Chapter 27: Gods, Buddhas, Kazuma-sama
Having thoroughly enjoyed the Game Center, Kazuma and the others moved to a fast-food restaurant and were chatting. While Kazuma was munching on french fries and fiddling with his phone, a call came from Kaori. Kazuma was surprised by the sudden call, but he immediately remembered it was about the study group and answered the phone.
“Yes, hello?”
“Hello, Satsuki-kun. Is now a good time?”
“Yeah. It’s fine.”
“About the study group, we have practical exams, so after school is tough for us because of training. So, how about this Saturday or Sunday?”
“That’s totally fine. There are four of us participating on our side, how many are on yours?”
“Um, on our side, it’s me, Megumi, and then Makimura-san and Miyazono-san, so four of us.”
“Got it. Well, once we decide on the specific time and details, I’ll contact you again. Let me know if it’s inconvenient.”
“Mm, roger that. Well then, see you later.”
An electronic beep sounded, and when Kazuma, having finished his call with Kaori, tried to eat his fries, they were gone. He had only just started eating them, so they shouldn’t have disappeared, but they were, in fact, gone. Thinking this was strange, Kazuma turned his gaze to the other three, who were busily moving their mouths.
“You guys ate my fries, didn’t you!”
Kazuma said, glaring at the three. In response, the three desperately insisted they hadn’t eaten them. However, no matter how he looked at it, it seemed like they had indeed eaten them. It was probably out of jealousy that he’d received a call from a girl, but he couldn’t forgive them for eating something he’d paid for without permission.
An angry Kazuma used his Transposition Gift to swap the untouched hamburgers and drinks of the three with garbage.
“Ah! My hamburger!”
“Hey, that’s my shake!”
“Oi! Give me back my chicken nuggets!”
“No way! You ate my fries without asking! This much is fair!”
“It’s not fair! Fries and a hamburger aren’t an equal trade!”
“That’s right! A whole shake for just a few fries isn’t worth it!”
“Yeah, yeah! You’re going too far!”
“You guys are saying whatever you want, but you’re the ones who started it!”
Grudges over food are terrifying. Kazuma was genuinely angry and wouldn’t budge an inch. Even the three of them, sensing Kazuma was truly furious, backed down.
“S-Sorry. We admit we went too far…”
“S-Sorry.”
“My bad. But you, talking on the phone with a girl, were infuriating.”
“Kosuke, you’re honest! Well, if you apologize, I’ll forgive you. But, I think you heard, I set you up for a study session with four girls, and this is how you treat me? I really don’t think that’s right.”
“Ugh…”
The three voices overlapped, sounding awkward. Just as Kazuma said, they had repaid his kindness in setting things up for them with ingratitude, and the three were tormented by guilt.
Seeing that they seemed to be reflecting on their actions, Kazuma didn’t get any angrier and polished off the hamburgers and drinks he had taken from the three.
“So, to continue what we were talking about earlier, it seems they’re free on Saturday and Sunday, so I was thinking of having the study session then. What time do you think would be good?”
Kazuma consulted the three about the weekend study session while eating newly bought fries. The three listened to Kazuma and thought. How could they have an enjoyable study session with the girls?
“How about we start in the morning, have lunch, and then break up?”
To Akatsuki’s safe suggestion, Taichi and Kazuma nodded in agreement, but Kosuke alone was different. Kosuke argued that while Akatsuki’s proposal wasn’t bad, it would make their precious study session with the girls boring.
“That won’t do. We have four girls and four guys, a perfect opportunity! We should deepen our interactions more. For example, after lunch, we should go do karaoke or bowling or something fun!”
Taichi and Kazuma nodded, thinking there was some truth to that. Contrary to those two, Akatsuki refuted Kosuke.
“But then we won’t get any actual studying done, right? If the purpose is just to hang out, even though it’s called a ‘study session,’ they’ll find it suspicious.”
“Ugh… That might be true, but…”
Flinching at Akatsuki’s sound argument, Kosuke could only let his gaze wander, unable to retort. Just when the two onlookers thought the matter was settled, Kosuke looked straight at Akatsuki as if he’d thought of something.
