The Heroic Tale of the Weakest Ability User ~The F-Ranker with the Dual Pistols~ - Chapter 1: Episode 7.2

She curled up, hugging her knees, then wrapped herself completely in the blanket.

Burying her face in the fabric, she looked incredibly adorable.

I couldn’t help but instinctively reach out and pat her head like a small animal.

She peeked out from under the blanket, watching me as I petted her.

It seemed like she didn’t mind it.

“Let’s eat, okay? ” I asked, gently stroking her hair.

She gave a small nod.

I wondered if my cooking would suit her taste.

 After finishing my lunch alone, I sat with her watching TV.

She was eating her meal intently, completely absorbed in it.

Right after the midday variety show ended, an emergency news broadcast appeared.

“Early this morning, Mai Kurumochi, the 16-year-old heiress of the Kurumochi Conglomerate, was kidnapped by an unknown assailant. The perpetrator remains at large. We now bring you live footage from her residence. Ota-san, are you there? ”

“Eh?!”

Her eyes widened in shock as she dropped her spoon.

On the screen was footage of a mansion with a giant hole blown into it.

“That’s my house!!”

Then, suddenly, her eyes sparkled with excitement, and she clenched her fists in triumph.

“I finally made my TV debut!”

“What the hell?! You’re happy about this?! You were just kidnapped, you know?!”

I couldn’t help but retort.

But she just grinned mischievously.

“Ehehe, but look! I look cute!”

She pointed at the screen, where a photo of her in a school uniform was displayed.

In the corner of the image, it read “17 years old.”

Wait, she’s my age?

“So… you’re a high school student? ” I asked hesitantly.

Saying her name so casually felt a little too familiar, but I tried anyway.

“Yep! I’m a JK. You can call me Mai.”

She gave me permission to use her first name.

That made me unexpectedly happy.

I guess it wouldn’t be weird if I asked her to call me by my first name too, right?

“Then, you can call me Yuu.”

I watched her reaction, feeling a bit nervous.

“Okay, Tasku.”

She smiled awkwardly, but even that looked cute.

Was this… what it felt like to fall in love?

“I, uh… I kind of want to stay with you for a while. Do you want to go home?”

Crap. That sounded like something a kidnapper would say.

I basically just confessed to wanting to keep her here.

“Eh… Actually, I was thinking the same thing.”

She covered her mouth in surprise, then spoke with a voice filled with warmth.

“So, I guess that makes me the real kidnapper, huh?”

“Haha, yeah, I like that.”

We looked at each other and laughed.

It seemed like she was starting to feel comfortable around me.

That made me happy.

***

Suddenly, an emergency district-wide announcement echoed throughout the room.

“Emergency summons: Tasku Sabe, report to the faculty office immediately. I repeat, emergency summons: Yuu Sabe, report to the faculty office immediately.”

Hearing my name in the public announcement sent a wave of anxiety through me.

Did I do something wrong?

Or… could this be about Mai?

“Yuu, they just called your name.”

“Yeah, sounds like an angry summons. We don’t know who’s coming here, so do you want to come with me?”

From my life experience, I know that rushing into situations like this is never a good idea.

So I casually started getting ready instead.

“Got it. Do you have anything I can change into? If we’re in a hurry, I can go like this, but…”

“Nah, no need to rush. I’ll lend you whatever you need.”

“Thanks. Then, um… a shirt, pants, and… underwear.”

“Gotcha. I only have this, though.”

I held up the smallest pair of boxers I could find.

“Oh, this might actually fit… So, guys wear stuff like this, huh?”

She accepted them, stretching the waistband experimentally.

Was it just my imagination, or did her breathing get a little heavier?

“I’ll go change in the bathroom. Wait here.”

She spun around and disappeared into the bathroom, still inspecting the underwear in her hands.

…She wasn’t the type of completely defenseless girl who’d change right in front of me, huh?

I wasn’t exactly disappointed, but I did feel a bit let down.

Then I got annoyed at myself for even having that thought.

A little later, she came out.

“How do I look?”

Her slender figure was impossible to hide, even under my oversized clothes.

Even though the shirt and pants were baggy, her curves still stood out.

Damn. Reality just outdid fiction.

“Cute girls look cute no matter what they wear, huh?”

The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

“Thanks! That makes me happy.”

She smiled again—just a little bashful, but still radiant.

God, she was adorable.

“To avoid suspicion, let’s put a cap on you too.”

“Okay.”

I handed her a random cap, and she tied her long hair into a ponytail to wear it.

Her hands moved quickly, gathering her hair into a bundle and securing it with a rubber band she had around her wrist.

It was such a simple motion, but it captivated me.

Her long hair swayed, releasing a faint scent of shampoo.

That soft, feminine fragrance made me realize all over again that a girl was really here, right next to me.

Just as I was about to say, “Alright, let’s go.”—

BANG!!

The door burst open as if it had been hit by an explosion.

“Y

Kuu-niisan!! Good morning!!”

The bright, energetic voice belonged to none other than Tasku’s younger sister, Yuu.

“Gyaaaah!!!”

We all screamed in unison.