Chapter 100: Leas and Grace (1)

(Is it because it has gotten hot. There are many going to the toilet.)

Lunch break. While crossing a women’s toilet forming a line longer than yesterday, Leas tilted her head, are they all taking in too much water.

Thinking about it, from this morning the women’s toilet had been a long line, and there were not few girl students going back and forth to the dorm in short breaks.

Luckily Leas was the type whose toilet is far. Unlike other girl students she did not run to the dorm or line up at the toilet. There was a slight sense of discomfort, but it was not a situation of hurrying to the toilet.

With a sidelong glance at the toilet line that kept getting longer even though lunch break had only just started, Leas opened the newspaper club clubroom door.

"Excuse me, Rei. Mu?"

The junior who would normally sit in a chair before her and play with a phone was not there.

While wondering what happened, the phone in her uniform pocket vibrated.

She firmly gripped with both hands the precision device she still did not feel she could fully handle, and peeked at the screen. The displayed message was contact from Reiko.

’Sorry, if I keep lining up like this my girl power seems like it will fully release so I am going back to the dorm. Lea-senpai, are you at the clubroom? If you have come I will dash back.’

...From the situation of these past few days she understood what she wanted to say, but why is she calling urine girl power.

Is Reiko’s wording unique, or is my Japanese clumsy. While worrying she slowly, petari, petari, checked and tapped the screen and sent text.

’No I do not mind today is class so take it slow Reiki’

’Okay. Also, let’s learn punctuation and spaces soon Lea-senpai, my name is also massively mistyped. You have not learned how to erase letters, have you?’

Even if you say that. While staring straight at the phone she muttered muu.

Even this is the progressing side. She had become able to read received messages, and she could type text. Though she still could not do the thing called flick input.

She thinks it is absolutely harder than a math test, so why can Reiko do this side perfectly.

"...Now then, shall I eat before lunch break ends."

She muttered to no one and sat in an empty seat.

If she said she was waiting in the clubroom Reiko would have hurried back, but making her run for herself was also sorry.

Inside a quiet room, while listening to the distant lunch-break clamor, she ate her bento.

Nostalgic, she thought.

A year ago it had always been this kind of feeling.

(Tasteless...)

Pakuri, pakuri, Leas’s expression while moving chopsticks in a regular rhythm was sunken.

It was not that something she disliked was in it, and not that she had no appetite. It was a bento made in the dorm kitchen as always. There was nothing different from usual.

Just, eating alone at lunch felt very lonely.

Why on earth. After coming to Earth and receiving the outward status of a high school student, in days of fighting Monster Villains, she had eaten alone more often.

Yes. I have to work harder, not yet, not yet, still still still, for the ideal, for comrades, for someone. In the year she had raced that way there had been no time to slowly eat with someone, and in the first place she had thought that kind of extra is not allowed.

But after entering this year she met Reiko, met Atel Octo, and chances to eat together with someone increased.

That was certainly fun. But today at least alone is fine, last year I was always alone, she thought that.

Was a meal alone something that felt this tasteless? While wondering she continued moving chopsticks mechanically. She does not know the reason but nutrition supply is essential, and last year it was always like this. Therefore no problem, no problem, no problem.

Luckily she is the type good at keeping up surface appearances. So as not to make anyone worry over this kind of stupid thing she strove to kill her expression.

"Ohohohoh! Hello Leas, Reiko! I am sorry but together a meal."

"...Ah, Grace huh. Unfortunately Reiko is not here."

Therefore look. Even if Grace suddenly danced into the clubroom there is no problem. I can even talk as always.

It is something I have repeated over and over since last year. No problem. She thought that.

"...Did something happen? See, please talk to Onee-san."

And yet Grace tightened her expression and sat facing Leas.

She was confused by a smile like taking a rain-wet abandoned cat home and quietly warming it.

Why make that kind of face. I myself should not be different from usual.

"What is it, Grace. As you see, there is nothing."

"Yes, as I see. Therefore I asked."

Even if you say that. Leas deepened her confusion more.

"As I said just now, there is nothing, Grace. Rather these past few months have been too lively, I am as always."

Yes, since coming to this world it has always been like this. Therefore as always.

As Leas Lott helping someone, as Sacred Saber saving someone, she had simply repeated that.

See, there is no problem at all.

And yet why is Grace twisting her face as if seeing something piteous.

"...As always? The current you, after coming here?"

