“Excuse me, my lord. We’ve located their hideout. However, everyone who remained there managed to escape all the way to the highway, where they engaged the army’s soldiers in battle.”
The butler calmly delivered some astonishing news.
The marquis, however, remained completely composed, as though he had already anticipated how things would unfold.
“And what happened?”
“They were all defeated in an instant by a slime and three small children. There were no casualties or injuries. They have already been taken into custody and are being escorted away.”
Yeah. I had a feeling this was how it would turn out. Ao and Shiro’s squad were practically guaranteed to rush in before the soldiers could even get there. With Ao around, they probably wouldn’t do anything reckless, but still… the dark organization really had made a stupid move this time.
“They may have originally intended to target the military’s escort carriage if their attack on us failed. They’d also had their throats damaged somehow so that they wouldn’t be able to talk even if they were captured and interrogated. They certainly underestimated our strength, though.”
“No, no. The reports say those men were quite skilled. It’s simply that you lot are that strong.”
Ah?
The marquis is looking at Sue and me with a slightly exasperated expression.
But were those guys in black really that strong?
Hmm… I’d always thought I still had a long way to go, since Emilia-sama beat the ever-loving daylights out of me every time we trained.
“Shun-san, you may have forgotten, but Emilia-sama is one of the five strongest people in this entire country.”
Oh, right. Emilia-sama is an absolute monster. So being trained by someone like her had apparently made us stronger without us even realizing it. Even so, I really didn’t want to train with Emilia-sama anymore.
That brought our conversation with the marquis to an end. He said they would interrogate the captured members of the underground organization and report the results to the Royal Palace.
“““You took forever!”””
“Sorry, sorry. We got attacked over here, too.”
When we returned to the carriage, Shiro and the others, who had been waiting forever, immediately started complaining.
“Shiro, did those attackers do anything to you?”
“Nope. Nothing at all.”
“They were really weak.”
“It was boring.”
Apparently, the attackers had been taken down by Ao, Shiro, and the others before they even had a chance to do anything. None of the other soldiers were injured either, so it looked like we could get moving again right away.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
“Ugh… I’ve had more than enough of getting attacked. I really hope nothing else happens.”
“It’s the dark organization we’re dealing with. We can’t afford to let our guard down yet. They’re the sort of people who could pull anything, and we have no idea what they’ll try next.”
Sue and I talked as we sat in the driver’s seat of the carriage. Those guys didn’t care how much trouble they caused other people as long as they accomplished their objective.
We’d already made it more than halfway to the Royal Capital.At this point, I just want us to arrive safely.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
There was no need to worry about paying for everything or using my Item Box. Yuda-san had already taken care of it beforehand. We didn’t have to pay anything at the register, and she’d even granted me special permission to use my Item Box skill.
Apparently, she’d also given the staff permission to let me toss everything in whole carts and all straight into storage.
Once again, I was reminded just how considerate she was, right down to the smallest details.
“Is around here fine?”
I was just thinking back to our shopping trip at the Guild Headquarters’ item shop when I realized we had apparently already arrived at our destination.
The black-clad man who had driven us in a black van to the vicinity of the West Tokyo Fourth Beginner Dungeon entrance brought the vehicle to a stop.
“Yeah, this is fine. Thanks for the ride! We’ll be heading in now!”
I gave our driver a quick farewell and stepped out of the passenger seat with a flourish.
It felt good to breathe the clear outdoor air again after so long. I wasn’t feeling bad at all.
Satsuki-chan and the others soon climbed out of the back as well.
“That… really is an incredible barrier. There’s no way anyone could get through that.”
“Something like a Goryo Sealing Formula… No, perhaps an Aegis Defensive Enchantment… Or maybe…”
Mina-chan and Shion stared at the purplish membrane of light radiating from the dungeon entrance, muttering quietly to themselves.
I had absolutely no idea what Shion was talking about. Still, judging by the looks of it, there was definitely some seriously powerful barrier surrounding the place.
Ryunosuke-kun seemed wary of it, too, growling and snarling at the barrier as though trying to intimidate it.
“It feels like we were just here not long ago… Oh, Daishi-san!”
“What is it, Satsuki-chan?”
“Here! The streaming camera! Don’t you think it’s about time we started streaming again?”
“Oh!”
Satsuki-chan handed me the streaming equipment she’d been looking after and suggested it with a bright smile.
Streaming was prohibited inside Guild-affiliated facilities, but now that we were all the way out here, it should be fine to turn the camera back on!
“I had some time, so I went ahead and tweaked a few of the settings!”
“The settings?”
“Yes! Super Chat was turned off on your stream, Daishi-san, so I turned it on! I’m sure there are lots of people who want to send you tips.”
“Ohhh…”
Come to think of it, I’d only started streaming myself after becoming an Explorer, so I hadn’t known anything about the various settings or features.
And now that she mentioned it, I realized something. Back when I used to watch streamers, I’d occasionally see red, yellow, or blue comments scroll through the chat, with things like ¥100 or ¥1,000 displayed alongside them.
My own chat had never had anything like that.
Huh…?
So if I’d actually set everything up properly beforehand, I might’ve been making a decent amount of money this whole time.
“…”
Why didn’t you tell me sooner?! AAAAAAAAGH! (sob)
“Wait… don’t tell me you didn’t have ads on either…?”
“Oh! I thought you’d deliberately turned them off for your viewers’ sake! Should I turn the ads on, too?”
“Ah, no. Just Super Chat is fine. Yeah. Thanks, Satsuki-chan…”
There was no way I could start running ads at this point.
Super Chat is entirely up to the viewers, so I’ll just open up that option and leave it at that. (sob)
“By the way, Satsuki-chan, aren’t you going to start streaming again?”
Come to think of it, when I first met her, she was a pretty serious streamer…
“When the Hero kidnapped me, he destroyed all my streaming equipment… I need to buy everything again, but I haven’t really had the time…”
“Oh… I see.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it. Once things settle down, I’ll take my time and start again. More importantly, hurry up and show your face to your viewers! I made a quick announcement on social media, so I think people are already starting to gather.”
“Thanks, Satsuki-chan!”
Satsuki-chan really is such a capable, thoughtful girl. She notices things like that and takes care of them without even being asked.
Seriously, what would I do without her?
But I wonder if the viewers really are coming back. My last stream ended so abruptly, after all.
Man… It’s been a while, so I’m a little nervous…
No, forget all that. I might as well just get started!
All right! Time to turn on the streaming camera!
Click!
> Oh > Ooooh > HE’S BAAAAAACK!! > THE OLD MAN IS BAAAAAACK!! > Welcome baaaackkkkk!! > Welcome back! > WHAT TOOK YOU SO LOOOOONG?! > WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN DOING ALL THIS TIME?! > I feel like I’m gonna cry… > What a relief… > Huh? Where are you right now? > That’s the entrance to West Tokyo Fourth Beginner Dungeon, right? > You’re back there again? > Wait, are you gonna take down the Goddess?! Are you finally doing it?!
Damn… That’s insane…
The moment I started the stream, the comment feed instantly exploded, filling the entire floating display. It honestly freaked me out a little.
Even though Satsuki-chan had announced it beforehand, I never expected five million viewers to show up right from the start.
Especially after I’d gone completely silent following that communications failure last time…
To everyone watching, thank you. Seriously. Thank you for waiting for me!
> LOL, Super Chat is enabled now > You want us to pay tribute? > [Fine, fine. Here. ¥500] > Welcome-back gift! ¥1,000】 > 【★Celebrating the stream’s return!! ¥5,000★】 > 【★★★TAKE IT AND RUN, YOU THIEF!! ¥10,000★★★】
“Wait, wait, everyone! Hold on!”
I haven’t even done anything yet, and you’re already throwing money at me one after another…
I can’t stop grinning.
> LOL, they’re tipping way too much > Your face is all twisted up > Stop, you’re gonna make this old man quit working LOL > He can’t hide how happy he is > The priest makes a killing off donations > Money is bad, man. Money is bad. > You gotta make him take down some strong monsters first > Don’t tip him for doing literally nothing
You can tip me even if I haven’t done anything. Seriously.
“It looks like everyone really did come back to watch you.”
“Satsuki-chan… heh-heh… Super Chats are freaking amazing…”
“Your face is doing something really weird right now.”
Between the joy of successfully restarting my stream and the intoxicating thrill of watching my bank balance climb higher and higher, apparently my facial muscles had completely forgotten how to behave.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
“Looks like the negotiations went well, Yuda-sama.”
Once everyone else had left my office, a man dressed in black entered. Tall and slender, with a handsome face and a smooth, pleasant voice, his name was Rei Minami. He was the Deputy Representative of the Far East Headquarters of the Dungeon Association.
In other words, he was my direct subordinate.
“I wouldn’t say they went one hundred percent according to plan, but we achieved the minimum objective.”
“Man, I have to hand it to you. Taking on a bunch of monsters like those all by yourself… That’s seriously impressive.”
Rei bowed deeply from his otherwise perfectly upright posture, as though paying me his sincere respects.
His performance was so transparently insincere that it was almost laughable, but there was something undeniably satisfying about watching a handsome man bow his head before me.
“Save the flattery. More importantly, is everything else proceeding according to schedule?”
“Yes. We’ve had them make their preparations at the Guild-operated item shop.”
“No oversights in the setup?”
“Everything is perfect.”
If this man said it was perfect, I had no reason to doubt him.
Had the negotiations gone completely according to plan, there would have been no need to have Rei handle the additional preparations for me. But unfortunately, things hadn’t gone quite that smoothly.
I hadn’t particularly wanted to owe this man a favor, but there was little choice.
“…”
Daishi Ajiri. I suppose I could at least give him credit for forcing me to play my trump card.
“That killing intent of his…”
To be perfectly honest, it had sent a genuine chill down my spine.
“Did the dummy videos do the trick? Man, modern AI technology is incredible, isn’t it? Just give it a few simple instructions, and it’ll automatically generate something that looks incredibly realistic, almost like it’s being streamed live!”
“That’s merely a testament to the Guild’s superior AI systems and intelligence-gathering capabilities. It has nothing to do with you.”
“Oh, come on. I was the one who wrote the prompt. You could at least give me a little credit.”
I’ve known him for a long time, but I still can’t stand Rei’s attitude. He always acts overly familiar while maintaining just enough distance to make it seem like he’s showing me proper respect.
He must look down on me quite a bit deep down.
“I’m merely carrying out my responsibilities. It isn’t something worthy of praise.”
“Aw, what a shame.”
“…More importantly, that footage wasn’t actually very useful in the end.”
“Huh? Really? Then how did you manage to tame those monsters and get them to head for the Beginner Dungeon?”
Rei stared straight into my eyes as he asked the question with an unusually serious expression.
I wanted to avert my gaze, but my dignity as the Representative wouldn’t allow it.
I had made a mistake. I shouldn’t have admitted that the footage hadn’t been useful!
Why did I let that slip out, me!?
“Hmmm… I get it now. Yuda-sama, you used your “feminine charms”, didn’t you?”
“Wha—!”
I knew it!
He figured it out!!
“Of course some old geezer like that would fall head over heels for Yuda-sama’s beauty! Seriously, you should’ve just gone with that strategy from the beginning.”
“I-I couldn’t possibly incorporate something like that into an official strategy!”
“Oh, don’t get embarrassed. You’re really cute, Yuda-sama.”
“Y-You insolent bastard! That’s an outrageous way to speak to the Representative!”
“Yes, yes. Sorry about that. I’ll listen to your lecture later. Anyway, I’ve got another job to take care of, so I’m heading out.”
“Hey! We’re not finished tal—”
“Well then.”
And with that, Rei left the office like the wind, after thoroughly provoking me to his heart’s content.
“…”
I stood there alone in the now-empty office.
And, without thinking, I slipped back into my true self and couldn’t help shouting what was really on my mind.
“That damn Rei… He’s so freaking annoying!!”
Oops. I shouldn’t have said that.
If someone had overheard me, that little outburst could have seriously damaged my dignity!
Calm down.
Forget about Rei and focus on Daishi Ajiri.
He has a very important task ahead of him—one that could determine the future of all humanity.
“Daishi… Ajiri…”
I opened both hands and stared down at them.
For some reason, I suddenly remembered the feeling of his palm when I’d instinctively grabbed his hand earlier in an attempt to encourage a truce.
“…”
They had been remarkably large, beautiful hands.
“Huh? What’s this…?”
A strange sensation suddenly washed over me.
For some reason, my heart was beating a little faster.
