33 Episode 32 ~ Kyosuke Asahina ~






Me, my brave friend Sato Tsukasa, and Akira have been in the same class since kindergarten.
I didn't realize this until I was in sixth grade, and at the time I just thought I always saw the same faces.
But when they've been together for more than ten years, I wondered if it was a curse of some sort.

For some reason, Sato sees Akira as the enemy, and Akira is so indifferent to his surroundings that I'm not sure if he notices or not.
Whatever the odds are, it's the same until high school, and I couldn't stop getting chills from the quicksilver, but I decided to assume that's the way it's meant to be.

And it wasn't until high school that me and Akira talked for the first time.
Akira and I, who didn't have a particularly conspicuous appearance like Sato, didn't talk to our classmates in the classroom and spent our time alone, sleeping or reading books.

It was probably during summer vacation of the first year that I learned of Akira's secret.


...... Akira Oda?
Hmm? ...... geh, the kendo club, er, ......
Yeah, Asahina Kyousuke.


Our high school doesn't ban part-time jobs.
We don't recommend it, but I heard that they give us a letter of permission easily if we give them a reason for our family situation.
The rest is based on your grades.
But I'm sure Akira is the only person who really has a part-time job.
And Akira didn't want people to know that.
But somehow I came across a scene where she was working hard.

We parted ways that day.
Akira was in the middle of his part-time job.

But I guess he didn't remember my name after all.
We were the same for more than ten years, at least.

The next day, when I entered the classroom, Akira appeared in front of me.


The next day, when I entered the classroom, Akira came up to me and said, "Lunchtime, if you have time, go to the library.
......


It's my own secret that I'm relieved it's not the back of the gymnasium.
It's not a flattering look for Akira, and there was even a rumor among some students that he might be from there.

Anyway, I nodded and sat down.
My heart was beating fast.
In my head, I knew it was impossible, but the thoughtful lines of what I would do if I was charged for the money were running through my head.
When I thought about it, if I wanted to keep it a secret, I would be the one to receive the money, but in my confusion, I couldn't even think of such a thing.

At lunchtime, we ate lunch as usual, and I usually went through the usual flow of going to bed like this, but I got up from my seat and headed to the library.
Akira ran out of the classroom at the end of fourth period and didn't come back.
I think he has gone on a bread-buying war in purchasing.
It is quite brave of him to go to a place that is literally a battlefield where high school boys, whose lunches are not enough, flock together.

Our school's library is located at the back of the entrance, and the librarian's aunt is always waiting for me.
The library is open all day long, so I can come in during each recess, but this is the first time I've come here except for modern literature class.
It was quite surprising that Akira, who seems to have no connection to the library, designated the library.



'Sorry, call me up.


When we arrived at the library and the first thing he apologized to me at the opening, I almost apologized too, but I endured it with my usual poker face.
I just nodded and took a seat across from Akira.


''So, to put it bluntly, it's about yesterday.
'Oh, you don't want me to tell anyone, do you?'


When I said that, Akira's expression instantly lit up.
It's probably because I'm the one who faces my expressionless face in front of the mirror every day that I understand the change.


'I want to ask you one thing, why do you have to keep it so secret? I'm pretty sure it's not banned.
Yeah, that's the one.


Then Akira turned away and scratched his cheek, as if suddenly embarrassed.


''It's kind of uncool to look like ...... is the only one who's cool, isn't it?''
What?
'So it's like you're claiming that you're doing your best to provide for your family, which would be uncool in reverse. That kind of thing goes against my aesthetic.
'I don't know what's wrong with working hard for your family, though.
'No. I don't like to expose my efforts to others, I do.


I see, I can understand that.
I've been swinging and running after club activities without telling other guys, and I don't want them to see me do it.
Come to think of it, the time I met Akira was in the middle of running.


''So don't ever tell the other guys, okay? Especially not to my sister.
Sister? ...... You have a sister too?
Yeah, I'm one level below you, but ...... "too"?


I pulled out a purikura on my phone that my sister had taken with a friend.
I pointed to a tall girl with a ponytail who was posing in some incomprehensible pose to the right.


'This is my sister,'
...... Yeah, well, I'd like you to meet my sister.


With that, Akira pointed to a short-cut, cute type girl next to her sister, who was doing a piece next to her sister.


'...... That's an amazing coincidence. I didn't know my sisters were friends with each other.
I didn't realize you were Kyoka's brother. Well, if you put it that way, you do look like each other.
No, your sister and you can't beat me.


Akira and her sister, Yui-chan, looked so much like each other that it could be said they were two halves.
The difference between men and women is apparent now, and it's easy to tell them apart, but I'm sure that when they were young, it was impossible to tell them apart except for the way they looked at each other.


