Chapter 45: Not This Protagonist
Kanade is at the age where boys naturally yearn for extraordinary worlds reminiscent of fantasy manga and the adventures filled with courage and determination.
Making all sorts of friends.
Mastering various powers.
Fighting alongside companions.
Perhaps even ending up in a harem surrounded by beautiful girls.
This is the fantasy of every Chuunibyou boy.
Becoming the protagonist, meeting the heroine, and living a life as thrilling and exciting as in a manga.
But for Kanade, he believes he has already encountered the only heroine of his life.
Kanade openly admits that there was a time when he fantasized about such an invitation.
Allowing this inconspicuous and useless boy to shine in a fantastical world, ultimately becoming a great figure, making the heroine look at him with newfound respect.
Yet reality is—
His blindness and arrogance nearly cost his heroine her life.
This made him realize.
In the real world, he could only choose one between life and her.
……
……
“Kanade, would you like to join the Special Circumstances SEMA with DD-chan?”
“But I still hope you can fight alongside me, Kanade.”
Twice!? You repeated that in one sentence! Just how much do you want Kanade to join the Special Circumstances SEMA, Alice!?
Alice’s voice reached the ears of Nagi, who was pretending to be unconscious, making the latter unable to hold back her emotions any longer.
Nagi hurriedly pretended to “just” wake up at that moment, interrupting Alice’s flag.
“Where is this…?”
Nagi carefully adjusted her vocal cords, producing a weak and feeble voice.
But Kanade did not miss that faint sound and turned around immediately.
“Little Nagi—!”
“Kanade…? Where is this… Wow!?”
To her surprise.
Upon seeing Nagi awake, Kanade dashed to the bedside in one swift move.
He hugged her tightly in his arms.
Wait!? Why!? Are you, are you trying to take advantage of me!? When did this child learn to be bad!?
Nagi’s face quickly turned a shade of red, and the stars in her eyes sparkled wildly.
“Little Nagi, I’m so glad you’re okay… so relieved…”
Kanade held Nagi’s upper body close to his chest, almost as if he needed to confirm she was alive.
In that moment, both their body temperatures and heartbeats were clearly felt.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” Kanade kept apologizing.
“Kanade, Kanade… there are still other people here…”
Nagi said, her face flushed and stumbling over her words.
At that moment, Kanade remembered he was still at the Special Circumstances SEMA and Alice was standing behind him.
“Ahem…”
Seeing the childhood friends hugging together suddenly turn to look at her, Alice hurriedly tilted her head and coughed, implying that she hadn’t seen anything.
Realizing this, Kanade’s face also turned as red as a ripe apple, and he quickly let go of Nagi.
However, just before their bodies completely separated, Kanade felt Nagi’s pinky gently catch his collar.
Nagi raised her bright, shiny eyes, dotted with countless stars, looking up at Kanade as she whispered, “I-I didn’t mean I dislike being hugged by you, Kanade…”
Nagi’s cute and pitiful gesture made Kanade’s heart race.
“Ahem…” Meanwhile, Alice’s cough grew louder, as if saying can you two show your affection after I leave?
Finally, after Kanade calmed down.
Nagi pretended to be someone who had just woken up, looked around, and asked:
“What happened? Wasn’t I supposed to still be at school?”
Fake amnesia.
As a thoughtful person, Nagi naturally wanted to help Alice and Kanade find a way out.
She didn’t want to discard the persona of being the “innocent childhood friend unaware of the real world,”
because it would hurt more to kill a “childhood friend mingling in the real world” than to kill a “completely oblivious childhood friend to the real world.”
The former always gives off a feeling of “You’re out here living, you know this day would come eventually.”
So Nagi made up her mind that even if Alice and Kanade planned to tell her, she would play dumb to the end.
After Alice and Kanade exchanged a silent glance, they seemed to decide to keep the truth hidden.
Alice found an excuse.
She brushed past the reason why Nagi was here.
Of course, Nagi acted as if she were a true airhead, believing whatever they said.
Then, when they exchanged knowing glances, she had to show a trace of jealousy.
This is probably what a love-struck girl in her prime is like, Nagi thought.
“Well, so… why did Kanade apologize to me just now?”
