightly toward the police station.

"Woof!"

"Hmm? Eh… What is this?"

The police officer who came out of the police station rolled his eyes when he saw the man lying on the ground in front of him and Night sitting a little next to him.

But the policeman soon realized that the man's face was familiar.

"Ah! I-isn't this guy the burglar who was recently wanted!"

"Woof."

"Eh? Oh, hey!"

After Night saw that the police officers had taken the man into custody, he hurried straight back to the house.

Remembering that Night had caught a pickpocket before and that criminals were to be turned over to the police, Night delivered the burglar to the police station this time as well.

When Night returned home after a day's work, Ouma and the others were still lounging around as usual.

"Woof…"

'Mhm? It looks like it's all over."

"Fugo!"

"Pii!"

"Woof!"

Night was once again spending his time at home, being amazed at the state of the three of them, when Yuuya came home from school.

"I'm home."

"Woof!"

"Oh, Night! I'm home. Is everything alright today?"

"…Woof!"

The truth was that the house was burglarized, but Night prevented the damage before it happened, so he decided to keep quiet so that Yuuya wouldn't worry about it.

After seeing this, Ouma and the others also seemed to have decided not to say anything unnecessary and remained silent.

"I see. Thank you for always keeping watch over the house."

"Woof!"

After being petted by Yuuya, Night barked happily.

──This was the daily life of Night.

He protected the house so that Yuuya could go to school with peace of mind.

Part 2

And time returns to the present──.

A few days have passed since we started practicing for the stage.

Actually, we didn't receive any information from Kitaraku-senpai except the music and choreography data. Thus we didn't know when the show would be in the first place, and we didn't know what to do about the costumes and so on.

…Well, I'm sure Kitaraku-senpai will prepare those things for us…

At any rate, despite all the uncertainty, our practice was going well.

"──Lexia, you're running late!"

"I-I know!"

Even now, Luna-led dance lessons are taking place, and Lexia-san, who is a little less athletic than everyone else, is doing her best while struggling.

At first, I wondered what would happen, but as the practice progresses like this, I feel like they are getting into shape, which is amazing.

In comparison, I have nothing to do, or I can't do anything…

I wonder why Kitaraku-senpai put me in charge of this project? No matter how I think about it, it's like I'm just in the way…

When I thought about that myself and felt miserable, it seemed that the dance session had just come to an end, and each of them had started to take a break.

"Phew! The water tastes so good!"

"It's not often that I get to move my body this much."

Merl-san is an alien from the planet Amel, whose science and technology are far more advanced than that of the Earth, and since she usually lives using various Amel technologies, she probably has fewer opportunities to move her body than people from the Earth.

"It seems like Lexia is having a hard time keeping up with the music."

"I-I can't help it, can I? I'm not as physically strong as Luna!"

"Effort. Lexia should exercise more."

"Hey, Yuti! You make it sound like I'm lazy!"

"You are, aren't you?"

"I-I'm not, right? Yuuya-sama?"

"A-ahahaha…"

I could only laugh at the topic that was suddenly thrown at me.

The reason was when she first came to this world, she was interested in a lot of things, but as she got more and more accustomed to it, she was corrupted… by the convenient tools of the Earth…

Above all, now that a maid named Meiko was also living in the house, Lexia-san was moving around the house less and less often.

W-well, Lexia-san was usually working hard as a princess in the other world, so it's fine if she took it easy, at least in this world.

"Well, putting Lexia aside… I was surprised that Kaede was able to move more than I expected."

"Eh, m-me?"

"Affirmative. Kaede, excellent."

Having been praised by Luna and Yuti, Kaede was flustered.

"T-that's not true! I was just trying to keep up with the others in dance, and I'm not as good a singer as Lexia-san and the others…"

Lexia-san was certainly not good at dancing, but when it came to singing, she had an outstanding talent… a singing voice that really attracted you.

"It is true that I am not a good dancer, but I am a good singer! When it comes to singing, I'm the one who's going to teach Luna!"

"Kuh…! I'm so pissed off at the look of pride on her face…!"

"Weak. Singing is hard…"

"Well, maybe it's a matter of whether or not you're used to singing on a regular basis."

"Doubt. Merl is good at it too. Do you sing a lot?"

"Yeah, I do. When I was in my hometown, I used to sing a lot."

Just like Yuti said, I was actually surprised by Merl's singing ability as well.

If Lexia-san's songs appealed to the emotions, Merl sang with such precision that the word "precise" was the perfect word to describe her singing.

Perhaps there is a culture of music on the planet Amel. Even though their science and technology are very different, the enjoyment of such a culture is probably the same.

"Aside from Lexia and Merl, I think you're at least much better at it than Yuti and me."

"B-but shouldn't you be good at something like everyone else?"

"No, I don't think so. The best thing about Kaede is that you have the best balance of singing and dancing in the group. That's the best advantage of all."

As Luna said, Kaede's singing and dancing are not particularly great compared to Lexia-san's group, but her overall balance is very good.

She can sing and dance at a high level, and above all, Kaede's cheerful atmosphere is perfect as an idol, I realized as we practiced.

In the midst of all this, Lexia-san suddenly muttered.

"Come to think of it… I originally joined this project because I heard that Yuuya-sama was going to take care of it…"

"Eh?"

"Speaking of which, the student council president did say something like that."

"U-um, Lexia-san? Luna?"

As some kind of disturbing atmosphere began to emerge, Lexia-san's eyes lit up, and her gaze moved toward me at a tremendous speed.

"Yuuya-sama! I think Yuuya-sama has a duty to take care of us!"

"E-eehhh!?"