◇◇◇
“We should probably stock up on about a hundred potions, right?”
“Let’s get a hundred MP recovery potions, too! No, better make that two hundred!”
“Make sure we get plenty of food. You can’t fight on an empty stomach.”
“SHAAAAAA!! (Meaaat)!!”
After finishing our meeting with Yuda-san, the whole group headed to the item shop attached to Guild Headquarters.
We are getting our supplies together for another attempt at conquering the West Tokyo Fourth Beginner Dungeon.
“Do we really need this many items? Aren’t we buying a little too much…?”
“Daishi-san, just be quiet!!”
“Y-Yes!”
Ever since we’d finished the meeting and arrived at the item shop, the girls had been in an absolutely foul mood.
Sure, I had unilaterally decided that we were going back to the Beginner Dungeon, but I didn’t think it was worth getting “that” angry over.
Unlike the Nether-class dungeon, it was an easy dungeon. And more importantly, we are just going to visit the Dungeon Master, who had helped us out so much. It wasn’t exactly some incredibly dangerous mission.
Well… assuming we could even meet her of course.
Apparently, some ridiculously powerful barrier had been erected around the dungeon entrance, and nobody could enter at the moment.
I had told Yuda-san we’d head over right away, but I still had absolutely no idea how we were supposed to get through that barrier.
Yuda-san…
“So, Daishi-san! Please pay for all of these and put everything into your Item Box! We’re going to the food court to get some dessert first!”
Mina-chan shoved several enormous carts overflowing with supplies toward me, then turned her back and started walking away with the others.
“Hey! Why are you dumping the checkout on me, tooooo!?”
Wasn’t this a little unfair?
“Wait, wait. I’m the only one paying for all this…?”
“Why don’t you ask that beautiful Guild Representative to pay for you?”
“Hm. An excellent idea. Why don’t you go ask her? You lustful old man.”
“Daishi-san really is such a pervert.”
“SHAAAAAAA!!”
“…”
Wait a minute.
Could it be…
They had all noticed how completely smitten I’d gotten with Yuda-san!?
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
Once all of the attackers had been taken away, we finally entered the marquis’s estate properly. We were immediately shown into a reception room, where I took a sip of the tea that had been served.
Ahh… It really hit the spot after all that fatigue.
“Whew, finally. I can relax. Staying on high alert the whole time was exhausting…”
“You were constantly focused while those suspicious people were watching us.”
I wasn’t the only one who was exhausted. Sue looked pretty worn out as well, and she was even eating some of the sweets that she normally wouldn’t touch in a setting like this.
Tory-san, meanwhile, is helping himself to the tea and sweets without the slightest hesitation.
“You rest properly whenever you have the opportunity. Whether you’re a soldier, a noble, or an adventurer, that part is the same for everyone.”
He certainly had a point, but did he really have to demonstrate it in the reception room of the marquis’s estate?
Knock, knock.
“Excuse me. His Lordship is on his way.”
Oh. The attendant had come to announce that the marquis was arriving, so we hurriedly got to our feet.
“No, no, my apologies for keeping you waiting. And thank you for saving my territory from such a crisis. Now, please, sit down.”
The man who entered the room was an imposing figure, quite large in stature, with short green hair. For a moment, I almost mistook him for a large beastman.
“Looks like some dirty rats managed to sneak into the town.”
“They say that if you want to hide a tree, you should hide it in a forest. In this case, I imagine they concealed the attackers right in the middle of the crowds.”
“And then they intended to kill anyone who stood against the underground organization, making an example of them and letting the entire country know just how dangerous the organization was. Ruling through fear is, quite literally, the method of terrorists.”
The Marquis gave us his thoughts on the attack, and I found myself coming to much the same conclusion. They might have been planning to free the captured executive we were escorting, but judging by the attackers’ level of strength, Ao alone would have been more than enough to drive them off.
We had already fought people connected to the underground organization in various places, not just in the Western Margrave’s territory. I would have thought they had at least some idea of our capabilities by now.
“In any case, be careful on the road. Apparently, there were those who resisted when the dark organization and the Human Supremacy Church were being hunted down in the Royal Capital. We increased patrols along the highway to keep a close watch, but we cannot prevent everything.”
The Marquis had already taken measures on several fronts. I almost wished I could force that idiotic viscount to drink the bitter lessons scraped from the marquis’s fingernails.
“Speaking of which, Sue, you’ve grown even more beautiful and stronger than you were in the past. Though it seems that when you get absorbed in something, you become just as lively as ever—far more so than your appearance would suggest.”
“Marquis… Um, thank you very much…”
Apparently, the marquis already knew Sue. After hearing about the battle, he praised her while teasing her just a little.
It was true though. Sue might look quiet and reserved, but once she made up her mind to do something, she could be surprisingly proactive.
As for Sue herself, she turned slightly red from being teased and lowered her head in embarrassment.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
We finally arrived in front of the Marquis’s estate, but even now, I could still feel eyes watching us from behind the surrounding buildings.
I exchanged a glance with Tory-san and Sue. They both nodded.
In that case, let’s take them all down at once.
“I know you’re there. Come out!”
“““All personnel, assume combat positions!”””
Pii! Pii!
Tory-san’s commanding voice rang through the area, and both the army soldiers and the marquisate’s troops immediately took up battle positions. On top of that, the guards at the estate repeatedly blew whistles to alert everyone to the emergency.
Step. Step.
A figure dressed entirely in black emerged from behind one of the buildings. From this distance, I couldn’t even tell whether they were a man or a woman. But there was one thing I could say for certain.
“You’re part of that dark organization, aren’t you? Your clothes are exactly the same as those worn by the one we captured in the Western Margrave’s territory.”
Tory-san called out, but the figure who had stepped forward gave us no indication of what they were thinking.
Still, it was far too much of a coincidence.
Whoom! Clang!
Without a word, the battle began. Numerous figures dressed in black sprang out from hiding, thrusting knives at us without hesitation.
“Hmm. Not bad. But you still have a long way to go.”
“…!”
Tory-san casually caught the sword of an attacker who charged straight at him. He then deflected the blade and drove a devastating punch straight into the attacker’s stomach.
Hn?
The way the attacker doubled over made it obvious they were in agony, but they didn’t make a sound.
BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT!
“…!”
Something definitely wasn’t right. Even when they were struck by electric shocks, they didn’t so much as scream. And it didn’t seem like they were simply staying quiet to avoid making a sound.
The others who were being captured weren’t making a single sound either.
Crack! Whoosh.
“…Ugh? Ah…”
“I knew it. You’ve been using some sort of method to forcibly prevent yourselves from speaking, haven’t you?”
At that point, Sue restrained one of the attackers with Bind Magic and immediately cast healing magic on them. The attacker let out a voice, proving beyond a doubt that they had been using some sort of method to silence themselves.
“Prioritize capturing them. We’ll be using healing magic on them anyway, so a few minor injuries are acceptable.”
“““Yes, sir!”””
Tory-san determined that there would be no problem as long as the soldiers divided up the task, so they immediately began forcefully apprehending the attackers. There was still one person watching us from a distance as before, but the marquisate’s soldiers had noticed them as well and were deliberately leaving them alone.
“All right. We’ve captured them all. Can I leave the rest to you?”
“Yes, sir. Leave it to us.”
And so, with the exception of one, every attacker was captured.
The marquisate’s soldiers immediately began taking the captured attackers away, one by one, as soon as they had been restrained.
Dash. The last remaining individual had tried to slip away unnoticed, but soldiers from the Marquis’s territory had already begun tailing him.
To make sure, I checked for other accomplice. Even when I used detection magic, there is no longer any trace of hostility in the immediate area.
“Phew, they were reasonably strong. There’s no doubt they intended to kill us.”
“They specialize in ambushes, so they likely aren’t suited for one-on-one combat. They even took precautions to ensure they couldn’t make a sound if captured.”
Sue sheathed her weapon and let out a sigh of relief, though we would have to wait for the results of the interrogation to learn the finer details.With security in the area now tightened, we entered the Marquis’s estate.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
――A girl in shrine maiden robes stands with a Japanese sword at the ready.
Reona Kaminagi. Her eyes are long and sharp, fixed straight on us.
If I remember Hatoba’s story correctly, she’s the same age as Shizuku. Which means she’s fourteen.
…Man, humans really do come in all shapes and sizes. It might seem like a strange thing to be thinking about in the middle of a battle, but since the thought crossed my mind, I might as well explain.
Reona has a dignified, striking face, with an air of quiet serenity about her. And her figure certainly doesn’t betray that impression, either. She has the kind of pure, modest build you’d expect from her appearance.
You could call it the Wall of Lamentation. Or perhaps, rather than streamlined, she’s more… straight-lined. Put her next to Shizuku, and the difference would be immediately obvious.
Shizuku, on the other hand, may have a hopeless personality and an even more hopeless set of interests, but when it comes to her figure, she’s been absurdly blessed.
“You were just thinking something terribly rude, weren’t you?”
How did she know?
“A man’s sidelong glance is a woman’s full-on stare. …Besides, breasts are nothing more than decorations. The larger they are, the more cumbersome they become on the battlefield. My body has undergone an evolution perfectly suited to a swordswoman.”
“R-right…”
There was an oddly intense conviction behind Reona’s words, and I found myself slightly overwhelmed.
“Besides, I am a swordswoman before I am a woman. I don’t care about my breasts. I don’t care about them at all, but――they still piss me off, so die anyway, you sexual-harassing kindergarten brat.”
The instant she finished speaking—
Reona vanished.
It was probably some form of movement technique combining 《Concealment》 with another skill. Not even a tenth of a second passed before she was already upon us.
“――I’ll be taking your head.”
With that declaration, Reona thrust her sword straight toward Phyllis’s chest.
Between that cheap trick just now and this, she really seemed to be the type who loved surprise attacks. That said, I had spent my previous life wading through one life-or-death situation after another. This much was easy enough to predict, and I’d already moved into position to shield Phyllis.
As Reona closed in, I gently placed a hand against her chest and activated a formula.
“《Flame Spell》・《My flame is Burning Pile Bunker》.”
The impact tore straight through her.
Kaminagi Reona’s body was blasted backward, slamming into the rock wall. A massive hole had been punched through the center of her chest. She hung there limply, head bowed, utterly motionless.
――《My flame is Burning Pile Bunker》.
A “stake” of flame, fired from point-blank range, had pierced straight through her heart and reduced it to ash.
There was no doubt about it. She was dead instantly.
“…Yoshito, I didn’t get to do anything.”
Phyllis muttered, sounding a little sulky.
“At this point, I have no choice but to double the punishment I’m going to give Herbert.”
Not just double, but an increase of two times the original amount. In other words, “1 + 2 = 3,” making the total three times the original. There is nothing to say but “Namu-san”—fitting, given it’s three times the amount.
Anyway.
“Phyllis, go on ahead and secure Matsuki-san for me.”
“Aren’t you coming, Yoshito?”
“Actually, girls who look like Kaminagi Reona are my type. I’m going to admire her for a little while longer, then I’ll catch up.”
“Oh my. What a terrible man, openly cheating on me while we’re on a date.”
Phyllis giggled.
“In that case, I’ll go beat Herbert to a pulp for you. Just try not to get too carried away with your little bit of “fire” play.”
＊ ＊ ＊
A moment ago, I unleashed a spell resembling a pile bunker at Reona Kannagi. In doing so—strictly out of necessity, mind you—I made contact with her chest. It felt soft and yielding, and I was able to confirm the presence of a slight swell.
Do you realize the significance of this, gentlemen?
Reona Kannagi is not flat-chested.
The size might be negligible—barely registering above zero—but there is undeniably a curve there. This may be a small discovery for humanity, but for me, it is a monumental one. I think I shall try to capture this moment of emotion in a haiku.
—You never know boobs / Until you touch them yourself
Huh? A *kigo*—a seasonal word? Boobs encompass all of creation, so it’s all good. Case closed. Q.E.D.
Hah. I’ve gone and proven something utterly trivial again.
Truly trivial stuff.
Anyway, the reason I stayed behind here wasn’t to deliver this lewd monologue—or “erologue,” if you will. Phyllis has put enough distance between us. It’s probably safe to proceed now.
“《Flame Spell》・《My Flame is the Wheel of Ordinary Purification and Incineration: Ordinary Fireball》.”
I launch a ball of fire from my right hand. It is a Fireball—the most run-of-the-mill spell imaginable, likely the one that appears most frequently in fantasy light novels.
It doesn’t split, and it doesn’t explode.
