Hasumin (1)
“Sure, but… me? I mean, even if we exchange contacts, I doubt you’d have much reason to reach out to me.”
Tons of people would probably jump at the chance to get Hasumi-san’s contact info, given her top-tier school caste status. Meanwhile, the number of people who’d want mine—a bottom-tier nobody—was close to zero.
“That’s not true. Besides, we’re the class rep and vice-rep now, right? There’s bound to be stuff to talk about.”
“You’ve got a point. I guess there might be a few reasons to message each other.”
Like if a teacher suddenly gave us a task, or if something else came up that required coordination.
“And honestly, I’m curious about you, Oda-kun. You seem… different from the other boys.”
(Well, of course I’m different. I mean, I’m a former hero who just returned from another world. It’s only natural that I’m completely different from a normal high school boy, both physically and mentally.)
Naturally, I couldn’t say any of that out loud unless I wanted to be labeled insane. So instead, I just said, “Alright,” and pulled out my phone.
It had been five years since I last used LINE, so I was a bit confused. As I fumbled with the app, Hasumi-san peeked over my shoulder.
“Tap here, then this part of the screen,” she said, quickly guiding me through it.
Thanks to her help, we exchanged contacts in no time.
Her bangs brushed lightly against my cheek during the process, which startled me a bit, but I made sure not to show it on my face or in my actions.
“So, your name’s Oda Shuhei. It has such a cool, traditional vibe—like a samurai or something.”
Looking at my name on her screen, Hasumi-san seemed genuinely amused.
“Thanks. I actually like it quite a bit myself.”
Come to think of it, I had registered my full name in my profile back when I first installed the app.
That’s a classic introvert move—using your full name to avoid coming off as trying too hard.
After all, no one’s going to criticize you for sticking to your real name.
Sure, they might tease you about it, but it’s safe and reliable.
I vaguely remembered thinking it’d also be nice if people remembered my name that way.
Of course, the sad truth about such “classic introvert moves” is that there’s rarely anyone to exchange contacts with in the first place.
Before my time in the other world, the only people in my contacts were my parents and my one friend, Tomoya. That was it—until I added Hasumi-san just now.
“By the way, my name’s Kana—Hasumi Kana. It’s written with the kanji ‘Ka,’ which has the radical for ‘person’ next to two ‘earth’ radicals, and ‘Na,’ like the one in Nara.”
“Kana, huh? That’s a beautiful name.”
“Oh, um… I didn’t think you’d just say something like that so casually, Oda-kun.”
“Say what?”
“Never mind—it’s nothing. Oh, you can just call me Hasumin. That’s what all my close friends call me.”
“Alright, Hasumin. In that case, you can call me Shuhei. That’s what all my friends—well, Tomoya—call me.”
I started to say “all my friends,” but quickly corrected myself, remembering that Tomoya was my only friend.
Lying wouldn’t have been right, after all.
“Wow, that’s unexpected. I didn’t think you’d call me that so smoothly, without even batting an eye.”
“…You did say it was okay to call you that, right?”
Crap.
In the other world, it was normal to call people by their first names. I’d been calling Riena that almost every day, so it just slipped out naturally with Hasumin.
For the record, “Riena” was short for her full name, Rienaera.
Still, for Hasumin—who likely still thought of me as the introverted guy from last semester—this might have been a bit much.
(Oh well, it’s fine. Hasumin and everyone else will get used to the current me eventually. No point overthinking it.)
Thanks to my five years in another world, I’d developed a pretty solid ability to think positively.
Some might even call it a steel mentality.
Worrying about every little thing wouldn’t have gotten me through my journey to defeat the Demon King, after all.
“Haha, of course it’s fine. I was just a little surprised. But, Shuhei-kun, you really have changed. You’ve got this polished, confident vibe now—it’s kind of nice.”
Hasumin said this with a slight blush, glancing up at me while lowering her head a little.
She seemed a bit shy, but as a former introvert, I was clueless when it came to reading a girl’s true intentions.