ch01-ch20 · 020-ch19

Chapter 19

It was still a bit early for dinner, so Toru decided to stop by his usual sheet metal shop on the way.

On the outskirts of the city, near a low hill a ways down the national highway, stood a building with a rusted sign reading "Arai Sheet Metal."

Corrugated iron walls and roof, an entrance barely wide enough for a large truck.

Toru parked in an open spot on the lot and headed toward the building. The master was looking at his phone. It would've been more fitting if he'd been hammering iron, but he was probably bored. There probably weren't many people who'd bother coming to a place like this for work.

"Yo. It's Hayasaka." "Huh? Hayasa... oh, Hayasaka! Ha ha ha! You're being called 'Worksite-bro,' aren't ya!"

The master let out a crude laugh, moving his thick fingers quickly to operate his phone before turning off the screen. He might be more used to operating a phone than Toru was.

"Ahh... how'd you know?"

"What, you think someone like me don't watch streams these days? TV's boring. I watch more anime on stream too. But damn, you've gotten yourself into something huge!"

The master kept laughing without restraint.

His laugh was crude, but there was no contempt in it.

"Oh? A dwarf."

Tia, peeking at the master from behind Toru, tilted her head.

"Oh ho, the 'Dragon Slayer's with ya too. What, you get yourself a gorgeous girlfriend? Huh? Come to show off?"

"Hey, hey, Toru! Why is there a dwarf in this world? Ah, wait—there was a cat beast-person kid at your apartment too!"

"Huh? 'Why,' she says. What do you mean, young lady?"

"I heard this world only had humans and no magic, so I don't know how much of the stuff from outside the labyrinths is here."

"Ahh... that's a pain to explain."

Toru sighed and shrugged. He decided to take care of business first.

His prioritizing seemed to surprise both Tia and the dwarf master. They both stared at him blankly, but he didn't really care.

"Uh, you know that rebar club of mine. I lost it, so I wanted you to make me another one."

"...Sure, I can do that. That thing's just a side job anyway. But hey, pal..."

"What?"

"I think that's kinda mean! How can you just completely ignore someone who's clearly curious and prioritize your own stuff!"

Tia sounded more surprised than angry. The master nodded in agreement.

"Listen, she's your partner with some baggage, right? Be nice to her..."

"Hah..."

Toru thought he was already being plenty nice, considering he hadn't complained about her using half his soul without permission. But come to think of it, he'd never actually discussed that with Tia. So far, she hadn't been a nuisance. In fact, he probably wouldn't have escaped the labyrinth without her.

A whole life, or half a soul.

If he got to choose, Toru would pick the latter.

It wasn't like his life or his soul was worth much anyway.

◇◇◇

In the World Fusion of 1999, labyrinths weren't the only things that appeared on Earth. The continent of Atlantis appeared roughly east-northeast of Australia—it was initially called that tentatively, but the name apparently stuck—and "other worlds" appeared all over the world.

Demi-humans called Gnomes appeared near a certain mountain village. Dwarves appeared from nowhere near a certain abandoned coal mining town. Beast-people appeared near a dwindling settlement.

They had been involuntarily transported to another world, so to speak.

It was possible that some people had been transported from this side to that side, but in the chaos of the World Fusion and Chain Labyrinth Rampage, there were countless cases of people simply being gone. Far too many to count.

Either way, a quarter-century later, various demi-human races had assimilated into Earth. The dwarf master was running a sheet metal shop, just like that.

People adapted.

To the other world that appeared abruptly. To a daily life where labyrinths existed.

Demi-humans were the same.

They'd adapted to this world, with its developed science and technology.

"Heeeh! I see! Well then, maybe someone who knows me might have been transported to this world too!"

"Maybe, but if there were rumors of a swordswoman who could pull off a 'dragon slaying,' they'd have spread even to the countryside where I lived. If we could pinpoint when the young lady died, maybe..."

