The Hero Takashi is a Worrywart

1

"It's me"

Hearing a man's voice from over the phone, Basara found himself on

guard.

There's a bunch of "it's me scams", or "helping mom scams".

It's probably something like that, Basara thought.

First, even though the phone number was displayed, the name was

unknown, and it wasn't a number he was familiar with. At the least, the

number showed that the person was calling from a cell phone.

However, it was a number Basara didn't have saved.

He faintly recognized the voice, but it wasn't someone he talked with

regularly.

In the first place, the only men who would most likely call Basara are

just Takigawa or his father Toujou Jin.

Moreover, the person just said "it's me" without mentioning his

name.

With that said, Basara had no reason to think that it's not a scam.

How should he answer? Or should he not say anything and just hang

up?

Basara was unsure, and as a result he remained quiet.

On the flip side, the person on the other side of the phone said

nothing more after "it's me".

Basara furrowed his eyebrows, strengthening his guard against this

person.

I should just hang up.

Just as he thought about that,

"It's Takashi"

The voice continued.

"Wh... so it's Takashi?"

Basara sounds a bit startled.

Takashi is one of his childhood friends from the village, along with

Yuki and Kurumi, and in addition to that the wielder of the spirit spear

"Byakko".

They had come to blows some months ago regarding Mio.

On top of Yuki, they added Kurumi as an observer, and since then,

there's been no additional actions taken by the Village, nor contact from

Takashi as well.

Under such circumstances, receiving a phone call from Takashi was

quite the surprise for Basara.

"Are you surprised? How soft. With the Village's information system,

it's easy to get your phone number."

"Eh?"

"For starters... I thought something like this might happen so I never

erased your number from my contacts. I didn't need to use the Village's

power for this."

He could have even gone through Yuki and Kurumi to get Basara's

number.

With that said, Basara feels somewhat guilty.

When he left the Village, he knew he wouldn't be returning there and

he would have to cut his relationship with them, that's why he erased

Takashi's number from his contacts.

Not only that, but he also almost thought that Takashi was a scammer.

Sorry... I'm really sorry.

Basara profusely apologized in his heart to his childhood friend.

But on the other hand, his wariness increased.

Why would Takashi call him at this time?

Did the Village's policy regarding Mio's observation change?

Were there any more plans to hurt Mio like before?

Basara could feel his hand sweating as he held the phone.

"What's Yuki and Kurumi doing?"

Takashi asked with a cool voice as if he was wielding Byakko.

Basara then exited the living room in order to continue the phone call.

Looking back inside, he could see that Yuki and Kurumi were still

watching TV.

"At the moment, they're watching TV. What's wrong?"

Takashi made a humming noise.

"After leaving the Village, did they forget their mission and to

practice?

"Wait, that's not the case"

Basara' voice stiffened.

"Yuki and Kurumi still do their training. They're much stronger than

before. Without seeing it..."

"It's not your place to say that.

Takashi cut off Basara's words.

"I'm the one who knows that most, I'm the one that's been with them

all this time"

"...Is that so? Yeah, I understand"

Basara mumbled.

It was just as Takashi said, in between the time he left the village and

before they moved in with him, they were always with Takashi.

So his words weren't wrong.

"Sorry"

Takashi didn't respond.

Once more they cut each other off as a silence fell between them.

Basara could help but feel lost.

He wasn't able to read Takashi's intentions.

Since their last battle, they haven't spoken to each other.

He had no idea what to say to Takashi, who was once his friend.

"I'm sending some stuff"

More confusing words.

"Stuff...?"

"Hmm.. Sending things suddenly could raise questions with the

Village, which is problematic. No… The same goes for you too. I'm

certain your already concerned about this"

"Y-yeah"

Without thinking, Basara spoke the truth.

"I used the one with the cat mark"

"...? You mean the postal service mark is a cat? No Byakko

[2]"

"Of course that's what I mean. It has no relation to Byakko"

It certainly seems that way but, Basara couldn't help but feel

somewhat dumbfounded.

"What should I do about the time?"

"About that..."

He started thinking.

While he, Mio and Yuki are at school, Maria, Zest and Kurumi are

still at home.

