Chapter 42: Even if I Awaken an Appraisal-like Skill, I Don’t Really Need It
“Originally, we intended to observe Gouto-kun’s progress over the full span of his four years. It is only natural that he hasn’t reached his goals at this current stage. In the first place, I have no intention of pronouncing a verdict at this point in time.”
Accepting Taketsuru-san’s proposal for a “deferment” without a single second of hesitation, Mother spoke as if it were a given fact that she had never intended to pass judgment right now anyway.
To Meiko and me, it felt like a predictable “Yeah, that sounds about like her,” but to Taketsuru-san, who had been completely geared up for a fight, it must have felt like a total letdown.
“Uh, well, then what about that thing earlier, about the affiliate companies or whatever…?”
“That was simply a discussion about such possibilities arising in the future. I believe I never specified a particular timeframe.”
“No, well… I suppose that’s true.”
Just as I thought.
Kuwajima accuses me of being argumentative and whatnot, but at least I act based on established logic, making me far better by comparison. Mother has a habit of “intentionally leaving things unsaid,” forcing the other party to let their imagination run wild, effectively rolling them along to guide the conversation exactly how she wants.
Mind you, she doesn’t do this at work. It is strictly a hobby.
Trust is paramount in business, after all. Ambiguous wording is the first step toward ruining one’s credibility.
In short, the person Mother wanted to draw words out of in this situation…
Wasn’t me, but rather Taketsuru-san and Kuwajima.
“Putting Gouto-kun’s progress aside for a moment, as his mother, I find it quite agreeable that my son’s friends possess a ‘normal’ sensibility.”
“Uh, well, I guess I’m pretty normal?”
“At the very least, you are far more normal than my son.”
“Well, that’s true.”
Taketsuru-san nodded with a smug look on his face. Are you seriously suggesting that you are just a run-of-the-mill, completely ordinary college student compared to me…?
Well, admittedly, if you strip away any protagonist traits, that assessment might hold water.
But Kuwajima. Why are you nodding too?
Your sensibility was afflicted by a severe case of eighth-grade-syndrome until just the other day; I refuse to recognize you as normal.
“Four years is a long time. There may be moments when you wish to abandon him along the way, and I will not blame you if you do. However, if you are willing, I would appreciate it if you could interact with him normally—as friends to my foolish son, and at times, as his guides. Taketsuru-san, Kuwajima-san, could I perhaps trouble you to do this for him?”
Please stop, Mother.
When you put it that way, it makes me sound like a primary schooler being led by his mother’s hand, desperately trying to make friends. I made these “best friends” quite normally, entirely by my own hands.
“Well, you know, it feels kinda heavy when you put it like that…”
“Yeah, um, within reason, as much as possible, and only after securing an escape route, uh…”
And you, my “best friends,” why are you suddenly flinching?
You should be proudly shouting your friendship to the heavens.
“As a side note… if it is within my power to reach, I could also arrange for some conveniences regarding your future employment.”
“I look forward to working with you from now on, Kirishiro!”
“We’re best friends, after all!”
“Oh, right.”
My best friends instantly succumbed to the overwhelming networking power of the Kirishiro Group.
If possible, I would have preferred them to choose their actions based on friendship. But it can’t be helped. It simply means our friendship level is still low. Friendship is something you build up over time, after all.
“Now then, Gouto-kun. We shall conclude the matter regarding this particular exam. The summer vacation is fast approaching, but there is no need for you to force yourself to return home. Spend your time deepening your bonds with your friends.”
“Are you sure? It seems like Father, as well as Aya and Kei, might miss me.”
“If you feel that way, then you may return. Including that decision, act in a way that leaves you with no regrets. Farewell, Gouto-kun. Stay in good health.”
With that, Mother unilaterally cut the call.
Hmm, well, fine. Nothing has been decided regarding my summer plans yet.
Once I solidify those details, I can show my face at the family home if I have the leeway.
“Now then, allow me to look forward to your continued support. Taketsuru, and you too, Kuwajima.”
“Well, since she asked so nicely, I guess I don’t have much of a choice.”
“And to be fair, in the absolute strictest sense, I do owe Kirishiro-kun a bit of a debt.”
Kuwajima’s phrasing catches in my throat slightly, but I decide not to let it bother me.