"Le-Lexia-san!? I think Yuuya-kun might get in trouble if you say that out of the blue…"

When Kaede said this while glancing at me, Lexia-san shook her head greatly.

"You're naive, Kaede! It's at times like this that we should push!"

"I-is that so?"

"I don't think so!"

No, Lexia-san and the others are actually doing their best, and I, as the person in charge of this project, would like to do everything I can to help them, but…

Then, Lexia-san also asked Yuti and Merl, who had been quietly watching the situation.

"You two would like to be taken care of by Yuuya-sama, too, wouldn't you?"

"? Usually. He does it all the time."

"What did you say?"

"No, I don't! I didn't!"

At first, when Yuti started living with me, she was very under the influence of Archer-san's overprotectiveness and needed my help to do everything, but now she's able to take care of herself.

…Now that I think about it, those days were really tough… I can only thank Kaori for helping me out…

"Regardless of the truth of what Mr. Yuti-san said… when you say take care of us, what do you want him to do for us?"

When Merl asked her that, Lexia-san smiled fearlessly.

"That's… a massage!"

"Eh?"

"Ma…Massage…!"

As I froze at the unexpected topic, everyone's eyes lit up when they heard what Lexia-san was saying, and they all turned to look at me at the same time.

W-what is it… I feel like a herbivore being targeted by a carnivore… and I want to get out of here right now.

However, perhaps foreseeing my thoughts, Yuti had already sealed the entrance and exit, and Luna had even carefully used her strings to secure the door so that I couldn't escape. T-they went to that extent?

Realizing that no matter how hard I tried, I could not escape from this place, I opened my mouth in trepidation.

"U-um! By massage, you mean… S-shoulder massage, right…?"

"What are you talking about? Of course, it's a full-body massage!"

"──"

I was just speechless.

W-what should I do… what should I do…!"

I'm not lying when I said that I wanted to help everyone.

But, f-full body massage is…! I can't do that!"

"Now, Yuuya-sama! Give up and heal our bodies!"

"U-uwaaaahh!"

──I was defeated by everyone's pressure, and I focused my mind only on healing everyone's body, and while frantically dispelling unnecessary thoughts, I accomplished the massage.

＊＊＊

And so it went smoothly(?). Today's practice was over, and I decided to go home.

Then…

"Good, you guys haven't gone home yet… What's wrong? The girls are looking awfully shiny…"

"Sawada-sensei! Ah, um… there are various things…"

Our homeroom teacher, Sawada-sensei, came to the lesson room we were using.

"So, what's going on?"

"That's right. Actually, I'm here to tell you that I've received the thing that that guy Kitaraku asked me to deliver, so I came to tell you about it… he just pushed me to do the work and then went away."

"Haha…"

"By the way, these are your stage costumes."

"Eh!?"

We were surprised to hear these words.

"I knew that Kitaraku-senpai had been preparing for this, but is it already done?"

"Yeah. He's always quick to act on these things."

I asked Sawada-sensei, who looked somewhat taken aback, about something that had been bothering me.

"Um… It seemed like the other day Sensei was against Kitaraku-senpai in a lot of ways, but are you helping him out now?"

"That's right… Well, it's because he was able to get you in well."

"Eh?"

"…No, I'm talking about this side. Besides, before I knew it, he was in talks with Star Productions, and he even got permission from the board chairman. I don't think a single teacher can overturn it now."

"Kitaraku-senpai is really fast at his work, isn't he?"

I didn't realize that he had already received permission from Tsukasa-san, the board chairman… Well, to put it another way, we can't do such a big project without Tsukasa-san's permission, can we?

"So, I wanted to bring over the costumes that had arrived. Since I can't catch Kitaraku, I thought I'd ask Tenjou to help me."

"No problem."

"Oh, then we'll help too!"

Kaede raised her hand and said so, but…

"No, Kaede and the others can go home first."

"But… To make Yuuya-kun work alone is…"

"No problem. Rather, Kaede and the others are probably more tired from practicing."

In fact, although I have been appointed by my Kitaraku-senpai to be in charge of this project, I have not been able to do anything that resembles work so far.

So, if I don't move even at a time like this, I would feel uncomfortable…

"If Yuuya says it's okay, then I will take your word for it."

"Right! Since we're all here, it wouldn't be a bad idea if we all went home together!"

"Come to think of it; we haven't really hung out together outside of this practice."

"Then, we could go out afterward, couldn't we? No, it's possible! If that's the case, let's go right away!"

"Eeehhh?"

"Geez, Lexia…"

It seems that Lexia-san and the others are going to have a little fun and go back home. It is true that Lexia and Yuti are in different grades with each other, and they don't have a chance to talk to each other except when practicing on the idol stage.

"You can go play, but be careful!"

"Yes!"

Taking Sawada-sensei's advice, Lexia-san and the others left the classroom.

I then went to work carrying out the costumes that had arrived.

Part 3

Yuuya and the others were in the midst of their school idol project.

In the afterlife [the underworld], the boundary with the present world has been successfully restored, and normal daily life has returned.

And today, too, a sinner is brought to Reimei.

"Let go of me! Who do you think I am? I'm the son of that Kuzunoichi!"

The man who was being brought in by the oni was screaming, perhaps not grasping the exact situation in which he was placed.

Seeing him like this, the oni tried to silence the man──.

"Shut up."

The air was quiet yet heavy with pressure.

The man who had been screaming just a moment ago shut his mouth and began to tremble under the tremendous pressure that suddenly hit him.

What put the man in such a state was a very young-looking girl──Reimei, in front of him.

Reimei was looking down at the man, a sinner, with her legs crossed on an honorary seat.

Her appearance was the face of the master of the underworld, which Yuuya and the others had never seen before, and it gave the impression that she was ruthless to no end.

