The Omnipotent Super Chuunibyou - Chapter 9

I’m Nibutani Shinka, an ordinary high school student.

In the past, something happened that I don’t want to remember, so I studied incredibly hard, and I managed to get into Shuchi’in Academy, a school that students from my middle school rarely ever attended.

Now, having bid farewell to my past, I’m ready to embrace a new life, and I’m going to fit right in at this high school.

However, this proved to be a bit more difficult than she’d anticipated. As a student from the outer school, she felt like an outsider, and it was hard for her to connect with the other students, whose families were all so distinguished.

Still, she refused to lose heart.

Maybe joining a club would help her find some people she could talk to.

As long as she didn’t let her past hold her back, she had an unlimited future ahead of her!

After all, she was a beautiful girl with an easygoing personality. She’d fit right in anywhere!

This was just a minor setback.

“What club should I join? Cheerleading? The sports clubs at Shuchi’in Academy are super popular, but…hmm, the other clubs seem nice, too. As long as it’s not the bottom-of-the-barrel anime club, I’m good with anything, right? Or maybe I’ll apply to the student council. That seems pretty cool.”

After attending the club orientation meeting, Nibutani Shinka stood up and walked away, pondering her options.

Just as she was getting farther from the crowd, a voice suddenly called out from behind her.

“Long time no see, Mori Summer. I never expected to run into you here. It’s a real reunion, isn’t it?”

Mori Summer?

Upon hearing this name, Nibutani Shinka felt like she’d been struck by lightning, and her entire body shuddered.

Why? Why?!

I specifically chose a high school with no one from my middle school, buried that dark past, and was just about to take a new step forward!

Why would someone still know that name?!

“I don’t know anyone by that name.”

She responded without even turning around, picking up speed as she walked away.

But running away was both shameful and futile.

“I wouldn’t mistake you for anyone else. Your unique soul stands out remarkably in my sight. What happened between us that makes you refuse to face me? Sure, I didn’t say goodbye back then, but as an ancient mage, shouldn’t you be above holding a grudge over such a trifling matter?”

Suddenly, the voice came closer.

“Truth Seeker! It’s you!”

Now that she was close enough, she recognized his voice, and her steps stopped abruptly, followed by a turn around.

“That’s right, it’s me.”

Hasegawa Izumi gazed at the girl, her expression unreadable, and took in the changes in her appearance from this new angle.

Her bangs were clipped up with a pink hairpin, her long hair draped down to her waist, and a short ponytail hung to the side. Her outfit was more fashionable, making her seem more grown-up.

Had she changed to fit in better with the world?

“I can’t believe you’ve got the nerve to show your face in front of me! You’re the one who caused all my problems!”

Hasegawa had imagined their reunion after two years would be an emotionally moving scene, but instead, Nibutani Shinka rushed him like an enemy and grabbed his collar.

“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have ended up like that! Mocked by all those people! Every time I think about what happened, I want to slap myself! Give me back my happy days! Aaagh!”

“Is this what you wanted to say to me? You’re so weak, Mori Summer. Are the opinions of ordinary people really so important? You’re five hundred years old ancient mage! I went through so much just to awaken you, and I don’t want to see you so willingly embracing your own decay.”

Hasegawa frowned.

“Don’t mention that name again! I wish you’d never awakened me!” Nibutani Shinka spat.

“You’d better listen up! I will never look into the past again, and I wanted to say goodbye to it! You can’t tell anyone else about this, either, or I’ll curse you to death!”

With that, she slowly released her grip and turned to leave, not even the slightest bit reluctant.

Hasegawa didn’t try to stop her, because he had his own ideas.

“Mori Summer, if this is the path you’ve chosen, I will respect your decision… However, I believe that in the near future, you will return, guided by fate.”

Those who had experienced such transcendent states of being found it difficult to adjust to ordinary life. Often all it took was one small opportunity, and they would return to the place they felt most comfortable.

Moreover, the tide of history cannot be turned, and no one can stay afloat on their own. This was especially true for mages like Mori Summer.

Takanashi Rikka and Fujiwara Chika, who’d watched the scene from the side, rushed over.

“Izumi-chan, are you fighting with your friend? She looks really mad.”

Friend? I guess you could say that…

But a “fellow seeker” felt more accurate.

Hasegawa Izumi’s thoughts shifted slightly before she replied, “It’s not a fight. We just have different ideas. It’s normal to occasionally stray from the path in life.”

“Is it really that complicated?”

Fujiwara Chika sighed, then laughed brightly. “Anyway, I hope you make up soon!”

After offering her well-wishes, she bid them farewell.

Takanashi Rikka, on the other hand, asked him about his relationship with Nibutani Shinka.

“Because my father is an archaeologist, my family moves often…”

Hasegawa Izumi began his tale.

He’d spent about eleven years in Tokyo, and the rest of his time traveling around. In his second year of middle school, he transferred to Nibutani Shinka’s school as a mysterious exchange student, where he discovered her unique qualities, and after several setbacks, he’d helped her awaken…

However, because his father’s work was completed that year, he had transferred back to Tokyo during winter break. There hadn’t been any other way to notify her, so it had amounted to a sudden goodbye.

That was hardly anything to worry about. As an ancient mage, traveling alone was simply part of everyday life; she didn’t need his constant care.

“There must be some misunderstanding,” Takanashi Rikka mused aloud after hearing his explanation. “Maybe she’s under the influence of the Invisible Boundary Lines Authority!”

“I didn’t sense anything unusual from her, so for now, let’s leave her alone,” he said confidently. “She needs some time to calm down. We’ll just focus on building our base, and she’ll naturally come back to us.”

“Okay.” Takanashi Rikka agreed wholeheartedly. Their most important task right now lay elsewhere.

—————

Inside the building, Nibutani Shinka leaned against the wall, her arms over her head, and muttered to herself, wanting to cry but finding no tears. “I can’t take this! Of all places, I run into that person here… I should’ve known. There’s probably only one person in the whole world who’d say something like that during an introductory speech! What do I do? What do I do? What should I do?!”

After a long while, she stood up silently, her desolate figure disappearing into the distance.

“I absolutely can’t get mixed up with that guy again! Absolutely! If I do, my high school life will be over!”