Simple is best. Considering how much I spammed Time Spell earlier, I want to start conserving my magical energy. The Fireball—sadly devoid of any unique flair—flies forward with tremendous speed.
It heads toward empty space, away from Reona Kannagi’s corpse—
“《Dispel》.”
A spell-charged word rang out.
The perfectly ordinary fireball vanished with a faint *whoosh*, without even getting a chance to put on a show.
“Now that was an unexpected development. I’m surprised.”
A small figure suddenly appeared right where the fireball had disappeared. Wrapped in a jet-black robe, the face was concealed behind a clown mask.
Black robe. Clown mask. Extremely suspicious.
Probably the mage who had attacked Hatoba and the others outside.
“When did you notice me?”
The mage spoke in Japanese with a somewhat peculiar intonation.
From her voice, she was a girl—and a very young one at that.
The answer was: I’d noticed her from the very beginning. She had been hiding here the entire time, concealed from sight. Ever since we first encountered Kaminagi Reona, she had remained hidden, waiting for an opportunity to strike us by surprise.
That was precisely why I had sent Phyllis ahead.
The most important thing right now was stopping Herbert’s ritual and rescuing Ayano Matsuki. And, of course, I had no obligation whatsoever to explain any of that to this mage.
Instead of answering, I activated a spell.
“[Multi-Casting]—《Binding Ritual》・《Your limbs are ropes; they are no longer yours to command.》”
“[Multi-Casting]—《Dispelling Ritual》・《I Refuse Your Curse》”
A total of twenty-eight ropes of light lunged toward the mage, only to be nullified in the blink of an eye.
Looks like this mage is quite the powerhouse.
“Such a disturbing fixation with bondage. Children these days are terrifying.”
“Wait, that’s a misunderstanding.”
“The fact that you’re denying it makes you even more suspicious, but Aria is an adult, so I’ll graciously let it slide.”
An adult?
She spoke with a slightly childish lisp, and she was extremely short. Probably less than 150 centimeters tall.
Honestly, she looked like she was in elementary school….
Then again, there could always be an old lady hiding underneath that mask.
“Now that Phyllis-Iris has arrived, Herbert’s plan has failed. Still, we managed to take out the freelance exorcists, so I’ll be more than satisfied if we can just recover Kaminagi Reona.”
“So, in other words, you want me to hand over her corpse.”
“Yes, exactly. If you do that now, we can avoid a direct confrontation. I don’t think either of us would walk away unscathed if we fought, so I would be deeply grateful if you would accept my proposal. Gratitude and excitement and flying pebbles.”
That was supposed to be “gratitude and excitement and rainstorms.”
Why the hell did she throw rocks into it? She had completely ruined the whole expression.
Anyway. Should I accept her terms or not?
While pretending to deliberate, I activated Appraisal. This skill only works when the target is within my field of vision, after all.
That was why I hadn’t been able to examine her status until now.
So, just how strong was she?
[Name] Aria El Samaria [Gender] Female [Race] Artificial Mage [Age] Unknown [Title] Unknown [Stats] ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙Level: 50–200 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙Attack: 50–300 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙Defense: 50–300 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙Vitality: 50–300 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙Magic Power: 100–600 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙Mental Strength: 10–150 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙Agility: 50–300 [Abilities] Tons of them [Skills] A huge number ※ I really don’t get this girl! ＼(＞o＜)／ (by Alcapa)
What the hell is this?
Regarding the matter of Alcapa-sama giving up and throwing her hands in the air. This is basically the same as knowing nothing at all.
Still, at least I managed to find out her name. That’s a big deal.
Aria El Samaria.
I’ve heard of her. She was Dad’s mistress.
If I remember correctly, she was a “prototype of the greatest mage in human history,” created by some secret magical society.
“Did you just scan Aria?”
No way. Did she notice my Appraisal?
“An eye for an eye, toothpaste for a tooth, stalking for peeking. ――《Analyze》.”
She was faster than I was at preparing a counter-spell.
A sensation like something brushing over my entire body passed through me, and then—
“…Huh?”
Aria let out an oddly vacant little voice.
She was staring blankly into empty space, completely frozen. Maybe some kind of status screen was being displayed in front of her.
“Ishirogi Yoshito? Naoki….sama’s…. child? No, no, no, no――”
What the hell was happening?
Aria clutched her head and began to writhe in anguish.
Her black robe slipped off, and her mask clattered to the ground. The face revealed underneath was remarkably young. Not quite as young as me or Mia, but she looked like a child in the lower grades of elementary school.
Whoa.
So if this girl wasOld Man’s mistress…
Washethe kind of guy who’d go for little girls, too?
I don’t like speaking ill of the dead, but honestly, I think he belongs in hell. If by some tiny chance he’s still alive, I’ll personally make sure he gets there.
“Naoki-sama doesn’t have a child—no, no, there’s no way he does. I won’t accept it, I won’t, I won’t, I won’t.…”
Aria muttered the words over and over, like someone delirious. As she did, an explosive surge of magical power swirled around her, and finally…
“…Kill.”
She arrived at an outrageous conclusion.
Monsters these days are terrifying.
…Despite her youthful appearance, Aria El Samaria fought with savage ferocity.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
She lashed out with limbs amplified dozens of times over by magical power, driven purely by instinct.
There was not a shred of reason in her movements. It felt like fighting a dragon-kin that had activated [Berserk]. Even if I dodged by a hair’s breadth, the gale force accompanying her fists would throw me off balance.
That left me with no choice but to take drastic evasive action, making it impossible to find an opening for a counterattack… or so it seemed.
I decided to charge in, accepting the damage. I boosted my own physical capabilities with magic, using the “Clockwork” time-manipulation spell to negate any damage the moment I took it.
A head-on clash.
Although Aria had the physical advantage, I gradually began to push her back. It was likely due to the difference in combat experience.
“…!?”
Eventually, a decisive opening appeared.
I parried the arm Aria had swung down violently and slipped right into her guard. I intended to deliver the finishing blow with “Burning Pile Bunker.”
But then… “You know… I get cranky right after waking up. So, let me take it out on you a little.”
An unexpected intruder had appeared.
Red-and-white shrine maiden robes. Cool, composed features. It was Kaminagi Reona—the very person I should have killed moments ago. The gaping hole in her chest had closed up before I even noticed.
There was no time to be surprised.
A blade was closing in, slicing through the air with a sharp *whish*.
I dodged the slash by rolling along the ground.
“This body has undergone an evolution suited for a swordswoman. I told you that, didn’t I?”
Reona muttered this calmly as she swung her sword again and again.
“When I was little, my older sister Makina cast some shady spell on me. Thanks to that, I’m… well, a bit hard to kill.”
Wait—isn’t coming back to life after having your heart incinerated a bit beyond the realm of just being “hard to kill”?
And speaking of Makina… she must mean Makina Kaminagi.
The Old Man and his associates really are nothing but trouble.
“That said, I was actually impressed by that blow earlier. You tried to kill a beautiful girl like me without a second thought—are you a denizen of some land of carnage? Usually, people hesitate at least a little.”
Calling herself a “beautiful girl”—Reona really has quite the personality.
“…Excuse me? It would be nice if you at least acknowledged what I was saying.”
“Yeeeah!”
I answered with uncalled-for cheerfulness. Right now, I was parrying not just Reona’s slashes, but Aria’s attacks as well.
I am pretty busy. It was like playing a healer class in an online game; if I didn’t think several steps ahead, I’d be done for.
“!?”
Startled by my sudden shout, Aria’s movements faltered.
This was my chance. I closed the distance in a flash and blasted her far away with a wind spell fired at point-blank range.
“To think you’d even use conversation as a weapon.…”
Reona let out a sigh of admiration.
“Are you really just a child? I wouldn’t be surprised if you were living your second life.”
Reona, you nailed it. A round of applause for the correct answer.
There used to be a show called [Heisei Kyouiku Iinkai ], didn’t there?
I wonder if they planned to change the show’s title whenever the era name changed.
Then again… I sure have a lot of distracting thoughts for someone in the middle of a fight. Back in my past life, my elementary school report cards always described me as a “restless child.”
“…By the way, if you don’t mind me asking…”
Reona was quite the talker herself, considering we were in a life-or-death struggle.
She was going to end up biting her tongue at this rate.
“Is it true that someone with a face like mine is your type?”
Huh?
I was taken aback by those unexpected words.
Come to think of it, I had made a joke like that when I decided to stay behind here. I never imagined she’d actually heard it.
“I cut down a human for the first time today, but I didn’t find it fun at all. Makina-neesan is a liar… Fighting you is far more interesting. Yes—I suppose that means you are my type.”
Reona’s cheeks flushed pink.
Am I the only one who feels like I’ve just triggered a dangerous flag? Just as I felt that chilling premonition…
“Shaaaa..!”
At that very moment, a vicious murderous intent closed in from behind. Aria, having been blown back by wind magic, had regained her footing and was lunging at me.
Exactly as calculated. Aria was now a monster devoid of reason. If I simply dodged nimbly, I could trick her into attacking Reona instead. Then, I’d take them both down while they were distracted.
That was the plan.
But in that split second…
…the cave shook at the worst possible moment.
A sound like an explosion echoed in the distance, and the ground beneath my feet lurched violently.
The tremor was massive, it was impossible to stay on my feet.
“Whoa!?”
Because of that, I couldn’t dodge to the side.
I lost my balance and fell forward…
“Eek!?”
…ending up pinning Reona to the ground.
Aria shot past right over our heads at the speed of a cannonball.
“…Did you… protect me?”
Reona murmured.
No, it was just a coincidence.
That’s what I wanted to say, but she was looking at me with such sparkling, admiring eyes that I couldn’t bring myself to tell the truth.
Right. Okay.
I stood up. I also reached out a hand to help Reona up.
Regardless of how we got here, it seemed like there was room to reach an understanding with her. There was no need to make an enemy unnecessarily. Besides… I’m a sucker for someone who opens up to me so guilelessly.
“Th-thank you…”
Reona sat up, looking down in embarrassment. I felt like I was sinking deeper and deeper into a quagmire.
Meanwhile, Aria was in a rather ridiculous state. Her charge at me had missed, and her momentum had sent her slamming right into the rock face. Her upper body was now wedged right into the stone. Her skirt had flipped up, leaving her “teddy bear” panties fully exposed.
“…Do you want to see mine, too?”
Reona lifted the hem of her hakama just a little.
I am incredibly interested, but… please, not right now.
＊ ＊ ＊
Anyway, I should probably incapacitate Aria.
Severing the nerves in her limbs, followed by sealing her magic, ought to do the trick.
I am in the middle of constructing the spell when, suddenly, two unfamiliar magic circles appeared.
One beneath the unconscious Aria. The other beneath Reona, who was staring blankly at me.
“.…It seems we’re being told to retreat.”
Reona murmured the words with a hint of reluctance.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything particularly interesting in staying with Oneesan, so I think I’ll betray her at some point. I’ll come visit you soon, so if you don’t mind, I’d like us to start out as murder buddies.”
“That is an incredibly violent relationship to start with.”
More importantly, shouldn’t she go to the police first?
She had killed twenty people, after all. Or was there some sort of industry-specific code among exorcists?
I’d have to ask Shizuku about it later.
“I probably have about fifteen seconds before I’m teleported away, so why don’t I reveal as much of the inside story as I can?”
“…I appreciate the offer, but are you sure that’s okay?”
“Makina-oneesan said that killing humans feels really good, but it didn’t feel good at all. I was lied to. I’m grateful to her for raising me in place of my parents, but after what happened today, I’ve finally reached my limit.”
Reona’s family situation sounded pretty messed up.
“It was Makina-oneesan’s plan to lure Herbert to Japan, and to take advantage of Ayano Matsuki’s kidnapping to gather all those freelancers. I don’t know exactly what her objective was, but I’m fairly certain she wanted to eliminate the country’s most powerful exorcists. Oh, and… right. Makina-oneesan is obsessed with some perverted middle-aged man named Naoki Ishirogi, but don’t worry, I haven’t fallen prey to his evil clutches. I’m still a virgin.”
Was that last part really necessary?
No, more importantly—
“Old Man… Ishirogi Naoki is alive?”
“I heard he died in a plane crash, but if I find out anything else, I’ll let you know. In exchange, I’d appreciate it if you’d have a three-round death match with me as a reward.”
“Humans don’t get extra lives, you know. Once you die, that’s it.”
“Don’t worry. I have a body that’s difficult to kill, and you’re more or less the same, aren’t you?”