The man looked up at Reimei and tried to escape his gaze, but he was too afraid to move properly due to the fact that he was being held down by the oni.

Then, Reimei pointed her index finger at the man and made a motion as if she was going to pull something out.

At that moment, a purple aura appeared on the man's forehead in the form of threads.

The thread-like aura drifted through the air, and when it reached Reimei, it transformed into a scroll.

The scroll, transformed from an aura, opens on its own and exposes itself to Reimei.

"Adultery, murder, theft… oh oh oh, you have committed countless crimes…"

The man smiles, freed from his intimidation by the fact that Reimei's attention has turned to the scroll.

"He-hehe… that's right! I'm not like those other people. How's that? Isn't that awesome?"

The man talked as if committing a crime was a great thing.

The surrounding oni frowned at the man, who showed no signs of remorse.

But nothing changed in Reimei's expression.

"Oh, what's the difference?"

"I am the son of Kuzunoichi. No matter what I do, my father will always cover it up! No matter how much the lowly people cry out, I will never be judged. I am the chosen one!"

"That was when you were alive, wasn't it?"

Reimei said, and the man smiled.

"Well, yes! But that doesn't change the fact that I am the chosen one! Now, hurry up and release me and bring me back to life! Shouldn't there be some service that goes with being the chosen one?"

Despite his absurdity, the man continued to speak as if it were a matter of course.

Then…

"Oh, so you are the chosen one, are you?"

"I've been saying that for a while now! Get these guys out of my way and get me out of here quickly──"

At that moment, as if interrupting the man's speech, a purple light shot out from Reimei.

The light went straight ahead and penetrated the man's face.

And a few moments later, the man's body exploded.

But──.

"Gaaaahhhh! …Hah! Hah… hah…!"

The man whose body had just exploded desperately checked his own body.

Certainly, the man had just exploded.

However, the man was in this underworld because he was already dead.

Therefore, his body immediately recovered.

The man's expression of disbelief at Reimei's sudden attack was not believable, but…

"You are special. I will give you the gift of unlimited torment."

"Wha!? That's not what──"

The man was still trying to argue, but he could never speak another word from that point on.

For the moment Reimei lightly waved her hand, a purple aura emanated from the man's feet, enveloping him, and the next moment, he was gone.

Beyond that purple aura, a veritable hell awaited him.

Eternal loneliness and endless pain would continue to be inflicted upon the man.

"How could I possibly know… such a scum whatsoever."

After judging the man, Reimei snickered and turned her head tiredly down.

"Hah… it's good that the boundary between this world and the next has been restored, but I've got a lot of free time on my hands."

The underworld had become peaceful, but the fact remained that sinners were sent there every day.

"Good grief… These people never grow up. I wonder what will happen to them in the future…"

The underworld was not so interested in what happened to the world of humans.

Reimei was merely the master that made the underworld function.

Then, she suddenly remembered Meiko, who had been released from this underworld.

"I wondered if she was doing well…"

Unlike the expression she had just shown to the sinner, Reimei had a gentle expression on her face.

For Reimei, Meiko was a special person.

The existence that was born from the combined malice of the sinners in this underworld was Meiko, but despite that, Meiko was pure to the core, yet she had been sealed for a terribly long time so that her power would not run out of control.

At first, Reimei looked for a way other than sealing her, but in the end, sealing her was the only way to avoid her outbursts.

And Meiko also silently accepted that choice.

Reimei was very happy to think that she was now living happily with Yuuya.

"I'm grateful to Yuuya and the others… However, there is one thing that bothers me."

Suddenly her expression changed to a serious one, and Reimei remembered the false god who had caused the boundary of the underworld to disappear at that time.　

"The boundary between the present world and the underworld has been repaired, but… the boundaries between other worlds and timelines are still gone. I don't know who is going to repair those broken boundaries… but it can't be that they will remain as they are, can it?"

Currently, due to the influence of the false god, the boundaries between the world in which Yuuya and the others live and the many other worlds that exist, as well as the boundaries of the time axis, have disappeared, leaving them in a very precarious state.

Just as Reimei restored the boundary between the present world and the underworld, it is thought that there is someone in a position to restore these boundaries, but Reimei does not know who it is, and even if there were no one, Reimei herself does not know how to restore them.

"If it is not done quickly, it could attract strange people to trespass to the different worlds…"

Until now, the boundaries between worlds meant that if something happened, it would be completed in that world, but now that those walls have disappeared, it was not surprising that people would appear who were plotting strange things.

"…Well, there's nothing I can do, and… I guess I'll just have to pray for peace as it is."

Finally, Reimei concluded her thoughts.

＊＊＊

──Meanwhile, at the [Heavenly Sacred Festival] in the other world…

"Now, my next opponent is you."

Iris was looking at her opponent without letting her guard down.

Iris's opponent was… the organizer of this tournament, the "Katana Saint" Shu Zakuren.

"I can't believe I'm going to be fighting the winner of the last tournament. I'm really looking forward to it."

Shu smiled quietly and naturally at Iris, who radiated a quiet fighting spirit.

And then, when the match was about to begin…

"Hmph!"

Iris attacked first.

"!"

Iris showed a thunderous step and dived into Shu's bosom.

The speed of the attack surprised not only the surrounding Holy but also Shu himself.

However…

"…I thought it was decided just now."

"Hmph… Sure, I was surprised, but I'm not soft enough to be hit by that strike now, okay?"

Shu quickly slipped his katana into his bosom and caught Iris's attack.

"Ara, really? Then… how about this!"

"Kuh!"

As they had been involved in battles with Yuuya, Iris and the others had also fought many more powerful enemies than ever before.

