Chapter 170
——Ten years ago.
Spring.
The season of beginnings.
At Saitama Minami Junior High in the big city, cherry blossoms were in full bloom as the new sester began.
The modern school campus, with its high windows, was still newly built and sparkled everywhere.
First-year students entering with the spring sunshine were surely brimming with excitent about their new lives.
"I'm so pumped for junior high life!"
"Hey, what club are you joining?"
"Gotta be soccer! Nothing else gets you popular with girls!"
Among the flow of new students heading toward the school building with their old elentary school friends, the mont one girl stepped through the gate, the atmosphere changed.
"Whoa, who is that? She's gorgeous..."
"I can't believe a senior that pretty actually exists."
"This is bad, I'm a girl, and I think I'm falling in love..."
Everyone watched, captivated by a single girl.
A beautiful girl with black hair tinged with crimson.
Her na was Rikudou Rinne, now a second-year student.
She excelled academically, consistently ranking first in her grade since last year, and athletically, she led the girls' basketball team—despite never reaching even the district level before her—to win the national championship all by herself. Called in as a sub for the track team, she set a new record; called in as a sub for the softball team, she batted .400.
It wasn't just her abilities—her appearance was stunning too.
Her clear, almost translucent skin seed to radiate light itself. When her garnet eyes, glowing like a fading star, t yours, her overwhelming presence drew you in and left other students speechless.
Even more mysterious was the fact that she was often dropped off and picked up in a black, high-quality car.
Rumor had it she was the daughter of a powerful figure in the Dungeon Foundation, though her background was shrouded in mystery. All that was certain was that she was absurdly rich.
She had everything everyone dread of.
A genius in every sense—an untouchable princess.
That was the girl known as Rikudou Rinne.
Wearing a bored expression, Rinne showed no emotion and didn't even glance at the excited new first-years.
To her, it was just another ordinary day. People whispered, pointed, and stared. They were srized by her looks, envied her, resented her, and threw raw emotion her way.
"That senpai's insanely pretty."
"Didn't you say you wanted a girlfriend once you hit junior high?"
"N-No way, that senpai's way outta my league. Just being near her is overwhelming. You go talk to her."
"W-Why ? I can't do it!"
Because paying attention to every little thing like that would be exhausting, Rinne made a habit of ignoring it all.
After arriving at school, she headed straight for the classroom.
She sat by the window, pulled a book from her bag.
Reading until horoom began—her usual routine.
The book had a thick English title on the cover; likely the work of a renowned scholar.
She never talked to anyone and always spent her school ti like this.
Rinne was bound by a special destiny.
She knew she was different from others.
She knew she would walk a different path from them.
And she had begun to sense that path led to the ultimate realm.
So she lived in a way that neither sought affection nor showed interest in anyone.
One morning, when she arrived at school, the desk at the very back by the window had been defaced.
It looked like soone had dumped chalk dust all over it—yellow and pink powder covered everything in the area.
"Rinne-chan, are you okay?! Who would do sothing like this?!"
a group of girls said as they approached her.
Yet their faces showed not a hint of concern—only hidden mockery.
In Rinne's life, fools would sotis appear.
Being untouchable bred envy. And once again, fools had co for her.
Rinne quietly placed her school bag on the seat next to hers, let out a small sigh—and the next mont, grabbed the leader of the girl group by the hair and slamd her face into the chalk-covered desk.
"Wipe it."
"Fweh, fweh, waaaah!"
With that single blow, the girl burst into tears and started begging, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
Most fools beca obedient once properly taught.
But sotis, troubleso fools would appear in Rinne's life.
"Hey, you're Rikudou Rinne, right?"
On another day, a third-year boy with blond hair and piercings appeared in front of Rinne.
He was known as a particularly dangerous delinquent, even among the bad crowd.
Apparently, he was the boyfriend of the girl Rinne had punished before.
The girl whose face she'd sared with chalk had tattled to this terrifying senior, claiming Rinne had done terrible things to her.
