My current life can be described as enjoyable.
When my mother and father divorced due to my father’s infidelity, I felt anxious. Although I was once taken to another world, it’s not something I’d call a good memory, but I can laugh and say, “That happened, didn’t it?”
Losing my roommate, who joined me on this path, is the memory that makes me saddest lately.
However, I had friends who filled that void, so I didn’t have time to feel depressed.
“Absolutely NO! I refuse, gozaru!!”
Today, I need to consult with Minami-chan, one of my noisy friends.
I initially consulted Karen-chan, but due to the flow of the conversation, I had to consult Minami-chan as well.
“Taking Masaru to a mixer is an absolute NO, gozaru!! You should use Kitamiya’s connections, gozaru!!”
You see, the trigger was when my school friends suggested having a mixer.
I’m also a girl of dating age, and it’s not like I’m uninterested in romance.
Seeing Jirou-san and Kaidou-san getting along with Suella-san and Amili-san makes me honestly envious.
So, I was a bit interested in the idea of a mixer, and it became a topic of discussion.
However, unfortunately, including my friends, I had almost no male connections to hold a mixer.
Amidst friends lamenting, “Farewell, youth!”, the arrow of request pointed at me, who was working a part-time job.
“Don’t you know anyone good from your part-time job!?”
This was the trigger for my friend’s words.
I understood that “good person” implied someone in the category of a lover, but I made a mistake here.
“Well, if you say there is, there is.”
My clumsy Japanese, still not mastering the pronunciation, uttered those words.
“God, Buddha, Amelia-sama!!”
“Please, save us!!”
“We’ll lend you the money from our saved part-time wages to pay for the mixer’s food, so give us an encounter!!”
The “good people” I categorized were not just Jirou-san, Kaidou-san, and Masaru-kun from the party, but also included various people from different races who helped me when I was under the Demon Lord’s control.
It’s true that they exist, but naturally, I can’t arrange for them to meet.
However, my friends, who were kidnapped to another world, fell behind in their studies, had their memories manipulated, and were caught up in ordinary incidents, had to give up various holidays to concentrate on studying, leaving them no time to enjoy romance.
Sympathizing with them on that point, I could have refused here, but thinking that asking was okay as a long shot turned out to be my bad luck.
“Hmm, I’ll try asking.”
“Please!!”
But I was troubled by the result, as they seemed to be looking forward to it more than I had expected.
My first consultation was with Jirou-san.
“Huh? A mixer?”
“Yes! My friends asked me to introduce someone.”
“Ah, I see.”
Jirou-san, who had been listening to me while scratching his head amidst his busy work, pondered the matter while processing documents.
“Due to confidentiality issues… it’s probably impossible to bring anyone from the other world. If it were possible, it would have to be one of the Testers. However, even then, precautions would need to be taken to prevent leaks.”
My casual inquiry about a mixer with people from another world was met with a rejection. I expected this, as I had asked as a long shot.
“Our company allows freedom in relationships, as long as you don’t go overboard.”
So, the plan was to look for members from among the Testers. However, it proved more difficult than I anticipated.
“Haa…”
I asked everyone I knew, but received no positive replies. I was in trouble, truly in trouble.
It was then that…
“What’s wrong?”
Karen-chan asked me.
And that’s why I’m consulting with Minami-chan now.
“It’s a NO, gozaru! Even though they’re Amy-chan’s friends, I oppose Masaru participating, gozaru!!”
“Well, that’s how it would be.”
“Besides, is Kitamiya okay with this!?”
“It’s not okay. But, because of that, I can’t dismiss Amy’s request.”
“That’s true, gozaru, I suppose.”
“Right? Besides, I thought if you were here too, we might be able to come up with a solution.”
“Kitamiya, do you think I, who is suited to this place, can be useful in an event like a mixer, which is done by cheerful, popular groups of people, gozaru?”
“…My mistake.”
“It’s good if you realize that, gozaru.”
“What’s your triumphant declaration for making baseless claims?”