In addition, Yuuya was sent to a world in the past where he received guidance from the sage Zenovis, making him a force that Iris and the others could no longer match in terms of combat power.

Although Iris and the others managed to keep up with Yuuya due to the difference in experience, there was still a limit to what they could do.

That was why, in order to keep up with Yuuya in the future, Iris needed to gain even more strength.

"Haaagh!"

"Tsk! I'm amazed that a mere sword strike has this power…!"

In the past, Iris relied heavily on skill in many of her battles.

Even Usagi, who had trained his groundwork, used a lot of skill in battle.

However, after witnessing Yuuya's stronger fighting, Iris realized that this alone was not enough, and she fully demonstrated her talent and had already reached the point where she could unleash many skills as a single casual blow.

In addition, Iris had begun training in other areas of magic that she had not developed before.

Instead of focusing on her newly acquired power, she focused on developing the power that already existed.

As a result, she was naturally able to strengthen her body with magic power, just as she had just blown Shu away.

"Now, if you have some hidden power, you'd better get it out quickly, or it'll be over!"

Iris was able to catch up to Shu without missing a beat, but Shu was not to be outdone.

The physical capabilities of Iris, strengthened by magic power, were superior to Shu's, but Shu covered them with his skills.

Shu was able to survive the fierce sword fight with only one katana.

Gloria and the others were amazed to see the two of them.

"Amazing… when did Iris become so strong?"

(We've been through a lot. More importantly…)

Usagi's eyes narrowed as he saw Shu defending against Iris's attack.

It was a faint sense of discomfort that spread through Usagi.

Indeed, Shu looked like he was doing his best to prevent Iris's attack.

But…

(It's strange… It's as if he's investigating something rather than just enduring it…)

Iris herself, who was fighting, felt that Usagi was right.

"(This guy… He precisely defends against all of my attacks. Of course, I'm not giving it my all either, but it's creepy that he seems to be able to see through my attacks…)"

For a while, Iris's one-sided attack continued, but eventually, Shu, who had taken his distance, unexpectedly raised his hand.

"──I surrender."

"Eh?"

It was too sudden.

Not expecting Shu to surrender here, Iris was puzzled.

Shu continued with a calm face.

"You can see that, can't you? I can't beat Iris. I'm sorry, but that's it."

"….."

After announcing this, Shu silently walked off the stage.

"(After all, I couldn't find out the reason why he opened this [Heavenly Sacred Festival], and most importantly, I couldn't figure out the power that Shu is hiding…)."

Iris did not pursue Shu any further, but the result of the match left somewhat of a lingering impression.

Part 4

"It's as lively as ever!"

After the practice for the stage was over, Lexia and the others came to a shopping mall.

"I thought about it the last time I was here with Luna and the others, but it's amazing how many different stores are in one building, isn't it?"

"Huh? Is it unusual in Lexia-san's country?"

Kaede was the only one among them who did not know that Lexia and the others were from a different world, and she was mystified when she noticed Lexia's amazement at the shopping mall.

"I'd like to have one in our country, too, seeing as it's so convenient."

"That's true! There are a lot of problems with the land, but… we'll manage!"

"?"

Listening to the words alone, it was as if Lexia was saying that she would build this shopping mall-like facility in her own country, which made Kaede, who thought she was just an exchange student, tilt her head in confusion even more.　

"Nevertheless… When I first came to this world, I was hoping to learn just a little bit about the culture, but after taking a closer look around, I'm learning a lot!"

"Well, your real purpose was Yuuya, after all."

"That's obvious! But… this world and the science and technology that Merl uses are also interesting to learn about, but the intangible things like architectural styles and commercial forms like this are also very informative."

Lexia's eyes were somewhat serious as she said this.

However, she soon returned to her usual demeanor and turned her head to everyone else.

"Well! Let's take a look around then! I've always wanted to go to a place called a game center!"

"Is that so? Oh, but I wonder if game centers are unusual for people from other countries…?"

"At least, there aren't any in my country! When I was looking around the city with Luna and the others before, we passed by a game center…"

"Not only Lexia but also me and Yuti didn't know, so we didn't stop by, did we?"

"Affirmative. When it comes to the unknown, it's best not to touch it."

"Come to think of it; I'm curious too."

"Merl-san, too?"

Although the planet Amel has more advanced science and technology than Earth, it seems that science and technology are not used much for entertainment, which has been one of her concerns since she came to Earth.

"Besides, I didn't have that much money at the time."

"Well, it wasn't money to play with; it was money to buy what we needed."

"Secured. I'm getting money from Yuuya today."

Although they could not play the other day due to financial reasons, this time, they could play because Yuti had received money from Yuuya in advance.

Lexia and the others, who had thus decided on a game center as their destination… did not go there directly.

"Huh? What is that?"

"Hey, Lexia!"

Lexia spotted a sign that said "Tapioca" and moved to it.

"Tapioca? What is that? Luna, do you know about it?"

"I don't know… but what are those creepy, black lumps…?"

"It's sweet. I had it once with a friend."

"Eehh? Yuti, you have friends?"

"…Protest. I have good friends."

Yuti was displeased with Lexia's reaction.

However, Lexia did not care and continued.

"But that means that is sweet food, right?"

"That's right. It may look weird, but the texture is interesting and tasty."

Satisfied with Kaede's explanation, Lexia began to look around again.

"Interesting! Oh, and over there too!"

"As I said, don't move on your own!"

And Lexia never made it to the game center, as she would find something that caught her interest and head in that direction.

"Look! It's ice cream! Let's try some!"

"Ice cream? What's that…?"

