After replenishing our supplies in a nearby town, the military and our group continued onward as far as we could. Eventually, we arrived at our campsite for the night.
“Shun, it’s been a while since we last slept outside.”
“Yeah. Not since we traveled to the Southern Margrave’s territory.”
As I prepared dinner, Shiro came over and started talking to me.
Back then, we had slept in sleeping bags inside tents, but tonight, we were going to spread our sleeping bags out inside the carriage and all sleep together.
Sue and Ao were taking care of the horses. They wiped the sweat off them, cleaned them up with household magic, and then Sue cast healing magic on them as well. They’d worked hard all day, after all. The horses must have been tired, too.
“Fran sleeps in the middle!”
“Then Horn can sleep next to Sue-oneechan.”
It was already decided that Sue and I would sleep at opposite ends of the carriage, while the children laid out their sleeping bags wherever they pleased.
Still, I had a feeling the kids would somehow end up crawling into someone else’s sleeping bag and sleeping together anyway.
As for the military, some of the soldiers were setting up tents while others were resting inside the carriages. Since they also had to keep an eye on the people under their escort, the soldiers would take turns keeping watch over the surrounding area.
As for us, Ao said he would let us know if anything happened.
“All right, it’s ready. Shiro and the others, help me serve it.”
“““Okay!”””
“I’ll help, too.”
Together with the military’s rear support unit, we had prepared a hearty soup packed with meat and vegetables. We ladled it into bowls and passed them around to everyone.
The night had started getting colder, which meant it was just about the perfect season for warm, comforting food.
“It’s getting to be the perfect time of year for hot pot, too.”
“Yeah! Ishikari hot pot when it’s cold!”
“Maybe we could substitute a different kind of fish instead of salmon.”
Just like Shiro said, I’d love to sit around a kotatsu with everyone and enjoy a hot pot together.
Just then, Sue, Fran, and Horn came over to Shiro and me, bowls still in their hands.
“Shun-san, what’s hot pot?”
“A clay pot would be ideal, but basically, you put soup and ingredients into a small pot and everyone eats from it together. I like putting it on top of a kotatsu and eating while everyone stays warm.”
““Ooh! I wanna try it!””
“We can’t make hot pot right now, so we’ll have some after we get to the Royal Capital.”
Though I wasn’t sure whether we’d be allowed to set up kotatsu tables throughout the mansion, so we’d probably have to wait until we reached Sue’s baronial estate and ask first.
After dinner was finished without any problems, we cleaned ourselves up with household magic and went to sleep inside the carriage.
““Zzz… zzz…””
“I knew this was going to happen.”
“You can’t really blame them. They’ve always slept with someone else until now.”
Fran and Shiro were curled up in my sleeping bag, while Horn had climbed into Sue’s. Apparently, they didn’t like sleeping alone. Just five minutes after we went to bed, they had crawled into our sleeping bags.
I had a feeling this might happen, which was why I had prepared sleeping bags that were large enough for two people. The two of them were nice and warm, and with their body heat keeping me cozy, I figured I’d be able to sleep quite comfortably like this.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
It was four in the morning when I finally made it home, at an hour when the sky was still barely clinging to the darkness of night.
“Ugh… I have to cut out the middle of the donuts properly… Everyone at the Demon Lord’s castle…”
Mia was muttering some mysterious nonsense in her sleep as I climbed the ladder to the top bunk.
Staying up late on top of fighting the Black Knight… apparently, I’d been more exhausted than even I realized. The moment I closed my eyes, I slipped straight into sleep.
The next morning, I woke up at seven as usual, but—
“Oniisan, are you feeling sick?”
“No… I’m fine…”
I was unbelievably sleepy.
Well, I’d only gotten three hours of sleep after all. I planned to eat breakfast and then go right back to bed, but even that might be asking too much.
Right in front of me was a plate with a perfectly toasted slice of bread.
Munch, munch, munch—BONK!
“Ow, ow, ow…”
Crap. I’d done it. The moment my consciousness slipped away, I somehow headbutted the toast sitting on my plate. Fortunately, it didn’t look like I was bleeding. For some reason, though, my forehead felt strangely slippery.
“Oniisan, a-are you oka—pfft… pfffft… hahahahaha!”
The moment Mia looked at me, she burst out laughing.
What the heck? What was so funny?
Was there something on my face?
I left the living room and headed for the bathroom. When I looked into the mirror, I found an idiot staring back at me, a lump of margarine stuck to his forehead like some kind of third eye.
Who the hell is this guy?
…Oh. It’s me.
“Yoshi-kun, you couldn’t sleep last night?”
When I returned to the living room, Yuko-san had just brought out a fresh slice of toast.
“Yeah. I was kind of cold.”
I felt bad about lying, but there was no way I could tell her, “I snuck out of the house and fought a black monster.”
Sorry, Yuuko-san.
“Then I’ll put an extra blanket on your bed, okay?”
Ouch. Her concern really hit me right in the heart.
After breakfast.
I couldn’t even bring myself to climb the stairs back to my room, so I stretched out on the sofa in the living room instead. Fortunately, it’s a Saturday, so there was no kindergarten today.
I could take it easy at home.
…
………
………………
How long had I been asleep?
I suddenly heard a bizarre cry—
“GYAAAGHOOO!”
What the?
I opened my eyes to find a monster rampaging across the television screen.
Oh… Was this the DVD Shuji-san had rented?
It was one of those old-school science-fiction fantasy series, starring that red-and-silver Ultra-style hero. One of Mia’s favorite shows.
“Hyaa!”
The giant crossed his arms into a perfect X. A beam of light shot forth.
And at almost exactly the same moment—
“Hyaa!”
Mia struck the exact same pose.
Hey, hey, watch it.
In our case, that really could make a beam shoot out. Magic is all about visualization, after all. There was even a hero who’d accidentally burned an entire inn to the ground and ended up buried under a mountain of debt.
While I was reminiscing about my days of abject poverty, the battle on the television had already come to an end. The monster exploded into a thousand pieces from the hero’s finishing beam.
Good grief.
“Yesss!”
Mia pumped her fist triumphantly.
Then, as she turned around—
“Oniisan, you’re awake…?”
Our eyes met.
“Th-this is, um… I was just practicing magic. Yeah. Magic visualization training. Training.”
Mia turned bright red as she frantically tried to come up with an excuse.
Yeah, right. It looked to me like she was just having a blast.
“A-anyway, Oniisan, why are you so sleepy today?”
Come to think of it, I still needed to explain what had happened yesterday.
Just as I was thinking that, Mia suddenly leaned closer to me for some reason.
“Sniff, sniff…”
She started sniffing around my neck.
“What are you doing?”
“Oniisan, you met some women yesterday, didn’t you? Probably two of them.”
“You can tell that easily?”
“Hmm… I dunno. Just a feeling?”
I hadn’t exactly been pressed up against either of them, and quite a bit of time had passed since I’d met them. Even so… she had an incredible sense of smell. Honestly impressed.
So, I went on to explain what had happened yesterday. How I’d rescued a girl named Shizuku Aitori from a bunch of thugs. How an armored knight who looked exactly like me from my previous life had appeared, and how that had inevitably led to a fight. And how, afterward, I’d met a woman named Phyllis. I also told her about absorbing the “Faceless Mud” and how [Charm Reversal] had activated against Phyllis.
It was better to be upfront about things like this. If I deliberately kept something hidden, it would only come back to cause trouble sooner or later.
That said… I couldn’t bring myself to mention that Shizuku calls me “Master”, or that she suffers from—well—a rather distinctive brand of Chūnibyō delusion involving a persecution complex.
I mean, how would I even explain that? Stating it plainly would likely lead to misunderstandings, yet I couldn’t think of a tactful way to put it.
Oh, screw it—I’ll just put a pin in this for now.
I’ll leave it to my future self.
Good luck, future me.
After I finished telling her everything, Mia fell silent for a while. She was probably taking some time to digest everything in her own way.
I wondered what kind of reaction I was going to get.
Prediction #1: She’d scold me for going somewhere dangerous.
Prediction #2: She’d lecture me with something along the lines of, “Going around picking up girls when I’m not there to keep an eye on you…”
As it turned out, neither was the answer.
“I’m sorry Oniisan. When you were having such a hard time, I was just sleeping like a log the whole time.”
She murmured the words in a small voice.
“Are you okay physically? Does anything hurt? You’ve looked exhausted since this morning. Are you really just sleepy?”
She was surprisingly worried about me.
“You’re not mad?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Um… about me fighting that armored knight without telling you, or about the [Charm] effect activating on Phyllis…”
“Who cares about that stuff right now? What matters is that you’re okay. Come on. If you’re going to sleep, at least sleep in bed. I’ll stay right beside you.”
“Y-yeah…”
Mia took me by the hand and led me toward the bedroom. Before I knew what was happening, she had me lying down on the bed, then climbed in beside me. Sharing a bed with her in the middle of the night would be one thing, but doing it while it was still bright outside made me feel a little self-conscious.
“Want a lullaby?”
“N-No, I’m fine—”
“Oh, come on. Don’t say no. Just relax. Relax alright.”
Ignoring my protests, Mia began to sing softly. It wasn’t in Japanese. It wasn’t in English, either. It was a language from the other world. As I listened to her clear, lilting voice, I found myself being gently drawn into a deep, peaceful sleep.
The next time I opened my eyes, it was lunchtime, and the fatigue weighing down my entire body had completely vanished.
“You look a lot better, too. I’m relieved.”
“Maybe it’s thanks to your lullaby, Mia.”
“Want me to sing for you again from now on?”
“I’ll think about it.”
As we chatted on our way down to the living room, the smell of curry greeted us.
“Fufu. You two really were fast asleep, weren’t you?”
Apparently, Yuko-san had caught us sleeping together. A little embarrassed, we finished our meal faster. Incidentally, Shuji-san wasn’t home. He was away on a kendo club trip and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow evening.
After lunch, we returned to our room.
We started discussing what to do next, and eventually Mia said,
“If we could go out by ourselves, I’d like to meet that Phyllis-san…”
In the Kirasawa household, we weren’t allowed to go out without one of our parents accompanying us. It probably had something to do with the time I’d been approached by the kidnapper Manya.
“We could make a fake with a familiar, but it wouldn’t be able to handle anything too complicated.”
For example, if Yuko-san happened to come into the room, we’d be in trouble. There was no telling whether a fake could convincingly deal with her.
“So what are we supposed to do?”
The moment I voiced my concern—
“—Don’t worry. There’s no problem.”
Someone answered.
It wasn’t Mia. The voice belonged to a woman who sounded older than us, with an unmistakable air of elegance.
“Hello, Yoshito. How have you been?”
I looked around the room. There was no one here besides Mia and me.
What was going on?
“O-Oniisan, look…”
Mia was pointing underneath the bed. A figure was smoothly emerging from beneath it.
She’s a tall, beautiful woman. She had silver hair and radiant, pearl-like skin. Dressed in an extravagant white gown, she carried herself with the unmistakable air of royalty.
—It was Phyllis.
Once she stood before us, she spread the hem of her skirt and gave us an elegant curtsy.
“Sorry for dropping in so suddenly. It seems a teleportation gate to this place appeared in a rather strange location.”
No kidding. Having a person crawl out from underneath your bed was the kind of thing you’d expect to hear in an urban legend.
“Is that adorable little girl your younger sister? She has quite a strong magical presence, too. I suppose she’s one of the people on ‘this side’ as well?”
By “this side”, she presumably meant the world of mages, exorcists, and the like.
I nodded, and Phyllis turned her attention fully toward Mia.
“I am Phyllis Iris F. Clacia. Just call me Phyllis.”
“I’m Mia Kirasawa. It’s nice to meet you, Phyllis-san.”
“Hoh~”
Phyllis looked Mia over with obvious interest.
“Just like Yoshito, you have an aura that hardly seems fitting for a child.”
That made sense. Both Mia and I had experienced a previous life, after all. Our mental ages didn’t exactly match our physical bodies. I wondered if Phyllis found that suspicious, too.
But then—
“Well, no matter. It’s not particularly unusual on ‘this side’.”
She accepted it as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world. Suika had reacted similarly, so perhaps there were actually quite a few people who had gotten a second chance at life.
“By the way, Mia, can I ask you something?”
Phyllis asked in a casual tone.
“Has Yoshito told you about [Charm Reversal]?”
At those words, Mia showed a slight flicker of unease.
