He who Protects the Transforming Heroines from The Shadows - Chapter 27 - Sheldia’s Tokyo Sightseeing (2)

“Mm! That was wonderful! Now, where should I go next?”

Having enjoyed the view from the Skytree, Sheldia opened her magazine to decide on her next destination. There were still plenty of places she had marked, but even for Sheldia, there was a limit to how many places she could visit in one day.

“I’d like to go to Asakusa too, and I also want to try this drink called tapioca. What do I do?”

Sheldia let out a hum as she pondered. She had already visited the Skytree, which had interested her the most, but when it came to the next place, none stood out more than the others. Her interest was equally divided.

At that moment, a slightly strong breeze blew by, flipping through the pages of the magazine. It stopped near the end, on a section featuring places that felt plainer than the others, nature spots and parks.

“Oh… this is quite nice.”

However, Sheldia found herself drawn to that page. She had just been feeling that there were too many people around. It was still early, but perhaps it wouldn’t be bad to take a more relaxed sightseeing trip and spend time surrounded by nature.

“All right, let’s go here.”

With her next destination decided, Sheldia sank into her shadow.

An instant later, she rose out of the shadow again. But this time, she found herself in an unfamiliar part of town.

“Oh? Did the coordinates go wrong?”

Puzzled, Sheldia looked around. All she could see were residential houses and a convenience store.

“How strange…”

It was rare for her to make a mistake with teleportation. If something had gone wrong, it was either because someone had interfered during her teleportation, or because there was some strange disturbance in the flow of energy in the area she was teleporting to or around it.

Of the two possibilities, the former she could detect, but the latter was something beyond her ability to sense. It was troubling, but standing around worrying about it wouldn’t help.

“…Well, nothing I can do. I might as well take my time walking.”

Most likely, the teleportation point had simply shifted a little, and her destination wasn’t too far away. In these cases, even if she tried resetting the destination and teleporting again, the coordinates would almost certainly be off once more.

Without knowing the exact location of her destination, Sheldia started walking.

However, as this was her first time visiting the area, she had no idea which direction to take. All she knew was that her destination was probably close.

After about ten minutes, squinting against the bright sunlight and shading herself with a parasol, she noticed two girls walking toward her.

“Excuse me, you two. May I ask you for some directions?”

Sheldia addressed them in a refined tone, stopping the girls. Both of them were wearing the same outfit—if she recalled correctly, it was called a seifuku, something Japanese students wore—and they stared at Sheldia in mild surprise.

“Directions? If it’s somewhere we know, we’ll tell you.”
“Where do you want to go?”

Though startled at suddenly being spoken to, the girls responded kindly after hearing Sheldia’s words.

“Thank you. I’d like to go here.”

Sheldia opened the magazine and showed them the place she was looking for: a park full of greenery.

“Ah, this place. It’s actually on the opposite side of where we are now.”
“And the roads to get there are a bit complicated, so it’s kind of hard to explain.”
“Yeah. How should we tell you…?”

It seemed that the girls knew the place and the way there, but they were struggling to figure out how to explain it.

“…Oh, I know! Why don’t we take you there instead? Is that okay?”
“Yes, that’s better. Trying to explain the way might just confuse you. Let’s do that.”

The girls offered to lead her there themselves. Deeply grateful for their kindness, Sheldia thanked them sincerely.

“My name is Sheldia. I came to Tokyo for sightseeing and other reasons, but I’m unfamiliar with the area, so your help really means a lot.”
“Don’t worry about it, Sheldia-chan. Helping someone in need is only natural. Oh, I’m Asamiya Youka. I’m a high school student.”
“I’m Tsukishita Miya. It’ll only be for a little while, but its nice meeting you, Sheldia-chan.”

As others usually do, the girls seemed to assume she was a young child. She was used to it, and there was no need to correct them, so Sheldia stayed silent.

“Nice to meet you, Youka, Miya.”

And so, Sheldia set off with the two girls toward the park she was trying to find.

♦

“Come to think of it, your Japanese is really good. Sheldia-chan. You said you came here for sightseeing, so you’re from a foreign country, right?”

It couldn’t be helped because of their difference in height, but Youka ended up looking down at Sheldia, who was shorter than her. Naturally, Sheldia had to look up at Youka and Miya.

Walking between Youka and Miya, Sheldia responded to Youka’s comment.

“Yes, I am. As for languages, well—I can only say that my words are made so that they can be understood by all who hear them.”
“?”

Youka tilted her head at Sheldia’s statement.

“By the way, Sheldia-chan, why did you want to come to this park? No offense, but this part of Tokyo is pretty rural, and would sightseeing at a park really be fun?”

Miya asked Sheldia her honest question. For a girl their age, Miya thought going shopping in central Tokyo would be more enjoyable.