“But if we don’t do something like that, we’ll end up going our whole lives without ever having a connection with girls!”
That was surely an exaggeration, but even Akatsuki was flustered by Kosuke’s tremendous fighting spirit.
“Ngh… But even so, taking advantage of their goodwill like that is bad, isn’t it?”
“You’ll never get a girlfriend like that! Love is a battle! You’ll end up regretting it, thinking, ‘I liked her first!'”
“I get what you’re trying to say, but this time it’s a study session…”
“Idiot! To get even closer from there, you have to take action! Akatsuki, don’t you want a girlfriend?!”
“That’s… I want one too, but Combat Course and Support Course students aren’t really a match, or rather, our values and stuff are different.”
“It’s true that there are many differences between the Combat Course and Support Course, and it might be tough, but look beyond that. You can get them to introduce you to Support Course girls who are good friends with the Combat Course girls!”
I see, so there was that option, Akatsuki understood and clapped his hands together. Akatsuki, thoroughly convinced, praised Kosuke.
“I lose, Kosuke. You win this time.”
“Hmph…”
Kosuke, triumphant, snorted. Watching the two of them, Kazuma and Taichi were making a bet.
“One ice cream on Kosuke making them recoil in disgust.”
“I’m betting on Kosuke messing up spectacularly.”
And so, the discussion progressed, and it was decided they would study on Saturday morning and then go hang out in the afternoon. Kazuma sent an email to Kaori with these details, asking if it was okay.
After a while, as Kazuma and the others continued their chat, an email arrived on Kazuma’s phone. Urged by the three to read the email immediately, Kazuma opened it.
After quickly scanning it, Kazuma put his phone in his pocket. The three became filled with anxiety as Kazuma closed his eyes and said nothing. Perhaps the study session had been rejected. Or maybe their intentions had been seen through, and they were turned down. They were filled with unease.
And then, as the three anxiously stared at Kazuma, he opened his eyes.
“She said it’s no problem.”
Hearing those words, the three rejoiced with fist pumps. This was a first for them since enrolling in school. The three would talk to the girls in their class, but they never hung out with them. However, today, thanks to Kazuma, they had made plans to hang out with girls for the first time. Moreover, their companions weren’t girls from their own class, but girls from the Combat Course. How could they not be overjoyed by this?
Furthermore, the girls Kazuma had arranged the meeting with were beautiful. Kosuke had confirmed this, so his excitement was through the roof. Therefore, Kosuke treated Kazuma to ice cream for dessert as a thank you.
“Oh, thanks!”
Kazuma, having been treated, ate his ice cream in high spirits. Meanwhile, the other three were fired up, determined to make the ‘study session’ with the girls—which was essentially a group date—a success. Unaware that the three were so fired up, Kazuma happily ate his ice cream.
After that, the four of them dispersed and headed their separate ways home. Kazuma and Kosuke returned to the dorm together, and Kazuma went back to his own room.
Back in his room, Kazuma took a shower and then devoted himself to studying alone.
Even with the study group planned, Kazuma couldn’t afford to slack off because his grades were terrible. He had keenly felt it after returning from the other world, but his academic ability had dropped to below that of a middle school student. Originally, his grades were about average, so it was only natural that they would fall below average after three years without studying.
That’s why he was desperately trying to catch up by studying on his own, but it was indeed tough to do alone. It might even be better to just give up.
But he couldn’t do that. Kazuma roused himself, determined not to let his high school life, a mere three years, turn gray. He couldn’t afford to have his summer vacation shortened by supplementary lessons, so Kazuma diligently worked through his math problem sets.
“Phew…”
Thinking of taking a short break, Kazuma checked the clock and saw it was already about to pass midnight. It seemed he had been quite focused. Kazuma closed his workbook, headed towards the refrigerator built into his room, and took out some water.
After gulping down the water, Kazuma dived straight onto his bed.
Lying on his bed, Kazuma took out his phone and looked at SNS and news. There was no particularly interesting information, so Kazuma gave a big yawn, plugged his phone into the charger, and went to sleep.