Chapter: 40. Nagi’s Dad Life
“Mana-chan, hasn’t she come back yet?”
“Ah, after what happened, I’m sure that as a member of the student council, she has to cooperate with Ark Academy….”
“Eh!? Mana-chan…. is in the student council!?”
“Yes, didn’t she tell you, Nagi?”
After saying goodbye to Amane.
Kanade and Nagi returned to Shikikukan.
“Not at all.” Nagi shook her head.
Immediately, in order to express her disappointment at being kept in the dark by her two closest childhood friends, she slightly lowered her head at a carefully calculated angle, revealing a hint of loneliness.
“As I thought… Mana-chan is just like Kanade-kun?” Nagi’s voice trembled slightly.
“……I’m sorry.”
Kanade felt an unprecedented guilt at the lonely expression of the girl before him, and involuntarily lowered his head to sincerely apologize.
“—Why are you apologizing to me, Kanade-kun?” Nagi’s voice came from above Kanade’s lowered head.
“Because I’ve always kept things from you, Nagi—”
“—But that’s because Kanade-kun wants to protect me… right?”
As Nagi’s gentle voice reached Kanade’s ears, he felt a small but soft hand gently placed on his lowered head.
“So, Kanade-kun didn’t do anything wrong, there’s no need to apologize~”
“Rather, I should be saying to you—thank you for always protecting me.”
“Nagi, I-I didn’t…”
“Kanade-kun has been working hard all this time~ you don’t have to bear it all alone anymore~”
“Nagi…” Kanade’s voice faintly carried a hint of tears.
“From now on, let me help share the burden with you—”
“—No way!”
Just as Nagi thought her carefully trained “complete affirmation training” was about to succeed, Kanade suddenly changed from his usual weak demeanor and assertively interrupted her.
“I won’t let you get involved in these matters, Nagi—” Kanade’s expression was one of determined resolution.
Although Nagi anticipated Kanade would oppose her excessive involvement in the extraordinary world, she didn’t expect his reaction to be so extreme.
After a slight moment of daze, she decided to temporarily avoid a dispute with Kanade on this issue.
“Kanade-kun, you speak just like my dad…” Nagi pretended to be angry, puffing up her cheeks.
“Eh?! F-Father?”
Because so many things had just happened, thoughts of betrayal and threats were tangled in Kanade’s mind, causing him to inadvertently behave in a way that wasn’t like him.
After regaining a bit of composure, he cleared his throat several times.
“In any case, Nagi should stay away from these bad things as much as possible—”
“…Are you planning to make me do ‘dad life’?”
“Pu!? Cough, cough! Do you even know what you’re talking about?” This time, Kanade genuinely choked.
“Are you asking about dad life? Of course I know~ I know quite a few classmates in high school who do that~”
“W-What!?” Kanade was taken aback.
He never imagined that during the time he wasn’t around Nagi, she made friends with quite a few people involved in ‘dad life’ after entering high school!?
In Kanade’s mind, an image of a lively girl with striking blonde hair and sun-kissed skin flashed—Nagi—
“D-Does that mean Nagi you have done, done… done it before?”
“Hah? Are you looking down on me, Kanade-kun? Of course I’ve done it~”
Done it~
It~
Kanade’s head echoed Nagi’s words, growing more distant… just as his consciousness also began to fade.
“Hmph, you underestimate me. ‘Dad life’ means listening to dad and getting pocket money in exchange, right?”
“Eh?”
“Don’t be fooled by my look; at home, I sometimes run errands for my dad and earn pocket money from him~”
“I-I see? That’s really impressive…”
“Hmph, so now you can call me ‘good at dad life’~”
“No, absolutely not, and Nagi, you definitely shouldn’t tell anyone about this…” As Kanade complained, he couldn’t help but cover his forehead with his hand.
—What a relief; he realized it was a misunderstanding. He didn’t expect Nagi to be so innocent that she didn’t even know what ‘dad life’ was.
“So, Kanade-kun, do you want me to do ‘dad life’?”
“The way you’re asking is really too much, so please stop—”
Kanade ignored Nagi’s confused expression and said in a summarizing tone:
“In short, for now, Nagi should first listen to what I say, okay?”
“Why?”
“If you ask why… it could be dangerous!”
“But Kanade-kun, aren’t you here to protect me? Just like today!” After saying this, Nagi displayed a bright smile once again.
Then, as if recalling something, her adorable face instantly flushed with a faint blush.
Nagi’s reaction made Kanade also remember what happened today, causing him to feel shy.
Kanade found it hard to reject her words in response to Nagi’s adorableness.
So, partly out of embarrassment, he went along with her words—
“Then, um, I hope it’s okay for you to do ‘dad life’ with me? I’ll give you pocket money, so just listen to me for now!”
“!? R-Really… do, do we have to?”
Huh? Why does it feel like Nagi’s face suddenly got even redder? Is it my imagination?
“Well, tomorrow I’m planning to go to karaoke with my friends from class…”
“Karaoke?”
“Yeah, everyone in class said they want to hold a welcome party for me, and many seniors from sports clubs will join too—”
“—No, rejected. You are not allowed to go, whether recently or in the future, you are not allowed to attend this kind of gathering alone.” Kanade firmly denied Nagi’s participation in this obviously questionable gathering.
“Wow~ Kanade-kun, you really sound just like a dad right now~” Nagi clapped her hands excitedly as if she were watching an impressive imitation show.
“Is, is that so?” Kanade scratched his head in embarrassment, deeply empathizing with the struggles Nagi’s father must face.
Having such a cute and innocent daughter is truly worrisome!
“By the way, since it’s ‘dad life’…” Nagi suddenly bent down, lifting her adorable face from below, her sparkling eyes gazing up at the lowered Kanade.
Her waist-length black hair cascaded down like a flowing waterfall from her snow-white neck, and her lips, translucent like jelly, slightly parted, letting out a pouting sound:
“Dad?”
Boom—
In that instant, Kanade felt as if something pierced through his heart.
Then from the hollow in his chest, some forbidden desire began to crazily seep out.
No, no, no, Kazuki, calm down!
Kanade shook his head vigorously, trying to dispel that distracting thought.
Seeing this, Nagi let a small smirk appear on her face at an angle where Kanade couldn’t see.
“D-Dad… did you dislike Nagi?” Nagi seized the opportunity to interrupt Kanade’s speech, adopting an adorable daughter-like demeanor.
“Ah, no, I-I mean…” Under Nagi’s cute attack, Kanade stammered, unable to articulate his words.
Just as Nagi was about to press her advantage and retaliate for her earlier embarrassment in the hospital caused by Kanade—
“Ahem, uh, I’m not trying to lecture you, but you weirdos can keep this play for when you’re in your room, right? After all, the first-floor lounge is a public space…”
Akko, who had just come down the stairs, raised her hand, looking embarrassed.
Huh!?
“T-That’s not it, it’s a misunderstanding—”
“Mm-hmm, don’t worry, I won’t tell Manana-chan that you, Kazuki-senpai, actively wanted to do ‘dad life’ with your childhood friend.”
“That’s not it! There are very complicated reasons behind this!” Kanade’s face turned beet red as he flailed his arms to explain clearly.
Meanwhile, Nagi, as another party involved—
Decided to continue playing the pure and innocent childhood friend, fanning the flames—
“Eh? Kanade-kun, did you just say you wanted to do ‘dad life’ with me, were you lying?”
“Nagi, don’t talk right now, or it will only get more confusing—”
