He who Protects the Transforming Heroines from The Shadows - Chapter 11 – Precisely Because You’re Feeling Down

Chapter 11 – Precisely Because You’re Feeling Down

“…This is bad.”

Kijou Eito was in a panic.

The time was 8:26 a.m. Oversleeping that morning, Eito was now sprinting down the road to school like a madman. Last night, a dumb friend had invited him to game-chat out of boredom, and before he knew it, they’d been playing until around 4 a.m.—and Eito had fallen asleep without realizing it. A classic case of passing out mid-game. When he came to, it was already 8:23 a.m.

He shut off the still-running game at Mach speed, changed clothes in two minutes, and bolted out the door without breakfast.

Even though his house was close to Fuuraku High School, seven minutes was cutting it way too close. Even at a full sprint, that wouldn’t change.

But still—no one wants to be late. Eito certainly didn’t.

Because being late meant walking into the homeroom right in the middle of class. That meant standing out. And Eito hated being the center of attention. No real reason—it was just who he was.

(…Just a bit more. Can I make it?)

Cursing the bag on his shoulder for being in the way, Eito dashed on. Just as he rounded the final corner, Fuuraku High came into view. On a normal day, other students—like the school’s famous comedic duo—would also be sprinting like him, but today, for some reason, there was no one else in sight.

(Why is it that today of all days, no one else is running late?!)
Grumbling in his head and out of breath, Eito pressed on toward the school gates. Naturally, as a pale, reclusive guy with zero stamina and no club activities, he was already suffering. A sharp pain stabbed his side.

Then, just 25 meters from the front gate—
The chime rang.

“Damn it…! But not yet…!”

As the bell finished echoing, P.E teacher Ueda Katsuo cheerfully moved to close the gate. Eito, who happened to know Ueda had just failed yet another arranged marriage, couldn’t understand how the man had so much energy.

What Eito didn’t know was that making students suffer small inconveniences was Ueda’s hobby—no, his reason for living. He had been worried that no students would be late today. But finally—finally—he had a fish, er, a student at the end of his fishing line.

“All right, closing the gate!”

The gate began to close with merciless force. The distance left to Eito: ten meters. It looked like he wasn’t going to make it.

But he wasn’t giving up.

“Don’t… underestimate me!!”

Summoning every ounce of strength, Eito pushed himself into a final burst of speed. He was sure he could squeeze through in time.

(I’ve got this…!)

But reality did not play out that way.

“HHHUUUUNNNNGGGHHHHH!!”

Katsuo Ueda summoned the power of his muscles and slammed the gate shut at terrifying speed. And so, Eito was shut out just a step too late.

“Wh–?!”

Eito cursed this muscle-bound gorilla of a man in his mind, watching Ueda’s beaming smile as he sealed his fate. Ueda, having successfully made one student late, felt a fresh, invigorating joy—as if putting on a new pair of underwear on New Year’s morning.

“Too bad! Now, state your class and name!”

Ueda called from inside the gate. Begrudgingly, Eito responded.

“…Class 2-7. Kijou Eito.”

And so, another dumb morning incident came to its anticlimactic end.

♦

“…Damn it, that gorilla shut the gate way too fast.”

As the bell signaling the end of fourth period echoed through Fuuraku High, lunchtime arrived. Muttering under his breath, Eito Kijou exited the classroom. With both hands shoved into his blazer pockets, he made his way toward the cafeteria and school store floor.

Since he had rushed out of the house that morning, he hadn’t brought lunch. He usually claimed himself a “bento guy,” but lately, that claim was starting to sound non-legitimate.

Once on the cafeteria/store floor, Eito hesitated, torn between the cafeteria and the school store. After a moment of indecision that felt both eternal and fleeting, he chose the cafeteria.

He walked up to the meal ticket machine and opened his wallet. Having skipped breakfast too, he was absolutely starving. He had planned to stuff himself today, but then—disaster struck.

“…No way… seriously?”

To his dismay, there was only 300 yen in his wallet. That meant he could only afford the cheapest item: plain soba noodles.

“Just my damn luck…”

Resigned, Eito bought a ticket for the plain soba. Between being late this morning and now this, today was turning out to be a total mess.

Then again, even without thinking too hard, every bit of this was entirely his own fault. The only reason he was late was because he’d stayed up gaming until dawn. And he was broke because he’d been spending too much money.

But setting aside that painfully obvious self-inflicted reality, our clueless jerk went to receive his soba and grabbed some water from the self-serve station.

He glanced around the room and looked for an empty seat. He spotted exactly one and made his way over.

“Well then… time to dig in.”

He broke his chopsticks, said a quick “itadakimasu,” and just as he was about to take his first bite, a conversation from the girls at the next table caught his ear.

