Bringing Neun-san to Kaori-san’s place has been something I’ve been considering for a while, but the bottleneck here is Neun-san’s identity as the First Hero.
Kaori-san lives in Friendship City, a place that literally has a statue of her, so there’s a possibility that Neun-san would be recognized if someone saw her face.
That said, if I were to convey this to Kaori-san first…… This is a rather delicate issue though, making doing that quite challenging.
[Kaori-san is an ordinary person, so even though Neun-san said you’re not that good at Recognition Inhibition Magic, it would probably work against her.]
[I suppose so. I also have those magic tools that can change hairstyle and hair color, so if we’re there only for a short while, she probably wouldn’t realize my identity.][Yes, and so, in that state…… please visit and actually see Kaori-san. I think Kaori-san is someone trustworthy, but I don’t know what kind of impression Neun-san will have of her, so I’ll leave that up to you to decide.]
[I understand.]
Therefore, what I thought is to have her meet Kaori-san once, taking precautions like Recognition Inhibition Magic and such. I’ve also mentioned to Kaori-san that I’ll be bringing someone from another world, so I asked her to let us into the restaurant during her pre-opening hours.
And so, if Neun-san thinks that Kaori-san is a trustworthy person and that it’s okay for her to reveal her identity, she can convey that herself, but otherwise, she can continue using Recognition Inhibition Magic.
[……Well, I’m not that adamant about hiding my true identity, so even if Kaito-san had told her, there would have been no problem, but since you had thoughtfully considered this, I’ll gratefully accept this.]
[Yes. Well then, in that case…… let’s go.]
Even if I were to convey Neun-san’s true identity to Kaori-san, considering that the information about First Hero still existing was revealed during the Hydra Kingdom’s Founding Festival, if rumors start spreading and it seems like it could cause a sirt, Alice or someone among her group might move to control the information.Well, it would be best if Neun-san herself made her own judgment. If she does reveal her true identity, Kaori-san might be surprised, and for that, I’m truly apologetic…… but circumstances related to the First Hero are too delicate of a subject to discuss without permission, so I hope she’ll forgive me for this.
With this in mind, I teleported to Kaori-san’s restaurant, where I had made an appointment in advance using the Teleportation Magic Tool.
When I entered the restaurant, probably because I had told her about our visit beforehand, Kaori-san greeted us with a smile.
[Welcome, Kaito-kun! You’re the human-turned-Demon he mentioned to me before, Neun-san, right? Nice to meet you, I’m Mizuhara Kaori.]
[Nice to meet you, I’m delighted to meet someone from the same homeworld. My name used to be Kujou Hikari when I was Japanese, but I now go by the name Neun. I look forward to getting to know you better……]
[The same goes…… for…… me…………………… Eh?]
[Neun-san!?]
And so, when Neun-san’s meeting with Kaori-san finally occurred, surprisingly, she immediately dispelled the helmet of her armor and greeted Kaori-san with her true, undisguised face. She even went on to reveal that she was Kujou Hikari……
When Kaori-san was stunned and I was astonished, Neun-san turned to me and lightly smiled.
[Sorry, I kinda brought all your concerns to naught. However, if she’s someone Kaito-san thinks as trustworthy, I would like to treat her with the same amount of trust, so I decided to inform upfront without all the conjectures.]
[Ah, so that’s how it is…… No, if Neun-san’s alright with it, I have no problem with it.]
[……………………Huehhh.]
[K- Kaori-san!? Are you alright!?]
I was happy to feel the deep trust from Neun-san, but muttering something, as if she was a doll that had her strings snapped, Kaori-san slumped to the floor.
[……I’m not alright…… This is that, isn’t it? In other words, this is all about that, right?]
[Yes, umm, I’m sorry for surprising you.]
[No, unn. I could understand your side…… Given the flow of the conversation just now, and considering I’m not an idiot, I understand that conveying something like this wasn’t something that you could do so easily. As expected, I can’t blame Kaito-kun for this…… I can’t blame you for this but…… GEEEEEEEZ! CAN YOU, LIKE, HOLD YOURSELF BACK!!!? HOW MANY BIG NAMES DO YOU THINK HAVE COME TO MY RESTAURANT IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS!? CAN YOU, LIKE, SPACE IT OUT A BIT MORE…… LIKE, GIVE ME SOME TIME TO REST OR SOMETHING, YOU KNOW!!!? EVEN THOUGH MY HEAD CAN UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION HERE, YOU DO UNDERSTAND IT WON’T MAKE MY STOMACHACHE GO AWAY, RIGHT!!!?]
Seemingly understanding that the situation was unavoidable, but still wanted to complain bitterly, Kaori-san’s half-crying scream echoed through the store.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [Well, the circumstances around Neun, or rather, the First Hero are complicated, so she understands that Kaito can’t talk about it as he pleases. She understands that, but that doesn’t mean her stomachache will go away……]
? ? ? : [Neun-san herself isn’t particularly adamant about hiding it, and even if her identity were to be revealed, she’s now under Kuro-san’s patronage, and I’ll also take measures to handle it, so it shouldn’t become a serious issue…… but knowing the impact her presence has on society, surpassing even the Six Kings and the Supreme Gods, she does understand Kaito-san’s concerns. Well, as a result though, it seems Kaori-san received a body blow, straight to her stomach……]
