Arifureta Vol 6 Chapter 5 (2/2)

David and the Knights had already memorized the famous “Gold” cla.s.s in their minds, but because there was no one with such young voices. Some of them looked at each other with perplexed expressions.

While they were in a state of confusion, the trio were approaching while talking.

The seats where Aiko and the others sat were the innermost seats enclosed by walls on three sides. It was a place where they could look anywhere inside the restaurant. For now, it was made into a private room with the use of the curtain. Needless to say, inside was the conspicuous Aiko’s party, was Aiko; the one hailed as the “G.o.ddess of Good Harvest”, which made them even more conspicuous. It was why they often used the curtain whenever they ate their meals. Even today, they closed the curtain so they wouldn’t be seen.

From the other side of the curtain, they could hear the conversation of a boy and two girls.

“Mou, how many times I must say it until you understand. Please stop leaving me alone and create a world with just the two of you in it. It makes me feel really, really lonely. Did you hear me? “Hajime”-san.”

“I heard, I heard you. Just stay in another room if you don’t want to see it.”

“Nmah! Did you hear what he just said, Yue-san? “Hajime”-san just said something coldhearted.”

“…”Hajime” …Bad!”

“Yes, yes.”

Within their conversation, the name the girls said instantly rattled Aiko’s heart. What did the girls just say? What was the boy called? This boy’s voice… isn’t it similar to “that boy”?, were the question that immediately floated into Aiko’s mind. She stiffened as though something had tied her down, so she could only stare at the curtain.

The same thing happened to Son.o.be Yuka and other students by her side. In their minds, thoughts of a certain boy who had disappeared into the abyss four months ago resurfaced. He was a boy who the cla.s.smates strongly believed to have “died in this other world”. A boy they wanted to forget, a boy who stood out for better or for worse.

Because of the abnormal expression on Aiko’s and her students’ faces, Foss and the Knights tried calling out to them with dumbfounded gazes, but no one reacted. The Knights were wondering what on earth had happened as they looked at their faces. Then, Aiko blurted out a name.

“…Nagumo-kun?”

Because of the word she unconsciously let out, her body which had stiffened because of the unbelievable situation had regained its freedom. Aiko immediately stood up and her chair fell to the ground. She then pulled the curtain opened, so hard it might tear.

SHAAAA!!

Because of the unexpected loud sound that came from when the curtain was pulled, boy and two girls trio were only able to look with stupefied expressions.

Aiko shouted without confirming who the other person was. It was the name of her important student.

“Nagumo-kun!”

“Ah? ……… Sensei?”

In front of her, with his eye wide open in surprise, was an eyepatched, white-haired boy. He looked completely different from the Nagumo Hajime in her memory. Not only his appearance, his atmosphere was also completely different. Nagumo Hajime Aiko knew was a boy who always daydreaming, gentle, and quiet. Actually, Aiko admitted that a wry smile fit him, but it was her secret. However, the boy in front of her eyes had sharp eyes, clad with an unapproachable atmosphere. He was too different from her memory. If she pa.s.sed by him inside the town, she was sure she wouldn’t recognized the boy in front of her as Nagumo Hajime.

But if she looked carefully, his voice and face were the same as the one inside her memory. Above all… it was how the boy in front of her called her. That’s right, it was “sensei”. Aiko was convinced. Although his look and atmosphere had greatly changed, the boy in front of her was certainly her own student, “Nagumo Hajime”!

“Nagumo-kun… You’re Nagumo-kun, right? You’re alive… You really are alive…”

“No, you got wrong person. Bye.”

“He?”

To meet the student who was thought to be dead, was a miracle. Being deeply moved, her tear glands loosened, and Aiko eyes became teary. “Where was he until now? What on earth happened? I am truly glad that you were safe.” Were only some of the many things she wanted to say, but couldn’t. Even so, the reply to her desperate words was a completely unexpected answer.

She unconsciously let out a stupid voice, and Aiko’s tears were also withdrawn. She could only blankly stare at Hajime who had begun to suta suta, walk towards the exit. ‘HAH’, she returned to her senses, and panicky ran after him while gripping onto his wrist.

“Please wait a second? Aren’t you Nagumo-kun? Didn’t you just call sensei sensei? Just how is that the wrong person.”

“No, you heard it wrong. That was… Right, it was a dialect meaning “small”. Un.”

“Even so, that’s extremely rude! Rather, there is no way such dialect exists. Why are you trying to deceive me? That appearance too… Did something happen? What are you doing in this place? Why, why didn’t you immediately come back to everyone? Nagumo-kun! Please answer! Sensei won’t let you deceive her!”

Aiko’s angry voice resounded inside the restaurant. Several people and guests looked at the rumored “G.o.ddess of Good Harvest” as she caught and shouted at a man. “Suwah, is he G.o.ddess’s man!?”, as they misunderstood, their eyes sparkled with curiosity. The students and the bodyguard Knights were also came out from the interior.

The students who had seen Hajime’s appearance had shocked expressions as they couldn’t believe what was in front of them. Half of it was because he was alive, while the other half was because of the drastic change to his appearance and atmosphere. However, they didn’t know what should they do, so they could only blankly looked at Aiko and Hajime.

On the other side, although Hajime looked calm, his mind was attacked by pet.i.t panic. In the town he came to, after accepting the request from the guild’s Branch Head he got acquaintanced by chance, he never thought there was a chance he would meet Aiko and his cla.s.smates again.

Because it was such a sudden event, he inadvertently muttered “sensei”, he even thought, “That can’t be~”, as he tried to deceived himself. His lifecards after Aiko’s angry barrage of questions were to “run away”, “continue with the mistaken person act”, “became a suspicious foreigner”, and “let’s just kidnap Ai-chan”, were all the cards that came to his mind. He especially didn’t know how the last one came up.

