Ch.22Attack of the Umi

“Hah-! Hah-!!”

After a short break, what followed was an endless free sparring session.

This was one of Gonzaemon’s specialties. His philosophy was to raise experience through actual combat.

It was an extreme practical approach—fighting in real situations would naturally correct one’s posture. Well, he would point out bad habits only if they seemed to be developing during sparring.

My final, much-anticipated sparring partner was Gonzaemon himself.

Naturally, I was completely dominated. Well… I couldn’t help it. The difference in skill level was just too great.

FWANG-!!!!

With one clean head strike, Gonzaemon claimed victory.

“Ah… I lost miserably,” was all I could say.

“Of course you did. However… impressive. You seem to take optimal actions without needing to be taught. Is this… natural talent?”

Gonzaemon stared at me intently.

“Have you ever considered taking up kendo seriously? I mean, as your career path.”

And suddenly, Gonzaemon was making me a proposal.

“Hmm. That’s a bit…”

But I already had a firm career path in mind. Even here, I planned to be a web novel author. One’s true calling doesn’t change easily, even if you travel to another world or possess someone else’s body.

“Do you have something else you want to do?” Gonzaemon asked.

“I want to be a novelist. It’s my life’s goal,” I replied.

“AAAARGH!!! I cannot accept that!! You have overflowing talent to inherit our school!! With proper training, you could dominate the entire Japanese kendo world!! I’m not exaggerating!!”

Gonzaemon had entered full tantrum mode.

“But I already have a dream…”

“HAH!! You think you’re the only one with dreams?! I have one too!! I want to find a successor!! You are my successor!!”

Gonzaemon shouted. Wait, is that supposed to be persuasive?

“This won’t do!! Spar with me one more time!! As our swords cross, you’ll realize the ultimate truth of the blade!! One more round!! Come on!!”

Gonzaemon was completely out of control.

“But… two sessions is really…”

I had plans to hang out with Umi, and after that, I needed to go back and write. Plus spend some time with Eri.

“Silence!! I will spar with you now!! That is my dream!!”

Old man Gonzaemon seemed fixated on the word “dream.”

That’s when it happened.

Swoosh-!

Asuna approached silently behind Gonzaemon. Her movement was so quick I hadn’t even noticed.

“Darling? Shota-kun needs to play with Umi now.”

Asuna said, draping her arm over Gonzaemon’s shoulder.

“But!!”

“Are you raising your voice at me right now?”

Asuna looked at Gonzaemon with clouded eyes.

Crack-!

As Asuna’s arm tensed, Gonzaemon’s shoulder spasmed.

“W-well, I guess it can’t be helped. Shota, you may go now. Good work.”

Gonzaemon immediately changed his stance.

“Th-think about the kendo thing, okay?”

Gonzaemon said in a voice as gentle as a lamb.

“Y-yes.”

I felt like I’d glimpsed the abyss of the Kiryu family. Asuna-san… is stronger than Gonzaemon. I realized it then. This was a hidden backstory not shown in the game. I felt like I’d learned something I wasn’t meant to know.

After showering in the shower room next to the locker room, I changed into appropriate clothes. Umi must have been considerate, as the clothes I had worn earlier were placed in front of the locker room.

“Hmm… perfume smell?”

There was a sweet scent on my clothes. Did Umi spray some deodorizer? Plus, there was something on them. Hmm… Umi must have spilled a drink, desperately wiped it clean to remove the evidence. That’s it!!! And then sprayed deodorizer to commit the perfect crime.

‘Sigh… is this where my detective skills come into play?’

Since childhood, I’ve hated this talent for seeing through everything… I’ve intentionally maintained an ordinary high school boy life. But habits die hard, and here I am again, making another perfect deduction.

‘I hate it… this talent of mine.’

I gazed beyond the locker room with wistful eyes.

Anyway, enough of this self-indulgent role-playing. I changed my clothes.

‘What? The locker room is completely empty?’

That was puzzling.

Asuna-san had definitely said the locker room was packed… Did people leave in the meantime?

Well, whatever. I headed straight for Umi’s room.

“Umi!! Let’s plaaay!!!!”

I shouted in front of her door.

“Just knock!! Are you in elementary school?!!”

Umi immediately flung the door open and yelled.

“…Yet Umi hastily opened the door, unable to contain her excitement at playing with a friend.”

I immediately added narration.

“Don’t interpret my feelings however you want!! You’re seriously disgusting!!”

Umi shouted.

“Anyway, I’m coming in.”

I stepped inside.

“Yeah. Come in.”

Umi spoke with a strangely tense tone.

“By the way… you took a bath?”

Umi suddenly asked me.

“Well… I’d smell of sweat otherwise. That would be rude.”

I had made all preparations necessary for entering a girl’s room.

“Tch. What a waste…”

Umi muttered something with a displeased expression. Huh? Did I do something wrong?