“…I see.”
Phyllis, meanwhile, nodded as though something had clicked into place.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to take your brother away from you.”
She suddenly dropped that bombshell out of nowhere.
“After all, I’m five-hundred-year-old, good as your grandmother already. There’s no way I could possibly be a match for him, right?”
“Five hundred years old…?”
Mia murmured the number in a trembling voice, clearly stunned by the unexpected figure.
“Still, until now, I’d never had anything to do with romance. And since I’ve just experienced [Charm Reversal] myself, I’m enjoying the feeling while I can.”
She smiled gently.
“So I have no intention of tearing you and Yoshito apart. I’d be happy if the two of us could get along.”
I recalled what Shizuku had said.
—Phyllis-Iris would use even herself as a test subject to satisfy her intellectual curiosity.
To her, [Charm] might just be another fascinating phenomenon.
＊ ＊ ＊
After explaining the situation with my body to Mia, Phyllis returned to her own place. She crawled back under the bed with a rustling sound, which made the whole thing rather less dignified than it could have been.
If only the gate had been in a desk drawer like Doraemon’s, it would’ve looked a lot cooler.
“.…Now that I think about it, isn’t this trespassing?”
Mia muttered that under her breath.
She had a point. What would have happened if Yuko-san had caught her? Next time, we’d be the ones visiting Phyllis.
Fortunately, it seemed the gate beneath the bed would remain there for the foreseeable future.
“Phyllis-san was certainly an interesting person.”
Don’t worry, Mia. Aitori Shizuku is even more eccentric. Yeah, definitely.
Oh, right. Speaking of Shizuku, I remembered something.
Wasn’t one of Phyllis’s disciples plotting something sinister? She said she was going to report it to her superiors and ask for further instructions, but I wonder what happened with that?
＊ ＊ ＊
Days passed without any word.
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday—
The only unusual thing happening around me was that Ayano Matsuki had been absent from kindergarten.
Just to clarify, she was the girl I played house with back in the fall, only for things to somehow end in a yandere route. She had an idol-like appearance and plenty of admirers, so her absence had become quite the topic of conversation.
Well, she probably had the flu or something. There were quite a few absences in several classes, after all. It wasn’t anything particularly unusual.
At least, that’s what I thought—
It was only then that I heard from Shizuku.
“……Do you know a girl named Ayano Mazuki?”
Of course I do.
No—What happened to her?
“She’s been kidnapped by Phyllis’s apprentice and is currently missing.”
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
The tar-like substance and the pitch-black armor that had contained it had both vanished. Even the wound in my right side, which should have been torn open, had somehow healed completely.
“Amazing…”
Shizuku stared at me in disbelief.
“To absorb the one who was invading you instead… That was incredible, Master.”
“…Could you please stop calling me ‘Master’?”
The battle was over, and my head was starting to cool down. With it, my chūnibyō circuitry had switched off as well.
And seriously, what was wrong with this girl?
Calling a kindergartener “Master” was a bit much, you know.
“T-then… how about Paper Airplane Boy?”
What the hell kind of name was that?
“Ishi-, no it’s Kirasawa Yoshito.”
I nearly gave my old surname by reflex.
“Could you just call me by either my first or last name?”
“Then it’ll be Yoshito-sama!”
“Wait. Why are you so determined to put me above you? I’m only four years old, you know.”
“Fourteen minus four is ten, so… hoh~, to think I’m being ordered around by someone that much younger…”
Shizuku’s face took on an ecstatic expression. She’s a pervert.
There’s a pervert standing right here.
How did no one notice she’d gotten this bad?
I seem to remember her status saying something about her being the “head of the Aitori family”. I’m seriously worried about where that family is headed. Between her and my Old Man, are exorcists all just a bunch of people with a few screws loose?
Honestly. I’m the only normal one here.
“I’m sure after this, you’ll lecture me at the inn for being useless, and then… hyaaah…”
Leaving Shizuku to her pink-colored fantasies, I turned my attention to the barrier surrounding the park.
Time to break it.
“—《Break Spell: No One May Bind Me, for I Have Already Returned》.”
The spell activated, and a sharp crack sound rang through the air.
“Wow, it’s beautiful…!”
The shattered barrier dissolved into sparkling motes of light, raining down over the park.
The surrounding scene was a complete mess. The ground had been gouged up in countless places, while the playground equipment and streetlights had all been bent out of shape. It would be a real pain if someone happened to witness this.
I should get home as quickly as possible—
Or at least, that was what I was thinking.
“You’re an interesting little one.”
“…!”
I immediately tensed.
A woman was standing right beside me. Her silver hair fluttered in the night breeze. Her arms and legs were slender and graceful. She wore an elegant white dress, making her look like some kind of princess. There was an unmistakable air of refinement about her features. “Beautiful” suited her far better than “cute.”
Honestly—
I found myself staring for several seconds.
『Master!』
Shizuku’s telepathic voice snapped me back to reality.
『That’s her! She’s the researcher I’ve been pursuing—the one known as Kaguya Moon Princess, Phyllis Iris F. Clacia!』
『What the hell is “Kaguya Moon Princess ”?』
『The title I came up with!』
You made it up yourself!?
What an absolute menace. I nearly mistook it for her official title.
“The fact that 『Faceless Mud』 went berserk was well within my expectations, but I never imagined it would be absorbed. Just who are you?”
“…I have no name to give you.”
Maybe it was a lingering side effect from having my chūnibyō circuitry running at full throttle until just moments ago, but I found myself spouting a rather pretentious line.
“Oh? How cold. …Well, no matter. I’ll have plenty of time to thoroughly investigate you from here on out.”
“And what if I said no?”
“That’s impossible. Because from this moment on, you’re going to follow me of your own free will. 『Isn’t that right?』”
“!”
In that instant—
The woman’s—Phyllis’s—golden eyes glowed eerily. It felt as though someone had dripped something sweet directly into my mind.
Charm.
I immediately began constructing a counter-formula, but before I could, the back of my right hand suddenly grew hot.
The protective crest Manya had carved into me six months ago activated.
“No…”
Phyllis was bewildered. She clearly hadn’t expected her [Charm] to be repelled. She seemed so shaken that her gaze wandered wildly, unable to settle on anything. Her cheeks were even flushed.
Was it humiliation?
Eventually—
“Hey. What do you think about… older women?”
She asked me that out of the blue.
Huh?
Now it was my turn to be confused.
＊ ＊ ＊
—Repel the Charm.
Thinking back, that was how Manya had described her blessing. Not [Charm Immunity] but [Charm Reflection]. And the result was—
“Ah, um, that’s not what I meant just now… I’m sorry. Of course you’d hate an older woman like me.”
Somehow, the situation had begun veering wildly off course at an alarming speed.
Phyllis lowered her head, tracing little circles in the dirt with the tip of her shoe.
“F-for now, would you come with me to my hideout? I want to explain the situation, and I’m also worried about how that mud might have affected you…”
Her expression was completely different from before. She genuinely seemed concerned about my well-being. I could tell she sincerely meant it, which made it rather difficult to refuse.
I glanced at Shizuku.
“Let’s go, Master. Phyllis doesn’t seem to have any hostile intentions, either.”
Shizuku had said she was pursuing Phyllis, but apparently it wasn’t because Phyllis had committed some kind of crime.
“In other words, it’s just recruitment. Things are pretty chaotic in our line of work right now…”
“Everywhere is short on personnel, aren’t they? That’s why I’ve been getting scouted from all over the place. It’s becoming quite a hassle.”
And so we followed Phyllis.
We are now in an apartment a short distance from Shinmatsuki Station. The room was barely big enough for a four-and-a-half-tatami-mat floor, with a low round table in the middle. The people gathered around it made for a rather bizarre sight.
A kindergartener—namely, me.
A chūnibyō girl in a long black coat—Shizuku Aitori.
And a silver-haired beauty in a dress—Phyllis F. Clacia.
Putting together everything they’d told me, the situation went something like this:
* The airplane crash six months ago had a hidden truth behind it.
* A large number of prominent exorcists and mages from around the world had been aboard that plane.
* Their simultaneous deaths in the crash had thrown the entire “underworld” into chaos.
* Conflicts between organizations, as well as internal power struggles, had begun surfacing, and everyone was desperate for new talent.
* In the midst of all this, Phyllis—a highly accomplished researcher—had been singled out for recruitment.
Apparently, Shizuku belonged to one of Japan’s largest exorcist organizations, an institution known as the “Imperial Household Agency, Department of Divinities’ Afffairs.”
But, whoever had decided to use her as a recruiter had made one hell of a personnel mistake, hadn’t they?
…Or at least, that’s what I thought.
Until—
“Your long coat has great style. Can I use that ‘Broken Cross’ emblem too?”
“Go right ahead. Phyllis-san, that dress of yours is gorgeous. I’d love to try wearing one myself.”
“Shall I have one made for you?”
“Really!?”
“Of course. Dressing cute girls in cute clothes is such a joy.”
Somehow, the two of them had gotten along remarkably well. They were practically best friends already.
“Anyway, about the recruitment…”
“I’m sorry, but I’ve decided not to get involved with any organizations.”
Phyllis turned her down without hesitation.
“Besides, I’m worried about his condition…”
She cast a concerned glance in my direction.
I supposed that was another side effect of having her [Charm] reflected back at her. She is giving off the aura of a kind, gentle older sister who just happened to be much older than me.
“What was that black monster?”
Shizuku’s question was exactly what I had been wanting to ask myself.
Phyllis lowered her eyes for a moment before answering.
“It was something that was accidentally created during an experiment. I call it Faceless Mud.”
Faceless Mud. Apparently, it was an amorphous creature—a mass of potential capable of transforming into virtually anything. And by feeding it information about “a hero from another world”, she had created that black knight.
“I had adjusted it so that it would obey my commands, but all of a sudden it went berserk tonight. I’m sorry for the trouble I caused you.”
Phyllis bowed her head deeply.
I heard she was a magical researcher, but she didn’t seem to have the usual mad-scientist personality.
“Especially Yoshito-kun… I did something to you that can never be undone. I don’t know how I could possibly make it up to you…”
Phyllis hung her head, her expression filled with genuine remorse.
I was wondering what I could possibly say to comfort her when—
『She’s nothing like the Kaguya Moon Princess I know.』
Shizuku’s telepathic voice reached me.
『Is that so?』
『She just tried to use [Charm] to take you away, didn’t she? That’s the real her. Satisfying her own curiosity comes first, and human experimentation doesn’t bother her in the slightest. She has even modified her own body in all sorts of ways. This woman is a witch who’s been alive for several hundred years.』
『Several hundred years?』
I couldn’t help staring at Phyllis. Her skin was youthful and completely free of wrinkles. If I had to guess her age from appearances alone, I’d say eighteen at the youngest—twenty-two at the oldest.
“What is it, Yoshito?”
“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking how youthful you look.”
“D-don’t tease me. I’m already a several-hundred-year-old hag…”
Despite saying that, she didn’t seem entirely displeased. In fact, the corners of her mouth were curled up in obvious delight.
“So, what’s going on with my body right now?”
That was the main reason I had come all the way to this apartment.
Apparently, she intended to run some tests on me. I was wondering if that meant she’ll have to draw blood or something, when—
“Sorry to keep you waiting. I’m almost finished.”
Huh? When did she even start?
“I’ve converted this entire room into my laboratory. I started analyzing you the moment you stepped inside.”
That was some seriously impressive technology, but… wasn’t the landlord going to have something to say about this? Then again, I doubt the lease specifically said, “No magical modifications to the apartment.”
So maybe she was in the clear.
“…And done.”
Ding!
With a sound suspiciously like a microwave, a book suddenly materialized out of thin air. Apparently, all the data had been recorded inside it.
“Hm. I see…”
Phyllis read through it, nodding thoughtfully as she went.
I leaned over to take a look myself, but it was written in a language I’d never seen before.
『Shizuku, can you read it?』
『This is…!』
Shizuku audibly swallowed.
『C-can I really read it? If I do, things are going to get very serious, you know.』
『Just tell me already.』
『…Unfortunately, I don’t have enough MP to read it.』
If you don’t know, just say you don’t know from the start.
Wait, was that a reference to the Ion○n Guidelines or something? That was a meme that was popular in Japan back when I lived there in my previous life. How does she even know about it?
『Ahh, I love that cold look you’re giving me, Master…』
I can’t with this girl.
