Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! Novel 1

by Torako

  An unusual power (?) like substance was gathered in her body. She began yelling like she was a character in a fighting series. And then,

  “Ultimate Secret Phase! Ryuuru Star!”

  There was no signature pose added to that yell. Rikka tilted her head up and held Dosukoi Kuma Gotarou above her as she yelled. Yumeha’s eyes glittered as she looked onto the stationary Rikka.

  You know, this is em….embarrassing…. I remember this now. Tilting my head up and calling out to a star. While this appears to have 0 effect on the seal, it has plenty of effect towards me. You guessed it. The kind where I die in agony. I really shouldn’t have given this to her. Why did I do that again?

  After declaring the secrets, Rikka attached the eyepatch to Dosukoi Kuma Gotarou and said in a small voice that it was completed.

  “Rikka? Is it done? Was it a success?”

  “Just barely. Now with this, your eye will awaken one day without having to be sealed.”

  Just barely huh? At least it was a success for me (in removing her eyepatch). I let out a sigh of relief.

  “YAY! Now I can destroy aliens with Rikka! Eh… Ryuuru Star!”

  ……My sister inherited a new trick. That means today’s injured party is me! Well, her eyepatch did come off, so I’ll bare it as an older brother.

  “Now Yumeha, suddenly awakening is dangerous. That’s why you should equip this.” Rikka pulled a new tool out of her bag (likely some unusual magic device) and handed it to Yumeha. Of course she was delighted to receive it.

  Looking on the scene, I spoke what came to mind. “…..Where did you get that? It looks like free candy from an old lady from Osaka…..”

  “It’s not candy. It’s a Power Stone.”

  ….She didn’t deny it was from an old lady from Osaka.

  “Beautiful! It’s red and blue and green and yellow! Are you really giving this to me, Rikka?”

  Looking at the magic device Yumeha had in her hand, I saw three small red stones, four small green stones, and one small stone for blue and yellow. With all of them scattered and tied together, it’s quite a pretty Power Stone (?) accessory present.

  “This is a present. It is not used to seal anything, so you can remove it at any time.”

  While listening to Rikka, Yumeha immediately put it on. She showed it to me while saying “Beaut-ful.”

  “Are you sure it’s alright for her to have it? It looks expensive….”

  “Relax. These are just stones I found at the beach.”

  “Not very Powerful…. Oh well, I’m sure these stones have some effect when combined into the Power Stone…….”

  “When a spell is recited, the Golden Hero is revived.”

  “Golden Hero?!”

  Sounds like an adventure is beginning. Regardless, I’m not so sure this isn’t a joke item. I know that Rikka wouldn’t give out an ordinary accessory that a girl would wear.

  “By my estimate, it’s a 22% increase in power.”

  “Is that a joke you maniac? Who would know that?!”

  “Yuuta would.”

  ….I did know that.

  “Well, thank you. Yumeha, don’t forget to thank Rikka.”

  “Ah, Yep! Thank you Rikka!”

  “No problem. I hope the Ocean King protects you.”

  What kind of divine protection are you talking about? I’m not sure something’s in there.

  Thus nothing else could be said. Yumeha underwent a class change from a Rikka-style seal eyepatch to a Power Stone. Since she can wear this like an accessory, there shouldn’t be any problems. As long as she forgets about awakening, this will be alright. I’m eagerly praying she forgets about it.

  After this the two girls played around with practices and yelling about defeating aliens. It was a little lonely watching them without any henchmen of my own, but since it was such a charming sight, it’s alright.

  Chapter 11: Last Day

  It was two days after the second Nana-chan personal lesson. Yeah, it was Friday. One day remained before the re-test. It was our final day to study.

  The bell rang after fourth period to signal that it was the beginning of lunch time. Usually I’d head to the cafeteria with Isshiki and order some morisoba, but today I had a different idea.

  I was going to ask Rikka if she wanted to eat together. Oh this is nerve-wracking! Well, that’s natural for a guy. Suddenly asking a girl “Hey, would you like to go eat something?” feels like you’re asking her out on a date.