"Hmm... around 780 by the Light Calendar, I think? In Ancient Elf World Tree Calendar it'd be 4500 and... something years? I don't remember the details."

"Girl, that's more than two hundred years before we were transported."

"Two hundred years! Heeh... so the Guidolin Kingdom wasn't around anymore?"

"Never heard of it."

"Weeeell... time is cruel, huh."

"Easy for a spirit possessing a sword and manifesting in the present by using half of someone else's soul to say. Time's been pretty kind to you."

Toru couldn't help but interject. Tia and the master both looked at him like "Is this guy for real?" Apparently, he'd racked up more insensitivity points.

"Anyway, Master. You're done with the work, right? I'll transfer the payment, so send me the invoice."

"Sure thing. But pal, you probably don't need a toy like this anymore."

Saying this, the master handed him the bludgeon—five thin rebars welded together.

Toru shrugged with a wry smile, feeling the familiar weight in his hands.

"Maybe. But I've been using this for three years. Losing it was one thing, but since there's someone who can make them, I want to keep one on hand." "Don't mind me, I had nothing better to do. But if 'Worksite-bro' becomes an explorer, I could make you a proper weapon too... though probably not better than that cursed blade."

"I don't know what's gonna happen from here."

"Well, as a bystander, I'll be watching with interest. Do your best, 'Worksite-bro.' And you too, ghost girl." "Don't call me a ghost, dwarf uncle."

Tia replied with a quiet laugh. In just thirty minutes or so, she seemed more at ease with the master than Toru had managed in three years.

Not that he minded.

◇◇◇

After that.

They left the dwarf's "Arai Sheet Metal," drove around for a bit, then headed to a suburban shopping mall and had dinner at a chain hamburger restaurant.

As Toru had half-expected, Tia's movements as she cut the hamburger with a knife and fork and brought it to her mouth with good posture were clearly refined.

He remembered her saying that if a mere village girl had wielded the holy sword, the royal family would have found out in no time.

She must have learned etiquette so thoroughly that it was ingrained in her.

Come to think of it, even when she was sitting in the passenger seat, she'd fastened her seatbelt properly as soon as he showed her how, and sat with good posture. Even when looking at the scenery outside the window, Tia's movements never lost their elegance. Well, she was plenty chatty, but still.

"This is delicious. I've never had anything like it, but it's really good."

Tia ate her 200-gram plain hamburger with a beaming smile, clearly enjoying herself—and as expected, she was distinctly refined.

Toru had never paid attention to elegance of movement in his life.

He ate his Japanese-style hamburger with chopsticks, watching Tia's happy, delighted face. He probably wouldn't get tired of watching her for five hours straight.

There were plenty of things he should be thinking about.

But thinking about all of them was a pain.

Not that that was the reason—but he ordered a parfait for dessert.

"Wow! What's this! Ahaha, this is amazing! Toru, this is really good too. Mmm, so good!"

Tia ate the parfait with childlike joy.

Toru had expected she'd react this way. And seeing it happen just as he'd imagined, he realized there was something more than just satisfaction in it.

He let out an inelegant snort.

Watching a beautiful woman eat parfait with genuine delight, he'd caught himself thinking how carefree she had it—and felt incredibly shallow.

Hayasaka Toru couldn't simply be kind to a beautiful holy sword user. In the end, he always looked at himself. Always thought about himself.

"Hehe... I feel bad toward Toru about this, but I never imagined I'd get to eat something this delicious. When I first manifested, I didn't think that would happen. I thought I'd just keep fighting. And even now, I figured I wouldn't do anything besides fighting."

—Thank you, Toru.

Tia smiled as she said it. Toru couldn't look her straight in the face.

◇◇◇

After finishing dinner at the hamburger restaurant, they went straight home. When Toru checked online, S City was burning far more than he'd expected.

To Toru, it had just been "arrogant people being arrogant people." But apparently, to ordinary people, the level of disgrace was infuriating. Sadoyama, who'd slammed the old man to the floor, was being widely praised.

