Konoha (After) - I Kinda Don't Wanna Talk About It
In the end, things turned out pretty much alright!!
As for what I[1]am talking about... A boy[2] who's supposedly a relative of mine has moved into the Oyama house.
He's somewhat of a... Bah, I'll just say it like it is -- he's weak!
All the things I was worried about before? Totally fine. But there's a whole list of other things I'm worried about instead. Heh, funny, I know.
I have heard that you don't need strong muscles up in space... which makes sense, but I didn't think he'd be this bad, is all.
And so, right now, I'm carrying this boy -- Nini-kun, on my back!! As I walk up this damn hill!!
O-okay... Finally made it... to the house's front door! Can't take... another step...
I think I might have let out a few non-girly grunts just now. The last stretch of the hill was especially hard. Maybe I would have fared better if he was a sack of rice -- I didn't break a sweat when I carried a 20-kg sack that one time.
Oh, that was because I got so much rice from a special sale. Now I get it -- I'm a girl who can work extra hard for the sake of saving on household expenses.
Oops, I'm getting sidetracked again. Come on, boy, open your eyes! Hello!?
Are you waiting for me to wake you up with a kiss or something?[4]
...Meh, I guess not. It worked in the shoujo manga I've read recently, though...
So what now? His heart is beating just fine, so he doesn't seem to need a cardiac massage or anything.
Whoa, his eyelashes are so long... Like, longer than mine, even?[5]
Wait, I mean, no no no! Why am I observing him so intensely!?
Okay, okay, time to calm down. Deep breaths, Konoha, deep breaths.[6]
I'm sure he just passed out from exhaustion, but he could also have fallen ill. Okay, I've made up my mind.
I'll work up my courage... and wake him the hell up!!!
"Nini-kun, rise and shine..."
Well then. That came out much softer than I wanted it to.
Nini-kun lets out a pained groan, changes his posture, and snores a bit. Looks like he's sleeping normally now.
I'm relieved to hear his breathing normalize -- but I should also take his temperature just to be sure.
／＊／
"Now then, what the heck happened next?[7]" Beni-chan[3] asks while we eat some menchi katsu at the meat shop.
She's a classmate -- and a friend -- of mine, who is notably conscious of her short stature.
As for why her eyes are sparkling right now... it's because she really likes to talk about love and stuff like that. In fact, we're friends because we both like to talk about such things.
"Uh, nothing? What were you expecting to hear?"
Hearing me say that, Beni-chan takes a step back and acts out a blatantly faked stagger of shock.
"Bah! You'd do well the heed my advice -- no, my command! Make things more exciting!"
"What!? He's technically a relative of mine, you know. And I was too worried whether he'd survive to even think about that!"
"It is said that married life with a cousin tastes like duck, by the way."[8]
"And is that supposed to sound delicious!?"
Beni-chan crosses her arms.
"It means their compatibility will help them be happy together! I swear, kids these days don't know their idioms anymore..."
"Whatever you say, grandma. Now let's get you to bed..."
"Do not call me a grandma! I'm still perfectly youthful!"
Beni-chan seems particularly ticked off by that.
To land another critical blow, I make myself sound as sarcastic as possible...
"Yes, I'll keep that in mind, grandma."
In the end, we giggle between ourselves. Never a dull moment whenever good ol' Beni-chan starts talking, eh?
I am interested in romance and all, but I have not the slightest idea what it's actually like. And I'm fine with that, at least for now. It's fun to chat with my friends about stuff like this.
Beni-chan savors her menchi katsu with a truly delightful expression. Every inch of her radiates a sense of delight so clearly that I can't help but feel happy for her.
After finishing her generous portion of food, Beni-chan crosses her arms and turns her attention toward me.
"So, nothing really happened between you and the new kid?"
"Even less than nothing, really -- he was sound asleep all night."
"Booooooring!"
