Early on a bright, clear morning, I stood in the garden of the mansion as Yuzuki-san dashed about the grounds at an incredible speed.
“Miyama-senpa~i! This really is fun, after all!”
“It’s truly fast. It’s almost hard to track you with my eyes.”
“Ah—if only I could enter a tournament like this. I’d definitely take first place.”
“Ahaha, no doubt.”
It had only happened the other day, but Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san had awakened to their magic power almost simultaneously. Just as Kuro had predicted, perhaps because they were otherworlders, they each possessed extraordinary talent.
Yuzuki-san seemed to have an incredible aptitude for physical enhancement magic. Within days of awakening her power, she had gained physical capabilities that were practically superhuman. Since she was already a gifted runner, it seemed even Lilia-san and her guards were no match for her speed.
By the way, physical enhancement magic itself is a fundamental spell—the basics of the basics—and I could use it too. Unfortunately, I had absolutely no talent for it.
Originally, Yuzuki-san could run the 100-meter dash in about 12 seconds. She was already much faster than me—I usually clocked in at around 14—but with physical enhancement, she could cover 100 meters in... about one second. That’s over 300 kilometers per hour.
Yes, with magic, Yuzuki-san could run as fast as a bullet train. Magic really is terrifyingly impressive.
On the other hand, when I used physical enhancement, my 14-second sprint became... 13 seconds. To be blunt, the change was barely more than a margin of error.
Kusunoki-san didn’t have any unique magic, but she had an abnormally high aptitude for earth-attribute magic. She could already use mid-level earth spells.
As things stood, if you ranked our magical proficiency in terms of combat power, I was the weakest.
There weren't really any opportunities for fighting, so high combat power didn't mean much, but as a guy, it was still a bit disappointing. I knew this was a peaceful world where using attack magic in cities was forbidden, and I didn't have the slightest desire to go out and fight monsters.
And yet... I was still a guy. There was no way I wouldn't admire cool attack magic, and I wanted to at least have the means to protect myself in a pinch.
“...So, I was wondering if there was anything you could do?”
“...Eh?”
Kuro hadn't shown up for the past few days, presumably because she was busy, but she appeared this morning. I told her what had happened and made my request. Kuro wore a rare, bewildered expression, as if my question had come completely out of left field.
“N-No, Kaito-kun. Isn't this the part where you're supposed to grill me about what Chronoa-chan told you? Like, shouldn't there be a dramatic scene where you yell, ‘Kuro, who on earth are you?!’”
“...Huh? Wait, why do you know about that?”
“Chronoa-chan is very serious, you know. She went out of her way to come to me and apologize, saying she’d given you that information without getting my permission first.”
“That sounds just like her.”
I didn't know if the concept of personal privacy existed in this world, but it seemed Chronoa-san had properly apologized to Kuro for revealing her past, even if it was after the fact. She really was like Lilia-san; she had an incredibly upright and dutiful personality.
“Well, setting that aside...”
“Setting it aside?! No, no, wait, Kaito-kun. Wasn't that a pretty shocking revelation?”
“Well, I was surprised, and I have a lot of thoughts about it, but... honestly, I’ve gotten ‘used to’ unimaginable things happening to me.”
“...Kaito-kun, you've become strangely resilient.”
It wasn't that I didn't care about the past I’d heard from Chronoa-san—I certainly was shocked—but after thinking it over in my own way, I’d concluded that overthinking it didn't really help.
“B-But look! Aren't you curious about my true form?”
“Oh, you mean the black smoke thing? Hmm. So basically, you're like a Cotton Candy Monster, right?”
“That's completely wrong?!”
“I see. Well, regardless... I don’t really care about that.”
“Eeeeeeh?!”
Drinking my coffee, I watched Kuro get flustered and thought it was quite charming. There was no doubt that the news of her invading the God Realm or hiding her true power had been a shock. I’d spent a lot of time dwelling on it the day I found out.
“But even if I asked, you’d probably just dodge the question anyway...”
“Ugh... w-well, you don’t know that. I might have given you a hint!”
But even after thinking about it, what did it change? Suppose Kuro was actually a terrible person; there was nothing I could do about it. Her power was so far beyond mine that it wasn't even a comparison. I couldn't stop her if I wanted to.
On the flip side, if she was just the good-natured person she seemed to be, then there was no problem at all. Basically, thinking about it didn't solve anything. And besides...
“Even if you invaded the God Realm with malice in the past, or even if you have some hidden agenda for looking after me... it doesn't change my gratitude toward you. You’re a precious friend to me, and I don’t think that’s going to change. So, it doesn’t really matter.”
“...D-Damn... You're being so cool that I can't even argue...”
“So, if you want to tell me yourself, I’d love to listen. I want to know more about you. But I’m not in any rush to force it out of you.”
“...Mmph.”
That was the conclusion I’d reached. If she wanted to share, I wanted to hear it, but I didn't want to pry into things she wasn't ready to talk about. So, I wouldn't push her.
I wouldn't just sit and wait, though. I’d keep thinking and learning more about her on my own. I figured the answers would come naturally in time. I suppose I’d finally adjusted to this world, seeing as I could think so calmly now.
Kuro puffed out her cheeks as if sulking, seemingly annoyed that I’d won the argument but unable to find a retort. She looked so much like a child that I instinctively reached out and poked her inflated cheek.
“Hyau?! K-K-Kaito-kun?! What was that for?!”
“Oh? That’s a new reaction...”
“Poking a girl’s cheek like that is cell-hara!”
“...It’s seku-hara.”
“Muuuu.”
“Ahaha, sorry, sorry.”
The way our usual roles had swapped was so funny that I couldn't help but laugh. Kuro looked even more disgruntled, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster with a mouth full of sunflower seeds. She was too cute to be intimidating.
“...It’s not like my heart is racing or anything. I was just a little surprised that Kaito-kun has become the cool type of guy I like...”
“Hm? Did you say something?”
“Nothing! You dummy, Kaito-kun!!”
“I said I’m sorry...”
Until now, perhaps because of my gratitude for her saving me, I’d always kept a bit of distance between us. But now that I’d taken the leap to close that distance, I was seeing a whole new side of her.
There was no need to jump to conclusions based on what others said. I would look at Kuro with my own eyes, figure out who she was, and decide how to be with her at my own pace.
Well, for now, I should probably focus on appeasing my disgruntled princess...
Dear Mother, Father—
I have a lot on my mind, and I can't say I’m not anxious. But even without any real proof, I feel like... I’ve managed to get a little closer to Kuro.