Chapter 1.5
01. Visitor from Another World
1-5. Control
"――Huh?"
Suddenly pulled forward, Kururu lost her balance. At the same time, Naota approached swiftly, using his free hand to push up her bangs.
They were just a hair's breadth away from touching. From such close quarters, they gazed into each other's eyes. Then, Naota uttered, in a voice that seemed to spit out a curse, entwining like a viscous thread of sound.
"Would you... be my friend!?"
In an instant, the dim light that had flickered in Naota's eyes intensified, and as if in sympathy, the same light shone in Kururu eyes. Time seemed to stand still as they locked eyes for a few seconds.
"Ah, guh...!"
Falling apart, Naota was the first to kneel on the ground.
"Haah, haah...!"
Pressing hard on his intensely painful right eye, he repeated shallow breaths through his shoulder. His heart was pounding violently, and it was even difficult to lift his face. An extraordinary fatigue, as if he had just sprinted at full speed, weighed heavily on his entire body.
However, amid all this, Naota was smiling. He didn't understand what had just happened, what he had thought and done moments ago. He didn't understand. But he was certain. He was filled with a refreshing sense of reality and achievement.
――It worked.
"Huh? Why did I...?"
Then, a feeble voice came from above. While Naota was still collapsing in front of her, Kururu, who had just been standing there without reacting, spoke.
But she felt a slight discomfort in this puzzling void. After all, in front of her, she saw a familiar figure, kneeling and wheezing in pain.
"Uh, Naota-san...!? Hey, what happened!?"
She hurriedly reached out and supported Naota's body, which seemed about to collapse at any moment. In an instant, she held her breath. Even through his clothes, it was clear that Naota's body, which she touched, was emitting an abnormal amount of heat. The amount of sweat he was producing was also far from normal.
"This such a fever...! Please wait a moment!"
Recognizing Naota's condition was far from normal, Kururu quickly grabbed her shoulder bag. With an uneasy feeling, she thrust her hand inside and began searching frantically.
"I should have some fever medication in here... It's just a basic one, but once you take it, we should go to the hospital—"
As She was about to suggest going, her hand suddenly stopped. It was none other than Naota himself who grabbed Kururu wrist and restrained her.
"You're panicking too much... Kururu. Don't worry, I'm fine..."
"But you don't look fine at all! I'm sorry, I seem to be a little dazed...! What happened!?"
"Nothing, really. I just had a bit of trouble breathing. But there's something more important—"
"What are you saying!? There's nothing more important than this! I'm worried, so let's go to the hospital, just in case."
"Listen, Kururu."
Interrupting her with a plea, Naota was on the verge of losing his breath. Kururu, who looked at his expresion showing a mixture of pain, was at a loss. Yet, Naota continued to smile.
"I really am okay, so please don't worry. I'll be fine after a short rest."
"But..."
"Look. I'm starting to calm down a bit, aren't I?"
With a playful gesture, Naota pointed at himself. He Taking a deep breath, and further regulated his breathing rhythm. Seeing this, Kururu reconsidered. Indeed, he seemed to be gradually calming down.
"...Are you really okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry for worrying you."
"No, it's just..."
Although she hesitated, as long as Naota insisted, Kururu had no choice but to give in.
"Alright, I understand. If that's what you say, Naota-san."
"Thanks. But if anything happens, please tell me right away! I mean it!"
"I get it."
While repeating this several times, it seemed that the conversation was finally coming to a close.
"So, is it okay now? There's something more important I want to confirm."
"Oh, right!"
Appearing somewhat hesitant to broach the subject, Kururu was taken aback by Naota's sudden opening. She remembered. There was a topic that had been left hanging in her concern for Naota. Once again assuming an attentive posture, Kururu inquired.
"What is it, the important thing?"
"Well, you see. There's something I want to make sure with you."
"Make sure of something?"
"Yeah, it might come as a bit of a surprise out of nowhere, but..."
Appearing to be puzzled, she tilted her head in confusion. Naota, who unabashedly met her gaze head-on, continued.
"For you right now, what kind of existence am I?"
"Huh!?"
In an instant, Kururu consciousness jumped.
Clearly flustered, Kururu exclaimed in a flustered voice,
"W-What are you saying!? And suddenly!"
"Sorry, sorry. But confirming this is the most important thing for me right now."
"N-No, what's so important...? Huh!?"
"So please, Kururu."
Protesting in a state of agitation and stumbling over her words, Kururu resisted fiercely. However, with Naota final push, she finally relented.
She pressed her lips together, and slowly released a breath.
"For me, Naota-san is very important, an irreplaceable presence..."
her relaxed gaze flickering, her ears tinged pink with an extreme awareness, it was a maidenly expression so unexpected from the Kururu just moments ago.
"Oh, I see. By the way, how much is that?"
"H-How much...? Um, well, you see..."
Caught off guard by the unexpected follow-up, she averted her gaze, fidgeting her legs in a seiza position, and then another moment of silence.
However, She eventually resigning herself.
"I couldn't imagine living without Naota-san anymore..."
The final phrase was delivered so faintly, it almost seemed to disappear. Since she had her face buried to the limits due to the overwhelming embarrassment, Kururu didn't notice. Naota, who had heard the series of answers, smiled broadly, revealing a somewhat sinister grin.
"Is this enough? I answered honestly."
"Yeah, that's plenty. Thank you, Kururu."
It seemed like she wanted me to spare her from any more question, and steam was hissing from her head like a kettle.
While responding with a smile, Naota was contemplating in the background.
In essence, this seemed to be a skill he gained upon coming to this world, he thought. It was likely an ability to overwrite someone else's perception. What bothered him was why he could suddenly summon this power he had never used before in this critical moment.
Moreover, at that moments, Naota's body moved almost reflexively, without him even being conscious of it. It was as if he had known how to do it from the very beginning.
Why exactly...?
As he held his right eye, Naota wore a solemn expression, lost in thought.
However, he soon arrived at an answer.
It was quite simple. After all, awakening a new ability in a dire situation was a typical pattern for a protagonist.
"Naota-san, is something the matter?"
"Hm? Oh, it's nothing. I was just lost in thought, but now I'm feeling clear-headed."
"I see."
Looking down at him with concern, Kururu asked, and Naota waved his hand in response. It was truly a struggle to hold back his laughter.
"Now that we've got that sorted out..."
With this cue, Naota tried to stand up, putting extra force into his knees. But he immediately wavered, and surprised Kururu hurriedly supported him from below.
"Wait, Naota-san! It's no good if you try to stand up so suddenly! You still need to rest!"
It was then that Naota finally realized. If he didn't lean on her, he wouldn't be able to stand properly. In other words, this seemed to be the price he had to pay for using his power.
It seemed like a useful ability in many ways. However, it also appeared that the recoil was significant, and he would need to be well aware of this.
"Yeah, you're right. I do seem a bit tired. As you said, it's probably best to take a good break somewhere."
—However.
Even so, he couldn't endure it. It was impossible. After all, the upcoming event seemed even more enjoyable than ever.
Ah, he really looked forward to it.
Was there any other ability that could be this enjoyable?
Honestly, what a great thing he had stumbled upon.
Immediately, dark imaginations filled Naota's mind.
However, he said nothing, showing not a hint of it on his face, and spoke to Kururu.
"That's why, Kururu."
Yes.
Now that he understood the ability, the next steps were already clear.
It's decided.
Now then, the long-awaited moment.
Let's get started right away.
"Is there somewhere around here where I can take a nice, leisurely break?"
—It was time to test out the ability.
(Tn : i'm pretty sure this is not a h*ntai novel, did i read it wrong?)
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