ch61-ch80 · 070-ch69

Chapter 69

Watching his ex-girlfriend — Shirazawa Kana's — retreating back, Toru felt a faint warmth and nostalgia visit his chest, then gently fade away.

Memories from so far away — back when his parents were still alive and he was an ordinary high school student. They'd been in different middle schools and became classmates in high school... he vaguely remembered her suddenly confessing to him. Maybe there was some buildup on Shirazawa Kana's side, but from Toru's perspective, it was pretty abrupt: "I like you, so would you go out with me?"

He'd never imagined being liked by someone in a romantic sense, so he was surprised and ended up saying yes. That was Toru's recollection.

Now that they'd actually dated and become lovers, he honestly still thought she was way too good for someone like Hayasaka Toru.

If someone asked if he wanted to go back — that was a little difficult.

If it meant losing his family again, he'd rather die. But even if he went back to the past as the Toru of today, he probably couldn't adapt to ordinary high school life. He wasn't even sure he'd adapted well the first time.

"Toru! Toru! Look, look!"

Just as he was savoring the feeling of an old man watching falling leaves, Mika came trotting out of the clothing store, approached the bench where Toru was sitting, stopped about two meters away, and spun around in a turn.

She seemed to be wearing the clothes she'd bought right out of the store. A bright dress with a casual parker over it, red sneakers as an accent. Since she was a cat beast-person, her tail came out around her waist, but the parker was hiding the tail opening.

"Oh. Nice. Looks good on you."

"Toru. Am I cute?"

"You're always cute."

"Nyufufu!"

Toru had no intention of being sarcastic with Mika, so he just said what he thought. The little cat beast-person's expression softened as she wriggled her body in delight. She really is like a cat, Toru thought — though he had no idea if that was how most cat beast-people reacted.

"Toru, Toru, Toru! Me too, me too!"

This time, the holy sword wielder who wasn't carrying her holy sword stood next to Mika and spun around in a turn. The outfit itself wasn't unusual — a simple combination of a mid-length skirt and blouse — but since she was originally a ridiculous beauty, if it weren't for the dog-like eagerness, he'd have believed it if someone said she was a movie actress.

Well, she wasn't very tall, so she didn't quite have that model vibe.

"Ah... looks good, I guess? Fits the modern look."

He couldn't bring himself to praise Tia honestly, so he gave a half-hearted comment, but she seemed to take it as a compliment, her mouth relaxing into a grin as she high-fived Mika with a "Yay!" It was a truly peaceful sight.

"This is my first time shopping at a department store. It was quite a fun experience. Choosing one's own belongings from among the various displays is rather enjoyable, isn't it?"

Kujo Reiko emerged looking genuinely delighted, inexplicably wearing a T-shirt with the word 'Supreme' printed on it, paired with an oversized parker. With her golden drills, it both looked like it didn't suit her and somehow oddly did. Maybe she was just attractive enough to pull off anything.

"...Supreme, huh."

"Oh my, oh my, oh my! That's a dirty joke, isn't it! Ufufu!"

Kujo Reiko puffed out her chest with a strangely pleased smile, but Toru had only read the words on her shirt. Well, not that he was denying it.

Incidentally, Maisaka and Kawai came back without buying any clothes, which wasn't particularly disappointing. If anything, it was a relief not to have another fashion show.

"...Toru. You smell like a different woman."

Mika plopped down next to Toru, sniffing, and said. Toru laughed — what are you, my keeper? — but also wondered what she really was. Just the neighbor kid he occasionally looked after.

"Must be your imagination."

"Nope. Definitely smells like another woman."

Shenna, who'd somehow materialized beside the bench, said with a grin, pushing several paper bags she was carrying toward Toru.

"I kept Mika's whole outfit to eighteen thousand yen. She's gonna grow big anyway, so everyday stuff's better than a one-off fancy piece. As for Tia-chan, besides what she's wearing, I bought cheap track suits for experimenting and some underwear too. This bag's what Mika was wearing, so give it to her later."

"...Yeah."

Toru took the paper bags and tossed them into his magic bag. No matter how he looked at it, things bigger than the bag's opening went in — it was weird, but he supposed that was just how it worked.

He'd seen it in some video, apparently most magic bags on the market were built to a 'n containers' standard, which apparently also included the size of the 'opening.' Meaning physically large things that wouldn't fit in a cargo container — big vehicles, buildings, etc. — apparently couldn't be put in magic bags.