"Any time is okay. Maria would be there, Kurumi too..."

"That demon huh? ...Well that's fine. I'll send it soon"

"What are you..."

Suddenly, the phone call ended.

Their conversation lasted ten minutes and thirty-two seconds.

It was a conversation full of silence.

Wanting to ask what and why, he thought of calling again, but he

wasn't sure about that, so for now, Basara saved Hayase Takashi's

number in his phone.

2

Over the past two days, Basara kept thinking about that phone call

with Takashi.

At the end of those two days it finally arrived.

"Look at this Basara-san! We got something super lewd! You can't get

anything this lewd from the market!"

Maria caused a commotion in the living room.

On the table is an opened box.

It's the biggest size that can be sent through regular delivery service

and it was full of vegetables.

Maria was holding a thick and white, beautifully shaped radish

complete with its leaves.

"For some reason, the sender is written as "Village" but…"

Kurumi said, voicing her suspicion.

Basara said nothing and started helping the girls put away the large

amount of vegetables.

3

"It's me. Takashi."

That night, he said his name while calling Basara.

"I got the stuff you sent. Thanks."

"Don't get me wrong. It's just bothersome when it interferes with my

observation mission."

He said without humor in his voice.

"Anyways, is it alright calling you right now?"

"Yeah"

"What an easy going guy"

As expected, he's still humorless.

Basara was unable to read the purpose for Takashi's call.

"It's about nutrition"

"Eh?"

"It's important to keep up with your nutritions while on a mission.

That's the only reason why I sent you vegetables. Don't take it the wrong

way"

"A, aah. Is that so"

At the moment "Don't get me wrong" Basara couldn't help but to have

a puzzled expression on his face.

"Who cooks? Is it you?"

"No..."

Basara hesitated.

Currently, Maria and Zest are the ones in charge of chores in the

Toujou household. There are exceptions like in the case of Yuki

preparing dinner the other day, but overall everything is still mostly

done by Maria and Zest.

However, since Zest just arrived from the demon realm, it would have

been troublesome to distort that view of her.

"Overall, Maria is in charge of the chores"

"Can a demon make human food?"

Takashi's voice seems agitated.

"Yeah. There's no problems. Even over there, there are lots of food

that's similar to this world"

He said, remembering the food of the demon realm.

"Be careful not to get poisoned"

He huffed.

"One more thing. About the radish, they're in season now so it tastes

especially good. I don't know if a succubus would know that"

"Y, yeah"

"Lastly. It's annoying to do everything via phone call. Give me your

email address

[3]"

"Eh?"

"Your email address. Or is there a reason why you can't give that to

me?"

"No, it's not like that"

Even through his confusion, Basara told Takashi his email address.

"That's all"—with that statement, Takashi hung up the phone.

Basara held his phone in his hand while staring at it.

And then right away, an email from Takashi arrived.

Subject: No Subject. I forgot to say this but, the stuff I sent today has

the ingredient for Nanagusagayu

[4]

. If you haven't eaten it during the

New Year, it's fine if you eat it now. It's meant to be lucky, it's the

reason why it's been eaten since ancient times. Demons might not

understand human world customs.

"...I see"

Suddenly, he realized. Or rather, he remembered.

"That's right. That guy gets fussy over us"

Despite the curt tone of the mail, there's an obvious worry in the

contents.

Moreover, there's a sort of honesty to him too. Like with Basara's

phone number, he could get his mailing address through the village's

information network or through Yuki or Kurumi but he purposely

asked Basara himself.

"...That Takashi is a good guy"

More than that, he started reminiscing about his time in the Village

with Takashi.

4

"Getting lots of emails, what's with that. You just got back from the

demon realm and got saddled with something weird again"

Takigawa laughed boisterously, and Basara glared at him.

They're currently on the school roof. The winter sky above them is

clear.

"It's not that funny"

Takigawa looked at him squinting, and messed up his hair from

laughing.

"I'm sorry, sorry, That's just such a story, so I suddenly couldn't hold

back. There's no ill intention behind it right?"

"I wonder"

He shruged, looking at the large volume of emails on his phone.

It's been several days since Basara gave his email address to Takashi.

