Chapter 62 - I Feel Like I'm Getting a Little Closer to Kuro

At a clear, pleasant dawn, standing in front of me in the garden of the mansion is Yuzuki-san, who was running around the garden at a frightening speed.

[Miyama-senpai~~, this is so much fun!]

[You’re really fast. I can’t catch you with my eyes anymore.]

[Ahh~ If I can get into the olympics with this, I’m sure I’ll win~.]

[Ahaha, that would certainly happen.]

Although it had only been a few days ago since both Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san awakened their magic power almost at the same time, probably because they were otherworlders, just as Kuro said, both of them hold abilities that are different from the norm.

Yuzuki-san seems to have a tremendous aptitude for Body Strengthening Magic, and after just a few days of awakening her magic power, she has acquired a level of physical ability that could be called inhuman, especially since running was originally her forte, so when it comes to speed, it seems that even Lilia-san and the others are no match for her.

Incidentally, Body Strengthening Magic itself is a magic that can be said to be the most basic of the basic, and I can also use it but…… Unfortunately, I don’t have any talent in that kind of magic at all.

It seems that Yuzuki-san could originally have a record of 12 seconds for a 100-meter run. At this point, she’s already much faster than me who was only around 14 seconds, but with the speed Yuzuki-san has when she uses her Body Strengthening Magic, running for about a hundred meters…… would only need her about a second. In terms of speed, you could say she could reach over 300km per hour.

That’s right, when Yuzuki-san uses her Body Strengthening Magic, she can run as fast as a bullet train. Magic really is amazing.

By the way, when I tried using Body Strengthening Magic myself and when I tried a hundred-meter run, my record was originally 14 seconds…… turned into 13 seconds. Clearly speaking, it was a difference that could be described as something within calculation error.

And, Kusunoki-san doesn’t seem like she can use a special kind of magic, but she has an unusually high aptitude for earth-attribute magic, and if it’s an earth-attribute magic, she can even use intermediate-ranked magic.

Therefore, if the magic Kusunoki-san, Yuzuki-san and I were to be ranked, based on combat abilities…… mine would be the weakest.

Well, it’s not that I’m saying that magic is all about having high combat abilities and we never had a chance to fight in the first place, but the young man-side of me still finds it kind of disappointing.

I know that this is a peaceful world and it’s forbidden to use attack magic in urban areas, and I don’t think that I would want to fight against monsters.

But, however…… I’m a boy after all. It’s hard not to yearn for the cool offensive magic, and it’s always a good idea to have some means to protect yourself in a pinch.

[……And so, are you seeking for something to happen?]

[……Eh?]

After telling her about the events that happened this morning, I asked Kuro, who hadn’t shown up for the past few days as she seemed too busy.

Thereupon, Kuro looks unusually puzzled, as if to say that my question was clearly unexpected.

[N- No, Kaito-kun. Isn’t this where you do that? Isn’t this where you pursue what Chronois-chan told you the other day? Isn’t this where you would go “Kuro, who the heck are you!?” or something like that?]

[……Unn? Arehh? How come Kuro knows about that?]

[Chronois-chan is a really serious person after all. She had asked for my consent first before coming to you and talking about this, Kaito-kun.]

[How should I say this…… I guess that’s really like Chronois-san.]

I see, I don’t know if there’s such a thing like a privacy protection in this world, but it seems like Chronois-san had asked for Kuro’s consent about the fact that she would tell me about some parts of her background.

I guess she really is like Lilia-san, Chronois-san must have a very upright personality……

[Well, it’s not that it really matters though……]

[It doesn’t really matter!? No, no, look, Kaito-kun. Wasn’t that a pretty shocking fact?]

[That is pretty shocking, and I’ve also had various thoughts about it but…… It’s just that those situations which I’ve never expected, how should I say this…… “I guess I got used to it.”]

[……Somehow, it kinda looks like Kaito-kun had grown to be someone indomitable.]

It’s not that I don’t have some thoughts on Kuro’s past based on the things Chronois-san told me, and of course, I was quite surprised, but after thinking about that matter in my own way…… I concluded that I don’t really understand even after thinking about it.

[B- But, look! Aren’t you wondering what my true form is?]

[Ahh, I think she mentioned you were a black smoke, right? Hmmm. In short, you’re some kind of “cotton candy monster”, right?]

[That’s not even close at all though!?]

[I see, hmm. Well, I guess I don’t really…… care about it that much.]

[Eeeehhhh!?]

