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No illustrations this time, that’s why…some more showcasing of the illustrator! (https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/5304046) People who’ve seen the illustrations for v2 might see a certain resemblance here?
Memory 2: Betrayal and Manga and I
—Something is off.
This sense of discomfort grasped my heart the second I met Koori.
“Senpai, good morning~!”
Naturally, the smile she showed me was as cute as always. So much that I find trouble finding the right words to describe it.
“Sure is great weather we’re having today~ That makes me want to go out later!”
“…Wanna go somewhere?”
“Ahaha, not even a second later! You really are the best, Senpai!”
Koori raised her thumb with roaring laughter, making me feel happy inside. This was the same as usual as well.
“I’d love to, but I actually have a short English test today, so I can’t…Why do I have to be so diligent…”
As she nodded, her hair slightly shook up and down, a sweet scent drifting over towards my nose. Her teasing, jesting expression was as charming as it could get.
“…By the way, I’m expecting a retort that goes ‘You’re always slacking off, so you can’t be that diligent’, okay?”
“…I see…”
“Pfft…I see, he says…”
The sight of Koori trying to hold back her laughter was brimming with energy as usual. It was the same as always. No change here, but…
“………”
Something…something was off.
“Hm? Senpai, what’s wrong?” Koori tilting her head as she asked me was too cute.
She was cute, but…’Something about you feels off. Did anything happen?’ I thought of asking, but eventually stopped.
“………Nothing.”
“Ehh? What’s that about? Ahh, were you that entranced by my face by any chance~? Just kidding.”
“That’s not it.”
“…I-I knew that of course, ahahaha~?!”
“I’m not just entranced by your face, Koori. Your slender legs, your chest, neck and shoulders, arms, even your fingertips…Everything about you just takes my breath away…Naturally, including your face, but it’s not only…Koori?”
Koori suddenly stopped in her tracks, crouching down. I was about to use ‘Star Tame1’ to figure out any potential malice in a 500 meter radius around us—
No, I can’t.
‘Star Tame’ might not run on magical power, so it doesn’t exactly qualify as magic, but Koori previously stated that ‘It’s about the same, I guess~’, so I can’t. If Koori says so then divine techniques and magic are the same. And I am not allowed to use magic. First of all, I have to confirm Koori’s state of being.
“Koori, are you—”
“I…I’m fine, so no looking at my face!”
“But…”
“This is Senpai’s fault, you know!”
“My fault?”
“There it is…You’re not even aware of it! Thinking back upon it, Senpai would always…always…”
Koori suddenly had a distant gaze in her eyes, as she looked back at me, tears in her eyes—When she finally shook her head.
“Phew…Now I remember…”
The atmosphere in Koori took a sudden change.
“…What exactly?”
“Ah, n-nothing at all.”
As I thought, something was off. There really was, but—
“Come on Senpai, let’s head to school already! We might end up late at this rate!”
Koori quickly stood up again, wiping her eyes. This left me with nothing else to say…Well, the day just started. There will be other chances for me to solve this sense of discomfort I have.
**
“Senpai, let’s go home~”
By the time the last homeroom class came to an end, Koori quickly called out to me, but rather than feeling happy about being able to go home with her, I was panicking. After all, I couldn’t solve this mystery until the very end. Of course, I did achieve a certain level of progress.
During class, she would drop her gaze on her notebook, writing with her pen. Being called by the teacher, she would give the answer after a short moment of thinking.
During recess, she would talk a lot with the people around her. On top of that, the smile she gave me as we moved classrooms…The more I think back to it, the cuter Koori looks to me.
…Wait, that’s not it.
As a result of my close inspection of Koori, I arrived at the conclusion that she was giving off an odd sense of ‘Loneliness’ and ‘Sadness’. It became apparent that Koori was feeling like this towards a certain ‘something’. But, what exactly could this ‘something’ be?
I had countless chances to ask her. Yet, I was left unable to ask for details. Because there might have been a chance that this ‘something’ is related to me in any way…No, that sounds more positive than it actually is. From what I’ve seen and calculated, it can only be related to me. And if that was the case—
“So, I had no idea at first, but when I took a closer look, it was definitely a cat, and—Senpai?! Eh, eh, eh?! What happened?!”
“…What do you mean?”
“I mean…Eh?” Koori brought her face closer, taking a deep look at mine. “…Hmmm? It looked like you were about to cry a second ago…”
“Cry…? Me…?”
In these twenty years I’ve spent in the different worlds, no matter how tough or harsh the situation had been, I never shed any tears. The only time I felt despair that could bring me close to tears was when I thought I could never meet Koori ever again. But, the only thing that could bring me despair of such a degree in this blissful life I have, being able to enjoy my days as the lover of Koori, would be…
“I see…that might be it…”
“Eh! So you really were crying?! Why?!?!” Koori asked for confirmation in a frantic manner.
“…Because you…”
“M-Me?”
“………”
I felt pathetic, not able to speak my mind. But, even so, continuing any further was too difficult.
“…It’s nothing.”
“Huh?! No, don’t give me that?! That’s gotta be a lie, right?!”
