Chapter 13: Training While Feeling Sluggish

The day of the second phase.

When I arrived at Youta’s house, he was sitting at the entrance just like last time, waiting for me.

"...You’re late."

A glance at my watch confirmed I was right on time. Yet for some reason, the first thing out of his mouth was a complaint. When I pointed that out, Youta muttered,

"It’s just... hard to stay in the house."

But something was off. He seemed unusually restless—no, she seemed restless.

Then, Hoshiko appeared from the living room.

"Haruto-san, please take care of my sister. And sis, do your best!"

"Shut up, Hoshiko! Go away!"

Youta snapped back, but there was a playful, almost affectionate edge to it.

...Youta’s cheeks looked slightly flushed.

"You sick? We can reschedule."

"...I’m fine. C’mon, let’s go."

"R-right."

Pushed along by Youta, I was practically herded out of the Tobitaka residence.

We couldn’t justify another taxi, so today we took the bus to Shirasagi Park. Since it wasn’t a tourist hotspot, the buses were infrequent, but the city line made it a cheap trip.

Even so, the bus was packed due to the weekend. Only one seat was free, and scanning the area didn’t change that. Sadly, neither of us would get to sit.

"Youta, want the seat?"

Since she’d seemed unwell earlier, I offered it to her. Maybe she just hadn’t realized it yet.

"O-oh. Thanks."

Youta obediently plopped down into the seat. I expected her to stare out the window—but instead, she tilted her head up, peering at my face.

"What?"

"N-nothing."

With that, she tugged the hood of her light-blue parka over her eyes, hiding her face. Below, she wore a white miniskirt, paired with knee socks of the same color. The contrast with her tanned skin was hard to ignore.

But even as summer approached, wasn’t this outfit too light? I worried the lack of layers might worsen her condition.

I’d only caught a cold once since coming to this world, and it was miserable. At least Youta had family to take care of her...

Still.

"Have I seen you wear that before?"

"...Hoshiko dragged me out shopping three days ago."

Ah.

That must’ve been when I consulted Youta’s mom about our plans. So that’s what Hoshiko meant when she said she was taking Youta out. Made sense now.

"Looks good on you."

A few days ago, when I’d called Reona, she’d advised me to compliment Youta’s clothes first. This was me following through.

But it was also genuine.

Youta gave off an unfriendly vibe when silent, but once you talked to her—outside of her bad moods—she was surprisingly expressive. Active wear suited her far better.

"O-of course it does. I picked it out carefully. Not that I was trying hard or anything! Hoshiko just wouldn’t shut up, so I wore it..."

"Right."

The rest of her muttering was unintelligible, so I just nodded. Normally, the conversation would’ve ended there—but Youta looked up at me again.

"Hey. Haruto..."

"Hm?"

"When we were shopping... Hoshiko called me 'Youta-nii' once."

—What?

I froze, doubting my ears. What did that mean?

No, this was a good thing. No doubt about it.

Their earlier exchange made sense now. Even an outsider like me could tell the distance between them had shrunk. This was probably why the erosion rate had dropped so drastically the other day.

But the causality was unclear.

The only major change recently was the erosion rate decreasing. But what did the Sacred Beast’s memory alteration have to do with the Dark Seed?

This should’ve only happened after extracting the seed and restoring her original form. Yet here we were, seeing progress ahead of schedule.

...Was this a sign of recovery?

I couldn’t say for sure.

But—

"Is it... okay to hope?"

—The look in Youta’s eyes, clinging to me for an answer, made my response automatic.

"...Yeah. I’ll definitely restore you and your family."

"? What’s that mean?"

"Nothing."

I pressed my lips into a firm line. Youta seemed to drop the subject.

"...Bus is here. Let’s go."

Somehow, we’d already reached Shirasagi Park. With just that, I took her hand and stepped off.

Since it was a weekend morning, Shirasagi Park was moderately crowded. Families and couples dotted the area—making our duo stand out slightly.

"Didn’t expect this many people. We should hurry and— This is your fault for dragging your feet, Haruto!"

"No need."

Ignoring Youta’s glare as she moved to join the line, I pulled tickets from my wallet.

"Bought the unlimited passes in advance."

"...You’re way too prepared."

A lie.

Earlier, an employee had waved me over and handed me two passes. She was likely one of Reona’s former subordinates.

"Complimentary~♪" she’d said, though her real meaning was clear when she added: "It’s entertaining to watch. Do your best."

Hardly words for an ex-commander, but her support was genuine. (I paid her properly, of course.)

"Let’s just enjoy ourselves."
"Yeah!"

Youta’s barely contained excitement made me smile reflexively. Together, we stepped into the park.

Our first stop: the roller coaster.

Its track arched over a lake, designed to create the illusion of crashing into the water. According to Youta’s mom, young Youta had loved this ride—begging to go again even after her parents were exhausted.

The line moved briskly (a testament to the park’s management), and soon we boarded the dragon-themed coaster. As it crested the peak and plunged, screams and spray erupted below.

...From the ground, it looked like a torture device. Yet people willingly rode it. Humanity’s mysteries eluded me.

Youta shot me a warning as we buckled in: "Don’t talk. You’ll bite your tongue."

"Understood."

I treated it as shock endurance training. The coaster lurched forward with a mechanical growl—

"Ugh…"

I braced against the railing by the lake, staring at my green-tinged reflection. Pathetic. Any concern for Youta’s well-being had evaporated.

Roller coasters, it turned out, were sadistic contraptions. The hairpin curves subjected riders to relentless g-forces—and I, humiliatingly, had gotten motion sickness. A tactical oversight.

"...Never knew you had this weakness," Youta teased, grinning as she combed wind-tousled hair. Her mood had skyrocketed.

Given how Silver Witch had favored high-speed combat, her enjoyment tracked.

"I’m as surprised as you are."

"Hey, I wanna ride again. You can wait here if—"

"No." I cut her off. "I’m riding too. I’ll conquer this."

"Conquer? It’s an amusement park, not boot camp."

Yet my sluggishness was undeniable. A former soldier couldn’t afford such vulnerability.

"Don’t worry about it."

We rejoined the line. Round two awaited.