Episode 6-28: The Journey Home and the Mage

After incinerating the Vampire’s remains to his heart’s content, Igni was finally given permission to head home.

He had intended to head straight back to the dorms and crash, but the moment he stepped through the school gates, a petite young girl was there waiting for him.

“Um! Excuse me! Igni-san!”

“Oh, Estia. What’s up?”

“Well… would you like to walk home together?”

“Sure, I’d love to.”

Has she been standing here waiting for me this entire time? Igni wondered as he looked at Estia, who was still hovering by the gates.

“Are you doing okay, Estia?”

“Y-yes… Nothing happened where I was stationed. I was panicking for a bit, but before I knew it, everything was already over…”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Igni said, offering her a smile.

About ten Vampires had appeared at the academy, but since they had been summoned in a cluster, the matter was settled almost as soon as it began. Consequently, only the students near the mock battlefield had been targeted.

So far, Igni hadn’t heard any reports of fatalities. There were some injuries, but as long as they were alive, healing magic could take care of the rest.

“So, why were you waiting at the gates, Estia?”

“Well… you see…”

Estia looked down, appearing hesitant to answer.

“My mother said she really wants to meet you, Igni-san…”

“…Hmm? Your mom?”

“Y-yes. Remember when you came over to my house as a friend before?”

“Yeah, I remember.”

Following a request from Estia, Igni had visited her home once. He had met her younger sisters then, but it was true that he hadn’t crossed paths with her mother.

“After that, my sisters kept bragging about you to her.”

“Bragging, huh?”

“Y-yes. Um… my little sister is a big fan of yours, too… and ever since the day I brought you home, they haven’t stopped talking about you.”

“That’s flattering.”

Being the subject of rumors among girls never sat poorly with Igni.

“Because they kept going on about it, my mother became very curious about you.”

“I see. That explains it.”

“Yes. And… since I don’t have many friends, she said she really wanted to meet you… so, if you don’t mind, would you please come over?”

“Of course.”

Igni finally understood why she had been waiting at the gate. But before they went, there was something he felt he had to say.

“Estia, can I say one thing?”

“Y-yes! What is it?”

“We’re already friends, aren’t we?”

“…Eh!?”

Estia’s eyes went wide with shock at his words.

“T-t-t-that’s far too bold! Someone like me being Igni-san’s friend?!”

“Well, we’re classmates, I’ve been to your house, and we’ve even eaten lunch together. We’re definitely friends by now.”

“I-I suppose that’s true…” Estia nodded, a dazed look on her face. “B-but… Igni-san… you’re such an amazing person… Won’t I just be a bother if I’m your friend?”

“Not at all. I don’t actually have many friends myself, so I really wanted to be friends with you, Estia.”

“R-really!?”

For the record, Igni wasn’t lying about having few friends. However, he had a specific reason for bringing it up now.

The Art of Popularity, Rule No. 11:

—”Find common ground with women.”

People tend to like those who are similar to themselves. To become popular, it is vital to find similarities to create a sense of familiarity and closeness.

While this was a fundamental principle, Igni didn’t particularly care about being respected by girls; he just wanted to be liked. Granted, respect can lead to being popular, but Igni was the type who preferred to pursue popularity more directly rather than overcomplicating things. Or rather, he was the type who simply didn’t like thinking about difficult things.

“Really. So, Estia, please be my friend.”

“Y-yes…! If you’re okay with someone like me…!”

“I want it to be you, Estia.”

When Igni spoke those words softly, Estia’s face turned bright red as she took his hand.

“I-I look forward to it.”

“Same here.”

Looking at Estia’s perpetually blushing face, Igni thought to himself, She’s so cute, in his usual carefree manner.

“My mom usually gets home late, so you might have to wait a little while… Is that okay?”

“That’s fine.”

Igni gave her a reassuring look before continuing.

“Estia, since we’re officially friends now, why don’t we stop using formal speech?”

“…U-um, okay. If that’s what you want, Igni-san, I’ll try.”

“Yeah, this feels much more like being friends.”

“It feels… strange. Other than my family, I’ve never spoken to anyone without being formal. It almost feels like we’ve become family, Igni-san.”

“Does that make me the younger brother?”

“No. You’re the big brother, Igni-san.”

“The big brother, huh?”

“Yes. Because you’re so reliable.”

Estia looked up into his eyes as she spoke.

“But you’re pretty reliable yourself, aren’t you, Estia?”

“N-no! Not at all!”

She shook her head vigorously, her face deepening to a shade of crimson.

“But you play the part of the big sister for your little sisters, don’t you? That’s impressive enough on its own.”

“T-that’s… just because I have to…”

Estia fidgeted, looking down at the ground before glancing back up.

“Do you… have any siblings, Igni-san?”

“I used to.”

Igni meant it in the sense that his ties with them had been severed, but Estia didn’t take it that way. Her face suddenly went pale.

“I-I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked such a weird question…”

“Hmm? Oh, don’t worry about it. I don’t mind.”

Despite his words, Estia’s expression remained downcast. Ah, maybe I phrased that answer poorly, Igni thought, reflecting on his mistake. To dispel the heavy atmosphere, he decided to turn the question back to her.

“Estia, if you could have a new sibling, would you want an older one or a younger one?”

“…U-um, an older one, I think.”

“How come?”

“…P-please don’t laugh, okay?”

“Of course not.”

“…Because… I want someone to spoil me.”

Gaaaah—!!!

She was so cute that Igni’s entire vocabulary just died.

“I-If you’re okay with me, you can think of me as your big brother whenever you want.”

Swept up in the heat of the moment, he blurted it out. However, those words made Estia’s expression brighten instantly.

“R-really?”

“Yeah, of course…”

“I… I’ve always wanted a big brother…!”

Unlike younger siblings, an older sibling isn’t something you can get just by wishing for it. For Estia, it had always been an impossible dream.

“And… I’ve actually been thinking for a long time how nice it would be if you were my big brother, Igni-san!”

…Wait, what? Igni tilted his head in confusion.

“Th-then! When it’s just the two of us… can I call you ‘Onii-chan’?”

!!??!??!??!??!

Igni’s brain suffered a simultaneous overflow and stack error, causing a thermal runaway before finally short-circuiting completely.

[End 199]