"You, co with ."
Three third-year boys dragged her behind the school building.
"Don't act so cocky!"
A fist slamd into Rinne's belly.
She let out a pained gasp.
As Rinne fell to her knees, the seniors looked down with sticky, twisted smiles.
But the light in Rinne's eyes hadn't gone out. She pulled a chanical pencil from her pocket, lunged upward, and stabbed it into the senior's stomach as they both collapsed.
She was special—but her awakening still needed so ti.
"Hiiieee!?"
"What the hell's wrong with this crazy chick!?"
"I-It hurts!!"
Rinne straddled him, ready to follow up with more attacks.
But one of the seniors kicked her in the face and knocked her aside, halting her as she awakened to the ripple of murderous intent.
"No more rcy. We only went easy 'cause you're a girl."
Sure, she stabbed him—but it was with a chanical pencil.
There was blood, but the wound itself wasn't serious.
The three seniors, now brimming with murderous intent, closed in on Rinne.
"That's far enough."
At that mont, a dramatic voice rang out.
All three delinquents and Rinne turned in surprise.
A male student stood there, wearing a black cape and fingerless gloves.
Leaning against the wall, arms crossed, he wore a fearless grin.
"Who the hell are you?"
"? I am Akagi Hideo. The one who will defeat you."
With that, the boy who called himself Akagi snapped his cape and pointed sharply at the delinquents.
Rinne froze.
Akagi was the guy who always slept next to her in class.
Irresponsible, always forgetting things, and constantly pestering girls—he was the annoying kid.
That was the general consensus about Akagi Hideo.
"Three against one? Sorry, but I can't let that slide. Rikudou-san, don't worry. Now that I'm here, I won't let them do what they want."
"Quit screwing around, you piece of crap!"
"Too slow. I've already seen through you——"
The delinquent's punch.
It landed right on Akagi's cocky smile, sending him flying.
He writhed on the ground in pain.
"The hell? This guy's a total small fry!"
"Let's start with him!"
"W-Wait, please! Wait, I—guhboheh!?"
Akagi was beaten to a pulp with punches and kicks.
In the end, he was completely useless and knocked out, leaving Rinne to fight the three delinquents alone.
But even while battered and bruised, Rinne managed to erge victorious.
Rinne, her beautiful face covered in bruises, approached Akagi who was sprawled out on the ground.
"Why did you try to help ?"
In the end, he hadn't actually helped her, but to Rinne, the gesture ant a great deal. She had never had any friends before, never been helped by anyone, and always had to face things alone. To her, the boy nad Akagi was a mystery—and a subject of interest.
"I just... want to live cool. Helping Rikudou-san is way cooler than pretending not to see. Am I wrong...?"
With those words, Akagi passed out, completely drained.
Rinne found herself intrigued by the boy nad Akagi, and they began spending ti together.
It was only for the month before sumr break, but there was a real connection between them.
Though, it was mostly Akagi who initiated things.
"Oh? Not eating your Harajuku dog? I'll trade you for my curry."
"One dessert versus all-you-can-eat curry? That's a totally unfair exchange rate. Are you stupid, Akagi-kun?"
"Too late, the trade's already done! Unless Rikudou-san uses exchange-back, you'll never get that Harajuku dog back from my field!"
"Whatever. You can have it."
During lunchti, Akagi would seize the chance to talk to Rinne, coming up with conversation starters.
It was actually Rinne's plan—to bait the simple-minded Akagi into talking by using food—and it worked. Every lunch, Akagi would talk to her.
Akagi, proactively clumsy, and Rinne, passively clumsy, only interacted in that one way.
Soon sumr vacation began, and even that modest communication vanished completely.
Over the break, Akagi repeatedly thought about how to invite Rinne to the fireworks festival. He got her ho phone number from the class contact list.
But he never mustered the courage. Not once did he invite her out.
After sumr break, Rikudou Rinne had transferred schools.