  Just thinking about that is already making me embarrassed. But thinking about doing something and then not doing it isn’t good for me. So after taking a deep breath to calm my beating heart, I went to chat with Rikka.

  “Rikka, would you like to eat with me?” Damn, that came out in a high pitch.

  She turned around and said “Sure.”

  She replied, but I was a little worried. My brow became tight. If I head too strongly into Rikka Territory, she might change her mind.

  “Oh, um, it’s with Issihiki. Is that alright?”

  This reply decides it all.

  “Sure.”

  Somehow, this feels different from what I originally wanted. Perhaps it’s due to how clumsily I asked those questions.

  “Ah, where would you like to eat? I brought my lunch today.”

  “Since you went through that trouble, anywhere outside would be fine. As long as we are in the darkness of the shade, there is a possibility we will continue living.”

  Don’t pretend that we’re vampires now! We wouldn’t be able to go outside during the day if that were true. Well, Rikka wanted to be in the shade while we ate, so anywhere with that would be alright. After getting a yes from her, I headed towards Isshiki. Rikka came toddling behind me.

  “Isshiki! Let’s eat lunch man. Doesn’t eating lunch with Rikka today sound good to you?”

  He opened his eyes in a comically large fashion and stared at me. Is that supposed to be happiness or troubled? I can’t tell. Ah, is this Shy Mode again? It might be Carp Mode with the way his mouth is open.

  “Wh, What’s this.....? You serious?”

  “I’m telling you the truth.”

  “Oi, oi! Don’t joke around with me man....why today.....”

  Huh? Usually when I say something interesting, it’s ignored. Granted, there are times when it is stupid and should be ignored. Perhaps I should stop....

  But he should’ve heard what I said this time. Maybe he thought I was playing around or perhaps today was an incredibly bad time for him. Could be either.

  “Man, I’m not joking.....”

  “Not that... Today would be impossible for me to join you.... We’re having a disciplinary council at lunch... Ah, the two selections draw near. So I’d be eating with you and...Takanashi-san? The other day I couldn’t talk with her. Perhaps I could avenge myself today? Well, if asked, I’d love to choose the second option.....”

  He was at his wits end. Nah, his serious character had already fallen apart. Hearing him speak, it had to be the former.

  “No, you can’t disrupt order by not attending your own meeting man. I’m the one who’s always saying you have to give a good example of what to do, right? If I don’t go, someone would always comment that I didn’t attend my own meeting if I asked them to do something for me. Yeah, I should’ve said that to begin with. Though you’ve tempted me, I am a disciplinary council member. I’ve got four or five things that I need to accomplish.”

  After talking out loud it seems he picked the bitter option. While it sounded like an idiotic soundboard, the final response was definitely Isshiki. His Buddha-like expression continued.

  “I’m looking ahead beyond today. I’ll go to my meeting, but I have one thing to ask of you. Don’t disrupt the pure relationship between guys and girls. You cannot do that. After all, you never know when I’ll check on you two. I’m off. My longer-than expected hesitation time is over.”

  He had such a dazzling presence that I was tempted to look for a halo above him
.

  “Ah, good luck man.”

  Isshiki got up and started walking briskly down the hallway as if he was a soldier. He couldn’t run after all. After his determination faltered, he returned back to the classroom.

  Did you forget something? Ah, you didn’t take your lunch. No, that wasn’t it. With an earth-shattering determined look, he grabbed both my shoulders.

  “.....Next time, I want in.”

  And then he left the classroom again. That halo was gone and replaced with impurity. I think the devil would override his angel for the time being. Oh well, that’s just Isshiki being Isshiki. He’s still that determined guy who’s in love with girls.

  “Yuta, what’s going on with Number 1?”

  Rikka had hidden behind me and was grabbing my shirt.

  “Hmm, today looks to be bad for him. Something to do with the disciplinary council.”

