Chapter 16 The Disappointing Hero Plays a Role
Mizuno was suddenly called by Kanae before her date with her boyfriend. She said she was already on her way.
"Ah, I wish I could talk to you more! Higashimura-kun, see you later!"
"Yeah, thanks for coming before your date."
"Ah, that reply is also kind of cool."
"Hey! Hurry up and go!"
Ignoring Kanae's warning, Mizuno-san waved at me with a smile as she left. I've never been told "see you later" before. It seems like her favorability towards me has increased.
As soon as she disappeared from sight, Kanae asked me impatiently.
"So, what's going on? Why are you spending so much money?"
Oh, right. I have to tell her. The big fat lie I came up with.
I pretended to look around. Hehehe, it's the advice of the green car lady.
Performance, it's important, right?
So, I said, lowering my voice a bit and looking serious.
"I'm telling you this because it's you, Kanae"
Here, I appealed to my special feeling!
"Uh... what?"
"Well, you see, I've been saving up a little bit since my student days. For the money to marry you in the future"
"Oh... um, thank you"
Oh, what's this? She looks a little happy, doesn't she?
As if we're going to get married! Hahaha.
"So, I invested some of it in stocks and stuff, not just cash... You know gold, right? The shiny gold"
"No, I know what gold is. What do you mean by shiny?"
"That, I bought a little bit of futures"
"Eh... futures, isn't that something scary? I saw in a manga that you can end up with a huge debt?"
"Yeah, I was persuaded by an acquaintance and couldn't refuse... And then the war between Russia and Ukraine started, and the price of gold went up like crazy, and I made a pretty good profit. I was scared after that and quit"
As I explained, Kanae swallowed something in her throat and squeezed out the words.
"...How much profit are we talking about?"
"I can't tell you because you'll probably freak out."
"Huh?"
"No, really. I don't want to spread this rumor too much, it sounds like some shady scheme or something..."
"Aw, come on. Don't you trust me?"
Nope, zero trust.
Your trustworthiness, zero!
"Of course I trust you. But I don't think this is something I should blabber about. Of course, I'll tell you my assets when we get married."
"Then tell me now. We're going to get married anyway."
No, we're not.
"Well, yeah, but sorry. The only thing I can tell you right now is... I don't think you'll have to worry about money too much, Kanae."
"...Hmm."
"Sorry, I know I sound like a snob... To be honest, I'm scared too... to say it out loud."
"...Well, fine. But you'll tell me when we get married, right?"
Yeah, when we get married.
But we won't, so I won't tell you.
Kanae, I'm sorry but my money is for one person only.
"Of course. Oh, and don't tell your mom or anyone else, okay? They're family, but I don't want to brag about this kind of thing, you know?"
"Why?"
"You look worried, about many things"
"I'm worried too, about the future and stuff..."
"Yeah, that's why I won't do it anymore. I turned all my money into cash"
"That's good, but..."
That's good enough for now.
If I tell her the exact amount, she might freak out.
And if I tell her to keep it a secret from mom, she'll feel even more special.
Right now, she probably doesn't feel it's real.
That's why I'll train her slowly.
To dream of luxury, that kind of training...
* * *
After that, I left my stuff at home, and said hi to my parents briefly, then I headed to Kanae's house.
Takashi would come to pick me up in the evening, so I would spend time at Kanae's place until then.
Now, we parked the car in the parking lot, and entered the Yanashima house.
"We're back!"
"Excuse us"
As we entered the hall, Kanae's mom greeted us.
"Welcome back, oh, Tadayuki-kun! You look so cool, don't you?"
"Really?"
"At first, I didn't know who you were! I thought Kanae brought another guy with her, you know"
"Haha. Even in Shin-Yamaguchi, I was almost left behind by Kanae"
"Enough! Forget about that! Where's dad?"
In response to Kanae's question, her mom stacked her right fist on top of her left fist, and made a gesture of moving her right hand slightly back and forth.
"He's doing this in the garden"
"Oh, swinging? He doesn't have to do that before Tadayuki comes"
As Kanae entered the house, I also took off my shoes and followed her.
I've been coming here since a long time ago, so I don't feel much resistance.
When we entered the Japanese-style room on the first floor, I saw Kanae's father, Yanashima Gouki, swinging a bamboo sword in the garden with his upper body bare.
"Geez, dad! Why are you leaving the Japanese-style room open? It's cold when Tadayuki comes!"
"Ooh, sorry sorry. I thought I'd ventilate it a bit, but I forgot, haha"
Wow, but he's already in his fifties, and he still has an amazing body.
That's no surprise, Kanae's dad is a kendo eighth dan, one of the only seven hundred people in Japan who have that rank.
