Chapter 2(197): I'm Just a Useless Fighter with Zero Combat Power
In this completely unfamiliar other world, all Hikigaya could do was try his best to accept everything. But right now, he couldn't even protect his own safety.
'If it were Koenji, he probably could've resolved that situation in an instant…'
After charging recklessly across the streets, Hikigaya finally stopped at a fruit stand.
Panting heavily, he ignored the strange looks from the people around him. He knew all too well that if he didn't find a place to settle down soon, he would die here.
So, without any hesitation, he grabbed the red flat apples and started eating them. One, two, three, four… one bite each, devouring them whole.
"Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing?! Are you looking for a beating?!"
"You haven't paid yet!"
The fruit stand owner scolded him angrily, his fury barely contained.
Hikigaya stopped eating and, with what little dignity he had left, said, "Sir, I don't have a single coin on me. All I can offer is my insignificant labor. How about you take me in?"
'Even though I was once told by so many classmates that I was impressive… At times like this, I really can't do anything at all.'
Pride could shatter in an instant, and Hikigaya had no choice but to accept that cruel reality. But the man in front of him had no intention of listening. He stepped forward, grabbed Hikigaya by the collar, and lifted him clean off the ground.
"Huh? What did you just say?"
'Looks like I can't avoid a beating.'
Once again, Hikigaya lowered his head and pleaded, "Please take me in. I'll work for free."
The man looked at him. His expression softened slightly, though the anger on his face didn't fade.
"Put him down."
Silver hair, a white dress, violet eyes, and a delicate figure, Hikigaya was certain she was the girl who had saved him in the alley.
Upon seeing her, the man's hands seemed to lose all strength, and he immediately let Hikigaya go. Hikigaya, however, hadn't been prepared to land, so being released so suddenly made the result obvious.
Even in that state, Hikigaya could sense the atmosphere around them turning strange.
The once-lively, noisy pedestrians now avoided her, stepped back, and whispered among themselves. The shopkeeper, despite his burly build, clearly wasn't faking the fear on his face.
As if to save face, the man took a deep breath and turned his anger toward the silver-haired girl.
"What? Are you here to save him? He ruined over ten of my flat apples! If you want to take him away, you'll have to compensate for my losses!"
"Fine. How much?"
The man didn't speak, he simply held up five fingers. Without another word, the silver-haired girl tossed fifty copper coins to him.
After taking the money, the man knew there was no benefit in continuing to tangle with her. He glared at Hikigaya once more, then hurried away.
The silver-haired girl looked at Hikigaya lying on the ground and, out of kindness, reached out her hand. Hikigaya looked at her slightly trembling hand, then at her beautiful face.
No matter how you looked at her, she was like an elf.
'If it's a bother, you don't have to reach out. I can stand up by myself.'
'Everyone around us is watching. To be honest, I don't like this kind of scene. Why is that? Are they just here for the spectacle? Or does it all have something to do with this girl?'
Hikigaya didn't avoid her. He gently reached out and let her pull him up.
"Thank you…"
She returned a gentle, satisfied smile, then tightly grabbed Hikigaya's hand and quickly led him away.
When they were once again moving through the street, the silver-haired girl had already put on a cloak. The bustling crowd was the same as before, but compared to earlier, Hikigaya now felt a grounded sense of safety. He didn't know why, but being held by her made him feel as though he had returned to those carefree days of the past.
Only when they returned to that same alley did the girl remove her cloak.
Hikigaya spoke first: "If you're planning to rob me too, then you've picked the wrong person. I really don't have anything on me."
The moment he said it, he regretted it. If she had truly wanted to rob him, she wouldn't have paid that money earlier. Saying something like that to his savior was honestly ungrateful.
However, the girl didn't seem to mind. After seeing his face and noticing that he wasn't afraid of her, she merely stiffened slightly, then crossed her arms and said unhappily, "Give me back my insignia."
"Insignia?"
"Yes, the insignia!"
"And why do you think I'd have something like that?"
The girl didn't answer. She simply stared at him with those pure eyes that seemed to pierce straight through the heart, making Hikigaya too embarrassed to keep meeting her gaze.
So..
He turned his head away.
"See, see?! You looked away because you're guilty, right? I knew it! You're the one who stole my insignia!"
Faced with her unreasonable accusation, Hikigaya could only retort helplessly, "No, I mean, anyone would get embarrassed being stared at by a beautiful girl, okay?!"
Her body trembled again, a faint blush appearing on her face. Still, she didn't lose her composure and only muttered, "What are you saying… idiot."
At that moment, a small cat that had apparently been hiding somewhere on her body jumped out.
"I think this young man seems quite sincere. That reaction earlier was exactly what a healthy teenage boy would have! There's no trace of malice at all."
"Hey, hey, why is the pet talking?! What kind of international joke is this?!"
This made both Puck and the silver-haired girl freeze. They exchanged a look, and the next moment, "I'm not a pet! I'm a spirit! A spirit, you know?!"
'Well, it's another world. Even if someone started casting magic right now, I wouldn't be surprised anymore.'