“By the way, haven’t those two school-famous girls been kinda quiet lately?”
“Oh, you mean Asamiya and Tsukishita? Yeah, now that you mention it…”

“…”
Still slurping his soba, Eito listened half-heartedly.

“Right? I’m in the same class as those two. They used to be so full of energy—like, too much energy—but lately they’ve seemed… off. Kinda gloomy, y’know?”
“Hmm, it’s weird, but when those two aren’t their usual cheerful selves, it’s like… even if it’s got nothing to do with you, it just throws off your whole day.”
“Totally get that.”

The girls seemed to be second-years like him. Eito continued listening while finishing his soba, sipping the last of the broth. He began to think about Youka and Miya.

(So those two have been looking down, huh…? Well, the reason is probably obvious.)

Eito figured it was likely connected to the fight with Feliet. Of course, they were just teenage girls in the middle of adolescence—there were probably one or two other things bothering them, too. That might even be the real cause.

“…Thanks for the meal.”

After placing his empty dishes on the return shelf, Eito left the cafeteria/store area.

(Well, stuff like that’s out of my wheelhouse. They’ll just have to work through it themselves.)

Thinking about Youka and Miya with a slightly detached air, Eito disappeared into the noisy lunchtime crowd, alone.

♦

“Huh? You’re saying that famous duo hasn’t been energetic lately? Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

On the way home from school. It wasn’t exactly rare, but Eito was walking partway home with Satori, and he brought up a topic he’d heard during lunch as a kind of conversation starter. Incidentally, when someone at Fuuraku mentions “the famous duo,” every student knows exactly who it refers to.

Satori, smooth hair swaying, responded to the topic Eito had raised.

“I don’t have any direct connection to those two myself, but from what I’ve heard from friends, they do seem a little off. Apparently, Asamiya-san usually ate two meals at the cafeteria, but lately it’s just one. And as for Tsukishita-san, her charm used to be that she was a ‘cool beauty’ type who told jokes like a gag character—but now people are saying she’s just straight-up a cool beauty.”
“What the hell does that have to do with being energetic…?”

Eito reflexively shot back, but well, in the sense that they’re acting differently than usual, it probably counts.

“But it’s unusual for you to bring up something about other people—especially people our age. What, did you maybe fall for one of them?”

Satori looked at Eito with a strangely sharp tone. Eito couldn’t tell if it was his imagination or not, but it felt like Satori was giving him a slight glare.

“Hell no, dumbass. I just got a little curious. Now that it’s been mentioned, I realized I haven’t seen them almost being late for school lately.”

From his seat, Eito could see Fuuraku High’s front gate. He had watched the daily lateness battles between Youka, Miya, and Ueda Katsuo the damn PE teacher from there. But now that he thought about it, he hadn’t seen that familiar scene in the past few days.

Maybe that’s why, when Eito himself was late today, he hadn’t seen those two either.

“Hmph… well, if that’s all, then fine.”
“What the hell’s ‘fine’ supposed to mean…”

Apparently, he had earned Satori’s mysterious approval, but Eito had no idea what that was about. And while they were talking, they arrived at the point where they split to head to their own homes.

“Well, see you here then. Later, Eito.”
“Yeah.”

After parting ways with Satori, Eito tried to remember how long it had been since he’d last seen the two of them nearly late for school. He realized it had been about three or four days.

(So that’s around when Kounomiya got injured… Yeah, my guess was pretty accurate.)

Suddenly, Eito wondered whether Soleil had noticed Youka and Miya’s mental state. Well, maybe they had, maybe they hadn’t. Soleil hadn’t sent him any telepathic messages the past few days, so maybe they were busy with something else.

In any case, Eito didn’t plan on reporting this to Soleil himself. Mainly because it was a hassle—but also because things like someone’s mental state aren’t something others can easily fix.

“…They’re such a pain in the ass.”

With a sigh, Eito scratched his head roughly.

♦

“……”

The next day. Eito had arrived at school a little earlier than usual. His class, 2nd-year Class 7, still had only a few students present.

While appearing to read a book, Eito was in fact keeping an eye on the front gate. The reason? Well, the smartest answer would be: “doing his job.”

“So sleepy…”

Rubbing his drowsy eyes, Eito continued watching the gate. Students from Fuuraku High were streaming in one after another, but the people he was looking for hadn’t appeared yet. About five minutes passed as he kept his eyes on the gate. The time was now around 8:15 AM. Finally, the two he’d been waiting for passed through the gate.

“I’ve never seen those two come in through the gate without running before…”

Of course, he didn’t have the super vision from when he was a Spriggan, but he could tell that Youka and Miya were trudging along slowly. Unfortunately, Eito didn’t have good eyesight, so he couldn’t make out their facial expressions, but he could sense they looked somewhat dispirited.

