Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest: Short Stories (Premium) Page 5

  “Also, well, Nagumo-kun’s interpersonal relationships are a bit...”

  An image of Hajime sitting alone during lunch flitted through Aiko’s mind. Though his isolation worried Aiko, Hajime himself seemed to not be bothered by it at all. He had even told Aiko not to worry about him, so she wasn’t sure how to address it. However, Shuu dismissed her concerns offhandedly.

  “Both me and my wife are aware of his lack of friends, Sensei. And neither of us particularly mind.”

  “B-But...”

  “It’s fine, Sensei. Our son may be a little passive, but if the time comes when he needs to step up, he will. My husband and I have discussed this at length already... and if the time ever comes that our son needs to run away, we’ve already prepared several options for him!”

  “U-Umm I’m not sure running away is...” Aiko was amazed at how unconcerned Hajime’s parents were with his school situation, and that they were even willing to help him run away if he felt like it.

  Sumire suddenly turned serious. Thinking her previous comments must therefore have been a joke, Aiko too grew serious. She was prepared for Hajime’s mom to ask her what she as a teacher was doing to rectify the situation, but what Sumire asked was completely unexpected.

  “By the way, Hatayama-sensei, are you dating anyone right now?”

  “...Come again?” Aiko opened her eyes wide, metaphorical question marks floating above her head. An interrobang was floating above Hajime’s head, though.

  “I asked if there’s a guy you’re dating.”

  “N-No, there isn’t, but...”

  “Then is there a girl you’re dating?”

  “Of course not! What on earth are you saying!?” Aiko cried out in alarm. Hajime’s expression underwent a rapid transformation.

  “I see. I’ve heard that teaching is quite a demanding profession. Also, my son says you even give up a lot of your free time to help the students... Frankly speaking, we’re worried about your marriage prospects.”

  “Th-Thanks for your concern! So, why exactly did you bring this up?”

  “Well, I was just thinking... why not marry our son?”

  “Seriously, what on earth are you saying!?” Aiko exclaimed.

  “What the hell! Mom, Dad!” Chaos engulfed the classroom. Shuu and Sumire continued to fluster Aiko even further, while Hajime desperately tried to stop his parents’ rampage. However, it only got worse from there.

  “Huh? But isn’t Hatayama-sensei totally your type?” Shuu asked.

  Flustered, Aiko couldn’t muster much more than a, “Hawawa.”

  To which Sumire commented, “Wow, I finally heard someone go ‘hawawa’ in real life,” while nodding in satisfaction.

  “U-Umm, that’s everything I wanted to discuss...” Aiko slumped tiredly over the desk she was sitting on.

  A few seconds later, she got up and tottered unsteadily back toward the teacher’s office. Dealing with Shuu and Sumire together drained a great deal of mental stamina. Hajime was in the middle of thinking up an appropriate apology when Aiko suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned back to them. There was a faint blush spreading on her cheeks.

  “N-Nagumo-kun! I’m your teacher, so we can’t be in a relationship, okay?” She then turned back and vanished into the teacher’s office.

  “Mom, Dad, how am I even supposed to face my teacher tomorrow?”

  Hajime’s parents just gave him a thumbs-up.

  “With a smile, right?” They both said that simultaneously. For the first time in his life, Hajime felt like he wanted to kill someone.

  A Store Owner Like This... Might Really Exist

  The TSUTAYA video store, a bustling chain that boasted a large selection of movies, books, some other merchandise, and the ever present UFO catcher games. Every weekend people flooded the store looking for new releases or old classics. One particular store had an abnormally large amount of visitors. As many as you’d expect to see in a theme park during a parade. TSUTAYA may have been a convenience store, but this was clearly irregular. Furthermore, almost all of the customers were men, and they weren’t just standing around the books, reading like usual. They were actually sifting through the merchandise.

  By their demeanor, one would be justified in thinking they might be thieves. In fact, it wouldn’t have been surprising if one of the store clerks walked up to them and gave them a stern warning. However, the workers at this particular store were used to this behavior, and they carried on like usual.