When he was young, he participated in many national tournaments and achieved excellent results. Now, he is a police officer and a mentor for the younger generation.
Because I fought in another world, I can understand how strong Gouki-san is. He is much stronger than the warriors and swordsmen who were considered excellent over there. Even without skills, he is at a very high level.
Oh, no, no. I was getting into battle mode again.
It became a habit, measuring the opponent's strength.
I met Gouki-san's eyes. I bowed my head and greeted him.
"Long time no see."
"...Tadayuki-kun?"
"Yes, that's me... It seems like everyone can't recognize me after I lost weight, haha."
I scratched my head and smiled, but Gouki-san's expression didn't change. He glanced at my whole body and said curiously.
"Did you start some martial arts?"
"Uh, no, not really... I just work out at the gym."
"You know, the gym where those celebrities go? I heard that if you go there for a month, you'll lose weight!"
Kanae's words made Gouki-san look even more puzzled.
"One month...? Hmm..."
Uh-oh, this is bad.
I should follow up.
"Did I change that much? Honestly, I don't really notice it myself, since I see myself every day."
"Yeah, you've changed a lot. Not only did you lose weight, but you also seem to have a better posture than before. I thought you started some martial arts or something."
"Oh, that's because my trainer told me to be more conscious of that. He said that if you have a bad posture, your core muscles won't develop and you'll have a hard time losing weight."
"I see, that's a good trainer."
"Hey, it's cold, so I'm closing the door, okay?"
Kanae said with an annoyed and dissatisfied tone, as if she was fed up with our conversation.
"Okay. I'll do some more swings. Tadayuki-kun, take your time."
"Thank you..."
──And.
Gouki-san swung his bamboo sword at me.
Reflexively, I activated some of my combat skills.
[Eagle Eye][Body Enhancement VI][Thought Speed Enhancement VIII]──.
Until the bamboo sword arrives, a comma-like moment passes, and tens of thousands of choices come to mind. And then, the optimal choice is──.
Looking up at the bamboo sword suspended above, I lifted my arm a little, making my body twitch.
In other words, I wholeheartedly played the role of 'a man who is frightened when a bamboo sword is suddenly swung down on him.'
"Hey! What's Dad doing!"
At Kanae's angry voice, Gouki-san looks a little awkward.
"No, I thought something was strange... It must have been my imagination. Sorry, Tadayuki."
"Well, I was really surprised... Please spare me."
"Is it okay now? Should I close the window? If you see me practicing, it's hard to calm down, so I'll close the curtain too, okay?"
Without waiting for consent, Kanae closes the window and the curtain. At the same time, her mom brings tea and snacks.
"It's cold, isn't it? Sorry, I'll turn on the heating now."
"Dad, were you trying to suddenly hit Tadayuki with a bamboo sword?"
"Oh, really. Sorry, I'll scold him later."
"No, no, it's okay. I think it was just a little joke."
I sip the tea that was served to me, and think back to the exchange I had earlier.
──Indeed, [skills] are powerful.
If it was just pure skill, then maybe, but if I use my skills, I can probably treat the masters of this world like children in close combat.
Let's call that one of the gains I got from this.
* * *
I stayed at the Yanashima house until evening.
During that time, Gouki-san was swinging his sword naked all the time.
I heard a light honk from outside.
"Ah, Taka-chan, he's here."
I go out of the house, and see the business car that I drove the other day parked there.
"Then, aunt, I'm going now"
"Thank you for coming"
I say goodbye to Kanae's mom who came to see me off at the entrance, and get in Takashi's car.
Takashi, who turned around from the driver's seat, looked surprised.
"Wow, Tadayuki! Hey, you lost weight, didn't you?"
"Everyone says that"
"Then, Taka-chan, let's stop by a supermarket?"
"Yeah. Kyoukami-san is not here, so let's buy a lot of food"
"Eh, Misa-chan is not here? What about Junji-kun?"
"Both of them went back to their hometowns, they said they were suddenly called, but I was the only one who said I had a friend coming and refused"
"Huh? You said you wanted to see me, and you ruined his date, didn't you?"
"Well, whatever, you should cherish your friends sometimes too"
"I know, I know, you're really-"
"-Really, you’re going to become popular in Tokyo again"
"I know that, I had to leave, so I can't help it"
Kanae chuckled at our exchange.
"You two are really close, huh"
"Oh, yeah, we're best friends. Right, Tadayuki?"
Ah, I want to kill him again in this place.
Twist his neck and make him scream, and watch Kanae cry.
Should I do it? ...No, no, I shouldn't.
"Yeah, we're best friends"
At my words, Takashi nodded with satisfaction and turned to the steering wheel.
"Alright, let's go then, put on your seatbelts"
──The car driven by the traitor who pretended to be my best friend departed for the destination.
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