"What are your hobbies?"
"Um, well... singing and dancing, I guess."
"Oh, dancing! That's interesting. By the way, Lisha-san, do you know about the goddess Kali?"
"Um... I'm sorry, I'm not very knowledgeable."
"No, no, it's quite all right. Kali is a fierce yet great goddess, and there's a story of her dancing wildly on top of her husband Shiva. It's quite fascinating, you see."
"I see..."
"By the way, what do you think about tracing Kali's great achievements as a form of study? Oh, don't worry. Matsuda here, although presumptuous, believes he can fulfill the role of Shiva――"
"You're going to anger the Indian people soon, you fool."
Bam! Souji pushed Matsuda's head from behind, who was beginning to lose his temper.
"Ouch! What are you doing, Souji? I was having a cultural exchange here!"
"Talking about Hindu cultural exchange in Japan? Honestly, the only thing you're good at is being honest. If you have something to say, just say it clearly."
"Actually, I wanted Lisha-san to step on me! Don't interfere!"
"Matsuda, honestly, not everything is permissible, you know?"
"Ugh, you're changing the story!"
Souji lifted Matsuda with an Iron Claw. Even though Souji was slim, he was holding him up effortlessly. what kind of muscle strength does he have to lift up a big guy with one hand?
Lisha watched them with a wry smile. Even the saintly Lisha found Matsuda challenging.
"Oh, by the way, Senpai, are you sure you didn't want me to stop them?"
Hinata, sitting next to them, spoke up.
When I looked over, there was a modern college girl with bright chestnut hair, wearing a semi-long hairstyle tied in a half-up. She had almond-shaped eyes, a somewhat mischievous yet charming face, and delicate, girlish gestures. Her name was Yukari Hinata, a junior member of our literary club. By the way, the red-haired man lifting Matsuda was Kongou Souji, and the pervert being lifted was Matsuda Munenori.
"Sorry, I was just thinking..."
"What's up?"
"I was wondering how someone as pure as Lisha would react when faced with a genuinely perverted person."
"Well... Senpai, that's pretty messed up."
Huh? Doesn't it bother her? I mean, it's quite a contrast, right? Lisha, who embodies goodness, interacting with someone who's inherently perverted.
Honestly, Matsuda's approach is so unique that it's oddly fascinating. I mean, what's up with the goddess Kali anyway?
His pick-up lines are way too far-fetched. Well, I don't know what the standard pick-up lines for getting someone to step on you are...
By the way, the conclusion was that someone had to intervene. I mean, objectively speaking, an adult guy asking a high school girl to dance on top of him? If Souji hadn't stepped in, it might have required official intervention.
Anyway, we're here at the Seijo University cafeteria with our usual crew. Accompanied by Lisha, who made a radiant entrance into the Literature Club, we've managed to avoid the club members' relentless questioning.
People still getting plenty of curious looks. While foreign students aren't that unusual, Lisha is an otherworldly beauty. So, it's not surprising that people are staring.
But seriously, this is something. Normally, except during lunch hours, the cafeteria isn't even half full.
As I was looking around, impressed by this, Hinata, sitting next to me, took a sip from her vegetable juice pack and said
"By the way, is it true that Lisha-san is officially recognized as a foreign exchange student now? Did you negotiate with the school, Senpai?"
"Me? I don't have that kind of power. It's more like having connections, you know?"
To be precise, it was pressure from official authorities. But since I asked for it, the Anti-Demon Special Forces are amazing.
"Oh, you have connections?"
"Yeah, connections are powerful. With connections, you can usually manage things in life."
"What a lousy philosophy."
In fact, I had witnessed it firsthand, so I couldn't argue with that.
The foreign kingdom, Centraris Kingdom, had knight orders for people who became knights through their parents' connections. While they weren't very good at combat, they excelled in performing and socializing with the public and foreign countries. Well, most of them had an elitist attitude, but I did become friends with some of them, to the extent of occasionally drinking together. By the way, drinking alcohol in another world, even if someone is underage, wasn't a crime.
"Um, Yuusuke-san?"
I was wondering how they were doing, and before I knew it, Lisha had come very close. She looked at me with a slightly troubled expression.
Oh, what happened to Matsuda and Souji?
"Is something wrong?"
"No, is that how people typically communicate in this world?"
"Communication like that?"
Lisha was probably referring to Matsuda and Souji, who had likely transitioned from Iron Claw to Cobra Twist in their communication. If she asked if it's normal, well, at least as long as Matsuda was around, they shouldn't be categorized as ordinary. It would be disrespectful to regular people!
"Lisha, those two are quite unique, so you shouldn't lump them in with regular people."
"Oh, really? I heard that in the church, common men bond by exchanging blows, so I thought it was something similar." (T/L:神殿 => Shinden)
"What? That's such a specific situation."
The education at the Holy Goddess Church seemed like it was straight out of a Showa-era delinquent manga. Even the person teaching it already seemed naïve. Is this really okay, Holy Goddess Church?
Hm, Hinata, why the difficult expression?
"Church (Shinden)...?"
Oh.
Lisha also seemed to realize her slip of the tongue and covered her mouth, looking distressed. A purebred saint like her wasn't suited for keeping secrets.
In everyday life, words like 'church' hardly ever came up.
I had to find a way to get out of this. I'd have to rely on my literary club skills.
"Hinata, it's not the church that is on your mind. It was a misunderstanding. Lisha just mentioned 'Shiten.' It's like a school in her homeland." (T/L: Shiten:Shinden)
"Oh, I see. That's what it was."