  “Haaa, you know...” One of the part-timers, Hajime Nagumo, looked down at his wristwatch with a sigh. He wasn’t counting down the minutes until he was off the clock, but rather waiting for a specific event to occur.

  Just then, the door to the staff room began creaking open. Everyone in the store started talking noisily. Their attention was focused entirely on that door. Some of the guys were even panting heavily with perverted expressions on their faces. When the door was finally fully free, the customers...

  “The manager’s here!”

  “S-She’s so hot...”

  “Apparently she’s over twenty. Can you believe it...it’s like some kind of miracle.”

  The crowd was going wild, as if they’d just met their favorite idol. The person who’d come out of the staff room wearing TSUTAYA’s trademark uniform and apron was none other than Yue, the manager of this store. She looked like a perfectly crafted doll brought to life. With her small frame, tottering steps, and lustrous golden hair, the word cute didn’t do her justice. Despite her lack of expression and breasts, there was an undeniable sexiness to her. She was the intimidating, aloof queen of TSUTAYA.

  “Hajime, Shea, have you finished stocking the shelves?”

  “Ah, yeah. We finished this morning, Manager.”

  “Aye aye, ma’am! We are ready for battle!”

  Today was the day a famous author’s new book went on sale. Hajime, and his fellow part-timer Shea, had spent all morning stocking the exclusive corner with said book. Yue nodded with a satisfied, “Good,” and turned to face the members of her fan club that had gathered. Like trained soldiers, they fell into a neat, single-file line in front of the exclusive corner. They had likely trained for this moment. They stood at attention, waiting for Queen Yue’s words.

  “...Mmm, go forth and buy.”

  “Yes ma’am!” They did as their queen commanded. It was a bit questionable whether someone in the service industry should have been ordering her customers around like that, but at this point no one said anything about it. The new part-timer, Hajime, muttered something about it under his breath, but that was all. The queen’s faithful servants all grabbed copies of the new book and rushed to the register. As the first customer arrived, their queen spoke once more.

  “Hm? Just a single copy?” Yue tilted her head. “You’re only buying one thing?” her gaze clearly said. What a cunning move. Nothing was off limits for her, as long as it improved sales.

  “O-Of course not. Let me buy one, no two more copies. One to give away, one to keep in my collection, and one to read!”

  “I recommend this book too.”

  “I’ll buy it! Three copies of that too!”

  She really was merciless when it came to business. Yue smiled faintly as the first customer ended up buying six books. Everyone else waiting in line gulped and she tilted her head at them too. “Won’t you buy that many, too?” her gaze seemed to implore. The results were instantaneous.

  “Manager! I’ll buy 5! Please just give me your phone—”

  “Bastard, you think that’s enough!? Manager, sell me the most expensive thing you have!”

  “Hah, fools. It’s not about the price. You’re all buying the newest stuff, but it’s obvious the manager will appreciate you even more for getting stuff that doesn’t sell well! Manager, do you still have that box set of Chupacabra? By the way, would you like to go out for dinner—”

  “Manager, can I take a picture of you!?”

  In a desperate effort to
win her smile, the customers bought more and more items. Hajime stood in front of Yue, protecting her from the mob of jostling customers.

  “Please don’t push! Line up in an orderly fashion, please!”

  “My apologies, but please refrain from asking the manager for her personal information!”

  “Both the box set and the revised edition of Chupacabra are unfortunately sold out!”

  “No pictures, please! This store has a no picture policy!”

  “Please stop trying to touch the manager, dear customer. If you do that again, I’ll beat the shit out of you!”

  “Give it a rest, you bastards! Quit trying to get close to the manager!”

  Hajime grew less polite as the requests continued. By the end he was a grinning demon, disposing of rowdy customers. Shea, who was almost as popular as Yue, handled the ones he couldn’t with her toy hammer. Many of the customers bopped by it came away grinning. The remaining clerks worked furiously to handle the waves of customers. Finally, the daily event that started with Yue’s appearance drew to a close. Mixed among the dwindling sea of male customers was a black haired beauty, who muttered some words.

