“Why do you look so confused? We need to hurry, or we’ll be late for class.”
“Mmm... I don’t want to be lectured by the teacher again.”
They pressed their breasts against him, and Hajime’s thoughts were overwritten. Unable to resist, Hajime was dragged off to class by the two of them.
Class? Teacher? Why does this all sound so strange? Everything they’re saying makes sense... right? I guess the weird thing is they’re the ones saying it? Their conversation was a perfectly standard one, but Hajime couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
The moment Hajime entered the classroom he was met by the jealous glares of all the guys in the class. Thanks to Yue’s intervention, they were no longer bullying him directly, but those gazes still hurt.
Is it just me or does this all feel a little... nostalgic? But why on earth should it feel nostalgic? Hajime couldn’t fathom why his normal, everyday life felt so off. Confused, he took his seat. The moment he sat down, another girl, one of his classmates, came bounding over to him.
“Good morning, Hajime-kun! You barely made it on time today too. I think you should at least make an effort to come earlier.”
“......”
Kaori Shirasaki, a girl who’s looks rivaled Yue and Shea’s, looked down at Hajime. Before Yue and Shea’s arrival, she’d been the undisputed most popular girl in school. And for some reason, she too had a crush on Hajime. She’d actually been infatuated with him for quite some time, but Hajime hadn’t realized it until just recently. Back then he’d always brushed her off with a troubled smile, but now things were different. Why does it feel like... I’ve heard that line before... Dammit, what’s going on? Why does all this feel so freaking nostalgic? I’ve been doing this every day for a while now, there shouldn’t be anything nostalgic about it.
“Hajime-kun... why are you ignoring me? Did I do something to make you mad?” Her voice trembled a little, and Hajime looked up to see her almost in tears.
Realizing he’d been ignoring her for almost a minute, he hurriedly replied.
“Oh no, that’s not it. I’m really sorry, I just got lost in thought. Morning, Shirasaki-san.”
“Oh, thank goodness that was all. Anyway, Hajime-kun, how many times do I have to tell you to just call me Kaori?”
She puffed out her cheeks in mock anger. The gesture was so cute that quite a few of the spectating boys got nosebleeds. Naturally, the fact that Kaori’s gestures were directed toward Hajime also fanned the flames of their jealousy.
“But Shirasaki-san, I...”
“Kaori. Call me Kaori.”
“But...”
“Ka-o-ri.”
“U-Umm, K-Kao...” Overwhelmed, Hajime finally started to give in. But before he could finish saying Kaori’s name, Yue came to his rescue.
“...Stop bothering Hajime.” She stepped protectively in front of Hajime and put her hands on her hips. In return, Kaori got into a fighting stance. Yue did the same and crouched low.
“Of course you’d get in the way, Yue. Good morning, I guess.”
“Mmm... Good morning, Kaori. I guess.”
They spat out their morning greetings as though it physically pained them to do so. The surrounding temperature dropped to absolute zero as the two officially recognized love rivals stared each other down. Despite how it seemed, the two didn’t hate each other. If anything, they were more like best friends who fought a lot. Hajime found it strange how they seemed enjoy each other’s company despite how often they quarreled.
Before they could start fighting in earnest though, the bell rang and the teacher walked into the classroom. Yue and Kaori gave each other one final glare before reluctantly returning to their seats. First period was English, taught by Tio. She was a beautiful teacher, who, like seemingly every other pretty woman, was enamored with Hajime. She’d often tease him or sexually harass him during class. Today too, she shot Hajime a flirtatious glance as she walked into the room.
“Tch... Someone fire her already.”
“Huh!? Haaah... Haaah...”
At this point, the whole class knew about her deviant sexual tendencies. Even Hajime, who was normally a mild-mannered individual, couldn’t help but be compelled to insult Tio.
Huh? How come everything else feels weird, but this feels normal? The strange disconnect Hajime had been feeling until now vanished. This particular scene just seemed to fit so perfectly. Throughout the rest of the day, Hajime was struck by a few other things that seemed out of place, but also experienced moments where everything seemed to fit together. It felt like someone inside his mind was yelling something at him, but the words were a little too faint to make out.
After school, Hajime, Yue, and Shea went to visit a nearby kindergarten. They were there to pick up Myu, their neighbor Remia’s daughter. Remia was a single mom, and work often kept her busy, so Hajime occasionally went to pick up Myu in her stead. Because Remia had known Hajime for a while, she trusted him to not only pick up Myu, but also to look after her until she got home from work. Myu saw them the moment they arrived and tottered over.
“Ah, it’s Da— Onii-chan! And Shea-oneechan and Yue-oneechan!”
A beaming smile split her face. Hajime smiled back and caught Myu in his arms.
“Myu, how many times do I have to tell you jumping like that is dangerous? Also, you were about to call me Daddy again weren’t you? I told you not to call me that.”
Cold sweat poured down Hajime’s back as he scolded Myu. Since Myu’s father had died before she was born, she’d taken to calling Hajime--the only older boy to spend this much time with her--Daddy. However, that nickname was likely to cause misunderstandings. Remia was still a young widow and considered quite the beauty by most of their neighbors. If her daughter started calling another man Daddy, well it wasn’t hard to see how that would be interpreted. Unsavory rumors would start to spread.
