Volume 1 Chapter 72 With Sagawa and Rie, Part tan ~Adding Amamiya Value Technology~ (II)
*Sagawa's Perspective
"Or, if you want, I could right here..."
"Huh!?"
...In that moment, Amamiya's body shook.
"Stop it!"
With that, Kisaragi-san stepped between me and Amamiya.
"Kanna-san!? Why are you stopping me? You know, right?! Sagawa has been bullying Takeru-kun so much...!"
"Yeah, I know, I know. But that's not the case anymore, right? That's all in the past."
"Y-yeah, but... Sagawa..."
"You even thought differently of Sagawa-kun, didn't you? 'I can't believe he bullied Takeru-kun'..."
"Huh?"
"Wait!? Kanna-san!"
Amamiya flushed and confronted Kisaragi-san.
"Anyway! I didn't call Sagawa-kun here just to talk about that! It was to collect thoughts about 'what comes next'... right?"
"Y-yes."
"Good. Then let's get right into that. We still have about an hour and a half until the press conference. I think that's plenty of time to talk."
"Y-yeah, that's right. Understood... Ahem."
With that, Amamiya cleared her throat and took a deep breath.
Then,
"Now, we shall discuss whether or not we should inform Takeru-kun of Omega's true identity. Please share your honest opinions."
* * *
"Yes!"
"...Sagawa."
"I think it's fine to tell Takeru."
"Why?"
"Well, he's pretty tough about things... or not really. He has a laid-back attitude, so he might just say, 'Did you find out?' and won't panic about it..."
Suddenly, Amamiya threw a right straight at me.
It was sheer luck that I dodged it.
"Hey... what do you mean by acting like you understand? You're so cheeky for a Sagawa..."
"No, she just asked for our 'frank opinion' earlier!!!"
"! W-what's so noisy!?"
"Alright. In this match, Sagawa-kun wins!"
"Kanna-san?!"
"Your frank opinion... right?"
"U-uh, yes."
"..."
W-what could it be?
Is Amamiya really this... clumsy of a character?
"Anyway! This is Sagawa's opinion, but I think it's too simplistic. After all, there's a chance that Takeru-kun could be shocked and disappear from our sight!"
"Eh~? No way, I don't think he's that sane..."
"Sagawa-kun really knows Takeru-kun well."
"Ah... um, that's true. It's a story from when I was bullying him, so it's hard to talk about here..."
So I said, glancing at Amamiya.
"What? I'm not doing anything!"
Amamiya made a sulky face but urged me to continue talking.
"No matter how much he gets bullied, how should I put it, it's like it's someone else's problem..."
"Someone else's problem?"
"Yes. Even though he's the one being bullied, he seems to 'tolerate' it or 'resign' himself to it... If I were to put it into words, it's like he thinks, 'It's a ridiculous world, so it's no wonder I end up like this' while living."
"...Hmm, interesting."
"Kanna-san?"
"Is it what you call the 'mental shutdown'? No, maybe it's a bit different... But the image of Takeru-kun that Sagawa-kun perceives is that he's 'not to the point of giving up on life, but he's neither expecting anything nor has he given up a little'... something like that?"
"Yes... if it's him from *when he was being bullied*..."
"...What?"
"Huh?!"
"I don't know why, but... the current Takeru feels different from the Takeru from when he was bullied."
"His personality has changed... is that it?"
"No, it's not that. It's something more fundamental... By the way, the moment I felt that was from the first day of the second semester after summer break."
"The second term after summer vacation..."
"The day I was saved by Takeru-kun..."
Saying that, the two of them fell silent, lost in thought.
And,
"By the way..."
Amamiya opened her mouth.
"On the first day of the second term... when Takeru-kun saved me from almost getting hit by a truck... I actually couldn't sense Takeru-kun's presence at all."
"Huh? You couldn't feel Takeru's presence? You, a D-class?"
"Yeah. Honestly, I could have avoided that accident on my own, but..."
"Well, D-class isn't just for show."
"But, when Takeru-kun suddenly pushed me from behind and simultaneously used that momentum to get himself away, I thought... this guy is something else. That's when I wanted to know more about Takeru-kun..."
"So, you approached Takeru yourself..."
"Yeah."
"I see. Something else... huh. I know that Takeru isn't just anyone like Amamiya, and I've even 'experienced' it myself."
"'Experienced?'"
As I said this, both of them showed interest, so I told them about the 'break and heal loop' incident, which still gives me chills when I think about it.
"Huh...? (Completely shocked)"
Wow, Amamiya's eyes are wide open, she looks completely shocked.
That's a rare expression.
But,
"He healed... what? He healed wounds... no, he healed even fractures in an instant, Sagawa?!"
"! ...Y-yes!!"
Ah, Kisaragi-san's 'wave of madness' switch has been activated.
And it feels pretty intense.
Also, when the switch is on, she calls me 'Sagawa'...
I'm a bit happy.
"I see. Good... good! It seems my *prediction* was not wrong!!"
"Kanna...san?"
"Kisaragi-san?"
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