  While I was saying that, I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Well, looks like we’ll be dining for two. Shall we go?”

  “Let’s.”

  And so we left the school in search of a shady spot. Rikka was frantically trying to stay in the shadows to keep in line with her earlier statement. One ray of sunlight means game over for her. I kept that in mind as I searched until we found a bench underneath a tree.

  “That look alright?”

  “It’s shaded therefore survival is possible.”

  We sat on the bench. There wasn’t anyone around us, so it looks like we found a nice out-of-the-way spot. While I had been tempted by things one after another, my head was finally starting to get in gear. I was able to remember today’s objective.

  “Let’s start by saying thanks for our food.”

  Rikka had already taken her usual bento from the convenience store and placed it on her lap. She put her hands together, and I matched her with my own lunch box on my lap. We thanked out loud for the food we were about to eat.

  “Hey, would it be alright if I asked something strange?” I asked as we began to eat. Rikka looked over, opened her mouth, and tilted her head in confusion.

  “Not like that. You and I are contracted, right? But even as a contractee, there’s still so much I don’t know about you. I’ve been thinking about that lately.”

  That’s a quite phrasing it distantly. It’s something a true Japanese person would say.

  “I understand.”

  Rikka nodded her head “yes, yes.” She stopped moving her chopsticks.

  “This is actually why I invited you for lunch today. Is that alright?”

  “I have no problems with that.”

  “Okay, that’s good. I don’t mean that I just want to know these because I’m a special contractee, alright?”

  Rikka replied with a smile and a small laugh.

  “There’s also a lot that I want to know about Yuuta. Example: the date of your birthday.”

  Ask away. Anything’s fine.

  Afterwards we had an incredibly inconsequential conversation. We talked about things like Rikka’s bloodtype being AB, her dual personalities (envious?), her enjoyment of my favorite food: that gum I introduced her to. It really wasn’t important; just an ordinary conversation. You could compare it to a couple talking about themselves at a marriage interview.

  When we talked about loving something, I’m sure my face got extremely flushed. I didn’t want her to know what I was feeling, but I’ve got a hunch that didn’t go as planned.

  You know, that might have been the first time we had an ordinary conversation together. Usually there’s made-up stories interweaved in our conversations, but this was just questions and answers.

  But it wasn’t enough. I want to know more about her. Well, wouldn’t it be fine if I slowly found this out over time?

  “That would be nice.”

  “Stop reading my mind!” is what I was thinking. Actually, what she was calling “nice” was my lunch. Rikka was motionlessly staring at my octopus wiener. Her eye was sparkling. I could sense drool coming.

  Rikka’s lunch was the normal convenience store variety, more specifically the nori kind. While the type of water bottle I normally use is somewhat feminine, at least I didn’t compliment it by making something like pasta (though that would be good). I’m not sure Rikka would be fixated on that.

  Besides, this lunch has one more objective. That would be this.

  “Want some?”

  Rikka’s face suddenly rose. Her eye met mine. Then it returned to the octopus weiner.

  “Is that alright?”

  “Since it’s for you, I suppose I could give you some.”

  “Oh! Yuuta’s definitely the Flames of Darkness Chef. That would be alright.”

  And so she closed her eye and opened her small mouth wide. Such good behavior(?).

  Wait. Seriously? You want me to feed you? Isn’t this the opposite of what normally happens? This is definitely reversing the usual cliché. Aren’t I the one who’s supposed to go “ahhhhh?” Oh well, this should be alright.

  I used my chopsticks to grab a wiener from my lunch and moved towards Rikka’s mouth.

  “Lo, Look! You, You better eat this!” I bit my tongue. Ooh, damn this is nervewracking….

  I was supposed to go “Here!” and be fed. This just makes me want to die of embarrassment.

  “Oh! This is delicious!”

  Rikka evaluated it with an unusually loud voice. She was all smiles. That’s the sign of someone who really enjoyed eating something delicious. Oh well, this is a good reaction. Looks like my decision to wake up early and make this paid off.