Well… she wasn’t wrong.
As long as I had enough mana, I could regenerate myself over and over with 《Time Spell》.
A few seconds later, Reona’s figure vanished into thin air.
Aria disappeared as well.
The teleportation magic they had used was completely unfamiliar to me, and I couldn’t analyze it. But I wasn’t about to stand there and let them get away without doing anything.
I secretly planted several “Trojan horse”-style curses on Aria. Next time we fought, things should be much easier.
And, as a little bonus—
“――《Charge Spell》・《And: Enchant》・《Time Spell》・《Your flesh and blood here is just a nuisance for the mastermind, so don’t misunderstand and flow backward, all of you》.”
I squeezed every last drop of mana out of myself and forcibly resurrected the twenty people who had fallen here. Even I was running on fumes.
Every now and then, my consciousness threatened to fade. Still, I couldn’t exactly leave Phyllis on her own.
I cast 《Hypnosis Spell》 on the newly resurrected exorcists and sent them toward the exit. Then I headed deeper into the cave.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
Rainbow-colored light poured down upon the Celestial Realm.
High in the air, the aged god, Odin, narrowed his eyes, taking in the entire scene in his mind.
It had only been moments since a goddess had ascended from the snowy plains into the Celestial Realm through the rainbow bridge, Bifröst. Freyja had immediately risen into the sky, scattering the seven-colored magical power surrounding her across the entirety of the celestial realm.
Now, the gods who had lost their strength and collapsed were rising to their feet.
The God of Thunder, the God of Mischief, the God of Hunting, the God of Medicine, the God of Awakening, and the Daughter of the Sun—
The gods exchanged glances with Freyja as she floated beneath the blue sky.
Then, without a word, they headed toward Bifröst, the rainbow bridge descending toward the snowy plains.
There were no words among the gods. What had happened was already clear from the Water Mirror that had displayed the battle.
The only one who could not remain silent was Odin, the chief god.
“Are you going?”
After descending to the ground, Odin asked the gods.
Only Solana stopped and turned around. Her golden eyes met the chief god’s gaze.
Odin continued.
“You are already gravely wounded. Even if you use the magical power of Jörmungandr and the others, along with the remaining power of creation, you will not last long.”
Odin planted his spear against the ground like a staff and took a step forward.
“The gods throughout the world’s dungeons have already expended much of their strength resisting the eclipse. If you were to approach the brink of annihilation again, there would be no longer be any way to restore your strength through magical power.”
Solana smiled.
“What are you trying to say?”
“If you go to the Ginnungagap, Solana, you…”
Before the chief god could finish, the goddess placed a hand against her chest.
“This is my vow.”
Odin tightened his grip around his spear.
“…A vow?”
“I have chosen to stand with Rion. It was my own will. My own desire. I made that choice myself.”
The years of the distant past came rushing back through the chief god’s mind.
Long ago, Odin had created the ancestors of humanity together with the other ancient gods. They had been imitating Ymir, who had created the gods. And so Odin had thought he understood that humans were beings beneath the gods. He had seen nothing but their betrayal, their fear, their weakness. But perhaps he should have looked not only at the darkness they produced, but at the light that gave rise to it as well. After all, darkness only becomes visible because light falls upon it.
Odin murmured,
“A god… swearing a vow to a human…?”
Now, it was the goddess who was being pulled along by the will of a human.
This apocalypse had brought one thing after another that he could never have anticipated.
As Solana walked toward Bifröst, the rainbow bridge, together with the other gods, she looked back at Odin and smiled.
“You’ve awakened now, haven’t you?”
By the time the chief god looked up in surprise, Solana and the others were already gone.
Only a gentle breeze passed through the celestial realm.
Odin had no strength left to fight, having devoted it to maintaining the seal and to the skills he had bestowed upon the adventurers. Considering the risks, he had no business leaving the celestial realm either.
Even so, the chief god felt a small pang of regret that he could not go to the surface and fight alongside them.
The Water Mirror of the celestial realm continued to display the snowy plains, positioned a short distance away from Odin.
A light appeared on the surface.
The golden light plunged into the enormous rift.
◆◆◆
Sunlight poured down around me, so thick it felt as though I could scoop it up with my hands.
Light streamed in through the rift high above.
Golden radiance washed over Ymir and me as we stood upon the great glacier. Ymir leaped backward, while I reached a hand toward the sky.
Someone descended toward me, trailing sparkles of light in their wake.
My eyes widened.
My heart began to pound.
The moment I saw that radiant smile, I called out her name.
“Solana!”
We had only been apart for a short while, yet it already felt as though I hadn’t seen her in days.
I took both of the goddess’s hands and pulled her toward me.
Her flowing golden hair.
Her large eyes gazing into mine.
Just seeing them filled my chest to overflowing.
“Why are you here…?!”
“That’s because—”
The goddess began to answer, then suddenly her mouth fell open.
“B-behind you!”
Ymir, who had grown to nearly five meters tall, had raised his fist.
“We’re flying, Rion!”
Solana grabbed my hand and took flight.
Ice shattered beneath us.
As we rose, Ymir bared his fangs and roared up at us.
—WOOOOOOOOOO!
His burning gaze followed us.
Solana abruptly lowered our altitude, breaking his line of sight, and flew low across the great glacier.
“The gods have recovered their strength. I’m the only one who could come into this void, but the others are waiting for us on the surface.”
Above us, the rift leading back to our world was still open.
If we could make it there, we could rejoin the other gods. And then, perhaps, we could fight back.
“So—the magical power has been restored?”
Solana hesitated for a moment.
“It was Freyja. Her magical power, along with the power of Jörmungandr, the World Serpent, and Fenrir, was delivered to the celestial realm. That is why we were able to recover.”
“Freyja? But she was supposed to be inside Lu… Did Lu go to the celestial realm?”
“No. The one who helped us was Freyr.”
I couldn’t hide my surprise.
“…What do you mean? I…. I thought he was dead…”
“I’ll tell you everything in more detail later. You and Luisia are both incredible. You truly saved a god who had been lost in doubt!”
A tremendous roar approached from behind us.
Solana and I turned around in alarm.
Ymir was coming after us, crushing the glacier beneath his feet. His massive body, now more than five meters tall, grew rapidly larger in my field of vision.
“Solana, can’t you fly any higher?”
“…I’m sorry! The cold magical power filling this place dulls even the strength of the gods!”
She was right.
Golden light was leaking from Solana. It was as though her body itself were coming undone, the magical power slowly fading from her.
Are you okay?
I almost asked. But I swallowed the words. There was no way she is all right.
And yet, she had still plunged into this void for my sake.
My heart grew hot.
The will to fight began rising within me once more.
“Solana, for now, let’s focus on getting back to the surface.”
When I said that, Solana raised an eyebrow.
“…As expected of you. I feel the same way. In order to defeat this monster, we’ll need to join forces with the other gods and the adventurers.”
Ymir wrapped both arms in flames and fired them at us in rapid succession.
I let go of the goddess’s hand, and we split up in two directions. If we both moved in zigzags, even a torrential downpour of fireballs could be avoided.
As I thought, fighting in tandem with the goddess was something special.
“Rion! Can you see the rift up above?”
After finishing our evasive maneuvers, Solana and I regrouped, standing back-to-back.
“Loki and the others are up there, preparing for something.”
“Preparing—”
Even as we exchanged words, Ymir roared again.
With a series of cracking, grinding sounds, his enormous body grew even larger.
The light scattering from his left arm was probably because a crack had formed in the bracelet. Just as he had done earlier, Ymir grabbed his left wrist with his right hand.
Seven meters tall. His sheer presence was as oppressive as a mountain of rock, while his wildly swirling golden hair looked like the raging flames of some mythological inferno. Dark red flames burned around his neck, waist, and joints, as though protecting them.
Ymir rippled his muscles and stretched both arms out to either side.
Red light gathered in his palms. As the glow intensified, two masses of rock, each roughly five meters across, appeared there. He had created them.
The titan drew back his enormous arms and smashed the two boulders apart. Fragments came raining down sideways, driven like a storm.
Solana groaned.
“T-the power of Creation…?!”
I answered as I dodged. One of the fragments seemed to have grazed my left shoulder, sending a sharp pain through me.
“The Heart of Frost and Flame was taken.”
Solana caught her breath.
Ymir’s body creaked and groaned, and he grew a little larger once again.
With every passing moment, this monster was growing stronger.
“Rion, but…”
“It’s all right. This monster still doesn’t know how to control his power.”
The key was the bracelet fastened around his left arm. The ice bracelet Lu had placed there was on the verge of bursting against an arm that had grown as thick as the trunk of a great tree. Even so, it still hadn’t snapped.
For Ymir, it was a restraint that kept his power in check. And yet—Ymir was interested in the bracelet. The fact that he occasionally checked on it was proof enough.
Ymir wanted to know the feelings Lu had poured into that bracelet. That was why he wasn’t growing dozens of meters all at once. Instead, his body was gradually, little by little, increasing in size. If he grew too quickly, the bracelet around his left arm would eventually be destroyed.
That meant there was hesitation in his fighting.
“Lu’s bracelet is still holding Ymir back.”
The bracelet had two effects. Its original purpose was to seal away Ymir’s power. And its secondary effect was to confuse Ymir’s heart.
Those two factors were our hope right now. Still, we couldn’t afford to let our guard down.
As his body grew larger, Ymir’s growls became more violent. The Primordial titan made the very air tremble.
“Perhaps it’s time to devour you.”
The giant eyes fixed on me and Solana.
A breath like steam leaked from Ymir’s mouth.
The pit of my stomach trembled.
I didn’t know how long he would continue to cherish that bracelet. After all, he wanted to devour both Lu, who had created it, and me, her older brother. By devouring the humans who had created the bracelet, he might also be able to learn about the bracelet itself.
It was a way of thinking unique to Ymir.
Solana gently descended beside me.
“…I understand the situation. I’ll explain my plan.”
With about ten meters between us and Ymir, we faced him.
Solana continued.
“I need you to stop Ymir’s movements. Just for a few seconds. I’ll use my magical power to pull both Ymir and us all the way up.”
I glanced at the rift far above our heads.
“…Pull us up? All the way there?”
“That is why I have a plan. When the time comes, I want you to blow the horn as well. It will be the signal to Loki and the others.”
Stop Ymir’s movements, and blow the horn.
I slapped my cheeks to fire myself up.
“—Understood!”
“Good. Then…”
Ymir let out a roar.
A wall of magical power came rushing toward us with tremendous force. All around us, sections of the glacier burst apart.
Our voices overlapped.
“Let’s go!”
Relying on the momentum of the Golden Flame, I kicked off the ground.
Ymir’s body was seven meters tall. The bracelet on his left arm was already being squeezed to the point where it looked ready to burst apart. I could hear the sharp sound of ice cracking in my ears.
Crack. Crack.
“Haah!”
As I passed him, I slashed at Ymir’s leg.
The wound would be shallow, but thanks to the Golden Flame, my blade could cut through. If that was enough, then all I had to do was repeat it as many times as necessary.
—OOOH!
The Primordial titan swung his arms, scattering dark red flames. The four flames twisted and writhed, taking shape into something eerie—Monsters.
I couldn’t help shouting.
“C-Cobolds?!”
They were beastmen with dog-like faces. Their bodies were distorted, with one arm longer than the other, or a single wing growing from their backs. They were all mixed together in strange ways, but there was no mistaking them. They were cobolds.
The monsters howled and leapt at us. I sliced through two of them, while the other two were swallowed by the golden light Solana unleashed.
“Rion! With the power of Creation, he can create even the bodies of monsters!”
Creating monsters from nothing—
It was a power that felt like cheating.
As long as Ymir remained here, he could potentially recreate an entire army of monsters like the ones that had attacked the royal capital.
But…Could a power like this really satisfy this giant’s hunger?
“Ymir.”
I looked up at the Primordial Titan.
“I’ll teach you what that bracelet means!”
Lu’s figure flashed through my mind.
I’m going back. I’m going back to the surface.
I unleashed one slash after another. My target was his left leg. On the left side of his body, where the bracelet was, Ymir’s movements were indeed just a little slower.
I slashed as I passed him.
Thor’s Hammer.
I combined the fire spirit Salamander with the wind spirit Sylph, hammering him with a blast of wind and flame.
Ymir slammed his fist into the ground, sending dark red flames surging outward.
As I leapt backward, small monsters—cobolds, goblins, and the like—appeared, chasing after me as though trying to keep me from escaping.