"Huh? Luna-san, have you never had ice cream before? It's a cold sweet…"

"Cold sweets? I-it can't be helped. If Lexia wants to eat it, let's eat it."

"Affirmative. Sugar content is important."

"Fufu, that's good."

After each of them finished ordering and received the order…

"Mmmm! It's so cold and delicious!"

"A-amazing… The crepe I had before was amazing, but I didn't know there was such a sweet…"

"Delicious."

"I guess this planet has made great progress in entertainment and food culture."

As they ate the ice cream and shared their impressions, Lexia and the others attracted a lot of attention from the people around them.

"Hey, that…"

"Wow, they're so pretty…!"

"They look like foreigners, but they are beautiful!"

"Hey, let's go talk to them, shall we?"

"Stop it; you're not going to get any attention."

Lexia and the others were attracting attention, but they were too engrossed in their ice cream to pay any attention.

After finishing their ice cream, Lexia and the others finally arrived at the game center.

"This is it!"

"What can I say… it's pretty noisy when you're near…"

"Affirmative. I didn't recognize it from a distance before, but up close, it looks completely different."

"So you can play with everything here?"

As each of them looked around the game center, Lexia noticed something.

"T-that's so cute!"

Lexia was interested in a stuffed bear inside a crane game machine.

"Hey, Kaede! How do you play with this?"

"Well, it's, you know…"

After a brief lecture from Kaede, Lexia rolled up her arms.

"I see. Well, I'll give it a try then!"

Lexia tries it, putting in her money in high spirits.

However…

"H-hey! You're pushing it too far!"

Lexia's button operation failed to move the arm to the desired position.

On the contrary…

"Aaaaah! No, no, no, no! There's nothing there!"

"Pfft… that's brilliant. It's such a big target, and you didn't even graze it…"

"Kiii! If you're going to go that far, Luna should try it!

In the end, Lexia was unable to win the stuffed bear and was quickly replaced by Luna.

And…

"Good grief… You're totally hopeless if you can't do such a simple thing, Lexia! This is how you do it… H-huh?"

However, Luna also could not move the arm to the targeted position, and as a result, she could not win the prize.

"Arara~? I thought this was supposed to be easy."

"Kuh! N-no, it's not me! There is something wrong with this strange machine!"

"You shouldn't make such excuses! You didn't get it, so you're just the same as me!"

"…I don't like the idea of being on the same side as Lexia."

"Hey, what do you mean by that?"

While Lexia and Luna continue to argue, Merl and Kaede try their hand at it…

"Oh, no."

"It's difficult, isn't it…?"

"Right. I can move the arm to where I want it to go…"

"This arm? I did not expect how weak it was…"

Kaede and Merl were able to move the arm to the targeted spot, but the arm was unable to lift the prize.

"Yuuya-kun seemed to be good at crane games, though…"

"Yuuya-san can do anything, isn't he…?"

It seemed as if no one would end up winning any prizes except for Yuti.

"…I saw it."

"Eh?"

Yuti muttered quietly and went to the machine and put in her money.

And then, with a button operation she had learned from watching Lexia and the others, she moved the arm to the exact position she wanted it to go.

However…

"Yu-Yuti-chan? There are no prizes placed there…"

Surprisingly, Yuti moved the arm to the back of the machine, ignoring the bear prize that had been placed on it.

But…

"Eeehh!?"

"Success. Right on target."

To their surprise, the arm that Yuti moved caught the tag of another stuffed bear that was lined up behind the machine.

The arm pulled the stuffed bear away from the wall as if to pull it out and then carried it straight to the retrieval slot, where it was safely retrieved.

Yuti took out the stuffed bear and handed it to Lexia.

"Transfer. Lexia, I'll give it to you."

"Yu-Yuti! You're the best!"

"A-amazing… that you achieved the goal by focusing not on the target in front of you, but on a different target…"

"That's a good lesson for me."

"I-I wonder what this is all about? I wonder if it's safe in terms of the rules…?"

Luna and the others were impressed by Yuti's skill, but Kaede was concerned about whether this method of acquisition was acceptable under the rules.

After that, Lexia and the others continued to play another game, but…

"Lu-Luna! You should help me!"

"Don't be reckless! You showed your face on your own, and you died!"

In one shooting game, Lexia was unable to defeat the enemies properly and soon died, leaving Luna, who was playing cooperatively, to do her best alone.

"One more time! Let's try one more time!"

"Hey, you know, even money is precious! Besides, even if you revive, you will die soon anyway. I'll just go on alone."

"Hey, hey! Luna is my escort, right? Don't leave your escort behind!"

"Fufu… I won't let your death be in vain!"

"Kiiii! In this case!　I'm going to… interrupt you now!"

"Oh, hey! Stop it!"

Annoyed that she could not be revived, Lexia went behind Luna's back during play and began tickling her.

"H-hey, Lexia! S-stop…!"

"Now, can you keep going under these circumstances!"

"Ah, damn it! My sights are…!"

In the end, Luna and Lexia were unable to clear the stage, but Yuti and Kaede tried…

"Yu-Yuti-chan, you're amazing!"

"I can afford it. I can guess it even with my eyes closed."

"Really?"

"That's a trick only Yuti-san can do, isn't it…?"

As the disciple of the "Bow Saint," Yuti demonstrated her skills to the fullest and was able to beat the high score.

Also, in music-related games…

"T-this is too hard, isn't it?"

"Kuh! I can dance, but I can't move my fingers to the music…!"

"Struggling. It's too difficult."

"Well, maybe it's because you suddenly challenged the highest difficulty level…"

Lexia and the others, who were determined that they could do this, naturally selected the highest difficulty level, but they could not even press the buttons properly in time with the sounds.

