The tar-like substance and the pitch-black armor that had contained it had both vanished. Even the wound in my right side, which should have been torn open, had somehow healed completely.
“Amazing…”
Shizuku stared at me in disbelief.
“To absorb the one who was invading you instead… That was incredible, Master.”
“…Could you please stop calling me ‘Master’?”
The battle was over, and my head was starting to cool down. With it, my chūnibyō circuitry had switched off as well.
And seriously, what was wrong with this girl?
Calling a kindergartener “Master” was a bit much, you know.
“T-then… how about Paper Airplane Boy?”
What the hell kind of name was that?
“Ishi-, no it’s Kirasawa Yoshito.”
I nearly gave my old surname by reflex.
“Could you just call me by either my first or last name?”
“Then it’ll be Yoshito-sama!”
“Wait. Why are you so determined to put me above you? I’m only four years old, you know.”
“Fourteen minus four is ten, so… hoh~, to think I’m being ordered around by someone that much younger…”
Shizuku’s face took on an ecstatic expression. She’s a pervert.
There’s a pervert standing right here.
How did no one notice she’d gotten this bad?
I seem to remember her status saying something about her being the “head of the Aitori family”. I’m seriously worried about where that family is headed. Between her and my Old Man, are exorcists all just a bunch of people with a few screws loose?
Honestly. I’m the only normal one here.
“I’m sure after this, you’ll lecture me at the inn for being useless, and then… hyaaah…”
Leaving Shizuku to her pink-colored fantasies, I turned my attention to the barrier surrounding the park.
Time to break it.
“—《Break Spell: No One May Bind Me, for I Have Already Returned》.”
The spell activated, and a sharp crack sound rang through the air.
“Wow, it’s beautiful…!”
The shattered barrier dissolved into sparkling motes of light, raining down over the park.
The surrounding scene was a complete mess. The ground had been gouged up in countless places, while the playground equipment and streetlights had all been bent out of shape. It would be a real pain if someone happened to witness this.
I should get home as quickly as possible—
Or at least, that was what I was thinking.
“You’re an interesting little one.”
“…!”
I immediately tensed.
A woman was standing right beside me. Her silver hair fluttered in the night breeze. Her arms and legs were slender and graceful. She wore an elegant white dress, making her look like some kind of princess. There was an unmistakable air of refinement about her features. “Beautiful” suited her far better than “cute.”
Honestly—
I found myself staring for several seconds.
『Master!』
Shizuku’s telepathic voice snapped me back to reality.
『That’s her! She’s the researcher I’ve been pursuing—the one known as Kaguya Moon Princess, Phyllis Iris F. Clacia!』
『What the hell is “Kaguya Moon Princess ”?』
『The title I came up with!』
You made it up yourself!?
What an absolute menace. I nearly mistook it for her official title.
“The fact that 『Faceless Mud』 went berserk was well within my expectations, but I never imagined it would be absorbed. Just who are you?”
“…I have no name to give you.”
Maybe it was a lingering side effect from having my chūnibyō circuitry running at full throttle until just moments ago, but I found myself spouting a rather pretentious line.
“Oh? How cold. …Well, no matter. I’ll have plenty of time to thoroughly investigate you from here on out.”
“And what if I said no?”
“That’s impossible. Because from this moment on, you’re going to follow me of your own free will. 『Isn’t that right?』”
“!”
In that instant—
The woman’s—Phyllis’s—golden eyes glowed eerily. It felt as though someone had dripped something sweet directly into my mind.
Charm.
I immediately began constructing a counter-formula, but before I could, the back of my right hand suddenly grew hot.
The protective crest Manya had carved into me six months ago activated.
“No…”
Phyllis was bewildered. She clearly hadn’t expected her [Charm] to be repelled. She seemed so shaken that her gaze wandered wildly, unable to settle on anything. Her cheeks were even flushed.
Was it humiliation?
Eventually—
“Hey. What do you think about… older women?”
She asked me that out of the blue.
Huh?
Now it was my turn to be confused.
＊ ＊ ＊
—Repel the Charm.
Thinking back, that was how Manya had described her blessing. Not [Charm Immunity] but [Charm Reflection]. And the result was—
“Ah, um, that’s not what I meant just now… I’m sorry. Of course you’d hate an older woman like me.”
Somehow, the situation had begun veering wildly off course at an alarming speed.
Phyllis lowered her head, tracing little circles in the dirt with the tip of her shoe.
“F-for now, would you come with me to my hideout? I want to explain the situation, and I’m also worried about how that mud might have affected you…”
Her expression was completely different from before. She genuinely seemed concerned about my well-being. I could tell she sincerely meant it, which made it rather difficult to refuse.