“—!”
Solana supported my back.
“Let us drive away the darkness with the light of the sun.”
Golden light poured from the goddess, swallowing the monsters whole. The goblins had the dark red flames stripped from their bodies, and they immediately crumbled back into black ash.
“Solana…”
“I’m fine.”
For just a moment, it felt as though the goddess’s magical power had dropped dramatically. Even her smile looked tired.
Let’s finish this with the next attack.
With a single step forward, I slipped beneath Ymir’s arm.
At one of the places where my previous slashes had deepened the wounds, I drove my short sword in, enveloping the blade in the Golden Flame.
At the same time, the goddess struck that same left leg with a blast of light.
—U… OOOH…!
Ymir dropped to one knee.
I hurriedly leapt away from his palm, which was as massive as a slab of bedrock.
He had only lost his balance yet it felt as though an earthquake had struck.
Solana shouted.
“Now!”
I pulled the horn from my pouch and blew into it.
A flash of light glimmered high above us. As though answering the signal, Solana dove beneath Ymir and scattered golden light across the great glacier. The entire area filled with sunlight. The frigid air that had made our breath turn white receded, and warmth wrapped around us.
“What is this…?”
With the sound of cracking ice, the ice bracelet began to glow.
And then—
It shattered.
—WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Ymir finally broke the bracelet and let out a roar.
Almost at the exact same moment, warm air surged up from beneath my feet.
An updraft.
Me, Solana, and even Ymir’s enormous body were lifted into the air. Her golden hair fluttering in the wind, Solana raised her voice.
“I mixed my solar magic into the cold wind flowing from the rift! In this space filled with cold magical power, the warm magic of the sun is an intrusion! It creates a force that pushes us upward!”
The goddess looked up toward the rift, her expression softening.
“According to Loki, it is something like an ‘updraft.’”
I could almost picture the Loki’s proud face as he raised one finger and explained it.
I found myself smiling, too. Knowing that our companions were waiting for us really was reassuring.
Solana nodded.
“With this, we can escape from this cold void…!”
A torrent of light continued pushing us upward. Ymir swung his enormous arm around and grabbed hold of the ice with his right hand.
“I… am…!”
I sliced through that hand with the wind spirit Sylph.
The great glacier shattered, and Ymir, too, was swept upward by the immense torrent of light.
—Rion!
—Over here!
—Come back!
I began to hear the voices of my companions and the gods.
Leaving the great glacier behind, Solana, Ymir, and I continued rising higher and higher.
The rift that had fallen from above drew closer, and the world around us gradually grew brighter.
Far in the distance, I thought I could faintly see an enormous tree.
Blessing of the God of Hunting.
Magical Power Detection.
“The flow… of magical power…?”
The movement of magical power glowed, making it look almost like a tree. At the same height as the rift that served as our exit, luminous roots stretched out.
And above them stood an incomprehensibly enormous tree—I couldn’t tell whether it was several meters tall, or several kilometers. It was as massive as a mountain. Above the tree were countless points of light. It looked like a starry sky.
I had thought there was nothing to see in this void, but as we drew closer to the world we had come from, countless lights began to appear before my eyes.
Solana took hold of my arm.
“Each of those lights is probably the magical power possessed by someone living in your world.”
A glittering starry sky—
No.
Magic power.
The roots of the tree spread wide overhead, as though protecting our world.
“We flew outside the world itself. Because of that, the flow of magical power and the light are actually easier to see. What appears to us as a tree and its roots… is likely the magical tree known as Yggdrasil, the World Tree.”
Solana continued.
“Magic is the power by which feelings take form. The magical power currently being used by the divine artifact, the World Tree Yggdrasil, in its Water Mirror is merely a tiny fraction of this enormous tree. The feelings carried by humanity throughout its existence surround our world, protecting it even from the wounds Ymir inflicted upon it.”
We were enveloped in light and emerged from the void. Alongside Ymir’s roar, we returned to the battlefield where our companions were waiting.
It was blinding. Even with my eyes closed, I could feel the presence of the sun pressing against my eyelids.
The Frost Palace had still been in the midst of dawn when we left. But now, the sun was rising above the horizon, tearing the night away from the sky.
Pushed upward by the surging wind, Ymir and I were carried dozens of meters into the air. Below us, across the snowfield, I could see our companions and the gods.
Thor, Heimdall, Loki, Uru, Sigris—
And alongside those gods were Mia, Felix, and Lu.
The roughly one hundred adventurers who had come with us to the snowfield were all looking up at us as well.
Still wrapped in light, Solana and I landed on the grand staircase.
A moment later, Ymir landed at the entrance to the Grand Temple.
The morning sun shone down upon all of us. Ymir, who had grown to ten meters tall, stood there beneath the sunlight as well.
The titan shifted. For an instant, a puzzled expression crossed his face. As though he were wondering how things had come to this. The powerful monsters that had once followed Ymir were no longer anywhere on the snowfield.
“Oniichan”
Lu called out to me.
I desperately held back the urge to rush toward those familiar sky-blue eyes.
I steadied my breathing, planted my feet shoulder-width apart, and pointed my short sword at Ymir.
“Let’s put an end to this apocalypse.”
For just a moment, the snowfield fell completely silent.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
Phyllis’ car was surprisingly Japanese-made. From the front, its design looked like something straight out of [Predator] or [Alien].
A Toyota SAI. It was a car whose name I had never even heard of before, but apparently, in terms of where it stood in the lineup—
“Above a Prius, below a Lexus. If we’re talking Gundam, I suppose it’d be like a D○m.”
Huh. Is comparing things to Gundam the trend these days?
And why are you so obsessed with ○oms?
Anyway. I suppose what she meant was that it had better specs than a Z○ Aqua or a G○ Prius, but wasn’t quite on the level of a Gelg○ Lexus.
…At least, that’s what I think she was trying to say.
“I’ve always liked things that occupy that sort of middle ground.”
The witch, who claimed to be several hundred years old, spoke with a distant look in her eyes.
Incidentally, when I used [Appraisal] to peek at Phyllis’ status, her age was…Oh?
Sorry, it looks like someone’s here.
I’ll be right back.
――After that, no one ever saw Yoshito Kirasawa again.
End of Volume Two.
Just kidding.
Well, um… how should I put this?
Phyllis is a young lady who’s only lived for a few hundred years, got it?
The four of us left Matsuki City by car. We drove north for two hours. After passing through several tunnels, the road turned into a winding mountain path.
With nothing but the car’s headlights to guide us, we proceeded slowly—
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Phyllis-san! A little slower! Please, a little slower!”
Shizuku’s scream echoed through the night.
Phyllis was a speed demon. And the fact that she didn’t even realize it made things considerably worse.
“Huh? I read it in a manga, but aren’t Japanese people supposed to drift at full speed on mountain roads like this?”
“YOU BASTARD, FUJIWARA TOFU STOOOOORRRRE!”
Come to think of it, there was that manga a long time ago called [Initial D].
What the hell did the “D” stand for, anyway? If you know, tell me.
Incidentally, neither Mia nor I were affected by this roller-coaster of a ride.
――《Gravity Formula》・《Unmoving One Who Does Not Get Carsick》.
Thanks to a spell from the other world, we were perfectly fine.
“M-Masteeeeer! Please cast that spell on me toooooooooo!”
Sorry, Shizuku. This magic only works on one person at a time.
“Waaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Somehow, I’m starting to feel goooooood!”
That day, Shizuku awakened to a brand-new proclivity. Whoever ended up marrying this girl someday was going to have his hands full in more ways than one.
Eventually, the car emerged into an open area. There, more than ten cars were lined up, parked in neat rows.
“There aren’t even supposed to be any campgrounds around here… How strange.”
Shizuku muttered as she rewrapped the bandages that had come undone thanks to Phyllis’s recklessly aggressive driving.
“Maybe some exorcist tracked down Helbert’s whereabouts.”
“Then let’s hurry, Master. If we don’t get there soon, someone else will steal the credit.”
“Does it really matter?”
What mattered most was making sure Matsuki-san returned safely. If the choice was between engaging in something as foolish as a race for credit and tearing down a mountain pass in a car, I knew which one I’d rather do.
“I wouldn’t mind if you hurried up a little.”
Phyllis grinned, flexing the fingers of her right hand.
“If someone else takes Helbert away, I’ll lose my chance to punish him.”
Whoa. Maybe she was actually a pretty terrifying person.
“…Oniisan, can I talk to you for a second?”
Mia tugged lightly at my sleeve.
She wore an uneasy expression.
“I can’t really explain it, but there’s a really bad feeling here. It’s just like that underground temple from my previous life.”
“The underground temple… You mean the place where I fought the evil god?”
“Yeah. The atmosphere feels the same. You should probably be careful.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
I gently patted Mia on the head as I thought things over.
In the information I had obtained earlier by mind-hacking Herbert, he was planning to activate some kind of summoning formula in a cave farther ahead. I hadn’t been able to find out what sort of entity he intended to summon, but…
Surely not.
Evil god. A being whose name was impossible for humans to pronounce.
I had been certain that I had driven it to the point of complete annihilation in my previous life. But it was a god we were dealing with. With something like that, anything was possible.
It would be wise to stay on my guard.
＊ ＊ ＊
We got out of the car and made our way down the slope. Before long, we arrived at a beautiful mountain stream.
If we followed the river from here, we’d eventually reach the cave where Herbert was—but—
“M-Master, look…!”
Shizuku let out a small, frightened gasp.
She was pointing toward the cave entrance. Several men were lying collapsed there.
“You three stay here. I’ll go on ahead.”
Keeping an eye out for any signs of danger, I approached the men.
Every one of them had suffered severe injuries. There were ten in total. Seven were already dead, while two were barely conscious. The last man was just barely clinging to consciousness, his body riddled with holes.
These weren’t wounds that could have been inflicted by any ordinary weapon. Most likely, they had been caused by magic.
“Who… are you…?”
One of the men spoke to me in a hoarse whisper.
His lung must have been punctured, because blood bubbled from his mouth.
“Don’t talk. I’m going to treat you.”
“What… a child… I dunno what family you’re from, but… get out of here… while you still can. There’s no saving me…”
As if I cared.
Ignoring his protests, I activated my magic.
“――《Time Spell》・《Let thy flesh and blood flow backward through the loop》”
“Y-You damn fool…! I don’t know what kind of magic that is, but you’re obviously just wasting your mana… you idiot… I mean, w-wait, what the hell?! All my wounds are gone! What in the world did you do?!”
The answer? I simply rewound the body’s time. There were all sorts of healing spells out there, but rather than bothering with those, it was faster to alter the body’s information directly.
I used the 《Time Spell》 on the other nine men as well. Fortunately, they had only just died, so even those who had already breathed their last were easily brought back to life.
That said, I didn’t restore them completely like I had the first man.
Well, more accurately, I couldn’t. If I tried to heal them that thoroughly, I’d run out of mana first.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me.…”
The man gasped.
Just then—
“Fufufu. That’s my Master for you. Ahem!”
Shizuku approached with an absurdly smug look on her face.
“You’re… one of the Aitori family’s…”
“It’s been a while, Hatoba-sama. I’m Shizuku of the Aitori family.”
Apparently, the two of them knew each other.
“You’re still wearing that ridiculous getup, huh, Aitori?”
“With your fake samurai-drama costume, I’d rather not hear that from you, Hatoba-sama.”
She had a point.
This man named Hatoba looked like he’d walked straight out of a period drama. Imagine a wandering samurai from the Edo period, and you’ve pretty much got the picture. His hair was a messy, unkempt mop tied loosely behind his head, and he sported a scruffy beard. He wore a light-blue jinbaori over his clothes, with wooden geta sandals on his feet.
…Were all exorcists cosplayers or something?
“Goddammit, this is the formal attire that’s been passed down through the Hatoba family for generations—”
“So basically, your ancestors have all been crazy.”
Oi, Shizuku.Take a good look at what you’re wearing too.
The bandages wrapped pointlessly around your right eye, for starters. And that long coat with the Cracked Inverted Cross design. By no stretch of the imagination are you in any position to criticize him.
“Dammit, your family is just as bad, dressing up like some weird Western wannabes. You seriously walk around outside in that thing in broad daylight?”
“Wha—…Say something like that again and it’ll be war, Hyoe Hatoba-sama!”
“OW! Don’t pull out my beard! It’s a man’s soul!”
“It’s just filthy! Get over here and sit down. I’m going to pluck that disgusting chin of yours clean!”
“Stoooop!”
