(Bonus Chapter = Five Reviews Achieved!)
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In his past life, he had trained in boxing and a bit of Taekwondo in his free time, seeking to learn how to defend himself. Being a famous player, he ended up getting involved in several situations where he had to put those skills into practice. That's why the previous scuffle with the drunks wasn't anything unusual. Even though he was in another body now, it was simple to apply what he'd learned and defeat the guy.
Even so, he still wanted to go to a gym to learn more self-defense.
But setting that aside.
Alya had been an idiot at that moment.
Isagi walked beside her in silence for a few seconds, trying to organize what he wanted to say. The glow of the streetlights reflected off Alya's silver hair, but her expression was hard, closed off. He took a deep breath before speaking:
"Alya, even though the situation resolved itself. What you did was dangerous. He was drunk. You knew you were going to irritate him, didn't you?"
"...I don't care if he was drunk or not. I couldn't let him insult my parents like that."
"Even so, what you did was reckless. What if he had assaulted you?"
The silence lasted only a second before Alya responded. Her voice came out controlled, almost emotionless, but there was a tense vibration behind it, like she was holding back a volcano about to erupt.
"I may not look it, but I'm trained in self-defense. I can handle a drunk."
Isagi sighed, running a hand through his hair as he stared at the sidewalk ahead. The street was quiet, except for the distant sound of cars and footsteps echoing on the wet asphalt.
"So that means I ended up getting in your way back there, huh?" he said, trying to keep his voice casual, but with a slight tone of guilt.
Alya looked away, but a pink hue began to tint her cheeks. She shook her head slowly, murmuring in Russian, almost like a whisper to herself: "Ты был милым… заставил моё сердце биться быстрее."
("You were sweet... made my heart race.")
Isagi blinked, confused. "What? Alya, what did you mean by that?"
She shrugged, looking away, but the tiny smile that appeared at the corners of her mouth was impossible to hide.
"You were... cute," she said, this time in Japanese, the word coming out with an almost inaudible shyness.
Isagi's heart raced strangely. He stopped for a second, trying to understand the sensation. It was the first time she'd called him "cute" in Japanese. An unexpected warmth rose in his chest, mixed with a pang of nervousness.
Isagi started walking slowly again, but his eyes were still fixed on Alya. The way she looked away, her hands stuffed in her coat pockets, and that faint hidden smile... everything seemed different from her usual self.
He watched her for a few seconds, furrowing his brow slightly.
"...You're acting weird today," he commented, trying to sound casual, but his own voice betrayed him.
Alya arched an eyebrow, as if the teasing was familiar. "Weird? Is that your way of thanking me for complimenting you?"
"That's not it." He shook his head, a little embarrassed. "It's just... you never talk like that. Normally, you call me annoying or stubborn. Never 'cute'."
The blush on her cheeks became more evident. Alya took a deep breath and looked up at the night sky, as if searching for an excuse in the dark clouds. "Don't get used to it. It was just... something that slipped out."
Isagi laughed softly, unable to hold it back. "Slipped out, huh?"
She turned her face to face him, her usual cold gaze trying to mask the embarrassment. "Yes. So, forget it."
But his smile only grew, light, almost teasing. "I don't know if I can. I think I'll keep that with me for a while."
For a moment, Alya seemed ready to retort, but her only response was to huff and quicken her pace a bit, as if she wanted to end the topic.
Isagi followed her, still with that strange look, a mix of confusion and something softer, almost affectionate. He didn't fully understand what he felt, but he knew that, somehow, Alya had stirred him in an unexpected way.
A few meters away, a white light illuminated the facade of a convenience store. Isagi took the opportunity to break the tension.
"Let's stop there for a second. I want to grab something."
Alya followed without question, and soon the two entered the cold, brightly lit space, the smell of freshly brewed coffee mixing with that of prepared food. Isagi went straight to the freezer, opened the glass door, and grabbed two ice creams.
"Which one do you prefer? Vanilla or strawberry?" he asked, holding up the packages.
