I've been unusually anxious all day.
The reason for this was…
"Speaking of which, I hear an amazing girl is joining the middle school."
"H-heh, is that so?"
"She's a foreigner, and now she's the topic in the school."
…Yes, it's about Yuti.
While we're on break, Ryo was telling me the rumors about Yuti, but from my standpoint, I couldn't help but be at the edge of my seat.
S-she didn't make any big mistakes, did she? Everything's okay, right?
In addition, I'm wondering if Ouma-san, who is currently at home in this world, is behaving properly.
I managed to explain the situation to Owen-san and the others and brought him home without any problems, but Ouma-san is a dragon that is considered a legend in the other world. He would not care about human common sense.
Moreover, Ouma-san was not happy at first, but his eyes sparkled when he saw the food I had prepared, the tools of Earth, and so on. And he finally admitted that I had tamed him.
However, the most memorable part of the exchange with Ouma-san was going back from the capital, and he saw Sage-san's house.
"…This house would be safe, even if I were hit with a full-fledged strike. That guy is the same as always… I mean, his very existence itself is no longer relevant…"
Sage-san, you are being recognized as an irregularity by this legendary dragon.
I was curious about the relationship between Ouma-san and Sage-san, so I asked.
"How did Ouma-san and Sage-san meet…?"
"The first time we met was… a long time ago…"
As he said that, Ouma-san stared somewhere far away.
"I'm not yet as calm as I am now. I was showing off my power when he suddenly appeared and struck me with a blow… The shock I received at that time is still fresh in my mind."
Sage-san, what are you doing?
"I never felt fear before in my life. However at that time, I thought I would be killed. But he only lectured me and did not kill me. …So, Yuuya was the second person to preach to me in my life."
"I-I see…"
I didn't mean to give him a sermon; I was just explaining it to him in a normal, convincing way.
"Anyway, that's where the relationship between Sage and I began, and we spent a long time together, but… he's gone. Leaving me alone."
The expression on Ouma-san's face was somewhat sad as he said that.
"That's why I was so surprised when I could smell him from Yuuya. Your tone and attitude are different, but fundamentally you are similar to him. I've never thought that you would inherit Sage's house, weapons, and abilities."
Ouma-san, who was about to say that much, widened his eyes when he noticed something.
"Could it be that… he had foreseen this to send me a new friend…? That's impossible. But it's that guy we're talking about… Kuh…"
"Ouma-san?"
I called out to Ouma-san, who was lost in his thoughts, and started mumbling something in a small voice, but Ouma-san went directly into Sage-san's house. I wonder what's on his mind.
Anyway, thanks to Ouma-san, I've gotten to learn about Sage-san a little bit more, and now I understand that he's, as expected, an extraordinary being.
But when I think about it, there were shoes in Sage-san's house, which were not made from Ouma-san's hide, but from the Dragon God. Ouma-san's evaluation of Sage-san was not exaggerated. I wonder who he really is.
I had been restless all day given the many situations. I felt sick to my stomach just when Kaede approached me vigorously.
"Yuuya-kun!"
"Y-yes!"
"Is it true that you live with the new student at the middle school?"
Oh…
I was so concerned about the other world's information and Yuti's uncommon physical abilities that I had completely lost my mind. Therefore, I couldn't react immediately to Kaede's words. Involuntarily I froze, and Ryo's eyes widened as well.
"Yuuya, is what Kaede says true?"
"Eh? No, that's…"
"Well?"
Kaede, who was approaching me with such vigor, put pressure on me.
H-how should I respond to this? To begin with, how do I explain my relationship with Yuti!
As I was frantically thinking of an explanation, I noticed that the hallway was noisy. Not only me, but Ryo also noticed this and turned his attention to the hallway.
"Hmm? What on earth happened…"
The moment Ryo looked towards the corridor, Shingo-kun came in from the corridor, looking flustered.
"Yu-Yuuya-kun! You know, that new student is calling you!"
"Heh!"
As I let out a dumb voice at the unexpected turn of events, Yuti walked into my classroom from behind Shingo-kun.
"Found. Yuuya, there you are."
"Yu-Yuti…"
When Yuti spotted me, she came toward me without paying attention to her surroundings.
"Question."
"Eh? W-what?"
I can't help but answer spontaneously since she asked in such a straightforward and natural way.
"Prevention. Yuuya, you stopped me from carrying a bow. But in today's physical education class, when I said I wanted to use a bow, Haruna said there was the Kyudo club. Anticipation. I want to go. Is that okay?"
"I'm just saying it's not safe to carry a bow around with you on a daily basis… If you want to go to the Kyudo club, I think it's fine."
"! Really?"
"No reason for me to lie about it, you know."
But if Yuti joined the Kyudo club, I'm sure she would play a big part in it.
Then Yuti gave an unusual little smile, and I froze in place when I saw it.
"Gratitude. Yuuya, thank you."
"Y-yeah."
"Leaving. Then, I will go now. I think I might be sweating a bit, so prepare for my bath, okay? Bye."
After saying just that, Yuti left at her own pace.
…And the name Haruna was mentioned in Yuti's words earlier, I wonder if she made a friend without any trouble?
As I was relieved to hear Yuti's situation, I turned to Kaede and the others again.
"Well… it's about my relationship with the transfer student, right?"
""No, you can't fool us anymore!""
Right.
Of course, if we called each other by name right in front of them, we wouldn't be strangers, would we?
I gave up and began to explain, choosing my words as clearly as possible.