———-

Anyway, I got the chance to appreciate the interior.

“Whoa… I didn’t notice when changing clothes… but this is a girl’s room through and through!!”

I looked around immediately.

A strangely pink room, sweet smells, stuffed animals on the bed.

And above all… a vanity table that would never exist in a boy’s room.

This room had absolutely no testosterone. It was a festival of estrogen.

“A girl’s room!! A girl’s room!!! KYEEEEEEK!!!!”

Exposed to a lethal dose of estrogen, I went into a frenzy.

“Please stop acting crazy!!”

Umi immediately restrained me.

“Ah… sorry. I got excited about being in a girl’s room.”

I said.

“Really… you crazy bastard. Heheheheh.”

Umi giggled while looking at me.

“But there’s no karaoke machine. Why did you call me here anyway?”

I asked, sitting down.

“How long are you going to obsess over a karaoke machine?!!”

Umi immediately objected.

“…There really isn’t one. I thought you might surprise me by bringing out a karaoke machine or something.”

If we weren’t going to sing karaoke, why did she invite me? I looked at Umi with that complaint in my eyes.

“How would an ordinary household have something like that!!”

Umi stopped her objection midway and drank some barley tea nearby. All that objecting must have made her thirsty.

“Tch. You’re wasting my time. Already enough time has passed to sing one anime song medley.”

Thirty minutes had already passed. Enough time to sing through all the representative anime songs of the early 2000s.

“Wow!! That high-handed tone!! So annoying!!”

Umi slapped me repeatedly while shouting.

“Haaa… really, talking with Shota just makes me angry.”

Umi said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Stare…

Then, Umi looked at me.

Tap tap-!

Umi patted the spot next to her.

“Sit beside me.”

Umi said.

“O-on the bed?”

I looked at the bed. No matter what, a non-related man sitting on a bed is…

“It’s fine. We can’t hear each other well from over there.”

Umi gave an unidentifiable reason. Wait. It’s a small room.

“Well, alright.”

But I couldn’t refuse the invitation. I sat right next to Umi. She must be feeling lonely despite appearances. Wanting to chat with a friend side by side. I understand that feeling.

“WOOHOO!! The bed a high school girl lies on every day!!!!”

Adding those exclamations was just my way of hiding embarrassment.

“HAHAHAHAHA!! You’re so vulgar!!”

Surprisingly, this kind of humor seemed to be her taste, as Umi burst into laughter, her body shaking. Good thing it worked. Otherwise, I’d have been reported to the police immediately.

——–

Anyway.

Rub rub-!

Umi strangely took my hand and played around, interlocking our fingers. Even I felt ticklish in my heart.

“What are you doing?”

I finally asked Umi.

“I-it’s like having an attachment doll!! I just habitually touch things!!”

Umi shouted loudly.

But casually touching someone else’s hand? The gal’s sense of personal space… is amazing. For a moment, I thought I had a chance and almost confessed at light speed.

“Shota. You know what I hate most? People who lie.”

Umi suddenly said in a serious tone. Of course, she was still holding my hand with interlocked fingers.

What should have been a sweet event… but Umi’s hand holding mine felt like shackles. Is she… deliberately holding my hand to prevent me from escaping?!! What a calculating person!!

“Ah! I don’t like liars either!”

I smiled vaguely as I responded.

“Right? I don’t think Shota is a liar. A weirdo, maybe, but not a liar.”

Umi said with a smile. But… even while smiling, her eyes were strangely clouded.

“Don’t worry. I’m an honest man.”

I immediately replied.

“Right? Then… let me ask you one question. Do you have anything to do at night?”

Umi asked.

“……….”

At night, I hunted monsters in a three-person party with Sasix and Taiga.

Originally, Umi would have joined the party early on, but that required a catalyst. Originally, Sasix was supposed to persuade her, but the flow had changed too much from the game.

There was no way Umi, living in the light, would believe me if I said, “I hunt monsters. Want to join?”

“Hmm? Not particularly?”

I just gave a neutral answer. It’s not like Umi would know if I lied anyway. I decided to postpone telling Umi the truth.

“Hmm… is that so?”

Umi smiled sweetly.

Phew. Did I get away with it? But that hope was misplaced.

“Shota… you lied?”

Umi’s eyes grew even cloudier.

“…Huh?”

My brain froze for a moment.

“You just did what I hate most.”

Immediately after, Umi grabbed my collar.

Before I could react, I found myself pinned under Umi.

“At midnight… don’t you meet with Taiga? Why did you lie? You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”

Umi continued speaking with an expressionless face.

Oh… I’m screwed. I sensed it immediately. I had chosen the wrong dialogue option.

“Tell me.”

Umi’s tone was so flat it was terrifying.

“W-well, you see…”

I finally opened my mouth.

I want to liiiive!!!!! That was all my inner thoughts were screaming.