  “……This is the best flavor. I want more of this.”

  Rikka had returned back to her usual character, but she was still saying things with such a happy tint. I know that if she’s saying things like that, she’s truly happy. But what was the ingredient that made her so happy?

  “Yeah, it’s good. It’s like a whole meal. And the meat is wrapped in asparagus too. Very nutritious.”

  “This must be the rumored ‘Meat in Gemüse.’[8]”

  “If you were going to use another language, why not just call it ‘Meat in Vegetable?!’”

  Why can’t you use this country’s terms? Gemüse…..? I only knew what you were saying up to meat! Letting something go past me feel so vexing!

  “Incidentally, did you make all of this Yuuta?”

  “Ah, yeah. It’s not too hard to make something at this level.”

  “Oh, Yuuta has so much female power in him. You really do.”

  “Don’t you mean husband?! Don’t say any more about that!”

  Rikka was continuing to stare at my lunch, but when she wasn’t looking, I lifted it up.

  “Humh!”

  That quick movement was Rikka trying to take away my lunch. But, you know, my intention was to live life more wildly. Even today’s cooking was a wild man’s lunch. You should get that impression when you see that octopus weiner. It’s meat! Meat I tell you!

  But as we were talking back and forth, an unconcerned individual walked by in front of us. I looked away the moment our eyes met. Please just keep walking. God, please grant my wish.

  “What are you two doing over there?”

  Why she took an interest in us, I don’t know, but Nibutani came over to us. With her light gait, I’m sure she’ll have her usual sadistic impression today.

  “Oh, we’re just having lunch….Do you have any business with us?”

  Since Rikka enters Shy Mode (or is it really Disliked Mode?) around Nibutani, I’ve got no choice other than to speak with her for both of us. She’s already turned into a statue.

  “I don’t have anything in particular; I was just casually passing by. I saw you two over here having a lot of fun and I just wanted to check if you were causing any disturbances.”

  “What kind of grudge do you have against us?!”

  Rikka had come to the same thought I did. She nodded her head many times.

  “Well, I can’t say it was your fault that horri
d nickname was revealed to the whole class, but it’s probably my beliefs that brought me here.”

  That’s really some kind of grudge, and I can’t help being bothered by how you’re speaking.

  Beliefs huh? The kind that want to fix chuunibyou?

  “Well, you two seem to be acting normally, so I’ll take a wait-and-see approach for now as long as you don’t go on a rampage. If that happens….. well, don’t you want to die in agony Togashi-kun? That’d happen. Later.”

  After finishing, she walked off like she had something else to do. As expected, that sadistic nature came out.

  “Ooh, I really dislike that person Yuuta!”

  “Shh! Don’t let her hear you! I don’t know what she’d do, but we might want to leave from this place.

  “Understood.”

  We began walking in search of another shady spot.

  ◆◆◆

  After our run-in with Nibutani, we finished our lunch break with more childish stories. And then, we had our final after school study time before her re-test. When no one was around, we joined our desks together and began studying.

  “Alright, tomorrow’s your re-test. We’re not going to sprint through any new material. Since today’s our last day, we’ll have a review of everything we’ve covered. Oh, right. Today, you are prohibited from using the Devilish Truth Stare’s power.”

  I tried to slip in a joke with what Rikka would say. But she didn’t look that happy.

  “Last day…..”

  She was contemplating that. Well, tomorrow’s the actual test, so perhaps she’s nervous.

  “It’s all right Rikka. Will you give it your all? Then you’ll definitely pass that test!”

  “……yeah.”

  Rikka smiled and nodded. She’s alright after all.

  “Ah…Yuuta. That fragmented spell is disappearing.”

  “Huh?”

  I looked down and that “yu” in round hiragana on the back of my left hand had disappeared a bit.

  “Looks like it. Disappeared fast, didn’t it? Well, I just won’t wash there.”

  “It’s alright, I can re-write it again.”

  “Nah, it’s a bit embarrassing.”