…What the heck is this?Where did all that tension from a moment ago go?
The man looked to be somewhere in his mid-twenties, yet he was arguing with Shizuku like they were on exactly the same level.
Sigh. Why did people have to fight with each other?
Overcome with sorrow, I cleared my throat. Then, for good measure, I used magic to blow up a nearby rock.
“Whoa!?”
“M-Master!?”
The two of them flinched at the sudden explosion.
I spoke.
“Save the bickering for later. For now, could you tell me what happened?”
The man’s name was Hyoe Hatoba. Apparently, he was an exorcist who didn’t belong to any organization and worked independently. He was evidently quite skilled, to the point that the Department of Divinities’ Affairs occasionally requested his assistance.
“It was three days ago, I think. You know the Kaminagi family… There’s a kid from the Aitori family who’s about your age, right?”
“Reona-san, I presume. Kaminagi Reona.”
“Yeah, her. I got a request from this Reona girl. She said the daughter of the Matsuki family had been kidnapped, and asked me to help with the rescue.”
“Oh? Please, go on.”
Shizuku was the one nodding along now.
I deliberately kept quiet, allowing my thoughts to turn over in silence.
Kaminagi. I heard that surname before. If I remembered correctly, my Old Man had a mistress named Makina Kaminagi. Something about her being a practitioner of an ancient sword style used to exorcise demons.
Could this Kaminagi Reona girl be related to her?
Things were starting to smell fishy…
“This Reona girl may be young, but she’s no slouch. She went around gathering all the big-name freelancers she could find and put together a rescue team for Ayano Matsuki.”
“How large was the force?”
“The ten people here were the rear guard, and twenty went inside the cave. …Just so we’re clear, though, the assignments were decided by drawing lots. Had nothing to do with skill.”
Hatoba hurriedly added the last part. He didn’t seem to be lying.
I had secretly used [Appraisal] on him, and his stats were easily above Kijima’s.
“Our job as the rear guard was basically to secure a retreat route. Herbert might’ve called in reinforcements, so we took turns keeping watch around the area.”
Hatoba and the other nine men. Every one of them was a seasoned veteran who had been through their share of battles, and apparently none of them had let their guard down.
But then—
“Before we knew it, someone had already slipped right into our midst. …A mage dressed all in black.”
All in black.
I instinctively glanced at Shizuku.
“Eh!? Eeeeeh!? But I was with Master the whole time!”
“Just kidding.”
“Hmmph!”
Shizuku’s face changed expression every few seconds, and it was rather adorable.
“…I meant to ask earlier, but who exactly are you? You don’t look like Shizuku’s little brother.”
Hatoba turned back toward me.
“You look about three or four years old, but I can tell you’re one hell of a kid. Some family’s secret prodigy? Don’t tell me you’re from the main house of the Ajiro family—”
“Let’s talk about that later… I mean, please. Tell me about the mage first.”
I cut him off.
Remembering that he was older than me, I hastily corrected myself and switched to more polite speech. As for explaining who I actually was… well, I’d think of something eventually.
Hang in there, Future Me.
Although I seem to remember dumping things on Future Me last time ended rather badly…
Eh, must’ve been my imagination. Right. Just imagination.
“Fine. The mage is definitely more important right now.”
According to Hatoba—
The man was dressed entirely in a black robe and wore a mask over his face. Another weirdo.
I couldn’t help feeling exasperated, but I listened carefully to Hatoba’s account.
Apparently, the man could wield all sorts of magic without chanting a single spell, and had wiped out all ten members of the rear guard in less than a minute.
“Pathetic as it is to admit, I don’t know what happened after that. Maybe he went after the others who entered the cave. Maybe he’s still lurking around here. …Either way, he’s the worst opponent I’ve ever encountered.”
As for the other nine men, their stats were comparable to Hatoba’s.
If someone had slaughtered a group like that in mere seconds, then there was no question that the “mage dressed in black” possessed an extraordinary level of power.
This is bad.
I had just been handed a completely unexpected variable. I had extracted Herbert’s memories, and according to what I had seen, he doesn’t have any accomplices. Which meant the “mage dressed in black” might belong to a third faction—neither the exorcists nor Herbert’s side.
――In the end, Mia and Shizuku decided to stay behind and use healing magic on the injured.
The treatment I had given them was only temporary. If left alone, they would eventually slip back toward the brink of death.
I asked Hatoba to protect the two of them, then secretly planted several spells around the area, just in case.
“Be careful, Oniisan.”
“I pray for your safe return, Master.”
“When you get back, I’m gonna make damn sure you tell me exactly who you are.”
With the three of them seeing us off—
“Hehe. I suppose this counts as a date, too.”
—I stepped into the cave alongside Phyllis.
＊ ＊ ＊
We made our way through the cave, surrounded on all sides by sheer rock walls.
“What a strange place. It’s almost like a dungeon from a computer game.”
Phyllis wasn’t wrong.
The tunnel had been carved straight through the rock, giving the whole place an oddly artificial feel.
When had it been made? By whom? And for what purpose?
One thing was certain: it wasn’t Herbert. That man had merely kidnapped Ayano Matsuki and brought her here.
After walking for about five minutes—
“…Yoshito.”
“Yeah.”
We both tensed up again.
The smell of blood had reached us.
“Stay behind me, Phyllis. If things get really bad, run.”
“…Fufu.”
“What?”
“Nothing. I was just a little happy. It’s been, oh, two thousan—…a few hundred years since someone last treated me like an actual woman.”
Did she almost say two thousand years just now?
…No. Better not pry. My instincts were screaming that this was dangerous.
I stepped in front of Phyllis, shielding her as I continued toward the source of the smell.
We soon entered a somewhat wider chamber. The scene before us was even more grotesque than what we had seen at the cave entrance. Heads. Hands. Legs. Entrails. Human bodies had been torn apart piece by piece and scattered across the cavern. The entire floor was stained crimson.
Shizan Ketsuga—a mountain of corpses and a river of blood.
The phrase had never felt more appropriate. What kind of fierce battle had taken place here?
No. What kind of massacre?
Just imagining it sent a chill down my spine.
“Who… are you…?”
A faint voice reached us.
I looked toward the wall and saw a young girl sitting there, clutching a sword to her chest.
She was dressed in red-and-white shrine maiden robes. Another cosplayer.
Though she was covered head to toe in blood, ruining what was otherwise a perfectly good outfit. The girl shakily rose to her feet and cast her gaze toward us.
“I am Phyllis Iris F. Clacia. I’ve come to beat the stuffing out of my troublesome disciple.”
Phyllis answered before I could even open my mouth.
“And who might you be? I heard there were people who entered ahead of us. Are you the survivor?”
“Yes.”
The girl answered calmly.
“My name is Reona Kaminagi, third daughter of the Kaminagi family. I came here with a group of volunteers to rescue Ayano Matsuki, but.…”
“So you were ambushed here, and you’re the only one who survived. Something like that?”
“…Yes.”
Reona’s normally dignified features were clouded with regret.
Come to think of it, according to Hatoba, she had been the leader of the rescue operation.
“Herbert has placed a guardian farther ahead. …If you don’t mind, would you allow me to accompany you? I want to avenge everyone who died.”
“Hm.”
Phyllis responded with an air of complete indifference.
“I don’t really care either way. What about you, Yoshito?”
“Hmmm….”
I thought about it for a moment.
“The more allies we have, the better. Come help us, Kaminagi.”
“Thank you. I promise I’ll do everything I can to be of use to you both…”
The corners of Reona’s lips curled into a faint smile.
She then came toward us,
“――Although, that’s all a lie.”
“Sorry, but that’s all a lie.”
Two things happened at exactly the same time.
Kaminagi Reona drew her sword with blinding speed, aiming to take Phyllis’s head.
I infused a small stone I had picked up along the way with mana and hurled it at Reona, aiming straight for her heart.
The moment each of us realized what the other was trying to do, we immediately moved to defend ourselves.
Reona leaped backward. I deployed 《Barrier Spell》 around Phyllis.
“You noticed?”
“Of course.”
All I had to do was look at Reona’s clothes.
Though they were drenched in blood, not a single thread of the fabric was torn. Everyone else had been reduced to gruesome corpses, yet her clothes remained completely intact.
It was far too unnatural.
I couldn’t say exactly how she’d done it, but—she had probably used the Herbert incident as bait to gather a group of powerful freelance exorcists, then ambushed them from behind once they were here.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
According to Shizuku, the power level of a man named Yujiro Kijima was—
“If you’re talking *Gunda○, he’d be a Zaku piloted by a regular grunt. In shogi, he’d be a silver general.”
Apparently, that was the best way to put it. I couldn’t quite picture what she meant, so I asked her to elaborate.
“I’d say he’s somewhere in the middle ranks among exorcists. He’s definitely strong, but if I keep working at it, I think I could surpass him someday.”
Ah. Now I got it.
In gundam terms, he is not exactly carrying some revolutionary beam weapon like a Gelgoog. He’s more like a mass-produced unit with no groundbreaking specs, but still strong enough that you couldn’t afford to underestimate it.
Now, let’s take a look at Kijima’s stats.
[Name] Yujiro Kijima [Gender] Male [Race] Chuunibyou [Age] 54 [Title] 8th Head of the Kijima Family; The Man Who Lost to a Four-Year-Old [Stats] ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙Level: 68 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙Attack Power: 72 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙Defense Power: 71 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ Vitality: 62 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ Spirit Power: 71 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ Mental Strength: 63(-25) ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ Agility: 64 [Abilities]Blessing of the Thunder God V [Skills]Cosplay VIII Handicrafts VII Kijima-Style Onmyodo VIII Kijima-Style Jujutsu VI [Status Ailment] Frigid Family Life:His wife has run off, and his daughter (age 4) gives him icy glares. Penalty to mental stats.
※Since he’s an exorcist, I changed “Magic Power” to “Spirit Power,” but they’re essentially the same thing! (by Alcapa)
Talk about kicking a man while he’s down. Goddess Alcapa was absolutely brutal.Could she at least remove [Man Who Lost to a Four-Year-Old] from his list of titles?
And what the hell is [Frigid Family Life] supposed to mean? Did she really have to expose him like that? The poor guy.
And while I’m at it, there’s one more thing I’d like to point out.
If he has something called [Divine Protection of the Thunder God], shouldn’t it be a little strange for him to get knocked unconscious by lightning magic?
Seriously. Could you at least do your job properly, Thunder God?
Hoo! I’ve gotten all my complaining out of my system. Time to start thinking seriously.
If I were to compare Kijima’s stats to the other world, I’d put him around the level of a Demon Lord’s Army unit commander. Not even close to one of the Four Great Demon Generals, and he wouldn’t even measure up to the boss of a small-scale dungeon.
If that’s what counts as “middle-ranking” among exorcists—well, we should have more than enough power to repel them. There’s no way Kijima would have been stupid enough to come here all by himself, so there were almost certainly some of his people lying in wait around the apartment.
Ideally, I’d like to know exactly how many.
“Shizuku, can I ask you something?”
“My height is 155 centimeters, and my measurements are 88, 57, and 84 centimeters, from top to bottom.”
Oh, so Kijima was a busty guy, eh, wha—
“Ah, of course, those are my measurements. I’m an E-cup, by the way. E-cup.”
Who cares?
Numbers and letters are nothing but decoration. If you don’t appreciate boobs, you wouldn’t understand. Boobs are precious simply by virtue of existing. (In some mysterious dialect.)
…Phew. I’ve done it again. Another timeless quote.
Wait, this isn’t the time for a comedy routine inside my own head.
“Tell me how many enemies there are. How many people did Kijima bring with him?”
“Hmph. That’s a rather underwhelming reaction.”
Shizuku puffed out her cheeks, looking a little disappointed.
“Master looked so troubled, you see, so I, Shizuku, thought I’d put my body on the line to lighten the mood…”
“We can do that later. Right now, I need information.”
“Don’t worry. It’s just Kijima-sama.”
“Huh?”
For a moment, my mind completely stopped processing.
“You’re kidding, right? Even if he wanted to charge in himself, obviously he’d bring some subordinates to back him up—”
“He doesn’t have any subordinates. They all went over to other factions that are more sensible and actually have some power…”
“So Kijima was getting desperate to make a name for himself.”
“Then why were you following his orders, Shizuku?”
“There are all sorts of complications involving our families. But, well, I did just ditch him back there, didn’t I?”
Shizuku shrugged playfully.
“At this point, there’s only one thing left to do: go all the way. So you’ll take responsibility for this, okay, Master?”