However, Merl was the only one who could keep up with this difficulty level.

"Oh, hey, that girl…"

"Wow… She hasn't missed a single…"

Merl was pushing buttons with the precision of a machine.

"It's just a matter of getting the timing right, so that's…"

"No, even if you know the timing, it's too complicated to get the moves right…"

"I guess it's just a matter of getting used to it."

"…Agreed. Merl must be used to it since she was operating a strange machine."

Knowing Merl and her fighting style, Yuti remembered that Merl was operating a machine attached to her arm and was convinced.

Thus, Merl had achieved a perfect clearance with no mistakes.

"Phew… I guess I can do it better than I thought."

"Merl-san is amazing too…"

Kaede could only be stunned by the out-of-the-ordinary talent of Yuti and Merl.

When Lexia and the others finished playing in this way, they decided to part ways, as it was almost time to go.

"Phew~! We had a lot of fun today!"

"Yeah, that's for sure."

"That's all thanks to you, Kaede. Thank you."

"Gratitude. Thank you, Kaede."

Kaede waved her hand hurriedly as everyone expressed their gratitude.

"No, no! I was just showing you around and…"

"No, that's not true. If it were just us, we wouldn't have been able to enjoy it as much as we did."

"Yes, that's right! Thanks to Kaede, we could have enjoyed ourselves so much! Thank you!"

"Y-you're welcome…"

Kaede was embarrassed by the straightforward goodwill to no end.

Then…

"Uoooh! Those girls are super cute, aren't they?"

"It's nice, isn't it?"

"Hey, you girls. Wanna hang out with us?"

Suddenly, a group of men with a somewhat frivolous atmosphere approached.

Luna steps forward to protect Lexia against the men who suddenly appear.

"What are you people?"

"Hey, hey, she's staring at us!"

"We just wanted to get to know you girls better."

"Is that so? Unfortunately, we have no intention of doing so. You'll have to find someone else."

"Well, well, don't say that."

"Eh, u-uh…"

"Kaede!"

Luna replied in a nonchalant manner, and one of the men put out his hand to Kaede.

The people around them knew that something was going on, and although some of them went to contact the police or security guards, no one was going to stop them.

Luna and Yuti, who had decided that they would be harmed if they did not do something, immediately tried to subdue the man.──.

"U-um… those girls… I don't think they like…"

"Huh?"

At that moment, a young man stopped the men.

The young man appeared frail at first glance, with a generally gloomy air about him.

However, there was a strong will in his eyes, and one could sense his desire to help Kaede and the others who were in trouble right in front of him.

Then, one of the men came up to him, perhaps offended by the young man's attitude.

"What's the matter with you? You got a problem with us?"

"…T-the girls look like they don't want to go with you, and I don't think it's a good idea to force them to go with you."

The man looked down at the young man in a somewhat intimidating manner, but the young man paid no attention to that intimidation and said so.

"You bastard… Don't get carried away!"

"!"

"Hey!"

Irritated by the young man's attitude, the man pushed him away forcefully.

Lexia tried to stop him in a hurry, but Luna restrained her with her hand.

"Luna!"

"Don't move. I'm your guard."

"But!"

As Lexia tried to argue with Luna, who had a serious expression on her face, the other men began to surround the young man.

They could have left at any moment, but they could not leave the young man who came out to help them.

"You! Leave us alone and get out of here!"

"I-it's okay!"

But even after Lexia's words, the young man did not stop facing the men.

"Are you alright?"

"I was just in the mood to talk to the girls when you interrupted me."

"Seriously, it's people like you that get on my nerves the most!"

"!"

"Hey!"

At that moment, one of the men punched at the young man.

The other men followed suit, assaulting the young man one after the other.

"Lu-Luna! Stop those men right away!"

"Kuh!"

Luna, unable to leave the scene of the young man being assaulted, tried to subdue the men as if following Lexia's orders.

But…

"──You people! What are you doing!"

"Shit! Let's get the hell out of here."

"You bastard, I will remember your face, okay?"

The men left in a hurry when a police officer rushed to the scene after receiving a call.

For the remaining young man, Lexia immediately rushed over to him.

"A-are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I-I'm fine."

The young man was startled by the hand that was extended to him, but he fearfully took the hand and got up.

The young man then spoke softly to Kaede, who had frozen up earlier when the man grabbed her hand.

"U-um… are you alright?"

"Eh? Ah, yes! I'm fine! Or rather… It's me who should ask you if you're okay!"

Kaede came to her senses and asked the young man in a hurry, and he smiled softly.

"I-I'm fine. I'm glad nothing happened to you."

"──You all, are you okay?"

One of the police officers then approached Lexia and the others.

"We're here because of a report… Can you explain to us what happened?"

"Y-yes. Actually, some men came in and messed with us, and we were in trouble, and then this guy… H-huh?"

The young man was gone before anyone knew it, though Lexia tried to explain the young man to the police officer.

Aside from Kaede and Lexia, everyone was surprised that the young man disappeared without anyone being able to detect him, even in the presence of such powerful people as Luna and Yuti.

However, Luna and Yuti were also surprised by something else about the young man.

"Yuti, the man from earlier…"

"Astonished. There wasn't a single scratch on him…"

Luna and Yuti had seen that the young man who had just been assaulted, albeit for a short time, had not a single wound.

Moreover, the young man had disappeared without being detected by the two girls, which raised more and more questions.

Who exactly was the young man…?

In the end, Lexia and the others were unable to find the young man who had helped them after that, so after a brief question, they decided to go home.

"Haaaa. I was in such a good mood, but those people ruined it!"

"It can't be helped, can it? Lexia-san attracts attention, so…"

"Negative. It's not just Lexia. Merl stands out enough, too."

