Volume 4 - CH 1

“Number one ! Let’s stop Igarashi Daiki sama～～～～!”

Me, the adult shinobu san, Hikari, and the agent. As the group from the future gathered at my house, it was the ragged agent from 50 years later who sat down next to me without a care in the world who started the conversation.

“…So now you don’t have to appear out of water?”

“Of course ! I was in the water to secure the energy for my activities. I can’t use the power of the universe and I’m extremely energy efficient, so bathing once a day is no problem for me !”

“Bathing……”

Weird expressions as usual. When I talk to her like this, I can understand her mind, not her appearance. This girl is agent, for sure.

“In the first place, I don’t know what’s going on a t all～”

“The reason is that you didn’t get a job at Phoenix, Shinobu sama ! You look so young and beautiful !”

If the past changes, the future changes. I heard that this future Shinobu san didn’t get a job at Phoenix and is working as a broadcaster with us. ……Hmm? But, if that happens…….

“Shinobu, why did you come to the past?”

“I was taking a bath and Agent-chan came to see me~. She said, Kouki kun in  the past seemed to be in trouble, so I should come and help him.”

“Hey,……,you’re not supposed to say that…..!”

The agent is unusually flustered. Or rather, it’s the first time. The first time she really revealed her emotions.

“….So you really got along with me and stopped destroying the human race.

“Not really……! That’s not why I’m……. It’s just that, well,…… if I destroy the human race, Kouki sama will die too,…… so I just felt a little bad about that…….”

Agents don’t have the ability to blush. But she said that not without emotions. The detailed gestures, tone of voice, and facial expressions. At first glance, it seems as if she was responding mechanically, but that’s never the case. It was that easy to learn.

“Well, whatever.”

Hikari, who has the least involvement with agents in this place, opened her mouth.

“Are you sure you can’t intervene Daiki kun? If you were able to heal Kouki senpai, I think there is at least a loophole. No matter how much he may have surpassed human beings, he’s no match for an agent, right?

I think there are certainly plenty of loopholes. But I’m sure that’s not what Kouki sama would want.”

“…Well, yeah. 50 years…..if I beat him who’s 40 years older than me, I won’t let him complain. It’s a complete victory for me.”

“That’s why…..I don’t really understand……what you mean by winning.”

……I have to admit, I’ve felt that too. It’s not about me. It was about the conditions of victory against Daiki.

{“First of all, he can’t kill me. Because of the agent’s cheat. Then again, he’s probably going to try to destroy my “relationships and social status……

“That’s it, senpai ! That’s what I’m afraid of ! The most likely and easiest way to do this is to start a commotion. Ten years ago, when Internet literacy had not yet developed, you could get flamed for the slightest thing. The slightest thing could cause a commotion.”

Yes, that’s right. For me, getting flamed is the scariest thing of all. But I can assure you that it’s not possible.

“Can you say you won just because I got flamed? At least, I wouldn’t be able to say that. He would’ve done something more direct.”

“That’s because it’s you, senpai !? That prideful guy would be satisfied with that !”

“BEcause he was full of pride. He would not be satisfied with just causing a commotion after coming all the way back from 50 years in the future.”

“Then what in the world……”

……Probably.

“I’m sure it’s because of Shinobu.”

Even though Daiki was dating Saki, he often messed with Shinobu. Before she got along with me, she was probably his type.

“Don’t worry~. I would never fall for a guy other than Kouki kun～”

“Well, there’s no doubt about that……, but Daiki has 40 years more experience than me. The advantage of this is not just simple experience. The knowledge of the future that I can’t even imagine. That’s the trickiest part.”

Can you imagine a person 40 years ago making money by shooting video with a palm-sized machine that was more powerful than the computers these days? It’s the same thing. 40 years from now, it’s obvious, I’ll never reach it. That’s the scariest part.

“Auntie Agent, do you have any ideas?”

“Auntie……! Please call me A. Because that’s what they called me. ……And I have no idea. That was all I could do to fill the memories of Kouki sama and others to the worn out memory device. And right now, I have no knowledge of the future either.”

Then……there’s no way to take measures. He’s most likely go after Shinobu, but that’s not a sure thing. Something that can proudly say it beat me and still hurts me. …..There are too many.

“Stop, stop it. Don’t even think about it.”

In the end, no matter how far I go, there is only one thing to do.

“Live in the present to the fullest. If I do that, the future will change on its own. But I’m a time leaper, so even if the future changes, I won’t disappear.”

“…..I’m afraid my senpai might get angry if I say something like that.”

Even though we came to an agreement, Hikari opened her mouth.

“Senpai and Daiki kun are very much alike.”

That’s because I’m his brother….I guess she’s not talking about that.

“Shinobu senpai and Saki san. You two have the same taste in women, and above all, you both hate losing so much, right?  Even though you’ve returned to the past, how much of a loser are you if you’re concerned about losing or winning?”

Hikari, who returned to the past to live an efficient and successful life, wouldn’t understand. no, I’m sure no one would understand, except us.

“As an adult shinobu san I met once told me, ……there are definitely those who just can’t win, and I wouldn’t want that. But my family….is not like that.”

Even if I don’t like it, I see it, the closest thing to me is the thing I hate. That’s Daiki for me, and I guess that’s me for the Daiki. I just can’t win. We started out the same, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t win. How much pain is that? And if I could win, how much value would I find in my life? If I can reach that……back that’s just a little further out of reach. I can assure you. If I were 65 years old, I would have gone back in time just to win one more time.

“I hate it. I hate it. I hate it so much. I hate Daiki who can win without any effort. Me, who won even though I was inferior. No matter how old I get, it will never change. Only this inferiority complex won’t change.”

That’s why we came back. To win. Just to win.

“I’m not going to lose. This victory is non-negotiable.”

One win, one loss, same guy from the future. I finally got to the point where I’m on par with him.

“This battle is mine, ours. This is the proof of my life.”