I glanced at Shizuku.
“Let’s go, Master. Phyllis doesn’t seem to have any hostile intentions, either.”
Shizuku had said she was pursuing Phyllis, but apparently it wasn’t because Phyllis had committed some kind of crime.
“In other words, it’s just recruitment. Things are pretty chaotic in our line of work right now…”
“Everywhere is short on personnel, aren’t they? That’s why I’ve been getting scouted from all over the place. It’s becoming quite a hassle.”
And so we followed Phyllis.
We are now in an apartment a short distance from Shinmatsuki Station. The room was barely big enough for a four-and-a-half-tatami-mat floor, with a low round table in the middle. The people gathered around it made for a rather bizarre sight.
A kindergartener—namely, me.
A chūnibyō girl in a long black coat—Shizuku Aitori.
And a silver-haired beauty in a dress—Phyllis F. Clacia.
Putting together everything they’d told me, the situation went something like this:
* The airplane crash six months ago had a hidden truth behind it.
* A large number of prominent exorcists and mages from around the world had been aboard that plane.
* Their simultaneous deaths in the crash had thrown the entire “underworld” into chaos.
* Conflicts between organizations, as well as internal power struggles, had begun surfacing, and everyone was desperate for new talent.
* In the midst of all this, Phyllis—a highly accomplished researcher—had been singled out for recruitment.
Apparently, Shizuku belonged to one of Japan’s largest exorcist organizations, an institution known as the “Imperial Household Agency, Department of Divinities’ Afffairs.”
But, whoever had decided to use her as a recruiter had made one hell of a personnel mistake, hadn’t they?
…Or at least, that’s what I thought.
Until—
“Your long coat has great style. Can I use that ‘Broken Cross’ emblem too?”
“Go right ahead. Phyllis-san, that dress of yours is gorgeous. I’d love to try wearing one myself.”
“Shall I have one made for you?”
“Really!?”
“Of course. Dressing cute girls in cute clothes is such a joy.”
Somehow, the two of them had gotten along remarkably well. They were practically best friends already.
“Anyway, about the recruitment…”
“I’m sorry, but I’ve decided not to get involved with any organizations.”
Phyllis turned her down without hesitation.
“Besides, I’m worried about his condition…”
She cast a concerned glance in my direction.
I supposed that was another side effect of having her [Charm] reflected back at her. She is giving off the aura of a kind, gentle older sister who just happened to be much older than me.
“What was that black monster?”
Shizuku’s question was exactly what I had been wanting to ask myself.
Phyllis lowered her eyes for a moment before answering.
“It was something that was accidentally created during an experiment. I call it Faceless Mud.”
Faceless Mud. Apparently, it was an amorphous creature—a mass of potential capable of transforming into virtually anything. And by feeding it information about “a hero from another world”, she had created that black knight.
“I had adjusted it so that it would obey my commands, but all of a sudden it went berserk tonight. I’m sorry for the trouble I caused you.”
Phyllis bowed her head deeply.
I heard she was a magical researcher, but she didn’t seem to have the usual mad-scientist personality.
“Especially Yoshito-kun… I did something to you that can never be undone. I don’t know how I could possibly make it up to you…”
Phyllis hung her head, her expression filled with genuine remorse.
I was wondering what I could possibly say to comfort her when—
『She’s nothing like the Kaguya Moon Princess I know.』
Shizuku’s telepathic voice reached me.
『Is that so?』
『She just tried to use [Charm] to take you away, didn’t she? That’s the real her. Satisfying her own curiosity comes first, and human experimentation doesn’t bother her in the slightest. She has even modified her own body in all sorts of ways. This woman is a witch who’s been alive for several hundred years.』
『Several hundred years?』
I couldn’t help staring at Phyllis. Her skin was youthful and completely free of wrinkles. If I had to guess her age from appearances alone, I’d say eighteen at the youngest—twenty-two at the oldest.
“What is it, Yoshito?”
“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking how youthful you look.”
“D-don’t tease me. I’m already a several-hundred-year-old hag…”
Despite saying that, she didn’t seem entirely displeased. In fact, the corners of her mouth were curled up in obvious delight.
“So, what’s going on with my body right now?”
That was the main reason I had come all the way to this apartment.
Apparently, she intended to run some tests on me. I was wondering if that meant she’ll have to draw blood or something, when—
“Sorry to keep you waiting. I’m almost finished.”
Huh? When did she even start?
“I’ve converted this entire room into my laboratory. I started analyzing you the moment you stepped inside.”