She blinked, surprised by the mundane question, then looked away with an almost amused expression. "Strawberry."
"Good choice." He paid quickly and handed her the ice cream as they left the store.
Outside, the cool night air enveloped them again. Alya accepted the ice cream, peeling off the plastic slowly before taking the first bite. Isagi glanced at her, noticing the delicate way she held the treat, the contrast between her silver hair illuminated by the streetlights and the calm expression on her face.
It was a simple scene, but there was something irresistible about it. With every second, Isagi felt the urge to get closer, to test how far that shy smile could go...
But for now, he just opened his own ice cream and continued walking beside her, letting the night follow its slow rhythm, and letting the desire to kiss her grow, silent, within him....
It didn't take long for them to arrive at Alya's house.
Facing each other at the entrance, Isagi scratched his head nervously before giving her one last warning.
"Hey, I know it's pretty unlikely something like that will happen again, but if it does and you're alone, ignore it. It's not worth the risk."
"What... are you worried about me?" Alisa smiled provocatively.
"Yes, I'm worried about you. Sometimes, you can be socially inept," Isagi replied, looking into her eyes.
She blinked a few times at the serious response, then murmured softly:
"Ah."
Alisa turned and faced the entrance.
"...I guess I'll start being a little more careful, then."
"I appreciate that."
"..."
She took a few steps forward before stopping in front of the automatic door.
"Hey, Isagi," she said without looking back.
"Yeah?"
"You're really not interested in joining the student council?"
"Wait. Seriously? You too?"
"Just answer the question."
There was no way he could make a joke to dodge that firm tone. His smile faded.
"I'm not interested in joining the student council for now. As I told Yuki, I'm too busy with training and preparing for my soccer career. But after Inter High, depending on how it goes, I might think about it..." He replied in a tone as firm as hers, making it clear there was no hope of him ever joining.
"I see.... And if..."
But she didn't back down. There was even a sense of urgency in her voice as she continued:
"If I..."
But it stopped there, and a few seconds of silence followed.
"Forget it. Good night."
"Good night."
After making sure Alisa entered her building safely, Isagi turned on his heels, looked at the night sky, and murmured to himself:
"It's been almost a month since I arrived in this world, huh.... Time flew by...."
Isagi stuffed his hands in his pockets and started walking unhurriedly down the street, listening to the rhythmic sound of his own footsteps. The night air was cold, but his mind seemed even more restless than the wind.
"...Too convenient." He murmured to himself, half-laughing, half-suspicious. "No bike today, the dinner and all that, and then the scuffle with the drunks, ending up walking Alya home... it almost feels like fate is pushing me toward her."
A strange warmth ran through his chest as he remembered her blushing face, the unintended whispered words in Russian, and that bite of the ice cream that seemed ordinary but somehow etched the scene into his memory.
But it wasn't that simple.
There was Yuki, who had been trying to get closer to him in an obvious way, Kaguya, who clearly had feelings for him. And then there was Masha from his childhood, who was Alya's sister....
Isagi sighed deeply.
"Damn... back in Brazil, there were even people talking about threesomes, quartets, and all that... but in theory, it's easy. In practice, it's a mess."
He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. Part of him wanted to just let his heart decide, go with instinct, but the other screamed that it would be irresponsible. He didn't want to play with anyone's feelings, especially now, living a second life that seemed loaded with new chances.
"...But I can't pretend nothing's happening either," he grumbled, kicking a small pebble along the sidewalk.
"...Complicated for sure."
The night continued silently, and Isagi kept walking toward his house, unaware that a small, almost resigned smile was forming on his lips.
The walk to his house was shorter than expected. Or maybe it was the weight of his thoughts that made time fly without him noticing. When he opened the door to the house, the familiar smell of hot food wafted from the kitchen.
"Welcome back, Isagi," his mother called, with a warm smile.
"I'm home," he replied, trying to sound natural.
