Interlude: Amakake Daiki

──side Daiki──

「Haa, seriously, that Shougo, making me work like this…」

I was invited to Shougo’s house because he wanted to discuss something, but on the way, I ran into Hikari and the others and ended up going with them.

That would have been fine, but finding Shougo’s childhood friend’s mother and his real sister, Hinata-chan, there was unexpected even for me.

Above all, the situation of our classmate Nanami-san not returning home made for a very hectic day.

In the end, the bad feeling I had about Amano at that time wasn’t wrong.

「Still, that Shougo… he kept quiet about the most important thing.」

Above all, that red glowing eye of Shougo’s. That’s definitely not a good thing.

I didn’t ask because I thought he would talk about it himself, but that’s probably from that time. Thinking that, I get angry at my own lack of power.

I don’t know what effect that thing is having on Shougo, but it can’t be nothing. I don’t have certainty, but I have a premonition.

Perhaps Hikari is secretly looking forward to it.

That this means Shougo has stepped into our side. As for me, I wish Shougo would remain ordinary as he has been.

Regarding Asaki, she probably broke out of her shell due to her experiences in that world, although she had the potential from the beginning.

Considering her original qualities, it was only a matter of time, but in Shougo’s case it’s different.

An ordinary him living an ordinary life. I’ve envied that at times.

To put it mildly, for me and Hikari, who have been extraordinary since the moment we were born, there’s no going back to that.

Even if we try to be ordinary, it’s as if the world won’t allow it, and situations arise.

It’s not just about abilities, our blessed appearances also exacerbate it, not allowing us to hide in the shadows.

If we were to become shut-ins at home, a fire would probably break out.

If we went on a journey, a tornado would probably suddenly appear.

──Involving something precious to me.

When we were summoned to another world, I thought it was a chance.

I felt bad for my family, but I thought I could disappear without involving anything precious, just me.

But even in that world, I ended up with something precious. It happened.

Regarding Hikari, she probably feels a sense of kinship because she knows we’re similar beings.

If I’m going to entrust my back to someone, there’s no one more reliable than her.

Conversely, because we’re the same, I know she finds me uninteresting.

Asaki probably relies on me, but that’s as far as it goes.

There’s a mutual help aspect, and while there’s trust and friendship, it doesn’t go beyond that. At best, I hope she uses me well.

Perhaps it’s best described as having eaten from the same pot, literally.

Being close in age and exposed to the same circumstances, the three of us quickly came to trust each other.

But Shougo was different.

Regarding his legs, although I felt pity, I thought there was no need to get involved if I didn’t need to entrust my back to him. If possible, I would protect him. That was probably the extent of it.

But he kept getting involved with us, as if to say, “look at me”. After a while of this, I found myself becoming just a little bit interested in him.

The people who had approached me before, to a greater or lesser extent, looked at me with admiration because of my appearance and abilities, or tried to make me theirs, their ulterior motives were transparent.

But with him, I didn’t see those ulterior motives, and moreover, he started to worry about us who were fighting on the front lines.

Even though he himself was being treated as less than us, ridiculed, and oppressed.

The final blow was those words.

『Don’t talk like you understand when you don’t even try to understand!! Are you an idiot!! Idiot, idiot!!』

…Remembering it makes me angry. I’ll punch him once next time.

It was the first time I’d been mocked to my face like that.

──Wait, wait, there must be a better scene…

『Amakake doesn’t eat much meatー. Are you a herbivore?』

『By the way, Amakake, are you blood type B?』

『Uwaー, seriously, crushing stones with your hand is creepy…』

『Amakake, you’re fast, right? Can you go run an errand for me?』

…Not a single one!! What, is he making fun of me!!

After getting angry for a while, I couldn’t help but laugh.

That’s right. He makes fun of me.

I’ve been the subject of plenty of gossip. At the same time, I’ve been called a monster or a superhuman, treated as if I were a different existence from them, more often than not.

But I’ve never been mocked to my face.

Perhaps Hikari was attracted to him for the same reason.

It was probably nice not to be treated specially, for better or worse. I can see that clearly.

Because I too had finally found someone who could treat me as an equal.

Ahh, I wonder when it was that he started calling me Daiki and I started calling him Shougo by name.

It feels like it’s been that way for a long time, but all the words I just remembered were addressed to “Amakake”.

Thinking about it, we might have only started calling each other by name very recently.

The childhood friend Shougo mentioned is probably Nanami-san. When I glanced at the two of them while tying up Amano and the others, I almost thought I would vomit sugar. They might not be aware of it themselves though.

Seeing that scene, I wonder how Hikari and Asaki will move.

「Ahh, I’m looking forward to seeing what happens to him.」

Anticipating the lively days to come starting tomorrow, I lie down in bed with a chuckle. Thinking of my poor friend who has somehow become the center of the story, pushing us monsters aside.

──Really, he never lets me get bored. My best friend.