Finally, I turn to face Meiko.
Ever since I met Meiko, the gears of my life have spun out of gear.
However, as is obvious from looking at other people, a human being whose gears aren’t out of order to begin with simply doesn’t exist.
To a greater or lesser degree, everyone harbors some form of madness. That, to me, feels normal.
Even now, I am capable of pretending to be a perfectly ordinary human being who can be found anywhere.
Yet, I doubt I have truly become the kind of normal person my mother would acknowledge.
Therefore, Meiko, as the one who derailed my gears in the first place, will just have to take responsibility for it.
“Meiko. I’m going to need you to stay by my side from now on as well. Understood?”
“Yes, yes. I shall accompany you to the ends of the earth~”
Though her tone sounds reluctant, Meiko’s expression is thoroughly amused.
From here on out, she will undoubtedly work her hardest as my “childhood friend.”
With this, the matter of the exam is finally settled and done with────
“Um. What exactly am I supposed to be doing in this atmosphere?”
And then, Inugashi, the lone soul who hadn’t been able to keep up with the flow of the conversation, muttered in a soft voice.
Ah, Inugashi… To be honest, after everything that happened during our fight and him entrusting Meiko to me, he doesn’t really have much of a role left.
It is precisely as Meiko puts it: “Once a sub-character’s main episode is over, you lose all points of contact with them, so there’s no need to be friendly.”
“For the time being, goodbye until your next turn. You may go home now.”
“You’re the one who dragged me here?!”
“The head of the Inugashi family has already been contacted, so I believe they will be coming to pick you up shortly.”
“Eh?!”
It wasn’t as if my words acted as a signal.
However, a moment later, a troop of men in suits who looked exactly like they belonged to a certain syndicalist profession filed into the room, dragging a thoroughly dejected Inugashi away with them. Although they possessed rather fierce countenances, they bowed deeply and apologized profusely to me, so it is highly unlikely they will try to pick any needless fights from their end.
Glancing over the crowd, I caught sight of a few young men and women who looked to be around Inugashi’s age.
Since they looked equally crestfallen, I assumed they had already received their scolding. Companions in misery, then.
I suppose Inugashi, in his own way, is well-liked by his people.
“Now then, with this, is everything truly settled?”
The time was already at the precipice of evening.
Looking back on it, the entire affair with Inugashi had passed in the blink of an eye.
The ambush was yesterday, the phone call was last night, and the event was today.
Even I have to admit it was a forced march, though I am glad the event made it in time.
“Man, one thing’s for sure—with Kirishiro around, at least my college life won’t be boring.”
Taketsuru-san, whose eyes had looked somewhat dead during the Childhood Friend Derby, says this with a wry smile.
I flash a grin back at my “best friend.”
“Naturally. That is exactly what a perfectly ordinary college life found anywhere is supposed to be like.”
“It absolutely isn’t.”
“Besides, the fact that you went to another world has nothing to do with me.”
“That’s true. Yeah, that really is true…”
In the first place, I wasn’t the one who dyed Taketsuru-san’s daily life in the colors of another world.
The fact that I stumbled upon that secret is a separate matter entirely, but the original journey to an alternate world belongs strictly to Taketsuru-san’s own circumstances.
The most I can say about it is that I’m glad he made it back safely.
As the two of us men were having this conversation, Kuwajima abruptly spoke up.
“I’ve decided!”
At this completely contextless declaration, the remaining three of us exchanged glances, and Meiko, acting as our representative, asked:
“What’s up, Kuwajima-san? Were you agonizing over tonight’s dinner menu or something?”
“No! I’m talking about yesterday’s topic! The club!”
“The club?”
If we were talking about yesterday’s club topic, it had to be about Kuwajima suddenly suggesting that the four of us should join the same club together.
At the time, everyone had slammed her down with a resounding ‘NO’ due to the suddenness of a proposal completely devoid of any vision, but what on earth could she have decided now?
“Let’s establish a brand new club. Its name shall be the ‘Normalcy Appreciation Society’!”
“The name alone makes it sound like a total bust though.”
“At least hear me out before you shoot it down?!”
Meiko immediately shut it down, but considering it wouldn’t do to judge without hearing Kuwajima out, we decided to listen to her explanation for the time being.
