Maou na Ore to Fushihime no Yubiwa:Volume 2 Chapter 5
Status: Incomplete
50% completed (estimated)
Chapter 5: On the night of the festival
June 7th. Saturday.
At last, the day of the Saegusa festival has come.
What will be the impact of yesterday’s sudden evening shower?
Today’s temperature is 21ºC[1]. Under the shade to protect from the heat of these last days, dressed in casual T-shirt and jeans, it feels a bit unpleasantly chilly.
“Mister. One try, please.”
“Thanks for your patronage.”
Receiving in payment two 100 yen coins, I handed in return two paper fishing rods with a W-shaped hook.
I wonder why are we blessed with this cool weather.
In the usual yearly hubbub of the Saegusa festival, Youhei’s yo-yo fishing booth seems to be unexpectedly popular.
Customers are mainly elementary schoolers accompanied by their parents, but surprisingly there are lots of female middle school customers of age no different from ours.
Despite that. At first glance it seems there aren’t any that fits our desired stats―
We have yet to fulfill our original purpose.
“Ugaaah!? There hasn’t come even one customer with a skirt!?”
At midday, when no customers came.
Having reached the top of his anger, Youhei, besides me, vented his dissatisfaction.
“Well, temperature has dropped eight degrees[2] since yesterday. Isn’t it obvious that miniskirts-wearing customers won’t come?”
“Ku… Why, if yesterday it was awfully hot, had today became cooleeeeer!”
“I too wonder about that…”
“Girls are girls! They had to come,all of them in trousers only because temperatures have slightly dropped! Don’t you lot have any pride!?”
“… What pride.”
Not being able to follow the nonsensical contents of his speech, I still could understand Youhei’s feelings.
The carefully planned plot to see pantyshots was obstructed by the uncertainty of the luck factor from the weather― On that, I have to agree.
“Chiharu… I will take revenge!”
“Why so sudden.”
“I’ll smash all those girls that raise the set temperature on the classroom’s cooler at their whim without reading the mood!”
“…”
Oh, Lord. Forgive Youhei, who has somehow strayed.
I dare say, under extreme circumstances where he doesn’t know if he’s angry or mad at someone, his feelings are in disarray.
The talk steadily progressed on a totally unrelated direction.
“Darn it. Why do girls overcome boy’s opposition to rise the temperature of the cooler, I wonder.”
“Don’t you know!? Don’t girls and boys feel temperatures differently?”
“Moreover, what’s with that girl-oriented fashion that adamantly makes them dress scantily? By dressing scantily, not saying how can they protect against cold with that minimal blankets, isn’t there something called etiquette?”
“What you’re saying, well… I don’t really get it, but…”
At least, that from now doesn’t have any relation?
“And you say that being very hot is not enough reason for boys to attend classes naked!!”
“How much more will you stretch that topic?!”
“… That’s all. My bad. I got carried away.”
“Yep. No problem.”
“Let’s cool our heads by changing the mood. Chiharu… While I’m away buying some drinks, I’ll leave the stall in your hands.”
“… Are you sure? While I’m manning the booth, can’t a girl wearing a skirt come here?”
Youhei, with his hands on his hips, let out a magnificient laugh,
“Gahahaha! Don’t worry about it. Chiharu… Without regarding all the pretty girls around you, you’ve decided to stick with me. That made me really glad.”
“That’s why… Even if you hog all the pantyshots from pretty girls, I won’t resent you.”
“Youhei…!”
I unconsciously let out an admiration voice.
As I thought, this guy is unshakable, I feel a mysterious sense of security when I’m with him.
In truth, I only came with him because I had nothing better to do…
But since it’s gotten this far, it’s too late to tell him.
Right when Youhei left me on charge of the booth.
“Ah. Onii-chan found!!”
When I looked in reaction of that familiar sounding voice, I found the yukata-clad figure of my sister with her eyelids closed in a >< fashion.
“He-hey. Isn’t it Manami?…”
Being greeted by my sister, realizing myself the stiffness of my unnatural greeting, I felt a somewhat uneasy feeling.
“Hee. Onii-chan is selling yo-yos at this place.”
“I’ve told you… Ain’t I helping with a friend’s shop?”
“I know. Ehehe. But, haven’t you done something bad to that friend? I’ve brought the promised friend♪”
“Eh?”
Could it be? Not that can’t…
“… Darn, you should stop telling jokes from time to time. It can’t be you’ve conveniently made a friend on such short a―”
As I stopped on my tracks, I noticed the existence of that girl right behind Manami.
… Could it be she’s a foreigner?
She was a striking girl with straight long blond hair dressed on a cute pink yukata. Judging from her height, she didn’t seem to be the same age as Manami.
With that height, I’d even say she’s still in elementary school.
Even lined up with my sister, she gave no feeling of being out of place, she may give an adult-like impression.
“Eeerm. The… Who’s that child?”
“What~!? Could it be that you’ve not noticed, onii-chan?”
“? What should I notice.”
