Chapter 48: Otherworlds are scary places, huh~
Kazuma, his face contorted by Honoka-san’s iron claw, asked his older brother Tatsumi about how he met Kaori-san.
“By the way, Nii-san, since when have you known Natsume-san?”
“Well, it’s pretty recent. But we’ve known each other for a long time.”
“How long ago is ‘a long time’?”
“Around when you were in elementary school. You know how I awakened my Body Enhancement Gift and started going to a dojo? Kaori was at that dojo.”
“Huh. Is that so?”
“You don’t seem very interested.”
“Well, to be honest…”
“I see. By the way, there are a few things I want to ask you.”
Tatsumi’s gaze shifted to the three people behind Kazuma.
After looking at Alicia, Charlotte, and then Sakura Hakanai, Tatsumi turned his gaze back to Kazuma, took a deep breath as if to suppress his agitation, and then asked his questions.
“Witch Alicia Miller, Holy Maiden Charlotte Soleil. And a mysterious beauty. What in the world is your relationship with those three behind you? Also, was that stuff you showed at the Academy Battle Tournament for real?”
“I can’t really say here. How about we move to a place where we can be alone?”
“Alright. Kaori, sorry, but I’m going to talk with Kazuma for a bit. Could you wait for a while?”
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
Kazuma and Tatsumi returned to the reception room, finding themselves alone.
Kazuma, careful not to let Tatsumi notice, set up a soundproof Protective Barrier to prevent any sound from leaking outside before answering the previous questions.
“Um, about those questions from earlier, before that, I need to tell you something, Nii-san. I’m the Crimson Knight.”
Just when Tatsumi thought Kazuma had said something outrageous, Kazuma used Illusion Magic right before his eyes and transformed into the Crimson Knight.
Seeing this, Tatsumi was so shocked that he shot up from the sofa and yelled.
“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?”
“Whoa, whoa.”
“Eh, huh? Why is Kazuma—! No, more importantly, you were the Crimson Knight!?”
“For now, calm down. To put it simply, I was hit by a truck and summoned to another world. Then, I was the Hero who defeated the Demon Lord in that otherworld, and as a reward, I came back to this world, but I can still use magic in this world too.”
“S-Seriously…!? By the way, were there beastmen or elves in the otherworld?”
“Of course.”
“Ooh…! This isn’t the time to be impressed. So, that ridiculous killing art you called Satsuki-ryu that you showed at the Academy Battle Tournament was a lie, right?”
“Right, right. And, to go back to your first question, Alicia and Shar are friends, and the other girl is named Yumemiya Sakura, and she’s my subordinate.”
“So that’s it. Since the Crimson Knight belongs to the government, you got a subordinate.”
“Just to add, she’s a former heinous criminal. Don’t get too close to her carelessly.”
“You’ve got quite the character as a subordinate… Are you sure that’s okay?”
“There’s no way I’d lose!”
“Then I’m relieved… Well, you’re the Crimson Knight in the first place, so there’s no way you’d lose, huh~. Still, to think Kazuma was the Crimson Knight~. Are you going to be my superior?”
“Nii-san, you’re also part of the National Defense Force, but I get special treatment, so probably not, right?”
“Hmm. Well, in any case, if we end up working together, let’s get along.”
His easy acceptance was just what one would expect from Kazuma’s older brother.
It was the level of trust born from growing up together as part of the top three troublemakers.
“Speaking of which, Nii-san, about your marriage, are you being adopted into her family?”
“Yeah, that’s right. I’m marrying into her family. So, my surname will change from Satsuki to Natsume.”
“I see~.”
“What about you? You’re still a student, but with three beauties like that around, you must be interested in that sort of thing, right?”
“I am, but those three are different. They’re a friend and a subordinate.”
“Are you serious when you say that? If it were me, I’d probably give in to temptation.”
“Well, I’ve been through some terrible things in the otherworld~. If I make a careless move, I might die.”
“Otherworlds are scary… So, you don’t feel like getting a girlfriend right now?”
“No, I do want one, but it’s quite difficult.”
“Which is it!”
Tatsumi clutched his stomach, finding Kazuma’s seemingly contradictory statements hilarious.