That was some seriously impressive technology, but… wasn’t the landlord going to have something to say about this? Then again, I doubt the lease specifically said, “No magical modifications to the apartment.”
So maybe she was in the clear.
“…And done.”
Ding!
With a sound suspiciously like a microwave, a book suddenly materialized out of thin air. Apparently, all the data had been recorded inside it.
“Hm. I see…”
Phyllis read through it, nodding thoughtfully as she went.
I leaned over to take a look myself, but it was written in a language I’d never seen before.
『Shizuku, can you read it?』
『This is…!』
Shizuku audibly swallowed.
『C-can I really read it? If I do, things are going to get very serious, you know.』
『Just tell me already.』
『…Unfortunately, I don’t have enough MP to read it.』
If you don’t know, just say you don’t know from the start.
Wait, was that a reference to the Ion○n Guidelines or something? That was a meme that was popular in Japan back when I lived there in my previous life. How does she even know about it?
『Ahh, I love that cold look you’re giving me, Master…』
I can’t with this girl.
Where exactly did I go wrong? Was it when I carried her away in a princess carry? Or was it when I went all-in on the chūnibyō act and talked to her like that?
I wish life came with a save-and-load function.
While Shizuku squirmed and writhed beside me, Phyllis finished reading the book.
As for the results—
“Compatibility rate: one hundred percent. It looks like the Mud has completely assimilated with Yoshito-kun.”
“So there’s no danger?”
“I think you’ll be fine in the short term. But I can’t say anything about the long-term effects, so—”
“Meaning I’ll need to be examined from time to time?”
“Yes. I’m truly sorry…”
“It’s fine. Besides, I’ve gotten to know you now, Phyllis.”
I had a major problem on my hands right now. Finding a way to send Manya back to her original world. I am in the middle of deciphering the materials my Old Man had left behind, but… honestly, they were way beyond my ability to understand. Phyllis is a researcher, so having her help would be a huge advantage—
“I’m glad I met you, too, Yoshito-kun.”
For some reason, she gazed at me with moist, glistening eyes.
“Phyllis Iris is a bit long, isn’t it? Just call me Phyllis.”
“O-okay.”
Overcome by the unmistakable sense that there was no room for argument, I nodded.
“Then… Phyllis.”
“Y-yes…”
Phyllis drew herself inward bashfully. Restlessly, she pressed the tips of her index fingers together.
“Speaking of which, Yoshito-kun…”
Maybe she was trying to hide her embarrassment, because Phyllis suddenly changed the subject.
“Your name is the same as the hero I used as the model for the Mud, isn’t it? I wonder if that’s related to the compatibility rate.”
“…Who knows?”
I wasn’t about to start talking about my previous life here. I could discuss that with Mia tomorrow though.
“For another thing, this is still just a theory, but…”
I wondered what she meant.
“It seems that the conceptual information of the Black Knight has been stored inside you.”
“Sorry, could you put that in simpler terms?”
“I don’t know how yet, but there’s a possibility that you’ll be able to use the Black Knight’s powers—”
“Oh!”
For some reason, Shizuku’s eyes lit up as she exclaimed,
“So basically, it’s like transforming! A transformation!”
With an oddly sharp movement, she thrust her right arm diagonally upward. It was the pose from Kamen Ra○der.
“…It doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll transform into the Black Knight physically, but I suppose that’s a fairly close way of imagining it.”
Phyllis nodded with an amused smile.
“In any case, I’ll have my hands full with Yoshito-kun for a while. As for the matter of my disciple, perhaps I’ll leave that to the Japanese exorcist organizations.”
The matter of her disciple?
What was that supposed to mean?
I glanced at Shizuku, only to receive a wink in response.
When I ignored her, she started breathing heavily. I really thought she should see a doctor.
Watching the two of us, Phyllis spoke up.
“…Don’t tell me you weren’t aware of this.”
“Of what?”
“The reason I came to Japan. One of my disciples stole the results of my research and seems to be trying to summon some kind of demon or something. I was pursuing them so I could punish them, but—”
At Phyllis’s words, Shizuku shook her head.
“Japan’s ‘underworld’ is in complete disarray right now. Even the Bureau of Divinities I belong to is a complete mess because of factional infighting…”
“Which is precisely why they may have chosen Japan as the site for the ritual. —For now, could you report this to your superiors? I have no intention of joining your organization, but I’m willing to lend a hand as an outside collaborator.”
“You would…?”
“Yes. After all, this is the country where Yoshito-kun lives.”
And so, we called it a night, with Shizuku tasked with reporting everything and awaiting further instructions.
…Am I getting dragged into something this insane already?
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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