kscans

Chapter 92 - Though I Took a Detour

"Ugh..."

I wake up feeling suffocated. When I open my eyes, I see a foot in my vision. Someone's foot is resting on my face. That seems to be the cause of my breathlessness.

"...Rika, honestly..."

I move Rika's foot away and sit up. Looking around the room, I see everyone except Hiro sprawled out sleeping in various positions. Akatsuki and Sarna-chan are lying in relatively well-behaved postures, but... my daughter is, well...

"I'd be happy as a mother if she acted a bit more ladylike."

After that, we each chose movies and went to Hiro's family home for a viewing party... But oh my, it was terrible. There are still several movies left, but so far they've all been duds. We reached our limit with how boring they were and everyone fell asleep. We decided to stay the night and resume when we wake up, and that's when we all collapsed.

"...I hope the remaining ones are hits."

Grumbling to myself, I leave Hiro's room without waking anyone. Following his presence, I walk steadily and reach the veranda. On the veranda, Hiro is smoking a cigarette with a hip flask in hand. A present from those two.

"Mind if I sit next to you?"

"Please, go ahead."

I sit down, leaving about a fist's width of distance between us.

"Man... they were surprisingly terrible."

"They really were."

"I had a bad feeling from the start. The packages alone were giving off a miasma..."

Hiro starts talking like a dam has burst. He's always been like this. I'm fine now, but back then I wasn't very good at chatting... or rather, communication itself. Part of it is probably that Hiro himself likes to talk. But I understand now. He was making sure the conversation never stopped so that a serious, awkward little girl wouldn't have to worry about it.

(Ah... I really do love him.)

Before I knew it, I had fallen for this profile of his. It's dazzling like summer sunlight, but without any harshness, with a gentle warmth that draws you close. I used to think I could watch this profile forever and ever. Then why did I leave?

(Fear and guilt.)

Looking back, I think it was foolish. But back then, those two emotions weighed heavily on me. I remember our first meeting. Satou was desperately fighting against the underworld outlaws, leading Takahashi and Suzuki. Watching that scene, I felt genuine surprise. Even though it looked like a hopeless situation from the outside, why did they seem so cheerful? While thinking that, I intervened at the last moment... and our relationship began.

Yes, at first I was the stronger one. Overwhelmingly so.

When did I notice that abnormality? Hiro never loses. He always achieves victory. There were many battles where I couldn't see a chance of winning, where it seemed impossible. I'm not the type to die quietly either, so even in such situations I would resist, but I never thought we could actually win. At least one arrow. Even if we died, we wouldn't die for nothing, that kind of defiant resistance. I think Takahashi, Suzuki... and Hiro were all fighting with similar feelings.

(But we won.)

He supplemented what was missing for victory and seized it. Let me use numbers for an easy example. Say the enemy has 100 power and our four people have only 90. The breakdown would be me with 70 and the three of them with 8, 6, and 6. To win, we need to exceed the opponent by even 1. Hiro would fill that missing 11 through his own growth and lead us to victory. If it happened just once, you could say his power awakened when pushed into a corner.

But what if it continued repeatedly?

Anyone would understand that abnormality. Especially since we had the visible indicator of awakening stages. Even when Takahashi and Suzuki awakened their unique abilities, Hiro remained at the first stage. Yet he was stronger than both of them. Every time he was pushed into a corner, Hiro continued to grow stronger. Shortly before the two went their separate ways, he had almost reached my level. Takahashi and Suzuki, who were closest to him, must have thought it. I thought it too.

If Hiro had been alone, wouldn't his growth have been different?

In the earlier example, what was missing was 11. But if Hiro fought alone, it would be 93. I think it's absurd. But watching Hiro grow again and again, you'd have to think it. Even fighting alone, he would have filled that missing 93 and achieved victory. But I... no, Takahashi and Suzuki also looked away.

(Because we didn't want to think of someone we loved so much, our dear friend, as some incomprehensible monster.)

So I looked away from the fear that sprouted within me. Looking back now, I can say definitively that was wrong, but back then when everything was immature, I couldn't understand that.

(I became aware of the guilt around the time the end of our battles came into sight.)

I was probably feeling it before that too. I just couldn't notice because I was looking away from this as well. For me, born in the supernatural world and continuing to live in it, Hiro was someone I admired. Like a sparkling jewel... I was always envious. I wished I could live like that too. The more precious I thought he was, the more my guilt grew. Though Hiro got involved in the supernatural world, he continued to throw himself into harsh battles after that... for my sake. He stayed by my side to protect me. I was saved again and again. Without Hiro, I would have been offered as a sacrificial lamb to Yanagi and Onisaki's ridiculous plans.

When it was all over, would I have the right to stay by his side?

That thought led to our parting that day. Even after starting my life in the surface world, I could have contacted him if I wanted to. Yet I didn't, because I was looking away from my fear and guilt.

(I took quite a detour...)

I don't regret it. I was easily deceived by a foolish man and lost many things, but even so, I was able to meet Rika, an irreplaceable treasure. I took a detour and made various mistakes, but I can say with pride that this was my path.

"Hey, Hiro."

"Yeah?"

"You know, I used to be afraid of you."

"I see."

"And I also felt guilty, like it was my fault."

"I see."

"Yeah."

Without asking deeply, Hiro smiled. That's right. That's the kind of person he is. Even the things I thought were ugly, the things I wanted to look away from, he accepts with a smile.

(That's unfair... so cool...)

The distance of one fist's width is both frustrating and comfortable. I love you, I can't quite say those words... but now there's no need to rush. Because I was able to meet him again with honest feelings.

"...Well, after I finish this smoke, let's wake everyone up and continue the viewing party."

"Right!"