Where exactly did I go wrong? Was it when I carried her away in a princess carry? Or was it when I went all-in on the chūnibyō act and talked to her like that?
I wish life came with a save-and-load function.
While Shizuku squirmed and writhed beside me, Phyllis finished reading the book.
As for the results—
“Compatibility rate: one hundred percent. It looks like the Mud has completely assimilated with Yoshito-kun.”
“So there’s no danger?”
“I think you’ll be fine in the short term. But I can’t say anything about the long-term effects, so—”
“Meaning I’ll need to be examined from time to time?”
“Yes. I’m truly sorry…”
“It’s fine. Besides, I’ve gotten to know you now, Phyllis.”
I had a major problem on my hands right now. Finding a way to send Manya back to her original world. I am in the middle of deciphering the materials my Old Man had left behind, but… honestly, they were way beyond my ability to understand. Phyllis is a researcher, so having her help would be a huge advantage—
“I’m glad I met you, too, Yoshito-kun.”
For some reason, she gazed at me with moist, glistening eyes.
“Phyllis Iris is a bit long, isn’t it? Just call me Phyllis.”
“O-okay.”
Overcome by the unmistakable sense that there was no room for argument, I nodded.
“Then… Phyllis.”
“Y-yes…”
Phyllis drew herself inward bashfully. Restlessly, she pressed the tips of her index fingers together.
“Speaking of which, Yoshito-kun…”
Maybe she was trying to hide her embarrassment, because Phyllis suddenly changed the subject.
“Your name is the same as the hero I used as the model for the Mud, isn’t it? I wonder if that’s related to the compatibility rate.”
“…Who knows?”
I wasn’t about to start talking about my previous life here. I could discuss that with Mia tomorrow though.
“For another thing, this is still just a theory, but…”
I wondered what she meant.
“It seems that the conceptual information of the Black Knight has been stored inside you.”
“Sorry, could you put that in simpler terms?”
“I don’t know how yet, but there’s a possibility that you’ll be able to use the Black Knight’s powers—”
“Oh!”
For some reason, Shizuku’s eyes lit up as she exclaimed,
“So basically, it’s like transforming! A transformation!”
With an oddly sharp movement, she thrust her right arm diagonally upward. It was the pose from Kamen Ra○der.
“…It doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll transform into the Black Knight physically, but I suppose that’s a fairly close way of imagining it.”
Phyllis nodded with an amused smile.
“In any case, I’ll have my hands full with Yoshito-kun for a while. As for the matter of my disciple, perhaps I’ll leave that to the Japanese exorcist organizations.”
The matter of her disciple?
What was that supposed to mean?
I glanced at Shizuku, only to receive a wink in response.
When I ignored her, she started breathing heavily. I really thought she should see a doctor.
Watching the two of us, Phyllis spoke up.
“…Don’t tell me you weren’t aware of this.”
“Of what?”
“The reason I came to Japan. One of my disciples stole the results of my research and seems to be trying to summon some kind of demon or something. I was pursuing them so I could punish them, but—”
At Phyllis’s words, Shizuku shook her head.
“Japan’s ‘underworld’ is in complete disarray right now. Even the Bureau of Divinities I belong to is a complete mess because of factional infighting…”
“Which is precisely why they may have chosen Japan as the site for the ritual. —For now, could you report this to your superiors? I have no intention of joining your organization, but I’m willing to lend a hand as an outside collaborator.”
“You would…?”
“Yes. After all, this is the country where Yoshito-kun lives.”
And so, we called it a night, with Shizuku tasked with reporting everything and awaiting further instructions.
…Am I getting dragged into something this insane already?
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
As snow drifted through the air, Freyr knelt before Luisia. The God of Fertility took the girl’s hand and gazed into her eyes, his own a deep blue.
“…Are you certain?”
Luisia lowered her chin in a quiet nod.
With the power left behind by Freyr, the God of Fertility, Freyja could be released from Luisia’s body. If Freyja carried her magical power to the Celestial Realm, the gods might be able to regain their strength.
But if they went that far, her weakened brother god would—
“I believe in you.”
Freyr closed his eyes and pressed Luisia’s hand against his forehead.
Green magical energy enveloped the young man’s entire body. It flowed from his body into Luisia through the hand she held, traveling up her arm before gradually pouring into her.
In response, a green light began to glow within Luisia’s chest. The magic grew warmer and brighter, spreading from her chest to her shoulders, then throughout her entire body.
Before long, the green magic flowing from Freyr and the identical light emanating from Luisia’s chest began to mingle together.
Freyr looked up at the sky and cried out.
“Odin!”
His voice reverberated through the air before fading into the snowy wilderness.
“If you are watching, then please answer me! To save Freyja and deliver this immense magical power to the celestial realm, I ask you to remove the Miko skill from this girl!”
Freyr continued to shout.
“You know it now, don’t you!? The strength of the adventurers! I will use the last of my power to save Freyja and repay the adventurer, Rion!”
A raven flew over the temple, cawing as it crossed the snowy sky.
—The price will be myself.
Click.
A sensation like a lock coming undone stirred within Luisia’s chest. In that instant, her vision rapidly blurred. Her eyes grew dazzled, and she could no longer remain standing.
“…!”
Just as she began to collapse, Mia and Felix caught her and held her up. Many people were shouting toward Freyr. Judging by the look on Luisia’s face, they were probably trying to make him stop.
Luisia desperately forced the words from her throat.
“…I can still endure it!”
Her vision continued to fade. Even through the haze, however, she could clearly see her companions—Mia, Felix, and the others—gasp in alarm.
“Oniichan’s friends really are good people”, Luisia thought vaguely.
Compared to the suffering she had endured while sick in the royal capital, this was nothing.
Then she heard Freyr’s voice.
“Odin weakened the Miko skill that he had bestowed upon you. The gods must be able to see what is happening on the surface through that raven… or perhaps through that Water Mirror.”
Luisia sat down on the grand staircase.
Something hot surged up from deep within her chest.
With the protection of the skill gone, perhaps Freyja’s magical power was trying to swallow Luisia whole.
Freyr spoke in a whisper.
“…From here, I’m going to separate your heart from Freyja’s. But—”
“Do it.”
If the attempt failed, Freyr, Freyja, and Luisia would all be broken beyond repair. Even so, Luisia’s feelings did not waver.
“…I understand.”
Freyr nodded and spoke to Luisia.
“I want you to close your eyes.”
She lowered her eyelids as she was told. Yet even though her vision had vanished, there was no darkness. Two green lights floated in the void. They gradually grew brighter, and from within them, the figures of two people slowly emerged.
One is a beautiful woman with long golden hair, clad in a green dress. Her blue eyes looked as though they might spill over at any moment, while her petal-like lips were so beautiful they seemed to take Luisia’s breath away.
The other is a dignified swordsman. His flowing golden hair and finely straight nose bore a striking resemblance to hers.
“Freyr… Freyja…”
At Luisia’s whisper, the two gods smiled.
Freyr took his sister’s hand and gazed at her, as though savoring the sight of her.
There were no words between the siblings.
Tears traced paths down the cheeks of both brother and sister.
Luisia somehow found herself thinking, “Maybe Freyr had wanted to see his sister again, like this. Perhaps that was why he could not accept Odin sacrificing his sister. Perhaps because he wanted to see his sister again, he, too, had to survive.”
Freyr took hold of Freyja’s arm and pulled her toward him.
At the edge of the darkness, a light began to shine through.
“Take care.”
Luisia spoke softly. Tears dampened her cheeks.
“So… we’ll be together forever now.”
Freyr raised a hand sadly, then walked with Freyja toward the bright exit.
The light grew stronger. Before she knew it, Luisia had opened her eyes. The green light that had filled her chest was gone. So was the heat that had been eating away at her body.
The adventurers were all looking up at the sky.
Luisia turned her gaze toward the sky just before dawn.
Leaving trails of green light behind them, Freyr and Freyja flew through the heavens, supporting one another as they went. Their destination lay beyond the grand staircase—the rainbow bridge Bifröst, shrouded in snow and already beginning to fade as though it might vanish at any moment.
When the brother and sister gods stretched their hands toward the earth, light scattered beneath the grand staircase.
The magic stones of Jörmungandr, the World Serpent, and Fenrir—the legendary monsters—shattered as well, breaking apart into countless motes of light that mingled with the radiance emanating from the two gods.
Freyr’s body began to break apart, gradually crumbling into particles of light. Even so, the two gods continued toward the celestial realm, carrying with them the magical power that Freyja herself had left unused at the time of creation.
I’ll keep the ending understated and emotional, especially the mysterious voice and Luisia’s final prayer.
At the moment Freyr’s body completely dissolved into light, Luisia heard a mysterious voice.
—You did well.
It was the voice of her father, Rutger.
Wiping away her tears, Luisia watched over the end of the brother and sister gods.
The instant the two gods reached the rainbow bridge, Bifröst—the seven-colored light began to return. The magical power they had carried to the celestial realm at the cost of their very existence finally reached its destination, reconnecting the path that had been on the verge of disappearing.
As an immense radiance stretched across the sky at dawn, Luisia prayed,
“May everyone come home.”
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
“It’s not like I was interested in you or anything… I just didn’t want to give you the wrong idea. Sorry.”
Three months after being summoned to another world as its hero, and after everything that had happened, I finally began learning the sword under my master’s tutelage.
Then, on the day I was finally set to depart on my journey, I suffered the bitterest heartbreak of my life. Overcome with grief, I set off wearing a suit of pitch-black full-body armor. I began my career as a hero by hunting down handsome high-ranking demons who looked like they spent their days flirting with their subordinates.
The death of happy couples is inevitable.
Looking back, I was motivated by approximately one hundred percent personal resentment.
—CLANG. CLANG.
One step. Then another.
The Black Knight drew closer. Its silhouette was exactly the same as mine had once been.
There were only a few possibilities I could think of:
1. By sheer coincidence, armor with the exact same design existed in this world.
2. There was another person transported from my old world besides Manya, and they had recreated that armor.
3. Somehow, the version of me from back then had been summoned here.
Realistically, the first two were the only possibilities that made any sense, but… the wavelength of the magic emanating from the armored knight was an exact match for mine. I genuinely had no idea what was going on.
Could this be one of those doppelgängers you always hear about in urban legends?
—CLANG.
—CLANG.
The metallic sound of the armor rang out with mechanical regularity. It was like a countdown to an execution—
“Eek! Ah—w-wait, whaa—WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
“M-Masaru-san!? W-Wait for me! Don’t leave me heeeeeeeeeere!”
The two punks screamed and fled. The Black Knight didn’t pursue them.
“Apparently, I’m the one it’s after.”
Shizuku brushed back her shoulder-length hair.
And sure enough, she was right. The Black Knight came to a stop, raised its sword, and pointed the tip straight at us.
The tension in the air intensified.
『Hey. What the hell is that thing?』
I asked Shizuku through telepathy.
『I’d be more than happy to tell you, but I have one condition. I’m powerless without my magic wand. I need you to buy me some time.』
『…That’s going to be pretty difficult. Very difficult, actually.』
『What are you talking about? We have this paper airplane of yours. If you send them all charging in like you did before—』
『That was it. Sorry.』
The paper airplanes had nearly exhausted all their magic when I sent them on their kamikaze attack against that Masaru guy. They couldn’t fly anymore, let alone be controlled. At most, I could probably still manage the one Shizuku was holding.
『Y-You’re kidding… right?』
The words slipped out in an unmistakably Kansai-style accent.
Was this what she was really like underneath all that edgy posturing?
『No. I’m serious.』
Almost at the exact same moment I answered—
“――――――――――!”
The Black Knight let out a bestial roar. The air shook violently, and the park’s streetlights shattered.
And then—
“—!”
The knight lunged forward at bullet-like speed, swinging its sword.
『《False Dragon Sword: Wyvern Slash.》』
That was what I had named the technique back then.
Ugh… Just remembering it dealt massive psychological damage.
Not bad. A Black Knight using the same techniques as me.
Black Knight, black history. Get it?
…Anyway, enough with the jokes.
The blade was closing in on Shizuku.
“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
She screamed.
At this rate, we’d have a dead girl on our hands.
But—
“…So you can make cute noises too.”
It was a close call.
I scooped Shizuku up in my arms and immediately put some distance between us and the Black Knight.
Wondering what the hell I’ve been doing this whole time?