He kicked off his shoes in the corner, hung up his coat, and went straight upstairs for a bath. The hot water cascaded over his body, relaxing his tense muscles. He closed his eyes and let the steam envelop him, but the images from the night came back again — Alya's blush, the strawberry taste of the ice cream, the uncomfortable feeling of being caught between choices he wasn't sure he could sustain.
"Too complicated... but also exciting," he murmured to himself, laughing softly.
When he finished, he went down for dinner with his parents. The conversation revolved around simple things: training, school, small daily happenings. Isagi responded enough to avoid suspicion, but deep down, his mind was still far away, somewhere else.
After helping carry the dishes to the sink, he said goodnight and went up to his room.
The familiar space greeted him in silence. He flopped onto the bed, his phone blinking with notifications that he ignored without a second thought. He was exhausted, not just physically, but mentally. The day had been long, confusing, intense.
He lay on his side, pulled the blanket up to his chest, and closed his eyes.
It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.
That night, he had a strange dream about his past in this world.
A long time ago, when Isagi was still in elementary school, he used to go to a park near his grandfather's house, where he would run straight after school. At the entrance, he looked around and saw her sitting on a plastic dome with some tunnels running through it.
"Привет, ______!"
(Hey, _____!)
When he called her name and ran toward her, the girl looked at him with stars in her eyes and immediately broke into a smile while waving.
"Исаааги!"
(Isagi!)
"Последний раз, меня зовут И-са-ги!"
(For the last time, my name is I-sa-gi!)
He corrected her with a smile, as he always did, but she laughed cheerfully, as if she didn't care. Seeing that smile made Isagi not care either.
"Исаааги, Подойди ко мне!"
(Isaagi, come here with me!)
"Серьезно?"
(Seriously?)
"Поехали! Быстро!"
(Let's go! Quick!)
"Окей."
(Okay.)
The plastic dome had a ladder attached to the side, so he set his backpack on the ground and climbed to the top with his small arms and legs, struggling the whole way.
"Та-да! Я здесь!"
(Ta-da! I'm here!)
She welcomed him with a smile as her long golden hair shimmered in the afternoon sun. Isagi still remembered well the look in her blue eyes, crinkled with joy.
"Смотри, смотри! Закат прекрасен!"
(Look, look! The sunset is beautiful!)
"Да, действительно красивый."
(Yes, it's really beautiful.)
They sat side by side, watching the sunset while chatting about nothing in particular. In fact, it was Isagi who talked the most.
"И эта Академия Сейрен на самом деле та школа, в которую пошли мои родители."
(And this Seiren Academy is actually the school my parents went to.)
It seemed incredibly hard to get into, but they said that for someone with his grades, it would be easy.
"Вау, Исааги! Ты можешь всё!"
(Wow, Isagi! You can do anything!)
"Heh. Жаль."
(Heh. I wish.)
She praised him genuinely and even seemed to enjoy hearing his constant boasts. Isagi felt happy and proud every time he got a compliment from her. He would have done anything for that girl — study, practice sports, even learn music.
"Ах, нам, наверное, пора идти домой..."
(Ah, we should probably head home...)
It was a rule between them: they would say goodbye when it got dark.
"Спокойной ночи, Исааги. До завтра."
(Good night, Isagi. See you tomorrow.)
"Да, до завтра, ____."
(Yes, see you tomorrow, ____.)
She then hugged him tightly and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Isagi was too embarrassed to return it, but deep down, that gesture made him profoundly happy. As she released him, she smiled fondly and—
The scene faded.
The sunset sun, her soft laughter, the warmth of the hug... everything dissolved like smoke, leaving only a distant, soundless scene in Isagi's heart.
Suddenly, darkness.
He opened his eyes slowly. The familiar ceiling of his room stared back at him, illuminated only by the faint moonlight filtering through the window.
For an instant, Isagi lay still, staring at the ceiling, his heart still racing as if he'd gone back in time. The memory felt so real that he could almost smell the park, hear her light laugh, see the sunset painting the sky orange.
"...A dream, huh." He murmured low, his voice hoarse from sleep.
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