"A, aa. What is it, Grace? Did something happen on your side instead?"

Grace did not answer. She only hung her head and covered her face with a hand.

"I thought it was to the degree of having a sense of responsibility. But truly I cannot raise my head to Reiko, Senjumaru, and Octo-sama."

Grace had thought she was stretching to become the ideal champion of justice Sacred.

That is by no means wrong, and in fact there are parts that grew from that.

But any feeling or action, if excessive, is poison. The feeling of I must become like this certainly made Leas strong, but it wore down her mental like scraping with a file.

The result produced was a girl who had lost her expression and stood alone.

"Listen well, Leas. From long ago you were a child who liked surrounding a dining table with someone. Have you forgotten running to my side saying being alone is lonely?"

"...It is an old story, Grace."

"Yes, it is an old story. But you were certainly that kind of human."

Is that all right. Grace pointed a finger.

"Feeling shame at your old self and trying to become a new self. That itself is by no means wrong. But there is no cliff between past and present, a road is always connected. You cannot become a completely different human."

Even if there are people who look like completely different humans between child era and adult era, that is because they changed over a long time. From the soil called childhood they slowly grew and bloomed the flower called adult.

She tried to accomplish that in only one year. Of course rough parts come out and collapse comes out.

(Ah, I see.)

This year’s spring. Around when some time had passed after making Reiko, Sacred Knuckle, a comrade.

The day Senjumaru who got caught in a fight with a Monster Villain collapsed on the roadside the next day, and she carried him to the infirmary.

Seeing someone eat a meal face to face after a long time, she recalled days of surrounding a dining table with comrades and friends.

...Surely, without even herself noticing, she had already reached her limit.

I hate it, I already hate being alone, it is lonely and hard. Because she thought that, she wanted to eat what he had been eating looking delicious. Unconsciously, and as if surrounding the same dining table in a pseudo way.

That said, she had not thought they would truly share the same meal.

"On this side there is the word high school debut, and you are exactly that."

Grace quietly smiled and stroked Leas’s head.

If Leas had been in this state in the original world, even end knights would have worried and called out for sure.

Calmate residents knew well the Sacred who protect them, and had seen the figure of Leas running the royal capital’s main street like a child. Yes, the figure of an innocent genius girl swordswoman.

And yet this figure is not at the level of having gained a sense of responsibility as a Sacred. Even humans with shallow exchange would notice she is becoming strange.

But acquaintances in this world do not know the original Leas.

Because a cool figure happened to suit her, everyone misrecognized that as normal. Leas Lott was originally this kind of human. If a large number tangle poorly it would be a bother.

It was not that Leas hated Earth’s people, and not that Earth’s people hated Leas.

They simply did not mesh, and the girl named Leas Lott who liked exchanging with someone became all alone.

"Good grief. If you thought it was lonely contact me immediately. Even if there is no time I will make it."

"N-no, that kind of bother."

I cannot place. Before she could finish saying that Grace raised her voice as if biting.

"This I, this Grace Wayne, could not possibly think becoming a help to my best friend is a bother! If you have time to hold a worry as small as that chest, rely on me with a bang!"

"...!? Eh, no, I do not think the chest is related...!?"

"...I said it with momentum, but it really does not grow there, does it. Even though you have already been passed in height..."

...May I punch her?

She does not have a complex about chest size, but after being observed closely and muttered at, are you drinking milk properly, if you are picky it will not get big, she does get irritated. She is not picky and she takes needed nutrition properly, but only her height grew and her chest did not swell.

"That aside. Leas! You may leave everything to this Grace Wayne! Keep time free after school, all right! Then later. Ohohohoh!"

"Eh? ...Ah, no, wait a bit what do you intend to do, Grace...!?"

There was no reply.

She blankly watched for a while the back of her walking the hallway without running yet with dignity, then fuu, let out a sigh.

"Well, if it is Grace it is fine... I think it is fine."

At the tension of her who is strong and pushy, Leas who had calmed compared to the past was a little taken aback. But when she was in her homeland she was a best friend she had always relied on, a person like an older sister.

She trusts what she does, and also thinks it will not become a bad thing.

She thinks that, but she is equally anxious, whether because they were apart for a year, or because she herself became a little adult.

"...No use thinking, huh."

She closed the bento box, stood to return to her own class soon.

"...N."

She became aware of that slightly asserting itself in her lower abdomen.