Since then, there's been around 20 emails from Takashi in a day.

"I've always thought he was thorough, but this is way too thorough"

"From a guy too, that's pretty rare for you isn't it? Nice"

Even though Basara glared at the laughing Takigawa, he had no illintent.

"Anyway, what kind of things is he writing to you about? Recent

things, daily life... Like a mother who lives out in the countryside?"

"A mother who lives out in the countryside..."

He can't deny that.

"This is what you're having trouble replying to?"

Subject Name: No Subject About that succubus. Is that outfit normal

in the demon realm? It would be problematic for the Village's dignity if

Kurumi copies her. Be careful."

"Is he really your mother! No, you can say this is more of a class rep

thing?" Takigawa laughed out loud again, clutching his stomach.

"Seriously, it's not that funny"

"Sorry, sorry. But, see, Basacchi"

He continued, still laughing.

"He's worried about just that outfit, what's that have to do with you?

Naruse and the other girls have been in much worse, no?"

"—Wh!?"

"No, no. There's no need to confirm or deny it. I'll just take this time

to really laugh"

"You're going to piss me off"

"Come now. It's okay to have moments like this once and a while."

He shrugged, as he remembered something causing him to laugh once

more.

"But, now that he mentioned it, I notice it too. It's true Maria's

clothes aren't really normal for this world"

"Well, it's pretty shocking for the normal humans around us"

Maria's battle outfit is different from the battle armor of the Village.

Even if someone calls it a swimsuit, it's even more revealing than that.

Basara crossed his arms, thinking as he looked up at the winter sky.

"What should I do?"

"How were things when you were in the demon realm, was Maria's

outfit normal?"

He thought about the people he met while in the demon realm not

long ago.

"Now that I think about it, Zest back at Zolgia's place as well as

Leohart's sister wore revealing outfits too. If I didn't notice it, I might

have been shocked then too…"

"No, maybe I was the one that said that, but you weren't actually

bothered by how exposed they were, right?"

"That's true. When you really think about it, there's a bunch of

clothes similar to Maria's. Is that normal for the demon realm?"

"Aah. No, maybe you only remember that because of all the lewd shit

you guys have done, and it's left a strong impression on you? Unexposed

outfits like the stuff the maids wear are pretty common too."

"Ah..."

Taking that into consideration, Maria's sister Lucia is also a succubus,

but she doesn't wear a revealing outfit and instead wears a proper maid

outfit. Moreover the girls he saw in Wildart city also wore normal

clothes.

"I'm not well-versed in it, but it's sort of what's popular in fashion.

It's not necessarily because they're demons"

"True"

"Well, anyway. Just from what you said, Hayase is worried about

Basacchi and contacted you right?"

"Yeah that's right"

Basara looked closely at Takigawa's face and smiled.

"..What? Nothing good ever comes from looking at someone's face

and smiling like that"

"I didn't want to hear it from you. But, it's expected. You're from the

demon realm but you also have lots of friends here"

"No, it's like I told you. I float about. I have less friends than you

think. I'm not even sure what makes you think like that in the first

place."

"You have more friends than me"

"Don't try and make me feel bad..."

Takigawa sighed.

"Besides, lately you've been doing well"

"What do you mean?"

"With the student council. While I was away, you also did well with

the sports festival committee right?"

"I still don't know if they think of me as a friend and vice versa

though"

The image of Kajiura and Tachibana from the student council floated

into his mind.

He thought about how happy he gets when they have conversations

with him.

At that moment, Basara received an email notification.

When he looks at it, it's Takashi again.

He looked and noticed it was from Takashi again.

"If he's worried, maybe you should do something to ease his mind?"

"Yeah that makes sense"

After looking over the body of the email, He came to the conclusion

that it's the same style of writing Takashi had been using all this time.

"But what should I do to calm him down..."

Basara tilted his head as he looked at his phone.

"That's right," after thinking it over, he placed his hands together.

5

"Why are we all of a sudden taking a photo together, what's the

occasion?"

Mio asked, as she lined up in the living room with Yuki and Kurumi.

Zest was in charge of using the camera on Basara's phone.

