Chapter 5 (2/2)

“Soer boat, but theand the door were firht it was a suicide, but the detective noticed so like that, it has a novel trick, and I didn’t notice the foreshadowings at all”

It’s one of the workstheenre, I totally got into it How is it? I’rossed You’ll like it You’ll think that this world too isn’t bad!

“The culprit was totally unexpected, anyway it’s really exciting I read it without sleeping at night Andー”

“That’s enough”

But As if to stop me, Serephina-san closed the book

“Eh, h-huh? It was boring?”

“Even in the village I lived there were at least novels They were all philosophical, only things tothe”

“… I, I see”

Grrr It won’t be easy No, it’s only the beginning Next Next one!

“Then, what about this one? It’s a traveller’s journal written by someone who toured the world with his own feet It’s different fro”

The troubles with the local residents, the anxiety to possibility be involved in a cries with unknown people

It wasthem think how beautiful is the world

I’m sure this oneーー!

“A trivial thing I do not need to know of this world”

“Eh!?”

No way, seriously!?

“No no no Did you read it? Here, this page, it’s aainst a beast he happened to le…”

“Once I defeated a le arrow In co”

… Ah, is that so?

“T-then, this one? Delicious food from all around the world with photos and is even I didn’t know and it was kinda fresh”

“Food is so you eat to maintain your life Only the people of this world think about the pros and cons”

“No, but! Show! Curiosity! Be! Be more enthusiastic!”

“You are overbearing”

Of course!

“U-uuuuh”

She, she’s tough…!

“… Ah! Then, how about this one? It’s a Light Novel, it’s fun! To tell you the truth, this one is written by someone in our classーー”

“You are persistent! Would you stop already!?”

Serephina-san flatly retorted to my tenacious approach

“No e The distant Gods watch over everything, and there is no way that we, the Elf tribe, will have an interest in the things the people of this world sreed like!”

She took a glance at the book in my hand and snorted

“I can su as you like such things, compromise will forevermore be unreachable for us”

“Why, there’s no need to go that far!?”

“Because this is impossible, I said it was impossible!”

“How can you understand that without trying!?”

“Because I can understand even without trying!”

T-that bitch! How much trouble does she think it took s?

“… I will at least recognise your effort But that is all Go away from me as quickly as possible”

Against this tone refusing everything, I chewed my molars

… As if… as if I’d let it finish like that!

“A-alright, the last one The last of the last Look!”

“… You’re still continuing?”

“Yeah, I am! Of course I a that you’ll be surprised!”

I took a book from the pile and put it in front of Serephina-san

“… What it this?”

Serephina-san picked up the book and frowned

A boy with pointed hair doing a kick in the empty space was drawn on the cover

“It’s a a!”

“Man, ga?”

“You don’t know… It’s a storyand words The story is presented in a different way from novels They exist in the entire world, but the ones from japan are particularly popular even in other countries”

“Drawings? A story using not sentences but drawings? Such a thing is possible?”

“Yeah It’s interesting Especially the one in your hands, it’s a little dated, but it still has many fans Of course, I really like it too”

I read it since I was little, and I still periodically reread it It’s a wonderful work that you won’t be able to stop reading until the last volue

“This is my ultimate weapon You just need to read the start, so please try it I beg you!”

Serephina-sanme bow my head However

“… I suppose it cannot be helped However, this is the last one”

Partly a silently

I sed my saliva, and I simply waited for the result

… Then five, ten minutes passed

“… How… is it?”

Because there was no reaction, I felt uneasy and tried asking

But, Serephina-san was still silent and continued to look at the pages

Her expression didn’t change P-perhaps, it was no good?

I became unbearably anxious

“… Is this sold anywhere?”

Finally closing the volume, Serephina-san asked me

Her gaze was sharp as though she wanted to pierce me W-what Did I mess up?

