It was afternoon. Yulitia had spiraled back into her "Is there anything I can do for you?" loop yet again, so I finally surrendered and let her take me for a stroll that doubled as a sunbathing session.
In this fantasy world, wheelchairs seemed designed primarily for caretakers to push. At least, the church in this city didn't have any self-propelled models that the rider could move themselves. Given the complete lack of "barrier-free" infrastructure in this world, I suppose they hadn't caught on yet due to safety concerns.
That said, the frame and wheels were made from monster materials and were quite sturdy. Aside from the lack of suspension making the ride rattle over rough roads and the fact that sitting in it too long made my body ache, it wasn't a bad piece of equipment compared to those on Earth. I’d been worried I’d be stuck with some janky wooden toy, so this was a pleasant surprise.
Actually, there were quite a few moments in this world where Earth—or more specifically, Japanese—customs and concepts translated perfectly. It made me wonder if this world was originally some "fake fantasy" dreamt up by a Japanese person.
For example, Yulitia’s hair was a pale sakura-colored hue, and the people of this world recognized it as such. Older ladies on the street would often comment, "What lovely sakura-colored hair you have." Did cherry blossoms even exist in this world?
Then there was the existence of the dogeza, Japan’s traditional kneeling apology, and the way knights who committed a dishonorable act would talk about "slitting their bellies" to atone. Thanks to those familiarities, I’d been able to adapt to this life as a reincarnator, but every now and then, a strange sense of dissonance would wash over me.
Anyway, back to the walk.
Yulitia was currently pushing my wheelchair as we navigated the city.
"Senpai, is there anywhere else you’d like to go? Please, don't hesitate to say so. I'll go with you anywhere!"
"O-oh, sure."
Yulitia’s lively voice drifted over from right behind my head. I might have been imagining it, but I felt like there was a certain weight to the word "anywhere." The youngest "mother" of our party seemed to have taken an immense liking to this caregiver role.
"~♪ ~♪"
Beside us, our party’s eldest "little girl" was sauntering along in a fantastic mood, happily munching on an apple candy. You really do love sweets, don't you, Master...?
As for me, I was dressed in plain clothes—nothing about my outfit suggested I was an adventurer—and I wore a black eye patch to hide the scar on my right eye. It wasn't the medical kind that hooked over the ear; it was the rugged type that wrapped around the head to cover everything from the eye to the cheek, a staple of manga and games. I felt a bit self-conscious admitting it, but I thought it looked pretty damn cool. My inner teenager was definitely enjoying the aesthetic.
We left the street bustling with stalls behind, the wheelchair rolling leisurely along the edge of the path to stay out of the way.
"Hmm... the weather is so nice. It might be lovely to relax in the plaza for a bit. There’s a nice breeze, too; a nap would feel wonderful..."
That was a great idea. It was just about the time of day when drowsiness sets in, and dozing off among the flowers while the wind brushed past would be heaven.
"..................U-um, by the way, Senpai, there’s something I’ve wanted to try just once. Like, um... l-lap pi—ugh, mumble mumble..."
That was also a great idea. I’d love for her to give Master a lap pillow. Characters who met a tragic end in the original story, now surviving and sharing a lap pillow—yep, I’d need to get a photo of that and frame it.
"Then let's head to the plaza."
"Fueh?! E-eh, a-ah, um, Senpai, does that mean... you mean... I-I can...?"
I meant for Master, of course. I won't deny that I’m attracted to her as a man, but with Yulitia as the partner... I felt like the guards would come sprinting over to arrest me.
The wheelchair, which had grown slightly unsteady, was about to turn a corner toward the plaza when I noticed something.
"...Hm?"
Right by the tool shop across from us, a boy stood frozen, staring at us in a daze. Yulitia noticed him immediately too and let out a small gasp.
"...An acquaintance?"
"Well, an acquaintance, or rather... I saw him for a moment outside while I was hunting monsters this morning..."
