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Kyouya mentally sighed as his parents lectured him once again. He loves his parents. He does, honestly, but having them repeat the same message over and over again is just slowly building his frustration. Why can’t they be on his side for once?
“Please walk away!” “Don’t cause any trouble!” “I know it’s hard, but just endure it and keep your head down!” They would lecture after the parent of the bullies complained about him.
They are nice people who are afraid of their son ruining their good reputation. They wouldn’t hesitate to turn the other way if someone was being bullied right in front of them!
He knows that they don’t want to be ostracize by the village, but there should be a certain point where they should stand up to their ideals rather than bow down to the whims of other people. He knows that they agree the bullies Kyouya fights off shouldn’t be able to get away from their actions, but that’s it. They agree with him but won’t take any action to get those bullies in trouble. They just apologize for their son’s mistakes and move on with their lives.
This reminds him of Japan all over again. He hates it! Kyouya thought that living in another world, things would be better, and he could fully enjoy his new life with Shunsuke and Kanata, but it didn’t turn out like that.
He doesn’t know where Shunsuke and Kanata are and living in this village is slowly suffocating him. Once they label you as a troublemaker, anything you say and do will be ignored.
It took him awhile to finally understand that it was human society that was difficult to deal with.
The best option for him was to become an adventurer. He would rarely need to return to society unless it was to restock on supplies, turning in completed quests, and picking up a new quest. He could just deal with monsters that are causing trouble and there wouldn’t be any drama. Life would just be simple. He won’t get into trouble for fighting someone else. Also, he could look for their other classmates so it’s a win-win situation.
He just needs to convince Wakaba and Negishi (‘Sophia,’ he mentally corrects himself) to come along with him. Sophia isn’t going to be too hard since she has lost her parents and home at a young age. She hasn’t been able to settle down here in the village even though she has been here for over 14 years. She could be easily convinced as long as long as Merazophis also comes along with them.
The problem is Wakaba.
“Wakaba!” He called out as he entered her parent’s clothing store. She was usually in the back making new outfits.
It was pretty cool seeing her make new outfits with her threads. Normally, a person would need a sewing needle and cutting shears to make an outfit, but somehow Wakaba’s unique skill allows her to make outfits without using any kind of tools. It somehow even dyes the clothes too! It’s a weird skill but it helps with her family business.
He was correct when he found her sitting on a stool, slowly creating some type of formal looking shirt.
She nodded her head at him before turning her attention back to the shirt. She added some embroidery at the collar and the bottom part of the shirt. He waited patiently until she nodded her approval and put the shirt aside before he blurts out the words, “please consider coming along with me as an adventurer.”
She paused to look at him and smiled softly as she shook her head.
He already knew that she was going to say no, but it still hurts each time. He understands her reasoning, but he doesn’t want to leave her behind.
In her previous life, her parents were never home. She always ate dinner alone and spent most of her time at home reading or playing video games. Now, in this world, she and her parents work together at the shop, and they are always there for her. They were the family she never had and desperately wished for in her past life. Kyouya knows that she dearly treasures them and enjoys her current lifestyle.
He must admit that they were pretty cool. They allowed Sophia and Merazophis to stay with them when they had nowhere else to go. They also let him stay over whenever he has a fight with his parents. He even considers them as his aunt and uncle. They were one of the few people he likes, but it wasn’t enough for him.
Kyouya could always hear the villagers making snide comments behind his back and sometimes even bringing his friends into their horrible conversations. He was used to his name being dragged through the mud, but Wakaba and Sophia don’t deserve that kind of treatment! Just thinking about it makes him angry. He shook his head to dispel those thoughts as Wakaba watched him with concern in her eyes.
He and Wakaba changed the subject and talked about other things. He showed her his new magic sword. He managed to imbue lightning magic into the sword! She gave him a soft smile and patted him on the arm.
He left her place feeling bittersweet. He enjoys spending time with her but having her reject his invitation to leave the village always makes him feel disappointed. He can’t leave her here with the hostile villagers not to mention there was some elf guy going around kidnapping…killing(?) reincarnators. There was no way he is willing to leave her to fend for herself. The question is: how will he be able to convince her to leave the village?
He pondered about this is he walked back to his house.
“Hey Raziah! I hear that you punched Timothy in the face before hiding in Rina’s shadow! Picking fights with people then hiding behind a girl so your opponent can’t retaliate?! Disgusting! And you call yourself a man?” A person yelled as Kyouya was walking.