ーー What’s more, they’re excessively proud

I remembered my conversation with Kadona

Uh Perhaps… it became discomfortable to Serephina-san

I heard there was a considerable nuar

Let’s put aside whether it’s right or wrong for now ーー That’s the case for this world So all the ht think “You ?”

crap, it had the opposite effect!? I-I need to follow-up!

“Er, I want you to hear ood It’s exciting just reading them, especially this work, it has cool characters and is fully loaded with intense battle scenes, you’re never tired of reading, you just can’t help but want to read what’s next…”

Was she listening to my frantic speech or not, Serephina-san looked at the cover in silence for a little while

“You talked enough Please, answer my question”

She shot a glance ain, so I closed my mouth and scratched my head

“Agh I-I see … It is Specialist shops have h”

“Specialist shops?”

“Shops where they only sell a There should be ones in the city centre”

“… I see”

After she aze to think about so

Mmh What’s the matter?

Her mood seems different from when I passed her the other books…

When I thought it was strange and was about to ask ーー Suddenly the chi

“Class is starting Please tidy up the things you put on my desk”

“N-no, but, there still are other…”

“That’s enough!”

“… Got it”

I thought a little more then I could do it, but she put her usual extremely firm barrier and Sensei entered the classroom

I reluctantly gathered up what I brought, then retreated in low spirits

… daht it’d work

I shook my head feebly to the classmates who looked this way

A few days later

I took the train together with a few classmates and came to a certain town

Lovely characters andshops were everywhere today too, in this town known as the Otaku capital even in japan

“When is Mii’s concert, again?”

Walking in the main street, I asked nobody in particular, then Gai, as next toon his shoulder

“Let’s see It’s starting at five and half There’s still a little time”

“Okay But, it’s aht?”

“Yeah After that it seems like the prices skyrocketed to tenfold in net auctions”

“It’s only their debut and they’re already so popular”

I looked around and watched the huge s

Three girls wearing flashy dresses were singing together while dancing intensely

『Their popularity is still rising, the Keh the ht

That one of the

“An idol, huh…”

Kisshi+ alking in front ofup at the monitors with deep emotions

“What, you want to be an idol, Kisshi+?”

When I asked her, Kisshi+ froze

“Oh, that would be nice Kisshi+ is a beauty after all She ht become popular”

Said Gai, raising the corners of his lips

“D-d-don’t say so so foolish!+ There is no way I would think such a thing!”

“You, totally shaking Bull’s-eye, isn’t it?”

Asked Mao as clinging to o, but she suddenly ju “This one, totally exhausted”

“There is no way! D-do not insult me like that, or I will cut you down!”

Kisshi+ drew her sword and thrusted it this hile blushi+ng I panicked

“Stop, Kisshi+, this is the street! The police will come!”

“This is trivial co! On my name, I will send you to hell!”

Don’t! You should be a hero!

“No but, before, after school, you frantically danced in front of a ht, it was the dance fro”

“Huwah!?”

Kisshi+ stiffened at Gai's statement

“Eh, really, Kisshi+? Perhaps, you really do want to be an idol?”

I said, genuinely surprised

“T-t-t-t-t-t-that’s not t-t-true! G-Gai, you bastard, why do you know!? Even though I verified there was nobody around many times…”

“Ah, yeah Because it’s not like I saw it”

“… Eh?”

Kisshi+ starred in wonder to Gai’s unexpected answer

“So it, but, you really… I see, you…”

Gai turned away hiding his uess he was holding in laughter

On the other hand, Kisshi+ was bright red as if she was going to explode, clenching her fist while working her mouth up and down

“W-well, calm down, Kisshi+ L-look, everyone has such a time in their life…”

“Agree Kisshi+, you, must not mind”

Mao with her head on reed too

“Everyone has secrets ーー However, a little e it is”

“Ah! Don’t say that!”

Even though I desperately put a seal on that word!

“I… I… I…”

Kisshi+ was starting to shout in fits and starts, but eventually looked up to the skies and,

“I will kill youuuuuuu!”

