Chapter 10: Airi Nakabayashi.

Translated and Edited by: ynlucca.

Common Honorifics:
-san: A polite suffix, but not excessively formal.
-kun: A common suffix among friends and younger people.
-chan: A common suffix among people you’re close with, mostly used for feminine nicknames and girls, since it’s cutesy and childlike.
-senpai: A common suffix and noun used to address or refer to one’s older or more senior colleagues in a school, workplace, dojo, or sports club.

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The day after the fireworks festival, I showed up at Class 2-A during lunch break, accompanied by Miriya.

“Excuse me, could you call Nakabayashi?” I asked the female student closest to the door. However, she responded by shooting a suspicious gaze.

“…Who are you?”

“…Izuru. Same grade.”

“…Who are you?”

“…” Huh? Why do I feel like crying?

“Well done, Master. Not even your classmates from the same grade remember your face or name.”

Damn it! I won’t forgive this girl! And she didn’t need to ask me that twice! As I wiped away the little tears welling up in the corner of my eyes, the rude gal suddenly widened her eyes upon seeing Miriya there.

“Oh, you’re that rumored beautiful transfer student!”

“Thanks for the compliment. I don’t know what rumors you’re referring to, but I’m in fact a transfer student.”

“Oh s**t! Your mere presence close to me is enough to captivate me, even though I’m a girl!”

“Well, thank you,” Miriya said before shooting me a glance. She was smug as all hell.

Does this brat really like me? I couldn’t help but grimace internally. In any case, while I gritted my teeth alone, the rude girl leaned toward Miriya and started whispering.

“…Um, hey, I heard you engage in SM play with your brother. Is that true…?”

“We don’t do that!” I interjected.

Having heard their talk unintentionally and reacted, I received a cold gaze in response.

“Could it be… that you’re the pervert that forces his beautiful older sister to call him ‘Master?’ Ugh, the biggest weirdo in our grade, here…?!”

“Hey, can I kill this b*tch?” I murmured vitriol to Miriya.

“And what about Nakabayashi? Isn’t she who we came here for?”

“That’s right!” That rando’s annoyance made me forget, but the only one I had business with was Nakabayashi. Absolutely not this b*tch.

Realizing that it would be futile for me to handle it, Millya spoke to the impolite girl.

“Sorry to bother you, but could you bring Nakabayashi Airi to us?”

“Airi-chan is amazing! She already has connections with a transfer student. Just wait a moment!”

The impolite girl scanned the classroom, searching for Nakabayashi. However… “Huh? She was here just a moment ago.”

“…I see.”

Immediately, I sent Miriya a telepathic question.

—Has she escaped?

—Yes. Perhaps she has the ability to sense us?

—This is getting troublesome. Well, fine. Let’s go with yesterday’s plan.

—Accepted.

I ended the telepathic conversation with Miriya and decided to at least thank the impolite girl. “Sorry for taking your time. Thanks.”

“What? Don’t start talking to me, you pervert!!” She covered her torso with her hands.

“Pfft—!” Miriya held in her laughter.

“The way you treat me is bottom-tier…”

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“From ‘worst’ to ‘pervert,’ huh? Master, you really attract enemies wherever you go,” Miriya commented with a sneer.

“…Zip it.”

After school that day, I visited the courtyard located in the center of the school building. It was for the execution of the plan she and I had devised.

“Now, let’s review, Miriya. You will use detection magic to locate Nakabayashi, and then…”

She completed my sentence. “I’ll kill her.”

There was no other choice for dispelling the curse. She struck first, so she’ll receive the retribution she deserves.

Currently, Serina is hospitalized in critical condition. Not content with just targeting me, she went after my dear friend as well. I won’t hesitate.

However, there was one condition. “What’s the point in you killing her? This is my revenge, remember?” I spat.

“Tell me that when you grow up from falling asleep to my magic.”

“W-why are you making a big deal out of it? You’re the one who started it,” I stammered.

“Every night, you’re making these crying noises in my ear, like ‘aaauuu’ or ‘uuuugh’. Master, you should get more accustomed to the idea of death.”

“What do you mean, ‘aaauuu’ and ‘uuuugh’ —Wait, in my ear?”

“Oops.”

Wait, what did she just say? Every night, right by my ear? Not just being next to me or something? Even in that other world, Miriya and I slept in separate beds.

I’d always fall asleep first, and she would wake up first. In other words, I don’t know what she does from the time I fall asleep to the time I wake up…

“Oi, do you secretly crawl to my bed after I fall asleep?”

“Well then, let’s begin the Reverse Detection.”

“Listen to me!”

“And do you have such leisurely time?”

“…You have such a great personality, don’t you?”

“Thank you.”

It’s not praise!
Well, in any case, she seemed ready to cast the spell, as her whole body began to emanate red shiny particles.

“…Reverse Detection, commencing.”

“Yeah.”

She snapped her fingers, and what followed was what could be described as an explosion of fiery flowers, bursting from her body and evenly dispersing in a 360-degree radius.

“First, I’ll search for traces of the same magic found on you upon your Reflection magic’s activation, which indicated there was contact.”

“I still have it all over my body. You worry too much,” I said, pointing at myself. She had covered me from head to toe in such protective magic.

“It’s only natural to protect you, Master.”

Right, when I reunited with Nakabayashi, Miriya cast reflection magic on me. In other words, indirectly, Miriya had contact with Airi Nakabayashi.

Due to the indirect nature of such contact, Miriya herself didn’t fully understand the form of Nakabayashi’s magic, which made things complicated. But if she could perceive the remnants of Nakabayashi in the Reflection magic, the Reverse Detection should be successful.

The magical particles she’d released gradually gathered around me. They emitted a faint warmth, which was a bit intense for the middle of summer.

“It’s hot… Haven’t you figured it out yet? It’s taking you longer than usual.”

“The analysis is already complete.”

“Huh? Then lead me to Nakabayashi, quick.”

“I’m retracing and confirming. I’m trying to understand how you were killed.”

Can she even do that!? How capable is she, really…? Seeing the doubts evident on my face, Miriya explained to me in an easy-to-understand manner.

“Magic is a crystallization of thoughts. Once perceived, the owner’s experiences, in other words, their past, can be understood without any difficulty.”

“Incredible… But wait, couldn’t I have done it with my magic too?”

“It’s because I was ordered by you.”

“Wasn’t my order just not to kill the person, even if you did know who it was?”

“Do you really think I could stand knowing and not going after them?”

“Have more patience or you’ll lose your head,” I raised a point.

“Not worth considering,” she shook her head.

This girl’s really extreme. And she doesn’t understand her Master’s feelings at all! Geez… “I don’t want you to die, either. Do you know how much I spent to get you?”

“That’s why I didn’t investigate. You…” However, one moment later her happy expression hardened. “This is…!?”

“What’s wrong? What did you find?”

“I understand… Or should I say, I don’t understand anything at all right now…”

“Huh?”

With an uncertain tone, Miriya dissipated the magical particles she had gathered around my body. Then, a bead of sweat ran down her face as she looked into my eyes.

“Master, the flow of time is different between that world and this one, right?”

“Uh, yeah… There was a difference.”

“I see…”

I’d spent two years in that other world. But when I returned, only one month had passed in this one. There’s no doubt that the flow of time is different between here and there.

“This will be hard to believe, but listen calmly.”

“What is it?” I inquired.

Upon hearing my response, her doubts seemed to gradually turn to certainty as she voiced her confusion.

“Airi Nakabayashi… She’s the granddaughter of Her Highness Leicia, the princess of Kayabana in that other world,” her voice was grave and confused.

“What? Leicia’s… granddaughter?!”

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