I Was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but That World Is at Peace (WN)

Chapter 2463 - Requested Item ⑲

I gently but somewhat forcefully stopped Kaori-san, who seemed lost in thought and completely oblivious to any sound around her. Stepping onto the carriageway was dangerous, and I didn’t even know where she was heading, so I think my decision itself was correct…… but because I moved suddenly, it ended up looking like I was pulling her close.

[……I’m really sorry for stopping you so abruptly.]

[No, it’s completely my fault. Honestly, it was a relief you stopped me…… the shop I was planning to go to, we’ve already passed it, so let’s go back.]

[Understood. But, what’s the matter? You seemed deep in thought.]

[……How should I put it…… not exactly long ago, but it feels like some long-forgotten youth of mine is acting up again, or something like that……]

[U- Unn?]

[No, it’s nothing. It’s just that it’s been a while since I’ve been to the movies, so I was thinking about what kind of movie would be good.]

Indeed, since it’s been over 10 years since her last movie, it makes sense that she would struggle with deciding what to watch. Since she said “youth”, maybe she was thinking about romance movies. She did say she liked them……

[Indeed, it’s been a while since I’ve gone to the movies, so I’m also not sure what to watch..]

[Unn. It’s not just the genre, but whether to watch a movie I liked before or something I’ve never seen…… it’s a tough choice.]

[Kaori-san, you like romance movies, right? Among the newer ones “Love Raised in the Evening Sky” is the latest.]

[Eh? No way, that’s already out!? Ah, I see, that makes sense…… timing-wise, more than a year has passed in that world since I was summoned, so it’s not strange that it’s released. I saw the first trailer and wanted to go watch it, but I got summoned to this world before it came out.]

[Right, I haven’t seen it, but I remember reading some online news that said it did well at the box office.]

Naturally, there’s a time gap between the time when Kaori-san was summoned and when Seigi-kun and I were summoned. The movie that came up in conversation is relatively new, released around spring, but it seems it hadn’t been released yet when Kaori-san was summoned.

[I definitely want to see it. But, hmm, realizing that kind of time gap…… it’s kind of a strange feeling, isn’t it?]

[What do you mean?]

[Well, considering my age when I was summoned, when you calculate based on that world, Kaito-kun is not only older than me, but even older than Akane-san. But here, I’m older, so…… you really notice the time difference.]

[Now that you mention it, meeting someone from the same hometown really makes you feel it. Even Shigenobu-san, in that world, would be just a little older than me.]

Indeed, assuming Kaori-san was 16 like Hina-chan and Aoi-chan when she was summoned, one year later…… when I was caught up in the summoning, she would be 17-18, so clearly younger than me. By the same calculation, Akane-san would be around 20, and Shigenobu-san around 23-24, so their ages aren’t far from mine.

Of course, after being summoned, they’ve lived in this world for several years, so Kaori-san and the others are definitely older than me…… but the phenomenon of age being overtaken, which shouldn’t normally happen, makes the time gap feel very real.

[See? It’s interesting, isn’t it? Maybe that’s why…… talking with someone from the same hometown brings back memories of my youth…… or at least, it makes me feel like it…… I was summoned just after becoming a second-year high school student, so maybe I didn’t really feel much of my youth…… N- Not only that, I’ve been busy with all sorts of things back in my first year…… even after being summoned it was hectic…… where did my youth go……]

[H- Hmmm, being a high school student doesn’t automatically equal youth, but that age does carry that image strongly.]

[Right. By the way, Kaito-kun, how were things back then for you? Guess you must be popular huh?]

If we define youth as high school life, then I’ve had absolutely none of it. Back then, high school was almost entirely a commute between school and home, and I spent most of my time playing online games, so I hardly talked with any classmates.

It’s not like I was bullied or ostracized, but I was probably more like part of the mob…… I think the person I talked to the most was Akira.

[No, not at all. I hardly had any friends and was in the go-home club, and at school, I just slept most of the time.]

[Eh? That’s surprising. I would have thought you were already a ladies’ man back then……]

[Even back then, or rather, both in the past and now, I’ve never once been a ladies’ man……]

[Heehh~~ hoh~~ Hmmm.]

[Eh? W- What’s with that slightly skeptical look……?]

I received a sidelong glance that seemed to say “Who are you to say that?”, but unfortunately, I have no idea what she meant…… I mean, in this world, I do have plenty of lovers, so you could say I’m popular but…… it’s not like I’m a ladies’ man or anything like that.

Feeling somewhat awkward, I gave a wry smile in response to Kaori-san’s gaze.

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [Yeah, who are you to say that!? The guy who sets up flags with almost every woman he meets, what the hell are you saying!!!?]

? ? ? : [Well, Kaito-san is a bit clueless when it comes to distinguishing between like and love, so even if he senses that someone has positive feelings toward him, he often doesn’t realize it’s romantic until the other person makes a fairly direct approach. On the flip side, progress with those kinds of people tends to be fast, like with Isis-san or Vier-san…… well, going in too aggressively, like Gorilla-san, can backfire……]