Chapter 59 Interlude – Hiyori Sashima
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Struggling with exhaustion, Hiyori Sashima finally reached a rural village of the Caesaran Empire. She boarded a regular coach that connected the village to the city. If the journey went smoothly, the Imperial Capital of the Caesaran Empire would be within a few days’ reach.
(Sanai…)
A sudden jolt woke Hiyori from her sleep. Rubbing her still-sleepy eyebrows, she murmured to herself.
(Sanai is already gone from this world… and yet, I dream of him again…)
Her mind drifted back to her encounter with Ayumu in her original world. It had been the day she found a stray tabby wandering through the school’s flowerbed…
* * *
That day, Hiyori had been sitting on a bench in front of the school’s flowerbeds, engrossed in a newly released novel borrowed from the library. She was so absorbed that she barely noticed a faint sound nearby.
“Meow…”
”?! Ah… a cat?” Hiyori whispered.
She instinctively scanned the area and saw a thin, scruffy tabby walking toward her. Surprised, she sat down quietly, careful not to startle it.
”Hey… what’s wrong? Where did you come from?” she asked softly.
“Mya~… purr, purr… rub rub”
Though frail and undernourished, the cat pressed against her legs, purring contentedly. Even without understanding the words, Hiyori could tell by its droopy expression that it was silently begging for food.
”Poor thing…” she muttered. Most likely, it was a stray. Already an adult, its matted fur and thin frame made finding a new home almost impossible.
“Meow…” the cat replied weakly.
”I’m sorry… I can’t help you…” Hiyori whispered, lamenting her own powerlessness, when a shadow passed across her vision.
”Ah…” she gasped.
”Ugh…” came a strained sound from Ayumu, holding a bucket full of cat food.
* * *
”Here, here… is it tasty? Eat your fill,” Ayumu said, setting the food down.
“Mya~” the cat replied, rubbing against him in gratitude.
”Sanai…” Hiyori said cautiously.
”Ah… yes,” Ayumu replied.
Though they hadn’t talked much before, Hiyori felt she needed to say this:
”You can’t just feed stray cats irresponsibly… that’s… wrong, you know?”
”Ah, yes… understood…?” Ayumu answered, hesitating on the question mark, clearly not entirely convinced.
“Meow~♡” The cat, now full, nuzzled him once more.
”What should we do with this little one?” Hiyori asked softly.
”…What do we do, indeed?” he replied. Hiyori noted that the class’s top student, who had seemed unapproachable, wasn’t thinking ahead either. She felt a small warmth of connection toward him.
* * *
From that day on, Hiyori and Ayumu, who had rarely interacted before, naturally began spending more time together.
”How can we find a permanent home for this little one?” she asked one afternoon.
Perhaps because they were both quiet, unnoticed students in their class, they surprisingly found common purpose in finding a family for the tabby.
”…Post flyers, maybe?” Ayumu suggested.
Hiyori considered it, but shaking her head, she said, “Hmm… someone might encounter a cruel person. It wouldn’t be safe for him.” She watched the tabby, curled up in the animal carrier Ayumu had found, yawning sleepily as if saying, (I’m safe…).
”Right… hmm…” Ayumu murmured, pulling out a laptop in the library and starting to research.
”I think it’s better to find a home nearby, if possible,” he said after a few moments.
”Agreed…” Hiyori nodded.
* * *
Later, Ayumu contacted a volunteer group in the city that specialized in stray cats. Through social media, he received advice and potential adopter information.
Just as Hiyori had almost forgotten about the cat, she opened an email from Ayumu. A photograph appeared: a slightly chubby tabby in the arms of a child, probably elementary school age, and what seemed to be the child’s parents. A brief message followed:
“Thank you for helping, Mr. Sashima.”
(Sanai… so kind. Even just a little, it feels nice…)
He was slightly awkward and not socially adept, but he had money, brains, and a composed appearance. With a little care for his hairstyle and fashion, Hiyori thought he could be considered a quality catch—acceptable by her standards.
Back then, Hiyori had judged other boys, like Takuya Kiritani, without much thought. But arriving in the other world had changed everything.
* * *
The boys, perhaps due to newfound powers, gradually became rougher than in their original world. The girls, having no special talents, betrayed one another, ignored peers, and cut ties, creating a tense, competitive atmosphere in class.
Most notably, Kiritani’s female entourage became more blatant in their flattery to secure his protection, while other girls started seeking out strong students or attractive boys. Hiyori had once thought class hierarchies irrelevant to her, but now their rankings were impossible to ignore.
(Maybe Sanai foresaw this? Perhaps that’s why he acted strangely…) Hiyori thought.
She wondered if she should have acted similarly. No—she couldn’t take her own life as he had.
Such thoughts filled Hiyori as the coach carried her across the wilderness of the Caesaran Empire.
The Imperial Capital awaited, still unseen, yet drawing her onward.
Notes:
• Hiyori Sashima – A quiet, caring girl from the library committee, empathetic toward Sanai.
• Sashima – A member of the library committee who followed as a Barrier Technique Adept.
• Kiritani – The class president who takes leadership and questions their situation. A smooth operator, laid-back and calm. The handsome one.
• Takuya – The class president who takes leadership and questions their situation. A smooth operator, laid-back and calm. The handsome one.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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