When she put it that way, I saw that the boy’s outfit was indeed that of a rookie. The way he wore a headband featuring the Sword & Wand—the Adventurer's Emblem—felt very fresh.
"Did you form a party with him?"
"...I won't form a party with outsiders."
Whoa, she shut that down with a seriously intense tone. What about that question ruined her mood?
Master, having finished half her apple candy, noticed him too. Master never showed hesitation or restraint. Even though the kid wasn't worth being on guard against, she stepped in front of me with a sharp look in her eyes.
"Hey, boy. Do you have business with us?"
"...Hah!"
The boy snapped back to reality. I had no idea why he’d been staring, but he scrambled to regain his composure.
"Y-yeah. We meet again."
"Eh? Ah, yes..."
For some reason, he replied to Yulitia with a nervous expression, completely ignoring Master who had actually spoken to him.
Hey kid, if you do that, Master is going to—
"Hey, you! Don't ignore me!! What an ill-mannered brat!!"
"H-huh? What? You're the one who looks like a brat."
Having had her landmines stepped on twice in a row, Master promptly snapped. She turned back to me with a vein throbbing in her forehead and a "lovely" smile.
"Wolka, I'm going to go beat him up for a second."
"Master, the apple candy. You still have half left."
You idiot...! You stupid kid...! Why would you bungee jump toward a bed of spikes like that?!
But I suppose I couldn't blame him. Master really was tiny. When I first met her, I’d also mistaken her for a child and gotten a mouthful for it.
Anyway, I had to divert Master's attention. This was no joke; Master really would beat people like him to a pulp. I’d lost count of how many victims I’d seen get blasted away by magic to the face.
"If you aren't going to finish it, Master... I'll eat it myself."
"Eh? Ah, then do you want to share it, Wolka?"
"Hm?"
Wait, that wasn't the reaction I expected. Usually, the gluttonous Master would get possessive and snap, "I'm not giving you any!!" then ignore everything else to focus on her candy.
Oh well, I’d let Yulitia handle the boy. He clearly wanted to talk to her.
Yulitia obviously wasn't interested, but since he’d addressed her, she seemed to feel she had no choice.
"Um... did you need something?"
"N-no, not exactly. I just happened to see you..."
The boy replied with an air of bashful innocence. Meanwhile, I was currently facing a public execution.
"Geez, if you wanted some, Wolka, you should have just said so. Here, say ahhh!"
"A-ahh...?"
For some reason, Master’s "Master Mode" had completely evaporated, and she was currently feeding me like a toddler in broad daylight. Someone call a guard; I’d almost prefer to be hauled away than endure this embarrassment.
"Um, I was curious if an adventurer like you lived in this city, so I asked around at the guild. They said your comrade was injured... is that, um, him...?"
"Y-yes..."
"Ehehe, is it yummy?"
"U-umu."
Stop it, kid. Don't look at me with those pitying eyes.
Ultimately, he seemed to decide to ignore my situation. He turned back to Yulitia.
"S-so. You're the one taking requests and earning money for living expenses right now, right? If it's okay with you..."
At this point, I had a pretty good idea of what the boy was going to say.
Since even I knew, Yulitia must have seen through him perfectly. The boy making up his mind to speak and Yulitia coldly bowing her head happened almost simultaneously.
"Me and a pa—"
"If you're inviting me to join a party, I'll pass. I don't need one."
"Gafuh...!"
Hang in there, kid...! It's just a hole blown through your chest...!
But I saw his point; he wanted to form a party with Yulitia. If he’d asked around at the guild, he surely knew that Silvery Grey was an A-rank party.
In contrast, the boy was probably D-rank, or C-rank at best. To invite someone despite that rank difference meant...
Ah, I see—the realization washed over me.
Come to think of it, this was a new encounter that was impossible in the "original story."
In the original plot, we were just a disposable mob party that had perished in that battle. There was no future where Yulitia and this boy would have ever met.