In fact, Myu had already slipped up once in front of the kindergarten teachers. That alone had caused a huge uproar. Fortunately, it appeared Remia had resolved the misunderstanding before things got out of hand. But if Myu called Hajime Daddy in the middle of the street, well, his social life was finished. So his concern was understandable.
Though for some reason, the looks Myu’s teachers had been giving Hajime recently made him worry Remia might actually be up to something. He tried not to think too much about it, grabbed Myu’s hand, and started walking home. He watched with an awkward smile as Yue and Shea tried to convince Myu to call them Mommy. As he gazed at the setting sun, he felt a sense of contentment wash over him. The disconnect he’d felt earlier this morning had all but vanished.
“Hey D... Onii-chan! Are you listening to me?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry. I spaced out there for a second.”
By way of apology, Hajime scooped Myu up into his arms. That was enough to assuage her anger, but Myu pretended to still be mad in order to make Hajime hold her for longer. Her cute antics stamped out the last of the discomfort Hajime had been feeling. Yue and Shea smiled at him, but then Shea suddenly closed her eyes and questioned him.
“Hmm? Hajime-san, did you hear that?”
“Wha? Did something happen?” Shea’s hearing was better than most people, so Hajime didn’t doubt that she might have picked up on something. Hajime strained his ears, and he was able to faintly make out the sound of one girl and a group of guys arguing with each other. The group exchanged glances, then ran off toward the alley the sound was coming from.
“Wow, this is cliched...”
“...No enemy of women shall go unpunished.”
As expected, a group of guys were heckling a lone girl. Hajime looked down at Myu and considered his options. The enemy wasn’t terribly strong. Judging by their posture, they were garden-variety thugs. Even if they’d been armed, they wouldn’t be much of a match for Hajime, Yue, or Shea.
While Hajime was still analyzing the situation, Shea walked up to the group of guys. Noticing that someone was approaching, the guys turned around
. Upon spotting Shea’s gorgeous figure, their surprised expressions transformed into vulgar grins. They obviously thought Shea would be an easy mark.
Huh? Driven on by a dark impulse to kill, Hajime reached towards his right thigh. Before he could do anything though, Shea wedged herself in between the group of guys. From there, it was a slaughter. She struck down the thugs with a superb display of martial skill.
Oh yeah, how could I forget. Shea can handle guys like these no problem. Now that he thought about it, it made sense for Shea to be that strong. There was nothing strange about it. That was just how she was. It was exactly as Hajime remembered.
Shea exchanged a few words with the terrified girl she’d just saved, then returned to Hajime’s side. As she passed by Yue, she gave her a high-five.
“You’re so cool, Shea-oneechan!”
“Fufufu. Praise me more. Don’t worry Myu, when you get bigger I’ll teach you how to fight just like me.”
“Mmm... I have a lot to teach you too, Myu.”
Just don’t teach her anything weird. Hajime thought to himself as he watched Myu jump up and down. With that incident settled, the group once again headed towards home. The disconnect that had vanished before returned as Hajime realized there was something strange about his earlier actions.
What was I trying to do with my right hand back there? It felt like I was searching for something... Just then, he realized something else. He’d analyzed the situation like a hardened warrior. Shaken, he looked down at his hands.
“...ake... up...”
In the distance, he heard a faint voice that sounded similar to yet different from his own.
That night. Hajime had already finished eating dinner and taking his bath and was now lying in his bed. He’d been so lost in thought the whole time that he hadn’t even remembered to dry his hair properly. The sense that something was wrong kept growing stronger. Though it was extremely faint, he was almost certain he could hear a voice calling out to him. It struck something deep down inside him, something primal. The voice was one of denial. It was screaming at him to reject this seemingly happy life.
“Just what am I unsatisfied with, anyway?”
As he scratched his head in annoyance, he heard a knock on his door.
“...Hajime?”
“Is that you, Yue? Come in.”
After a brief pause, Yue opened the door and walked inside. All she had on was a negligee. Her silky, pale skin was on full display. As she crawled onto Hajime’s bed, she noticed his hair was still wet and she poked him in mild rebuke. He reluctantly got into a sitting position, and she started drying his hair.
“Mmm... All dry. If you sleep with your hair wet, you’ll catch a cold.”
“Yeah, you’ve got a point. Thanks, Yue.”
“Mmm...”
Yue hugged Hajime from behind and started rubbing her face against the back of his neck, like a spoiled cat. She then pushed her hands inside Hajime’s shirt and started caressing his chest. Hajime let himself sink into bliss. Or at least, he tried to. For some reason, Yue’s actions only made his sense of unease grow. He couldn’t understand why he was feeling like this, and it made him frustrated.
I have a fulfilling life and a girlfriend who’s completely devoted to me. There’s nothing more I could hope to ask for. So who is it inside of me... that keeps yelling at me to reject reality!?
He tried to focus on Yue and banish the unease welling up within him. As if sensing his discomfort, Yue leaned close and whispered into his ear.
