Chapter 69: Mhmm! Could it be, you’ve gained weight?
Momoko, having decided to participate in the New Year’s shrine visit, resigned herself to it and searched for furisode rentals, ordering them for Alicia, Charlotte, and Sakura Hakanai as well.
Although the price would be somewhat high, she found a shop that could handle everything from rental to dressing and hairstyling even at this late notice, and she immediately made a reservation.
Just as she was about to close the site, thinking there would be no problems, she happened to see men’s kimono rentals.
“(If we’re going to do this, let’s have him wear a hakama too.)”
It wasn’t exactly revenge for his usual antics, but thinking it wouldn’t be right to leave him out, Momoko also reserved a hakama for Kazuma.
Unaware of this, Kazuma was about to change into his everyday clothes when Momoko called out to him, and he stopped.
“Please wait a moment before changing.”
“Eh? Why?”
Even Kazuma felt embarrassed to go pick up Alicia and the others dressed in his loungewear, a full sweatsuit.
It wasn’t that he was embarrassed to be seen, but he disliked the idea of them thinking this was how he always dressed.
“No, I’ve also reserved a kimono for you, so there’s no need to change.”
“No, if I’m going out, I have to change, right?”
“You care about that sort of thing, huh?”
“I’m still a high school boy, you know? Of course, I care about my fashion.”
“I had completely forgotten you were a high school boy…”
It wasn’t that Kazuma was particularly mature, but because they usually acted together and had a superior-subordinate relationship, Momoko had forgotten he was still a student.
“I may not look it, but I do care about being stylish!”
“Please don’t use phrases like a tsundere heroine.”
“Surprisingly, you get that sort of thing…”
“I wasn’t a loner for nothing, you know.”
Understanding the meaning behind Momoko’s words, Kazuma couldn’t help but tear up.
Because of her Gift that allowed her to read minds, she couldn’t make many friends during her school days and had few memories.
Realizing this, Kazuma looked at her with gentle eyes, placed a hand on Momoko’s shoulder, and offered words of comfort.
“Shojo manga was your emotional support, huh? But it’s okay. I’m here for you.”
Swat! She brushed off Kazuma’s hand from her shoulder, and Momoko said to him with cold eyes.
“Don’t get carried away.”
“Aye…”
He had tried to comfort her, but it seemed to be a past that shouldn’t be touched upon lightly.
Even Kazuma seemed to understand this, and his eyebrows drooped dejectedly as if in remorse.
“More importantly, shouldn’t you go pick them up?”
“Ah, right. By the way, what’s the situation with the furisode?”
“I chose the closest place with a high reputation. I checked the route; it’s a little less than a twenty-minute walk from here.”
“What about the reservation time?”
“There isn’t one. We can go anytime.”
“It has a high reputation, but it’s okay without a reservation?”
“I just used what was available to me.”
“Ah… right, right.”
Hearing Momoko’s words, Kazuma understood.
That she had exercised her authority.
“Just used what was available” meant exactly that.
It wasn’t anything bad.
If anything, it would only inconvenience other customers.
The shop might suffer some minor losses, but if Alicia and Charlotte were there, that wouldn’t be a problem.
If the two of them visited the store, it would undoubtedly have a huge advertising effect, causing a surge in customers, so in the end, they would profit.
“For now, I’ll change into my everyday clothes and go pick up Alicia and the others.”
After Kazuma finished changing into his everyday clothes, he used Teleportation Magic to head to America where Alicia was.
The location she had specified was the same as before, so he arrived quickly.
Waiting there were Alicia and Stephen, along with King.
He didn’t know why King was with them, but since he wasn’t a bad person, Kazuma accepted it as it was.
“Yo. Been a few days.”
Kazuma raised a hand and walked towards the three of them.
“The post-war cleanup is finally over~”
“I see. Good work.”
“What were you doing, Kazuma?”
“I was just lazing around. Because of the Ivera Church, a lot of things were disrupted, so I couldn’t go out.”
“Hahaha, I’m envious of that. We were swamped with paperwork, pretty much without sleep.”
Stephen was laughing enviously at Kazuma, but the large dark circles under his eyes made it obvious how much he had been working.
“I was busy too~. Taking care of the fans is important, after all.”
“King seems fine.”
“Well, I’m built differently. My Matchless Strength Gift doesn’t flinch from a little sleeplessness.”
“Hoh~, amazing~”
“Hahahahaha! Isn’t it?”
“King~. Kazuma is the Crimson Knight~. You’re boasting to the wrong person.”
“The opponent doesn’t matter when I’m showing off my power! Even if they’re stronger than me!”
“Same as ever~”
“Isn’t that what’s good about him? I don’t mind.”
No matter how boastfully King spoke of his Gift, Kazuma didn’t mind.
It wasn’t that he was conceited because he was overwhelmingly stronger.
It was simply because he understood that King’s personality was like that.
A bundle of desire for approval, a self-proclaimed and publicly acknowledged superstar.