  “I wonder if Hajime-kun’s working here today, too?” As Hajime was still busy handling customers, he didn’t even notice her. However, Yue swooped down in a Char mask and intimidated her.

  “Our store is now closed. We are looking forward to never having your patronage again. Kindly get out.” And thus, Kaori was evicted from TSUTAYA.

  “Haaah, it’s finally over. I feel like I say this every time, but the manager’s ability to attract people is ridiculous. Our sales are on a completely different level from the other TSUTAYAs. Probably for the wrong reasons, though.”

  Hajime was taking a break in the staff room after the storm had passed. Everyone took their breaks in turns, so he was the only one free at the moment. However, a few minutes later, Yue came in with some drinks. It seemed they were for him. She passed him a can and Hajime gave her his thanks. It was the little things like this that made her loved and respected not just among the customers, but by the staff as well, which was why Hajime didn’t complain even when he looked down and noticed the label on the can read “Ambrosia.”

  “Thanks for the drink, Manager.”

  “Mhm... Thank you for protecting me back there. You were cool.”

  “Ah, that was nothing... Anyway, it’s dangerous to keep going out like that, so I’d prefer it if you stopped.”

  “It’s to increase sales. I won’t stop until we’re the best selling TSUTAYA in the country.” Yue puffed her chest out proudly. Hajime smiled wryly. This was why he could never quit, despite the crazy rush hours and all the extra work he had to put in. The manager was just too lovable.

  As Hajime sipped on his Ambrosia, Yue pulled out a light novel and proffered it to him. It looked like she’d pulled it out of her bra, but Hajime was a gentleman, so he made no comment. Her body heat still lingered on the cover, but he pretended not to notice that, too.

  “Um, Manager, what is this?”

  “Our next big hit. You should read it.”

  “You want me to read it? Am I gonna be writing a review on it or something?” He looked quizzically down at the cover, then noticed something strange.

  “Hey, Manager... The girl on the cover, the one who looks like the main heroine... looks a lot like you, doesn’t she?”

  “Mhm... By the way, the protagonist looks like you, Hajime.”

  “Why are you licking your lips like that?”

  Shivers ran down Hajime’s spine. He found himself unable to meet Yue’s gaze, and stared down at the book instead. According to the summary it was about how a kind, normal boy got summoned to another world. Thanks to the harsh experiences he faced there, he changed into a completely different person, and went on adventures with a vampire princess that he met along the way. As he flipped through the pages, he noticed the main heroine got naked an awful lot. She was naked when the protagonist first met her, again after their first big battle together, and then again when she visited him in the bath and pushed him down.

  What kind of surreal situation is this!? Hajime was staring at naked pictures of a girl who looked just like Yue, as the real Yue watched him rifle through the pages.

  “Read it. In fact, make it your bible. It’s got the greatest heroine you’ll ever see.”

  “Y-Yes, ma’am.” Hajime started stuttering as Yue leaned in close. The title of the light novel she had given him was—

  Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest.

  Catfight

  “Alright, here I come!”

  “Whenever you are ready!”

  Shea leaped off the ground with enough force to leave a small crater in her wake. She hurtled toward Tio, who was waiting in a defensive stance.

  “Hiyaaah!”

  “Nnngh. That was a splendid blow! I could feel the weight behind it.”

  Shea let out a cute yell as she tackled Tio, who grunted as she took it head-on. She’d strengthened her body enough to handle most attacks, but Shea’s tackle still pushed her back a few centimeters. Similarly, Shea had strengthened herself enough for a decently powerful tackle. Though she hadn’t gone all out, she was still surprised Tio had managed to withstand most of the force. However, Shea wasn’t done yet. She’d been trained thoroughly by Yue and Hajime, so she had a few more tricks up her sleeve. While their bodies were still pressed together, Shea made a fist and stomped forward. She then twisted her legs and hips, transferring all of that energy into her fist, and punched Tio in the flank from point blank range.