It’s simple. I am not just having a pleasant little telepathic chat with Shizuku. I had slipped out of the house and sprinted all the way to the park. And so, by the skin of my teeth, I had arrived just in time.
For the record, Mia was asleep at home. It was already eleven at night, after all. I felt bad about waking her, and I had no intention of bringing her anywhere near a dangerous situation.
More importantly—I wasn’t exactly eager for her to witness my “dark history”, you know?
“You… who are you…?”
“I am the master of the paper airplanes. I’ve come to save you.”
I knew full well that a line like that wasn’t exactly going to land when delivered by a four-year-old. But I said it anyway.
It was embarrassing. Painfully so. But right now, I needed to deliberately contract a severe case of chūnibyō.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to look directly at the Black Knight—the living embodiment of my darkest, most embarrassing past.
My mental strength would give out long before I ever had the chance to cross swords with it. Fortunately, Shizuku seemed to be one of those people herself, so I probably wouldn’t get too much of a horrified reaction.
“…Wonderful.”
Huh? Shizuku-san, why are you looking at me with those sparkling eyes?
And, uh, we’re currently in a princess carry here. Could you get down? It’s kind of hard to fight like this.
O-oi, why are you wrapping your arms around my neck like that—
…Whoa.
She’s actually pretty well-endowed.
“――――――――――!”
The Black Knight’s roar snapped me back to reality.
It wasn’t really a sound that could be put into words, but the intent behind it came through loud and clear.
“—Quit flirting in front of me, or I’ll fucking kill you.”
Okay, look, this was an accident. A completely unavoidable accident. Can’t you just let it slide?
Apparently not.
“—!”
The Black Knight hefted its sword onto its shoulder and charged straight at me.
“Tch!”
I leapt backward once more.
“Shizuku-san, I’ll handle things here. Hurry up and find your magic wand.”
“Y-Yes! …He ordered me around. Hehe.”
Shizuku happily dashed out of the park.
However—
“T-There’s a barrier! A barrier’s been put up, Master! We can’t leave the park!”
Who the hell is your “Master”? And what’s with the sudden personality change? You were way more arrogant before. Why are you suddenly speaking so politely?
More importantly, a barrier, huh?
Did the Black Knight put it up?
Well, whatever. I can investigate that later. As far as barriers went, this one was moderately strong. I could probably break it in ten seconds. But under the current circumstances, leaving myself exposed for that long would be far too risky.
Which meant—
“I guess I’ll have to settle this first.”
I muttered under my breath, then sent Shizuku a telepathic message.
『Shizuku-san, tell me everything you know about this knight.』
『Hyaaah!? Master’s voice is inside my head…!』
『Forget that. Just hurry up and tell me.』
『Even that cold side of you makes my heart flutter…!』
Maybe I should just suck the information directly out of her head. If it turned her into a vegetable, well… so be it.
『Um, we don’t have much time, so I’ll keep this brief.』
『Just spit it out.』
『This knight was created by the magical researcher I’ve been pursuing. Apparently, they can access records from another world and copy legendary heroes at the peak of their power, or something like that…』
『Do you know the hero’s name?』
『Umm…』
There was a pause of several seconds.
Then—
『Yoshiton. The Hero Yoshiton.』
Who the hell is that?
『Apparently, he was the only hero ever to defeat an evil god. Ah, maybe it was Yoshito? But there’s no way someone with such a Japanese-sounding name could exist in another world, so it must be Yoshiton.』
Uhh…I’m pretty sure it was Yoshito.
In other words, it’s me in my previous life. Well, I did defeat an evil god, so I suppose it makes sense that my name would be remembered.
Hmm. The people in that world were actually pretty similar to Japanese people in certain ways. They had a tendency to turn everything into cute girls, or perhaps I should say they had a particularly deep-seated brand of degeneracy. I could totally see them making a game a thousand years from now called “The Hero Yoshito Was Actually a Beautiful Girl!”
Not that I wasn’t curious. But right now, I had more important things to worry about.
The Black Knight standing before me.
Me. At the peak of my power.
I had mixed feelings about the fact that the period when I had gone berserk after getting dumped by my master was being regarded as my “prime”, but I supposed I’d be magnanimous about it.
『Master, is there anything I can do to help?』
『You can’t use magic, right? Then stay over in a corner and be a cute little decoration.』
『C-Cute? You called me cute again…!』
『Can’t help it. It’s the truth.』
Ahh. Yeah. That was definitely the kind of line I’d remember later and want to crawl into a hole and die over.
Another page added to my dark history.
Damn it.
Once I dealt with this Black Knight, I am going to beat the hell out of this so-called magical researcher who’d caused all this, too.
＊ ＊ ＊
Now then. Let’s put the joking aside for a moment.
First, I’ll present the results of the [Appraisal] skill.
As you’d expect from a hero, the stats were absurdly high even at such a low level.
Nostalgic.
Back when I was the Black Knight, I relied almost entirely on brute force, letting my ridiculous stats do the work. Then, after everything that happened, my stats were reduced to one-hundredth of what they had been. That’s when I switched to a fighting style centered around technique instead.
If you looked at the numbers alone, then sure, my Black Knight days really were my “prime.”
But—
Numbers like that could be overturned in all sorts of ways, depending on how you chose to fight.
For the sake of comparison, I suppose I should pull up Shizuku’s stats too.
[Name] Shizuku Aitori [Gender] Female [Race] Chūnibyō [Age] 14 [Title] 8th Head of the Aitori Family (Prospective) [Stats] ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ Level: 52 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ Attack Power: 54(-30) ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ Defense Power: 51(-30) ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ Vitality: 40(-30) ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ Magic Power: 82(-70) ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ Mental Strength: 35 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ Agility: 56(-30) [Abilities] Unknown [Skills] Unknown [Magic] Unknown [Status Ailment] Forgotten Item: Unable to use a magic wand, making magic usage difficult. Negative modifiers applied to stats.
It’s a bit late to realize this, but Shizuku wasn’t just some girl with Chūnibyō delusions after all.
Apparently, she really can use magic. That said, right now, she’s still just a glorified ornament.
Make sure not to leave anything behind. Seriously.
＊ ＊ ＊
“――――――!”
The Black Knight’s blade flashed.
A horizontal sweep. A diagonal slash. An upward cut—
Every one of those sword strokes was familiar.
Of course they were. This guy was me, after all.
“Amazing…!”
Shizuku let out an awed sigh, but from my perspective, there wasn’t anything particularly impressive about it.
I knew exactly what the Black Knight was capable of, and I could instinctively predict his thought patterns. In a sense, this was a battle between identical characters. Which meant, naturally, that I knew this guy’s weaknesses too. The me back then had been a simple-minded idiot, and unexpected situations were his Achilles’ heel.
So how about something like this?
An extraordinary power that the me of my previous life could never have known about.
“Earth nurtures metal, and metal gives rise to gold—《Golden Escape: Illusion Technique.》”
Put simply, it was a clone technique. I created copies of myself out of clumps of earth, then used the refraction of light to make them appear indistinguishable from real, living people.
It was one of the supernatural arts passed down among the nekomata.
Suika-san had taught me this technique.
“――――! ――! ―――――――!”
Judging by the way he was opening his mouth, I assumed he was saying something along the lines of “Fight fair, you coward!”
The Black Knight proceeded to cut down my illusions one after another.
One of his strikes caught a panda-shaped playground structure in its path and cleaved it cleanly in two.
A park bench was smashed to pieces. Then the sheer force of the blow gouged a crater into the ground.
What ridiculous strength. If one of those attacks landed cleanly, it would be all over.
I’d been fighting the Black Knight for several minutes now. It wasn’t long, but in that short span of time, the park had already been reduced to a miserable wreck. Every piece of playground equipment had been mangled, and even the paved walkways had been torn apart.
They aren’t going to send me the repair bill, are they?
I really think the guy who summoned the Black Knight should be the one paying for all this.
“I’d better finish this quickly and catch the real culprit…!”
Now then.
I hadn’t spent all this time doing nothing but running away.
“—《Binding Spell: Gravity Bind.》”
I linked together the magic circles I’d drawn throughout the park and activated the spell.
It was an extremely high-level binding spell. Even the me at my peak would have needed some time to break free of it. Of course, stopping him wasn’t the real objective.
While running all over the park, I’d been collecting the paper airplanes that had run out of magic. Now I had replenished them and floated them into the air.
Every one of them was fully charged with magic—and then some were overloaded. The slightest stimulus would be enough to trigger a massive explosion.
I brought my right hand down. In perfect synchronization with the motion, the paper airplanes all swarmed toward the Black Knight at once.
With a deafening roar, a blast of hot air sent clouds of dust billowing into the air. My entire field of vision was engulfed in flames.
They say that asking, “Did I get him!?” at a time like this is basically a guaranteed failure flag.
『You got him… right!?』
Shizuku, please don’t send me ominous telepathy like that. Adding polite speech to it doesn’t make it any less ominous. What are you going to do if he’s still alive after this?
Eventually, the flames died down, and the dust began to settle.
And beyond it—
“――――――――――――!”
The Black Knight isstill standing.
『The Thunder Bird: Falling to Earth Like a Stoner Sun—didn’t work…!?』
Shizuku, could you please stop making up names for my attacks?
“――! …! ………!”
Hmm. Apparently, that attack hadn’t been a complete waste after all. The Black Knight’s left arm hung limply at his side. His legs didn’t seem to have much strength left in them, either. He could barely remain standing, looking as though he might collapse at any moment.
“Good thing I brought these along, just in case.”
I reached into my clothes and pulled out a shuriken made from origami.
I infused it with magic and hurled it.
CLINK!
It bounced off the Black Knight’s helmet—but it had more than enough force to shatter the already crack-riddled thing.
The helmet broke apart, exposing the face beneath. I had expected to find someone who looked exactly like me in my previous life.
But—
“What the hell is this…?”
I was speechless.
What had been hiding beneath the armor was something that could hardly be called human. Something pitch-black, viscous, and tar-like. It writhed and squirmed, stretching out tendrils—
Wait, that’s dangerous!
“M-Master!?”
The Tar Guy (temporary designation) tried to impale Shizuku with one of its tendrils.
I managed to shield her at the last second, but…
This is bad. It had gouged into my right side.
“Guh… ah…!”
Agonizing pain. Cold sweat beaded across my forehead. The tendril had wormed its way into my body through the wound. It felt like something was fiddling with my organs from the inside—a nauseating, deeply unpleasant sensation.
And the invasion wasn’t limited to my body. It was spreading into my mind as well.
—The sorrow of being rejected by my master.
—Jealousy toward all the couples in the world.
—Hatred for handsome guys.
One emotion after another flooded my mind, trying to paint over everything that made me who I was. Apparently, the Tar Guy was trying to absorb my very existence.
But, you know…these were emotions I had in the first place. What happens when you add black paint to black paint?
Simple. Nothing changes.
And compared to the me I was back then, my mental strength was far greater now. I had lived through many more years after all.
Besides—Mia is waiting for me at home. Who the hell cared about some old heartbreak anymore?
I took a deep breath.
Instead of letting the Tar Guy’s consciousness take me over, I invaded it in return.
“Going on a rampage just because you got rejected? Seriously, how pathetic.”
“And calling yourself the Black Knight? That’s so painfully cringe. Seriously, so cringe.”
“You actually thought that would make girls like you?”
“Don’t worry, past me. You’re going to stay a virgin until the day you die.”
Every time I drove my own old wounds deeper with another insult, the Tar Guy’s will grew weaker and weaker. And after about five minutes of relentlessly tearing into myself—
“………………!”
With a voiceless scream, the Tar Guy vanished.
It was a dangerously close victory. If I had to keep it up for another minute, I don’t think my own sanity would’ve held out.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
Fold a paper airplane, then pour some magic into it.
Connect your vision and hearing to it, and voila—you’ve got yourself a familiar.
See? Easy, right? Why don’t you all give it a try?
Just kidding.
Though, as a toy, this thing is ridiculously fun. Since it’s being kept aloft by magic, it basically never falls. You can just sit back and enjoy a leisurely stroll through the night sky.
The city where I live, Matsuki City, is a regional city with a fair amount of bustle. The area around New Matsuki Station, in particular, is lined with department stores, large bookstores, fast-food joints, and the like. Even late at night, you can still spot the occasional young person wandering around. Watching them go about their business can be surprisingly entertaining.
Like the four blond guys with piercings playing a hunting game at McDonald’s. Or the woman walking around in nothing but a coat, trying her best not to attract attention.