Hikigaya nodded calmly, then said, "Anyway, thanks for helping me earlier. You really don't need to follow me. I honestly didn't take your insignia. To be honest, I don't even know what it does. From a motive standpoint, I'm the least suspicious person possible, right?"
Hikigaya's logical analysis made the silver-haired girl puff out her cheeks, but she couldn't find any words to refute him.
He brushed off his pants, thinking he couldn't waste any more time here, and prepared to leave.
"Anyway, if I find this insignia you're talking about, I'll return it. Right now, I'm really busy. And once again, thank you for helping me earlier, I really did something irrational back there."
Without saying anything more, Hikigaya only wanted to find a shop where he could work before nightfall, somewhere that would let him settle down and survive.
…
The silver-haired girl and Puck watched as Hikigaya slowly walked away.
"Are you looking for a place to stay?"
Hikigaya seemed to hear exactly what he wanted to hear. He turned around and nodded.
The silver-haired girl crossed her arms and took several steps toward him, puffing out her cheeks with an annoyed expression.
"If you help me find my insignia, I'll take care of your lodging. Deal?"
"A promise?"
"A promise."
There was no way Hikigaya would refuse an opportunity handed to him on a silver platter. And if it were something he had absolutely no confidence in, he would have backed out early. But this, he at least had some ideas.
Still, a verbal promise alone wasn't enough. Without a contract, if she backed out halfway, he'd end up starving on the streets anyway.
So there was one more thing needed.
In this situation, Hikigaya looked into her sincere eyes and suddenly came up with a good idea. He extended his little finger, trying to convey his intent with his gaze.
The silver-haired girl looked confused but mimicked him and extended her little finger as well.
Without hesitation, Hikigaya hooked his little finger around hers and said with a very serious expression, "Once we pinky swear, anyone who breaks the promise will be struck by lightning from heaven and reduced to dust!"
Hearing such a terrifying consequence, the silver-haired girl was clearly startled. She lowered her head as if making a firm decision. Seeing her expression, Hikigaya was confident his approach had been correct.
In this other world, tricking people was really surprisingly easy.
"By the way, what's your name?"
"Before asking someone else's name, you should introduce yourself first."
"My name is Emilia. Just Emilia."
"My name is Hikigaya Hachiman. Nice to meet you."
"And I'm Puck. Not a pet."
…
[Chatroom…]
[Puck: "Lia, I really didn't expect that you'd be the one to ask someone's name one day, and you even gave him your real name."]
[Emilia's eyes were still as sincere as ever as she spoke in a tone completely devoid of lies:"I don't know why, but I can feel warmth coming from him."]
[Puck: "Maybe it's because you're both equally gentle and kind people. Or maybe it's because he wasn't afraid of your appearance, and that surprised you."]
[Emilia: "Maybe…"]
[Sakura: "Hachiman finally found someone to keep him company over there. That's a good thing, right?"]
[Kushida: "The only bad part is that it's a girl, and she's this pretty. Sakura, aren't you worried she'll steal Hikigaya's heart?"]
[Sakura let out a helpless bitter smile:"How should I put it… I just hope he'll be safe. And I know he's definitely not the kind of person who would forget us so easily."]
[Ichinose: "That's right. Hikigaya-kun isn't that kind of person. All we can do is hope he survives properly in that other world. At least, while we're not there, he has someone who can help him so he won't be completely alone."]
[Karuizawa: "I'm a little annoyed that the one by his side isn't me, but Ichinose, you're right this time. In moments like this, we really can't be that selfish."]
[Hiyori: "It's just… I don't know how long it'll take before we can meet again."]
[Horikita: "Don't worry. That day won't be far off."]
---
Still inside the alley, Hikigaya and Emilia sat upright facing each other, clearly maintaining a certain distance.
Puck: "So then, how are you planning to find that insignia?"
Hikigaya: "Actually, when I was being robbed earlier, it was also in this alley. A blonde kid, about up to my chest, passed through here. Given the timing, there's a ninety-nine percent chance she took your insignia. Not long after she left, you showed up."
Puck: "Oh? Then why didn't you say that earlier? Were you trying to hide it from us?"
Hikigaya: "To be honest, I'm not from this country. I come from a remote mountain village. I kept drifting from place to place just to survive and eventually ended up here. I don't know the land, I have nothing, and I don't even have the ability to protect myself. Information like that is the only thing I have to protect myself. If I'd told you everything right away, you probably wouldn't have offered me that deal."
Puck: "You really are smart. And there's purity in your eyes, I believe you're the kind of person who keeps his word. I feel pretty at ease letting Lia go with you."
Hikigaya nodded: "Don't worry. Since I promised, I'll do my best to help you find her. Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked you to help me either. And more importantly, we're just meeting each other's needs, right?"
Emilia nodded lightly, then looked at Hikigaya with a serious gaze.
"I trust you."
Leaving the alley behind, Hikigaya and Emilia finally began moving properly. Based on Hikigaya's memory, golden hair, malnourished, a skinny girl who could run along walls and rooftops, incredibly fast, dressed in ragged clothes, and wearing a striking red headscarf, he quickly sketched an image that was about ninety percent accurate.