"I-is that so?"

"If you say so, then so does Yuti…"

"It doesn't matter! I wonder who that man was, after all. While everyone else pretends not to see anything… he was a very nice person to come out to help in that way! Right, Kaede?"

"….."

"Kaede?"

"Huh? Oh, I-I'm sorry! What's wrong?"

"I was just asking about the person from earlier… what's happening with you?"

When Lexia asked this to the strange-looking Kaede, Kaede spoke with a slightly puzzled look on her face.

"U-um… I'm not sure how to say it… I thought the person who tried to help us looked like Yuuya-kun…"

"Yuuya-sama?"

"Yes… How should I put it? The atmosphere? I felt at ease… I had a feeling like that."

Kaede was bewildered by emotions she did not understand.

However, Lexia and the others seemed to understand it and were equally puzzled.

"If you say so…"

"Affirmative. It was a very gentle presence."

"Yuuya-san's presence is unique. I thought that there were not many people who have such a sign as Yuuya-san's…"

"He suddenly disappeared, and there are many mysteries, but… he saved us. He's not a bad guy, is he?"

"That's true! If we meet again some other time, let's thank him again!"

Lexia and the others returned home safely and without incident, determined to one day express their gratitude to the mysterious young man.

Part 5

"Hah… they looked like they were in trouble, so I couldn't help myself…"

The young man who had saved Lexia and the others was in a deserted back alley muttered to himself.

The young man was not injured at all despite being beaten and kicked, as Luna and Yuti had figured out.

As if to confirm this, he looked down at his body.

"I protected myself with 'spiritual power' for the time being… but it doesn't look like anyone, in particular, has found out…?"

The young man, who once again confirmed that there were no people around, let out a sigh and looked at his own hands.

"…I don't know what I'm doing. I'm an enemy to this world…"

Even though his head understood it, his heart was not convinced, and his body was moving when he realized it.

The young man stared painfully at his own hands and eventually made up his mind.

"…I don't need this kindness. I am… the enemy of this world──"

And then he disappeared into the city.

＊＊＊

Meanwhile, in the other world…

"I wish I could have avoided this."

(What a weak-minded thing to say…)

On the stage of the [Heavenly Sacred Festival], Odis, the "Magic Saint," and Usagi, the "Two Saints," were confronting each other.

"I don't have a choice, do I? You and I have too much difference in combat experience. It is only natural that I want to avoid being hit as much as possible."

(Don't be ridiculous. You are an elf, aren't you? You could have had more experience in combat in your long life if you wanted to. If you still think I'm more experienced than you, it's only because you've been cooped up studying magic for too long.)

"Ugh… when you say it like that…"

(Well, that's okay. Anyway, I'm not saying I'm going to go all out, but I'm going to do it in moderation.)

"Hah… please go easy on me."

The next moment, the signal was given to begin the battle.

(It's a preliminary check. Hmph!)

Usagi stamped on the ground forcefully and crushed the distance between him and Odis in one fell swoop.

"You call this a preliminary check?"

Unable to cope with the sheer speed of the attack, Odis managed to dodge the attack by rolling away.

(What's wrong? You've been cooped up for so long; your body must be slowing down.)

"…You may be right. But I can't keep getting beat up, can I?"

(Mmm!)

The moment Usagi saw Odis smiling fearlessly, he realized the situation he was in. To his surprise, before long, countless magic bullets had been placed around him.　

(You set up this amount of magic in that split-second evasion?)

"That's exactly it. Now, dance!"

The magic bullets were fired at Odis's signal.

These bullets, which had no attributes and were simply a mass of pure magic power, easily pierced the ground. Even a single hit was powerful enough to inflict a certain amount of damage.

Such bullets rush toward Usagi, numbering in the hundreds and thousands.

But…

"Hey, hey… are you a monster?"

(How rude. I'm just a rabbit.)

"How can there be such a rabbit?"

Usagi leapt from the spot and dodged all the bullets.

Odis cursed at Usagi's brilliant maneuvering, but he did not let up on his attack.

"Then… how about this! [Magic Flash]!"

Odis thrust out his palm as if to aim at Usagi, who was advancing through a hail of bullets.

Then, a line of magic power was released from his palm.

It was like a ray of light, but Usagi barely dodged it by twisting his body.

(Tsk! That's depressing…!)

"Unfortunately, this is how a magician fights. I have no intention of letting you near me again."

A one-sided attack from a distance.

With this attack, Odis had prepared a variety of moves, such as cutting off Usagi's mobility, aiming for the momentary gaps, and trying to wear out Usagi's stamina as it was.

However, despite the desperate situation… Usagi smiled with a ferocious smile that was not unlike a herbivore.

(Interesting… If that's the case, I'll show you a little more power too!)

"Wha-!? Magic?"

To his surprise, Usagi has reproduced the same Magic Armor as Yuuya, using a magic technique that he learned from Yuuya.

When Usagi's body was covered with magic power, his physical abilities were suddenly strengthened at that moment.

Also, the magic armor made it possible to repel magic attacks to a certain extent.

(Let's decide all at once!)

"Kuh! [Magic Wave]!"

Making full use of his strengthened body, Usagi dodged all of Odis's attacks.

In order to intercept Usagi, Odis immediately activated another magic and tried to hit Usagi with a torrent of magic power.

However, using the torrent of magic as a foothold, Usagi closed the distance in one fell swoop.

"Unbelievable!"

(It's over!)

Finally, Usagi reached Odis's bosom and stopped his attack just before he kicked him in the abdomen.

After a few moments of silence, Odis eventually released his stance and raised his hand.

"…Total defeat. It's my loss."

