Vol 3 Chapter 5 (1/2)
Fifty kilo, that’s like tying Maekawa-san on you… Uy works Well, I don’t really kno h anyway
Hm… Would Maekawa-sanshe wouldn’t
“Well, ya better be ready to see the true face of Ryuuko-san tomorrow!”
True face, huh… I’m a little worried that it’d be scarier than her true ability Maybe she just used the wrong word?
“Then I’ll look forward to cheering for ya”
“Haah~”
“Was that a sigh? Or a deep breath?”
“Both I’m, like, a million tiame this time!”
“H?”
“No no no… ‘Cuz so…”
“Eh? What did you say?”
“Ughh… Are ya the heroine of a shoujo a~?!”
“Ahahah…” Lost as I was, I laughed at Ryuushi+-san’s hilarious response
“Cousin~ Stargaze time~”
Spring in her steps, Erio joyously skipped into my rooht that she appeared in the least convenient times
Not that I could point out specifically what inconvenient means
“Cousin~?”
Erio hopped closer It made me want to tell her to leave like a parent to his kid ‘I’ht now, okay? Can you let me finish first?” …But I couldn’t do that
“Niwa-kun? What’s the matter? Ya are all quiet…”
“Yes, I would try my best to handle it, but…”
For the ti to resolve the situation Ryuushi+-san didn’t hear Erio; Erio further encroached despiseon the phone
“Be quiet!” Huh? Me? “Eh~? Oh wait Attention please! Uhhh~ One sec, Ilish, ‘keep talking to me!’?
Erio cli the distance between us I’d try to back off, but I was already leaning against the wall in the first place Without some super power to break the ith, I had no escape
Actually, teleportation would have been a ht of soed course, staring at my face
Like an ani whether the object she found was edible or not
“Phone call?” Yep I nodded silently “Who?” No, I… How do I convey that with my chin?
“Sniff, sniff” You can tell by the sht”
Erio pouted as though this was a gag a
“Wait a minute~? Is there someone else there, Niwa-kun?” Uh oh, she noticed too
She’s gotup)
“It’s, uh… The cousin I live with”
“Touwa-san~? Hmph, hmph~!”
“Eh? What kind of reaction was that?”
“Cousin, the star…” Erio slid the notebook across ed with upturned eyes “Okay, okay, I will go out with you when I’”
“G-go out with her?!” Ryuushi+-san’s pitch changed A shocking sound followed Did she drop her dictionary?
“No, you must be confused, Ryuushi+-san!”
“Nope! Ya are too flirty, Niwa-kun! I dub thee Mr Flirt (Flower-さん)!”
“That sounds like a nickname for Hanao-san(花尾)!”
“Grr… I hafta get er!”
“The phone bill is on your side, so I can’t say I’m okay with that…”
“Oh no, my phone is actually dy—“ And we lost connection Looks like her battery actually died
“What were you talking about?”
Covering the lower half of her face with the book, Erio questioned disinterestedly Busy with the charger, I answered without hesitation
“We’re talking about ame tomorrow”
Following that, Erio’s eyes sunk Was it so? Why?
She won’t coht? Ryuushi+-san said so too, but that’s not my decision to make
“Do you want to come too?” Therefore, I still asked for her opinion
“No” She rolled herself up inin a sushi+; she fell off the edge andthud
Due to the blanket’s thinness, only e was absorbed “Uuu…” She moaned from beneath
“You okay?”
“…Not going”
Ignoring ain emphasized her previous assertion
“I don’t like school, anyway”
Unlike with the futon, her words clearly reached my ears — only, that wasn't so helpful this time
Oh I understand her attitude now She left a lot of resent after this sue as she
If she returned, in her futon, she will stick out even rin
Hame over for me
“Want to go see some stars now?”
Just like before heading out to the train station, on our journey toward space
With no doubt in mind, I invited Erio to the stars
It was in no wayher — It is, after all, just homework
The blanket roll, like wrapping for a bouquet, spun to the entrance of the room
“Now”
Good And leave the blanket here
…Oh, but before then
To We’re about ten days away froame… I think
So ends the memorized lines from now on
The usual uninterested expression lacked consistency with her hand
During a garuht’ Still, met with the ball that see but bluffs, I s
Apparently unwilling to go easy even with aed speed drastically She’s also responsible with the pitch sequences; Nakamura-san, the catcher, appeared to only catch the balls Considering that he took care of Yashi+ro, he must an overly-nice person
Until the sixth inning, there were only two people on base; one of the there obliviously, sheher exa too well
Yashi+ro was not seen today at the left field today Nakajilance, and we both sao do soy with me?
