Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou (LN) - Volume 7 - Chapter SS2

Some Things are Better Left Unknown 

The calming scent of black tea filled Shizuku’s room within the royal palace. A fancy tea set rested atop a sturdy wooden table, and steam rose from the two cups sitting across from each other. The two people enjoying a brief tea break were Shizuku and Kaori. They were finalizing their plans for the trip tomorrow and catching up on what the other had been up to. 
“Anyway, it looks I’ll be your healer for a little bit again, Shizuku-chan! Don’t worry, even if you die, I can bring you back in just three minutes!” 
“Please don’t talk about resurrection like it’s the same as heating instant noodles...” Shizuku smiled fondly. She was glad her best friend had become more confident. Then, as she was taking a sip of her tea, she heard a sudden knock on the door. 
“Who is it?” Shizuku called out. The reply came not from the door, but from next to Kaori’s ear. 
“...It’s me.” Kaori shrieked and jumped backward. She hurriedly turned around and saw Yue’s head poking out of one of her teleportation portals. Yue smiled in satisfaction, then mocked poor Kaori. 
“What a cute scream... Kukukuku.” 
“Yue! Why do you keep pulling such childish pranks!? Sheesh!” 
Yue widened her portal, revealing Tio and Shea standing behind her. The three of them stepped into Shizuku’s room, while Shizuku looked blankly from her angry friend to these collected newcomers. 
“Um, what’s going on?” 
“She’s always like this, Shizuku-san. Yue-san’s been playing pranks on Kaori-san ever since she learned how to teleport. She finds Kaori-san’s reactions funny.” 
“It is only around Kaori that Yue lets her childish side show. In a way, you could say they’re rather close. Though they’re also always at each other’s throats, too...” 
“I can’t imagine Kaori getting in a fistfight with... Well, it looks like she’s doing it now, so I don’t have to imagine anything.” 
Indeed, Kaori was currently attempting to pinch Yue’s cheeks and getting continually rebuffed. Shizuku watched the spectacle with a lonely gaze. She’d never seen her best friend so much as snap at someone. At first she’d been worried that Kaori wouldn’t fit in with her new group, especially since all the girls were her love rivals, but it appeared that had been a needless worry. While Shizuku was glad that Kaori could manage without her, it also made her a little sad. In order to distract herself from her feelings, Shizuku cleared her throat and changed the subject. 
“So, what are you all here for?” 
“Mmm. I wanted to ask Kaori to use restoration magic for us.” 
Shizuku tilted her head quizzically. Apparently, Yue wanted to see what Hajime had been like in the time before he’d fallen into the abyss. As restoration magic was capable of restoring events of the past, and Kaori was the most skilled at using it, Yue was asking Kaori to help her recreate the Hajime of the past. 
“Wow, so magic like that exists too,” Shizuku marveled. 
Kaori puffed her chest out with pride, then started boasting. 
“Ehehe, I knew all that training would pay off one day. Want to test it out here to see if it works? You’ll be able to see what me and Shizuku used to do when we stayed in the same room!” Kaori was getting a little ahead of herself, but she didn’t realize it. Without considering the consequences, she cast her restoration spell. Images of the room’s past overlaid themselves over everything like a hologram. 
“Wow, you really can recreate the past.” 
“Look, there’s Shizuku-san. She’s lying on her bed reading a book.” Like Shea said, an ethereal version of Shizuku was lying on the bed. She had her legs stretched out and was leaning against the headboard, reading. 
“Th-This feels a little embarrassing...” Shizuku blushed as she watched the past version of herself lounge around. Little did she know, the truly embarrassing things were yet to come. The holographic door was flung open, and a maid rushed into the room. Past Shizuku was startled, then stiffened up when she saw who the person wearing the maid uniform was. As did everyone else in the present room. 
“O-Of all the scenes it could pick, why did it have to be this one!? Hawawa, I need to hurry up and cancel the—” 
“I won’t let you! I’ll use my own mana to keep it going!” 
“Yue!?” 
The person wearing the maid uniform was none other than Kaori. Though she tried to cancel the restoration spell, Yue continued to feed it mana, keeping it active. Kaori grabbed Yue by the collar and begged her to stop. 

“Shea!” 
“Aye, aye, ma’am!” Shea pulled Kaori back and pinned her arms. The scene continued playing out, and past Kaori walked up to the room’s mirror, not even noticing that past Shizuku was there. 
Present Shizuku smiled at the sight and mumbled. 
“Ahhh, this is from back then.” 
Bereft of allies, Kaori was forced to helplessly watch as her past self tried to stick her boobs out and pose sexily in front of the mirror. 
“W-Would you like my services, Master?” Past Kaori winked. Everyone silently watched her with wicked grins on their faces. Meanwhile, present Kaori looked like a withered husk. 
“Don’t look at me...” she mumbled silently, too exhausted to even yell. She watched as past Shizuku bolted out of bed and ran out the door yelling, “Nagumo-kuuuuun! You won’t believe what Kaori’s doing!” 
Yue and Shea both turned to present Shizuku. 
“Good job, Shizuku.” 
“Shizuku-san, you’re more evil than you look! I like it! I like it a lot!” 
Their gleeful praise didn’t take any of the sting out of Kaori’s reproachful glare. Shizuku looked away uncomfortably, and the scene faded out of existence. After that, they dragged a half-conscious Kaori with them to the places Hajime had frequented in his short time at the castle. Now that they’d had their fill of Kaori’s dark past, it was time for what Yue had originally come for. Their first stop was the library. Hajime had supposedly spent a lot of time studying there. Still looking like a dead fish, Kaori wearily cast the spell. 
“Look, it’s Hajime-san! Wow, his hair’s completely black!” 
“Old Hajime looks so cute. Old Hajime looks so cute. Old Hajime looks so cute—” 
“Y-Yue snapped! I will admit Master’s old appearance is indeed cute, but... Wait, Yue! Get away from him!” 
Both Yue and Shea grew excited upon seeing Hajime’s old appearance. Yue was so enraptured that she tottered toward Hajime’s hologram like a butterfly floating toward honey. On the other hand, while Tio did find Hajime’s old appearance cute, she much preferred the caustic, blunt personality he had now. There was something else that caught her attention, however. 
“Oh? Is that perchance Kaori I see in the distance?” 
Everyone looked in the direction Tio was pointing, curious. Someone was staring at past Hajime from behind one of the bookshelves. Though most of her face was hidden by books, it was unmistakably Kaori. She didn’t do anything, and just silently monitored Hajime’s movements. Everyone shrunk back, afraid. 
“I-It’s not what it looks like. I swear, there’s a good explanation for this!” Kaori desperately tried to clear her name, but the fact that she followed Hajime every time he moved to a new bookshelf did a better job of explaining than her words ever could. To be honest, it was a little scary. 
Afterward, they also tried using restoration magic in Hajime’s old room. This time, they were treated to a scene of Hajime pouring over books at his desk late at night. Like before, Kaori was silently observing him, this time through the small gap underneath his door. 
Other scenes showed Kaori interrogating the maids on Hajime’s daily activities, or talking to Hajime about his favorite things even though Hajime had never told her. Everyone turned to present Kaori. Covered in cold sweat, she averted her gaze. 
“So this is what a real stalker is like. Scary...” 
“It was actually kind of horrifying, seeing Kaori-san constantly follow Hajime-san with that creepy grin on her face.” 
“Kaori, I know I have no right to say this... but you should have some self-respect.” 
“Kaori... I’m sorry. I can’t back you up this time.” 
In tears, Kaori screamed. 
“I’m sorry! Even I admit it looks kind of creepy!”