Alright, I managed to...
"Oh, by the way, wasn't Lisha's homeland America? In that case, it would just be a school, right?"
Oh no, that wouldn't work... Think, think, me! You've overcome much tougher situations than this!
"Ah, it's quite rural in America, and they use slang too."
"Ah, true, America is so vast."
I inwardly sighed in relief at Hinata's nod. It was fortunate that Hinata was one of those Tanka girls who couldn't speak English. (T/N: a Japanese poem consisting of five lines)
Now that I thought about it, what was 'Shiten'? Most places call it a school, probably.
For now, I'd consider it settled. I'd have to remind Lisha to be careful with her everyday conversations.
Just as I resolved to do that, I heard someone calling me again.
"Oh, right! Yuusuke, Yuusuke!"
This time, it was Matsuda.
Why is he able to talk so casually with Cobra Twists locked in place like that? It must hurt quite a bit.
"Yuusuke, are you free today?"
"Well, I'm not particularly busy at the moment."
There didn't seem to be any sign of the next demon appearing yet. I was thinking of going home and doing some weight training and city patrols.
Matsuda then smiled with a grin, still in his Cobra Twist.
"Well then, let's have a welcome party for Lisha-san!"
Oh, a welcome party, huh? That wasn't a bad suggestion.
I wasn't the only one who thought that. Souji, who doing a Cobra Twist on Matsuda, surprisingly chimed in.
"Oh, that's unusual for Matsuda to say something nice."
"Indeed, it's really unusual for Matsuda-san to say something so nice."
Matsuda, who was still locked in Cobra Twist, smiled weirdly at Hinata's words, which could be either a compliment or a criticism. Well, it's about time Shouji untangled her.
"Come on, you're embarrassing me, Hinata-chan."
"Ugh, you're disgusting."
"Hinata, I agree he's disgusting, but that's not a face a girl should make."
Hinata, who usually worked hard to maintain her cuteness, had an indescribable expression on her face along with her disgusted muttering. To put it bluntly, it looked like she had just bitten into a bitter pill and washed it down with green juice.
Souji, who had finally released Matsuda, looked at Hinata and chuckled.
"Well, Matsuda being his usual self aside, a welcome party sounds like a great idea. I haven't had good sake in a while."
"...Sorry about that, Yuusuke."
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"It's nothing."
Souji was laughing at my reaction because we had gone drinking together a few days ago. I had been endlessly complaining about getting dumped by Tsukiko, so he was probably referring to that.
But as Souji mentioned, that drinking session hadn't been much fun. To be honest, I drank too much, and my memories from the middle of the night were fuzzy. Plus, what happened afterward was too shocking; I might have intentionally blocked it out.
Lisha, who was involved in that shocking incident, looked bewildered.
"A welcome party...?"
It was Souji who answered Lisha's puzzled expression.
"Yeah, since you're joining the literary club, it's just a way to show our appreciation. It's nothing big. We'll have it at Shouraku tonight."
"Souji-san, what about the members? If we invite too many people in a group chat, it might get crowded."
"Well, I don't think we need too many people. Besides, I won't be able to talk to Lisha-san if it's too crowded."
"Regardless of the reason, Matsuda's right about the number of people. It would be overwhelming for Lisha-san if there were too many."
Thanks to having two coordinators, the plans for the drinking party were decided smoothly. Matsuda? He was just there to mess around, while I was one of the participants. In situations like this, both Hinata and Souji were efficient.
Is this the insurmountable wall that exists between normies and non-normies?
"Um, Yuusuke-san..."
"Hm? What is it, Lisha?"
Could it be that Lisha doesn't like izakayas? Does she, as a saint, insist on going to fancy bars or restaurants? No, she isn't like that, and besides, the church's teaching emphasizes embracing simplicity.
However, my thinking was completely off the mark.
"Well, is it okay? I haven't done anything to deserve a welcome, let alone causing trouble."
"Huh?"
What is she talking about?
"Kyah! Yuusuke-san!?"
I put my hand on Lisha's golden head and roughly tousled her hair. Lisha's hair felt like the finest silk, and the sensation of it slipping through my fingers was pleasant. It was a bewitching head of hair that made me want to touch it constantly. Saints were special in every way.
"Don't worry about it. Well, even if I say not to worry, I know you will, but both Matsuda and the rest of us are honest people. We wouldn't suggest a welcome party if we didn't want to. They're doing it because they want to, so just go with it as a token of appreciation."
"Is that so?"
"That's how it is. When someone does something for you, you can return the favor someday. That's how the world works."
Lisha pondered my words with a troubled expression.
The saints I knew, including Lisha, generally considered giving as their raison d'être (reason for living). Raised that way and living accordingly, they had little experience of receiving something from an equal standpoint.
If Lisha successfully got through this God-Demon War, she would return to Asteris. Once that happened, she would go back to a life where she danced, sang, and offered prayers for the sake of someone she didn't even know.
I'm not in a position to judge people's way of life, but there's a big difference between choosing it through experience and knowing only one path.
So, at least while she's here, wouldn't it be alright for her to have the kind of innocent enjoyment that normal girls have?
"Oh, oh no! Yuusuke-san is sexually harassing Lisha-san!"
"Huh?"
"Senpai...that's a bit..."
"Yuusuke, she's high school girl, okay?"
"Hey, wait a minute. Don't label me as a lolicon!"
Oh, come on! Can't I finish this on a better note!
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