I Became a Time-stopping Narrow-eyed Character

Chapter 21

The moonlight faintly illuminated the night.

"......Hoo."

Sawamura Sento stepped outside the yard to catch her breath for a moment.

She closed her eyes and exhaled repeatedly.

Honestly, it was a bit overwhelming.

The study of 'Sorcery' was something entirely different from any school subject she had studied before.

Her teacher, Shihei Rin, praised her as a genius, but her head couldn't help feeling fatigued from grasping and adapting to new things.

'How on earth did they manage it?'

The people in the next building trained for three days and nights last weekend, really insane.

She couldn't bring herself to train that much.

Studying sorcery was quite fun and suited her aptitude, but she couldn't bring herself to go crazy over it.

"......As always, doing it moderately should be fine."

Like wearing a mask at school, studying moderately to appear as an exemplary student.

This time too, she was just learning 'Sorcery' to adapt to a new world.

As Sento repeated this to herself, a sudden sense of discomfort rose, but she merely tilted her head, unable to figure out the source.

─Shut up...!

─You're really not being honest...!

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, someone interrupted her thoughts. A commotion was heard from the mansion's front gate.

Sento tilted her head.

With her temperament that disliked chaotic situations, it would have been better not to go.

However, amidst the loud voices, she thought she heard Ichimaru Shiki's voice.

If that man was there, she thought at least she wouldn't face any significant threats, so Sento crossed the mansion grounds and headed to the gate.

'This mansion is safe anyway.'

At first, it was awkward, but after encountering the Shihei family members for several days, she felt a sense of internal closeness.

Always kind and warm-hearted.

At first, she thought it was simply a professional attitude towards guests, but no.

They genuinely took care of the benefactor's friend and the teacher's disciple with utmost sincerity.

Sawamura Sento.

Despite having a different name and barely any acquaintance, they seemed to think of her, albeit slightly exaggerated, as family, or at least a comrade.

'......I still don't know who that benefactor is, and no one has told me what gratitude means here.'

Everyone laughed and kept silent, saying the head of the family and Shiki would get angry if they talked about it.

She wondered if they were avoiding her, but aside from that secret, everyone treated her warmly.

It was a rather awkward situation for Sento's values, but she unconsciously realized.

This place was safe, and it was quite endearing.

At least, it was better than the old house where she had lived, confined after losing her parents.

No relatives would suddenly show up asking to borrow money.

Nor would anyone shamelessly come, claiming they would raise her while eyeing her inheritance.

She didn't dare to think of it as 'family,' but still, it was a safe refuge.

In Sento's heart, this Shihei main house mansion was imprinted as such.

Somehow, it happened.

For someone like her, who had lived for years wearing a mask, it was like an astonishing magic or sorcery.

With a firm resolve, Sawamura Sento stepped solidly across the mansion grounds.

In this mansion. Especially in a place where Ichimaru Shiki existed, she thought there would be nothing to surprise her.

"This is outright kidnapping!"

"Oh, weren't you the one who asked me to explain convincingly before?"

"I asked for an explanation?! Who told you to kidnap me?!"

"Hmm, Miss Eris, if you say so, I feel so wronged and upset! Can you see my hands trembling from the shock?"

"Shut up! If you plan to keep deceiving me, send me back immediately!"

"Oh dear, you've come all the way to my house; wouldn't it be nice to sit together, drink tea, and eat snacks to bond..."

"There was never any bonding from the start!"

"......."

Sawamura Sento made a face she usually did when witnessing something bizarre.

The sight of Ichimaru Shiki and Eris Betelgeuse bickering with each other.

To put it differently, it looked like a shady man forcing his way in here and the young girl he had grabbed.

Should she, an accomplice to that shady man, help with this conspiracy?

Or should she at least exercise some morality and report this to the police?

"Hmm."

After fiddling with her phone for a while, Sawamura Sento decided to become an accomplice.

She took a step forward and moved to the brightly moonlit front gate.

Ichimaru Shiki, as if just noticing her, turned his head and smiled.

He lifted Eris in his arms and said.

"Oh, I'm back."

"Is that a gift?"

"Yes, Miss Sento, I thought you might feel lonely studying alone, so I brought a friend to train with..."

"Who gave you the right! I am a member of the Betelgeuse family, and I have my own teacher-!"

"So, where should I bury her?"

"......What?"