  Tio gasped in pain, but managed to back away a little. Shea pursued relentlessly, pulled back her arm, and went for an elbow strike. Tio doubled over in pain, and Shea followed up with a palm strike to the jaw. Her head snapped back, and she groaned again. Though this groan sounded a little more like a moan of pleasure. Shea grounded herself firmly and finished with a double palm strike to Tio’s now exposed stomach. Tio was blown back by Shea’s combo finisher. However, she remained standing. Though she left furrows in the ground as she slid back, Tio refused to fall.

  “Wh-What a fearsome series of attacks... Those queer movements of yours make defending exceedingly difficult. Each one of your blows pinpointed a gap in my defenses. Haah... Haaah... Splendid.”

  “But you still look fine. And is it just me, or are you getting happier every time I hit you?”

  “It’s just you! Now come at me, I shall take each and every one of your blows!”

  “I’m kinda getting less motivated the more we do this...” Shea looked down dejectedly. It was obvious her blows weren’t doing any lasting damage, and while she knew Tio’s impressive defense had a lot to do with that, she couldn’t help but feel a little frustrated.

  “It looks like I need Drucken to break through your defenses after all, Tio-san... No, I know there has to be a way to do this barehanded!” Shea rushed forward again. This time, her tackle was a lot more straightforward. She ducked at the last second, then used the force of her charge to try and lift Tio off her feet. Unused to such an unorthodox move, Tio couldn’t prevent Shea from tackling her to the ground. Without giving her even a second to recover, Shea attempted to put Tio in an armlock. However, because of the position she was attempting it in, Tio’s arm ended up squished between Shea’s breasts. And, at the same time, Shea’s feet pressed down on Tio’s twin mounds.

  “A joint lock? You truly have an interesting array of close-combat skills at your disposal! Still, us dragonmen aren’t so weak that a simple joint lock will stop us!” Tio twisted her hips and bucked hard. Shea’s hold loosened for a split second, but that was all Tio needed to break free. She counterattacked before Shea could get her footing again. Leaping at her from behind, Tio grabbed Shea’s boobs and pinned her down. A cute squeal of surprise slipped from Shea’s mouth.

  “Pathetic! Is that all you can do?”

  “Fwah... Do not grab me there! And stop squeezing! Hmph, in that case,
take this!”

  “Hyaaaahn!? Hey, where do you think you’re pinching!? Hah, payback!”

  “Ahiii! It’s slipping... It’s slipping off! I cannot show such a shameful sight to Master! Take that, you shameless vixen!”

  “D-Don’t touch me there! Only Hajime-san can touch me thereeeeeeeee~”

  Tio and Shea continued grappling with each other, neither letting the other stand up. The two of them had decided to have a practice bout while they stopped for a break, but this didn’t look anything like a fight anymore. They were dripping with sweat, their limbs were tangled with each other, and they were panting heavily. Honestly, it looked more like...

  “Hajime-dono. I finally think there was value in me, Will Cudeta, surviving that horrible trip up the mountain.”

  “I see. I’m glad you realized so soon.”

  The two girls doggedly continued fighting, even after being stripped half-naked. Will cried tears of happiness as he watched. The sight had truly moved him. Hajime agreed wholeheartedly, but he couldn’t let those feelings show on his face. After all...

  “......”

  He could feel Yue’s gaze drilling into him from behind. When he turned around, he saw her sitting as still as a doll, staring intently at him with cold eyes.

  “That truly is a sight for sore eyes, isn’t it, Hajime-dono?”

  “Could you just shut up for a bit?” Hajime started plotting different ways he could beat these memories out of Will.

  Shea’s Cooking Lesson

  A slender finger traced its way down a ripe red fruit. The egg-shaped fruit suddenly split into round slices. It was then assailed by a sharp wind and minced into fine pieces. Unlike most fruit, its center was hollow. The relentless wind pounded the pieces of fruit until they were nothing more than fine powder. A beautiful girl, Yue, nodded in satisfaction as she looked at the powdered fruit. She scooped up the powder and stealthily walked over to a simmering pot. With a faint smile, she made to dump the powder into the pot, but before she could—