Episode 79: It’ll Probably Be Alright, I Guess
Kazuma, who had been saddened by being ignored during the TV interview, had also shrewdly purchased souvenirs and was back at the hotel by dinnertime.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t been told anything about tonight’s dinner, y’know.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. I dunno why, but it’s apparently a secret, sir.”
Only the dinner on the final day of the training camp had not been disclosed to Kazuma.
The time it was scheduled was set, but what they would be doing was a secret.
However, everyone had already sensed that it was a surprise.
“Well, we’ll find out when we get to the venue, right?”
Saying that, Souji and Kazuma headed towards the banquet hall.
Several students had already arrived at the venue, looking forward to the final banquet.
One thing that caught their attention was that the back of the hall was partitioned off by a curtain.
The surprise was probably hidden there.
The students were excitedly waiting for the banquet to begin.
“Hmm…”
“What’s wrong? Curious?”
“Well, I’m just wondering what they’re gonna do, y’know.”
“I’m curious, but… you’re not worried, are you?”
“Worried about what, sir?”
“If you were the one who prepared it, I’d be worried.”
“That’s uncalled for…”
If Kazuma had been the one to prepare the surprise, Souji would likely have been half expectant and half anxious.
“Kazuma, have you heard who prepared it?”
“Ah, I did hear that. Apparently, the hotel staff prepared it. The teachers know about it too, but they don’t seem to know what kind of surprise it is, y’know.”
“Is that so? That’s something to look forward to.”
“Muu. I can’t just let that slide, sir. Even I can prepare a surprise that would astound Souji-senpai!”
“No, you don’t have to. Besides, you’re always surprising me as it is.”
Kazuma looked frustrated, but he had completely forgotten.
He had forgotten that he himself had prepared the ultimate, worst surprise for Souji.
There was the huge surprise of revealing to Akatsuki, who would join the National Defense Force after Souji’s graduation, that he was the Crimson Knight.
Souji would undoubtedly be so moved that he would collapse to his knees.
Whether from joy or despair, Kazuma didn’t know.
“For now, shall we just kill time chatting until it’s time?”
“Sounds good, sir. Shall we discuss current politics or something?”
“If you’re fine with that, I’ll talk about it in my own way, but?”
“Actually, let’s not. Nothing good will come of it, sir.”
“You should have said that from the start.”
After that, the two of them killed time with idle chatter. Hayato joined them midway, expanding the conversation as they waited for the banquet.
Before he knew it, the number of people around Kazuma had increased. The usual crowd, now joined by new faces including Issei, had formed a large group.
Then, when the time for the banquet arrived, the food was brought in, and just as the banquet was about to begin, the hotel manager appeared in front of the curtain partitioning the back of the hall.
“Everyone, thank you for waiting so patiently. Today is the last day of the training camp, and as it is the final event for our graduating students, we have humbly prepared some presents. Of course, we have also prepared them for the teachers, so please enjoy yourselves until the very end. Now, please take a look!”
At the manager’s signal, the curtain opened, revealing various prizes placed at the back of the hall.
The students went wild at the sight of the numerous lavish prizes, and the teachers, learning they also had some, raised cheers of joy.
“Now, we will have everyone play a game of bingo. Those who get bingo, please come here in order and choose your favorite prize. Of course, we have prepared prizes for everyone, so please don’t worry. We will now distribute the bingo cards, so please get ready.”
Bingo cards were distributed to everyone, and once they punched out the center square, they were ready.
Although he said there were prizes for everyone, it was first-come, first-served, so most of the students had eyes like beasts hunting prey.
“Everyone’s really fired up, huh~”
“Why do you look so unconcerned? Don’t you like this kind of thing, Kazuma?”
“It’s not that I dislike it, sir, but…”
There was no way he could say it.
That he received one billion yen every month and lived without wanting for anything.
He could buy anything that money could buy.
Moreover, being the Crimson Knight gave him a lot of leeway.
At this point, there was almost nothing on Earth that Kazuma couldn’t do.
That’s why he didn’t feel much desire for material possessions.
And for that reason, Kazuma couldn’t quite get enthusiastic about the bingo game.
“For someone who says that, you don’t look like you’re having fun.”
“Well, it’s fun in its own way, I guess~. It’s just that there’s nothing I particularly want, y’know~.”
“Is that so? That’s unusual for you.”
“Well, I’m living a pretty fulfilling life right now, sir.”
“I see. That’s enviable.”