That was King.
Therefore, his boasting didn’t bother Kazuma much.
“By the way, changing the subject… I hear you’re going for a New Year’s shrine visit?”
As King abruptly changed the topic, Kazuma turned his face towards Alicia as if to confirm.
Then, she made an apologetic expression and explained the situation to Kazuma.
“When I was talking to Stephen on the phone about the New Year’s shrine visit, this guy happened to be nearby. So he overheard…”
“He wants to come along?”
“Yes. Apparently, he was interested from the start but had given up because he didn’t have time. But with your Teleportation, Kazuma, right? He said that way, even if something happens in America, he can return in an instant.”
“Using me as a taxi, just as expected of him.”
“Of course, I’ll pay.”
“With pleasure!”
At first, Kazuma showed disgust at King thinking of him as a taxi, but upon hearing that he would pay properly, Kazuma did a complete 180 at high speed.
Everyone except King felt a little contempt for his refreshingly quick change of heart.
As for King, he was roaring with laughter, clutching his stomach.
“Hahahahaha! You’re the best!”
King, with tears welling at the corners of his eyes, was in a very good mood.
After that, King and Stephen also decided to join the New Year’s shrine visit, and Kazuma went to pick up the remaining participant, Charlotte.
Having contacted her in advance, Kazuma and the others were greeted by Charlotte when they arrived in France.
Reuniting with Kazuma for the first time in days at the French government office, Charlotte couldn’t help but hug him.
“Kazuma-sa~n!”
“Whoa! It’s been a few—hmm?”
Kazuma caught Charlotte as she jumped at him, but he felt something was off and pulled her away.
“Shar, can I ask you something?”
“Yes? What is it?”
“Um, is it okay if I lift you a little?”
“I don’t mind that much, but…”
“Then, excuse me.”
Kazuma put his hands under Charlotte’s arms, like holding a cat, and lifted her easily.
After lifting Charlotte for a few seconds, Kazuma understood the reason for the strange feeling and put her back on the ground.
“Shar. I’m really sorry, but is it okay if I touch your body just a little?”
“If it’s you, Kazuma-san, it’s fine! Touch me as much as you like!”
With Charlotte spreading her arms wide in a completely receptive posture, Kazuma touched her without hesitation.
That said, he only lightly touched her waist area.
Touching Charlotte’s waist, Kazuma became certain.
“Alicia, Momoko-chan! Come over here for a sec!”
“Oka~y.”
“Yes, yes. What is it?”
Kazuma moved away from Charlotte for a moment and called Alicia and Momoko over.
He didn’t call King and Stephen because it was a very delicate matter.
Kazuma, having called the two over, whispered so the others couldn’t hear.
“I have a favor to ask of you two…”
“What is it? If it’s something weird, I’m refusing.”
“Me too. I’ll listen first and then decide.”
“It might turn into a sexual harassment case, but…”
In an instant, killing intent swelled from the two of them, and Kazuma felt he was in danger, but he was confident they wouldn’t attack yet and continued speaking.
“I realized it when Shar hugged me earlier, but her weight has increased. At first, I thought she might have gained muscle, but that’s not it. I also checked her waist, wondering if she’d gotten fatter, but that’s not it either. So, the remaining option is to measure her three sizes.”
When he explained that far, the two of them seemed to understand what Kazuma wanted to say, and their killing intent subsided, and they calmed down.
Kazuma, having narrowly escaped with his life, breathed a sigh of relief and pleaded with the two.
“So, can I ask you to do it?”
“Fine, but… how did you know?”
It wasn’t a problem to listen to Kazuma’s request.
However, Alicia was curious about one thing.
How he had figured out so much from just that brief contact.
“Hm? It’s not that difficult. Besides, I’ve sparred with Shar. And then there’s my years of intuition. I may not look it, but I used to hold my younger brother and sister a lot, so my senses for that sort of thing are sharp.”
“Could you please stop showing that domestic, manly side of yours sometimes? The gap is so severe it feels like my head is going to explode.”
“That’s harsh~, Momoko-chan…”
Having grown up in an orphanage, Kazuma often took good care of his younger brothers and sisters there, just as he himself had been cared for, so he was surprisingly perceptive about physical changes.
Moreover, now that he also possessed the power of a Hero, his perceptiveness had increased.
“Could it be, if I hug Kazuma, he’ll figure out my weight and stuff?”
“Well, I can probably make a reasonable guess.”
“Ugh…”
Alicia struggled internally, wondering if she should refrain from doing so from now on.
However, if she let it bother her and held back now, Charlotte might get ahead of her.
Since she didn’t want that, Alicia made a grim resolve.
Incidentally, afterwards, just as Kazuma had told them, the two of them measured Charlotte’s three sizes and lamented the fact that a difference had emerged in their bust sizes.
Momoko, in particular, looked so devastated that even Kazuma couldn’t bring himself to speak to her.