Chapter 774: April Fools Extra Chapter: Invaders from the Afterword (1/2)
It was one late afternoon. I thought it would be nice to eat out for lunch once in a while, so I went into town, thinking about what to eat, when I spotted a familiar figure ahead of me.
I could only see her back, but her white hair and a black sailor uniform which is quite rare in this world…… Unnn, that's definitely Shea-san. She's not wearing her robe today, which is unusual, and she's holding something in her hand…… I think it's some kind of flag, but that's definitely Shea-san.
Why is she standing in the middle of the road? Well, for the time being, I think I should call out to her…… She'll probably click her tongue upon seeing me again, but that's just Shea-san's way of saying hello.
Wryly smiling at the thought of the usual reaction I expected in my head, I approached Shea-san and called out to her.
[Hello, Shea-san.]
[……Unnn? Eh? Gyaaaahhhhhh!?]
[Ehh!?]
Reacting to my voice, Shea-san turned around, but for some reason, her eyes widened when she saw my face, before she suddenly let out a scream. Eh? What is this? Her reaction isn't like what I had expected……
[W- Why the heck did the Last Boss suddenly appear here!? My heart still isn't ready yet……]
[Eh? Last Boss? S- Shea-san? What in the world are you……]
[Kuhh, so this is the baptism of the Main Story huh…… However, I've already come this far. For me to pull out here…… Alright, come at me, Flag King! Don't think you can raise my flag so easily!!!]
[……Excuse me, what the heck are you talking about?]
What should I do? I can't seem to get through Shea-san's mind today…… Also, should you really be doing that in the middle of the street…… We're attracting a lot of attention here, you know……
[Ummm, I don't know what's going on, but for now, why don't we change places? We're getting a lot of attention……]
[Hearing you respond to my words so calmly also kinda hurts…… For now huh, u- unnn. Alright.]
U- Unnn. Seriously, what the heck is going on with Shea-san…… Her tension is fluctuating wildly today, and how should I put it…… She's kinda strange.
Confused by Shea-san's unusual state, we moved away from the crowded main street to a small park nearby.
[……So, Shea-san? What is it about you today? You look rather different that usual……]
[Wait a minute there!]
[Yes?]
[This is a very important detail, so I'll tell you this first…… but I'm not Shea, okay?]
[……Eh?]
She isn't Shea-san? No, it's not just on the level that they feel like twins or something like that, they look like they're two peas from the same pod…… I was surprised, but then again, I don't think Shea-san would make a joke like this.
If so, is she really a different person? H- Hmmm, seriously, what's going on here?
[Well, you don't have to be stiff around me and just call me ”Senpai”!]
[……I understand. Ahh, my name is Miyama Kaito.]
[Unnn, I know…… Disgustingly so.]
[Haahhh…… I- Is that so……]
I don't really know why this happened, but it seems like I've suddenly become this person's kouhai. No, seriously, what the heck is going on here!? My mind can't keep up at all……
This Shea-san lookalike…… Errr, Senpai apparently knows about me. Hmmm, given that she looks just like Shea-san, I wonder if she's also a God? Reluctant I might be, but it seems that I'm famous among the Gods, and if that's the case, it's not surprising that she knows me…… I guess?
[So, errr…… I'm sorry if I'm being rude, but may I ask your name?]
[Hmph, alright, I'll tell you! I'm the serious of the serious! I am the star of seriousness that shines upon the world! Serious-senpai!]
[………………….]
Errr, sorry, I know it's very rude of me to think of this about someone I just met for the first time…… but seriously, what the heck is with this strange person!?
[……I- Is that so, errr, you're called Serious-san, right?]
[Huh? No, are your ears working fine or what…… Listen here, my name is ”Serious-senpai”!]
[……H- Huhh…… ummm, errr…… Does that mean your name ”also includes the Senpai”?]
[Yeah, what of it?]
[……I- I see.]
……Can I ask it one more time? What the heck is with this strange person!? Ah, no, could it actually be that? Perhaps, the Senpai in her name isn't actually the Senior one, but she's actually surnamed Senpai?
[Incidentally, just to confirm things, is that Senpai…… errr, your surname?]
[Haahh? What the heck are you saying now…… You know it right, it's the same Senpai in a Senpai-Kouhai relationship.]
It really is that Senpai!? If that's the case, didn't she find it insane that that was her real name!? However, the person herself doesn't seem to mind at all…… Was it me? Was it actually me that's weird here?
[Well, you can just call me ”Senpai”!]
[I- I understand…… Senpai.]
[Unnn, nice to meet you.]
H- Hmmm, this is getting weird.
[So, ummm, what were you doing standing in the middle of a city's street just now?]
[That's a good question. I was actually looking for something.]
[Looking…… for something?]
[Yes, its' something ”important and essential to the world”!!!]
[Important and essential?]
The scale of the conversation suddenly got bigger. H- Hmmm, if that's the case, she really might be a God, and she's come to the Human Realm to find whatever that is that's necessary for the world?
Sounds like it's quite an incident……
[Yes…… It's ”seriousness”!]
[……Yes?]
……However, I'm starting to feel like it's actually just nothing.
[The world is lacking seriousness. That's why this me! The Incarnation of Seriousness! Have come to change that!]
[………………]
Errr, is it actually some kind of philosophical thing? This is troubling, I'm not really good with stuff like this……
After that, the excited Senpai started to talk passionately about her purpose and motivation for coming here…… and after a dozen minutes, I finally understood what she meant. Well, at least, some of it.
[……Errr, to sum up the story…… Senpai is the embodiment of the concept of seriousness, who laments the lack of seriousness in the world and coming from a place different from this world, you've come to search for a new kind of seriousness…… Is that right?]
[Unnn, that's pretty much right.]
[……Is that so, errr, I know a really good doctor…… Counseling and such things may not be her specialty, but for the time being, how about we come visit her?]
[I'm not psychotic!]
I mean, after listening to her, I've come to the conclusion that she's nothing more than a ”crazy person”! N- No, Spirits and Gods exist, so it wouldn't be strange if embodiments of concepts really exist……
My head felt like it was aching, but I swallowed everything and just decided to ask Senpai.
[So, let's assume for a moment that everything you said is true…… How exactly do you look for seriousness?]
[……T- That is…… by foot……]
[Ahh, I see, no plan huh.]
[……Yes. To top it off, I had no idea where I was going, and am lost.]
How should I say this…… Just when I think she's confident, saying such things with a smug look on her face, her tension immediately drops down, making me really bewildered. Seriously, in all sorts of ways, she really is quite the strange person.