“It’s just my mood. I felt like taking it easy for a bit. And sightseeing in places a little away from the main tourist spots… that’s part of the charm of traveling too, don’t you think?”
“? Well, maybe so.”

Miya nodded, finding Sheldia’s words a little strange, almost like those of an elderly person. She didn’t quite understand it herself, but she couldn’t deny that Sheldia’s words made sense.

“I thought this from the moment I first saw you, but Sheldia-chan, your hair is really beautiful. And your skin is so white, too. I’m jealous—even if I dyed my hair blonde, it would never look like this.”
“This is the first time I’ve seen natural blonde hair, but it’s really beautiful, just like Youka said. It’s like… um… what did I want to say?”
“How would I know?!”

Her mysterious tone suddenly collapsing into silliness. As Miya’s childhood friend, Youka instinctively gave a sharp retort.

It was a skill Youka had picked up because Miya would suddenly act like this so often. Deep down, Youka wished she had never learned such a skill. If a professional comedian heard this, they’d probably say, “Don’t underestimate the art of tsukkomi!” But Youka was only a high school girl. She’d wish Miya would get her act together.

“Sorry, Sheldia-chan. This onee-chan is a bit… you know… an idiot.”
“Hey, Youka! Who are you calling an idiot!?”

Miya protested indignantly at Youka’s words, while Youka gave a wry laugh. Watching their exchange, Sheldia let out a small chuckle.

“You two are amusing. I like you.”
“See, Miya? Isn’t that great! Sheldia-chan says so! For you, who even gets told by elementary school kids that they’re smarter than you, that’s a real compliment, right?”
“Youka!? Don’t say that!”

Miya’s face turned red with embarrassment.

As they say, two makes a company, three makes a crowd. Upset with her childhood friend for bringing up something so embarrassing, Miya decided to reveal one of Youka’s embarrassing moments to Sheldia in return.

“Sheldia-chan, you know, Youka recently ate three bowls of ramen with extra garlic. Then she let out a burp so unladylike that everyone in the shop, both the customers and the staff, were stunned.”
“Miya!?”

Now it was Youka’s turn to turn red and protest. That had been her most embarrassing moment recently.

“That’s payback.”

Miya stuck out her tongue at Youka. Youka could only groan, “Mmmgh…!” and couldn’t come up with a comeback.

“Fufu.”

Watching the two of them, Sheldia laughed again. In this way, the three of them leisurely made their way toward the park.

Even though it was Tokyo, the suburbs weren’t much different from other cities. As Miya had mentioned earlier, this area was relatively rural. But “rural” only compared to a big city—there were still shopping malls and convenience stores, and the population was larger than that of a truly rural area.

Guided by Youka and Miya, Sheldia learned about the town and walked through the complicated alleys only locals would know, eventually arriving at the park.

This park was a little different from an ordinary park, with clusters of tall trees. They were now at the entrance, where there was a signboard displaying a map of the park and the names of its paths.

“Here we are, Sheldia-chan.”

Youka bent her knees slightly to meet Sheldia’s eyes. Up close, the girl really did look like a little doll.

“I know I said otherwise at first, but this is actually a pretty famous place for walks. I can’t really understand the way you enjoy traveling yet, Sheldia-chan, but I hope you enjoy yourself.”

Miya said with a slight smile. Her mother often came here for walks, too.

“Once again, thank you so much, Youka, Miya. Without your guidance, I surely would have gotten lost. I’d like to repay you somehow, but unfortunately, I don’t have any Japanese yen with me right now. I’m sorry.”

Sheldia expressed her gratitude and her apology. She felt she should properly reward the two girls for taking the time and effort to guide her, but as she said, she had no yen on hand.

Hearing this, Youka and Miya exchanged glances and suddenly burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! We don’t need money! We told you already, it’s human nature to want to help someone in trouble. We offered to guide you ourselves, so don’t worry about it!”
“Fufufufu, that’s right! Like Youka said, we just wanted to guide you. You’re still just a kid, Sheldia-chan, so you don’t need to think like that. Right now, your only job is to enjoy yourself.”

The two spoke kindly to Sheldia, who was thinking in a way unusual for a child. They didn’t know how foreign children thought, but neither Youka nor Miya had ever thought that way themselves. That was why they said those words: so that Sheldia wouldn’t feel pressured.

“You two…”

Hearing their words, Sheldia felt a pleasant warmth in her heart. Yes, this was why she liked humans. People might be foolish in many ways, but they were just as wonderful, if not more so. That was what it meant to be human.

“……if children like you had been around sooner, maybe that girl wouldn’t have turned out like that.”

She murmured softly, a faintly sad, distant expression crossing her face. But it lasted only a moment before she smiled brightly again.