Nagi stared intently at Kanade, indicating she wanted him to answer.
But Kanade’s gaze evaded.
It was clear that whether it was about the real world or nearly causing Nagi’s death, he found it difficult to speak.
Yet he didn’t want to deceive his childhood friend.
Kanade, you really are a gentle child~
“…Then I forgive you, Kanade.”
Seeing Kanade’s pained expression, Nagi spoke up voluntarily.
“Eh?”
Kanade couldn’t help but look at Nagi in surprise.
“It’s okay, even though I don’t know what happened, you don’t need to feel guilty, Kanade… If it’s you… no matter what you did that was too much, I will forgive you, so I don’t want to see you looking like that…”
Nagi looked at Kanade with a gentle smile.
Her words of complete affirmation and unconditional trust made Kanade’s nose tingle.
But the next moment.
Nagi’s cute face turned a tempting shade of crimson, her fingers overlapping in front of her chest, her moist eyes diverting their gaze as she shyly said:
“E-even if you stole my first kiss while I was asleep, I wouldn’t be mad—”
“—That’s not the case at all!”
Kanade couldn’t help but retort bashfully.
What is wrong with this adorable creature!? Is the most outrageous thing she can think of being kissed!?
“You’re lying! I changed my clothes—”
“Kanade’s reason for apologizing must be because you secretly K-Kissed me while I was sleeping…”
“Why did you come to that conclusion!? What kind of image do you have of me in Little Nagi’s mind!?”
Besides, you don’t even need to change clothes for a kiss! Little Nagi!
“Sorry… it was me who helped Nagi change her clothes…”
Alice weakly raised her hand, feeling like she couldn’t connect with this pair of childhood friends.
“Really… Kanade, what if I had a child after being kissed by you?”
“Absolutely impossible! Let’s not mention that I didn’t do that at all! Even if I did kiss you, there’s no way it could result in a child!”
Little Nagi, where did you come from in this fairy tale!? Does anyone still believe that kissing can lead to pregnancy these days!? Even elementary school students wouldn’t think that!
“It was supposed to be my first time, yet I have no memory of it… Kanade, you idiot, if you wanted it, you could just tell me—” Nagi muttered to herself.
“…”
What does that mean!? If I asked Little Nagi first, would she agree!?
No! Calm down! If you did such a thing, what’s the difference between you and those bad boys!?
In the end, Kanade couldn’t help but laugh.
He understood.
The time spent with Nagi like this is the life he truly longs for.
If a pure and natural beauty like Nagi were not by his side, she would surely be deceived by someone else.
Moreover, he had already promised her.
To always stay by her side.
What he craved was not a life like that of a hot-blooded, heroic protagonist from a manga.
As long as he could live a stable and happy daily life with the girl in front of him, that was enough.
Kanade turned to Alice.
“I’m sorry, I can’t accept your proposal from before…”
“Indeed~ After all, if you’re not around this child… who knows, she might end up being taken advantage of by a bad person at any moment…”
Alice said jokingly with a bitter smile, hoping Kanade wouldn’t take her invitation to heart.
“Child?” Nagi tilted her head at Alice’s words, seemingly curious about her remark.
“Aren’t you and us the same age, Alice?”
“Ah… about that, I’m sorry, I lied.” Alice explained shyly, scratching her cheek, “Actually, I’m already… 19 years old.”
““19!?””
Nagi and Kanade exclaimed in unison.
“W-wait, isn’t that the same age as my sister!?”
“I can’t imagine that at all…”
As Nagi and Kanade spoke, their gazes unintentionally fell upon Alice’s figure.
“Hey, it seems like you two have something to say—”
Alice’s expression immediately turned icy.
“No, no, no…”
Nagi and Kanade quickly shook their heads and waved their hands in panic.
…..
To give these two young people some time alone, Alice found an excuse to leave the room.
She believed Kanade had great potential.
But watching his interaction with Nagi,
She understood he shouldn’t involve himself in this world.
A stable and peaceful daily life was the haven for those two kids.
With that thought, Alice took out her phone, dialed Maki’s number, and asked him to take Nagi and Kanade back home.
While she herself walked toward the equipment room.
“Next, it will be up to me as an adult to protect the daily lives of these children.”