Unfortunately, the street was far too crowded. Finding a single person among all these people was anything but easy.
With Puck around, conversation between the two never became awkward. Hikigaya also took the opportunity to learn a few basic rules of this world from them.
"By the way, how did you escape from those three robbers earlier?"
"Escape?"
"Yeah. Those three were clearly thieves. They must've had weapons. You're a girl, probably around my age, so did you just turn around and run?"
Hearing that, Emilia suddenly laughed as if she couldn't hold it in anymore. Puck beside her burst out laughing as well.
"I'm a half-elf, so… I'm definitely not someone your age."
"A half-elf?"
When Hikigaya questioned it, Emilia looked a little unsure, but still spoke softly, "Yes, a half-elf. You don't really know about them?"
"Maybe my village was too backward. I haven't heard much about it."
Emilia looked enlightened, then stopped teasing him. She raised a finger, and Hikigaya focused his gaze on it.
The next instant, a shard of ice instantly formed from her fingertip, it was so sharp that it surpassed an ordinary blade.
Hikigaya sucked in a breath of cold air. Even though this was another world, seeing magic appear so casually still made it hard for him to accept. This was something he only saw in anime, and now it was right in front of him.
As if remembering something, Hikigaya looked at Emilia with a hint of fear.
"I believe you're not the kind of person who hurts people casually, but I still have to ask, did you hurt those three?"
"Of course not. I just asked them who stole my insignia. They didn't hesitate at all and said it was you."
"..."
Hikigaya fell silent.
"But Hikigaya-kun, you really don't know anything, do you? Someone like me usually isn't welcomed by anyone."
"Actually, I used to be someone who wasn't welcomed either. But in the end, there was a group of people who changed how I saw things. So… what matters isn't how others see you, but how the people you care about see you."
As he said that, Hikigaya once again thought of his time at the Advanced Nurturing High School, how they had worried about him again and again. It was a memory he could never forget.
Hearing those words, Emilia seemed to finally take a deep breath for herself, looking at Hikigaya with a solemn gaze.
[Chatroom…]
[Puck: "I knew it. This Hikigaya kid really does have some kind of strange magic about him. Lia, when you're with him, you feel different from usual."]
[Emilia pointed to herself, puzzled:"Me? How am I different? I didn't notice anything."]
[Puck: "Of course you wouldn't. The person involved is always the most confused. But it doesn't matter. You can clearly feel how relaxed you are when you're with him, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't have told him your real name. That alone is already a silent form of trust."]
Finding one person in this vast royal capital was undoubtedly difficult. Even though Hikigaya and Emilia were trying hard, some things simply required luck.
But that was only true for ordinary people.
For Hikigaya, finding someone meant starting with the geography and social structure of the place.
A teenage girl, malnourished, dressed in rags, where would she come from?
Someone with exceptional agility, familiar with the terrain, able to run along rooftops, where would she live?
The answer didn't require much thought. Only those living at the bottom of society, struggling just to survive, could end up like that. And for such people, asking random passersby would yield nothing. Merchants or shop owners who had deep roots in the city were far more likely to know her.
In fact, even with minimal information, Hikigaya could already guess that her base was most likely in the slums, and that she'd stolen the insignia on someone else's commission.
But to avoid making Emilia and Puck suspicious too quickly, he decided to proceed step by step.
[Chatroom.]
[Meanwhile, Felt was feeling intense regret: "How did I end up messing with that guy…? This is bad, this is really bad. My reputation I've built up over the years is about to be ruined!"]
[Old Man Rom remained calm:"Relax. Even if they come knocking, I'm still here. As long as we insist we didn't steal anything, we'll be fine."]
[Felt: "Old Man Rom, you're a genius!"]
[Old Man Rom: "You're just too stupid."]
Sure enough, after casually asking one or two shop owners, they immediately learned the general whereabouts of the girl named Felt. Just as Hikigaya had predicted, she lived in the slums.
The efficiency was absurdly high.
[Ryuen: "This guy really is as monstrous as ever. It seems like he's searching for a needle in a haystack, but he actually locked onto the other party's general information with just one glance. He's basically a human GPS."]
[Sakayanagi: "Well, it 'is' little Hiki after all. Nothing surprising there."]
[Manabu Horikita: "That said, I'm curious how he'll handle things from here."]
Following the directions given by the shop owner, Hikigaya and Emilia reached the slums before nightfall.
That was as far as they got.
Although they now knew Felt's location, they had no idea how many people might be waiting there. Acting recklessly was out of the question.
Emilia, however, was anxious. She believed this was an opportunity they couldn't afford to miss. If they hesitated now, finding the insignia later would only become harder.
And right now, she had Puck with her.
It had to be now.
"I don't mind going into the slums with you, but I'm just an ordinary guy, with total zero combat power."
Emilia replied with a gentle smile: "Don't worry. I'll make sure to protect you properly, Hikigaya-kun."
As she said that, she deliberately moved closer and kept him shielded behind her the entire time.
(End of this chapter)