“Well then, if we ever meet again, I’ll repay my debt to you. Farewell, Youka, Miya.”
“Yeah, see you, Sheldia-chan!”
“It was just for a little while, but I had fun. See you again, Sheldia-chan.”

Waving their hands, the two kind girls headed back the way they came. Encounters like this were what made traveling so worthwhile.

“See you again, huh? Fufu, yes, it’d be nice if we met again.”

To say ‘see you again’ would imply that they would definitely meet again in the future. From Sheldia’s perspective, a human’s lifetime passed in the blink of an eye, but she truly did want to see those girls again.

“Well then, let’s go for a walk.”

Switching her mood, Sheldia read over the signboard and stepped into the park full of nature.

♦

“That was enjoyable, indeed!”

The time had gotten quite late; it was evening. Returning to the entrance, Sheldia stretched with a big yawn.

The park was just as the magazine had said—full of nature, with various walking courses, wooden paths, and paved roads. Walking around while enjoying the flowers and trees was, as expected, a pleasant thing.

“…Maybe I’ll walk around this area a little more.”

Since Youka and Miya were no longer with her, she had no idea about the roads in this area, but that was fine. Getting lost was part of the fun of traveling.

She put away her parasol into its shadow and continued walking wherever she felt like going. Who knows how long she had been walking, observing the lives of the people in this land? Before she knew it, Sheldia found herself in a place with few passersby.

“Hey there, ojou-chan… You all by yourself?”

At that exact moment, as if timing it perfectly, a man with a leering smile spoke to Sheldia.

“? Yes, I am.”

He looked to be in his thirties. Wearing a neat suit and with his hair slicked back with wax, the man continued speaking after hearing Sheldia’s reply.

“How about having some tea with me? I know a good place.”
“Oh my…”

It seemed this man wanted to invite her out for tea. Put in words unfamiliar to Sheldia, this was what one would call hitting on her.

An obviously adult man trying to hit on Sheldia, who looked around fourteen or fifteen, was clearly a problem, but Sheldia herself had no knowledge of such things.

“It’s a kind invitation, but… I’m sorry, I’m not interested in men like you.”
“…Harsh, aren’t you, Ojou-chan. Then I’ll give you some pocket money. I promise you won’t regret it.”

The man, keeping up appearances, desperately continued trying to invite her. Watching him, Sheldia chuckled softly and gave a mature smile, completely at odds with her appearance as a young girl.

“You’re no good. First, do something about that disgusting smile of yours, it doesn’t even try to hide your vile desires. And besides, you’ve been following me for a while now, haven’t you? It’s obvious, you pervert.”

Sheldia’s merciless words pierced the man. The man, who had been smiling lewdly, dropped his smile for an instant and his face twisted into one of rage.

“You little brat! You think you’re so great just because I was being nice? I’ve had enough! Get over here!!”

Enraged, the man reached out to grab Sheldia’s arm. Just as she had said, he had been harboring lust for her doll-like appearance ever since he first saw her, and now that there weren’t many people around, he made his move. Unfortunately for him, Sheldia had seen through it all.

“How unpleasant. Don’t touch me.”

She deftly slipped past his hand. That simple act of dodging only enraged him further.

“Don’t you dodge me!!”

The man clenched his fist and swung it toward Sheldia’s face.

“Foolish…”

Letting out a small sigh, Sheldia drew her parasol out from the shadow. To her, the man’s punch seemed to move in slow motion. She avoided it with minimal movement, and the beautiful girl casually swung the parasol in her right hand.

“!?”

The man felt a pain so sharp it was hard to believe he had just been hit with a parasol, and he was literally sent flying. He had no idea how such strength could come from Sheldia’s slender arm.

“I’m in a good mood right now. So if you don’t get involved with me any further, I will spare your life. But if you still choose to come at me, I will kill you.”

Sheldia declared flatly to the man, whose expression had twisted from rage into fear. There were people like Youka and Miya, and there were also people like this man. And Sheldia had little fondness for people like him.

“E…eeeek?!”

Without understanding what was happening, the man clutched his side where the parasol had struck him and fled in disgrace.

“Honestly… humans never seem to change their foolishness, no matter how much time passes. Of all people, he had to try to mess with me.”

Though Sheldia generally had a favorable view of humans, she held a considerable sense of distaste for this kind of person.

“Well now… and who might you be, standing there all this time?”

Sheldia turned her gaze toward the corner of an alley. Since around the time the man had approached her, she had felt the gaze of a third party.

“……”

From around the corner, a boy stepped out. He wore the same uniform as Youka and Miya. His bangs were unusually long, and in his hand he carried something like a strange paper container.

“No, I’m not suspicious or anything…”

Saying words that were anything but convincing, the boy—Kijou Eito—stared at Sheldia from beneath his bangs.