Episode 92: Encounter with a Friend's Younger Sister

I was on my way back from a convenience store just a short distance from Kaiser’s place.

I walked along, my arm hooked through the loops of a plastic bag filled with snacks, juice, and a few tubs of ice cream. I was doing my best to retrace my steps, though my memories of these streets felt increasingly hazy.

It’d be pretty pathetic if I got lost now, especially after acting so confident when I left...

I spent a few minutes muttering to myself like that until I finally reached the neighborhood near Kaiser’s house. I was starting to feel a genuine sense of relief—right up until I heard the voices.

"...Please stop."

"Hey now. You say 'stop,' but we haven't actually done anything yet, have we?"

"It’s dangerous for a cute girl to be out all alone at a time like this. Think of this as a gesture of goodwill. Pure goodwill."

At the corner leading toward Kaiser’s house, with the time fast approaching nine o'clock, a girl in a sailor uniform was being accosted by a pair of men who looked like college students.

Even in the darkness of the night, her crimson eyes and beautiful black hair stood out. She looked familiar. If I wasn't mistaken, this girl was probably...

I cut off that train of thought and stepped in to put an end to it.

"Hey. You guys. What do you think you’re doing?"

"Hah? What’s your problem? You think we’re actually gonna lay a hand on her or something?"

I could feel the vulgarity dripping off their gaze. I’d seen that same look directed at the Summoned Beasts back in the other world, and I knew exactly what their ulterior motives were. Without thinking, I took a step forward to shield her.

"...And you are?" she asked.

"Sorry for butting in," I said. "But look, this girl is my friend’s sister. I’ll be seeing her home, so you can move along."

My memory was a bit thin since I’d only seen her in a photo, but I recalled Kaiser mentioning he had a younger sister he treasured very much. Even if stumbling across this was a total coincidence, I couldn’t allow a close friend’s sister to be put in danger.

"...Hey now. Are you serious? With that puny frame of yours?"

"Actually, you might not know this, but we’re D-Rank Adventurers. We protect people from monsters, let alone some random creep on the street."

I didn't have a weapon on me, and these college kids were clearly drunk on their own mediocre power. It would have been easy enough to grab her and run, but Kaiser’s house was right around the corner. If they followed us there, it would only lead to more trouble later.

"Look, sweetheart, you’d be much safer with us than with this loser. So—"

"Huh? Why would I ever go anywhere with someone who mocks my brother’s friend? Is your brain actually rotting?"

The girl didn't hold back. The verbal abuse caught the college students completely off guard. They stood there, stunned for a second, before flying into a predictable rage.

"Wha—! I try to be polite, and you spout that crap? Don’t get cocky!"

One of them lunged at the girl behind me. His movements were strictly amateur; there was no way I was going to let a swing like that land.

"Violence is a bit much, don’t you think?"

I used the Aikido-style techniques I’d studied back in Wakuni to catch his momentum. I grabbed their arms and pinned them both to the pavement in one fluid motion.

"Keep struggling and these are going to break. What’s it going to be?"

"Guh—! Why... why can’t I break free from a guy like this!?"

"There’s two of us! How!?"

"You’re Yuika-san, right? Can you call the police?"

"I’ve already called them."

Based on my memories of this world, there was a police box nearby, so help would likely arrive soon. I prepared myself to hold them down for a few more minutes, but one of them must have let the blood rush to his head. A magic circle flickered into existence at his fingertips, and a bolt of fire was unleashed directly toward Yuika-san.

"[Weapon Summon] Gaia Hammer."

The magic never reached her. It was snuffed out, vanishing without a trace against the massive war hammer she had summoned. She then leveled the heavy weapon at the two men I was pinning down.

"So... you said you were D-Rank Adventurers, right? Shall we see how you fare against this?"

Even at a glance, I could tell that weapon was imbued with a destructive level of magic power. It seemed to possess some sort of nullification effect as well. Faced with that, the two men lost every ounce of their fighting spirit and stopped resisting entirely.

We handed the pair over to the police officers when they arrived. A heavy silence hung between us for a while after the sirens faded.

"Thank you for your help, Reima-san," she said eventually. "I'm sorry for the late introduction, but thank you for always looking out for my brother."

"Same here. Kaiser is always helping me out, after all. Sorry I wasn't more useful back there."

"No... I was only able to use that method because they resorted to magic. I know you were just trying to protect me."

After exchanging brief apologies, I told her I was over at Kaiser’s to hang out, and we decided to walk back to the house together.

Since it was so close, we didn't say much on the way. We entered the house normally, and I had just offered a polite "Pardon the intrusion" while heading for the washroom when I heard it.

"Boom! Go, Baal!"

"Wait, tiny one! I am no beast of burden!"

"But you’re so big! Shoulder ride!"

"Forgive me, Master... please, play with her..."

The house was a cacophony of noise. I walked back into the main room to find Baal, a former Demon Lord, acting as a living climbing frame for a black-haired child.