Classmate wa Isekai de Yuusha ni Natta kedo, Ore dake Gendai Nihon ni Okizari ni Narimashita - Chapter 28
Chapter 28: I Decided to Investigate – Part 1
(TL/N: Sorry for the late up, busy with college lol, probably will upload 2-3 chap per day, will be slow for the time being, midterm will be soon XD So hot;;)
"You have such beautiful skin! What's your skincare routine?"
"Well, I usually—"
During lunch break, the center of attention in the classroom was Alicia and Kuon.
Alicia leaned in eagerly with a dazzling smile, while Kuon, slightly taken aback, responded with her usual gentle and approachable smile.
"A literal angel and an idol… this is amazing."
"Which one do you guys prefer?"
"I’d go with Alicia. Her bright personality is the best."
"I’d say Kuon. That reserved smile of hers is just too good."
Some classmates had already begun debating who was better—Kuon or Alicia.
In just half a day, Alicia had gained as much popularity as Kuon.
Well, considering her foreign-like looks and social nature, it was an inevitable outcome.
The comparison of Alicia to an idol, with her lively and energetic personality, and Kuon to an angel, with her gentle and calming presence, was actually quite fitting.
As I absentmindedly thought about that while eating my lunch and scrolling through my phone—
"Shuu, which one do you prefer?"
"Huh?"
"Don't ‘huh’ me. Between Kuon and Alicia, who do you think is better?"
Caught off guard by my friend’s sudden question, I let out a weird noise.
At that moment, I felt like Kuon, who had been chatting with Alicia, briefly glanced in my direction—but that was probably just my imagination.
"…Can’t I just say ‘everyone’s different and everyone’s great’?"
"Lame answer."
"Don’t expect me to have an opinion on this. Go ask Rentarou instead."
"Speaking of him, I heard he’s going on a long-term leave… I wonder what happened."
The moment my friend brought up that topic, the atmosphere in the group suddenly became heavy.
"Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that."
"Nah, don’t worry about it."
"Knowing Rentarou, he probably did something dumb, got injured, and is now just gaming at home or something."
One of the guys tried to lighten the mood, but everyone’s expressions remained dark.
Our gazes naturally drifted toward Rentarou’s empty seat.
—“…And lastly, Asama Rentarou will be taking a leave of absence from school for the time being.”
During the end of homeroom, Ms. Koshimizu had told us that with a regretful expression.
A sudden leave of absence from a classmate. That alone was shocking enough.
But the fact that multiple students were taking leave at the same time made it even more unsettling.
Maybe the reason people were getting so absorbed in the "Alicia vs. Kuon" debate was that they were trying to distract themselves from this unexpected development.
But unlike them, I couldn’t just turn my attention elsewhere.
Because last night, in that building, I saw Rentarou’s girlfriend having her "memories" extracted with vacant, lifeless eyes.
There was no way I could act like nothing happened after witnessing something like that.
That’s why, from this morning, I’d been using any free time I had to research last night’s incident online.
But the information I found was all the same, nothing new.
That meant I had no choice but to investigate on my own.
I turned to the friend who had asked me about Kuon and Alicia earlier.
"Hey, do you know how Rentarou met his girlfriend?"
"Oh, yeah. He said they met through a chat group."
"A chat group?"
"Yeah, he told me about this group chat called ‘Guaranteed to Get a Boyfriend/Girlfriend.’ He even invited me, but I was too freaked out to open it."
A Guaranteed to Get a Boyfriend/Girlfriend group chat, huh?
Now that I think about it, all the students who went on leave were the ones who had been bragging about getting a girlfriend.
And that glass bottle from last night… It was meant to extract "happy memories."
Not to mention, Rentarou’s girlfriend was described as being under hypnosis due to a spell cast within the group chat.
…Could it be?
"Hey, can you send me the link to that group chat?"
"I can, but… don’t tell me you actually believe in that stuff?"
"Not exactly. It’s just…"
I glanced once more at Rentarou’s empty seat. My friend seemed to pick up on my intentions and let out a sigh.
"Alright. Just promise me you won’t do anything reckless. If you end up on leave too, I seriously won’t be able to handle it."
"Yeah. I swear I won’t do anything that would get me suspended."
I kept my response vague, and in return, my friend sent me the link to the infamous group chat through my messaging app.
"I’m telling you one last time—don’t do anything dangerous, alright?"
"I get it. I won’t be reckless."
Now, whether this will actually lead me to the truth of the incident, I have no idea.
But if there’s even a chance, I have to try.
With that thought, I shoveled the rest of my lunch into my mouth in one go.
tftc
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