"So, what about that other woman's smell? What, did a fan ask for your autograph since you're famous? Haah, must be tough, being famous."

"No way. Just ran into an old acquaintance by chance."

"Hmm... seems like not a bad acquaintance."

Shenna curled the corner of her mouth. She must have picked up on something from Toru's expression or tone, but Toru himself couldn't tell.

"Yeah. Not a bad acquaintance."

Was all Toru said, as he casually patted the head of Mika, who was looking up at him with a curious tilt. He tried not to pat her head too much because she always looked way too happy about it and it made him embarrassed.

"Hey now. Don't think you can get away with things just because you got your head patted."

"My, isn't that childlike and adorable? Mika-sama, would you allow me to pat your head later as well?"

"Hmm. Reiko's okay."

"Ah, in that case, I want Toru to pat my head too. Right? You'll do it?"

"...No way. Are you out of your mind?"

"Gaaah! W-wait, isn't Toru being a bit too harsh with me...?"

"Must be your imagination."

"There's no way it's my imagination!"

"Ah... I'll buy you ice cream again later."

"What? Really? Yay! I love ice cream! Ah, I want a parfait too. We're eating out for dinner too, right? I hope there's parfait or ice cream!"

She was way too easy.

Toru thought, she really is like a dog. Even though the fangs she carried were way sharper than any wolf's.

"...She really does get happy, doesn't she, the holy sword girl..."

Maisaka muttered, and Kawai standing next to her made a complicated face.

◇◇◇

After that they moved to the department store's upper floors for some window shopping of explorer goods.

It felt like a strange thing to do with this bizarre group, but Toru figured he probably wouldn't come here unless he had a reason, so he decided to have a look.

Come to think of it, there were two A-rank explorers and one former labyrinth branch office clerk in the group, so it was actually not a bad setup for learning about explorer goods.

"Generally speaking, exploration is divided into short attacks and long attacks. Most explorers enter the labyrinth for a short time — at most a full day — and then return. This takes into account physical issues, mental issues, and safety concerns. I myself am fine staying longer, of course."

The explorer goods displayed on the fourth floor weren't weapons or armor, but mostly camping equipment.

"Even for short attacks, going into a labyrinth empty-handed is not recommended, of course. At minimum, you should secure water and food. If possible, have potions on hand... for D to C-rank, you should carry first aid supplies. Even explorers can endure minor fractures, but if you break your leg, you can't walk, so splints, tape, and bandages would be good to have as well."

"Seems obvious, yeah. I also prepared reasonably well when entering labyrinths in my original world. I wasn't too worried about injuries since Lightbringer has natural recovery, but maps, light, holy water to repel monsters..."

"Holy water and such aren't very common here. Monsters are meant to be defeated, not avoided. Toru-bro-sama must have had some preparations when working as a cleaner as well, correct?"

Faced with Kujo Reiko's matter-of-fact question, Toru could only look away.

The body camera loaned by the labyrinth branch office. A plastic bottle of sports drink. And his rebar bludgeon. No other preparations whatsoever.

"...Honestly, I was pretty cavalier about it."

Kawai muttered, but Toru had no rebuttal. Maybe that attitude of his was partly why the false accusation suspicions surfaced in the first place — but that was water under the bridge now.

"Before I obtained a magic bag, I'm told many explorers carried a backpack for collecting magic cores — a large rucksack. Once you can defeat upper C-rank monsters, cashing in on rare drops becomes realistic, so it's common to use that to purchase a magic bag... or so I've heard from Joichiro."

The magic bag Kujo Reiko had invested in was a ten-million-yen class in capacity, but apparently magic bag creators had varying skill levels, and beginner-made magic bags could be bought relatively cheaply — though still over a million yen.

"Speaking of which, you can't take magic bags on aircraft without going through procedures, so keep that in mind. You'll probably end up having to travel by plane eventually."

Maisaka delivered a helpful warning and an unpleasant prophecy simultaneously.

"...You go through the procedures every time and fly by plane?"

"When you get to my level, you travel by Labyrinth Agency jet. S-rank explorers also use jets when directly commissioned by the Agency."

"Come to think of it, that shitty elf said she used a private jet too..."

"Ilseria Lumiestel is a bit special. Japan is immensely grateful that that elf is throwing in with 'Anthem.' Of course she gets good treatment. After all, Ilseria is an elf, connected to the Holy Tree Country."

"Holy Tree Country of Atlantis... huh."