Then, Hajime was saved by his reliable partner. Of course it was not the regrettable rabbit ears character, but the Vampire Princess. Yue, came in between Hajime and Aiko, then she forcibly shook off Aiko’s hand which was gripping Hajime’s arm. On their side, the bodyguard Knights were letting out slight bloodthirst.

“… Let go, Hajime is troubled.”

“Wh-What are you? Currently, sensei have an important talk with Nagumo-kun…”

“… Then, calm down a little.”

Because the beatiful girl stared at her with cool eyes, Aiko slightly flinched. There wasn’t much of a height difference between the two. Normally, it would be labeled as a fight between kids. However, Aiko was actually younger by age, and Yue wore a bewitching atmosphere despite her appearance. No matter who saw it, they looked like an adult (Yue) and an angry child (Aiko). Aiko was wary of Yue, so she quietly back away from Hajime with blus.h.i.+ng cheeks because of her own words and the way she got mad at him. As she straightened her back to show her dignity as an adult, although it was too late, Aiko was… just like a child doing a stretch.

“I am sorry, I was distracted. Let’s return from the beginning, you are Nagumo-kun, right?”

This time, Aiko said it quietly, but her voice was filled with conviction as she tried to ask Hajime, and matched her glance with him. Having seen such Aiko, Hajime was convinced no matter how he tried to deceive her, she wouldn’t change her conviction and she would chase after him no matter where he go. Thus, scratched his head and replied with a profound sigh.

“Ah. Long time no see, sensei.”

“As expected, you’re Nagumo-kun after all… You’re alive…”

Aiko’s eyes became teary again, but Hajime didn’t think anything about it as he shrugged his shoulders.

“Something like that. After a lot happened, I’m somehow still alive.”

“I am glad. I truly am glad.”

After he took a glance at Aiko who was unable to say more than those words, Hajime went to the nearest table and sat down. Having seen him, Yue and s.h.i.+a also sat. s.h.i.+a was somewhat perplexed. Aiko and the others were astonished by Hajime’s sudden action. Hajime had regained his composure and he ignored the surroundings, only to beckon towards Foss who had watched how the situation progressed while he stood behind the students.

“Umm, Hajime-san. Is that okay? Aren’t you acquaintances? Although it was just my guess… the other world’s…”

“That thing doesn’t matter at all. I was just surprised when they suddenly appeared, well, that’s all. We are originally came for dinner, so let’s order now. I have been truly expecting this. Don’t you know? This curry… Ah, you didn’t know it. The spicy dish was called Nils.h.i.+sseer. I am happy just by imagining the taste…”

“… Then, I’ll order that, too. I want to know what taste Hajime like.”

“Ah, to casually appealed him… just a expected of Yue-san. Then, me too. Clerk-saa~n, we want to order~”

In the beginning, s.h.i.+a was timidly sneaking glances at Aiko and the others, but changed her mind after Hajime said those words. Then Foss came by to take their order with a troubled smile.

However, naturally, there was no time for them to wait. Aiko, who was dumbfounded again by how Hajime seated himself at a nearby table and began to order, returned her to her senses and she approached Hajime’s table. She said, “Sensei is angry!”, with a truly angered expression as she pis.h.i.+, hit the table.

“Nagumo-kun, our talk isn’t over. Just how can you start to order as if it were the most natural thing in the world. In the first place, just who are these girls?”

What Aiko had said represented the feelings of everyone around them. The Knights who guessed Hajime was Aiko’s student, who they heard had died four months ago, the students who waited behind Aiko, and everyone else were, “Un un.”, nodding and they waited for Hajime’s answer.

Hajime frowned because of it would be an annoyance. Because he thought he couldn’t have a calm meal thanks to Aiko, who would keep waiting until he answers her questions even as they ate, he reluctantly turned his glance toward Aiko.

“I have come here in just a single day, without stopping, because of a request. That’s why I am hungry, so just let me eat my meal. Also, these are…”

Hajime turned his glance towards Yue and s.h.i.+a. And these two, before Hajime could say it, began an impactful introduction towards Aiko and the others.

“…Yue.”

“I am s.h.i.+a.”

“” I am Hajime(-san)’s woman.””

“Wo-woman?”

Aiko somewhat stammered said, “Eh? Eh?”, as she alternately looked between Hajime and the two beautiful girls. It seemed she couldn’t processed the information. The students behind her were also perplexed. Well, the male students’ expressions said, “That can’t be!”, as they restlessly looked between Yue and s.h.i.+a. Gradually, their face reddened as they were charmed by their beauty.

“Oi, setting Yue aside. s.h.i.+a, aren’t you different?”

“That! Hajime-san so cruel. Even though you stole my first kiss!”

“No, just how long you want to drag that thing. That was lif—”Nagumo-kun?”…What is it, sensei?”

Because of the remark that he “stole s.h.i.+a’s first kiss”, it seemed her thought process had finally caught up. Then, Aiko’s voice dropped an octave. Inside Aiko’s head, it seemed she imagined the scene where Hajime was laughing loudly while being attended by the two beauties in each arm. Her expression said everything.

Blus.h.i.+ng, Aiko interrupted Hajime’s words. Her face was filled with determination to return her misconducting student into the right path. Following that, a large thunder called “Sensei’s anger” fell into Ul town’s number one and first cla.s.s inn.

“To steal a woman’s first kiss, and even t-two-timing! So, you didn’t immediately return because you wanted to play around! If so… that’s unforgivable! Ee, sense will absolutely not forgive it! It’s time for scolding! Just wait there, Nagumo-kun!”

Hajime looked at Aiko with a skeptical gaze, who yelled “kyan kyan,” as he let out a deep, deep sigh thinking it was going to be troublesome.

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