With a sudden yell, she turned back and left with a violent dash

“Waah! Kisshi+ ran away! L-let’s run after her, Gai!”

“Y-yeah, got it I’ve gone a little too far, huh Let’s go, Golesuke”

Golesuke, who had accompanied us in silence until now nodded to Gai who called him with a wry smile

Whilesure of the direction where Kisshi+ ran, we started chasing after her

After advancing a little, we finally caught sight of her retreating figure

“Hey, wait, Kisshi+! It’s alright! Everyone passes through this… or not, I don’t know, but maybe!”

“I swear, disclose your secret I will not”

Mao waved her hand from my back, but Kisshi+ still didn’t stop

Can’t be helped Let’s run a little faster

The instant I was going to increase my pace

“Kya!”

Together with the iround resounded many times

“Ah, I’ht?”

I was paying toointo someone

After saying to go ahead to the others, I kneeled and started to pick up what fell

“Please, do not mind I will do it myself”

Said the person with their hat covering their eyes, but I couldn’t leave it like that For the moment, I took a nearby book

“… Eh, this is…”

I recognised the cover That was this ht it recently, so I still remembered

“Maratitude”

Mao, who had descended fro out her chest Taking thea too

No, that’s not all All the scattered books were volu the documents too

Well, it’s the Otaku town after all, so it’s normal

“I-I said to not mind!”

After telling that to itated, they took the volu them, thenーー

I saw her face, and spoke unintentionally

“… Serephina… san?”

I didn’t recognise her because of the hat and her clothes, but of course I’d understand by looking at her face directly

“Eh? ーー Ah, you are…!”

Surprised too, Serephina-san opened her eyes wide and stopped

“Ah, it’s really you, Serephina-san What a coincidence to a…”

I said while looking at them

“They are… yours, Serephina-san?”

“W-what foolishness… There is no way that is true!”

Cra, Serephina-san stood up

“A-a proud elf like s so close to lump of worldliness!?”

“No no no, but you’re carrying them!”

“I-I only picked the! Being an elf who lives with the nature! I cannot forgive unlawful du! I only obeyed my nature!”

Perhaps she lost her self-control because of the agitation, her tone became weird

“No matter how you think about it, that’s impossible! If you want to make an excuse you should do it more naturally! You live with the nature after all!”

“B-be quiet! This is not an excuse! I-I do not have the slightest interest! In a!”

Then, Mao stretched and took out so from the pocket of Serephina-san

“Mamoru What is this? This one asks you”

I looked at what she held out It was a little scrap of paper It was filled with letters and numbers

“Ah, it’s a receipt You receive it as a proof you bought so… Let’s see, twenty comics…?”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

A hand stretching with ahis prey took back the receipt I pinched with ers

“W--what are you doing, little girl!?”

Serephina-san scolded Mao, but with her usual expressionless she only tilted her head to the side

“This one is the Deirl”

“King? How stupid… No irl”

“Wrong Not, a little girl!”

Mao raised her hands to protest While soothing her saying “My my”,

“So you really bought a … Perhaps, did you like it?”

I asked, grinning

“That’s right Thatit, of course you’d be interested in other works You couldn’t help it Yeah, it was inevitable!”

“T-t-t-that’s not true!”

“Don’t force yourself No, I should stop If Serephina-san becah”

Tapping my hand on her shoulder, I nodded satisfied Immediately after that,

“P-please do not make fun of me! I told you that’s not true!”

Serephina-san greatly raised her voice The passersby turned their head

“H-howin a village deep into thein contact with this world! T-that I would like things like onist and his rival ere eneradually caether or the like, or even one where the protagonist fights against all the difficulties wanting to becoest ninja, and his relation with his cos tears to the eyes, or enduring the agony of the strong friendshi+p between a knight frofor the cool h of the relationshi+p between the samurai with remarkable abilities but do not have a s ーー Do you think I like them!?”