Naturally, Koori was perfectly right. Just talking things out with her, and apologizing in case it came down to it, was the most profitable situation, and yet.
“………Sorry.”
This trial gave me fear worse than anything I had lived through in the other worlds. The fear of possibly being rejected and thrown away by Koori made my body freeze up, robbing me off my words. Of course, this was just one possible conclusion, and I might never know until I personally ask her. I haven’t felt this powerless ever since I arrived at the very first different world of the many—[Atophia]. No, even back then doesn’t compare to this situation.
“Um……”
Hearing Koori called out to me, my body twitched in shock. It felt just like being faced with the ‘Eternity Blaze’ of the Arc Dragon in [Stero’Un]. And, the words that followed were—
“Did I…do something?”
I would have never expected this development. Looking closer at Koori, her usual smile had vanished completely, as I could see tears building up in the corners of her eyes.
“—No!! You didn’t do anything! It’s my fault!!”
“…………Huh?”
Even if a lot of reasons had played into it, there was no greater sin to me than saddening Koori.
“Sorry…It’s all my fault. I wanted to make up for it no matter what, and that’s why—”
“Hmm??? Wait, I’m sorry, but I can’t follow at all…?”
“The reason why you seemed so sad the entire day.”
Koori’s eyes opened wide.
“You realized?!”
“…Of course.”
“Since when?!”
“I had this feeling of discomfort the moment we met.”
“So from this morning…! Ehhh, I tried so hard that nobody would find out, and I thought it worked…You’re too sharp, Senpai!”
“I don’t need any five senses that don’t catch on to any change regarding you, Koori.”
Even though that should have been obvious, Koori still had a slightly surprised expression on her face.
“Ahhh…Well, what about the part of it all being your fault?”
“…It’s exactly as I said. The reason you felt sad and lonely…was me.”
“Hm? Eh? That’s not it, though.”
“……Eh?”
“It’s not your fault, Senpai?”
“But…But, this gaze you would give me from time to time…”
“Ah…Well, it’s not like that was completely unrelated to you…”
“I thought so…”
“Wah, what’s that expression! Ahhh, I see, that’s why you looked about to break out in tears…That’s not what I meant by that, okay?! Um…well…”
Even though I shouldn’t be thinking this in such a dire situation, the way Koori waved her hands in a panic was unbearably cute.
“To be completely honest, it’s because of a manga!”
“…Manga…?”
Manga. A comic.
“Let’s see…there is a manga I really liked recently, and it had a character I was having the hots for…”
“Having the hots for…?”
“Basically, one of my favorite characters in the series. And, well…this character…”
Koori suddenly grew a bit quiet, looking like she was hesitating to continue her words.
“T-This character…resembles Senpai.”
“Me?”
“O-Only a tiny bit, okay! Like the way he looks, the atmosphere to him, stuff like that…but nothing more!”
“O-Okay…”
I don’t understand the reason why she would get this desperate, but if she says so…Waiting for a second, Koori continued with a bright red face, her voice about to cut out.
“And, this character…was betrayed…and died in the end…”
“That’s…”
“No, I know okay! That it’s just a character in a manga…But…well…he looked so similar to Senpai…”
Unable to make Koori suffer more than this, I—
“Koori.”
“A-Ahaha, really, what am I even saying…I’m surprised myself~”
“Koori.”
I approached her, looking directly into her eyes.
“…Yesh…”
“I will not betray you.”
“—!”
“Never. No matter what might happen.”
I don’t care if I have to cast my ‘Cross’ magic on this. No matter what kind of circumstances I will find myself in, I will not betray Koori. That is something I can say with pure confidence.
“…Um…Senpai…I don’t mind at all, but…right here…?”
“…Here?”
Koori started observing her surroundings for a reason unbeknownst to me, making me realize just what was going on. In the heat of the moment, I happened to grab Koori’s shoulders. Even more than that, I had brought my face a bit too close for my own tastes—
“…! S-Sorry.”
“…N-No, it’s…totally fine…I was just thinking that people might see us here…but, if you want to, then…”
Koori started fumbling over her words, not allowing me to pick up anything.
“…? Sorry, could you repeat that, but a bit louder this time?”
“~~~! A-Anyway, I just thought that the character looked somewhat similar to Senpai, so you haven’t done anything wrong! That is the one thing I want you to know!” Koori raised her index finger as she explained, letting me take a relieved breath.
“I see…thank god…”
“Uu…that face…makes me remember…Ahhh why…Ugh, I did it again! I’m sorry!”
“…No, it’s fine.”
Rather, this helped greatly.
“Also, I understand your feelings, Koori.”
“Eh.”
“Something similar happened in the other—over there.”
“Eh?! D-Don’t tell me, a comrade of yours died—”
“Being betrayed really was a big shock for me.”
“Ah, I see…Wait, I wanna hear about that as well! What happened?!”
“………”
“This clearly is the ‘It’d be faster to show you’ pattern, right?!”
“That’s Koori for you.”
“No, everybody would arrive at that…Ah, wait a second! I have to mentally prepare myself!” Koori said, as she started taking deep breaths.