According to her:
There are plenty of clubs in this world like Occult Research Societies or Mystery Clubs that adore the extraordinary.
However, mostly due to “Kirishiro Gouto,” the four of them faced a remarkably high risk of being dragged into such non-daily absurdities against their will.
Therefore, by shifting their perspective, wouldn’t it be an excellent club activity to research the definition of ‘normal’ conceived by “Kirishiro Gouto,” peacefully dismantle it, and adjust it so it aligns with the normalcy of the general public?
Or so she claimed.
“In other words—it’s a club dedicated to re-studying a proper, worldly sense of normal!”
As Kuwajima proudly declared this, our reactions were as follows:
“Ah—well. Normally, I’d be thinking, ‘What is Kuwajima-san even talking about?’ but since the opponent is Kirishiro, it actually makes sense.”
“It feels like it’s one step away from becoming a Light Novel Research Club, but with Gouto-kun around, I get the feeling we could actually make the activities work somehow.”
“Right?!”
For some reason, it was received rather favorably by Taketsuru-san and Meiko.
Though, Meiko. When it comes to my research into a perfectly ordinary lifestyle, you are supposed to have been deeply involved in it yourself, aren’t you?
Good grief, Kuwajima really came up with a bizarre club.
Where in any perfectly ordinary university across the land would you find a club named the “Normalcy Appreciation Society”?
Clubs are originally meant to gather people of like-minded interests.
I have never once heard of a gathering of like-minded individuals who appreciate being normal.
“So, Kirishiro-kun, what do you think?”
“Hmm. It is a bizarre club that would bring shame upon itself no matter where it is presented. Therefore, as per my previous statement, I shall cooperate with your club activities.”
“You are exquisitely failing to praise it, aren’t you?!”
That was only natural.
And yet, the one who agreed to cooperate with such an incomprehensible club was none other than me.
I am a man who takes responsibility for his own words.
With this, the consent of four individuals had been gathered.
If so, I believe we have successfully met the required number of founding members.
“Then, the ‘Normalcy Appreciation Society’ is officially formed.”
I declare this in place of Kuwajima.
“Well, I’m going to prioritize my own schedule though, since I have my part-time job and all,” Taketsuru-san says, sounding as detached as ever.
“First up is summer vacation! Let’s all think about what a normal summer vacation looks like!”
Kuwajima shouts, though despite being the one who decided on its formation, she still seems completely devoid of any sense of responsibility.
“Sigh, I guess it’s back to paperwork and negotiating by digging up people’s weaknesses again~”
Meiko groans, a wry smile surfacing as she imagines the trivial chores that are bound to rain down upon her.
The four of us harbor four entirely distinct sets of thoughts, but that is perfectly fine.
The relationship I envision for a “completely ordinary college student found anywhere,” “best friends,” and a “childhood friend” does not necessarily require everyone to look in the exact same direction.
Each possessing different thoughts, yet cooperating with one another.
Because such an equal relationship is precisely what is “normal,” after all.
“That’s right. As our very first activity for the ‘Normalcy Appreciation Society,’ there is a certain item on the agenda I would like to raise.”
To the three individuals who were now newly connected by the bond of sharing “the same club,” I spoke as a “perfectly ordinary human being found anywhere.”
“I want you to think about this using common sense… Even if one awakens to a skill that looks like Appraisal, it’s pretty much useless, isn’t it? Normally speaking.”
I am speaking, of course, about the hallucination that still resides stubbornly within my optic nerves.
Somehow, everyone has started treating its existence as if it never happened, but from the very beginning, my goal has been to eliminate this hallucination entirely.
This is the one point where I would like to see an agreement of opinions, but…
“Normally it’s useless, but I think it’s better if Kirishiro has it.”
“If we’re limiting the scope strictly to Kirishiro-kun, you might actually be more decent with it around.”
“Gouto-kun, throwing that away would be an absolute waste~”
Something is wrong with all of you.
A perfectly ordinary college student found anywhere has absolutely no need for an ominous. Appraisal skill.
──────
【 Me @ Apparently an Appraisal Skill ★ 】
Comment: “Looking forward to working with you!”
──────
For the sake of my perfectly ordinary life──I will absolutely wipe you out, you hallucination.