"Umm… I thought since we came back from the demon realm, it

would be nice to take a photo together"

"Hmm" Mio hummed, as she stood shoulder to shoulder with Yuki

despite her reservations.

It is indeed strange to suddenly ask to take a photo together.

He thought, while lining up with them, and making eye contact with

Yuki and Kurumi.

Kurumi looked a bit annoyed as she smiled, while Yuki nodded.

"He's a good person at the heart of it"

"He's just a worrier"

"What, so then you noticed?"

That should be obvious, Basara thought.

Ever since Basara left the Village, Yuki and Kurumi had been with

Takashi.

"What are you talking about?"

Unable to understand what was happening, Mio was at a loss for

words.

"Well, well, isn't it fine. Ah, Mio-sama step a bit back"

Seems like Maria is helping.

Even though she's somewhat dissatisfied with this, Mio moved to

enter the picture frame.

"I'll take a picture now"

"Yes, please. Ah, Zest, after this we should trade places"

Zest was a bit hesitant, but Basara wouldn't take no for an answer.

No matter what, he wanted a photo of the entire family.

Finally, the shutter sounded.

6

While relaxing on the living room sofa, Basara looked at his

cellphone.

Since he sent the photo last night, there hasn't been an email from

Takashi.

Up to this point, he had been emailing him non-stop ever couple of

hours, but as of now it stopped.

"Should I be concerned..."

He thought, while furrowing his eyebrows.

The photo he sent was the one without Zest in the picture. He wasn't

sure what the Village or Takashi would think of her, so just to be safe,

he avoided sending the photo with her.

But on the other hand, it would seem as if he's hiding something?

He checked his email one more time, and still there was nothing.

"Basara," a voice called out.

He didn't notice Yuki and Kurumi were there.

"Are you worried about something?"

Yuki asked.

"No..."

"It's about the photo yesterday isn't it? You sent it to Takashi."

Kurumi's words made Basara look a bit uncomfortable. e

"So you know"

Yuki and Kurumi looked at each other.

"We've known you for a long time" "Right?"

"I'm a little worried. I'm not sure how Takashi will respond. There's

also the sensitive situation with the Village"

"It's fine."

Kurumi nodded in agreement with what Yuki said.

"He's just shy. Put yourself in his shoes?"

Basara tried to imagine Takashi's reaction to the photo of him,

together with Yuki and Kurumi.

He might snort, then say "then what about it"

Basara snorted.

"That's true"

At that moment, Basara received a notification from his phone.

Yuki and Kurumi peeked to see the screen.

"Speaking of the devil, right?"

Just as Kurumi said that, the message is clearly from Takashi.

Subject: No Subject Dressing like that for a picture, demons are still

demons afterall.

In the body of the message, they ended up checking the photo Basara

had sent.

"Ah..." Kurumi furrowed her eyebrows.

In the center of the picture Maria was dressed wearing her revealing

battle outfit.

Of course, everyone else had on their casual clothes or uniform.

"I didn't notice she changed"

Because it's just so natural, even if they should've noticed this none of

them did. Her pose is also quite theatrical.

Since everything just looked so natural, even if they should have

noticed this none of them did. Her pose was also quite overthetop.

"As expected he would be stunned by this"

"I also want to apologize for this"

Basara and Kurumi muttered.

"There's an attached file"

Yuki pointed out.

"What's this?"

He opened the file attached to the message.

It's an image file.

Basara opened the file skeptically, as he gulped down.

It's a picture of a river.

The water was sparkling among green trees. Upon seeing this, he

recognized the place.

In the back of his mind, he remembered a scene of him playing with

Takashi as a child.

It was a nostalgic photo of the Village.

"It's totally like him to reply like that"

Kurumi said squinting.

"He took his time to reply because he went to take a picture"

Basara nodded and started smiling at what Yuki said.

"...Yeah. It's very him"

He closed his eyes, remembering how he once crossed blades with

Takashi.

Even though they take different paths now, it remains that they're

childhood friends.

After that, the frequency of Takashi's messages reduced.

Perhaps he's less worried now that he's seen a photo, or so Basara

thinks. At the same time, perhaps he's happy that they're still friends.

By the way, he still sends the seasonal vegetables.