“No, you’re totally into it! And not just a little!”

There were even a feorks I don’t know!

“Y-you are wrong, I do not care about things like a… I tell you!”

Said Serephina-san before turning back and running away

“Ah, wait…!”

I hurriedly started to pursue her, but I immediately stopped

“Ouch!”

Serephina-san bu and fell on her backside At the saa scattered here and there froain

“Uh Class rep, I captured, Kisshi+”

The one who said it in a cutted off low voice was Golesuke He was holding Kisshi+ who had a complex expression in his arms

“Good grief She avoided the passersby with splendid footwork As expected of a brilliant knight”

Said Gai with a sround her teeth

“Kuh… In that case, it’s inevitable You can do as you like I will endure any sort of disgrace”

“What kind of resolution is this? It’s not like I’ll do anything It’s just about you wanting to be an idol, you know?”

“F-fool! That’s wrong, it’s not like I want to be an idol!”

While warding off Kisshi+’s claia at his feet

“Nh, here, you dropped it… wait”

She tried to hide her face right away, but it was useless

When he gave her the volume, Gai noticed it was Serephina-san and winked

“What an unexpected encounter”

“…!”

Serephina-san hung her head while grinding her teeth for a little while

But before long, she slowly looked up towards us

“… Do you have a problem with that?”

With nowhere to escape, it see herself off, then she looked at us defiantly

“Do you have a proble! It was the first tis! Even though I was thinking that this is not good, that I should not read them, I read one, then another and then I could not stop… I could not controlcalled Light Novel the class president showed ht, I came to like them!”

“Wow, she became defiant!”

After speaking like surging waves, Serephina-san blushed and turned away

“Surely, you find it funny, right!? Even though I looked down on you and said I would keep h, then laugh If you want to ridicule a!”

In front of Serephina-san ho declared that so clearly, I unintentionally became dumbfounded

… How to deal with that…

While I continued to think in my oay, I looked towards Gai and the others

They, they looked at me too

We exchanged glances, and even without words, we sos with just our eyes

… Yeah That’s right ーー Of course

“No, I won’t laugh”

“… Eh?”

Serephina-san was taken aback by my words

“My objective was to make you like this world And it succeeded splendidly The, there is no need to laugh or ridicule you Rather, it’s so to be happy about”

Continuing, Gai, Kisshi+ and Golesuke ere on the side nodded to show they agreed

“Hht you were a difficult to approach fellow, but it seeet closer”

Kisshi+, released fro

“Once again, Serephina ーー Welcome to the Special Class Composed of People from Other Worlds”

Serephina-san looked at Kisshi+’s hand as if it was so unbelievable Then, bewildered, she looked away and bit her lips

It was as if she hesitated and orried about the decision she should take

However, the silence didn’t last long

“… T-this is not like I intend to get along with you, but…”

After a while, Serephina-san slowly grasped Kisshi+’s hand while clearing her throat

“For the tia… to Mamoru, I will compromise in my oay”

“You, honest you are not”

Mao pointed out, but Serephina-san told her to be quiet while blushi+ng

“But to think it would be s, so it’s unexpected”

I thought that kind of thing felt like the total opposite of her

“Because it was so unknown to her, it conversely became an impetus”

I leaked a “Hht

“Anyway, it was a good thing I tried to talk boldly to Serephina-san A lot a things happened, but it’s all right in the end”

“… However, you are a strange man To try to involve yourself with me when I showed such a clear refusal”

Serephina-sanface

“Well, you were really stubborn, so it really fueled up my obstinacy”

“You did too s”

“Hahaha That's true But, if Seraphina-san grew to like this world thanks to that, then that’s all that matters My perseverance paid off”

Serephina-san cheeks flushed at my smile

“… W-well, because I just came to this world I was anxious, and perhaps I was too obstinate To give ratitude”

“Nh, did you say so?”