'Come on, let's talk again, if it's okay with you.


I nodded at Akira's words without a second thought.


'Of course. Also, you can call me by my name.
Okay, Kyousuke, I'll take Akira, too.
'Alright. ...... when Akira, although it's good that it's study week and you have school for the summer holidays, what would you have done if you didn't have school today?
Oh, they could've handed out flyers with portraits. My sister's in the art club and she's a good artist. Let me draw her.


We had school during the summer holidays, and I was never more thankful for that than I was today.


Akira and I continued to communicate with each other in small ways, and in the second year we were in the same class again, along with Sato, and we were summoned to Morrigan.

I was a samurai because I was in the kendo club.
Akira was an assassin.
I hadn't seen any sign of Akira since then, though, so I didn't know that he had been summoned and his profession until the first meeting.

I hadn't read these types of novels like Akira did, but I had a vague intuition for the oddity of the king and princess.

Maybe it's because a samurai has a fixed skill set of "intuition".


"Status,



Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!
Kyousuke Asahina.
Species/Human
Occupation/Samurai Lv.5

Life force 400/400
Attack power 1400.
Defense: 800.
Magic power 600.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!
skill
Arithmetic Lv.6
Kyokuto technique Lv.4
Nito-Ryu Lv.1
Intuition Lv.8
Fire magic Lv.1

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
extra skill
Language understanding
military strategist

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!



This is the stater after you leave the labyrinth.
I'm leveling up, but my stats haven't gone up at all.
Is there some other condition?
The quality is completely different, but I guess it's only slightly inferior to Sato, the brave one.
However, only the skill level of intuition was unusually high.
I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot of people who are willing to pay for it.
I'm sure it's because of these skills that I'm easily able to find out what I'm hiding.
Well, there are countless times when this has saved my life, so I'm grateful for it, but I'm not coy about it.

The king and the princess were suspicious, but the people in the order, including Saran-san, the leader of the order, and Ziel-san, the deputy leader of the order, were very nice people.
The training was very strict, but we could tell that they were saying tough things about us, too.

And Akira was in the dark.
We haven't spoken to him once since we arrived here, but I know he's probably doing something about it.
If possible, I wanted Akira to talk to me.
And if there was something I could do, I was going to help.
But Akira never told me what happened, and he was accused of murdering Saran-san and left the castle.
I wanted him to take me with him.


I don't know why I didn't run out of the castle with them at that time, I don't know myself.
But I remember that my classmates were all funny, including me.

I don't want to leave this place, and I won't forgive Akira for killing Saran-san.
I don't know where that thought came from, but it came up and my body slowed down.

In a few days, I returned to my normal state, but the uncomfortable feeling didn't go away.

But that uncomfortable feeling also disappeared when I broke the black crystal in the princess's room.
Even then, he didn't know why he was allowed into the princess's room, or why he was breaking the crystal, but for some reason he was convinced that this was something that had to be broken.
In the few minutes before the sound of cracking brought the castle people to me, I finally came to my senses with a huff and left the room through the window when I had broken six of the twenty-six crystals, including mine.
If I had been a little later, the princess would have found me.
It was a close call.

Within the day, a brave man called a meeting and escaped the castle.

I accompanied the brave man to meet with Akira, to build up my strength.


''Asahina-kun, why is the curse lifted?''


Sato called out to me as we were leaving the castle, through the forest, bypassing the city and heading east.
This might be the first time I've talked to this guy.


''I broke the crystal in the ...... princess's room and my body felt lighter. I don't know why I broke it either.
If it wasn't your idea, then you're not a princess, someone else must have gotten in your head.


Because if she were a princess, she wouldn't try to break her own curse, would she? The Kansai-ben girl, Ueno-san, said uneasily next to me, but Sato was silent as it was, thinking about something.
I got uncomfortable and left the place.

Since we were quite far from the castle, we stopped running and took a break in the forest.
Even though the forest is weaker than the labyrinth, the demons will still be out, so we have to be vigilant.


''...... Akira, I don't believe in the slightest that you're dead, but stay well.


I muttered to the empty grove of trees and pulled out a single sword, a weapon, from my luggage.
When I returned to my room after the meeting, I found it on my bed.
You can tell at a glance that it's a good sword.
I had brought it with me to help with travel expenses, even if it was cursed, but fortunately, I heard there was no curse on it.
This is what Mr. Ueno told me, so I must be certain.

The sword is pure white, from the hilt to the blade to the scabbard, and is carved with the inscription "Hakuryu" (white dragon) in Japanese.

It's just a hunch, but I'm sure this sword was made in conjunction with the other one.
But I'm sure it's right.

This sword will be useful in joining Akira.
I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.
That's my goal.