NHAD Ch5: Two Years Later

Two years had elapsed since the block-headed goddess threw me into this strange world.

In that period, my school attendance was flawless and I prepared for the impending doomsday.

Time passed in a blink of an eye. But there are still four more years until I can return home!

It’s so far away!

I mean, these days my stomach hurts whenever I think about the remaining time I’ll be stuck here. A throbbing sort of pain. Completely stressful. Goddess, I demand worker’s compensation for this ailment, with your misrepresentation of this job’s description as the main reason!

Or, how should I put it, the goddess hasn’t contacted me once. What’s going on? Feeling anxious is unreasonable, but… No way, she can’t have forgotten me, can she?

It’s scary thinking how highly possible it is… She looks like she has a flower growing from her head after all…

No, I have to believe. The things I believe in will save me. If not, well, there goes my heart.

Right now, I am fourteen years old.

How many checkpoints are left during this year? I’ll have to dig through my diary later. Let’s see, the next big and main event is… Oh, I remember.

That’s it.

It’ll happen next year. A small problem will occur in the summer a year from now. A battle event.

Ahh, headache. So bummed out. It’s depressing. And the event must be completed in one shot.

I’ll request this of you, future Hero… You’re the only one I can rely on.

By then, I’ll have to train him well.

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Today’s swordsmanship lesson.

We practice a crushing blade technique that draws a beautiful arc dancing through the air.

I turn the tip of the sword toward Alfred, who falls on his butt. Then, I flash him a little smile, putting on a cocky appearance. How’s that? My acting has somewhat improved. It’s been two years in the making!

A yelp erupts from the boys’ side, and the three bullies and the girls flip to the outfield’s direction. I can understand why the three lackeys are flustered, but for a section of the boys to blush as well… How scary.

This world, and by extension this surrounding area, seems sexually loose.

I’ve also seen several same-sex couples on campus. Truly a soft and fluffy world made by the goddess. I wonder if other places are similar. That’s not a bad thing, is it? I seriously have no clue, but…

Well, if it’s love then there’s no helping it, and I’m not particularly interested in other peoples’ business. As long as everything is mutual and the people in question are happy, then A-okay.

Just don’t involve me in it! My dream’s to start a beautiful family with an older woman!

I’m getting a bit distracted.

Calm down.

That’s right, my lines.

There’s a small confrontation event going on, with a bit of dialogue from Lian.

“Hehehe. Still not up to par, Alfred! You’re too weak! You don’t even reach my feet!”

Alfred angles his sight at me with a sullen face.

Although he seems to be in a bad mood, his eyes are their usual shade of sky blue.

Well.

What the heck.

Lately, I haven’t seen much of Alfred’s temper.

He inherited a trait from the ancients, irises bleeding gold when angered. A feature that’s really easy to understand.

His disposition has calmed slightly. He’s probably maturing, boiling point increased.

However, it’s nice to win a spar again today, too.

Nowadays it is risky and difficult to beat Alfred in a fight, so I asked my father to hire a famous swordsmanship master to tutor me. Being rich is awesome!

Though, I trembled when I heard the price of the tuition.

In order to do this seriously, to pull way ahead of Alfred in the sword, I pushed myself to the fullest. Otherwise, it’d be a waste of money!  I couldn’t let it be spent for nothing, or karma would bite me in the ass! I was a commoner afraid of expensive things. Money must be used carefully.

I especially want to shout this to Lian’s mother and elder brother. Those guys drown themselves in their hobbies… Money comes and goes!¹ One of these days, it’s going to run out!

Anyway, because I’ve been working hard, the fruits of my labor are ripe. Thank goodness.

I can’t afford to lose yet. I sheathe my blade after waving it around, peering down on Alfred with my arms crossed, and sigh.

Helping the church stay afloat with part-time jobs is important, but doing so without break was a source of concern for me.  He has to practice the sword more. It won’t do if he doesn’t get stronger.

If he needs more part-time jobs for more money, I can set aside a monthly donation to the church. Should we add an additional portion next time? Anonymously, of course.

That way, Alfred will have more time to touch up his sword.

Mm, good idea. Let’s go with that.

“Alfred. If you wish to win against me, then you should practice more, hm? Your moves are so wasteful. Too many gaps. At full strength, the breaks become even larger. What have you been practicing all this time? Think carefully about the weight of the sword and how it’s moving. The sword’s muscles. Be gentle with it, as long as you can apply force in every strike. If your movements flow, then you don’t need much power.”

…Seems close enough. Right, this is what the sword-fighting teacher always says, lesson after lesson. A regurgitation of his words. Every now and then, he coaches the future Hero, though it doesn’t seem like his advice has been taken to heart.

Alfred pushes himself slowly to his feet, brushes off the dust, and looks at me.

Our eyes meet.

We’re finally the same height. Damn it.

Did he get his growth spurt? It’d be a matter of time before this becomes a problem.

Lian’s got his too early, and now his body’s taking a break. You can do this, body of Lian!

“Look. There’s a limit to relying on futile brute force and bursts of physical power. Even if you can take the other party down with strength, you won’t pass me.”

“… Sigh.”

What a pleasant comeback.

IS this bastard listening properly? I’ll teach him either way.

For some reason, Alfred’s coming over.

Wh-what, what is it? Is he finally blowing up?

Lost in my thoughts, I gaze blankly at where he’s standing.  If I get punched by him, even I won’t be able to go unscathed.

“W-w-what?”

No response.

Alfred’s silent and wears an impassive mask (scary!), and when he stands front of me, he grabs my wrist in a flash.