As if my reaction was unexpected, Kuro looked very surprised and confused while I just drink my coffee.

I certainly am shocked to hear that Kuro had once attacked the God Realm and that she was hiding her true power and form, and I thought about it a lot the day I heard it.

[However, I thought that even if I were to ask you, you would just dodge the question anyway……]

[Uggghhh, n- no, I don’t know. What if I could have given you some kind of hint?]

But well, even after thinking about it, my thoughts just ended up with “So what?”.

Even if Kuro is actually the big bad guy, and even if she asked me what I can do about it, I can’t really do anything about it.

Kuro is far more powerful than I am. It would be a matter regarding whether there’s even anything I can do.

On the other hand, if she was just a good-hearted person just as I’ve always thought, then there’s nothing wrong with that.

In the end, there’s nothing I can do about this question even if I think about it…… Moreover……

[Even if Kuro had invaded the God Realm with malicious intent in the past, and even if you had some kind of plan on why you’re taking care of me…… I don’t think that it’s going to stop me from being thankful to Kuro, and I don’t think that it’s going to change the fact that Kuro is an important friend of mine…… So, it doesn’t really matter.]

[……S- Sh*t…… What you said somehow sounds cool, I can’t even think about how to respond to it……]

[Well, that’s why I’d like to hear about it from Kuro if you’re willing to talk to me about it, since I’d also like to know more about you…… but I’m not really that much in a hurry to hear about it from you.]

[……Mhhmm.]

Yes, that’s the conclusion I arrived with after thinking about it.

I’d love to hear it if Kuro would tell me about it, but I don’t want to force her to tell me something she doesn’t want to talk about. So, I’m not going to press her with all sorts of questions.

However, I’m not going to just wait for her to tell me about it, I would also think about it and get to know Kuro better. In that case, wouldn’t I naturally hear the answer when it comes?

Unnn. How should I say this… It may have been because I’ve gotten used to this world, but I feel like I’m beginning to think about all things more calmly.

I don’t know if it’s because she didn’t like how I explained it, as Kuro seems to be sulking as she pouted her cheeks, but it doesn’t seem like she’s able to come up with any particular words to refute my answer.

Her childlike behavior is so adorable that I unconsciously reached out my hand…… and poked her swollen cheek.

[Hyyaaahhh!? K- K- Kaito-kun!? What are you doing all of a sudden!?]

[Arehh? That reaction of yours looks new……]

[Suddenly poking a girl’s cheek, that’s cellular harassment!]

[……”Sexual harassment”.]

[Mnnggghhh……]

[Ahaha, sorry, sorry.]

How should I say this, thinking about how we usually act, it’s kind of amusing how our positions are reversed right now, and I can’t resist laughing.

Kuro looks like she’s sulking, as she looks at me with her cheeks puffed out like a hamster stuffing itself with sunflower seeds, but she doesn’t look scary at all and instead, she just looks cute.

[……It’s not that my heart is beating fast. It’s just that I was surprised to see that Kaito-kun became a little bit cooler to my liking……]

(T/N: I can’t translate how cute I imagined her when she said it, so please use your own imaginations and read this with the inner loli voices in your heart. “……betsuni dokidoki shitenaimon. Chotto Kaito-kun ga, boku konomi ni kakkoi yoku nattete odoreita dakeda mon……”)

[Hmmm? Did you say something?]

[I didn’t say anything, Kaito-kun, you idiot!!!]

[Like I said, I’m sorry already……]

Until now, I may have been taking the attitude of taking a step back behind Kuro since I’m quite grateful that she saved me.

However, when I’ve abandoned those thoughts and gotten closer to her, I could see a side of Kuro that I’ve never seen before.

There’s no need for me to make assumptions based on the things I’ve heard from others. Looking at Kuro with my own eyes, I think it’s fine if I slowly think about it…… About what kind of person Kuro is, and how I would interact with her.

Well, anyway, for the time being, I guess I should start putting the grumpy princess in a good mood……

Dear Mom, Dad—— I have lots of things in my mind, and it isn’t that I’m not feeling anxious. However, I may not have any basis for it, but I think—– I feel like I’m getting a little closer to Kuro.

{Author’s Notes}

It seems like Underworld King-sama is trying to increase her Heroine Power to over 9000.

T/N: I gave up translating shimoneta, my head hurts with all the references they’re dropping here and there, so I gave up. I will try to catch up with the kofi donates with me.

3/11.

-LazyCat

T/N: Shameless : How about checking out {strong}{/strong}