Chapter 147: Haru and Jenga
The Jenga that I made with Earth magic in front of the shrine tumble down.
「Aaaaaahhー! It collapsed again!?」
「Okay, Haru lost againー. Please gather all the blocks since Haru was the one who pulled it all down, then build the tower alright」
「Gununununu, once more!」
When I say that to goad her, Haru gathered up the blocks and built the tower while gnashing her teeth as she looks frustrated.
「Ooh, you’re really good at building the tower after all」
「Gugugu, Al has a bad personality」
「What? I’m just praising Haru’s great skill though?」
「You’re still saying something like that!」
When I say that while feigning ignorance, Haru vigorously pointed her fingers at me.
But, when she raises her arm it seems to hit the Jenga, and the built tower collapsed again with a crash *gashan*.
「Aaaaaaaaaaーh!」
「Aーah, it collapsed again. Please rebuild it again, alright」
Haru shouted in grief, as I also smile wryly. How should I put it, she’s a kid who does things like those sketch comedy whether it’s a promise or something else.
「Even so why am I the only one losing? I only pulled out a block and lay it down on top………」
「That’s because Haru pulls them out forcibly. You have to pull them out carefully, and leave a disadvantageous spot for the opponent」
「Look, Al really has a bad personality I knew it!」
Haru tried to raise her finger again, but she changed her mind as she’s in the middle of building the Jenga tower and stop raising her arm.
How unfortunate, just a little more and the Jenga will collapse.
「Using extreme logic, you should put the opponent in a spot where they won’t like it whether it’s in a game or competition」
「Fuuーn, then why don’t we spar with magic right now?」
That’s certainly something I won’t like, but not if it’s Jenga.
「Indeed I don’t want that, but let’s just do it within the limit of Jenga’s game.」
「Che………fine」
She just clicked her tongue just now, wasn’t she? When a girl did that, there’s a gap with their looks and it’s scary so please stop doing that.
「Yosh, it’s done! Let’s play one more game!」
Haru finished building the tower and said that, so I start playing Jenga again.
At the early stage of the game, the tower won’t collapse no matter where you pull out so each of us can easily stack them.
After that, the game will really start around the time the Jenga’s balance gradually became unbalanced.
I slowly push the Jenga’s block in the middle with my index finger.
And the Jenga’s block that was pushed by my finger comes out of the tower as if it smoothly slips out of the tower.
I pull it out safely so I’m stacking it at the top.
Fufufu, if she pulls a Jenga block right now then this thing’s balance will become quite bad since I’ve pulled that one block before. If Haru - who got her turn after this - tries to pull out a block carelessly then it would probably collapse all at once.
「Alright, Haru is next」
Haru observes the Jenga tower with a serious expression when I urge her. She’s probably searching for which one is easier to pull, and which one can’t be pulled out.
She’s trying to push the blocks with her finger lightly, trying to see how they look after being pushed.
「……the balance got really bad after Al pulled out a block」
「It’s just your imagination」
If you push them around that much, then the Jenga’s balance will become even worse, you know.
「Muu, looks like this one is fine!」
Just when I’m thinking about that kind of thing, Haru carefully pulled out a block at the corner while using both of her hands, perhaps she had ascertained it already, however………
「……Haru」
「……I’m doing something important right now. Don’t talk to me」
「No, but, Haru is holding the Jenga’s tower with your hand, aren’t you?」
「……I’m not holding them down」
「Well then, why don’t you try removing your left hand for a moment」
「……………」
When I told her to remove her left hand from the Jenga’s tower, Haru stiffened.
The thorough poking of her finger before had made the balance become even worse, and then the tower is probably thrown off balance while she was in the middle of pulling out a block.
「Come on, try removing your left hand」
Haru slowly removes her left hand while I say that to her, and as soon as her hand left the tower, the Jenga’s tower collapsed.
◆
「I’m the only one to lose if Al is the opponent, it’s not fun!」
Haru puffed out her cheeks and say that while being in front of the collapsed Jenga's tower.
Well, she keeps on losing after all. So her complaints were justifiable.