Well, I guess you can find weird people even when it isn’t spring.
It’s while I am gentlemanly keeping an eye on the coat woman from high above that I heard an intriguing conversation coming from the direction of the park.
“Talking to you two is a waste of calories and oxygen. For the sake of the planet, why don’t you disappear already?”
“Huh? What the hell did you just say? You looking for a fight, punk?”
“Hehe. Masaru-san here used to train at a boxing gym, you know. He even took the pro test once. He failed though.”
“Shut the hell up! Don’t go saying unnecessary crap!”
“Ow! Why’d you hit me, Masaru-san?”
There’s one girl and two men.
I am not sure if it is a good idea for a girl to be wandering around alone at this hour, but it looks like she’s being hassled by some troublesome guys.
“Impulsive and violent. Put mildly, you’re both a scum. I was wrong to think I could gather information from monkeys like you.”
“You called Masaru-san a monkey because his name is Masaru, right?”
“Saburo, I’m killing you later.”
Both men had that distinctly Shibuya sort of look to them—the kind of guys who seemed like they might have whispered to Gaia at some point.
Faded-colored jackets. Ripped jeans. The jeans were oddly short, leaving their ankles completely exposed.
Is that actually fashionable these days?
I really didn’t understand young people. Still, compared to the girl’s fashion, the two men’s outfits were downright normal.
A bandage was wound around her head, covering everything from her forehead to her right eye, and she wore fingerless gloves on both hands. She was dressed in a black overcoat resembling a military uniform, with a “Cracked Inverted Cross” embroidered across the back.
It was an excruciatingly edgy outfit. Just looking at her was enough to shave years off my soul. The only saving grace was that the girl herself was quite beautiful.
With a fearless smile on her face, she turned to the intimidating men and said,
“I’ve lost interest in you. Go somewhere far away and live your utterly unproductive lives.”
If she wasn’t actively picking a fight, I didn’t know what was.
“Damn it, this bitch thinks she can look down on us! We went easy on her ’cause she’s just a kid, and now she’s gotten all cocky!”
“Masaru-san, let’s beat her up and drag her into the bushes. We can show her what a truly productive activity looks like.”
“Oh? You intend to defy me? Very well. Then let us have a little warm-up. —No one who has laid eyes upon my magic wand has ever lived to return home.”
The girl slipped a hand into her coat pocket, exuding the kind of presence you’d expect from a final boss.
And then—
“…Huh?”
She tilted her head.
“What’s going on? I swear I put it in my coat before I left the inn…”
All the dignity she had been projecting moments ago vanished. She frantically patted herself down, searching every inch of her body. But apparently, this so-called magic wand was nowhere to be found.
“Well, that’s unfortunate. It seems the stars aren’t in my favor today.”
She spun around and tried to make a run for it.
“Oh, no you don’t.”
“Anyone who tells me to wait should know that I— Gugyaaah!?”
Thud!
The fact that her overcoat covered her legs all the way to her ankles had come back to bite her. Her feet tangled in the hem, and she went sprawling face-first onto the ground.
“Heh. That’s what you get for making a fool of us.”
“Man, she really ate dirt there.”
“Well then, how about we have some fun? Saburo, make sure you get all of this on camera.”
“Of course!”
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
At some point, this had started to feel like I was watching a comedy skit, but wasn’t this actually a pretty serious situation? The man called Masaru reached down toward the fallen girl.
In a situation like this, there was only one thing I could do. I couldn’t just stand by and abandon a girl in trouble.
And, more importantly, she was about to meet her doom because she had forgotten something. I couldn’t help but feel a profound sense of kinship with her.
So, yeah. Time to move out.
Paper Airplane Squadron—charge!
“Come on, kid. Put up at least a little resistance—Gaaaaah!”
“Oh no! A paper airplane has flown out of nowhere and struck Masaru-san, who prides himself on having 20/20 vision, right in the left eye!”
“W-what the hell is this—GAAAAAAAAAH!”
“Whoa! Another paper airplane just hit him in the right eye!”
“What the hell is going on—NGAHHHHHHHHHH!”
“Paper airplanes are diving in one after another! It’s a kamikaze attack! Hooray!”
I’ll set aside the henchman and his bizarre habit of narrating everything.
The paper airplane I was controlling wasn’t the only one. Thanks to practicing parallel control a little every night, I could now operate around twenty of them simultaneously. So I gathered them all up and sent them charging straight at this Masaru guy.
Oh, and I didn’t actually hit his eyeballs. It’d be a shame if his precious 20/20 vision got ruined.
“…Hoh?”
Suddenly, the girl picked up one of the paper airplanes lying on the ground.
『A rather unusual familiar. Whoever you are, you have my thanks.』
Eh!?
A voice echoed inside my head.
Telepathy. No way.
Could this girl actually be a real magician?
『My name is Shizuku Aitori. And you?』
Should I give her my name?
Nah. Better not. Keeping your identity a secret in situations like this is the height of coolness.
『I’m hardly important enough to give you my name, lovely young lady.』
『L-lovely!? M-Me? You think I’m….?』
Was she just not used to receiving compliments? Her face instantly turned bright red, like someone had flipped a switch. Though, I suppose in the world I came from, a compliment like that was practically a form of greeting.
『This is no time to get embarrassed. Hurry up and r—』
Run. I was just about to tell her that when—
『…!?』
An ominous presence made me catch my breath.
Shizuku Aitori, as she had introduced herself, sensed it too.
『Of all the times for us to run into it…』
Her mutter carried even a hint of despair.
—Clang. Clang.
From somewhere in the distance came the sound of metal striking metal.
—CLANG. CLANG.
Closer. Whatever it was, it was steadily making its way toward us, approaching the park.
“W-What…?”
“Masaru-san, this is seriously bad.”
The two men must have sensed it too. Their faces had gone deathly pale, and they were trembling.
—CLANG. CLANG.
And then. On a moonless night, beneath the feeble glow of a streetlamp barely illuminating the ground, it appeared. It was a sight you simply wouldn’t encounter in an ordinary provincial Japanese city.
A suit of pitch-black full plate armor. Its shape was deeply sinister, resembling some snarling beast baring its fangs. A blood-red scarf was wrapped around its neck. An oppressive killing intent radiated from it, dominating the entire area. Violent, overwhelming magic churned beneath the armor.
I stood there, dumbfounded.
Fight or run?
My mind was so overwhelmed that I couldn’t even make that decision.
Because—
I knew this thing. I had never met it in person. I had never spoken to it. Never fought it. But I had seen it before.
What the hell was going on?
I genuinely couldn’t make sense of any of this.
The figure standing before me was exactly the same as I had once looked, back when I was suffering from Chūnibyō in another world, in my previous life.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
Long golden hair fluttered in the wind, mingled with snow. At the sight, Luisia felt her heartbeat surge. Freyja, dwelling within her heart, must have been shaken by this reunion as well.
Without meaning to, Luisia whispered,
“Freyr.…”
The man before them looked even more battered than when they had last parted. Tragic might have been the better word. His fine garments were torn in several places, and the blood flowing from his chest had already frozen solid. His left eye remained closed, perhaps unable to open anymore. There wasn’t even a wound there, yet the eyelid stayed shut.
His sword was gone. Only its magnificent sheath remained at his waist, as though it had been left there by mistake.
Felix stepped forward.
“You survived.”
Luisia couldn’t speak.
There was something horrifying about the man standing before her. She could barely sense any life left in him.
Freyr coughed roughly, then whispered,
“…Rion…”
His voice was hoarse, as though every word had to be dragged from the depths of his throat.
“He gave me… a small amount of his magic.”
“Oniichan did?”
Luisia furrowed her brow.
By now, she understood what it meant to give magic to a god. It was practically the same as giving away a portion of one’s own life. And yet her brother had never mentioned doing anything like that.
Then Freyja’s voice came from deep within her chest.
—It may have been an unconscious act.
The younger goddess continued.
—Gods and humans form bonds with one another, exchanging magical power.
—Perhaps even something like empathy can create such a connection.
—I believe Rion must have connected with my brother’s heart at the very end.
They had crossed swords countless times. But perhaps, in those final moments, Rion had finally understood what Freyr had been feeling as he fought. And perhaps that understanding had become a bond—much like the bond Rion shared with the Sun Goddess Solana.
A bond strong enough to keep Freyr alive.
The God of Fertility took a step forward, his body battered beyond recognition.
“—Freyja.”
As he climbed the stairs, he reached a trembling hand toward Luisia.
“…Take back—”
Luisia ran toward him.
Felix hurriedly moved after her, while Mia stared in shock.
Several adventurers were about to rush forward as well—
when Luisia shouted,
“You idiot!”
Smack!
She slapped the man across the face. The blow from the petite girl, standing on tiptoe to reach him, was enough to throw Freyr off balance and send him collapsing onto the stairs.
Luisia crouched beside him, took the god’s hand, and pressed it against her shoulder.
“Talk to her!”
“I…”
“Talk to Freyja-sama!”
For the weakened Freyr to speak with his younger sister, Freyja, he needed to be in physical contact with Luisia.
Green magical energy flowed from the girl’s shoulder, through the man’s arm. Before long, the divine siblings began to speak.
—I’m sorry, Freyja.
Freyr continued.
—I couldn’t protect you. In the previous Ragnarok, we lost to the monsters. And now… you are disappearing.
For a moment, Freyja held her breath.
—Brother. I’ve already accepted both our defeat by the monsters and the fact that I am fading away.
Her words were warm and gentle, like the arrival of spring itself.
—The gods were too divided, too weak, to prevent our defeat. We were weak.
—If my life can prevent the betrayal of those who would flee to another world through Creation, then my life is nothing to lament.
Freyr spoke as though he were coughing up blood.
—Even so… I hated you.
—I hated myself, too.
—To crush that weakness… to become stronger… I had to take it back…!
His voice trembled.
Luisia stared into Freyr’s eyes—his right eye blue, his left eye green.
The man lowered his head.
“…Yes. You’re right. I hated myself for being defeated.”
The God of Fertility hadn’t truly hated his sister. Nor had he truly hated the other gods.
Luisia understood that now. When she herself had been crushed beneath the weight of her own weakness, anything she could do to escape it had seemed dazzlingly bright.
And so Luisia, too, had once succumbed to the temptation of Creation.
The light had made her weakness seem to fade. But weakness did not disappear. It only cast a deeper shadow.
“When Creation failed, there was no longer any reason for Odin to restrain Freyja-sama with the skill Miko.”
“I suppose… I could have stopped fighting then.”
“But…”
Luisia could only vaguely grasp the meaning.
Freyja, who had once stopped Creation, had become an enemy of Odin.
Even if Freyr had wanted to free Freyja from Luisia, the chief god would never have allowed it.
But now—
Creation had already failed.
Perhaps Freyr could have chosen another path.
“I wanted to save you with my own hands.”
The God of Fertility finally confessed what was in his heart.
“For me to be saved, I had to save you.”
His hatred of his own weakness had robbed him of their final chance at reconciliation.
—I’m sorry, Brother.
—I chose to give up my life, leaving you behind.
Freyr shook his head.
“No. I’m sorry, Freyja.”
A faint light of salvation appeared in his blue eye.
“…So it really was this simple.”
It had taken the divine siblings a thousand years to arrive at something that human brothers and sisters had been doing countless times since the beginning of the world.
Luisia couldn’t help but think—It was too late.
Freyr’s body was probably being kept alive by nothing more than the magical power he had received from her brother, Rion.
Soon, he would breathe his last. And this time, he would never awaken again.
Some kind of roar echoed across the dawn sky.
―Ooooooooooooooooh!
The roar rose from the enormous hole in the temple. Rion and Ymir were still fighting somewhere within the rift that had opened in the floor.
Luisia rose to her feet and shuddered.
“…That’s Ymir’s.”
Her brother’s back flashed through her mind.
“Oniichan’s in danger.”
A monster with this much power. How long could her brother possibly keep fighting without the gods? And the place he was in was beyond the world’s creation itself—the very place where the primordial giant had been born. In a sense, it was Ymir’s homeland.
The freezing wind must be draining her brother’s strength.
Felix planted his staff firmly and spoke to Freyja.
“…Is there any way we can go and rescue Rion?”
―If anyone can enter that void and save him, it is not humans.
―Only the gods.
But the gods themselves had lost their magic in the heavens.