“Ah, but, I want a girlfriend, sir!”
“…I told you, I don’t know anything about that. Figure it out yourself.”
“Yessir…”
Thinking he couldn’t look after him that much, Souji turned away from Kazuma and focused on the bingo game.
Kazuma, burdened with such luxurious problems, decided to focus on the bingo game for now, just to go with the atmosphere.
“UOOOOOOOOHHH, YEAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
The one letting out a war cry was a male teacher.
Apparently, he was the first to get bingo, and he thrust both hands into the air, letting out a roar of joy.
“He’s super happy, isn’t he?”
“Well, of course. The hotel prepared prizes for the teachers too, after all. And they’re lavish prizes, at that.”
Among the prizes Souji pointed to were hotel stay vouchers and luxury cars—things that weren’t easy to come by.
Teachers at Esper Academy earned more than the average office worker, but they weren’t exactly wealthy.
That said, their income exceeded the average annual income for Japanese people, so they were undoubtedly in the “petit-rich” category.
“I’ll go ask him why he’s so happy, sir.”
“Oh. Tell me later.”
“Will do~ sir.”
Saying that, Kazuma went over to the male teacher who had been the first to get bingo and was dancing with wild joy.
“Hey there, sir. Satsuki Kazuma here~.”
“Hm? Oh, Satsuki-kun. What’s up? Do you need something from me?”
“Nah~, you just looked super happy earlier, so I came to ask why you were so pleased, y’know~.”
“Is that so? Well, Satsuki-kun might not understand, but adults have their reasons.”
“Heeh~. Like what, for example?”
“Well, it’s not really something to hide, so I’ll tell you. It’s my third wedding anniversary. So I was thinking of getting a present, you see.”
“Ah~, I see. By the way, what are you getting?”
“I’ve already decided. It’s that one.”
Where the male teacher pointed, there was a luxury Hawaii trip voucher.
It would indeed be a fantastic present.
“Hohou! Your wife will be delighted, won’t she~!”
“I hope she will be~.”
“You seem a bit anxious, sir. Is something worrying you?”
“Actually… she was really envious about me going to Hawaii this time. I explained it was for work, but…”
“Ah~… You had a fight, huh.”
“That’s right. But with this, she’ll probably cheer up! …I hope, anyway.”
“Is that so, sir. Well, good luck!”
With a vague smile, the male teacher walked towards the prize shelf, his winning bingo card in hand. He handed the bingo card to the hotel manager, had his win confirmed, and then, as declared, received the Hawaii trip voucher.
“So, did you ask?”
“I did, sir. Apparently, it was his third wedding anniversary, so that’s why he seemed so happy.”
“So that’s it. Well, if you win a Hawaii trip voucher, of course you’d be that happy.”
“By the way, Souji-senpai, what are you aiming for?”
“The same thing. I want the Hawaii trip voucher too.”
“May I ask why?”
“Sure. Simply for a honeymoon with Aoi.”
“…I see, sir.”
Kazuma was overcome with an indescribable feeling of loneliness.
Everyone in the hall found it eerie that Kazuma, who would normally be the most boisterous, was being quiet. However, they were relieved when he got bingo, won a home appliance, and rejoiced like a chimpanzee.
“The bingo tournament is over, huh~.”
“Yeah~. We’ve eaten, and with this, the training camp is over for this year too, huh~.”
“It’s sad, isn’t it? Thinking that it’s ending.”
“Can’t be helped. It was the same last year. Now I really understand how the upperclassmen felt.”
“Truly. We were prepared for our turn to come, but it’s still sad.”
Watching the empty dishes being collected, signaling that the training camp was finally coming to an end, Souji and Hayato felt a sense of loneliness.
“And now, finally, we have a small present from us to all the graduating students. Please come outside the hotel.”
Wondering if there was still more to come, the students, their chests swelling with anticipation, went outside the hotel as instructed.
The sun had already set, and a star-filled sky spread out above them.
As the graduating students were moved by the final starry sky, they heard a whistling sound like a flute from afar, and then, colorful flowers bloomed in the star-filled sky.
A series of deafening explosions echoed, and fireworks rose before the students’ eyes.
“…Uweeeh.”
For a while, the graduating students watched in a daze, but then, someone suddenly burst into tears.
“Wh-what’s wrong?! All of a sudden!”
“B-But, but~! To think this is already the end… it’s so lonely~!”
“That might be true, but… It can’t be helped, can it?”