Kyouya clenched his hands as he tried to ignore them.
That wasn’t how it really happened. Timothy called Rina/Wakaba a loose woman and asked when he is going to get a turn. Kyouya could see Rina’s frustration emitting from her body even though her facial expression didn’t change. He stepped up, ready to punch that kid in the face for his outrageous comment when Rina held him back and shook her head.
“I’m fine.”
She wasn’t. He could tell that these comments got to her now that he has gotten to know her.
He turned his attention back to Timothy and summoned a low-level lightning spell and shot it at the kid. He missed on purpose just the message got across. The kid quickly fled after that. He could feel Wakaba’s grip on his arm tighten and watched her reaction. She showed the faintest hint of a frown, but she kept her silence.
“It will be okay.” He reassured her.
‘I won’t let them get to you.’ He silently promises her.
‘Calm down. Don’t let him get to you.’ Kyouya thought as he took in a deep breath as he walked past the person. He hoped that his bad reputation would deter the guy from attacking him, but things never turn out how he wanted it to.
He felt a sharp pain on the back of his head and fell onto his knees. He immediately brought his hand up to feel a bump forming. Luckily, there was no blood, but the pain was unbearable. In his moment of weakness, the person ran to kick him while he was down.
“Fuck! Just cast a low-level lightning spell Kyouya. It won’t permanently injure him and should make him back away.” He concentrated to cast the spell, but the person kicked him on the head, breaking his focus. He felt more than one person attacking him now and could only try to defend himself from their hits. Kyouya was disappointed that he didn’t see his new attackers.
“Stop!”
Suddenly all the attacks stopped. He blinked his eyes as he became aware of the new situation.
Wakaba was next to him as the three boys were flailing in the water. She helped him up as she gave a cold glare at the boys.
“Cool down.” She said as she teleported them back into her house.
He will always be amazed by her cast time. He heard that spatial magic was useful but takes a long time to cast so it was nearly impossible to use when fighting against an opponent. Wakaba, however, seems to be a natural at using it and can make it seem instantaneous.
She cleaned all his wounds before giving him a potion. He thanked her before downing it. He handed her back the empty bottle before they sat in the room in silence.
Kyouya wasn’t sure what to say to her. He was embarrassed that she arrived and saw him in that state. How could he ask her to go on a journey with him if he couldn’t even defend himself? Pathetic.
Wakaba wasn’t sure how to start the conversation. She never saw Kyouya fighting with anyone in the village before. Sure, they’ve said some nasty things to Kyouya, Sophia, and her before, but it never escalated to a physical fight. She knew that this was her fault. If only she could get over her social anxiety and stand up for herself.
After she teleported him back to his house, she sat quietly in the living room. Her mother found her sitting there after half an hour. She placed her hand on top of Wakaba’s as a sign of comfort and that small action released all her pent-up energy. She crashed into her mother’s chest and cried as her mother held her. She cried tears of frustration as Kyouya, Sophia, and her were bullied in the village. How it felt ostracizing to live here.
“Rina, you don’t seem happy here.” Her mother said as Wakaba finally finished crying. She brushed her hair out of her face and Wakaba jerked her head back in shock.
“No!” Wakaba cried out as she looked at her mother in shock. Did she looked like she wasn’t happy and didn’t appreciate her parents?! She needs to correct her behavior! She was about to ask her mother what she has done that made her mother thought that she wasn’t unhappy, but her mother cut her off.
“Let me finish dear. I meant in this village. You never really seem happy when you’re stepping out of the house or going shopping. I think you should consider Raz’s request and explore the world with your friends. Your father and I visited many cities before settling down here. I think you should broaden your horizon and see that there is more to this world than this small village. We’ll be waiting here for your return. Explore the world and tell us about your adventures when you come back.” Her mother said in a soothing tone.
She doesn’t want to. She likes Kyouya, Sophia and Mezazophis, but she doesn’t want to leave her parents.
Her mother poked her nose, effectively distracting her from her thoughts.
“Do you think poor Merazophis can keep up with your two friends? I think you going with them will help keep them safe and there needs to be responsible one person in your group.” Her mother winks at her.
Wakaba let out a chocked laugh imagining Merazophis panting heavily as he drags his feet following a hyperactive Kyouya and Sophia.
“See? I expect you to send letter from time-to-time miss!”
“Yes mother!” They gave a tight hug as Wakaba cried on her mother’s shoulder.
“Remember, you’ll always have a home here.”
“Kyouya, I’m ready.”