Ore no Osananajimi wa Joshikousei de Yuusha Chapter 2

This happened during the season where Japan is ruled by the chorus of cicadas and the sweltering sun. The closing ceremony marking the start of summer vacation had ended, and we were on our way back home from school.

… I scratched my ears and asked Arina again. That was because I did not understand what she meant.

“A, all right Yuu-kun. I’m sorry I worded it badly so Yuu-kun can’t understand.”

My name is Shimoyama Yuuki.

I have no special hobbies. I am an ordinary person who gets troubled because I can’t say anything much when I have to introduce myself.

Then, the one being self-deprecating in front of me is my childhood friend Sakurai Arina.

Ordinary boy-girl childhood friends would cut off relations once they get to middle school, but this girl had always been so dull that she doesn’t have any other friends. Because she was always alone I can’t leave her on her own, and when I noticed it she had been dragging alongside me ever since grade school.

It’s just me saying this, but if she faced forwards and smiled she had a relatively cute face. If only she had more confidence in herself she could have gotten herself a boyfriend, but….

Back to the topic.

I was about to give her some simple congratulations for her 17th birthday today when she started saying something like this.

―, what?

“I totally have no idea what you’re saying.”

“Being an idiot has nothing to do with it. Even an idiot… Huh? what? A Hero? You?”

While she said that she rummaged her school-mandated bag and took something out.

Arina put it on her head and said, “Look…. the legendary equipment, see?”

The sight of her wearing a deep blue sailor uniform and a thick metal circlet was somewhat bizarre.

[Ahahaha, a joke, huh? That’s not funny at all, you know]

“Umm, that’s not, uh… S, s, sorry!”

This is why I’m just about the only one who could hold a conversation with her, by coaxing this and that out of her, I was able to finally grasp the whole picture.

In the morning of her 17th birthday, this girl’s mother said this:

At this point I already wanted to retort, but I just took it and let it go.

“Mom, I don’t understand.”

“Listen, I’ve never talked about this until now, but your late father was a Hero from another world. So, you who have the Hero’s blood in you have to go on a journey to defeat the Demon King once you turn 17.”

If what she said was true then doesn’t it sound like Auntie is in need of counseling?

“I see. So I, I can use magic.”

Arina stood dumbfounded, making a face like she did not understand why she was being stopped.

“Y, yeah. Is it weird?”

“E, eh… B, but, it’s dangerous.”

I was already prepared to see her fail and was ready to continue the conversation with words to the tune of, [See, there was no magic or anything. You might have mistaken it for something else].

However,

“Fire Magic”

It then scorched a nearby wall black, she stopped it one second late.

This girl really made fire come out.

Arina became flustered over the wrong detail.

“Hey, give me your hand!”

There were no aerosol sprays or tricks like that. To begin with, this girl was not equipped with the brain tissue to make a bluff like that. She is a simpleton but that was exactly why I am obliged to believe in her.

“… can you make something other than fire come out.”

Eh―, what, eh―?

Being too perplexed, my thought process stopped. Arina, who was well attuned to my behaviour said,

Making such a negative misunderstanding, Arina’s face started to contort as she was about to cry.

She needs to get over her dependence on me one day, but right now, rather than that,

“So? … You’re a Hero then?”

“And you’re going on a journey to defeat the Demon King.”

I’m getting a light headache, but in order to make everything clear, the only thing I can do right now is accept what she was talking about.

After being made to consent against my will, I said thus:

“Eh…… EEH!?”

“Uuu…”, she sniffled.

“Please do.”

I agreed, and,

“What? Why?”

“A, a keepsake. I’m sure there will be a lot of difficult things and painful things, but if I can feel Yuu-kun beside me I’ll be alright.”

I thought to say no, but after sending this girl off on her own, I thought it was better if I gave her some assistance.

I handed over a disheveled handkerchief out from my pocket.

She snatched it away like an animal jumping at meat.

“I don’t mind.”

“… like hell I would.”

“No, it’s nothing. T, thank you!”

As I walked while thinking such things, “C, can I have one more thing?”, said Arina, “Yuu-kun’s hair. I wonder if I can have… just… a little bit…”

“I said, um… hair. I heard somewhere long ago that when you talk about keepsakes, it would be a lover’s hair, o, o, of course Arina is not Yuu-kun’s girlfriend or anything but if I can have a little bit of Yuu-kun’s hair I’ll be very lucky.”

“Uh, A, Arina is being creepy, aren’t I?”

Furthermore, I wasn’t going to let go of the chance to give her a present.

“T… Thank you very much! Thank you very much!”

“H, hair… Yuu-kun’s hair… Ehe, … ehehehe.”

Uwaa―.

“T, that’s true isn’t it. B, but, hair, I’ve always wanted this.”

Everyone has a weird hobby or two, as long as nobody finds out she’ll be fine.

I’ll let her do as she wishes.

“What is it.”

I take that back.

“Never, I would never put a curse on Yuu-kun! I didn’t mean to do something like that! I, I just wanted to make a summer full of memories with Yuu-kun before I go.”

“Ah, aaaaaaaaa I’m so sorry! Arina is being lustful! I, I’ll apologize by dying!”

“As my present for the underworld I’ll have Yuu-kun’s uniform…”
“What are you a Datsue-ba?” «TN: Datsue-ba: an old woman who strips the clothes of children who wanted to cross the river to the underworld.»

No good. I can’t let this girl go off on a journey on her own!” «TN: hook, line, and sinker»

Chapter end