“Isn’t this girl someone you know very well?”
“Don’t be stupid. What blonde acquaintance have I… Other than Iris, there’s no one.
“…”
Seeing my sister’s clear expression of ‘you’ve said it’, a single possibility crossed my mind.
“Could it be you are… Iris?”
Shining golden hair and glittering red eyes.
Now that you say it, she had some likeness.
… But isn’t it normal not to realize?
She doesn’t wear her usual robe and she has let down her hair straight.
With her eyes lowered, the blonde beauty nodded with embarrassment.
“Fu… Laugh if thou wantst, Tamer.”
She let out a self-torturing smile.
“… Why would I?”
“Someone like me that stems from the noble bloodline of the dragons, so lowly… I look like a human lass… Isn’t that what thou art thinking?”
With a glance of understanding, Iris looked far away.
It seems like Iris is not pleased by her looks. But since to me it seemed like it suited her, I thought she looked cute.
“I don’t understand the circumstances very well, but… Unless you hate those looks, isn’t it fine?”
“Si-since I like this kind of looks…”
When asked, Iris, averting her gaze ended up speaking very softly.
Maybe there’s some reason she can’t tell people?
“About that, Manami will tell you♪”
*GRIN*
Manami showed a devilish smile.
“… Wha.”
Iris, surprisingly losing her composure,
“Hu-human. Haven’t I instructed thee to keep silent about that in particular!?”
“Iris-chan, did you know?”
My sister’s face turned from devilish to demon-like.
“Humans, you know? They are treacherous beings. That’s why. Shouldn’t you not believe so much in them?”
“Th-Thou bastaaaaaaaard.”
“Haha…”
“You really do as you please too much, sister of mine…”
That’s some daredevilry. Not only Zonmi, you even pick fights with Iris…
With this and that―
I found what lead to Iris coming here.
“―And, for that reason, since Iris-chan is too cute, I ended up unintentionally kidnapping her. Tehe.”
“Haah… Why have you…”
After listening to her story for a while―
Manami, heartbroken after the rejection of a date with her brother, in order to heal her heart, she headed to her usual sex toy store (there are several things to tsukkomi, but I spared them so as to let the story go on).
On the way.
It seems she found a girl in front of a stall for the festival looking intently at the baby castellas[3] as if wanting some.
To tell you the truth, it is the case that that girl was none other than Iris.
It seems that to someone who has lived up till now at the Netherworld like Iris, food from human world stalls looks very charming.
Nevertheless.
Since she lacked human world currency, she couldn’t do nothing but to be at loss.
And then Manami jauntily appeared. In exchange for treating her to the food from stalls, she asked her to come together to the festival as friends.
Like that, that’s the reason for a situation like today’s.
“I see. You’ve bribed her to become your friend.”
“Don’t say disgraceful things! Iris-chan and Manami as of recently do get along really well♪, right, Iris-chan?”
“… (Hmph)”
Iris, with scornful eyes, silently averted her glance.
Seems like she holds a grudge due to the recent betrayal.
“… Muu―”
Being unable of receiving endorsement, Manami, becoming sullen, got near Iris and whispered to her ear.
“(… Waity! That’s troubling, Iris-chan! You’re not saying what we’ve agreed on―)”
“(Fu―)”
“(Is something the matter?)”
“(Ridiculous. Surely, dostn’t thee think thou hast tamed me to that degree? The nature of the beings know as dragons is that of superior beings that don’t get attached to humans. They don’t mingle with lasses like―)”
“Understood. I understand. Then, let’s make a bargain.)”
Manami rummaged inside her bag and took out a beautifully wrapped candied apple.
“(Mmm. What’s this golden shining offering!?)”
“(… To tell the truth, I had it reserved to eat it later.)”
“Hey. What the heck are you two whispering about?”
“… Fu. I can’t but acknowledge it. I’ve spent an eternity together with this human besides me―we’ve been long-time friends[4].”
“I have absolutely not bribed her, have I?”
And what was that short give and take interval?
… Be as it may, if I look how happy Iris is removing the wrap and stuffing her mouth with her recently received candied apple, I can guess.
“Witness it! Iris-chan and Manami had become friends before♪”
“No, no. Don’t matter what you say… I can’t acknowledge it.”
“It wasn’t a fraud.”
“Not matter how much I think…”
I sighed.
“How do I put it… If you had to ask someone, it hadn’t to be specifically Iris. Wouldn’t it have been faster if you had persuaded Zonmi, who lives at home?”
“That, are you being serious?”
“… It would help me a lot better if you lot got along better.”
“Absolutely not! Spending all day long besides that zombie girl! I could easily catch er zombie virus! It could rise a biohazard!”
“…”
Aah. It’s good that Zonmi is not here.
These snide remarks before the person in question… There’s no way I can tell her.
“… Fufu. What an interesting conversation. Mind if I join?”
A somewhat cold tone that seems wrapped in coldness.
“Zonmi!?”
Speak of the devil and it shall appear.