“Ah” Hanazawa-san wound up, and soon the ball exited fro bat swiped at the top of the ball, sending it out over the foul line
“……” That was quite an unbelievable hit
I had a déjà vu ain? No, no I have to focus on this next pitch
Even if I hold the bat a bit closer, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was only es on the decimal points Was it a more fundamental issue? What surprised me was that perhaps Erio, in spite of her appearance, may actually be very dextrous
I adjustedaway, faced Hanazawa-san
Even though I’ve already given up I never had the chance, anyway
If I hit it, it’s gonna fly far, isn’t it~? Expectantly, I swung the bat with my all
Beautifully, it cut through the air The sensation felt better, so I considered it as good enough
That o toward second base though
…Wait I just realized I've never
It isn’t conclusive whether indoor sports depend on the weather, but it’s clear that today was an annoyingly sunny day
This level of heat y pool Affected by the thought, I subconsciously looked to where the pool was I didn’t see the shadow of an excitable white helo after Maekawa-san’s porch?
I parked in the lot between the gy to Ryuushi+-san, it’s usually not open during school days The place was stuffed with bikes, as though it was the ones in front of a train station Without any roofing, the bikes warradually
I delighted at the sight of that yellow safety hel countless bicycles
Circuy and sneakers squeaking In the space that harboured more heat than outside, sounds that scream youth reverberated within
Sure is nice being young~ I’randpa that could only dream about this Maekawa-san would probably pass out if she took a few breaths in here
There were two zones in the basketball court; the right side appeared to be where the away teairls lined up there, practising layup
If there were three guys here watching, every ti dangerous co alone here… Don’t I just look like some shady person?
Now, left side Looking up, I could see the platform that the principals makes his appearance fro there not in uniforms Audiences? Shouldn’t I sit there too? Still, I wouldn’t knohere to sit, seeing how they are all girls
“Hey~ Ya~! Niwa-kun!”
Following that odd yelling, the owner called to in of the voice: Ryuushi+-san, in her team uniform, waved at me She stood at the left court, under the hoop, with a ball in her hands She wore two pig tails, tied to the back For sports, huh? H the uniform, this was an instance of cuteness iular class days
I walked, while Ryuushi+-san jogged; in just a moment, the distance between us disappeared We even alether Ryuushi+-san was, as always, filled with energy
She cracked a grin, greetingsmile
“It’s been a week, hasn’t it?”
“Yeah I’m here to see you kick some butts today”
“Soesture ht She stopped in just a second fro her cheeks with hands, ‘heheheh,’ and wriggled
“Ugh! This pressure is killin’ me!”
“You look like you’re in a fever though!” [1]
“No way~ It’s cuz I’htly with both palms “And it’s all ‘Kablooey!’ now!”
“Oh~ If you say so”
It’s a little scary to ask what exploded, so I just circumvented around the topic
Ryuushi+-san raised the ball above her head, and beamed a pure s was unfitting in this summer air
“Thank ya for coh I’ though! I' off her spirit, she waved the ball around
'Not gonna give up,' huh? That’s quite the opposite from my summer this time
I thought of Ryuushi+-san covered in golden glitters, struggling and yelling ‘Giveway, of course
“Oh, is this the rumoured boyfriend, Ryuushi+?”
Then appeared a girl who almost latched entirely onto Ryuushi+-san’s back She had a head of black hair, and stood about as tall as Ryuushi+-san My first iirls
“W-hat? That’s nawt it!”
Ryuushi+-san turned in atte
“What is ‘nawt-eet?’”
“Not it”
“Hahaha! You’re freaking out!”
Um, I think this is no different than the usual Ryuushi+-san though “Mave me the ‘elevator eyes’
“You’re that transfer student right? Mm~ So Ryuushi+ likes them imported, huh?”
She boldly assessed me Also, since when did I come from not only a different prefecture, but an entirely different country? Or, maybe since this is an alien’s town, anyone from anywhere else is autoonna buy that?
“This is Mikki” Ryuushi+-san whispered while pointing slightly at the girl’s face Ohoh, so this is the legendary Mikki…
Where’s the mouse element? Or uess the na like ‘Miki’ or ‘Mikimoto’
“Ya are mistaken, Mikki”
“Am I?” Mikki watched for my reaction with a o while flipping through a azine It was a ritten cutely, and a bit duirl’
I’e example, that the as used incorrectly
“The na! He’s Ryuushi+-san, and I’m Ryuuko-san!”