“Fuah! Ow…”

I moan from the stinging pain.

My right wrist is hurt to a small degree from receiving his senseless strength. It’s becoming red and swollen. Truly a freakish strength! Especially now! My body’s delicate so I wish you’ll be more gentle! But that’s probably impossible for you!

“O-ow…! L-let go!”

Alfred lifts my right wrist, taking out what seems to be a white candy ball from a pocket, breaking it in half. A healing crystal. This popular healing aid is the Band Aid of this world.

He sprinkles the glittering white sand, which is cradled in the palm of his hand, over my wrist.

He transmits heat from his palm.

At the same time, the throbbing disappears and I breathe out a sigh of relief.

Also, my wrist seems different.

What did you try to heal? And then it hits me: I hurt my wrist during the spar.

“T-thank yo—”

I hold my tongue.

Oops.

Damn. I started thanking him out of reflex. Regardless of what occured I would never lose my gratitude, even when my grandfather constantly smothered me, and it eventually turned into a reflex. Ahhh.

Alfred lifts his head.

He’s staring at me. What’s he looking at? Is there something on my face? Since he’s expressionless, I can’t read him at all. Scary.  I feel like running away.

“W-what?”

Since I can’t stand the look in his eyes and ask a question, he flashes a little, worried smile.

“…No. This is my fault. I can never regulate it properly, sorry…”

He actually apologized!

“W-what are you saying?”

“…Recently, there are times when I can’t control my strength…”

Alfred drops his gaze and heaves a slight sigh.

“Huh? I-is that so?”

He nods. What the. I wonder if he’s in good health.

“…Um… things happened… I felt like I was going to break your… I’m in trouble.”

Is it the wildness of youth? Or, something totally different? I don’t really understand, though. Anyway, it’s you who’s got too much strength.

As he stares at my wrist, his brow wrinkles and he breathes out again. Somehow, he seems a little tired. It is clear how pale his face is with just a glance.

“…Alfred? Are you okay?”

He tilts his head upward, eyes flitting open just a tad.

I shouldn’t have said that, damn it. This is out of Lian’s character. Flubbed it.

Sure enough, there is wonder in Alfred eyes as he stares at me—and he smiles softly at me.

“…Are you worried about me?”

“Huh?”

Not good. I’ve got to correct this.

“You’re w-wrong! You’ve misunderstood me! It’s, I was just concerned for my wrist is all.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, that’s right!”

“Sigh.”

Hey. He’s smiling. Don’t direct your smile at me! That handsome guy’s smirk has no use against me! Go flash it at a girl!

For some reason, this situation makes me feel like making a break for it. Let’s escape for a bit. This is bad. I’ve no idea how to handle such a situation. I jerk my gaze away, shaking off Alfred’s hand on my wrist.

“Pa.²”

“Pa?”

“Pa-part-time job! Your body’s getting worn out from your part-time jobs! Idiot! Go practice the sword more! Good grief, the you right now cannot be my opponent! Well, who knows, maybe my strength is just too incredible!”

As usual, I spit out a sarcastic parting remark and run—no, walk away.

The three bullies dash over my way.

“Lian-sama! Are you okay?! What did that guy say?!”

“N-no? N-nothing… He didn’t say much.”

“Is that so?! That’s good but…”

“Recently, that guy’s been getting carried away! The urchin’s too familiar and touchy with Lian-sama!  I’m envi… I mean, he should know his place, right?”

“That’s right! Does Lian-sama also think this?”

“I-indeed…”

Indeed, it’s troubling.

These days, because I received reactions that were different from my expectations, sometimes I became pretty confused. It makes me extremely ill at ease.

It’s easier to respond to anger, almost comforting, but…

In the story, the Hero and Lian always quarrel.  Dangerous. I recall Lian’s lines and I can spin them well.

Is this a dangerous relationship?

Should I make it worse?

How do I become a villain?

I feel like I’m doing as much as I could but… I’m supposed to say very disagreeable things. I have been sprouting lines full of disdain but…

Could Alfred had gotten used to it? Is he no longer feeling a thing about the nasty things leaving my mouth?

That’s terrible… What should I do? Uuu. I feel distressed.

Ahh shit. I suck at acting!

My heart’s pounding—I’ll be back in a second.

I should have practiced with my friend in the theater club more. Then things wouldn’t be so troublesome. In hindsight, I was wrong for skipping out on those sessions. If I don’t have to use my crummy acting skills after this mission is done, I’ll never complain again. When you said this skill might be useful one day, you were right, my friend. I’ll treat you to a special deluxe A lunch next time. So please switch places with me! You’re the perfect person for this role!

Haah.

In order to play Lian properly, I need to be more careful from now on.

Even if conversations enter areas I am not familiar with, I should follow the story as much as possible.

I hug my stomach, letting out a sigh.

 

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Ending notes:

Phew, got that out of the way finally.  Lian is such a tsundere, haha. Anyone not feeling like burning me at the stake for being late? XDDD (hides)

Big hearts to the lovely Nome and Meiyap for checking over the lines!

1. Money comes and goes!¹ : Raws is 金は天下の回り物なんだぞ！Not sure if I got the proverb right.
2. Pa²: Raws actually has “Ba” for バイト (Baito), which is part-time job. I changed it to “Pa” to make more sense in English.

As always, if you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a like or a comment below, and rate/review this novel on NU if you can!

 

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Edit: 3/15/18 switched tenses from past to present for ch 5-7. Whoops.