“I don’t want to~! I don’t want it to end yet~! I want to be with everyone~!”
“I-I want to be with everyone more too, but… We always knew the day we’d part would come, didn’t we?”
“But, but~! We finally met everyone like this and became such good friends, I hate that it’s ending now~!”
“We can just get together again when we’re adults, right? So there’s no need to cry so much, is there?”
“When we become adults, we’ll have less chances to get together because of work and stuff, and there’ll be people we can’t meet! I don’t want that!”
“I don’t want that either! But…that’s what becoming an adult means, isn’t it…”
The girls, as if influenced, started to cry.
The boys also seemed to be holding back, but a few could be seen wiping their eyes.
As she said, once they become adults, opportunities to gather like this will likely decrease.
Perhaps, for some, this might even be a final farewell in this lifetime.
Not everyone will join the National Defense Force. Each will go their separate ways.
It’s sad, but that’s what life is.
That’s precisely why people cherish memories, I suppose.
“Thanks to Satsuki-kun, I made wonderful memories at the end of my student life, but parting with everyone is still so lonely~~~!”
The girls continued to wail.
They tried to console each other, but their sadness was too great, and their tears wouldn’t stop.
The boys also gently drew near, trying to comfort the girls, but they didn’t seem likely to stop crying.
Just as the teachers were wondering what to do, one idiot shouted.
“Look at the sky!!!”
It was Kazuma.
Raising his voice exceptionally loud and drawing everyone’s attention, Kazuma began his speech, gesturing with his hands and body.
“Partings are lonely! They’re sad! They’re painful! Even if we know it’s not like we’ll never meet again! Loneliness is still loneliness. I understand that feeling very well! I grew up in a children’s home, so I’ve experienced many partings.”
He cast his eyes down sadly, but immediately clenched his fists and faced forward.
“I’ve experienced it many times: older brothers and sisters I admired becoming independent, younger brothers and sisters I cared for being taken in by foster parents and leaving the facility. I cried more than a few times back then! But, I was taught this!”
Kazuma pointed to the quiet, starry sky, now that the fireworks had ended.
“‘Look at the sky at times like these!’ I was told. Just as we’re looking at the same sky now, we are connected! No matter how far apart we may be, we are under this same sky! And we are looking up at the same sky! If so, then there’s nothing to be lonely about. As long as we are under this sky, our hearts are one—that’s what I was taught!”
Taking a deep breath, Kazuma shouted at the top of his lungs, as if his throat would burst.
“So, don’t keep looking down forever! Puff out your chests! Look forward! Strive so that you can greet each other with smiles when you meet again! Cherish your memories and live your lives to the fullest!”
Life is long.
From now on, they would face many hardships, and days might come when they’d want to die.
Even so, Kazuma wished for them to face forward and live.
“But, well, if you ever feel like you want to die… then please remember me! Don’t forget that you have a delightful, thrilling, refreshing, and amazing junior! I’m going to become the most famous person in the world! If you feel like dying, I’ll make you laugh so much you’ll want to live!”
Kazuma beamed with an innocent and cheerful smile.
At Kazuma’s words—innocent, bright, honest, pure, and seemingly without a thought for the consequences—the graduates’ sadness was blown away.
And then, they burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs, their tears of sadness turning into tears of joy. Under the star-filled sky, the graduates decided to toss Kazuma into the air.
“That’s right! Just as Kazuma says, everyone! We’re graduating from the academy, but we’re not dying! It’s not like we’ll never see each other again for the rest of our lives! So, hey! Let’s put our arms around each other’s shoulders, laugh, and step forward into tomorrow!”
When Souji hugged Kazuma, the graduates gathered around, and the celebratory tossing began.
“Oh, oh, oh~!? Have you finally realized my greatness!”
“Hahahahaha! You really are the best junior! Thanks, Kazuma!”
While being showered with words of gratitude like “Thank you” from the graduates, Kazuma was tossed into the air.
“Wahahahahaha! I’m the Hero who defeated the Demon Lord in another world, you know! I’m used to encouraging the populace terrified by the Demon Lord’s army and inspiring anxious soldiers!”
“Just for now, I can believe that story too! Because it’s true that thanks to Kazuma-kun, our hearts feel lighter!”
“It’s not a lie, you know~!”
Normally, he would have gotten carried away and been dropped, but just this once, he was forgiven, and the graduates continued to toss Kazuma into the air for a while.