As for Tia, who'd stopped Sadoyama—she wasn't getting much hate either. People's anger was directed at the prefectural and city assembly members and the mayor. It wasn't just online news—it was even covered on TV news that evening.

"Still, on the subject of XX Prefecture S City's coverage... what do you think?"

A female announcer on a news variety show turned to a commentator-style intellectual entertainer. Looking like he'd been waiting for this, he said:

"The technology of our modern age is supported entirely by explorers. It's not at all strange that explorer streams are more popular than entertainers' live shows. Of course, I respect explorers myself. But... well? That kind of language is inexcusable!"

He declared this firmly, nodding at the camera.

Incidentally, there weren't that many "Worksite-bro" clip videos this time.

At most, he'd provided some laughs with clips like "Worksite-bro yawning wearily during the worst meeting ever," but Toru didn't feel anything about it anymore.

"Hey, Toru. Do you think Sadoyama's okay?"

Still looking satisfied from the parfait—the feeling apparently lingered even after coming home—Tia asked.

"He held back, right? That guy's a former A-rank explorer. He's probably not badly hurt. Public opinion seems to be on his side too."

"I can understand how he felt, though."

"So politicians like that... or rather, that kind of old guard... did they exist when you were swinging the holy sword too?"

"They did. Honestly, in every country, every territory, every species' society—almost guaranteed. And this world has them too, just as easily."

Tia shrugged with a wry smile.

There was an uncharacteristic resignation in her expression. Toru had no choice but to shrug the same way.

"Normal people aren't interested in power. But you need people in power to run a somewhat advanced society. I've heard that a politician's job is the redistribution of wealth. Collect from everyone and redistribute to those who need it."

Like building roads everyone uses, laying water pipes, subsidizing waste treatment plants. If left alone, no one would do those things, and without them, society wouldn't function. And people were supposed to understand that.

Honestly, Toru didn't want to pay taxes either.

But if everyone insisted on that principle, society would collapse in no time.

"I don't want to call it a necessary evil. But it's probably true that idiots like that are suited to 'collecting from others.'"

Tia shook her head. Her gesture of helplessness was clearly picturesque—a privilege of the beautiful.

If Toru did the same thing, he'd probably just look fed up.

—And then,

His phone buzzed with a message.

It was from Hamamatsu Nanami, manager of the A-rank explorer clan "Anthem."

'I obtained your contact information from Sadoyama Koji. I apologize for the presumption, but would it be possible for you and Lady Tia to participate in Anthem's stream tomorrow? Of course, even if you decline, we will still pay the agreed amount for the magic cores and dragon scales.'

The message began with that, followed by official instructions to come to a certain address tomorrow morning regardless. It ended by saying they were grateful for the help, and that Anthem's members wanted to thank Toru and Tia directly.

"What do you think?"

"Appear on a stream? I'm interested. People watching the stream comment in real-time, right? Sounds fun!"

Toru didn't particularly think it sounded fun, but he also didn't have any strong aversion to it. He'd been live-streaming his cleaner work anyway, and he'd kept the archives public for anyone to see.

Besides, his face and name—Hayasaka Toru—were already all over the internet. It was too late to worry about his identity being exposed.

And to top it off, Toru currently had nothing to do.

Even if he showed up at Sugai Dungeon tomorrow morning like usual, they probably wouldn't let him work. Making him do cleaning work—especially at the dungeon where the accident happened—while under this much scrutiny would be like pouring gasoline on a fire.

"Ahh... yeah. Sure, why not."

As the words left his mouth, Toru really did feel like "why not." He nodded.

Either way, he needed to talk to them about cashing in the magic cores and dragon scales. If he didn't like their attitude, he could just blow them off and go home.

What would happen after that?

Who cares, Toru thought with a dismissive shrug.

Tia's innocent gaze on him was just a little bit uncomfortable.