“It’s a hollow victory, gozaru.”
In the end, no solution was found. It was too much to ask Masaru to participate in a mixer in front of the two people who harbored feelings for him.
“Well, I could introduce you to Giants, Demons, or Dark Elves, gozaru.”
“Actually, why do you know so many people from those sides?”
“I guess the atmosphere here suits me better, gozaru.”
That left my last hope.
“Alright. I’ll try approaching my male friends from university.”
“You should have done that from the beginning, gozaru.”
“That’s true.”
As I watched her, Karen-chan, with a slight wry smile, said she would try to sort things out.
“It must be tough being a popular person, gozaru.”
“It’s strange how your words carry weight when you say that.”
“It’s fine. Right, Amy-chan?”
“Hahaha, No Comment.”
“Why is that part in native English!?”
Thinking, “This is probably okay for now.”
“Well then, I’ll contact you when the members are gathered.”
“Yeah! Thank you, Karen-chan!”
I was looking forward to it a little.
The next day of school.
“Hey, hey!! Amelia-san, is the email true!?”
As I was preparing for the first class in the classroom, Izawa-san, a classmate, spoke to me with an atmosphere suggesting excitement and lack of sleep for this early in the morning.
“Come on, Hito-chan, Amelia-san is surprised.”
“But it’s a mixer with university students, a mixer!! How can you not be excited about this, Ayana!!”
I assume the cause is the email I sent before sleeping last night.
“It’s alright, Sasagawa-san. Besides, I haven’t received confirmation from my senpai at work yet, so it’s not definite!”
“Oh, I see.”
“Geez, Hito. That’s rude to Amelia-san.”
It’s nice that they’re looking forward to it.
“Ah, right. Sorry.”
“No, it’s okay.”
I myself am also looking forward to the mixer a little.
“You’re energetic this morning, what are you talking about?”
“Ah! Class representative, listen to this! Actually, Amelia-san might be able to have a mixer with university students through her senpai.”
“Oh, that’s nice. Which university?”
“Ah, right. Which university? It’s okay to ask that, isn’t it?”
Class representative Saeki-san also joined the conversation.
“Um, I believe it’s K University. She said Karen-chan’s male friends.”
“K University!? Amelia-san’s senpai is amazing.”
“You can have a mixer with someone from K University!?”
The university Karen-chan attends is famous, so Izawa-san and Saeki-san know of it.
“Eh!? You’re having a mixer with someone from K University?”
“Seriously, lucky.”
As we talked about it in the classroom, more and more people gathered around my seat.
“Hey, hey, what kind of people are they?”
“How do you know older guys?”
“I want to participate too!!”
And so began the barrage of questions, and I became a little flustered. I wouldn’t be like this even in a battle within a dungeon, but with questions coming one after another, I didn’t know who to answer first.
“Um, it’s not decided yet! So…”
“Alright, alright! Miyagawa-san is troubled, and class is about to start, so everyone go back to your seats. It’s okay to talk during lunch break, right?”
Saeki-san offered me a lifeline as I was troubled. I felt relieved as my classmates returned to their seats without being demanding.
“Tell me about it later, okay?”
Saeki-san returned to her seat, winking. I couldn’t help but smile, wondering what I could explain when I didn’t even know the other party yet.
I continued my class, feeling the occasional gazes from my classmates.
It was a normal class in Japan, unlike the library given to me by Mike. Classical literature is difficult, but I’m still managing to score above average on tests.
Moreover, thanks to Mike teaching me various things, studying isn’t a chore. I can even enjoy studying.
Mike taught me the importance and preciousness of learning.
“?”
However, during class, I suddenly felt an unusual gaze. At first, I thought it was the girls in the class looking at me again, but the angle of the gaze wasn’t from any of the girls.
I wonder who it is.
When I felt the gaze, I glanced in that direction.
Suzuki-kun?
He was a classmate who had a deep connection with the bishop of Isal in the other world. His ability was to see through lies, so I knew him well.
