The Omnipotent Super Chuunibyou - Chapter 42
Suddenly, the person on the bed opened his eyes.
It was the familiar ceiling. After yesterday’s commotion, Hasegawa Izumi had a brief respite from his duties.
Pulling back the curtains, he took a deep breath of fresh air, then set about exercising before Kobato woke up. He didn’t want to go bald, so he settled for a level of exertion appropriate for an average person’s warm-up routine.
After breakfast, he sat on the sofa and watched some TV with his little sister.
“This is so boring, it’s way too childish! And this protagonist is way too whiny—his hand got cut off, but he’s always yelling. What a lousy character!”
After a while, he delivered his brutally honest critique.
“My Other Half, stop critiquing them from the sidelines! Do you even understand their pain?”
His comment promptly earned him a scolding from his little sister.
“Of course I do. I understand everyone’s pain, including Kaneki’s.”
“Who’s Kaneki?”
“That’s another story…”
At that moment, he seized the chance to toughen his little sister’s spirit, persisting until she couldn’t take it anymore.
“Ah, An-chan, you’re such a numbskull!”
Kobato’s willpower +0.1.
At this rate, by the time the next era arrived, his little sister would have an opportunity to rise to the occasion.
Even though the “useless little sister” trope was also cute, Kobato had long since taken the top spot in his heart, so it wasn’t like he was desperate for more.
A while passed.
With plenty of time on his hands, Hasegawa Izumi began to ponder his next move.
“If I challenge the Kendo Club, wouldn’t it be a bit rude to use their swords? It seems like swordsmen are pretty particular about this kind of thing… There’s nothing else to do during the break, so I might as well make my own sword. It’s not like these things are single-use; I should be able to rely on it in the future.”
He nodded to himself, fully committing to his decision.
Once he’d made up his mind, it was time to get down to work.
First off, he confirmed that he wouldn’t need a real sword for the time being, so it was between the bamboo and wooden versions.
“Wooden swords are probably cooler?”
He swiftly delivered his most genuine verdict.
Generally speaking, how stylish one’s weapon looked correlated directly with its effectiveness in battle.
However, chopping down trees was prohibited, so he’d have to purchase one from someone who sold them.
“But my allowance isn’t enough.”
His expression grew solemn, and his fingers interlaced as he placed both hands under his chin, deep in thought.
“How could something as trivial as money stand in my way?”
His eyes lit up, and he pulled out his phone to send a message.
It was a bright, beautiful day.
Eriri, wearing black-frame glasses and a green track suit, worked diligently at her desk, preparing for the summer convention, where she would sell doujinshi. The comics spread across her desk featured many provocative images that would need to be censored, all exquisitely drawn.
These were the capital assets upon which Kashiwagi Eri’s reputation in the underground world rested.
Ding!
A notification sounded, stopping the diligent blonde girl in her tracks.
“Who is it? Who’s texting me at this hour? I thought I’d blocked all those people.”
When she opened Line, she saw this message:
Hello, I am Qin Shi Huang. I have actually been alive all this time, merely hibernating, and now I’ve awakened. If I can revive my army of terra-cotta soldiers, I can rule the world, so I need a large sum of money right now. If you transfer 300,000 yen to me, I will reward you with a major credit when I restore my kingdom, and you will receive the title of nobility in the East Sea once I conquer the world.
Eriri read it with a straight face.
“Can these scam messages really work?”
Eriri was speechless. She tapped her fingers a few times, intending to delete this friend.
Naturally, it was impossible.
Because the person who had sent her this message was none other than that idiot.
Eriri: Why are you suddenly asking to borrow money?
Hasegawa Izumi: I want to buy a piece of wood.
Eriri: Huh?
Then why are you buying wood? For a bonfire? To test out how to make fire in the wilderness? Eriri tried to get on the same wavelength as her childhood friend.
“No, making fire by friction is easy; there’s no need to test it. I’m preparing for the upcoming match against the Kendo Club and plan to craft my own wooden sword.”
Now Eriri understood. Perhaps because she’d grown used to wilder stories lately, her threshold had risen, and this was about the limit of what she could comprehend.
“Ah, I see. Then you can take your pick from the trees in my family’s yard.”
“The one behind the villa, please.”
“That’s out of the question!”
“You won’t give me one even if I want it? What’s your problem, huh?”
“Fine, I’ll lend you the money. Let’s meet this afternoon—I’ll give it to you then.”
With their goal achieved, the two ended their conversation.
Eriri held her phone, a bit displeased. Of course, it was because that tree held special significance!
“Remember, you promised to watch another meteor shower with me if we ever had the chance in the future!” she muttered. “If you forget, I swear I won’t let it go!”
————-
In the afternoon, they agreed to meet at the entrance to Detective Slope.
“How long have you been here?” Eriri asked when she arrived, having discovered her childhood friend had beaten her to the spot.
“Not long, just arrived,” Hasegawa Izumi replied.
“Rather than that, where’s my money?”
“What’s yours? This is money I earned with my own blood and sweat! I’m just lending it to you, but you have to pay me back!”
Eriri retorted, thrusting a wad of bills from her purse into her hand and smacking it against her palm, showing it off.
“I see, in that case, do you want me to write up a promissory note?” He raised an eyebrow.
Even with his closest person, debts needed to be settled clearly. He knew this much.
“A note isn’t necessary. Honestly, this is a pittance to me… But what if there comes a day when you can’t pay me back?”
Eriri tossed the money at him, then turned around after taking a few steps forward, her expression playful.
“Don’t worry, I’m capable of that much.”
Feeling quite satisfied, he tucked the money away, then puffed out his chest and guaranteed.
“I don’t take ill-gotten gains, though, so if you’re still in the slammer when it’s time to pay, I’ll have a real headache.”
Eriri hmphed softly, thinking she’d seen through her childhood friend’s intentions.
“How dare you doubt me? Eriri, you’re much too young.”
Hasegawa Izumi broke into a grin. “So, if that’s the case, I’ll give myself to you as collateral, all right?”
“Who… Who wants a moron like you?! All you ever do is cause trouble!”
The girl stammered, her ears turning even redder under the sunlight.
“You annoying! It’s not often I leave the house, so come and walk around with me for a bit.”
Eriri waved and turned away.
“It’s always like this. I’m used to it,” he muttered.
The girl immediately reacted.
“Could you please keep that last comment to yourself?! Don’t be ass!”