Mia began marching straight toward the rift. Several adventurers hurried after her and pinned her to the ground.
“Mia!”
“Let go! It’s worth a shot! If someone goes down there, we’ll know whether we can make it or not!”
“That’s far too reckless!”
Magic.
Luisia placed a hand over her chest.
The half-finished “Creation.”
Because the ritual had ended prematurely, Luisia still had some of the magic that had been meant to complete Creation. But using it would mean drawing even more power from Freyja.
This time, the goddess’s very existence would be absorbed into Luisia—and disappear.
Felix suddenly looked up.
“…Wait. Magic?”
He touched the coronet on his head and looked around at everyone.
“There were the World Serpent Jörmungandr and Fenrir out there. Those legendary monsters left behind magic stones. If we can draw magic from them…”
A murmur swept through the adventurers.
―Those magic stones alone will not be enough.
―But if we combine the magic remaining within me with the magic stones left behind on the snowfield, there may be a chance of restoring the gods.
Luisia raised her voice.
“But then Freyja-sama will disappear!”
After undergoing “Creation,” Luisia and Freyja had become even more inseparably bound together. By now, Freyja was little more than an existence waiting to be absorbed into Luisia.
If they forced even more magic out of her, that absorption would only accelerate.
A roar echoed across the snowfield.
Felix shook his head.
“Even if the magic is still there on the surface, we would first have to get Luisia-san to Bifröst, the Rainbow Bridge. And that means…”
He glanced toward the snow-covered battlefield.
“…getting through all the monsters out there.”
A heavy silence settled over them.
They had the magic they needed.
But the price was Freyja’s life.
And on top of that, they had no way to transport that magic to where the gods were—the heavens.
Mia looked up into the snow-filled sky.
“Hey, what if we get Odin and the others to come down here? At the very least, they’ve still got some power left, right?”
Freyja’s voice answered.
―The freezing wind pouring from the rift is keeping the gods away.
Luisia understood what the goddess meant.
A bitter wind blew from the rift in the temple. The adventurers shivered, wrapping their arms around themselves.
Luisia explained.
“This wind isn’t just cold.”
It was a wind that sapped the strength of both gods and humans.
Ymir had been born from the collision of cold and hot magic—but perhaps that cold magic was the true source of this frigid wind.
To humans and gods whose strength grew beneath the sun, this wind was poison. It was even colder than the chill Luisia had felt while under the seal. Now, Luisia could sense the cold magic raging high above them. Even Bifröst, the Rainbow Bridge visible in the distance, was almost obscured by the swirling snow, looking as though the storm might tear it apart.
It was proof that traveling between this world and the heavens was no easy feat—not even for the gods.
―They may be able to see what is happening from the heavens.
―But I doubt they can come to our aid.
Luisia took a deep breath.
She had learned from her brother that breathing deeply from the belly was a way to steady herself.
And now, to save that brother, she forced herself to think for herself.
“…Even traveling between the surface and the heavens requires an immense amount of magic right now. Odin, and even Solana-sama and the others in their weakened state, probably can’t do it. If we want to bring the magic to them… I think we have no choice but to go there ourselves.”
Freyja silently agreed.
A cold wind swept down the stairs.
Luisia had the magic, but could not fight.
The surface was overrun with monsters. And at this very moment, Rion was in danger.
If Freyja were completely absorbed into Luisia, the girl’s power would increase tremendously. If that allowed her to fight, perhaps they could somehow deal with the monsters on the surface.
But then both gods of the divine siblings would die. And there was no guarantee that Luisia would actually become capable of fighting.
Luisia clenched her shoulders tightly.
Just then, Freyr rose unsteadily to his feet.
“No.”
The man was staring at his right hand. The green magic that had passed through it moments ago still flickered faintly in his palm.
“…Luisia. I may be able to draw Freyja out of your body.”
Luisia stared at Freyr in surprise. Within her chest, Freyja was equally speechless.
The God of Fertility lowered his chin.
“I’ll use seior magic.”
It was magic that acted upon the mind—the specialty of the divine siblings of fertility.
“Perhaps because I received magic from Rion… Luisia, the precision of the seior magic I can use on you has increased.”
―Brother, I…
“If I can release Freyja from your body, she should be able to fly through the sky and head straight for Bifröst, the Rainbow Bridge. No interference from the monsters. Straight there.”
“But, If I fail… neither you, Freyja, nor I will escape unscathed. And besides, I don’t know if I have your trust—”
“No!”
Luisia grabbed Freyr by the arm.
“If that’s the only way… if it means we can save Oniichan!”
Her sky-blue right eye stared straight into Freyr’s.
“…Please do so!”
Freyr looked caught off guard.
Then, little by little, a wry smile appeared on his face.
“Humans have strong siblings.”
It was a weary smile, but there was a gentleness in it all the same.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
I had neither a grandfather nor a grandmother, and the only relatives I really had were the Kirasawa family. So after the plane crash, custody of me was transferred to Shuji-san. It wasn’t an adoption, but something about becoming a legal guardian for a minor, blah blah blah.
I don’t really understand the finer points of the law, but I currently go by the name Yoshito Kirasawa. Incidentally, it seems my Old Man had left behind some sort of will, in which he had apparently told Shuji-san to keep his existence a secret. Specifically, he wanted Shuji-san to conceal his existence until I turned fifteen.
So, officially, I know nothing about my real father.
Six months passed, and Mia and I turned four. It was autumn, the season when the chilly air makes you long for the company of others. At Omichi Kindergarten’s Rose class, an unprecedented “playing house” craze had broken out.
“I’m home! Oh, Kousuke, you’re back already?”
“Yeah. I got off work early today. Here, I made dinner. Be grateful.”
“Looks delicious. Man, if only you were a girl.”
“D-Don’t say stupid things like that. B-But… if that’s really how you feel, Yoshito, then I…”
Kousuke lowered his head. His cheeks were bright red.
Some of you may have forgotten, so let me introduce him again. This is Kousuke Orise, one of the boys in my Rose class. He has a fairly androgynous face, and he could probably pull off a skirt surprisingly well.
The scenario we were acting out was: “Two male roommates, one of whom has romantic feelings for the other.” The girls clustered around us were the ones who had requested it. Every single one of them was drooling with expressions that were utterly unbecoming of respectable young ladies.
“What’s up, Kousuke? Are you serious about becoming my wife?”
“B-but, we’re both guys—”
“That doesn’t matter, does it? Tell me. What do you want to be to me?”
“W-what the hell?!”
Ah, Kousuke’s pissed.
“It’s just pretend play, why are we doing it with only guys?! It’s weird! Ugh…!”
He pleaded tearfully to the girls around him.
However.
“Kousuke-kun, you have to finish it properly!”
“That’s right, everyone’s looking forward to it!”
“There’s not enough preciousness, not enough preciousness!”
The response he received was a heartless chorus of boos. The number of fujoshi (female fans of boys’ love) in the Rose Class is steadily increasing.
Faced with this grave situation,
“Uwaaaa! I hate women!”
Kousuke ran away!
“I won’t let you get away.”
“Wait right there!”
“It’s not over until you kiss!”
Women are strong in every era.
I’m having a decent enough time, but I wonder if Kousuke is okay. I’m worried he might develop a trauma regarding the opposite sex.
Just for the record, it’s not all twisted situations like this, you know? There are plenty of groups where “Mommy” and “Daddy” live in peace. Well, the fact that mine is the biggest group… I suppose that just goes to show there isn’t a single girl who dislikes gay men.
On the other hand… there are also girls who couldn’t care less about the trend.
“Hmph.”
That’s my Mia.
She used to try to fit in at kindergarten, but she regressed once the “playing house” craze hit. Radiating an aura that screams “don’t talk to me,” she spends all her time reading picture books in the corner of the classroom.
Well, I suppose it’s better than her holing up in the library. Still, the way she occasionally sneaks a peek this way makes me think she isn’t entirely uninterested in playing house.
“Kousuke-kun escaped out the window!”
“Corner him in the animal shed! Do it just like always!”
“Hehehe… catching a boy, and keeping him as a pet…”
Oh? It looks like Kousuke is really giving it his all.
Now then, whose side should I take today? Betraying someone at the last minute might be fun, too.
Just as I was thinking that…
“Hey, Yoshito-kun.”
A girl called out to me.
She had big, round eyes and a very cute face. Her soft hair was styled into “princess-like” pigtails. Her name is Ayano Matsuki, I think. She is from the class next door—the Sakura Class.
“Want to play house with me?”
Hmm, what should I do?
The girls from the Rose Class had all chased after Kousuke and gone outside. That left me all alone. I didn’t have anything else to do, so playing with Matsuki-san seemed like a fine idea.
But first…
“Is it okay if I invite Mia, too?”
“Yeah, sure. I wanted to be friends with Mia-chan, too.”
Matsuki-san responds with a beaming, angelic smile.
Her expression is dazzling, just like an idol’s.
I go to call out to Mia, but…
Huh?Where’d she go?
She doesn’t have a book with her. Maybe she went to the library to borrow a new one? I guess I’ll just talk to her when she gets back.
“Let’s get started for now. What role do you want, Matsuki-san?”
“I’ll be Ayano. And I’ll call you Yoshito.”
“Alright, Ayano.”
“What is it, Yoshito?”
Matsuki-san—or rather, Ayano—replies in a voice full of sweet affection.
“Hehe, dinner will be ready soon, so just wait a bit.”
Whoa. It seems the make-believe game has already begun. No discussion about roles or the scenario beforehand? This is advanced-level stuff.
Fine by me.
Challenge accepted.
I’ll show her the improvisational skills of the man who once saved the world!
＊ ＊ ＊
After spending tens of minutes piling up random, improvised plot points, Ayano and I found our little role-playing game reaching an unexpected climax.
“I’ve figured it out—I know your true identity…!”
“Oh well, I guess the cat’s out of the bag.”
Ayano offered a smile of resignation.
“I’m the reincarnation of the girl you killed, Yoshito.”
“Did you get close to me for revenge?”
“Nope, that’s not it. …I actually fell in love with you the moment I was killed.”
Let me just sort out the premise here.
In this story, I’m supposed to be a serial killer. By day, I act like a decent salaryman, but at night, I stalk women with a knife in hand. A modern-day Jack the Ripper, essentially. Ayano is a woman who forced her way into my life—and turns out to be the reincarnation of one of my victims. Yet, she holds no grudge against me. In fact, she’s head over heels in love.
Talk about a psycho-horror scenario.
“You kill people because you’re afraid of them, don’t you, Yoshito? But that’s okay—from now on, I’ll protect you forever.”
In the end, the serial killer gets drugged into unconsciousness and locked away in a basement. An unexpected yandere ending.
It was a truly shocking turn of events.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.
Before I knew it, a crowd of kindergarteners was watching our little game of make-believe. Thunderous applause filled the air. Quite a few of them were even shedding tears of emotion.
Is this kindergarten actually okay?
“What a touching story.”
“It’s enough to make the whole country cry.”
“It would’ve been even better if Kousuke-kun had been the one playing the partner role, though.”
I worry about the future of Japan. Before long, it was time to go home, and I boarded the shuttle bus.
Naturally, Mia was with me, but…
“I wonder what’s for dinner tonight.”
“Beats me.”
She’s in an incredibly foul mood.
“You know, the house next door put up a new fence.”
“Yeah.”
“No, see, that’s the moment where you’re supposed to say, ‘Oh, really?’”
“Shut it.”
She had gone beyond tsundere—she was in a full-blown “tsundora” state. No matter what topic I brought up, she’d cut me off with a single, curt phrase.
I thought things might improve once we got home, but…
“Good night. Wake me up when dinner’s ready.”
She hurriedly burrowed into the futon.
What on earth is going on? I don’t get it. Someone explain!
Kidding. I actually have a pretty good idea of the cause.
“Is this about Matsuki-san?”
I sat down next to Mia and asked her that.
“Did it bother you that I was hanging out with her?”
No reply.
Instead, Mia inched a little closer to me. She reached her right hand out from the gap in the futon and grabbed the hem of my jacket. I suppose that means “yes.”
“In that case, I won’t have anything to do with Matsuki-san anymore. I promise.”
“.…It’s fine, really.”
Oh, looks like we might actually have a conversation now.
“I mean, you looked like you were having a lot of fun with Matsuki-san, Oniisan. You should just keep getting along with her.”
“Calm down, Mia. Aren’t you misunderstanding something?”