Uhh~ Why are you involving me? Noe sound like a twin or some kind of partners
“Oh, relax, Ryuushi+! You’re old enough! High school’s the season of love, the ti a boyfriend isn’t that weird, don’t you think? Plus it’s better to wear it on your sleeve!”
Mikki tapped on Ryuushi+-san’s shoulder “I only care about club stuff!” Ryuushi+-san objected with chest sticking out
“Bull! Even you skip practice so out with this transfer student!”
“W-hat! Ya do the same too!”
“I’ hooky!”
“Why are ya so s?!”
What a comedic back-and-forth But, her boyfriend, huh~?
Mikki’s ht tease at Ryuushi+-san, is nothing more than for fun But it didn’t bothermy heart beat A lot More than just a simple jolt
Mikki’s ht tease at Ryuushi+-san, is nothing more than for fun But it didn’t bothermy heart beat A lot More than just a simple jolt
“So what’s up? Here to see Ryuushi+?”
“The ga wildly
“I get it now~”
Mikki ignored Ryuushi+-san and nodded deeply Hehehe, she snickered, and cupped her hands around her mouth Then she turned around, walked forward and…
“Sensei~! Ryuushi+’s boyfriend is here today, so she’s wondering if you could let her play~!”
“Ahhh~! I’ll get that on my own! So stop it, Mikki~!”
The two shouted on their way back Sohed From a bystander’s view, I am envious of this type of interactions between friends
They certainly are good friends~ I saw theaorated
“Boyfriend, huh…” Hht
I wonder how otten serious because of so deepened and finally shattered’? I have to be cautious
Anyway, I’ll find a spot to sit first
“Uh”
So deplorable appeared
A suspicious person wearing a space custo her knees She earing the entire outfit today As if a tiny universe had taken for a dark miasma
Everyone pretended to not see Actually, listening closely, I unexpectedly heard a few girls gossiping things like ‘gross’ ‘should we tell soirl?’
“…Sigh” If the game was cancelled because of her appearance, Ryuushi+-san would be disappointed Such lame reason appeared in my head instantly, but ent reasons formed
To avoid the eyes of the girls, I waited for the Yashi+ro; she noticed me immediately
‘Good- day- earth-ling’ she spewed out an idiotic line; I kept silent and smiled, and pulled her helmet off
“No~!” How did she make that sound earlier?
“Unfortunately, dear custoym is the same as a store or bank: no helmet”
“It’s gonna blow!”
Pop, I took the helmet off
Instantly the dark corner of the gye Perhaps because it occurred in the corner, the clauys, it wasn’t that glaring
Still, she attracted a decent a appearance
“Ughhh” She felt her neck while looking resentfully at me With her helmet off, Yashi+ro revealed her pale, snake-like skin unaffected by the sun
Crisp as though it wouldsound every time they fall, the strands of her hair shone like the stars Unable to be tanned by the sun — she could use that as one of her jokes
“It would be your fault if this planet explodes”
“Yes, yes, I’s to have lived What are you planning to do here?”
“I a on the future of my work”
“Work this and work that Why don’t you just go and do it?”
Without throwing a child-like tantruave a twisted smile
“It’s not that simple… No, maybe because it’s too sis to avoid it, but frankly speaking I’m a little sick of it I’ the job”
“So why not just give up?
Hearing that, Yashi+ro opened her eyes wide She smirked evilly
“Hoh~ Now that I’ve been given permission, I shouldn’t be responsible if I fail Ah~ Now I’m safe”
“Hah?”
“Oh, right I saw another hu here And I also discovered that this activity called basketball is a lot ined”
She shi+fted topic in the blink of an eye “Ok” I replied flatly and sunk
Because I think I realized long ago that I’d asked a bunch of needless question without any deeper motives
“Hmph… Are you dissatisfied that I did not appear under an eave?”
“To be honest, I want to bury you under one”
Yashrio gave a snarky andbetween the floor and hands The girl dribbling that ball ran toward here and successfully made the shot after a jump
“…So why, exactly, did you join the baseball game?”
Erio, too Is baseball in for those with extraterrestrial traits?
“Why do you ask?”
“No reason I thought maybe there’s a hint about your super power in there somewhere?”
Or of why you insist on calling yourself an ‘esper’
Yashi+ro stared at me coldly, but ultimately looked away
“Because it’s work”
“Helping out for an aame is work?” Even with that broad a standard, you’ve not done anything reht?