That's right. If we managed to overturn our doomed end, then from now on, Master and the others will meet even more people and live on by weaving bonds that weren't in the original narrative.
Thinking about it that way was quite moving. Especially since Yulitia had entered the world of adventurers so young, she had almost no friends her own age. How wonderful would it be if she could meet people, form bonds, and enjoy a youth filled with both the bitter and the sweet?
Even a normal childhood was something the original story had denied her.
Therefore, I wanted to welcome these kinds of encounters. Well met, boy. I'm actually glad to have met you.
However, I had to admit his proposal was doomed. Yulitia was incredibly wary when it came to these kinds of invitations.
Perhaps because of her timid personality, Yulitia had always attracted the wrong kind of attention from men. Since she was shy and soft-spoken, she wasn't good at brushing them off, and more than once, someone had tried to lead her to a deserted part of town.
After those experiences, her wariness toward unknown men had become ironclad. Inviting her to a party out of the blue before they even knew each other was a fatal mistake.
Sure enough, the gaze Yulitia directed at the boy was frigid.
"W-wait! I know my rank isn't high yet, but I understand how a party works—"
"...Are you planning on stalking me like the others? It's honestly a nuisance."
"Gahaa...!"
Don't die, kid...! It’s just a mortal wound...!
Sadly, the boy had done nothing wrong. Even if their ranks were far apart, I couldn't fault him for wanting to form a party with someone he was interested in.
The ones he should hate were the scum from the past who had made Yulitia feel so threatened.
"Hey, Wolka, do you want more? Let's buy another one and share it."
"Sorry, Master, wait a second."
I pushed aside Master, who was still stuck in "little girl" mode.
"Um... look, it's not that you're a bad guy. This girl has had a lot of bad experiences with persistent people—"
"...!"
I tried to back the kid up, but for some reason, he glared at me as if I were his mortal enemy. Wait, is this my fault?
The boy’s fists trembled.
"...So you really are that man's..."
"Eh... y-yes."
"Woolkaaa!"
"Mgh."
Just as Yulitia was about to answer, Master—who had grown grumpy from being ignored—angrily shoved the apple candy into my mouth. What was that for?!
"Ignore a guy like that and talk to me! Come on, let's go buy another one!"
"Mgn-mgn-mgn! (Hey, I'm in the middle of a conversation!)"
"Someone... precious... um, that is... auh."
"Don't think you've won!"
While I was distracted by Master, the boy yelled a textbook parting line and sprinted away.
A silence followed.
Well, it seemed Yulitia had successfully rejected him. Since he was inviting someone who already belonged to a party, the boy must have expected a "no." Even so, the fact that he was shocked enough to run away meant his feelings for Yulitia were probably genuine.
"? It seems he finally gave up. Well, Senpai, shall we go?"
"...Mgh."
Hang in there, kid. For now, Yulitia only recognizes you as "Adventurer A." If you want her to acknowledge you, the only path is to move your arms instead of your mouth and grow stronger. Speak with your sword.
"Yulitia."
"Yes?"
"If there’s ever someone you think you can rely on... it's okay for you to try forming a party with them. Don't worry about me."
"Fufu, oh Senpai. There’s no way such a person exists."
Did she have to be that blunt? If the kid heard that, he'd be on his knees. I understood she was introverted, but rejecting others to this extent was a bit concerning—
"—Senpai."
It was sudden.
She was right at my ear. Close enough that I could feel her breath. It felt as though she were holding me with those small arms in a hopelessly gentle embrace.
"I'll be by your side forever. That's alright, isn't it, Senpai?"
It was the usual Yulitia. Her voice was gentle, her demeanor was lovely, and she was full of the same consideration she always showed.
"...I-Is that so...?"
"Yes!"
But for some reason—some inexplicable reason—a chill ran down my spine. I couldn't even bring myself to look back.