“I’m not. I’m just sulking and getting jealous all on my own.”
Mia let go of my hem and then gave my back a firm shove.
“I’m being a really annoying girl right now. Oniisan, I don’t want you to see me like this. So, go away.”
Push, push.
For me, the pressure on my lower back actually felt like a nice massage, but for Mia, it was clearly a desperate plea.
“I can put up with you playing house with Orise-kun. But I hate the idea of you doing that kind of thing with another girl.”
“Then I’ll be careful about that, t—”
“You don’t have to!”
Mia cut me off.
“After all, I don’t have the right to tie you down, Oniisan.”
“It’s not about tying you down or anything like that. I just don’t want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable, Mia.”
“Why?”
Just like that, the pressure pushing against my back eased.
“This is just a hysterical fit. You could have just ignored it.”
“It’s obviously because you’re important to me.”
When I said that, Mia’s hands fell away from my back completely.
A room with just the two of us.
The setting sun was streaming in through the window.
After a moment…
“…I’m hopeless, aren’t I?”
“What’s wrong?”
Mia didn’t answer.
She stood up in silence, and then—
“Hyaaah!!”
“Whoa!?”
She clung to me, still wrapped in her blanket.
“Uga—! Waaah! Kya!”
“Hey, Mia, pull yourself together! Snap out of it!”
“Shut up! Just spoil me! Uwa!”
A tight squeeze, a good rub, and another tight squeeze.
Even through the blanket, Mia’s pressing her whole body against my back.
“I’m the kind of girl who’ll forgive you in a heartbeat if you’re just a little nice to me, damn it! Say that line again!”
“Hey, Mia, pull yourself together! Snap out of it!”
“You idiot!”
Whack!
I got smacked with a pillow. It actually stung a bit.
“A little further back!”
“Uhm.. ‘Because you’re important to me, obviously’?”
“Put more love into it!”
“Because you’re the most important girl in the world to me, obviously.”
“Tsu…!”
Thud. Mia collapsed down the bed. It seems that was a bit too intense for her.
Heh. I win.
While I’m at it, let me share a few inner thoughts. I don’t harbor any clear romantic feelings for Mia just yet.
That said…
The way she showed such straightforwardness—almost to the point of clumsiness—regarding the whole thing with Matsuki, I find that quality appealing. And the way she sometimes mutters, “You can sleep in the bottom bunk tonight, you know”, while looking all bashful… that’s incredibly cute.
—If we keep being together like this, I’ll probably end up falling for Mia.
I have a feeling that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
Well, it’s far too embarrassing to actually say something like that to Mia, though. Anyway. For the time being, as a way to look after Mia…
“Mia, hold out your hand.”
“Like this?”
“Yeah, that’s it… Here, a present.”
What I handed her was a toy ring. It was something I’d won in a summer festival lottery a while back. A set of two—matching rings.
“You can wear that at kindergarten, too.”
And then, the next day.
“Hey, hey, Yoshito-kun. Won’t you play with me?”
It seemed she had enjoyed yesterday so much that Matsuki-san called out to me again. We were in the Rose Class classroom. Mia was right there beside me, so I figured I might as well make a statement.
“Sorry, Matsuki-san. I’m playing house with Mia right now.”
I held up my left hand. Mia hesitantly did the same. Shining on our ring fingers were the matching rings.
“Does that mean you’re married to Mia-chan?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded.
Before I knew it, the Rose Class classroom had gone completely silent. The girls around us were whispering things like, “It’s a love triangle showdown”, and “This is like a suspense drama.”
The atmosphere was heavy. I didn’t want to leave things on such an awkward note, so I grabbed a boy nearby—Kousuke Orise—who was blinking in wide-eyed confusion.
Sorry, buddy, but you’re going to have to be the sacrificial lamb here.
“So anyway, I’ve got myself a wife.”
I flashed a roguish, bad-boy grin. “Kousuke, you and I were just having a fling. See ya.”
I knew it was a pretty lousy thing to say. Still, it worked exactly as intended: the attention of the girls in the Rose Class shifted toward Kousuke.
“A bittersweet ending, huh?”
“Kousuke-kun is going to let his life fall apart because he can’t forget Yoshito-kun.”
“So precious… truly precious.”
Sorry,Kousuke.
I’ll share some caramel with you someday, so please forgive me.
“Hmm.”
Now then. As for Mitsuki-san, she was smiling brightly for some reason.
“So, Mia-chan… that’s how it is, after all.”
Her smile was angelic, yet for some reason, a strange chill ran down my spine.
“It’s fine. I’ll leave Yoshito-kun in your care for now… but I will be taking him back someday.”
“What are you talking about?”
Mia retorted coolly.
“My brother never had any interest in you to begin with.”
Uh…Can I make a run for it?
While the other girls got excited talking about Kousuke, Mia and Mitsuki-san were glaring straight at each other. The tension between them mounted, and then…
“…Just kidding.”
Matsuki-san let out a soft, amused smile.
“Hahaha, just a joke, just a joke. I’ll get out of your hair now—see ya.”
Turning her back on us, she left the classroom with a light step.
Phew. I guess that settles things for now.
A few days later, the playing-house craze finally came to an end. Apparently, me turning Kousuke down had served as a sort of turning point, and now origami was all the rage.
“Good for you, Kousuke. You don’t have to play house anymore.”
“Yeah… right.”
“What’s wrong? You look kind of out of it.”
Maybe he had a fever. Winter is approaching after all, and colds were going around too.
I reached out and placed a hand against Kousuke’s forehead. He’s burning up. His face was bright red, too.
“Kousuke, shouldn’t you go to the nurse’s office?”
“T-The n-nurse’s office!?”
For some reason, Kousuke completely freaked out. Maybe he had some unpleasant memories associated with the place.
“I-I’m fine! Just leave me alone!”
Smack!
Kousuke knocked my hand away, then climbed straight out the window and ran off.
What was up with him?
Well, whatever. Since I had the chance, I might as well try making various things out of origami. They could even come in handy for some magic experiments later.
＊ ＊ ＊
And so, several more months passed.
One winter night, while I am playing around by flying a paper-airplane-shaped familiar, I happened to witness a little incident.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
True to her nature as a succubus, Manya’s appearance was incredibly lewd. She wore black leather bondage gear that cupped her bountiful breasts from both sides. The center was held together by nothing but a round ring, leaving her cleavage shamelessly exposed. Her tightly cinched waist was bare to the air, and a skimpy scrap of underwear dug deep into her buttocks.
The reason I’m going out of my way to describe all this is that I want you to understand my state of mind.
The moment Manya lunged at Mia, I cast a binding spell.
Magic is all about visualization.
Faced with a body that oozes such sex appeal, what kind of things would a man imagine? I mean, you can’t really blame me for having a few stray thoughts about bondage play, right? Right?
“Nn… Ah…!”
A rope of light materialized from thin air and instantly bound Manya tight. The rope crossed over her chest, deliberately accentuating the size of her bosom. It then secured her hands behind her back, threaded between her legs, and looped around her neck.
The more she struggled, the tighter it cinched, rubbing against her skin as it did so.
A moist, breathless gasp escaped Manya’s lips.
If a scene like this were uploaded to the internet, it would put even the biggest YouTubers to shame.
“Oniisan, this is a bit…”
Mia shot me a skeptical, narrow-eyed look.
N-No, wait. It’s a misunderstanding.
It’s not like I have a thing for BDSM or anything. It’s just… well, I sort of got carried away.
“Please switch back to a normal binding method.”
That’s a shame—I mean, understood.
I reconfigured the spell formula. Since casting it without an incantation might result in something lewd, I focused intently on the chant.
“—《Binding Spell: Bindry》・《I bind your limbs fast in shackles.》”
A rope of light slithered forward and wrapped tightly around only Manya’s hands and feet.
“Haa…”
Manya let out a sigh that sounded almost wistful, then turned her gaze toward me.
“Y-Yoshito-kun…?”
It seemed she had realized who I was.
“How could this be…? 《Binding Spell》 is magic from the other world…”
“Strange isn’t it?”
There was no reason for me to reveal my hand, so I decided to bury her in a rapid-fire explanation and leave her thoroughly confused.
“By the way, do you know the roots of the word ‘fushigi’—mystery? It’s actually a Buddhist term, *fukashigi*, representing the number 10 to the power of 80. The world is overflowing with mysteries on that scale, so whatever magic I might be using… it’s really no big deal, is it? Right?”
“Eh? Ah… yeah?”
“More importantly, there’s something I’m curious about. Even if you raise your favorability with me, that isn’t going to help you marry my old man. I mean, he’s going out of his way to keep me at arm’s length, isn’t he?”
“B-but everyone said it was ‘actually kind of a good idea’…”
“Everyone? Who, exactly?”
When I asked that, Manya listed four names.
Yue Ishirogi.
Aria El Samaria.
Miya Azhiro.
Makina Kaminagi.
In other words, they were all of my Old Man’s lovers except Manya herself.
Which led me to one rather obvious conclusion—
“Manya-san, are you being played?”
It was hardly a sophisticated scheme, but had the other lovers banded together to try to drive her out?
“…I knew that from the very beginning.”
Manya answered in a dark voice.
Then she glared sharply at me.
“But I had no other choice!”
She let out a hysterical scream.
“If I turned down everyone’s suggestion, it would’ve put me in an even worse position! There was nothing else I could do! —Ugh… uuuuh, waaahhhhhhh…”
And finally, she buried her face in the bedding and started crying.
I’d already put up a soundproof barrier, so at least we wouldn’t be disturbing the other guests. More importantly, though… What the hell was I supposed to do about this woman’s emotional instability?
『Hey, Oniisan.』
As I sat there deep in thought, Mia sent me a telepathic message.
『Check Manya-san’s stats for a second. Her mental state is in really bad shape.』
The last time I’d checked, it had been “[Mental] 80 (-65),” if I remembered correctly. It was probably the result of all the stress from being part of a harem, but…
Had it actually gotten worse?
I decided to use [Appraisal].
[Name] Manya Rafild [Gender] Female [Race] Succubus [Age] 33 years old [Title] Drifter [Contractor] Naoki Ishirogi [Stats] ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ Level: 42 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ Attack Power: 46 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ Defense Power: 34 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ Vitality: 75 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ Magic Power: 105 ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ Mental Strength: 80(-65)(-15) ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ Agility: 54 [Abilities] Unknown [Skills] Unknown [Magic] Unknown [Status Ailment] Derangement *The initial “-65” was due to her own stress, but that gruesome image from earlier seems to have been the final straw. “Hey lady, I don’t think going overboard is a good idea. Hmph!” (By Goddess Alcapa)
It’s been a long time since I last saw Alcapa’s name. Seeing it again gave me a strangely nostalgic feeling, but… “puffing with anger”? Really?
Anyway. My grotesque images really were that powerful, huh…
If they were responsible for Manya losing chunks of her memory and suddenly attacking Mia, then, uh…
『Am I actually the one at fault here?』
『I don’t think so.』
Mia immediately shot that down.
『The root cause was her putting herself in a harem in the first place, right? That wore down her mental strength by 65 points, and then the other members took advantage of her weakened state. Honestly, I think it’d be better to isolate her from her current relationships for a while.』
『Well, yeah. I suppose so.』
The question was whether we really had any obligation to go that far for her. After all, we were the victims here…
…Hmm?
Come to think of it, we hadn’t really suffered all that much.
Approached in the park → Called the police.
Spied on in our room → Drove her to a mental breakdown with grotesque images.
In retrospect, I might have overreacted a little because I was so wary of her. But considering how she’d been set up by the other members of the harem, I am starting to feel a little sorry for Manya.
Let’s see…
Right. It’s the fault of the old man who couldn’t keep his woman on a leash. Let’s just leave it at that.
Being a guy really sucks, doesn’t it?
Now, that brings me to the next point. How should I handle this woman, Manya Rafild?
The trouble is, she’s nothing but a walking problem. Suppose I separate her from the harem, just as Mia suggested. Where, then, could I possibly hide her?
We’re still just kindergarteners, we don’t have any connections. On the other hand, sending her back to the old man would be cruel—and besides, she knows far too much. She knows that I can use magic from the other world. That Mia is the Demon Lord’s daughter in her past life.
I want to keep both of those facts under wraps as much as possible.
A cool solution that satisfies every condition… Damn, I can only think of one. Killing her.
If she died, she’d be free of her troubles, and our secrets would remain safe. A perfect solution.
