novelDrive to the Mountain
| ← Ch.290 | Ch.292 → |
Translator: Reflet
Editor: ryunakama
Beyond the broken-down wall was a long hallway. No doors, windows, or anything. Just a long hallway that turned at the very end.
Despite leaving the room, it was still unclear whether it was morning or evening, but Taiyou did not care.
He did not currently have the leisure nor the need to think about such things.
He only thought of the girl by his side.
「Let's go」
Turning around, he extended a hand to Akiha. She blankly replied,
「Go? Where?」
「To search for the trailer」
「Eh?」
「Didn't you want to try riding it? I want you to try it too. So let's start by looking for the trailer」
「But Taiyou-chan, your hand――」
「Yeah, let's go」
Cutting across the worried Hera, Akiha replied with a smile and took Taiyou's hand.
He broke into a run in the hallway, leading her.
Akiha's hand was soft. He could feel her body heat, which made him a little excited.
He felt like they could go anywhere like this, but then something blocked their path.
Around the corner was Shirokiyami.
Pure white hair and skin, contrasting with a jet-black dress.
She stood there with her vacant gaze, taking the longsword『Heaven Reversal』out of its pure wooden sheath.
「You, huh? Didn't think we'd jump to the last boss like this」
「I am not......the last boss. I am the evil mastermind's lackey......」
「You've been hired after all」
「The daily life of......daily, employment」
「And in your case even that's a ridiculous high level」
「Who's that?」
Hands connected, Akiha asked him from the side.
「You never met before? This is Shirokiyami. She's currently living at my house, and I'm trying to get her to be my seventh bride」
Without hesitating, Taiyou said "the seventh" right in front of the partner he was trying to woo.
This would usually be unpleasant to anyone, but she already knew that Taiyou was building a harem, plus Akiha was not normal in the first place.
She didn't care about that.
「Hey, could ya make way?」
「I wonder......what I should, do」
「Hm? And what even is your job?」
「If the fairy came with you......I was to punish, her」
「That's all?」
「That's, all」
「......Not bad」
「You don't, mind?」
「Oh, just talking to myself. I've seen through their intentions」
「I, see」
「Alright, Hera」
「Yes indeed?」
「Let Shirokiyami punish you」
「So you want me to die!?」
「You're not gonna die, silly, as long as it isn't me」
「Oh, right!」
「You get it. Anyhow, go ahead and do that. And you just do your job」
「Mhm......I, am」
Hera cackled, going toward Shirokiyami, who unsheathed her sword, launching Hera away.
He had seen this before: One-Man Lariet.
「Ahahahahaー, but I have 108 different countermoves for ping-pongー」
「But I can only......split into 18、people」
Quipping "That's a lot!", Taiyou pulled Akiha by the hand, slipping past both of them and continuing down the hallway.
「Hey, why's that other girl the seventh? Aren't you just at 4 right now?」
「It's a long story, but there's a certain scenario I have to uphold」
「Scenario?」
「I level up like crazy and defeat her with the power of 6 brides. If I don't defeat her, she won't be mine」
「Then just beat her right now」
「You don't seriously think that's possible, do you?」
Taiyou jerked his finger backward.
After seeing Shirokiyami and her nonchalantly performing the inhuman lariat, Akiha immediately looked like she understood.
「Well that's outta the question」
「According to Hera, maxing out my level, with the help of all the brides I should win」
「Oh? That sounds hard」
「Nahb it's nice and easy. I just defeat her at my best. Simple. Welp-」
Taiyou changed the subject.
「Forget about her for now. What matters is how I can persuade you. I wish you were that simple」
「A lot of girls don't like being compared」
「Yeah? We don't do that here, so I dunno」
As they were conversing, they came outside.
The morning sun beamed into their eyes. It seemed to be afternoon, but he didn't know which day's afternoon.
Taiyou didn't have time to ponder that. He continued without even peeking at Akiha.
After a bit, they could now see a familiar town layout.
It seemed to be the city they lived in: Seikaen Town.
(In that case...) Taiyou dove through his memory, walking to the twisting path.
It was a thin path that hardly anyone knew about. After they had traveled along it, they reached an old, privately managed general store, and next to it was a trailer, parked casually.
「Obaa-chan, can I use the trailer?」
Getting permission from the old saleslady who he knew from childhood, he stood in front of the trailer.
Then he spoke to Akiha.
「Go ahead」
「Okay」
Seeing that Akiha was in the trailer, Taiyou pulled it, immediately dashing full-speed.
「Ahahaha, this is crazy awesome!」
「You think?」
「Yeah, this is my first time riding in such a quick trailer」
「For now......wanna get on the highway and start from Wazashika?」
「Ahahaha, but that's the ocean! Isn't that a bit uninspiring?」
「It's usually the ocean at times like this......But yeah, it is uninspiring. Then let's go up a mountain」
「Tsugaiyama?」
「Tsugaiyama」
Taiyou nodded, hauling the trailer and running to the visible mountain.
Reaching the base, they went up the rugged mountain road.
「Wooow, this is so coool, fantastic!」
Going faster than it was supposed to, the trailer gave those riding on it a rollercoaster-level thrill, swaying up and down like crazy.
Akiha was overjoyed. Gripping the edge, she gave a hearty laugh each time it shook.
「Look at you go」
「Stop making fun of meee」
「No, I mean in a good way」
「Ahahaha, thaaanks」
He had gasped all the way up this twisted mountain path when he had gone there for a field trip as a child, but they had finally made it up.
Leading the car, Taiyou had easily brought them up to the top.
「Kay, we're here! I don't remember any of this」
「Been a while since you climbed up Tsugaiyama?」
「Yeah, the last time was like, for an elementary field trip?」
「You mean the one where in the middle of it all, 4 people just casually disappeared and caused an uproar?」
「Yeah yeah, that one. Where no one could find them and they suddenly show up after three days」
「I heard they were spirited away, but is it true?」
「I would've scoffed at the idea a while back, but once you know about Hera...Thinking of all the still-unknown things in the world, I can't deny things like that anymore」
「Ahaha, what an admirable comment!」
「Yeah」
「Hey, come up here」
Invited by Akiha, Taiyou set down the trailer, climbing into the load-carrying tray.
Alone with Akiha, they each sat on the opposite edge.
This was to keep the unsupported balance.
「For some reason, I am just in a suuuper weird mood right now」
「Weird?」
「Yeah. As if I've known you for a long time or something」
「Well that's cuz even though we've never been in the same class, we've always commuted together, especially when big incidents occurred, so our memories――」
「No, not that」
「Eh?」
(What do you mean?) he looked at Akiha. Their eyes met.
| ← Ch. 290 | Ch. 292 → |