“……”

He continued watching them until they disappeared into the school building. Then he let his mind wander until homeroom began.

Later, during the break between first and second period, Eito casually peeked into 2nd-year Class 5 from the hallway.

There they were—Youka and Miya. This was their class.

“So they’re in the same class… and they sit next to each other?”

Right in the middle of the classroom, Youka and Miya were sitting side by side.

Though Eito had paid close attention to them since becoming a Spriggan, he’d never actually come to check out their classroom before.

“You want some snacks, Asamiya-san?”
“Thanks, but… I’ll pass for now.”
“Tsukishita-san, did you watch that comedy show last night? It was so funny, right?”

“…I didn’t. Sorry, I was busy yesterday.”

Listening to Youka and Miya’s interaction with their classmates, Eito immediately understood what was going on.

“…They’re in bad shape.”

Asamiya Youka, famous as one half of the “dynamic duo,” was also known for being a big eater. And yet she turned down snacks. Definitely not normal.

Tsukishita Miya, the other half of the duo, was known not only as a cool beauty, but also as a clumsy, gag-loving joker. And yet she answered with nothing but cool indifference. Also not normal.

Soon after, the chime signaled the end of break. Eito reluctantly returned to his own classroom.

Throughout the rest of the day, during both the break and lunch, Eito kept secretly observing Youka and Miya without their noticing. What he confirmed was that the two were definitely down. He could guess the reason. But Eito had no personal connection with them on the surface, so he couldn’t do anything about it. Or rather, he had no intention of doing anything in the first place.

He’d thought it before: This isn’t my problem. It’s something they have to resolve themselves.

All he could do—all he was supposed to do—was quietly watch over them from the shadows.

(I’m starting to feel like a stalker…)

After school. Eito was tailing Youka and Miya as they left school, careful not to be noticed. He was supposed to be the mysterious guy who helps the magical girls from the shadows… but this really was starting to look like classic stalker behavior.

He felt kind of pathetic, but told himself it couldn’t be helped. He wasn’t a stalker. Definitely not.

(But seriously… can they even fight in their current mental state?)

As he followed them as naturally as he could, Eito kept thinking while watching the two walk in silence. So far, Soleil hadn’t reported any signs of a Dark Thrall appearing, but if Youka and Miya had to fight now, it could be dangerous in their condition.

Battling Dark Thralls was life-and-death. Mental state had a huge impact on the outcome. In their current state, they might end up putting their lives in danger.

(Should I just report this to Soleil?)

Just as that thought crossed his mind, the number of students around them began to dwindle. It looked like they had reached the point where everyone started going their separate ways home.

As a result, what had seemed natural until now suddenly became extremely unnatural: a lone guy following two high school girls. Very suspicious.

(Tch… guess I’ve got no choice…)

Though it really made him feel like a stalker, Eito slipped behind a utility pole and kept tailing them. Moving from pole to pole, he followed Youka and Miya like a suspicious figure despite still being in a school uniform.

About fifteen minutes passed. Eito continued trailing them while being given suspicious looks by the locals, some clearly thinking he was trouble. Just then, Youka let out a sigh.

“…We can’t go on like this.”
“…Yeah. It seems like our classmates are starting to worry about us.”

The two of them had started talking.

“………”

Eito, not exactly a master of eavesdropping but certainly not new to it, strained his ears toward their conversation.

“I know, I really do… but it’s just so frustrating. When I think about Feliet, it’s like—there’s no way we could’ve beaten him. I mean, sure, we’ve only recently become Lightguide Princesses, but the difference in power was so overwhelming, it kind of crushed us…”
“Yeah… if Spriggan hadn’t saved us, we’d probably have been wiped out.”
“Hey… Miya. Do you think the Spriggan’s okay…?”
“…I want to say yes, but I don’t know. Feliet was that strong, after all.”
“…Right. Yeah…”
“…Yeah…”

The two of them went silent again.

(Feels like a damn funeral…)

Eito, listening in from between two houses, thought to himself. He was alive, for the record, and he had actually beaten Feliet.

(So yeah, that was the reason after all.)

Now confident in his theory, Eito stepped out from the gap and looked at the two walking ahead, their backs slumped with gloom.

“The reason’s the despair from that overwhelming difference in power with Feliet, huh.”

They were far enough away that he could talk to himself freely. So he mumbled, as was his habit.

Well, he couldn’t blame them. The gap in strength between Feliet and the girls had been absolute. And though the same applied to Kouji, he’d been fighting while protecting the two rookie magical girls, so his true capabilities weren’t clear yet.