"As things should be. Life isn't meant to be full of thrills! Oh, I did ask him if he'd like to work out together -- you know, so that he'd put on some muscle he sorely needs."
Fortunately, Nini-kun has been exercising regularly up in space to maintain his physical fitness. There are iron pull-up bars in the school yard he could use to recreate that routine.
Oh, but considering how weak he is, he'll probably have a hard time with even that.
Beni-chan's expression turns contemplative.
"Hmm... his homeland, the outer space, seems like quite an inconvenient place. Even if one does nothing, they would lose their physical strength, the calcium in their bones dissolving into the bloodstream. Sounds as bad as the Underworld to me."
"I guess. Apparently, if you go outside without a space suit, you'd die almost immediately... Really doesn't sound like an environment people are meant to live in, you know."
Despite all that...
Nini-kin would frequently gaze up at the sky. The look on his face suggests that his thoughts are still back in his home. A home forever lost...
And why did it feel like my chest tightened a bit whenever I looked at his face? Is it because I felt sorry for him?
"Did something happen after all, hmm?" Beni-chan asks again.
She sounds like a ghost. No, more like a yokai, maybe? A cute yokai. No idea what kind, though.
"No, really, nothing."
"That denial is quite contradictory with the face of a maiden you have."
"What does that even mean? I am a girl!"
"Oh, I'm sure you know what I mean. Let me ask again: are you sure nothing happened?"
With that, I recall yesterday's events.
I wasn't able to carry Nini-kun upstairs to his room on the second floor. So, instead, I decided to bring him a towel blanket and let him sleep just behind the front door.
Embarrassingly enough, I ended up falling asleep right there in the hallway as well. I must have been exhausted. No, it wasn't because I was staring at his face for an extended period of time or anything like that. Probably.
I look at Beni-chan and crack a dry smile. I... kinda don't wanna talk about it.
===
Chapter 24 Character Profiles
↩[1] Konoha (Konoha Oyama)
An honor student, but easily gets sidetracked. The game's heroine (maybe).
Her reflexes and adaptability are unusually high.
Shares this trait with Nini and Teruko, her relatives. Perhaps it runs in the Oyama family.
First-person pronoun used: Watashi
↩[2] Nini (Novus Nemo/Taichiro Oyama)
The game's protagonist.
Born on the Hope International Space Station as Novus Nemo, and raised outside of the Japanese linguistic sphere despite his ancestry.
Due to the unique location of his birth, some people treat him as effectively an alien.
His nickname, "Nini," is short for "nobody" or "new" in the International Space Station's standard language.
Being Teruko's grandson, he goes by Taichiro Oyama, his Japanese name, when he comes down to Earth. No records of his father and grandfather exist in Japan.
↩[3] Beni (Benihime Tenno)
A fox girl. Usually not referred to by her full name.
Like foxes in folklore, she usually uses transformation arts to disguise herself as a human. Carrying out her current mission as a self-proclaimed high school girl.
Plays an active role in battle when she is in your team.
Somewhat of a blockhead, but possesses extremely good looks. Considered the game's most charming character.
First-person pronoun used: Warawa
===
Chapter 24 Footnotes
↩[4] "Are you waiting for me to wake you up with a kiss or something?"
At this time, she is 30cm away from him.
↩[5] "Whoa, his eyelashes are so long... Like, longer than mine, even?"
15cm away this time.
↩[6] "Deep breaths, Konoha, deep breaths."
And now, 1m away.
↩[7] "Now then, what the heck happened next?"
Beni's speech pattern changes on the fly.
She is not very good at keeping her secret identity's tone of voice consistent, and is easily distracted and swayed by her emotions.
Thanks to this, her voice actor had to confirm her lines many times during post-recording.
↩[8] "It is said that married life with a cousin tastes like duck, by the way."
There used to be areas in Japan where the custom of cross-cousin marriage existed.
This custom was widely seen in parts of East and Southeast Asia with relatively low access to transportation.
===
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