CH 77

When I Returned From Another World I Was A Silver Haired Shrine Maiden: Chapter 77

Kamishiro Souta (Duel)

「Alice, what is your intention!」

After the delinquents left, Souta began to shout at me.

「Sorry, Souta…」

I obediently apologized for being a shackle on Souta.

Because I was here, I ended up making Aimok’s intimidation more credible, and Souta had got caught up in the pace of his opponent.

Had I not been there to be a target, it may have been possible for Souta to negotiate and end up not having attend the meeting.

「If you understand that, then go and find a safe place to hide on Christmas Eve… Okay?」

「I won’t. I can’t let you go there by yourself.」

「It’s useless… I’m not saying this for your sake. If you’re there, you will end up being my weakness. Therefore, stop embarrassing me.」

I understood what Souta was trying to say. Finding my actions to be a nuisance is a normal feeling. There is no helping it if he thinks that having a small girl like me there will only hold him back.

「I understand, so I just have to show you that I won’t be your weakness?」

However, I can fight.

Because of that, I want to help my best friend when he’s in a pinch.

I want to be someone who can fight next to him.

For that reason, I have to show Souta that I’m capable of fighting.

「Hey, Souta… Duel me.」

Therefore, I challenged Souta.

「… I’m not going to take you even if you defeat me in Wiso.」

「I’m not talking about a card game!?」

In this context it’s obvious that I’m referring to a fight.

This card game idiot…!

「Then, what are you trying to say? Are you saying that you want to trade blows with me?」

「That’s right. If you understand my skill, then won’t you wont have to be worried about it.」

「Skill… You, have you ever even been in a fight?」

「Of course.」

I stuck out my chest with a hand on my waist as I answered.

What I’ve been through was more than just a fight. The experience I had of fighting for my life every day while in the other world can’t be compared to a few fist fights in this world.

Even being in Alicia’s body, although the decrease in reach due to the difference in physique is severe, the increase in physical ability using magic is more than enough to compensate for it.

Souta is going to be completely surprised.

「Well then, let’s go.」

I urged Souta to follow me.

「… Where are you going?」

「It’s already decided. If it’s a duel, we’ll do it at your place.」

※　※　※

Like that, we arrived at the shrine grounds where Souta lived. Souta’s house was located next to the main shrine and doubled as the shrine office. And, there was a backyard that ordinary visitors weren’t allowed to visit, it was place completely free of the public eye.

When we were young, we always practiced fighting here in order to become stronger.

The main reason, at the time, was to protect our sisters from bullying. We were crazy about becoming stronger back then, thus the two of us were always competing with each other.

We learned the basics of Karate from Mitushiro oji-san, and, combining that with my fathers style, it became the fighting style that we used.

I can still vividly remember the taste of the dirt from the many times I was forced down on it.

I unintentionally smiled at that nostalgia.

「… Did you hear about this place from Ikutari?」

Souta asked me with a confused tone. It should have been my first time coming here, yet I was acting like I already knew everything about this place.

「It’s not like that… Hey, it’s related to what I was talking about the other day, about how I wanted to confess something to you, can I say it now?」

Right now, I wanted to tell Souta about how I am Ikutari. That way, it would be far easier to persuade him.

「No, like I told said in my message, because of my troubles, I don’t have time to think about things like that…」

He said such a thing while blushing and turning his gaze away.

Stop that, it’s disgusting. I don’t want there to be any strange misunderstandings.

「Ch, it’s not like that!? It’s definitely not what you’re thinking!」

「I know. When this ruckus is over, I’ll give you a proper response, so I want you to wait.」

… It’s useless. He’s misunderstanding my response as covering for my embarrassment. Ah mou, this is annoying.

「Fine… If I win this fight, you will listen to me.」

I say that as I prepare my stance.

I cast my physical strengthening magic (small).

This deluded person, I’ll beat you down and make you understand.

「… What if I win?」

Souta asks me that. In the past, whenever me and Souta fought there was always a reward when we won.

「You can do whatever you want. And I’ll listen to whatever you say.」

I declared that in response.

When we didn’t have anything we wanted from the other person, we always just gave the right to request something as the reward. As the fight continued, we would often decide on what we wanted.

「Y, yeah…」

However, for some reason Souta seemed to get shaken by my words.

「Well then, let’s go!」

I don’t know the reason, but I’m not going to miss this chance.

I’m going to take advantage of it and crush him!

I rushed in with my magically strengthened body, aiming to land a surprise hit to his stomach.

「! ! ! ?」

At a speed that surpassed any ordinary human, it’s impossible for anyone to react to it — Or, it should have been.

「! ! ? … It was caught!?」

My single blow was blocked by Souta’s arm.