According to Tia's testimony, even Ilseria was supposedly 'one of the more reasonable ones,' so it was probably one of those places he wanted to avoid as much as possible.

That aside, in the post-World Fusion Earth, elven knowledge was incredibly valuable and scarce. Toru didn't want anything to do with them, but there were people who'd bow and scrape and lick boots to get useful things from elves.

"Hmm... well, her personality's one thing, but she is friendly, I guess. Elves do tend to lend a hand to humans, one way or another. It's just... they don't make you feel like reaching out to them."

Tia let out a heartfelt sigh.

"The elf was a little nice, you know?"

Mika tilted her head innocently. Come to think of it, the day that elf had crawled into Toru's bed with Mika, she'd also taken a shower with her, hadn't she.

— She was flat.

No, that was really unnecessary information. Toru almost muttered "wasted storage space ♠" in his head, but that was just as incomprehensible, so he stopped.

"Hey, Reiko. What kind of prep goes into long-term exploration — long attacks?"

Apparently done with the elf topic, Tia casually changed the subject.

Kujo Reiko gave a jiggle of 'Supreme' and smiled, pointing at various displays as she continued.

"Basically the same as short attacks, but with long attacks, preparations change considerably depending on the explorer's composition. Since you'd be diving into a labyrinth long-term at B-rank and above, having a magic bag is a prerequisite."

"Nod nod."

"On top of that, it's best to have food and drink, supplements, and regular medication. Even for explorers, things like cold medicine work as usual, and having painkillers on hand is a good idea even if just for peace of mind. When I ran out of potions and my right arm was nearly torn off, I cried and downed a whole bunch of painkillers!"

Toru wished she hadn't downed a whole bunch of painkillers, but he held back the retort.

Perhaps remembering it as a fond memory, Kujo Reiko narrowed her eyes nostalgically and continued.

"Continuous battles with monsters naturally make you sweat, so you also need changes of clothes. If you have a mage in your party, they can use water magic to wash your body, but if not, you should prepare simple alternatives. For example, this."

She pointed at a display of dry shampoo and golf-ball-sized compressed towels, then jiggled 'Supreme' again.

I should try not to look too much, Toru thought, listening to Kujo Reiko's explanation as he walked around looking at the various explorer goods.

In the end, all he bought was dry shampoo, towels, and a first aid kit. Tia could use recovery magic anyway, and apparently she also knew a 'purification' spell that cleaned bodies and clothes.

"She's seriously cheating."

He thought it, so he said it.

Tia smiled awkwardly, as if she had something on her mind. But Toru didn't feel like following up.

◇◇◇

After that.

They casually looked around the fifth floor, bought some clothes made of reinforced materials — the kind of stylish workwear, though the phrase felt contradictory — then went down to the third floor to browse home appliances and furniture. That was just window shopping, pure and simple.

They stopped by the game corner, spent two thousand yen winning a prize, watched Maisaka play a zombie shooter, and got crammed into a mini-print photo booth by all the women except Toru... somehow, peacefully, time passed.

It was fun — probably.

If asked whether he was laughing from the bottom of his heart, he'd hesitate, but he figured it was the kind of time that wasn't bad at all.

What had it been like, walking with Shirazawa Kana back then...?

She'd always been the one chattering at him, and Toru would answer or not answer, with conversations and time passing like old folks on a veranda. Since it was a regional city, there weren't many places to go, and they didn't have much money back then.

— Hey, Hayasaka-kun?

He thought he'd liked being with Shirazawa, who always looked up at him a little due to their height difference. He'd intended to treasure her in his own way, and he remembered feeling uncharacteristically nervous when he held her. After it was over, Shirazawa smiled at him, and he remembered feeling relieved from the bottom of his heart.

And now, he was possessed by a holy sword spirit, had his soul half-eaten by a cursed blade, had grown strangely close to a cat beast-person mother and daughter, had hired the woman who'd falsely accused him, and was wandering around a department store as a bodyguard of sorts for a Labyrinth Agency A-rank explorer who could see through lies.

Was that bad?

He didn't think it was all that bad.

Whether it was good was another question.

－－－－－－

It's Mo (greetings).

As I mentioned in the author's notes, Momonga's 'The Eternal Downfall of the Villainess Clarice Gloria,' which is serialized on Shosetsuka ni Narou and has been published in print, had its latest 4th volume released recently, so here's a bit of promotion. Thanks!