Her voice was small, so I didn’t hear correctly

“ーー N-nothing! But, at ht it would be fine to appreciate this world a little D-do not misunderstand, please”

“Is that so? Won’t you go deeper from now on?”

“I will not! Please, do not belittle me!”

“I wonder~ The a world is pretty deep after all Before you know it you won’t be able to come back”

“That’s how are Otaku in general after all”

When Gai shrugged his shoulders, Serephina-san raised her hands

“N-never! Absolutely! On the honour of the Elf tribe, this will absolutely never happenーー!”

A yell echoed in the skies

I looked at everyone else face, then we all laughed out loud

… Then, time passed once more

“Mamoru The first episode of each anime of this season aired, which ones do you recommend?”

“Eh? Ah, umm, well, sorry, I didn’t see them all…”

“What are you doing!? You are losing eighty percents of your life!”

“Really!?”

“Yes! First, Monday, at two am is 'Senkou no Gaiway', it’s a valuable work about realistics robots but is as intense as a super robots one, furthermore, it’s supervised by Osanai-san, so the production is in the realher number of frames than the rest, so without a doubt it is in the top three of this season, though the problem is if they will be able toto the staffs, Osanai-san pours an incredible passion into this work, so people think there is no need to worry In the first place, the origin come from the childhood of the supervisor!”

“Notalk, so let’s do it later?”

“Ah, which reilia'!?”

“Listen to what I say! And what about Osanai-san’s past!? I’m a little curious!”

“At first I thought it would be an aniirls that should be broadcasted on Sunday , but my vieas too shallow It took an unexpected direction in the second half and dumbfounded the viewers In the first place, I should have known it from the a 'Rekkatia', I was truly careless and I a seriously about it!”

“No, nobody is conde you about it, so no need to reflect!”

“Incidentally, Mamoru, did you see the currently popular 'Maboroshi+ wo Kakenukeru Shoujo'!?”

“Juain!? Eh, u”

“How many times?”

“Eh?”

“How many times did you watch it!?”

“O-once”

“Watch it five ti”

“Isn’t the hurdle too high!?”

“No but, Ma it onceーー”

“Ah, sorry, Serephina I’ Mamoru”

As I was overwhelour, Gai excused himself and took me out

“Ah, what are you doing, Gai! I a about 'Maboroshi+ wo Kakenukeru Shoujo' to Mamoruーー”

“Guess what, Elko, I found a shop selling the complete set of 'Koukaku Kidou Reidina' you said you wanted before”

“Really!?”

Serephina-san still tried to speak to me, but another classmate called out to her and she turned his way She started to get hyped talking about rief Anyway, I was saved

By the way, ‘Elko’ was Serephina-san’s nicknairl, so Elko It’s really simple, but it established itself in Itoku before we knew it

“Thanks, Gai”

“It’s nothing But, to think she would fall that deep…”

Yeah, it was unexpected

“Or rather, where did the Elf tribe honour go?”

“Looks like it was blown far away Should be a star now”

A really miserable conversation

“Speaking about elves people iine noble persons you can’t approach, but it’s a rather extree”

When I was about to walk out in the corridor with Gai, Kadona suddenly peered into the classroom

“She changed too much and is now a different person As if she reincarnated … Oh well, thanks to that she’s blending in the class, so I’lad”

“Isn’t she blending toodeeper and deeper… It feels like she fell too o back”

“Yeah, totally”

There was nothing to object

“What Mamoru told her influenced her in various ways As expected of the class president”

Gai tapped htly

“No, rather than my influence, I think it’s more like Elko always had it in her and it just bloomed…”

Seems like no matter the world, Otaku are everywhere

You don’t become one, you just awaken one day

“I see, this chapter really had this ! If you read it only once you think it’s just slice of life, but it is not! Which reminds me, in his previous work the author skillfully set up a device, and it was used in an unexpected way in the second half Truly a God! A God Mangaka!”

A little away fro a desk in exciteether

And like this ーー A new friend was added to Itoku