That sense of despair. The harsh truth that they would’ve died if someone else hadn’t saved them. For teenage girls, that was more than enough to weigh them down. After all, they were still just regular people living their lives.

That’s why their thoughts had turned so negative—or so Eito concluded after watching them all day.

Before he realized it, Youka and Miya had disappeared from his view. Now that he was certain of the cause, Eito didn’t bother following them any further.

“…Hmph.”

Thinking calmly, what was he even doing? He decided to just go home and take it easy. He tried to switch his mind off—but in the back of his head, he still felt a small pang of concern for the two.

♦

The next day during lunch break, Eito once again headed to the cafeteria and school store floor—not because he was late or forgot his lunch, but simply because he felt his bento wasn’t quite enough and wanted a little something extra.

“…One sandwich,”
he said, buying a single sandwich from the store before glancing around. He spotted two familiar students, but he didn’t particularly care. He looked around for an empty seat but, unfortunately, couldn’t find one available.

Voices saying “Ah, that spot’s free!” and “Yes, lucky!” reached his ears, but he ignored them.

After about ten minutes of standing around with his sandwich, a seat behind those two just happened to open up. With no better options, Eito sat down, resigned. Just as he was about to eat, his phone rang. At Fuuraku High, bringing smartphones was allowed.

“…Hello? What is it?”

He answered the call and listened for a while.

“Huh? You’re down because you had a fight with your friend? Don’t call me over something that trivial.”

At the word “down,” the two girls behind him flinched slightly. Of course, Eito couldn’t see behind him and had no idea.

“Just hurry up and apologize. Make up already. …Sigh, fine, I’ll give you one piece of advice. Smile because you’re feeling down.”

““!!””

The two behind him reacted again, but Eito remained unaware.

“Even if it’s fake cheer, just smile. I bet your mood will naturally lift. Humans are creatures of belief. If there’s one thing I can say, it’s this—smile. …You’re fine. You guys are strong. Just face forward and keep going with a smile.”

With that, Eito ended the call.

♦

“When you’re feeling down, that’s exactly when you should smile…”

Youka, who had been eating lunch at the seat behind Eito, muttered those words after overhearing a voice coming from the seat in front.

It wasn’t like she had meant to eavesdrop—but the voice had simply reached her ears.

“A smile…”

The voice had reached the ears of Miya, who was sitting next to Youka, as well. Miya looked at her best friend’s face. When was the last time Youka had smiled? And herself?

“Youka.”
“What? Mi—hya!?”

Miya reached out and pulled the corners of Youka’s lips sideways with both hands.

“Fhwa-nya!?”
“A smile, Youka. Of course smiles are better. That much is obvious.”

As she forced her best friend’s face into a smile, Miya herself broke into a smile as well. Somehow, it felt like it had been a long time since she’d truly laughed.

“…Yeah. You’re right, Miya. We even forgot something that simple, didn’t we?”

Removing Miya’s hands, Youka murmured. That’s right—nothing good ever comes of sulking. In times like that, the best thing to do is to smile. After all, people have the ability to smile.

“Exactly. So let’s smile, Youka.”
“Yeah, Miya.”

The two exchanged smiles. And then, finding each other’s faces amusing, they burst into laughter.

“Ahaha! Now that I laughed, I’m starting to feel hungry again! Miya, I’m gonna go get another meal from the cafeteria.”
“Hehe, that’s the Youka I know. Maybe I’ll have soba for dessert.”
“Miya, soba isn’t dessert…”
“Oh, is that so?”

The surrounding students, who had actually been watching the exchange in secret, felt a wave of nostalgia upon seeing their familiar pair back to their usual antics—even though it had only been a few days.

“Okay, I’ll go order from the cafeteria.”

Saying that, Youka stood up. As she did, she glanced at the seat behind hers. She’d overheard the conversation, but thanks to that person’s words, the two of them had managed to bounce back. It might be odd to thank them, but she couldn’t help being curious about who that person was.

“Huh…?”

But there was no one at the seat behind them.

♦

“…Tch, what a pain.”

Carrying a sandwich in hand, Eito was making his way back to the classroom. After pretending to end the call, he had immediately left the seat behind Youka and Miya.

“…Well, it’s not like I actually got a phone call or anything.”

Tossing his smartphone lightly in one hand, Eito walked down the hallway during the break.

The truth was, the phone call had been a complete act. It wasn’t like someone would conveniently call him with advice right when things got heavy like that.

So why go through all the trouble?

“…When they’re like that, it throws off my game.”

He had no idea whether those two would actually bounce back from just a few words like that. He hadn’t even stayed to check on them.

Still, they were both simple—in a good way—so maybe they had.

And he could always check on that tomorrow.

“I’m starving…”

For now, Eito just wanted to get back to class and eat his bento and sandwich.