LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 61
December 21st
“Welcome back! Leader!”
“Welcome back, Hikari-chan!”
“Hikari! Welcome!”
As soon as I stepped through the Narita Airport arrival gate, I heard my friends calling me.
Ichika and Hana were hopping around and shouting, while Yuki waved from a little distance.
Doki Doki
‘Is it because I met Ichika in the summer? She looks a bit odd in winter clothes.’
I had this impression that Ichika would still be running around with a runny nose in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts even in winter.
Hana was wearing a winter outfit with a yellow base that seemed like something Sato chose for her, along with a skirt, and Ichika was in a green sukajan over ripped jeans.
Yuki, at that time, was wrapped in a red coat and a red scarf.
“I’m back.”
I arrived at Narita Airport after flying from Gimhae Airport in Busan. Lately, traveling between various countries via airplanes and warps, I noticed that the smell of the air was subtly different in each country upon arrival.
As soon as I inhaled the different scented air, I could feel, ‘Ah, I’m in a different country.’
…But then again, the whole world feels foreign to me, so it always seems like a different land wherever I go.
Nonetheless, being in a place where I’ve known Sato Hana, the Sato couple, and the Master for the longest time made me feel like I could naturally say, ‘I’m back.’
“Leader! Do you have any of those French snacks left? Kyoko and I ate them all that day!”
“I want Belgian chocolate! Mom said it’s super delicious!”
Ichika and Hana immediately transitioned to casual conversation since we regularly met through the domain. It reminded me of when my parents said ‘Oh, you’re back.’ during my army leave, making me let out a wry smile.
Huffs
“Hmm? Yuki, what’s wrong?”
“Uh… Welcome back.”
I felt someone grabbing my sleeve and turned around to see Yuki gazing at me, clearly happy to see me.
‘Ah, I’ve only talked to Yuki through messenger.’
I hesitated about whether to tell Yuki about the private room, but I felt guilty bringing a new friend without Ichika, Kyoko, and Hana’s permission.
‘I kept putting it off, and then I got busy and missed the timing…’
On top of that, Yuki was a famous figure from the first friendly match, so suggesting we meet at the square felt odd.
Even now, I could sense the people passing by subtly recognizing our group.
“Yeah, I’m back, Yuki.”
“Ooh! Flame You really became friends with the Leader! I was wondering what United’s Slogan meant; it’s a code you two made!”
Ah.
Now that I think about it, this was exactly the moment when Ichika broke out from Fujimoto and sparked a rebellion.
The tragic December.
The Fujimoto Disturbance.
Yuki seemed to recall it too, and her face paled as she looked at Ichika.
“Uh? What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”
Ichika laughed lightly and wiped her nose. Hana lightly hit Ichika on the waist.
“…Hikari-chan seems to want Ichika to skip this topic!”
“Ah, okay, okay.”
Hana whispered to Ichika, but the Born 3-Star Magical Girl’s keen hearing caught everything.
“Should we take the subway?”
“No! Mom said she’d pick us up in the car!”
“Oh really? Where is she waiting?”
“Over there in the parking lot. She asked me to contact her when Hikari-chan comes out!”
Hana tapped her smartphone a few times and cheerfully replied.
“She’ll pick us up from exit 5!”
“Okay, thanks, Hana-chan.”
“Mmhm! Hikari-chan is my friend, so it’s only natural!”
Huffs
As I once again felt pressure on my sleeve, I turned around to see Yuki looking restless.
‘Ichika and Hana are my friends, but I don’t have much in common with Yuki…’
In the original story, Ichika was introduced as a supporting character to express the fierce Japanese atmosphere, and Hana wasn’t even mentioned.
It was truly like going to a college club because my friend dragged me there, and my friend went out for a smoke. To put it metaphorically, that’s what Yuki’s current situation felt like.
‘I’ve never experienced that since I don’t have any friends.’
I understood Yuki’s awkwardness and gently held her hand while taking Hana’s hand with my other hand.
“Thanks for coming, everyone. Let’s go together since Sato-san is waiting!”
“Wow!”
“Hikari…!”
Yuki looked at me with slightly moved eyes.
“Huh? By the way, shouldn’t I be the one getting carried here?”
Ichika grinned playfully, and I adjusted my backpack, bending slightly. Ichika, with her ponytail swaying, ran up and jumped onto me.
“Whoosh!”
“Let’s hurry, it’s a bit embarrassing.”
It was a vigorous piggyback ride that would probably strain my back if I wasn’t in my original body, but the Born 3-Star Magical Girl’s body handled it easily.
