NOVEL NEXT Chapter 22
Chapter 22. Choosing the Path Where We Can Smile
[Here we go! This is Furukawa Kenji bringing you the play-by-play commentary!]
The match finally began.
I clenched my hands tightly as I stared at my lethargic older brother on the monitor.
(Do your best!)
It’s hard to imagine onii-chan using his abilities.
Still, I want him to achieve something—anything—that could slightly change his current situation.
Today, he seemed just a bit more motivated than usual.
Maybe, just maybe, he could pull something off!
At least take down one person—no, two!
Better yet, wipe them all out!
[Whoa! Right off the bat, we’re seeing movement from both Saien High School and Unryu High School. Both teams are splitting into groups of two and taking action!]
The commentator’s words brought my focus back to the monitor.
Unryu High School split into two groups of three, while Saien High School, for some reason, had onii-chan moving away from the team and acting solo.
“Hey, did his team ditch him?”
“Well, he’d just be a hindrance anyway.”
“He’s such a show-off for a powerless guy.”
The audience spouted whatever they pleased.
It’s true; onii-chan might have been abandoned.
But for him, that’s probably for the best.
Solo play has its downsides—no team cover.
But it also means no one restricts your movements, letting you act freely.
Judging by the bag he’s carrying, he’s likely planning to trap and take out his enemies.
If so, having inexperienced teammates around would only get in the way of his strategy.
“Mind if I sit here?”
“Huh?”
Someone called out beside me.
Thinking it was directed at someone else, I turned to see a smiling woman looking at me.
(Whoa, she’s gorgeous.)
Her bright green hair was tied in a side ponytail, and her figure was flawless.
I couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe, especially noticing her chest matched mine in simplicity. Maybe I even had her beat?
“Hello? Hellooo? You okay?”
“Ah! Sorry, I was just so stunned by how beautiful you are!”
“Oh my, you’re adorable! I want to take you home!”
The green-haired woman’s hands trembled as she hugged me tightly, rubbing her cheek against mine.
She must be a foreigner with an intense love for skinship.
“Why is Ao so straightforward, yet Hayato-kun is so stubborn?”
“Huh? You know onii-chan?”
“Didn’t Hayato-kun mention me? I’m Hattori Suzuna. Nice to meet you!”
I shook the hand she offered.
But why hadn’t onii-chan mentioned her?
She seemed so friendly compared to everyone else…
[Oh, look! Yanagi is setting up landmines! But no other team members are nearby yet. What’s his plan?]
“Ha! What’s he doing?”
“There’s no way anyone will walk right into that!”
“That useless guy is just showing off!”
It looked like onii-chan was on the move.
There was still some distance between him and the enemies.
But onii-chan must be confident they’d eventually come his way.
“When did Yanagi start fighting monsters?”
Suzuna-san’s sudden question made me catch my breath.
“Monsters? Onii-chan’s powerless. He can’t possibly fight monsters.”
Feigning calm, I answered nonchalantly.
Suzuna-san tilted her head, clapped her hands as if realizing something, and nodded.
“Oh, I guess Hayato-kun didn’t tell you. I know he’s not powerless—I’ve seen him fight with my own eyes.”
I see. Onii-chan had caught the attention of a troublesome person.
If Suzuna-san had seen him fight, she must have belonged to the town’s combat unit or the Special Ability Squad.
If not, then perhaps she’d witnessed him by coincidence.
But if that were the case, her fixation on him wouldn’t make sense.
“Are you part of the Special Ability Squad?”
“Oh? You guessed it. No one believes me when I say that, though.”
Suzuna-san admitted it without hesitation.
In that case, her purpose was likely to recruit onii-chan.
His strength already exceeded that of a student.
If they could recruit him, their mission success rates would surely skyrocket.
To them, he was an invaluable asset.
But onii-chan loathes trouble.
He probably turned down her offer.
Perhaps she approached me, hoping I’d convince him.
Honestly, I didn’t care either way.
Even if he joined the squad, I couldn’t imagine onii-chan losing.
I just wanted him to choose a path that made life easier for him.
“Can I ask you a question, too?”
“Sure.”
“When I was researching Yanagi, I found out you’ve had a rough time at school. Why haven’t you told Hayato-kun? If he knew, he’d do something about it.”
“Have you told him?”
“No, not yet. I thought you might have a reason for keeping it to yourself.”
She really had done her homework.
Suzuna-san was serious about this.
“I don’t want to be a burden to onii-chan.”
“A burden?”
“He takes on everything without showing it. I’m afraid it’ll all pile up and break him one day.”
So, at the very least, I didn’t want to add to his burdens.
I wanted to be by his side, smiling, to support his heart in some small way.
He tries to be strong, but he’s not invincible. His strength lies in his heart, not his power.
I suddenly asked Suzuna-san what had been on my mind.
“How can onii-chan find peace?”
“That’s a tough one. I don’t know why his ability score is zero, but if he’s bound to something either way, maybe he should choose the path where he can fully use his strength. That might make him feel alive.”
—A path scorned as a zero.
—Or one fraught with danger, living as a warrior.
If both were equally harsh, I wanted him to choose the one where he could at least smile a little more.
“Ugh! I’m done overthinking this!”
It’s not like I could solve it anyway!
I turned my focus back to the monitor.
The enemy was closing in on onii-chan’s landmines.
(Just go wild already, you idiot onii-chan!)
[Unbelievable! Ogata who was on guard in the front line, triggered one of Yanagi’s landmines and is out of the match!]
“Wow, lucky guy.”
“Total fluke.”
“Just crush him already!”
Those who didn’t know his true strength dismissed his success as pure chance, hurling insults.
But their arrogance began to waver.
Onii-chan threw a grenade into the fray, leveraging an opponent’s ability to take out three people.
“What the… How’s this happening? Isn’t he supposed to be powerless?”
“Yeah, but he’s not using abilities, so…”
Confusion rippled through the crowd, save for Suzuna-san, who was utterly ecstatic.
“Go! That’s it! His right side is open!”
It was like she was watching a wrestling match, completely oblivious to the mood around her.
When onii-chan elegantly dispatched a charging opponent, it came down to the last man.
[Who could have predicted this?! Yanagi is systematically taking down Yugiri High School’s team! All that remains is Igarashi Atsushi with the [Gravity] ability. How will Yanagi face him?!]
The commentator’s excitement soared, but the audience’s reaction was far from enthusiastic.
“Take him down!”
Except for one.
Suzuna-san, munching on popcorn, glanced my way.
“Want some? Trade you for yours.”
And so, sharing two flavors of popcorn, we watched events unfold.
[Incredible! Yanagi narrowly avoids Igarashi’s crushing attack. How long can he keep this up? Does he have a finishing move?]
The end came soon after.
Onii-chan lured Igarashi into stepping on an anti-tank mine, taking him out.
Setting up the mine in that location meant the entire sequence had gone exactly as he planned.
The venue fell silent, and the audience was stunned into muteness.
“”Woohoo!””
Amidst the stillness, Suzuna-san and I cheerfully high-fived.