Volume 4 Chapter 3.2
Translator: Reflet
Editor: Weasalopes
「What?」
「I’ve been wondering for a while…Haruna, do you want to go back to Japan?」
「Eh?」
「I’m not really condemning you or anything, but it seems like you and Hiroshi aren’t all that keen on getting back to Japan.」
Haruna was at a loss to answer Makoto’s oddly sharp question. In a sense, that was an answer, but Makoto wanted a proper answer while they had the chance. She added some more input.
「Thinking about it logically from an objective standpoint, no one besides Tatsuya actually has a reason to return, right? Living arrangements and food might actually be far better over here, plus there’s plenty to do over here.」
「……Well, yeah, you’re right.」
「The same goes for human interaction. You have Hiroshi with his gynophobia and probably a lack of friends, or Mio with her bedridden state, inability to go to school that often, and clear lack of relationships. She at most has her parents and family back home that she might miss. Not much else honestly.」
「……Mhm. Probably, no, definitely, you’re correct.」
「And even in your case, if you go right back to Japan from here, you’d have much more difficulty living with Hiroshi like you’ve been doing here, right?」
「……」
As Makoto brought up topic after topic that Haruna had tried to avoid thinking about, Haruna just began to quiet down, unable to speak. If they were to return to Japan, mental health was one thing, but their positions in society would greatly shift in a negative direction. That was to be expected, but then there was her love for Hiroshi and all the hurdles that came with it, so anything more was rather cruel. If Hiroshi said he weren’t returning to Japan, then Haruna may very well have to force herself to stop loving him even without proper rejection.
But on the other hand, Haruna didn’t have much reason to stay here besides her relationship with Aearis and everyone else, and her feelings for Hiroshi. Thinking of her parents, siblings, and everyone around her, Haruna also felt no reason to sacrifice herself just for her love.
「……Honestly, I probably don’t have much attachment to here or Japan.」
「Really?」
「Yeah. I have people who I never want to cut ties with in both places, and I like both worlds a decent amount, so by that logic I don’t have a preference. But…」
「But?」
「When I think of everyone in Japan, regardless of what decision I make, I need to at least go back once.」
Unlike before, with hesitation, this time Haruna spoke confidently. She seemed to have her own complicated background regarding this.
「……Is it okay if I ask you why you’re so adamant about that?」
「Even assuming I were to live here, I’d need to convey that to some people at home, or else it’d be inconvenient for them. I do need to check some things though, y’know.」
「Inconvenient? How so?」
「It’s highly likely that some people would break anything in their way to try and search for me.」
Haruna said something unpleasant with a light grimace on her face, and Makoto went immediately silent. Disregarding that, Haruna continued speaking.
「In actuality, if things drag on too long, I could totally see someone coming for me.」
「Someone?」
「A certain aunt of mine (far younger than a typical aunt), as surprising as it sounds, just so happens to be a genius scientist who’s made VR systems, android with human-like AI, and room temperature nuclear fusion reactors that fit in the pam of your hands?」
「Ah, I know about them. Uhh, I think their name was Ayase Amane? What was their relationship with you like?」
「My mom’s cousin, about two years older than her. She’s young enough that you’d hesitate to call her an aunt, but she’s been around since I was a baby, so I kinda just naturally stuck with calling her that.」
「I think this every time, but the people you know must make things really lively for you, huh.」
「And I’m not even all that special anyway.」
Haruna had mentioned yet another incredibly influential figure in her life. She herself was just a super beautiful natural airhead who was skilled at singing and cooking, but the moment her parents were involved, suddenly everything became worldwide class. Haruna appeared to have some mixed feelings regarding the connections her parents had, but as Makoto didn’t directly know anyone involved, all she could say was that it gave her those vibes.
Incidentally, the genius scientist, Ayase Amane was also the mother of twin girls, and said twins were at the same high school as Hiroshi and Haruna, two years below their class. Despite having two high schoolers as daughters, this woman practically looked the same age or slightly younger than Makoto, but her personality fit her age.
「Wait, even if she is a talented scientist, can she actually just up and move over to this world?」
「As someone who knows of some of her yet-to-be-revealed inventions, it wouldn’t be surprising at all. Seriously, you’d think a relative would get that there’s no issue with me taking detours to and from school.」
「Ah～、I see……」
Haruna would just barely enter into the “normal person” category in everything other than household affairs, not surrounded by special police or tight security; simply living a normal life at a normal school. This “Ayase Amane” was probably throwing a wrench in all of that. Judging from Haruna’s tone of voice, there were probably actually more people meddling in her life than just Ayase.
「So in addition to all that, I can make a number of hypotheses about what things will be like for us over there, but that isn’t something to discuss right now. Honestly, regardless of if my theory is true, it isn’t going to benefit us right now, plus it’s better to discuss it when everyone’s here if we had to.」
「Alright.」
Makoto nodded at Haruna’s proposal as they finished clean-up with good timing. True, she was still curious about Haruna’s little theory, but it was a drag to discuss the same thing multiple times.
「So, as it’s kinda unfair just to ask me questions, allow me to ask my own here.」
As the two of them headed for the center of the marketplace, Haruna figured it was good timing to begin a counterattack. Unlike Farlane’s market center, Forre’s wasn’t always handling high grade items, so it went along with her objective.
「You’re asking about me?」
「Mhm.」
「Well, compared to you or Tatsuya, it must sound suuuper dumb, plus a little too late, but I want to return for a pretty urgent reason.」
「What do you mean by too late?」
With a fairly serious look on her face, Makoto told Haruna something rather bitter. Haruna just cocked her head.
「Ah, from a regular person’s viewpoint, it must sound really dumb.」
「But for you, it’s a really pressing matter, right?」
「Well, yeahhh…」
「Most people would consider it dumb, but the person who has the problem considers it to be very serious, and now said problem might be too late to resolve…I’m not sure what that might be though.」
Looking at Haruna, who really didn’t seem to get what was going on, Makoto truly felt the difference in their upbringing. This was also rather too late, but she really wondered, just for a moment, if it was okay to let this girl go through the same thing she and Mio went through.
「I want to dispose of the things on my closet, hard disk, etc. You see, the combined mass of my dark past, hobbies, preferences, and fetishes slumbers in that sacred realm.」
「Dark past……」
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