Yeah, right. The aftertaste of that would be absolutely horrible. I’m living this life for the sheer fun of it, so I’d like to find a slightly less awful option.
『Mia, got any good ideas?』
『Hmm… What about sending her back to the other world? But we don’t have any way to do that.』
『…Actually, I wonder about that.』
Manya-san had said earlier that she’d “failed to find a way back to her original world.” Which, if you looked at it another way, meant she had at least tried searching for one. Maybe there was some useful information buried in what she’d found.
It’s worth asking.
“Excuse me, can I ask you something?”
“Uuuh… What is it…? Just leave me alone…”
Ignoring her as she sulked like a child, I continued.
“Could you tell me everything you investigated while trying to get back to your original world? Maybe there’s something I can do to help.”
＊ ＊ ＊
Now, for one rather shocking revelation.
“Back then, I was researching a way to travel to the other world together with Naoki-sama and the others.”
I wondered if they had been doing it so they could send Manya back home. If that was the case, maybe the old man wasn’t quite the scumbag I’d thought he was.
“But ten years ago, Naoki-sama suddenly called the whole thing off. He told me, ‘Stay by my side forever,’ and I got so carried away… I was such an idiot. I should have kept researching it on my own, at the very least.”
I take back what I said.
He told her to stay by his side, and this is how things ended up? He left Manya to fend for herself even as she was being driven into a mental and emotional breakdown, and now the fallout had reached me. What kind of man does that?
If you’re going to take responsibility for someone, then see it through to the end.
“Apparently, everyone’s researching something else together now, but somewhere along the way, I was left out… Heh. I suppose that means I’m no longer needed. I already gave up every last scrap of knowledge I had about the other world, after all.”
Manya muttered bitterly, almost mocking herself.
“Maybe it’s because I had that huge cry just now, but I feel strangely refreshed. And now I can finally see it clearly. I was just being used.”
The way she spoke reminded me somewhat of Suika after the flag between her and my Old Man had been broken.
Suika had described the old man as “the possessor of something utterly horrifying that draws members of the opposite sex into his orbit.” As his son, I supposedly had the power to cancel out that “something”…or maybe I didn’t.
Surely I am overthinking things.
“So, Yoshito-kun, do you think you can find a way to send me back to the other world?”
“.…I don’t think we can do it right away.”
At the time, I am staring intently at the laptop I’d found among Manya’s belongings. The old man and the others’ research. A method for traveling to another world.
If I combined that with the knowledge from the other side, I thought we could probably bring it up to a practical level.
“Manya-san, would you mind if I made a copy of these materials?”
“In that case, I’ll just give you the whole laptop. It’s nothing but extra baggage for me now.”
“All right. I’ll take good care of it. I promise I’ll find a formula that can get you home, so please wait for me.”
“Do you think I can trust you?”
“I’m not like the old man. …Oh, right. If you’re leaving the harem, we should probably cancel the contract formula too, shouldn’t we?”
I reached out and placed a hand on Manya’s shoulder. I let my magic seep in through my fingertips, penetrating into her body.
“Nn, ngh… suddenly, inside… ah—”
Banish worldly desires.
Just like with Suika, why does she make such a sultry sound?
Oh well. I’ll keep the contract with the Old Man as it is on the surface, but set it up so Manya can cancel it whenever she wants. I could just cancel it right now, but that might make me look suspicious.
Alright.
Mission complete.
“Nn… is it over already…?”
It’s awkward when she looks at me with such longing eyes. Plus, I can feel Mia’s gaze piercing into my back. Looks like I’m in for a lecture later.
“To think you’d change the contract so easily… Yoshito-kun, just who are you?”
“It’s a mystery. By the way, the etymology of the word ‘mystery’ is—”
“So, you’re telling me not to pry. Understood.”
I’m glad you understand.
“Also, please keep Mia’s situation a secret, too.”
“Obviously. Even though I’ve been reborn, I’d never do anything to harm the Demon Lord’s daughter.”
“If you do spill the beans, this is what will happen to your body.”
I clenched my right hand into a fist, then opened it. Boom. I made a little explosion gesture.
“.…When you say it, Yoshito-kun, it doesn’t exactly sound like a joke.”
“Want to find out?”
“I think I’ll pass. I finally have a chance to get back to the other world, and I don’t intend to throw my life away.”
Please do. If Manya died, Mia would be sad too.
“Well then, I’ll be leaving a little earlier than planned.”
“Wouldn’t it be fine to leave tomorrow morning?”
“No. I can’t afford to take my time. Someone from the harem will probably come to eliminate me.”
What kind of lawless wasteland was this harem?
Talk about a battlefield…
Oh, enough with the jokes.
“Shall I lend you a hand?”
“No, I’m fine. I’m good at running away. I’ll just lie low somewhere and wait for the spell to finish… Oh, but that would mean I’m the only one benefiting, wouldn’t it?”
“That’s fine by me. Being kind to women is my hobby, after all.”
“No. I wouldn’t feel right about that.”
Manya stated this firmly.
“When you grow up, Yoshito-kun, you can do whatever you want with this body for a whole night—no, maybe even a whole week… Eek!?”
The reason she screamed wasn’t because an assassin had arrived—not at all.
“It’s quite alright, Aunt Manya.”
It was Mia. Mia was smiling, yet an aura of overwhelming intimidation radiated from her entire being.
“My brother is offering out of the kindness of his heart, so please just accept it. Okay?”
An aura of killing intent as cold as absolute zero. The air was thick with an atmosphere that could only be described as the majestic presence of a Demon Lord.
“Y-yes.”
Manya shrank back, cowering, and gave an awkward reply… or so it seemed.
Swish. Seizing a split-second opening, she quickly traced a pattern onto my left hand.
Then, she whispered.
“I’ve bestowed my protection upon you. There are succubi in this world, too, but you should be able to repel their charms.”
＊ ＊ ＊
That very night, the woman dressed in black bondage gear left the city.
She headed north, running, running, running.
But then—
“Stop right there, Manya Rafild.”
A black-haired woman intercepted her along the way.
“Not only did you approach Yoshito-sama without permission, you even caused trouble with the police. Even Oniisama is appalled by your stupidity.”
She looked to be in her late twenties. She was somewhat tall for a woman, dressed in traditional white Japanese clothing.
I remembered seeing photographs of her back when I was living at home. She’s my Old Man’s younger sister, Ishirogi Yue.
“I have a message from Oniisama. ―『Honestly, I never thought much of the idea of having a non-virgin woman who’d already borne another man’s child around.』
I happen to agree. Any woman who has known a man other than Oniisama has no business being at his side.”
Yue brandished that utterly self-serving logic without the slightest hesitation, and then—
“Fall into the underworld, you whore. If you have anyone to blame, blame yourself for being foolish enough to fall for our smooth talk.”
It happened in an instant. Yue swung her right arm down, and the woman in bondage was torn into three pieces. Her head, upper body, and lower body. Each piece turned into red particles and dissolved into the air.
“.…How anticlimactic. I didn’t even need to use my power.”
After watching it happen, Yue left with a satisfied look on her face.
Now then. Time for the big reveal.
The person who was just killed wasn’t actually Manya. It was a high-quality fake. And, of course, I was the one who made it. I had been broadcasting everything through its eyes and ears this whole time.
In other words, Ishirogi Yue had been completely fooled.
Someday, I’d love to bring Manya right in front of her and tease her with, “So, how does it feel!?”
The real Manya is still hiding somewhere in the city, and she is supposed to leave for somewhere else tomorrow morning. I hastily crafted and given her a magic item that would help conceal her identity, so she’d probably be fine.
I used [Appraisal] on her just before we parted ways, and the negative modifier on her mental state was gone.
After we finished talking with Manya, we quietly made our way home.
It was already past midnight.
“Well then, Mia. Good night.”
I put one foot on the ladder of the bunk bed.
“Wait, Oniisan.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Today… um, thanks.”
“For researching the return formula? It’s no big deal. Besides, it sounds interesting.”
“That too, but… Oniisan, you said you’d protect me, right? And when Aunt Manya actually attacked me, you really did come to my rescue.”
Mia’s voice gradually trailed off until she was mumbling so quietly that I could barely make out what she was saying.
A long silence followed. Then, as though she had finally made up her mind—
“Oniisan, you can sleep down here tonight.”
She said it.
“Then you’ll sleep up here?”
“No. I’ll sleep down here too.”
What did she mean by that?
I suddenly found myself confused.
And then Mia—
“It’s a reward for all your hard work—your cute little sister is going to sleep right next to you. …You wouldn’t mind that, would you?”
She asked with a hint of uncertainty.
Naturally, my answer was already decided. That night, we slept side by side.
Perhaps Mia felt a sense of rivalry toward Manya.
＊ ＊ ＊
A few days later.
A certain airplane crashed somewhere in the mountains of Europe. More than two hundred passengers and crew members were all listed as dead or missing.
Among the names on that list were Naoki Ishirogi and Yue Ishirogi. However, no bodies were ever found.
Just to be clear, I wasn’t the one who did it.
Seriously. I am not.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
We rode through the streets in our carriage, making our way toward the gate in the city walls.
“““Bye-bye!”””
“Take care out there!”
The orphanage construction site we had visited was near the gate in the city walls, so Shiro and the others leaned out of the carriage and waved goodbye.
Before long, we met up with the military convoy.
“Tory-san, sorry to keep you waiting.”
“No, no. We just arrived ourselves. Now then, sorry to rush things, but let’s get going to the Royal Capital.”
There were six carriages in total, four of which were for transporting supplies and personnel, while a cavalry unit formed a tight perimeter around the entire convoy. We are scheduled to travel at the very back of the formation.
“We’ll be traveling at a fairly brisk pace along the way. We’ll only stop in towns to replenish our supplies, and otherwise we’ll be camping out. Will that be a problem?”
“Not at all. We’ve brought plenty of food, and we’ve also prepared everything we need to sleep inside the carriage.”
“Hahaha. That’s reassuring to hear.”
I had assumed Tory-san would be riding in one of the carriages, but he’s actually handling his own horse. Apparently, he didn’t like being cooped up in a confined space and wanted to keep his body moving. He rode alongside our carriage, peering curiously inside.
“Hmm… this goes here, and that goes there…”
“Sue-oneechan, I finished the calculations!”
“I finished mine, too!”
“All right, let me grade them.”
Inside the carriage, we had set up one of our little secret gadgets.
We placed a cloth over a low sitting-style desk, then put a wooden board on top to serve as a tabletop. Underneath it, we had placed a magic tool that generated heat. It was a makeshift kotatsu, and considering how quickly we’d put it together, it had turned out pretty well.
Sue was using the kotatsu to teach Shiro and the others. Ao was helping teach them as well.
“That kotatsu of yours is quite something. Winters are inevitably cold, so having something that can conveniently provide warmth is very useful.”
“The mechanism is extremely simple, so you’re welcome to make one yourselves.”
“Hmm. We can’t try it right now, but we’ll give it a shot once we return to the Royal Capital.”
Tory-san seemed quite interested in the kotatsu inside our carriage.
That said, since we were currently escorting the convoy, I imagine he’d probably make one for himself once we reached the royal capital. Incidentally, although we were traveling at a fairly brisk pace, our two horses were handling it without the slightest problem.
After stopping in a town to replenish whatever supplies we needed, we traveled a little farther before stopping along the highway for lunch.
“Good work, Maroon!”
“Ale, I’m going to wipe you down.”
“Here’s some water.”
““Hi-hiiin””
With Sue helping them out, Shiro and the others eagerly took care of the horses. The water was supplied using Fran’s magic, and we had plenty of feed stored in the magic bag we kept for the carriage.
Sizzle, sizzle.
As for me, I am preparing lunch together with the members of the rear support unit. It’s much more efficient to cook everything together rather than making separate meals just for ourselves after all.
Ao is helping out as well, grilling meat one piece after another.
“It’s nice being able to have a hot meal while on the march like this.”
Tory-san is looking forward to the food we were making, too.
Apparently, there really had been a time when soldiers on the march had nothing but hardtack and dried meat to eat. These days, however, magic bags had become so advanced that transporting ingredients was hardly an issue.
Of course, we were also preparing meals for the people we were escorting.
And now, as for how the finished food tasted…
““““Yummy!””””
It was enough to put big smiles on Shiro and the others’ faces.
When it’s time to eat, you need to eat well and get plenty of rest, too.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