“...It’s alright. You don’t have to worry about anything. I’ll make sure you’re happy, Hajime.”
“Yue...”
“So focus only on me. It’s okay, I’ll always be here by your side. I’ll always be everything you want.”
“......” Hajime slowly started to nod off. If only I could fall asleep just like this. Then I wouldn’t have to think about anything. I mean, I have Yue right here with me. There can’t be anything more important than that... can there? As long as I have her, I don’t need anything else. Even if I lost everything else... I’d still have my ideal girlfriend with me. That’s all I need to...
Hajime let his thoughts trail off, and relaxed his body. He entrusted himself to the warmth of Yue’s body and let the sweet fog of sleep blanket his mind. But just before he fell fully asleep—
“As long as we watch each other’s backs, we’ll be stronger than anyone. We’ll beat down anyone who stands against us and bust our way out of this shitty world.”
Someone screamed those words inside his head. Hajime drove off the fog of sleep, and his eyes snapped open.
“Well, how about coming with me then?”
He heard his own voice again. It sounded different from his current voice, but it was undoubtedly his. Memories rose one after another to the surface of his mind.
I remember now. That was what I told Yue way back when in the bottom of the abyss. When I asked her if she wanted to come back to my world with me. Scenes of a world that wasn’t earth flashed through his head.
It was then that Hajime remembered Yue’s smile. The smile she’d shown him when he’d offered to take her with him. That was the first time he’d seen Yue, who was normally expressionless, smile so genuinely. It had been like watching a sunflower bloom. Thinking back on it now, Hajime realized it was then that he’d fallen for her. After that, they’d fought through numerous life-and-death situations and stepped foot on Tortus’ surface once more. There they’d sworn to protect each other, find a way home, and beat down anything that stood in their path.
It had been almost instinctual. Just as Hajime had been about to surrender himself to this dream, he’d remembered the oath he’d made. Hajime shook off the illusion that looked like Yue and rose to his feet.
A perfect girlfriend? A perfect world? Just how stupid can I get!? Hajime rubbed his eyes and ground his teeth together. He couldn’t forgive himself for being so weak, for nearly succumbing to this false happiness.
Pathetic. I feel like throwing up. How could I forget the promise I made? He slapped his cheeks as hard as he could, both to punish himself and to clear his head.
The sound reverberated throughout the room, startling Yue. She hurriedly got to her feet and grabbed Hajime’s hand. However, he coldly shook her off. Yue brought her hand back to her chest, looking forlorn.
“Don’t fuck with me...” Hajime muttered angrily as he glared at the illusory Yue Haltina’s labyrinth had no doubt created.
“Hajime, what’s wrong?”
Hajime looked nothing like the docile boy he had a few moments ago. He ignored Yue’s question and let out some rather heartfelt words.
“Hey, Yue. You’re the most important thing in the world to me. As long as I have you, I don’t need anything else.”
“...Hearing that makes me so happy, Hajime.” Yue was initially taken aback, but then she smiled happily. But despite his words, Hajime’s gaze was as cold as ice.
“So if I told you to throw away everything else for me, would you?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Yue nodded.
“...If that’s what you wanted.”
“Even if that everything else included Shea, Kaori, Tio, and Myu?”
“...If that’s what you wanted.”
Yue agreed to anything Hajime asked as if she were trying to become his ideal partner. However, her responses only served to anger Hajime.
“I can’t believe something like this managed to trick me...” he muttered to himself. He then looked up at Yue and spat out words dripping with venom.
“Fine. I get it already, goddammit.” The moment Hajime was convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Yue in front of him was a fake, his appearance changed. His black hair turned white, an eye patch covered one eye, and his left arm was replaced by a mechanical one.
“Tch... I totally fell for that one. This is why you can’t ever let your guard down in a labyrinth. Looks like Haltina was just as much of an asshole as the rest of the
Liberators.”
The fake Yue once again stretched out a hand to Hajime as he cursed to himself.
“...Please stay here. You’ll be happy if you do.”
“Shut up, you damn fake. Don’t you dare say my name again.”
“Why? I’m Yue, your girlfriend. Your ideal girlfriend, Hajime. What’s there to be unhappy about?”
“Everything, you moron. If I wanted an obedient girlfriend who did everything I asked, I’d get a doll. But unfortunately for you, I’m not really into those,” Hajime spat. He then tuned Yue out as he searched for a way out of this illusory space.
“You’re wrong. I’m not just a doll. I have the same personality as the real Yue. I’m just also the ideal Yue that you desire. So stay here. Anything and everything you could wish for is here. And I’ll always be by your side.”
So this world’s not just your normal fake, huh? Both the people and the world were based on Hajime’s memories, which had been read by the first magic circle that had teleported them. On top of that, everything here was simulated to be the ideal what-if scenario that the labyrinth believed the challenger desired. Considering all the suffering Hajime had been through in the abyss, and the challenges that he still needed to overcome to make it back home, it wasn’t wrong to say a world like this where he could spend his days with Yue and the others in peace was in many ways ideal. However, it wasn’t the world Hajime wanted.
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 8 Page 13