Volume 1 - CH 8

“I need a drink.”

It was a Friday night, about a week after my time leap, when I couldn’t resist the thought.

I don’t usually drink much. It’s not that strong and it doesn’t affect me the next day. When I was a college student, I used to go to someone’s house and have a drink every day, but that’s not the case when I am a working adult. So I drank only once or twice a month.

But these days I feel great. Daiki has become quiet, as if he’s sulking, and he and my parents are somewhat distant, which is funny. Talking with my part-time job mates reminds me of my school days, and Saki is still cute and innocent. And tomorrow is a holiday, so I don’t have to work. Drinking sake in this good mood must be great.

But here I am a minor. I’m not allowed to drink alcohol. There should have been beer in the fridge…..but there wasn’t any beer….. I just want to get drunk while drowning in the taste of cheap snacks while sipping a little bit of expensive sake.

However……patience, be patient. Patience for 3 or 4 more years…….eh? Am I going to be sober for 4 years? Time leap is a crime.

“Sigh…….”

In the end I was out of the house at night. Not that I was going out to buy alcohol. I was going to take in the night breeze and fool  my feelings. That’s the purpose. I have my wallet with me just in case. I chose to dress like a college student in order to avoid being interrogated by the police. Yeah, cheers……

“……!?”

But when I left the house, I froze. A young, beautiful woman in a skirt and suit was standing in front of my house.

Was she an acquaintance of my mother’s? My father’s cheating partner? Could it be Daiki’s partner? Or rather, it has to be one of them. Because if it’s not, she’s a suspicious person…….

“Long time no see, Kouki kun.”

But this woman mentioned my name in the most unlikely way. I don’t know any adult women like her. None that I knew 10 years ago…… But somehow her voice sounded familiar …….

“As expected, you don’t recognize me.”

As I stood there with the door open, that woman slowly approached me. And at the moment I could clearly see her face, my mouth was moving on its own.

“Shinobu……san……?”

“Correct～ How did you know~?”

That name belongs to Shibayama Shinobu, a senior at my part-time job. But this woman is much more mature than Shinobu san at this time. The long, fluffy hair has been shortened to around the shoulders, and her hair color, which used to be bright, has darkened. There were no wrinkles, but I’m sorry to say that she does not look like a 17 year old high school girl. Certainly her face and voice are close to Shinobu san’s, but……. But obviously, she’s not !

“Are you Shinobu san’s……sister or……?”

“Hm～no, no,. I wonder if this will help you understand.”

The woman then opened her hands, pointed them upward, and held them up next to her breasts, which were larger than I remembered. Then she said,

“Is it a gold ax you dropped? Or the silver ax?”

It was a phrase from a famous fairy tale. But for me, it had a completely different meaning.

“Agent……!?”

She giggled as I mentioned the name of the goddess-shaped robot that had sent me back in time, and took out a business card.

“I am Shibayama Shinobu, a member of the Agent Business Section of the Development Department of Phoenix Phoenix Co., Ltd., the developer of Agent. Thank you for your cooperation in our agent experiment.”

“……Thank you for your courtesy.”

I couldn’t understand any of this, but I accepted her card out of habit, and when I reached into my pocket to hand her my own card, I finally came to my senses.

“Shinobu san is the developer of……that goddess……!?”

“That’s right. I’m the one in ten years from now.”

Unlike the calm girl I know, Shinobu san has the atmosphere of an elite office worker, and she laughs just like usual.

“When I learned the one who got involved in time leap was Kouki kun, I slipped back in time～.”