Looking in the direction of the voice, there was Zonmi’s figure making such a silent pressure that anytime we’ll hear a thundering sound effect.
Isn’t this what’s called awkward?
Why among all girls around me… there are lots of these ‘unexpected places at unexpected moments’ ones, I wonder.
“You… Didn’t you say you wouldn’t come to the festival?”
“… Change of schedule. Since today there’s a bearable weather at the human world.”
“… I see.”
Heavy clouds. Chilly temperatures.
Today’s weather that a certain yo-yo balloon vendor called the worst condition, seems to be just fine to ghouls.
“Even so, how surprising.”
As Zonmi spoke with indifferent tone, the atmosphere was filled with tension.
“Could it be that to this place―even the red dragon has come?”
“Nu?”
“With an appearance like that… Judging from appearances, haven’t you got hooked to human world’s entertainment?”
Said Zonmi with a sarcastic tone.
That glance was filled with clear hostility.
… That’s right. Though those two are currently on a ceasefire, some time ago Zonmi and Iris engaged in battle to make a contract with me.
It may be that Zonmi keep her guard up against Iris.
Being recognized, Iris hastily hid her candied apple behind her back,
“Kukkuku. Thou seest, thou dostn’t know nothing.”
She dodged it while her forehead was filled in sweat.
However, isn’t it somewhat sad to dodge it with such a clichéd expression!
… Since candied apple is difficult to eat, there’s no other way, though.
“About that, Chiharu… Is the proposition from before still valid?”
“? Why so sudden.”
To tell the truth, since before, what kind of thing are those so-called human world ‘festivals’―I’ve developed an unusual interest. ―That’s why, when I was invited by Chiharu before, it made me very happy.”
“… Is that so?”
“Yes. For that reason, let’s promptly go around these booths. Show me around the area, please.”
Zonmi continued with a “… This place is dangerous” in a weak voice.
It seems this girl is worried about me.
“Aah. If you say that―”
“Wait a minute―――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――!!"
As I turned back while grabbed by Zonmi, Manami let out an ear-splitting shout.
“Wait a minute, what the heck!? I really don’ understand it!! Why has the flow gotten to the late-comer Zonmi<ref>Yes. She calls her by name.>/ref> hogging a date with onii-chan!! It’s very weird!!”
“Aah. Yup. My bad… Since I’m sorry… Please stop taking out those knives in public.”
At worst, they could report us.
“Then, answer! Onii-chan, who do you want to go to the festival with!?”
“Just to be sure, is there no option of all of us going around together?”
“Only that is an absolute no!”
“Only that absolutely cannot be!”
“…”
These guys… They’ve said it in dubious harmony.
I don’t know if their relationship is that good or that bad.
…
……
Well, what do I do?
Speaking from my personal feelings, since going together only with Manami is not an option, that only leaves going with Zonmi, but… No doubt, things are not that easy.
If I choose Zonmi here, I feel that soon things will get messy.
No, I’ll affirm it. Things will absolutely get messy.
If I leave Iris and Manami alone with each other, my feelings won’t be at ease.
In some sense, they make the top one and two of the people more lacking in common sense on my surroundings.
Thinking about all of annoyances around me, it may be better to keep them under watch lest they cause some kind of trouble.
As a result, I’m at loss as to which option to choose.
“Understood. Then, let’s do this.”
The one who extended a helping hand (?) there was my sister.
“Let’s compete about who can catch the most yo-yo balloons and wager my brother!”
“… What?”
“Is that fair?”
“Wait a minute. Competing, you say… There’s no reason why Zonmi would agree to those ridiculous…”
“Understood. That match, I take it up.”
“Eeh!?”
“Why are you so surprised?”
“You sure, Zonmi? Did you agree to those nonsensical terms?”
No. This time I have to give credit to her. Little sister’s idea is very logical.”
“Where exactly does it have the logic?…”
“Since it’s impossible for the pathologically indecisive Chiharu to choose one of the two parts.”
References and Translation Notes
- ↑ Around 70º F.
- ↑ 14 to 15 in Fahrenheit degrees.
- ↑ Bite-sized castellas. A castella is a traditional Japanese cake developed from the paõ de Castella brought by the Portuguese, currently known as paõ de Espanha, and similar to the French pain d’Espagne, the Italian pan di Spagna, the Romanian pandişpan, the Bulgarian пандишпа , the Greek Παντεσπάνι and the Turkish pandispanya (with all of them meaning ‘Spanish bread’, except the Japanese version that means Castilian bread, where Castile, Castella in Portuguese, is a medieval Spanish kingdom). The original sweet is the Spanish bizcocho (lit. biscuit, but means ‘sponge cake’), that’s made of eggs sugar and flour (and sometimes lard or butter). The main difference between bizcocho and castella is the addition of mizuame, a liquid sweetener made from starch that can also be eaten as candy and that solidifies when kneaded.
- ↑ It says 百年来の友であったと (hyakunenrai no tomo de atta to).
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