＊ ＊ ＊
“Okay,” I said, nodding.
Then, after I nodded, I suddenly realized something.
Huh? Wait a minute.
Wasn’t this weird?
Shizuku had betrayed Kijima because she’d chosen her friendship with Phyllis over him.
I had absolutely nothing to do with it. It wasn’t a matter of whether I should take responsibility or not. I was basically unrelated to the whole thing…
“Hehehe. Everyone heard that, right? I got you to say it. I got you to give me your word.”
Shizuku laughed with an “eeheehee”, sounding almost like a witch.
“That’s right. In that case, I suppose we have no choice but to properly hire her as our butler.”
Phyllis giggled, a mischievous smile playing across her face.
“Oniisan, if you abandon her now, you’ll be no different from that Naoki guy.”
Mia piled on as well.
The odds were three to one. And to make matters worse, they were all women while I was the only man. The disparity in sexual prowess was overwhelming.
Damn it. There was no way I could win.
“—Anyway, can we get serious for a moment?”
Amid the joking atmosphere, Shizuku suddenly spoke up.
“Actually, my family is in a pretty weak position right now. I became—well, I was made to become—the head of the family just last month. But by that point, we’d already been politically cornered…”
Things have suddenly taken a heavy turn.
Shizuku is usually known for her eccentric behavior, but perhaps she’s actually carrying a lot of mental burdens.
“To be honest, the Aitori family has no future regardless of who wins the current factional struggle. So, I figured—why not go all-in on a super-promising prospect like you, Master? That’s my line of thinking.”
“A ‘super-promising prospect’? In what sense? The Kirasawa family isn’t exactly an exorcist lineage or anything like that.”
“That’s not a big issue. You have the intellect of an adult at just four years old, enough magical power to knock Kijima-sama unconscious in a single blow, and—above all—you have connections to ‘Kaguya’s Moon Princess,’ Phyllis-Iris. That’s a cheat-level advantage that completely blows family pedigree out of the water.”
Shizuku leans in close, breathing heavily with excitement.
Her face is way too close! I can smell a sweet scent coming from her. It actually made my heart skip a beat.
Also, she casually dropped that “Kaguya’s Moon Princess” title. Just to be clear, that’s a nickname Shizuku came up with on her own. It’s not an official title, so keep that in mind.
“So, when you eventually make your debut as an exorcist, I was hoping you’d consider bringing me along.”
I see. I’d thought she was just a weirdo, but it seems she’s actually thinking about the future of her house as its head.
I don’t mind that kind of sense of responsibility.
“I-It’s not like I fell for a guy ten years my junior just because he saved me from some thugs or protected me from the Black Knight, you know? Yeah. Don’t get the wrong idea about that… Don’t get the wrong idea, okay?”
Um. That last bit kind of ruined the whole thing.
Was that tacked-on tsundere act a joke, or just a way to hide her embarrassment?
I glanced over at Mia…
“I see, so she isn’t actually after Oniisan….”
She was sighing in relief.
My little sister is so trusting. I worry about her future.
With that little interlude over, I proceeded to tie up Kijima. I found the rope in Phyllis’s room.
“Master, you’re awfully practiced at this. It’s lewd… Haa, nngh…”
Shizuku was looking at me with an expression of ecstasy—and it was terrifying.
It’s not like I have a sadistic streak or anything.
It’s just from my past life—I had plenty of opportunities to restrain and interrogate members of the Demon Lord’s army.
Right, that’s done.
I can’t say I like Kijima, but I do think that onmyoji outfit looks cool. It might be fun to stroll through Kyoto wearing an eboshi hat, but I guess that’s something to think about after this whole affair is settled.
The kidnapping of Ayano Matsuki by Phyllis’s disciple. I wonder what the motive behind it could possibly be.
“A sacrifice, huh?”
Phyllis, his master, murmured the word.
“What that guy—Herbert—is trying to do is essentially a classical summoning ritual. By offering up a sacrifice, he can give physical form to a supernatural entity. Once the ritual begins, there will be little chance of saving that girl, Ayano.”
“No!”
It was Mia who cried out.
And really, who could blame her?
In her previous life, Mia—Mia Gransfield—had met a short end as a sacrifice to an evil god. After hearing that something similar was about to happen again, there was no way she could simply sit by and do nothing.
“Oniisan, lend me your strength.”
She looked straight at me, her eyes filled with determination.
By all rights, the sensible thing would have been to leave this to one of those so-called exorcist organizations. We are still only four-year-old children, after all. If we barged in where we weren’t wanted, we might just get in the way of the adults.
But—
According to Shizuku, every one of those organizations was an absolute mess, too busy undermining each other to actually investigate the case. The only exception seemed to be the Kijima faction—which currently consisted of approximately one member.
Unfortunately, that member was sleeping right beside me.
Sleeping in the sense that he’d been knocked unconscious.
Hmm. This is getting ridiculous.
“I was planning to go after Herbert anyway, but having Yoshito with me makes me feel a lot better.”
“I was hoping you’d show us your cool side again, Master.”
Phyllis and Shizuku joined in, egging me on.
“Why am I suddenly being treated like the leader here?”
“Because you’re my big brother.”
“Because you’re the boy who [Charmed] me.”
“Because you’re Master.”
Damn it. Women really were strong.
And seriously, the three of them had only just met, yet they were already way too close. Their teamwork was so flawless that I didn’t stand a chance.
That said—
“Someone we know is in danger. We can’t just abandon her, can we?”
Whatever else I might be, I was a former hero. I couldn’t just look the other way.
Besides, that game of house that had ended in a yandere route that one time…
It would be a terrible waste to lose someone talented enough to match my energy.
So—
[Let’s save Matsuki-san nice and quick, then rub it in Kijima’s face with a good old,“Nyah nyah, useless fool!”]
I was about to deliver that line with what I hoped would be an appropriately cool air. I was going to quickly fix my hair, then give him a sharp, sidelong glance.
At that very moment—
“It’s been a long time, Master.”
An unexpected interruption occured.
Between this guy and Kijima earlier, was barging into people’s homes without warning and immediately launching into a conversation some kind of new trend lately?
Well, technically, this wasn’t my house. And he hadn’t come through the door, either. He simply appeared out of nowhere in this tiny four-and-a-half-tatami room.
A tall young man. His blond hair was cut short and neatly trimmed, and he wore square, silver-framed glasses. His blue eyes gleamed with cold, calculating intelligence.
Phyllis’s disciple—Herbert, I assumed.
His entire body was wrapped in white ceremonial robes, but his figure looked slightly translucent.
“I have finally finished preparing the ritual, so I have come to deliver your invitation.”
Herbert bowed with exaggerated courtesy.
Something told me this conversation was going to take a while. More importantly—he had committed the unforgivable crime of stealing my big moment. I picked up an advertising flyer lying nearby, folded it into a paper airplane, and hurled it at him.
“Hmph. How foolish.”
Herbert dramatically brushed his hair back.
“Attack like that… attack? Well, no matter. Whatever you may attempt is futile. This is merely an illusion created by projecting mental wavelengths. I realize that explaining such things to primitive Japanese exorcists may be beyond your comprehension, but in short, it is impervious to any form of interference—BYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?”
Herbert let out a scream that was about as unfitting for a handsome young man as it could possibly be, then collapsed.
A paper airplane was embedded in his forehead. A moment later, his figure seemed to melt away, fading into nothingness.
“Yoshito, you’re actually rather ruthless…”
Phyllis gave me an awkward look. She apparently understood exactly what I had done.
“Eh? Eeh? What just happened?”
Shizuku was completely confused, so I explained.
It was a form of mind hacking. (Think back to that little trick I pulled on Manya before.)
I had embedded a spell that synchronized with Herbert’s mental wavelength, then thrown the paper airplane at him. That paper airplane served as the starting point for the mental interference. Herbert immediately cut the connection, but when it came to constructing mental defenses, he was less than third-rate.
Thanks to that, I managed to extract the information I needed. Herbert’s location.
It was deep in the mountains, a considerable distance to the north, but we should be able to get there before dawn.
“Then we should hurry, Master. Now that Herbert knows his location has been discovered, he may move the ritual forward.”
“That won’t be a problem. Right, Yoshito?”
Phyllis gave me a light wink.
“Herbert should be unconscious by now. He might even be a vegetable.”
The possibility wasn’t exactly zero. I had forcibly extracted Herbert’s memories. A less skilled practitioner could easily have killed the target by doing something like that. Fortunately, I had plenty of experience with this sort of thing in my previous life.
Against a human opponent, I should be able to limit the damage to about half a day’s unconsciousness. Even if Herbert woke up before we got there, the splitting headache and dizziness should leave him in no condition to perform any kind of ritual.
Just to be safe, I also placed a curse on him that would make his most terrifying memories replay over and over. In other words, we had already neutralized the mastermind.
All that remained was to go pick up Matsuki-san.
A simple job…
Or so it should have been.
As luck would have it, Phyllis owned a car, so we piled in and headed north.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
“Mia, you’re quite vocal, aren’t you? How does this spot feel?”
“Nngh… Oniisan, please don’t look…”
Let me state this upfront. This isn’t R-18 content.
There’s probably no demand for that sort of thing involving a four-year-old, after all. Mia is currently receiving what Phyllis calls a “massage to expand her magical capacity”.
“N-no…”
“Shall I stop, then?”
“N-no. Please continue. Please keep going…”
I’m not a lolicon. I am absolutely not a lolicon—but I can’t help feeling a strange sensation rising within me. I turned my gaze toward the window, trying to shake off the distracting thoughts.
It’s Friday today. Since tomorrow is a day off, staying up a little late is fine. Mia and I visited Phyllis’s apartment. Of course, we didn’t walk there. We used the gate under the bed.
The visit was originally meant for my check-up, but somehow, things had taken a turn into this yuri-esque situation.
Honestly, what is the world coming to these days?
“Haa…”
I let out a sigh—mimicking the motion of smoking a cigarette—and pondered the future of Japan. The consumption tax had quietly risen to 8%, and the fiscal deficit showed no signs of improvement.
“This is one problem even a hero can’t solve…”
I muttered with a look of profound enlightenment.
Heh. Nailed it.
For good measure, I even gave the room an unnecessary sidelong glance.
That was exactly when it happened. Suddenly, the window flew open.
And then—
“Sorry to barge in!”
Something came flying through it.
A long black coat resembling a military uniform. Beneath it was a red plaid skirt, and before I could even register what I was seeing, a powerful kick slammed straight into me.
“Gwah!?”
Crap! I’d been caught completely off guard and was too slow to activate my defensive magic. The impact sent me flying with a spectacular *CRASH-BANG* worthy of a manga sound effect.
I slammed into the wall. And, damn, it hurts!
Enough already. Get a grip, me.
Just because it was the first time I’d ever been caught off guard like that—even counting my previous life—didn’t mean I should let it completely scramble my thoughts.
“M-Master!? S-s-s-sorry!!!!”
I heard hurried footsteps approaching.
That voice… Shizuku?
When I opened my eyes, sure enough, it was her. The girl was peering down at me with an apologetic expression, a completely unnecessary bandage wrapped from her right eye up across her forehead.
“I was planning to make a cool entrance, but I never imagined I’d actually hurt you, Master… Ah! Please, insult me! Punish me!”
Shizuku was as over-the-top as ever. I really couldn’t keep up with this level of enthusiasm.
Couldn’t someone else take her off my hands?
There had to be a market for the whole Chūnibyō thing, right?
“…Oniisan.”
Before I knew it, Mia was staring at me with an icy expression.
“Who’s that? And what does she mean by ‘Master’?”
There was no smile in her eyes. An aura of bone-chilling intimidation hung in the air.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t actually explained what Shizuku was like to her.
Damn it. What the hell was past-me thinking, putting this problem off for so long? If I could turn back time, I’d punch myself in the face.
“Uhm…”
Shizuku’s eyes darted around the room.
“This girl is wearing the same ring as you, Master.”
I’d once given Mia a toy ring as a present. They were a matching pair with the same design. For some reason, Mia had insisted on wearing hers when we went to visit Phyllis’s apartment.
“I see. The mystery has been completely solved.”
Shizuku spoke in the grandiose manner of some high-school detective famous for casually putting his grandfather’s reputation on the line.
“In other words, she is Master’s wife—his young bride!”
What the heck was that supposed to mean?
I’d never heard such an outrageously bad deduction in my life. All I could do was stare at her blankly.