"Uhm… that girl before is called Yuti, and she's the daughter of an acquaintance of someone that I'm indebted to, well… that acquaintance had an accident and thus the person I am indebted to had asked me to take care of her because he was busy, or something like that…"
I don't know if such an explanation was acceptable, but this is the limit of details that I can provide. In fact, although Yuti is not the daughter of the "Bow Saint," it seems that they were like parent and child in a sense, so there's no problem in referring to Yuti as the child of the "Bow Saint." Otherwise, it would be more confusing if I had described her as someone else's disciple.
"B-but, she's living alone with Yuuya-kun, isn't she?"
"W-well, you know. I was also confused by the suddenness of the situation, but since she had nowhere else to go, she said she'd stay out in the wild if I don't take her in…"
"U-ugh…! I'm so jealous that she can live alone with… Yu-Yuuya-kun…!"
"Hmm?"
Kaede seemed to want to say something, but she groaned as if she couldn't find the words. No, I also agree that there are many problems for a young man and a young woman to live alone. But I can't say that…
In the end, I spent an uncomfortable afternoon feeling the eyes of not only Kaede but also the other classmates on me.
＊＊＊
After school, after receiving permission to visit the Kyudo club by Yuuya, Yuti was led to the Kyudo hall by Haruna and Natsuki. When they arrived, their homeroom teacher, Yanagi-sensei, was there, wearing Kyudo attire, instructing the students.
"Yanagi-sensei."
"Ara? Haruna-san, Natsuki-san? Why are you here? Hmm…"
When she was called, Yanagi was momentarily surprised to find Yuti behind Haruna and Natsuki.
"Yuti-san. Are you perhaps interested in Kyudo?"
"It seems like it!"
"But listen, sensei. In physical education class today, we played basketball with Yuti-san, and she was so strong that no one was able to keep up with her, including me."
Surprised at Natsuki's words, Yanagi-sensei's calm and gentle eyes widened.
"Ara ara, is that true? If that's the case, shouldn't she be joining the basketball club?"
"I know. But it is up to her to decide what club to join… Right? Yuti-san?"
"….."
"…Yuti-san?"
Haruna and Natsuki called out to Yuti, but Yuti didn't hear their voices and her focus was drawn to the students who were shooting arrows.
At that sight, Yanagi-sensei laughed.
"Ara ara, Yuti-san seems to be quite interested in archery. What do you think? Do you want to try to shoot it once?"
Yanagi-sensei handed Yuti the bow and arrows she was holding, and Yuti finally returned her gaze there and looked at the bow and arrows.
When Yuti received them, Yanagi-sensei immediately tried to teach her, but…
"Then, Yuti-san. Before shooting it, you need to wear something that makes you comfortable to move──."
"Unnecessary."
"Eh?"
Yuti ignored the words of Yanagi-sensei and walked forward slowly, entering the place where the students had just finished shooting.
The students who were practicing were surprised to see Yuti and were wondering about what was going on, but Yuti didn't seem to care and stared at the target in the distance and asked Yanagi-sensei behind her.
"Question. Should I aim at the middle of that target?"
"Y-yeah. It's the target but… it is not so easy───."
Yuti drew the bow before Yanagi-sensei could finish her words and shot an arrow out carelessly.
Yuti shot it in her usual way, which ignored the eight stages that Kyudo was based on.
But the result was clear.
The arrow shot by Yuti pierced the middle of the target set directly in front of them, and the people around were all silenced by the sight of it. However, Yuti did not seem to mind at all and continued to shoot arrow after arrow.
"W-wait, Yuti-san!"
With Yuti's sudden actions, Yanagi-sensei hurriedly tried to call out to her, but her voice did not reach Yuti's ears.
And so, Yuti's arrows, one after another, struck the middle of the target in rapid succession, creating a large number of "Jointed Arrows" where the arrowhead pierced the previous shot.
But that wasn't enough, Yuti enhanced her focus, and as she entered her own world, she fired off arrows continuously.
"A-amazing…"
"I never thought of hitting the center so precisely like that…"
"I-isn't it crazy?"
"Hey, look! The back wall is…!"
"Eh, are you kidding me?"
The students who were watching Yuti's performance noticed a problem and began to buzz. It's because the arrows shot by Yuti finally shattered the target and began to penetrate the wall behind it.
And then, Haruna and Natsuki, thinking that this was a bad thing, rushed in to stop her.
"Yu-Yuti-san, Yuti-san!"
"Stop, hey, stop!"
"…Huh!"
Haruna and Natsuki's voice finally reached Yuti, as she decisively fired one last arrow to a place where there was not even a wall anymore. After finishing, Yuti turned to Yanagi-sensei and the others with some excitement.
"Satisfied."
"….."
However, no one was able to comment on Yuti's actions, ability, or excessive randomness. In fact, no one expected the target, or even the wall, to be broken down, so they didn't know what to say.
Yuti tilted her head at the lack of response, but she suddenly felt an uncomfortable feeling inside her body.
It was a sense of discomfort that could only be felt because the nerves had been sharpened by the concentration that had been in place until a moment ago.
"? This sensation is… Evil?"
Although she was aware of the discomfort, Yuti decided not to worry about it, as there was nothing particularly wrong with it. Rather than that, right now, her being able to shoot arrows at school was satisfying.
When Yuti nodded in satisfaction, Yanagi-sensei finally came to her senses and muttered to herself.
"J-jointed arrow… even one arrow is expensive, though."
"N-no, more importantly, what do we do about the target and the wall…"
"…That's also true…"
"?"
Yuti did not understand the meaning of Yanagi-sensei's words, because until now, she had prepared arrows and targets on her own.
＊＊＊
"───Now, finally!"
The red eyes, which glow strangely in the dark space, laugh happily.
"I wondered what would happen to me because of that damned pig… but it was worth it to persevere somehow."
And the red eyes stare upwards.
"You're no longer needed. Once I recover a bit more, I'll snap out of here…"
And the red eyes melted into the darkness.