Due to that incident, the foundation that acted as her guardians didn't want any more trouble.
Akagi cried in disappointnt.
Just a regular middle schooler, he couldn't find Rinne, nor could he even follow her trail.
He cursed himself over and over. Why hadn't he been brave? If only he'd asked her out just once, maybe sothing would've changed——
Akagi tried to act cool, but in truth, he was just a sincere boy who wanted to get closer to the girl he admired. He liked her.
One day, the Dungeon Foundation erased Akagi Hideo's mories.
Since he was the only one who had interacted with Rikudou Rinne—the key to a top-secret project—they couldn't risk what unforeseen complications might arise. And so, Akagi would never rember the days he spent with her again.
After sumr break, the bullying of Akagi began.
The trio of delinquents shifted their grudge from that incident onto him, trying to vent their frustration.
From then on, Akagi's student life beca bleak and miserable.
Sotis, Akagi would rember that sumr.
He didn't rember Rinne, but his distant feelings never faded.
Those feelings still breathe quietly within the grown-up Akagi.
——Ten years later.
Well, I've been sentenced to lunch punishnt by Shurado-san.
You could even call it a date around Kiyomizu Temple.
I'm so happy. My cheeks are loosening up.
"This is my first ti eating lunch in Kyoto. Have you been here before, Akagi-san?"
"I ca here on a school trip back in middle school. Didn't really enjoy it though... What about you, Shurado-san?"
"I've never been to Kyoto before."
"Really? I figured most people go for school trips."
"I think I was overseas around that ti."
So she has an international background.
"To make up for lost ti, we'll need a super special punishnt today."
"(Lost ti...?... What does she an?)"
"Akagi-san, where did you go sightseeing during your school trip?"
"Huh? Um... I don't really rember much... Maybe Nijo Castle or Kinkakuji?"
"Then let's start at Nijo Castle! After that, we'll head to Kinkakuji!"
Normally, you'd go to places you haven't been yet...
I wondered about that, but seeing Shurado-san smiling so brightly made it all seem unimportant. Let's go to Nijo Castle. Then Kinkakuji. Then Ryoanji.
"So this is the legendary Rock Garden!"
"I think 'famous Rock Garden' is a more accurate term."
"Wow, this is Mirror Pond, known for its seasonal flowers!"
"You know a lot, Shurado-san."
"Actually, I used to research it a lot. Back in my student days, I was supposed to go on a school trip to Kyoto, but it got canceled for alone. I was going to tour with the boy I liked in the sa group, and I'd wonder where he might be visiting now... I used to daydream like a romantic girl. It's a fond mory."
Shurado-san gazed out at Mirror Pond with a distant look in her eyes.
I realized there was a part of Shurado-san I didn't know—she had tis like that too.
What kind of student life did she have? Who had she dated, what kind of friendships did she have, and how did she end up as the receptionist for the Foundation?
I don't know any of that.
"Hey, Akagi-san, did you know? Mirror Pond used to be called Oshidori Pond because so many mandarin ducks lived here. That's why it's considered a lucky spot for couples."
As she said that, Shurado-san rested her head on my shoulder.
I could feel her body heat seep in.
Huh? Isn't the atmosphere kind of... kind of romantic?
Could it be that—just maybe—Shurado-san likes ? Wait, is this really happening?
I was too flustered to look at her, so I kept my eyes on Mirror Pond.
That's when I spotted sothing strange. It wore an Aloha shirt, had huge sunglasses, and was floating while skillfully holding coconut juice with its wings.
It looks familiar. White and fluffy and... huh?
"Is that a wild Shimaenaga over there?"
The wild Shimaenaga noticed us, gasped, and flew toward us at full speed.
It shot between and Shurado-san at an incredible speed, and we reflexively leapt apart. Ah, Shurado-san's warmth!
"Chi-chi-chi!! (Translation: What are you doing while Chi is gone?! How dare you overlook the main heroine, Chi is furious!)"
