Chapter 35
“……”
“Have you stopped crying now? Don’t cry anymore, okay? Here, have some hot chocolate”
“I’m sorry, thank you”
When she finally calmed down, I took her to the living room and served some hot chocolate.
My, I was too impatient.
Right now, the girl had a blanket over her shoulders and her hair was tied back in a ponytail.
This seems to be her true hairstyle.
However, her eyes were still moist with tears. I was sitting in front of her, not knowing if she’s going to cry again.
She suddenly spoke before even taking a sip of hot chocolate.
“……um, what are you?”
“Straight to the point, are you…… even if you ask, it’s hard for me to define. An otherworlder? A magician? How about an ex-college student?”
“Can’t you explain it better?”
“Shut up, Kawazu-san”
Kawazu-san said some unnecessary stuff and even hit my head. I stomped on his foot in return.
While glaring at each other, the girl suddenly smiled and laughed as if something was funny.
“…… you two get along well”
“”How so?””
After saying something strange, the girl just shrugged her shoulders.
“…… no, it’s nothing. By the way, from your clothing, were you summoned as well?”
“Well, this idiot frog might as well have kidnapped me”
“Ith hurch! Ith hurch!”
While testing the limits of the frog cheek’s elasticity, I told her the terrible tale of how I was summoned, and she nodded.
It seems like my banter with Kawazu-san will go through that direction.
It’s kinda sad.
“I see…… I’ve been here for the past year. I was summoned by a country called Vanaria, and since then, I’ve been constantly made to fight”
“That’s not your country, is it, Kawazu-san?”
I glanced at Kawazu-san and he hurriedly denied while waving ‘no’ with his hands.
“It’s not, it’s not. I’m from Garland. It neighbors Vanaria. Sacred Vanaria. It’s a small country with a strong religion. They have a long history, and their opinion is held highly by neighboring countries. I’ve heard that they perform ancient magic rituals – to think that they also summon people from another world. By the way, are you a hero?”
I think an evidently familiar word was spoken, for when she heard it, there was a shift in the girl’s countenance. Her expression was definitely not a pleased one.
It was rather grim.
That expression did not hide her disgust.
“……I’ve been called something like that. But that’s not the case at all. For them, I’m nothing but a disposable tool”
The girl said that as if she was squeezing out her revulsion, her body really indicating so. In the past year, she must have experienced horrible things. I think it’s amazing how she was able to keep her rebellious spirit.
So this is a hero.
An indomitably strong heart is something that is impossible for an ordinary guy like me.
And to handle it with such grace, besides being a girl.
No, is grace and charisma a prerequisite for being a hero?
I was caught thinking if there’s a correlation in this. I felt a strange feeling about it, I don’t know whether I’m happy or sad.
But contrary to my expectations, heroes are treated quite coa.r.s.ely.
“…… that’s quite a rough treatment, Kawazu-san?”
He must’ve thought ‘it’s coming’, so Kawazu-san averted his gaze away from me.
Even if you do that, answers must be heard.
Giving into the pressure from my stare, Kawazu-san opened his mouth with some difficulty.
“……well, that’s true. ‘Hero’ sounds good, but they’re not treated well when they’re called for their strength in battle”
I thought as much.
While maintaining a somewhat triumphant expression on my face, a feeling of sympathy welled up inside me.
It’s because if I had made a single mistake, I might have shared the same fate. It’s not quite another person’s problem.
Well, it’s another matter whether I’d have been chosen.
“Then you must’ve went through a considerably terrible experience. Looking at you earlier, it’s not ordinary”
“It was just in the heat of the moment! I’m sorry……”
The girl sincerely bowed her head, but actually, I didn’t really mind.
“Ah no, it’s fine. I was also in the wrong for peeking at a sleeping girl’s face. By the way, please drop the honorifics. We don’t seem to be that far in age”
“Yea…… thank you”
With those words of grat.i.tude, she finally lowered her mouth to drink some chocolate which has gotten a bit cold.
“Good, good. Then, let me introduce myself, I’m Kouno Tarou. I’m a j.a.panese college student who was summoned from another world just a little while ago”
“I’m…… Amamiya Magari. I attended a j.a.panese high school”
“Ohh, Amamiya-san, is it. I thought you were a foreigner”
“Um, my mother is French while my father is j.a.panese”
“……. nn?”
It’s an overly ordinary introduction.
But a strong sense of incongruity ran through me.
And when I realized the cause of it, I grasped the shoulder of the girl called Amamiya.
“…… what did you say just now?”
“Um…… that my mother is French?”
“No no, s-say your name one more time”
“It’s…… Amamiya Magari”
“……”
I got silent.
I let the words and their meaning seep through my body, and I reached for my head.
To me that has gotten silent, Kawazu-san placed a hand on my shoulder.
“W-what’s wrong?” (K)
Something warm flowed out of my tear glands.
And suddenly.
“Tears!”
It was tears of grat.i.tude.
“Kawazu-san…… I never thought that a day when I would be moved to tears by a normal introduction would come”
“I knew it was nothing”
“Amamiya-san, right? It’s a good name. A really good name”
“That’s…… thanks”
The high school girl had a strange look when we shook hands, I used both my hands.
But for me, it was a huge step forward, so please excuse me.
“Now then…… this isn’t the time to drown in emotions, I have to give you a nickname immediately”
“A, you’re still making one” (K)
“Naturally, since that’s my character. I always try to work on my individuality”
It seems like a strange new hobby was born, I can’t just stop now.
“But since I already know her name, calling her something like Amamii or Magarin might be nice~”
Aa, it’s easy to make the nickname.
Just as I was thinking of finalizing the way she will let me call her, there was someone with a dissenting opinion.
It was Kawazu-san.
“No no…… are you really fine with that? When you’re making a nickname, at the very least, shouldn’t there be a meaning behind it?”
I felt a strange pressure from Kawazu-san, I was surprised and gulped. What’s wrong, I tragically cried.
“What do you want to say? Following her name…… it’s natural that it would be something like that!”
When I said that, Kawazu-san slowly shook his head.
I saw a little pity from his eyes.
“…… think about it. The nickname you just said, can you proudly say that you were the one who made it?”
“!!”
“Isn’t that right? Then, what you’ve really hidden in your heart…… isn’t there a true nickname that you’ve been withholding? It’s fine to just reveal it!”
What a blunder.
Just because I knew her name, I was really ecstatic.
I forgot the effort I’ve done until now, naming based on appearance. Even such a minor thing, taking the easy way out would be losing. It’s the height of folly!
Isn’t it fine to just reveal it!
“Kawazu-san…… I was wrong! I’ll do it! Your nickname from today onwards!”
That’s right, [Inspiration] itself is supreme.
A real nickname from the bottom of my heart.
I pointed at the girl in front of me, and declared her real nickname.
“Sailor Soldier!”
Some of you may have already known, but that’s not anything bad.
“! There’s a reason I’m dressed like this!”
When she heard that, Sailor Soldier turned bright red and desperately sought for an excuse, but it was already decided.