After laughing for a while, Tatsumi wiped his eyes and looked at Kazuma with a serious expression.
“Hey, Kazuma. I know it’s a lot to ask of you, but could you protect Kaori? There have been a lot of dangerous incidents lately, right? I want to be by her side as much as possible, but since I’m in the National Defense Force, it’s difficult.”
“Ah, I don’t think that’ll be a problem. I have a handmade Talisman I made.”
“A Talisman? What kind is it?”
“It deploys a Barrier to protect her when danger approaches. I think it can even block attacks from a King or the Sun King. Though I’ve never tested it.”
“You have something like that? Then I can rest easy. By the way, does Kaori know you’re the Crimson Knight?”
“No, she doesn’t. But I think she understands that I’m not just an ordinary Support Course student.”
“Well, if she watched the Academy Battle Tournament, that makes sense. I watched the officially released video later, and it felt like watching a movie. What was with those moves? I doubt even CG could replicate them.”
“It’d be a problem if they were easily replicated.”
They chatted excitedly for a while, but since they were keeping the others waiting, they cut it short and left the reception room.
When they stepped into the hallway, they could hear laughter, indicating the women were also engrossed in some lively conversation.
“Sorry. Did we keep you waiting long?”
“No, no. We were also talking about various things, so we didn’t wait that long.”
“I see. That’s good then.”
Tatsumi and Kaori had finished reporting to Honoka-san and were apparently heading back to their family home now.
It seemed they would also report their engagement there and were planning to stay overnight.
“When’s the wedding?”
“Hmm. I was thinking after Kaori graduates, but…”
“I want to do it right away. Especially in times like these.”
“A student marriage, huh…”
“Tatsumi-san is in the National Defense Force, and I think Mom and Dad would approve~.”
Since Tatsumi had a reliable and proven job in the National Defense Force, rather than a profession with no future prospects, Kaori’s parents had given him their wholehearted approval.
Therefore, a wedding ceremony with Kaori, even as a student, would likely be permitted without issue.
While it might seem premature to the general public, if the partner was in the National Defense Force, it would likely be seen as enviable.
“Ha, haha… Let’s discuss that part further.”
However, Tatsumi was an adult, and Kaori was still a child.
In the past, the law was revised, allowing both men and women to marry from the age of eighteen, but due to the population decline caused by Ibinom, marriage is now possible from the age of fifteen.
In other words, it was possible for them to hold a ceremony and exchange vows as husband and wife right away, but if that happened, Tatsumi, with the age difference, would undoubtedly be unfairly labeled by friends and acquaintances.
Essentially, he might be criticized as a lolicon.
As long as that possibility existed, Tatsumi couldn’t easily nod in agreement.
“If anyone makes fun of Nii-san, I’ll turn them to ash, you know?”
“Stop it, you idiot! And don’t just casually read my mind.”
“Sorry. But I’ll be your strength.”
“Yeah. That part alone is helpful, but don’t do anything too reckless.”
“If only there weren’t people who meddle in the affairs of those involved…”
“…Maybe I should tell my buddies.”
Seeing Kazuma’s dark smile, Tatsumi decided to warn his friends.
Tatsumi went around warning his friends not to do anything strange if they didn’t want to die.
With Tatsumi and Kaori gone, Kazuma, with nothing left to do, wondered what to do next.
He returned to his room with Alicia, Charlotte, and Sakura Hakanai to discuss what to do.
“Hey, what should we do now? There’s nothing left to do.”
“Then, how about training?”
“I’m fine with that, but what about you, Alicia?”
“I’ve had enough. While Kazuma was busy making the Powered Suit, I trained intensely.”
“I see~. Still, I’m bored.”
“In that case, why not play a simple game? Fortunately, there are plenty of things to play with here.”
“Shall we do that?”
At Sakura Hakanai’s suggestion, Kazuma and the others decided to play The Game of Life.
During The Game of Life, Kazuma landed on a marriage square, and Alicia and Charlotte engaged in a fierce battle over who would be his spouse, but Sakura Hakanai was chosen by the roulette wheel as usual, leaving the other two dejected.
After that, they surprisingly got into it, enjoying the game and killing time.