But then—
“Y-young bride…? Hehe… Ehehe…”
Mia looked, well… actually, she looked really happy.
“C-could you say that one more time?”
“My name is Shizuku Aitori. Please command me as you wish, Young Mistress.”
Shizuku kneels right there on the spot.
Her movements are just like those of a butler from a grand estate.
“O-oh, I see. I look forward to working with you, Shizuku-san.”
“Understood. I shall serve you with the utmost sincerity, Young Mistress.”
“Hau…”
All the murderous aura (and no, that’s not a pun) from moments ago has vanished; Mia has completely melted.
I see—so this is what they call a “pushover” when it comes to romance.
“If Mia-chan is the ‘Young Mistress,’ then what does that make me?”
Phyllis suddenly mutters beside me.
Shizuku thinks for a moment, then replies,
“Perhaps a grandmother who, despite her age, is trying to snag a man to marry into the family?”
“Hey, you little brat—I’m gonna kill you.”
＊ ＊ ＊
“Would you care for some tea, Young Mistress?”
“Thank you, Shizuku-san.”
“And Phyllis-sama, please have some as well.”
“Oh my, how thoughtful of you.”
What’s with this atmosphere?
By playing along with Shizuku’s butler routine, the three girls had somehow created the mood of a bizarre little tea party. I am the only one left out.
One guy and three girls. Well, a harem was just a pipe dream, wasn’t it? In reality, the guy was the odd one out. That was just how things worked.
Damn it.
“By the way, Shizuku, did you properly pass along the information about my disciple?”
Phyllis asked as she munched on a rice cracker.
We were sitting in a tiny four-and-a-half-tatami Japanese-style room. Despite the cozy, lived-in surroundings, everything about Phyllis’s movements remained as graceful as ever.
“Ah, yes. Actually, well…”
Shizuku began to explain.
The organization she belonged to—the so-called Imperial Household Agency, Department of Divinities’ Afffairs—had completely failed to get a handle on the incident. To make matters worse, everyone was busy trying to shift the blame onto someone else, so the investigation had barely made any progress.
The only thing they had managed to confirm was that one of Phyllis’s disciples had kidnapped a young girl. Her name was Ayano Matsuki. Apparently, the incident had taken place last Sunday, while she was out on a family trip.
“Matsuki, huh?”
“Matsuki…”
Phyllis murmured the name as though it carried some deeper significance.
“Could it be ‘that’ Matsuki, by any chance?”
What was she talking about?
I glanced over at Mia, but she merely tilted her head in confusion as well.
Seeing that, Shizuku added an explanation.
“The Matsuki family was involved in the establishment of the Department of Divinities’ Affairs. They aren’t an exorcist family, but—”
“They’re an important sponsor who has continued to provide considerable financial support, aren’t they?”
Phyllis picked up where she left off.
“And yet, the daughter of such a generous family has been kidnapped, and the Department of Divinities’ Affairs is still busy squabbling among themselves?”
“Yes. I’m afraid so….”
Shizuku lowered her head apologetically.
“They’re more concerned with fighting among themselves than conducting an investigation. That’s the unfortunate state of affairs in this country right now.”
What a mess.
Sure, a bunch of important people had died all at once, but they’d really gone completely off the rails.
No, wait…. could someone be deliberately stirring up all this chaos behind the scenes?
Well, there was far too little information to say for sure. It’s only speculation.
“However, there is at least one faction that is actively working toward resolving the situation.”
That should have been good news. And yet Shizuku wore an extremely bitter expression.
“It’s a letter from Yujiro Kijima-sama, head of the Kijima family…”
She pulled a thick white envelope from her pocket and presented it to Phyllis with an especially reverent gesture.
“A request for my cooperation, perhaps? Well, depending on the contents, I suppose I wouldn’t be entirely opposed to considering it—”
Froze. Phyllis’s expression stiffened the moment she began reading the document.
It must have contained something truly awful.
“Hey, Shizuku.”
“Y-yes?”
“…The Japanese is too difficult. I can’t read this.”
Ah. Well, I suppose that made sense. Phyllis spoke Japanese fluently, but she was obviously foreign-born. And bureaucratic documents had a bizarre language all their own. It was only natural that she’d have trouble understanding one.
Wait.
What the hell is this?
> The realm of Hinomoto is now divided, and the people languish in hardship. Truly, this is a time of grave peril, when the fate of the nation hangs in the balance.
> Nevertheless, we shall not neglect our duties, but instead devote ourselves to bearing the burden of concern for our country.
The letter continued in this pseudo-classical Japanese style, as though someone had taken a Chinese-style classical text and rewritten it into Japanese.
The overall impression was like a Chūnibyō who had awakened to the allure of traditional Japanese aesthetics. Every now and then, modern expressions were mixed in, making the whole thing feel horribly disjointed.
“Did you write this, Shizuku?”
“N-no! Kijima-sama is just… uhm, rather fond of the past, you could say. His sensibilities have, uhm, regressed a few generations…”
I see. So Yujiro Kijima is apparently a different variety of “that kind” of person altogether.
“Isn’t there an English translation or something?”
This was a document addressed to Phyllis, after all. You’d think they’d at least write it in another language so the recipient could actually read it.
But—
“Lord Kijima said, [This is Japan. If you can’t read Japanese, then you can die.]”
Yikes. I was beginning to get a seriously bad feeling about this.
When I heard there was a faction actively working to resolve the situation, I had thought, “Thank goodness. At least there are some reasonable exorcists out there.”
But… hmm. I had a feeling this was only going to make things even more complicated.
“A-anyway, I’ll summarize the contents and explain them to you.”
What Shizuku told us was, well, pretty awful.
In short:
—All Western mages are agents of demons. Therefore, Phyllis and her disciples will be killed.
—However, if Phyllis hands over all of her research and findings to the Kijima family, they might be willing to let her live.
—A master is responsible for the misconduct of their disciple. If Phyllis refuses these terms, she will be deemed no better than a beast and eliminated immediately.
It was an unbelievably idiotic declaration of war. If it had at least been, “A master is responsible for the misconduct of their disciple—therefore, you will cooperate with us”, I could have understood the logic. But starting off with a death threat was a bit much.
Ah. I get it.
They were trying to intimidate her right out of the gate, figuring they could scare her into doing what they wanted. Pretty much the same tactic a yakuza thug would use.
And demanding her research, too? What did that have to do with the incident?
They obviously wanted to get one over on the other factions.
That much was painfully obvious.
“That’s such a worthless ultimatum, I almost want to put it on display in a museum.”
Phyllis shrugged in exasperation.
“Poor Shizuku. You must have had a hard time being made to deliver a bizarre letter like this. Here, would you like a rice cracker?”
For some reason, she reached into the nearby snack box and pulled out an Onigiri Senbei.
“Oh, sure.”
Crunch, crunch.
The oddly mundane sound echoed through the room.
And then—
“—WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, AITORI!?”
BANG! The locked front door was kicked clean off its hinges, and a large man barged inside.
Honestly, between Shizuku and this guy, was dramatically barging into people’s homes without knocking some kind of new trend among exorcists?
“This is what you get from the people of the Aitori family! Dabbling in Western magic has made you soft!”
The man shouting at us was dressed in an astonishingly old-fashioned outfit.
Purple hakama worn beneath layers of white robes. On his head sat a black hat that stuck straight up. I believe it was called eboshi.
He looked exactly like what you’d expect an onmyoji to look like. His greasy face was heavily lined, making him look somewhere in his forties or fifties.
“I am Yujiro Kijima, thirty-eighth head of the Kijima family. Phyllis Iris, as stated in the document, I would have you submit to our authority.”
Kijima said it with an expression of pure arrogance.
“No. If you want me to cooperate with the investigation, that’s one thing. But don’t drag me into your factional squabbling.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
Kijima nodded as though he had expected precisely that answer.
“If you have nothing to hide, then you should have no problem providing us with your research. By refusing, you are effectively admitting that you, too, were involved in the kidnapping of Ayano Matsuki.”
Oi. That was an awfully forced bit of logic.
“Well, the pretext doesn’t really matter.”
And just like that, he threw the whole argument out the window.
“You may have lived for hundreds of years, for all I know, but in the end, you’re nothing more than a researcher who’s spent all that time safely playing with little fires. Don’t think you can defeat someone like me, who has spent more than forty years fighting on the front lines. I’ll crush you in no time.”
Kijima pulled a long, narrow strip of paper from inside his robes. It was covered in all sorts of tiny writing, and I could sense magical power emanating from each and every character.
Talisman. I remembered Suika telling me about them before. Most exorcists studied onmyoji-style techniques, apparently, and they channeled their power through talismans inscribed with incantations.
“Rest assured. The Kijima family will use the fruits of your research as a stepping stone to greatness. You can return to hell with peace of mind.”
A sinister presence gradually began to fill the room.
By the way. There was someone else here with us. Aitori Shizuku. She’s a member of the Department of Divinities’ Affairs, too.
So naturally, I assumed she would side against Phyllis. Except she didn’t move. She was frozen in place, an Onigiri Senbei still stuck to the corner of her mouth.
“What are you waiting for, Aitori? Negotiations have broken down. Get into combat position.”
Kijima barked the order.
“I told you, didn’t I? When I become head of the Department of Divinities’ Affairs, I’ll consider what to do about the heretical Aitori family.”
He spoke with an almost disturbingly familiar tone as he reached out to put a hand on Shizuku’s shoulder.
But—
“—Stop sexually harassing me. I’ll sue you.”
Shizuku stood up and slapped his hand away with considerable force.
“What do you think you’re doing, Aitori?”
“I know this is a little late, but I’ve finally made up my mind.”
Shizuku turned her back on Phyllis. Then she glared straight at Kijima.
“Oh? So you’re betraying the Department?”
“This has nothing to do with betrayal. Kijima-sama, this is your own personal crusade, isn’t it?”
As she spoke, Shizuku raised her right hand. A blue sphere floated above her palm.
Was this the so-called magic wand she’d been talking about?
“As head of the Aitori family, I don’t think it’s wise to make an enemy of Phyllis-san here. This is nothing more than one act of personal recklessness colliding with another. In other words, just another factional squabble. Happens all the time lately.”
Shizuku continued.
“Besides, Kijima-sama, what do you think of my outfit?”
“Huh?”
The abrupt change of subject seemed to catch Kijima completely off guard. His eyes narrowed suspiciously for a moment.
“Your clothes perfectly embody your own shallowness. They are the very definition of frivolous and superficial. I have nothing else to say.”
“Then I suppose you’re my enemy after all. After all, Phyllis-san told me my outfit was fashionable.”
And then Shizuku faced toward Phyllis.
“I’ll buy you some time here. Please take Master and the young mistress and escape.”
She declared this with a resolute expression.
And yet—
“Huh?”
Apparently, it was only now that Shizuku realized something.
“Uhm… where exactly are Master and the young mistress?”
Right here.
I reached around from behind and placed a hand on Yujiro Kijima’s back.
“—《Thunderbolt Spell》—《Thy Limbs Are No Longer Thine Own, So Just Stay Still, Will You?》”
“Gngh!?”
Kijima’s entire body jerked violently with a thoroughly undignified sound.
The moment this man entered the room, Mia and I had both activated [Concealment]. Then, while Kijima was distracted by Phyllis and Shizuku, we had quietly slipped around behind him.
There’s a saying about how nothing good ever comes from standing around chatting when there’s an enemy right in front of you. This was one of those times.
Kijima collapsed to the floor, his eyes rolling white. The battle was over in an instant.
“Uh…”
Shizuku scratched her cheek awkwardly.
“You know, this is usually the part where things get really exciting in anime and manga, right? Someone fights with a tragic determination, gets pushed to the brink, and then awakens a new power or something.”
“Sorry, Shizuku. This is real life.”
For starters, a showdown between a young Chūnibyō and an elderly Chūnibyō was far too terrifying. It was such a dream matchup that I wanted it to stay a dream.
Besides—
“Even if you strike a dramatic pose with an Onigiri Senbei stuck to the corner of your mouth, honestly, it just looks like a gag scene.”
“Wha—?! W-where? Where is it?”
“Right here.”
I stretched up a little and removed the piece of Onigiri Senbei that was still clinging to the corner of Shizuku’s mouth.
In a romantic comedy, this would probably be the moment for the classic “pluck → pop it into their own mouth” indirect-kiss routine. But doing that in real life would pretty much qualify as sexual harassment. So I wrapped it in a tissue and threw it in the trash.
“Ah…”
Shizuku let out a faint, slightly disappointed sound.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