“Fact is, it’s just a means to an end I won’t deny that it’s probably a poor choice, however”
Though ridding the fatigue in her body and hed
At that an with an suspicious preface “I came to this planet”
“Wait! A ht? Why did you come to this planet?”
“Eh?”
“Why do you obviously seem like you’ve never considered this question?”
“…Cease your baseless accusation I was si a question such as this Listen well: the reason I came here, is because it is my fate”
“…That’s not a reason”
“Three days soon passed afterWith the environled to adapt; on foot, I dragged my battered body around Unsure what the vile crime the violent inhabitant of this planet would commit should they discover me, I avoided any contact”
“I can’t believe you’re going to just keep yapping”
“Due to the creed, I cannot easily utilize es with under such atrophied conditions After serious consideration, I had no choice but to accept the gifts of this land”
“Oh”
“Despite the planet being ravaged by its malevolent inhabitants, the local cuisine is one of the few things praise-worthy In the plough land, there grew a round fruit used as food; thus I attempted to obtain that nutrient to recuperate”
“Water melon theft?”
“I was intercepted, however, as the patrol of this planet finally discovered and attempted to arrest me”
“Good work, Mr Police!”
“The dire situation renderedto unlock parts of my power: I threw mud at his face and ran”
“You’re a little turd”
“During the chase, another being joined the hunt — an unknown creaturequadruped”
“Don’t you knohat dogs are?”
“Despite being able to continue the battle, I feared that the planet patrol would soon catch up So I ju the flow”
“You ht make a better ninja”
“Finally I hit shore on the riverbank; whilenext to the park — and the eave”
“An eave isn’t soet, you know”
“It was there when I reached my limit”
“You’re also clearly a japanese”
“It was no easy task, but I ed to fit half my frame into the eave and fell asleep”
“Why not your entire body?? This is why you’re both a horror and freak show!”
“I woke up — only, two days have passed”
“Wha?”
“I slept not under the eave, but in a bed It would appear I had been taken in by the male creature by the name Nakaes’ idols”
“Hmm, so it was the shrine?”
“Nakamura revered me: his friendliness indicated that he intended to seek favour from me”
“Wow~ What a terrifying man”
“Oh? Are you too? Is that masochistic way of life a trait of this planet’sme sustenance, Nakamura expressed his fond interest in the extraterrestrials”
“Nakaood man Did you thank him?”
“Of course I did — are you stupid? Aftersure I ate the food, he proposed a trade How lamentable”
“Don’t you think trying to eat a free meal is more lamentable?”
“Are you not in a similar position?”
“Hm? Well yeah… How the hell did you know that?!”
“Nakamura claimed that, in return for the food, I must partake in an athletic competition present only in an undeveloped planet such as this Soh people As uncivilised a deal as it ith the condition of continuous provision, I must accept the terms, or risk survival in a world without super powers Fro ement”
“I see So, in other words…”
'I ran away fro, on a starlit night I decided to burglarize a far chased by a stray dog, thanks to Nakauy, who not only gave me food, but proladly accepted'
“In the forht?”
“You idiotic fool!”
Yashi+ro began attacking h the fist landed onPart of the reason h to cover her hands, but her right arm must be extre of rice
“How dare you disgrace my story with such trite discussion: this is in itself a form of talent!”
It wasto do with super powers
“Anyho is this potential hu about?”
“That one” The person Yashi+ro pointed at — “Hey! Who’s that~! Ryuuko-san’s jaw is dropping fro around with a ball crap — I was found! With no other choice, I waved at her with a s for ya~!’
“Hmpf~!” Which only worsened her attitude
“So you know her, Makoto”
“She’sshe’s also an esper?”
Well, whatever; in some way she indeed is For example, her ability to accelerate my heartbeat Also, the power toit super power, icians
And that would make that forty-years old a witch The spells she cast on h
“She’s not bad I’ve watched for days now; she holds high potential for evolution: she’s one of the feho can go the last few centimetres”
“Huh… What are you even saying?”
Again with the superpower theory ue? I prepared to block my ears Yet, Yashi+ro asked a relevant question instead of droning on:
“Do you know the rules of this game?”
“Uh, only a bit Not exactly knowledgeable” From sheer suddenness, I stuttered
I’m not at all familiar with basketball, but I know stuff like centre or point guard The other three positions I simply don’t remember It’s common with people who don’t play, but that’s the level of knowledge I have
Speaking of which, what position does Ryuushi+-san play? She had a pretty good aim when she threw that empty can into the trash can
So… Shooting star? No, that’s off It’s close but I know that’s not right