“Pfft, what is this?!”
“Ahahaha!!”
Guffaw
We exited the airport in a bizarre musical performance like the Bremen Town Musicians, feeling the eyes of those around us smiling at our antics.
‘Since awakening Inverse Causality, I’ve become attuned to the subtle vibes around me, even if I don’t want to.’
It was a bit painful when I sensed vibes I didn’t particularly want, but I got somewhat used to it over the past three months.
Upon exiting through exit 5, Sato-san (wife) was waiting in the car right in front of us.
“Hello! I heard you’d pick us up. Thank you so much.”
“Oh ho, it’s nothing. Since Shirogane-chan has come, it’s the least I can do!”
“Hey, I’m sitting in the front.”
“Eh, Ichika always sits in the front!”
Ichika swiftly claimed the passenger seat, and Hana got in the back, followed by Yuki who timidly climbed in.
“Hehe, Hikari… it’s actually my first time at an airport. It was amazing.”
“Really?”
“Yeah… I’ve never been before… well, because of various circumstances, airports disappeared.”
“Ah, right.”
“…Did I sound too much like a country bumpkin?”
Sensing Yuki’s sudden words, I whispered back.
“If it weren’t for this, it would’ve been my first too.”
Incheon Airport, Narita Airport, Brussels Airport, Beijing Airport, Gimhae Airport—all of them.
Yuki’s eyes widened slightly, then she broke into a bright smile. Hana tilted her head at Yuki’s reaction before dozing off again.
‘Ah, so Hana is the type who falls asleep right away in the car.’
Japanese radio stations played in the car, and I saw Japanese signs and roads heading in the opposite direction from Korea outside the window.
‘…I’m back. To the place I first came to.’
I had briefly forgotten due to all the things I did going back and forth between Korea, Europe, and China, but Magical Girl HAZARD hasn’t even started yet.
Feeling like I barely reached the starting point made me feel a bit hollow as I looked outside.
Cars passing by.
The road leading away from the airport.
‘…Wait, today is Wednesday, so the café should be open.’
“Oh Shirogane-chan, Master asked me to let him know when you arrive!”
“Really? The Master?”
“Yes! Kyoko-chan and the Master said they’d prepare a welcome dinner party at the café when Shirogane-chan arrives!”
That Kyoko… has she already learned the café’s menu after just three months? What a formidable talent.
‘…It took me a year to get to that point.’
I felt a slight sense of inferiority surge up.
“I already sent the message.”
Ichika, who was fiddling with her phone in the front, casually responded.
“What about Yuki?”
“Eh?”
“Yuki, what will you do?”
“The café…? Is it okay for me to go? Isn’t it a place of Hikari’s acquaintance?”
Yuki tilted her head in confusion.
“It might be a place you know.”
“…Huh?”
Yuki thought for a moment, then suddenly looked at me with wide eyes.
“No way…?!”
“Yep.”
Huffs
Yuki instinctively grabbed my sleeve, her eyes filled with agitation.
That café was the only place where Yuki received relatively humane treatment when she returned to Japan from the realm of death in the original story.
…And it was the place that had been brutally wiped out after the Trial Monsters appeared.
Now, it was the café where I worked.
“It’ll be alright.”
“…?”
“It’ll be okay.”
“…Yeah.”
Having calmed down a bit, Yuki’s grip on my sleeve relaxed.
“Let’s go together. The Master will surely welcome you warmly.”
“…Yeah.”
Yuki gently grasped my hand while calming down.
Her hands were freezing cold.
“…?”
“…?”
Sato-san and Ichika subtly glanced at us, seemingly pretending not to notice Yuki’s embarrassment. Sato-san was one thing, but why does Ichika sometimes act so clueless despite not being stupid?
Our car drove past Narita Airport and headed toward the café in Yokohama.
Finally arriving in front of the café, I saw Kyoko with her orange bridge hairstyle fluttering, wearing a waitress outfit over the black apron that symbolizes the Master.
“Leader! I’ve officially become the successor of this café!”
“What?! No way?! Are you serious?!”
I had been stuck in the green apron as a trainee for two years!
I was so shocked that I looked at the Master, but he instead gave me a look as if to say, “Why would you even doubt it?”
“…Welcome.”
“Is it real, Master?!”
“…She had the talent. I’m getting older, you know.”
“But even so, Kyoko?!”
“She does far better than you. She’s about to get her pastry certificate soon.”
…I was engulfed by an unknown feeling of defeat and couldn’t enter the café for a while, trembling.
Three months.
She had surpassed two years of my experience in just three months.
Damn it.