Chapter 13 - Don't Look at Me with Those Eyes
Forgetting even to close the window, I froze.
【Though she is not yet self-aware, she is conscious of Keisuke Nakamoto as a member of the opposite sex.】
Wait. That's weird, right?
Because so far, I haven't done anything particularly thoughtful for Rio.
I just counterattacked her older brother in front of her, gave him first aid, and walked away.
But is that the kind of thing that's cool, strong, and wonderful?
From the perspective of someone who grew up in a rough home environment, trembling at the threat of a stepfather, did I look like an ideal papa?
【Though she is not yet self-aware, she is conscious of Keisuke Nakamoto as a member of the opposite sex.】
No matter how many times I tried to close the window, my hand naturally stopped.
I couldn't take my eyes off that one sentence.
I was being viewed as a member of the opposite sex. She seemed unaware of it herself, but a favor was still a favor.
I was a man too.
Being held in such regard by a high school girl with the looks of an idol didn't feel bad.
Moreover, Rio was the spitting image of Elsa.
"...Won't you help me? Are you still mad at us after all? What should I do? ...I'll do anything."
Rio stared into my eyes with a weakened expression. Her pitch-black eyes were wet with tears. Her eyelashes were long.
A strand of her messy hair had strayed into her mouth. There was a strange sexiness to it.
An atmosphere that felt somewhat forbidden drifted about her.
This was bad. What was I thinking?
The person in front of me was about half my age.
And yet, thinking that I was being seen as a man, I suddenly started to find her cute.
Even though just a moment ago I was thinking, She's planning to use me for her own convenience. Don't go thinking all middle-aged guys like high school girls.
I hurriedly looked away from Rio and spoke while feigning composure.
"I can't do it for free."
If I said I didn't need anything in return, it would feel like I was starting to be drawn to this girl too.
I desperately wanted material to convince myself that I was doing this for a reward.
"Should I pay you money?"
Rio knit her brows, and I told her in a way that sounded as casual as possible.
"That's not it. There are other ways to show your sincerity, right?"
The method of showing sincerity I was thinking of was this:
—Wouldn't it be fine to have this girl buy Angelica's underwear?
It would be embarrassing for me, and I had no idea about materials or sizes.
I had no clue what criteria to use for choosing.
However, Rio was a trendy high school girl of the modern age.
If I told her Angelica's build, wouldn't she buy something that wasn't half bad?
As I tried to convey that idea, Rio hugged her own body, taking a defensive pose.
While saying "Sincerity..." she showed a hesitant gesture.
"...Do you mean pay with my body? If I do, will you take back Leo? ...I, I don't have any experience with men, so I think I'll be bad at it. Is that still okay?"
"No!"
I threw words of total denial at the girl who was blushing with shame and on the verge of an ordinance violation.
What goes on inside a high school girl's head?
Please spare me from immediately assuming it's something sexual the moment an adult man makes a request.
It makes my heart ache.
It probably means there are that many adults trying to buy them, which makes me sick.
Nothing has progressed since the year 2000.
"What I'm asking for isn't your body. Good grief. It's underwear, underwear. I need women's underwear right now."
"Mm... okay."
"Wait, don't take them off! Don't take them off! I don't mean I want yours! I want you to go buy some! New ones!"
Rio, who had crouched down and lowered her white cloth to her knees, stopped dead in her tracks.
"Right now at my house, uh... a girl who's a distant relative is staying over. But she didn't bring any spare underwear, so I have to prepare some somehow."
"...You should just let that girl buy them."
"She's a foreigner. Moreover, she's from a developing country with a medieval lifestyle, and it's her second day in Japan. Do you think she can go shopping alone?"
Rio pulled her panties back up with a tug, and while fine-tuning their position, she asked, "Someone from around Africa?"
"Well, something like that. So I intended to buy them on my way home today, but you know? It's embarrassing, this kind of thing. If a middle-aged guy takes women's underwear to the register, what do you think people will think?"
"They'll just think his girlfriend or wife asked him to, right?"
"...Do I look like a man who has a woman?"
"You don't."
She cut me down flatly. She wasn't going to follow up there, huh.
"Because of those circumstances, I want you to buy the underwear. I'll give you the money. In exchange, I'll go knock down those scary yakuza and rescue your brother. Is that fine?"
"Is that really okay?" Rio looked suspicious.