「Then, why don’t we ask another person to join?」
「But, Shuichi and Roomba are training so they can’t join us, you know?」
Roomba and Shuichi are practicing by sparring - holding a wooden sword in their hands -, when we look at a place away from the shrine.
Roomba is brandishing his wooden sword heroically, and Shuichi is avoiding them with a flowing-like movement.
「Shuichi is skillful at avoiding attacks considering your age!」
「That’s because it’s the basis for a swordsman’s battle - as we are wielding katana - to avoid attacks from the opponent after all!」
A katana will immediately bend or break if you use it roughly in an exchange of blows like a normal sword, and it will become a useless thing. And to avoid that, so it’s probably necessary to avoid the opponent’s attack and accurately aim at the other party’s vital parts that are not covered with armor.
「Even so, is this really a foreign adventurer’s fight? It’s a rough manner of swinging your sword, different from a swordsman 」
「Oh? This is only just the beginning you know? The usual adventurers will be dirtier than this, don’t you know?」
Roomba’s sword swing is certainly quieter than usual.
He probably can’t use his strength carelessly since doesn’t really understand about Shuichi’s ability. Though if he uses his full strength, I’m afraid that he can accidentally send Shuichi flying.
「Adventurers will - for instance - kick some dirt like this or throw some ash toward your eyes to blind you!」
「Uwaa!? Kicking some dirt to blind your opponent is dirty!」
「Gahaha! You won’t be able to survive in this world if you said such empty things!」
Roomba loudly laughs when he sees Shuichi wiping his eyes.
「You, fine let’s do this!」
「Ou! That’s right, come on!」
……just like what Haru said, they’re training like they’re already being immersed in it. Won’t those two be willing to play Jenga will us? though even if we ask them to join us they’re sure going to refuse.
「Then, why don’t we call the person behind the shrine?」
「Nn? Is there anyone else here aside from us?」
「They’re just watching us the whole time, aren’t they Haru and Shuichi’s acquaintance?」
「Nnー, I think it’s possible it’s our guard Kaede! Kaede will play with us, you can bring her here!」
Haru reveals her own status from the fact that she is being guarded with no hesitation.
Oh well, both of them have a different style in some respects from the citizen in the area. It was something that I had expected.
I’m also being guarded by Roomba as I am a noble, so let’s not worry about such things.
「Okay. Then I will bring her here, alright」
After saying that to Haru, I go around to the back of the shrine while erasing my presence.
When you’re using Space magic to Teleport over and over, you become sensitive to the situation around you. Moreover, I’ve been hiding and running away from Eleonora-neesan every day at home, so I’m confident in sensing presences.
I move slowly with my feet toward the other person so that they won’t notice me, just like when I was running away from Eleonora-neesan.
And as I continue and turn around toward the thicket, I can see the figure of someone who appears to be a woman wearing red Kagura clothes.
I feel that the pattern at the back of her clothes resembles the one in Kojiro’s, but it’s probably just my imagination, right?
Hmm, since her katana is suspended on her waist, she’s no doubt a swordswoman, and this person is probably the guard.
This person is the one who had been looking at me for a while now, she kept on watching me and Haru and took up a position in such a place.
The woman is intently staring at Haru - who is building the Jenga tower -, perhaps she doesn’t notice me standing behind her.
「Haaー, Haru who is building the tower is cute……」
The woman mutters while her cheeks are flushed for some reason.
Is this person really the guard, Kaede-san?
I can only think of her as a pervert who is staring at a girl………
「……uhmm, are you Kaede-san?」
「Nuwaaaa!?」
When I nervously call out to her, the woman stands up as she hysterically shouts. Then she tries to take a distance from me as she back off, but there was a thicket over there and she tripped and fell over in a flashy manner.
I guess she got surprised I called out to her? It feels like I’ve done something bad.
Haru came to us from the front of the shrine, perhaps she heard the sound of the thicket being disturbed and the woman yelling.
「Ohー! So Kaede was in this kind of place, huh! Kaede should also play Jenga with us!」
「Ye, yes?」
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