(Fuh… it was fun, Odis. But you'll have to work out a little more before our next fight.)

"I'll keep that in mind."

──Thus, the match between Usagi and Odis ended with Usagi's victory.

＊＊＊

Around the time when Usagi's and Odis's match had been decided.

In the student council room of Ousei Academy, Kaori and Kitaraku were having a certain discussion.

"Now that the stage has been successfully decided… how would it be effective to advertise the event…?"

The content of the discussion was about the stage of the school idol project that Kitaraku has been forcibly pushing forward, and the discussion was about how to attract audiences.

However, since the plan was originally pushed forward by Kitaraku, Kaori was surprised to learn that the stage had already been decided.

"I-I see that the stage has already been decided, too."

"That's because it's better to do it as soon as possible! It seems that Tenjou-kun and the others are doing their best, so we can expect great things from them, can't we?"

"I-I see…"

"That's why I want so many people to see them, but I haven't thought too much about how to attract an audience or what kind of audience I can expect! Hahahaha!"

Kaori couldn't help but smile wryly at the endlessly jovial Kitaraku, as this was certainly no laughing matter.

"Well… then, how about we call out to the neighboring middle schools?"

"Mm, why is that?"

"In the first place, the main purpose of this school idol project is to get various students to come to this school, right?"

"Yes, that's right! I think there are still a lot of interesting talents gathered here. But it would be great if more people would become aware of this school and more students would apply to enter this school than ever before!"

"That's right. That's why I thought we should call out mainly middle school students. And if they are junior high school students, we can offer a student discount on the ticket price, and I think it will help spread awareness of the stage itself…"

Hearing Kaori's words, Kitaraku looked a little thoughtful.

"That's right… handing out flyers in the shopping district and on the streets would be good, but it's certainly easier to advertise if you focus on a specific target audience. Also, although we decided on the stage this time, it would be possible to visit each junior high school from the next time onward to perform… There is a delicate balance here, but the students will certainly see it, and it will lead to our primary goal of gaining new students…"

"U-um… student council president…?"

Kaori timidly called out to Kitaraku, who had suddenly entered his own world.

The next moment, Kitaraku looked up and stood up.

"All right, I've got an idea! So I'll be on my way immediately!"

"Eh? Ah, where are you going!"

Kaori hurriedly tried to stop him, but he just left without a second thought.

"I-is everything going to be alright?"

Seeing that Kitaraku was acting so boldly, Kaori felt a little uneasy.

＊＊＊

"It's getting a little late."

Having finished helping Sawada-sensei, I was finally about to head home.

It seemed that club activities had just ended, and many students had also begun to return home.

"Huh? Yuuya?"

"Eh? Ryo, Shingo-kun!"

When I was suddenly called out and looked toward the voice in surprise, I saw Ryo and Shingo-kun there.

"Are you two finished with your club activities?"

"No, Shingo was actually helping me with my studies. Actually, I'm not good at math, you know. So I really appreciate his help!"

"D-don't worry about it. I always get help from Ryo-kun too…"

"Really? I don't think I did anything, though…"

Ryo tilted his head curiously at Shingo-kun's words. Maybe Ryo doesn't mind, but there are many things that are helpful to Shingo-kun.

Anyway, it seems the two of them stayed until this late to study.

I should study properly, too… There's been so much going on lately that I might be neglecting my studies…

"Aside from us, what was Yuuya doing? Ah, could it be that you're preparing for that school idol?"

"Um, we had that practice, but after that, Sawada-sensei asked me to help out until now."

"T-that's right! But I never thought I'd see school idols at this school, so I'm looking forward to it."

I didn't really feel it because we just had to work hard, but when people look forward to it like this, it makes me feel like I have to work harder.

"That's right! Let's take a little detour before heading home."

"A little detour?"

"Yeah! There's a new hamburger store near the school that looks really good. I've never been there before."

"Oh, I didn't know there was such a place."

Recently, I've been spending most of my time outside of school in the heavens, the underworld, and… in a sense, in a different world than this one, so I had no idea that such a place had opened up in my neighborhood.

So we were on our way to the hamburger store.

Then…

"Huh? Isn't that Akira?"

"Eh?"

Suddenly, we saw Akira handing out flyers around town.

Surprised by the unexpected appearance of someone, Akira also noticed our appearance.

"Oh! It's Yuuya-kun and the others!? What's the matter?"

"No, we're on our way to a newly opened hamburger store…"

"What are you doing here?"

Ryo asked, and Akira handed us a flyer.

"Sweet Magic? A pastry shop?"

"That's right! I'm currently working here as the "nobleman of the pastry store"!"

"Uh… you mean you're working part-time?"

"Yes!"

It seems that Akira is working part-time at this pastry store.

"Oh… I didn't know this kind of store had opened."

"It's still a new place. That's why we're advertising it like this! I'm sorry, but I'm still in the middle of being [the nobleman of advertising]. See you later!"

After saying that, Akira went back to handing out flyers.

I had an image that this kind of flyer distribution would be difficult to get people to accept, but Akira easily slipped it into the other person's pocket, handed it to them, and then walked away──. A-amazing… So that's the nobleman of advertising, huh…?

While I was impressed by Akira's mysterious skills, Ryo muttered.

"So, we haven't had a chance to hang out with him much so far, but maybe he couldn't because of his part-time job?"

"I-I wonder. Surprisingly, I think he might be working while calling himself [the part-time nobleman]…"

When I think about it, there is still a lot I don't know about Ryo and Shingo-kun, as well as Akira.

One of these days, I hope there will come a day when we can all play Shingo-kun's recommended games…

We enjoyed hamburgers at a newly opened store and then split up for the day.