For some reason, she looked like she was radiating more than usual…No, not just for some reason. Finding out why Koori was feeling down, and knowing that it wasn’t my fault, I just can’t help but feel relieved. It openly changes the way I observe the world. It’s something I’ve experienced countless times in the other worlds. And, even more than that—It’s because I can see Koori’s smile again. With just this, I’m filled with bottomless happiness.
“Phew, still, I’m so glad~”
“Glad?”
“I mean…Seeing you before, I was wondering if I did something wrong…and I’m just glad that that’s not the case.”
“…”
Koori is thinking about me. In such a way.
“W-Well, you know! It’s just something I selfishly thought about, so Senpai doesn’t have to—”
“Thanks.”
“Yes, you don’t have to—Huh?! Why are you thanking me?!” Koori’s expression changed again, it was lovable.
“Knowing that you were thinking about me like this…makes me really happy.”
That’s what I felt from the bottom of my heart. Suddenly, Koori cast her face down, staying like this for a brief moment.
“Koori?”
“…Um…you know…I probably like you…more…than…you might…think…and stuffs…” She raised her head, and our eyes met. “No, it’s nothing!” She frantically averted her gaze again.
“…? Is that so?”
“R-Rather than that, tell me about that time you were betrayed!”
“I don’t mind, but…did you mentally prepare yourself?”
“I’m fine…That reminds me, the manga had something similar to that thing.”
That thing probably referred to my ‘Experiens’.
“I’d like to hear about that.”
“Ah, that’s a different manga from the one with the character I mentioned before, but I’ll gladly give it to you. Should I give you the one with the character as well?!”
“Manga, huh…”
A type of entertainment, conveying a story with pictures. Now that I think about it, no matter what world I visited, they never had anything like that.
“Ah…are you not into manga…?”
“No, you’ve got me interested now, so let me borrow some.”
“Ohh, yay!”
“…Yay?”
“I mean, I’m happy that there’s a chance we could enjoy the same things. I’d love to read them and talk about them together with Senpai…ehehe~” Koori flashed a bashful smile, so I reflexively spoke up.
“Same here. I want to share lots of experiences with you.”
Even if it’s something sad. That’s what awaits me now, having had my wish granted of being reunited with Koori. Not just being with her, but experiencing all sorts of things with her. I’m sure there will be things that we disagree on. But, rather than being afraid, I am welcoming this, because I want to know more about Koori.
“Treat me well from now on, Koori.”
“Aha, where did that come from?” Koori burst out laughing. “Same here, Senpai!”
With these words, she gave me the widest grin of the day.
Extra
“Haaa…that really took me by surprise…”
Entering my room, I put down my bag. While I was busy taking off my clothes, I remembered what I just saw…or rather, experienced? Either way, the scenery from that different world.
“You thought she was a boy, but in reality turned out to be a girl, he said…She’s been a girl from the very start though!”
Never in my life did I have to hold back a retort like that…Senpai mentioned that this was a betrayal in the truest sense…and knowing him, I can see why. No way he would’ve guessed. That’s probably why that girl—Luris-chan—revealed it herself. Not to mention that Luris-chan totally had the hots for Senpai as well!
It wasn’t as clear in the beginning, but painfully obvious towards the end. I guess it makes sense that you’d catch on to Senpai’s charm after spending all this time with him…Hm, as his girlfriend, I would know of course…
“…Pfft, as his girlfriend…”
Not good, I’m grinning again. Quite some time has passed since we started dating, and yet I always get a little flustered when I think of myself as his girlfriend. Well, it can’t be helped~ I never imagined that something like this would happen the day Senpai ended up in a coma…Having a popular boyfriend is something a girlfriend would be happy about, but…
“Aha…really, what am I thinking!” I jumped onto my bed, flapping my legs up and down.
I know. I’m aware of it. Am I serious? Well, apparently I am…But, I still can’t stop myself from grinning…I just can’t!
“…Haa, this is too much.”
Enough thinking about it. Look, my make-up ended up on the pillow…Ah, there’s the manga I read yesterday…Yeah, this character really looks like Senpai. Though, I told my friends about it, and they all laughed at me, saying that they didn’t see any resemblance…
“…I really want to show this to Senpai.”
I wonder what would happen if he’d read that? Hmmmm………
“Wait a second, I can’t imagine that at all?! Ahaha!”
Is that even possible?! But hold on, I’ve seen him read workbooks at school…Eh, I haven’t, have I? Oh man, now I really want to have him try out some manga.
But, is this really fine for a beginner like him…?”
If possible, I’d like him to get an interest in the entire genre of manga, so maybe something easier would be better? Well, I think this should be rather easy to read…There’s betrayal in there though…Ah, didn’t I already spoil him?
“Maybe I should pick one that would give me a more interesting reaction on Senpai’s end …”
Ah, I know!
“Should just give him a lewd one!”
Reading that, he’ll end up feeling excited, and then—I thought, but the second I picked up a manga like that, I realized.
“Wait…what face should I even make when giving him a manga like this?”
………Yeah, not happening…Also, aren’t I going a bit too far with all the monologuing recently? Anyway, I’ll just lend him the first one I told him about. The End.
1 Written as ‘Quick/Far Knowledge’
CClaw Translations 