"......Excuse me?"

Ichimaru Shiki and Eris turned their heads, blinking their eyes.

The two, who had been making a noisy fuss, fell silent with blank expressions for a moment.

Sento asked with a calm expression.

"What? Weren't you going to bury her?"

"That's not it."

"......."

Eris, the Star Mage, realized she had encountered another lunatic─one who threatened her life─and just kept her mouth shut.

***

After that, things proceeded peacefully.

The long commotion in the yard disappeared like a mirage, and everyone moved indoors.

At this point, all the main characters of the planned episode, Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, gathered in the reception room.

Kitagawa Kenichi, who had returned home to enjoy a rare rest, was also summoned.

Feeling gloomy because his vacation was canceled, he crouched and muttered gloomily.

"......You said you were honest, that you wouldn't lie, so why......."

"Hey, we're not going to train as promised. Right after the briefing, I'll send you back, so calm down."

"Really?!"

The protagonist's mood swings were quite extreme.

Thinking it was good that he had grown stronger than before, but that mental management was necessary to prevent madness, he scanned everyone in the room.

─Silently.

"What, do you have something to say?"

"Nothing."

Since returning to the mansion, Sawamura Sento had been silently staring at me.

Because of that, our eyes kept meeting.

In the game's settings, there was a title called 'Ancient Weapon,' but since it felt like she could read my thoughts, I decided not to think about it at all.

Now, she was the sorcery genius, Sawamura Sento.

"......I can go home! I don't have to train! I can go home today!"

The crazy Kenichi......description omitted.

'Priestess of Fire,' Hotaru Ichinose, wasn't brought along since her abilities were still immature, leaving just one person.

"What are you looking at!"

The Star Mage, Eris Betelgeuse.

Though she had arrived here through mutual agreement, she kept grumbling.

I considered stopping time right now and having a private conversation with her, but as a proper gentleman, I had no hobby of bullying little kids.

"You're only 150 cm tall......"

"W-What?! I'm 153!"

"Oh, come on, don't be shy. Everyone knows you're exactly 150 cm tall without a single error."

"I told you, I'm 153 cm!!!"

Eris Betelgeuse, getting worked up.

But what could she do when her character setting was permanently fixed as '150 cm.'

Although I mentioned her height like this, I decided not to bring up her weight out of respect for a lady's privacy.

"Alright, alright! I know everyone here is busy, so I'll explain very briefly."

I clapped my hands and drew the attention of everyone in the room.

Meeting the gazes of those with various emotions, I realized they were all focused, and I decided to drop the bomb right away.

With the same grinning face as always, I spoke with the utmost sincerity of my life.

"Humanity is currently facing an apocalyptic crisis."

"Bullshit."

Eris immediately blurted out, but with my generous heart, I ignored her and continued explaining.

"Haha, believing or not believing is your choice, but the fact that we're in an apocalyptic crisis is undeniable. If you want, Miss Eris can even use her magic to verify the truth."

The Star Mage, Eris Betelgeuse, frowned and declared firmly.

"That doesn't work on lunatics."

"Ah-ha."

What a truly unfortunate story.

It's not going smoothly.

Nodding my head in deep melancholy, I decided to carry out the second method to convince them.

"It can't be helped! Then, we'll have to use a definitive method, even if it's a bit excessive."

"......Huh? Hey, hey!"

Standing up with the little blonde girl tucked under my arm, I gestured to the remaining two.

Sento and Kenichi, like excellent students, followed me without objection.

Exiting the room, we came to a yard, and when I looked up, the night sky with the moon appeared.

"A few days ago, the seal of several decades was broken, causing what could be called a celestial anomaly, greatly disrupting the world's balance."

"I've never heard of such a thing!"

"Well, that's possible. This is a secret story that only a very small number of people in this world know."

It was also a story I never wanted to know until the day I lived out my life and died, but it couldn't be helped.

The apocalypse was closer than I had thought.

I reached out into the empty air.

"──Open."

Drawing my sword, I immediately swung it toward the empty space. With all my strength. Enough to reach the night sky.

"......Shiki, your hair-"

"Shh, look up."

When they widened their eyes and looked up,

Screeeeech......

The high sky split apart, and a hidden sight began to reveal itself.

"......Huh?"

Next to the brilliantly bright moon, there was a larger red moon.

As if it had always been there.

Naturally.