"......"
Ahh... So she's finally back... (I get it)
"Welco back, Shimaenaga-san. I thought you were still in the containnt facility."
"Oh right! I forgot to report that I released Shimaenaga-chan!"
"Kyukkyu (Translation: Bird-dono, what were you doing in a place like this-kyu?)"
"And what's with that outfit..."
Wearing an Aloha shirt, holding coconut juice in one wing...
I feel like I don't even need to ask where she's been—but should I ask anyway?
"Chi, chi-chi! (Translation: Are you suggesting that Chi used her brief freedom to travel the world as a sightseeing migratory bird?! That she just an hour ago was vacationing in Hawaii, wandering the tropical seas, and chose Kyoto as her final tourist stop before returning to Japan?! That's a misunderstanding, Chi!)"
"Shurado-san, this bird is seriously full of herself. What should we do?"
"Hmm... I'd say containnt, maybe..."
"Chi-chi-chi! (Translation: I'm really sorry, Chi! I just wanted to enjoy a little freedom, Chi! Please forgive , Chi!)"
Whether she's truly sorry or not, we'll judge by her behavior from now on.
So for now, we're putting her on one-month probation.
After being arrested once, how has Shimaenaga-san changed?
I'm looking forward to finding out.
"Chi-chi-chi (Translation: My junior's missing, Chi. Has she finally been contained too, Chi?)"
"Gii-san is at work. A lot has changed while you were gone, Shimaenaga-san. Here, welco back."
I put Shimaenaga-san into my chest pocket.
I can feel that tiny warmth inside. It's oddly comforting.
After all that, we finally got to have lunch.
Co to think of it, lunch turned into sothing like a school trip.
Well, I had a lot of fun spending ti with Shurado-san, so it's all good.
Lunch was at a delicious long-established soba restaurant.
Apparently, it's a famous place that's been around for eight generations.
"Ti to trade! Let's swap this and this, like so."
"Shurado-san, are you seriously trying to trade a shrimp tail for my duck dipping soba?"
One shrimp tail: Duck dipping soba, 2,450 yen (tax included)
No matter how famous the place, the exchange rate is still broken as ever.
Thinking that soone must've ssed up her sense of value sowhere in her life makes want to go punish him.
——And so, I finally decided to activate the secret technique I'd kept sealed away.
"Chain 2, hidden ultimate technique: exchange-back."
"I can't believe you can use exchange-back! Akagi-san just traded my duck dipping soba and the wasabi garnish! That's awful, what kind of exchange rate is this?!"
"Heh, Shurado-san, you're too naïve. When a trade is initiated, it's always possible for another trade to be triggered in response. Also, you can no longer interfere with my field. Exchange-back cannot be chained."
Whenever I eat with Shurado-san, I always get this faint feeling of nostalgia.
Like we used to do sothing like this a long ti ago... I wonder why it feels that way.
I try thinking about it, but no particular mory cos to mind.
I glance over at Shurado-san.
She's happily slurping her duck dipping soba.
"? What is it, Akagi-san?"
"No, it's nothing. The duck dipping soba is delicious."
"It's really delicious! I wish we'd co here sooner, Akagi-san."
Shurado-san hums contentedly as she eats. So cute.
Watching her smile, it makes feel like all the world's tragedies, truths, cruelties, misfortunes, and every single problem—well, they don't really matter.
─────────────────────
Hello there.
Fantastic.
This is the Heroine Race Breaking News Departnt.
So was Shurado-san the main heroine after all? She displayed overwhelming presence and has secured her position as the provisional number one.
1 Shurado
2 Trigger Happy
3 Dr.
4 Lee Jiu
5 Shimaenaga-san
——Below the cut-off line——
Li Na, Akagi Kotoha, Jigokudo, Chikusendou, Gakidou (Agent G), Bradley, Mister, Pollen Fighter
That's how the rankings look, but if you have any corrections, feel free to comnt with "The author's just making things up!"
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