"Haven't you suddenly become kind?"
"No. Not at all."
While playing dumb, I cracked my knuckles. I also did some deep knee bends and started my warm-up exercises.
"Where is the office King Leo was taken to? I'm good at fighting, but I'm bad at searching. If you have any clues, tell me."
"I have one, an easy clue."
Rio searched her pocket and pulled out a business card.
"That Gondo guy left a bunch of these at the house."
I took it and looked it over.
As expected, it didn't say anything like 'Designated Crime Syndicate XX-gumi,' but personal information was densely listed.
'Gondo Construction Co., Ltd. Representative Director: Takashi Gondo'
This must be the man's public identity. What they call a yakuza front company.
The address and phone number were clearly stated; for a criminal, he had no intention of hiding at all.
"It's pretty far. Isn't it about twenty kilometers from here?"
"Will you use the bus? Or rather, if you have a car, mister, I'd be happy if you'd take me."
My beloved car is a grandma bike, sorry about that.
I'm in my thirties with no car and no house.
Being made aware of that by a surprise attack, my mood sank in an instant.
"...I'm going on foot."
"You don't have one, a car."
"I'll run at full speed. Or rather, I'll fly. It'll be quick this way."
"You're not using the bus?"
Even I have the vanity not to voice the pathetic financial situation where even the bus fare is a waste.
"I can reach several dozen meters with a vertical jump. If I just jump across the rooftops of the buildings around here, it'll be quick, right?"
Leaving the stunned Rio aside, I took a jumping stance.
I didn't forget to cast [Concealment] magic on my body so as not to be seen.
I didn't fancy a human rocket being broadcast into people's living rooms.
As I was getting ready, Rio, who should have been speechless, spoke to me.
"Take me too."
Impossible, it was too dangerous. What was she thinking?
I couldn't let a girl who might like me encounter danger.
"This isn't a game."
I intended to brush her off coldly, but Rio didn't flinch and pushed back.
"I want to see Leo soon. Take me. Besides."
"Besides?"
"I'm interested in you, mister."
In what sense? My heart rate rose just a little.
"Why are you so strong? How do you win against yakuza? Who are you? I'm curious about everything. I want to know more, and I want to see you up close. ...Is that no good?"
Why are you so strong, Hero-sama? Where did you come from? Why did you save a slave like me? I want to know more about you.
I remembered being bombarded with questions when I first met Elsa.
Memories that were sad, nostalgic, and yet sweet enough to tighten my chest came flooding back.
Before I knew it, my mouth was moving regardless of my will.
"You're free to follow, but hold on tight."
The exact same line I said to Elsa came out.
It was as if I were being moved by some invisible force.
"Really? Yay!"
While watching Rio express her joy, I returned to my senses.
What was I doing?
This girl wasn't Elsa.
She was just a very similar stranger who was born and raised in Japan.
...I'm so pathetic.
But there was no helping what I'd already said. I let out a long breath and warned Rio.
"I'll grant you magic that raises your physical abilities, so I think you'll be able to withstand the wind pressure. But tell me if it gets painful."
Also, I should cast [Concealment] too.
With this, Rio was also a fellow invisible person.
After I finished chanting the magic, I put my arms around Rio's shoulders and the back of her knees, lifting her up.
It was what's commonly called a princess carry, but the reason I chose this was a very miserable one.
I judged that if I gave her a piggyback ride, something soft would press against my back, which would be bad for my heart.
"Hey, mister."
"What?"
"Tell me your name."
Come to think of it, we hadn't even finished introducing ourselves yet.
That was the extent of our relationship. It would probably be a one-time thing.
"Nakamoto. Keisuke Nakamoto."
"Hmm. Nakamoto-san, huh."
"Your name is normal," she threw out a trivial comment.
"I'm Rio Saito. You probably know my given name since Leo was calling me that. ...Mm. That's right. Nakamoto-san, you knew Leo's name from the start, didn't you? Why was that?"
"It means I still have some hidden tricks."
Though Status Open was a skill given to any Summoned Hero.
I jumped up while holding the wondering Rio.
While hearing the sound of the wind rushing past, I landed on the roof of a department store.
I absorbed the impact with my legs and hips, and immediately flew toward the next building.
Rio's weight was light, just as she looked.
It was exactly about the same as Elsa's.