He also had his memories sealed when he returned to this world, so he shouldn’t have any connection with me.
I wondered why he was looking at me, but since there was no malice, I focused on my class.
Then, during lunch break, while eating lunch in the classroom.
“Hm?”
At first, they were still asking me various things from the morning, but once they understood that nothing was decided yet, they quieted down. Sitting next to me to share lunch were Izawa-san and Sasagawa-san.
“What is it, Amelia-san?”
“I received a message from Karen-chan, ah, and there’s a photo too.”
A notification came through the messaging app on my smartphone, which I had taken out of my bag. The message was quite simple.
“Is this okay?”
Although it was a bit curt, I was surprised by the swift action and looked at the photo. There were five men in it.
When I showed it to the two of them,
“Oh! Quite handsome.”
“They look like kind people.”
The photo, showing five men who seemed to be good friends, seemed to have been taken at their university, judging by the background, and sent immediately.
Izawa-san and Sasagawa-san were happily looking at the photo.
“Eh!? The mixer partners are decided already!? Show me, show me!”
When my classmates heard about it, they quickly gathered around.
“They’re handsome!”
“Eh, they look normal!”
“But they seem like nice guys!”
“I think I like this one.”
It was great that the mixer event was causing so much excitement, but…
“Oh, my phone.”
My smartphone was constantly being passed around.
“Well, it can’t be helped. It’s not like we meet older men often.”
“That’s true.”
Some classmates were so excited they even stopped eating their lunch to look; I never imagined it would become such a big deal.
It took nearly ten minutes for my phone to return to my hand.
“There are five partners, right!? Are the participants decided!?”
“If there’s an opening, I want to go!!”
“Ah, that’s unfair!! Me too, me too!!”
“Um…”
As the classmates crowded around me, I was wondering what to do. Then, my smartphone received another notification. When I looked,
“For now, I’ve made them close in age to Amī, so they’re all minors. No worries about alcohol, so is karaoke okay?”
This was an additional message from Karen-chan. I had no choice but to convey the message.
Karen-chan’s thoughtfulness was felt, as it was a mixer with minors.
“Um, the partners are only a year or two older than us.”
“If they’re close in age, does that mean they just entered university this year?”
“Probably, but that’s better, right? I hear that if they’re adults, they might take you to strange places.”
“That’s true. Karaoke might be safer.”
The classmates felt the same way. Some who were a little worried were more enthusiastic upon hearing that they were close in age.
Is this an unfavorable turn of events?
This mixer was originally something Izawa-san, Sasagawa-san, and I were discussing. Now, it’s gradually becoming a topic of who will participate.
“Hold on!! What are you talking about without my permission!! This is a mixer that I, Ayana, and Amelia-san were discussing! If anyone else is participating, it’s limited to two more people!”
Izawa-san, pouring oil on the flames, intervened, causing the classmates’ gazes to turn a little scary.
“…”
“…”
“…”
Seeing that scene, I thought it was quite similar to the atmosphere I felt in the dungeon; it’s a secret in my heart.
“Alright. Let’s do this fairly.”
Saeki-san stood up.
“Let’s have two people pair up and play rock-paper-scissors, and the last two remaining will be chosen. This way, there will be no grudges or complaints.”
However, this suggestion was not a good one. The classmates, who were glaring with determination, momentarily intimidated me with their spirit.
“Are… are you sure?”
Feeling anxious that they might start fighting, I expressed my concern to Saeki-san.
“It’s alright, don’t worry, Miyagawa-san.”
I felt relieved as she gently reassured me.
“I’ve never lost rock-paper-scissors in my life.”
Saeki-san, with her usual calm demeanor replaced by a fighting spirit like Jirou-san’s, declared, “They’re coming to trample me!”
My heart screamed, “No, it’s not like that!” As Izawa-san gently patted my shoulder.
“Amelia-san, this is a battle of women.”
Hearing that, I thought Japan was a little scary. I could only stare blankly, observing the difference between the victors and the defeated.
Today’s word: The value of people varies, as does their passion.
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