Mondaiji-tachi ga isekai kara kuru soudesu yo:Volume 6 Chapter 2
Chapter 2[edit]
Part 1[edit]
[Kouen, City of Brilliant Flames], Processing Workroom District—Number 88th workroom.
Asuka gazed at the yellow colored pillar of smoke that rose from the brick chimney on the roof with appreciative admiration reflected in her eyes. Perhaps it was the intriguing beauty that didn’t seem to match the environment of the industrial workrooms that caught her eye.
The ‘Rare Sacred Iron’ Soldier[1]—Deen had already been transported to the biggest warehouse in the workroom district.
During the battle with the Huge Dragon in [Underwood], Deen had been wrecked up badly and had been handed over to [Will-O'-Wisp] for the repairs.
Seeing Deen being fully repaired to his original state, Asuka gave a cheer in delight.
“Deen…… You’re fixed! It’s good to see you……!”
“DeN”
The single eye of Deen lit up as he responded to his master’s voice. His body frame should have been strapped down firmly earlier on but probably due to being notified on Asuka’s arrival, they had released these restrictions on him.
“He had been in quite a wrecked state……so I’m taking it that this is the gift that Izayoi’s been talking about?”
“Yahohohohoho! Of course it’s not just that!”
A blaze started to pour out of a candle that sat on one of the candle holders built in the wall.
“It’s been some time, good to see you[2], Asuka-san! Kuro Usagi-san!”
“YES! It’s good to see that you are still your usual self, Jack-san!”
“Nn, that’s right. Hearing your cheerful voice puts me in a cheerful mood too.”
Asuka and Kuro Usagi, who had cocked her rabbit-ears to the side, gave their greetings together.
Sweeping their gazes around the room, the two murmured admiringly.
“Come to think about it, is it really okay for us to borrow such a large workroom? It looks replete[3] with all sorts of equipment……the price couldn’t have been small, right?”
“Yahoho! Actually, this place was loaned to us with Sala-sama’s introduction! This is also the studio[4] of Sala-sama while she was still a member of [Salamandra]!”
The original studio of Sala——hearing Jack’s words, Asuka took another look around the warehouse.
Handcrafted candlesticks could be seen lining the walls, giving the studio a uniquely playful atmosphere. The scattered equipment looked worn at their handles, giving the feel of being used quite often in their master’s projects and the feeling of nostalgia left behind by their owner. And at the same time, the room was filled with a very feminine and yet authoritative style of decoration which fitted the description of Sala perfectly.
After taking in the room’s layout with her eyes,
“Well then, Jack, what’s that Gift you spoke of?” Asuka suddenly stopped her pacing as she looked to Jack with anticipation shining in her eyes.
The flames in Jack’s pumpkin head had also taken on a sharper intensity as he replied:
“Hoho……We have called you over today for the fulfillment of one of the Alliance conditions—the refining process and ritual for endowing the Gift properties to the [Diamond Iron Ore] has just completed.”
“Is that for real?”
“Yes. And besides the new equipment that have been created according to the list placed in the orders, we have also prepared two new Gifts for Asuka-san……Having said that, we’re still not officially in an Alliance as of yet and we do not have the right to procure a cache of [Diamond Iron Ore] either. So we could only use what little that remained of the ores kept in the treasury of [No Name].”
A serious flame burnt in the depths of the hollowed out eye holes of the pumpkin head.
The ores that he spoke of most probably referred to the [Diamond Iron Ore] that was brought to [Six Scars].
“It’s just that these ores were too little in this sort of urgent situation. So after obtaining the permission from Izayoi-san and Kasukabe-san, I’ve prioritized the creation of Gifts for Asuka-san.”
“That….Wouldn’t that mean ……you are giving me three Gifts?”
“Amazing! With this, it will certainly give a great boost to your combat prowess!”
Kuro Usagi started to wave her arms in joy.
The unexpected Gifts caused Asuka to be surprised to the point of being disconcerted in her thoughts.
At the same time, she started to feel uneasy with the arrangement. Kudou Asuka’s body was just that of an ordinary girl and this had been proven many times in her fights. No matter how strong the equipment may be, it might just be a waste of effort. That was something that she learnt in her fight with Percher and she had kept that lesson well in mind.
Asuka clenched her fists as she muttered in a rarely seen polite tone.
“To prepare these many Gifts at one go……When I’m already struggling with Deen. Wouldn’t it have been better to create Gifts for Izayoi[5] or Kasukabe-san……”
“But Asuka-san. There’s no doubt that you will die if you continue fighting Demon Lords with just your current get-up, you know?”
“Wha……!” Asuka swallowed the rest of her question.
Perhaps that half of a shout was due to her surprise from hearing such blunt words coming from the gentlemanly Jack which was quite unthinkable in itself. But regarding that straightforward comment that didn’t have a scrape of reservation, Asuka was clear about that fact as well. Unable to come up with a retort, Asuka could only droop her shoulders in a dejected manner. And Jack only smiled as he started to bobble his pumpkin head while continuing:
“Asuka-san, the three of you hold a different talent respectively. And amongst them, your talent could be said to be the rarest—another way to put describe it would be to liken it as a cherry blossom that is late to bloom.”
“I’m…..a cheery blossom that is late to bloom?”
“That’s right. In order to allow the new petals to fully unfurl in its full glory, I’ll present you with these Gifts—The masterpieces that [Will-O'-Wisp] created through the pooling of our resources and strengths! After obtaining these Gifts, the fog of Asuka-san’s worries will disperse like dew with the coming of a new dawn!”
So we hope that you will believe in yourself.
The fiery will and words of motivation seemed to flow deep into Asuka’s heart. The Pumpkin gentleman held Asuka’s hands as he returned the wine red Gift Card to its rightful owner once more. As the Gift card had been left in his care all these while.
Seeming to have been affected by Jack’s contagious cheerful smile, Asuka’s taut face started to relax.
“Thank you Jack. The Gift you’ve made for me……I will use it well.”
“Yahoho, please use it well then! For I’m sure that would really make those two happy as well!”
……Mhm? Asuka tilted her head.
One would be Ayesha and the other would be referring to whom?
But before she could ask the question, Jack had already happily continued with his words.
“Come on, now let’s proceed to the Stadium of the Game Stage area!”
“Game…Game Stage?”
“That’s right! Though I’ve seen Asuka-san’s battle all this while……what you need the most is to be more comfortable with using the Gifts! And that means to accumulate as much battle experience as possible! Then the battle tactics of Garol would also be put to practical use right?! Yahohoho!” Jack’s pumpkin head revolved in the air as he laughed.
Feeling a sense of dread, Asuka and Kuro Usagi exchanged a surprised glance at each other.
“Could… Could it be that ……you want me to join the Game? For real?”
“That’s~~~ OF COURSE! As part of the commemoration for the first ever hosting of the Convention, we will not be collecting any Participating fee you know?! Please use this chance—And pluck the crown in the Game of <Duel of Creators> in just a breath.”
“Wha……”The both of them opened their mouths in a half exclaim before getting stumped. The reason didn’t need to be said.
Yō would also be participating in the Game. The both of them had just wanted to voice out their protests when there came the sound of heavy footsteps moving in what seemed to be a bad temper and a familiar voice that interrupted their words.
“HAAAAAAAAAAH? The ones who are here to retrieve Deen and ‘Fortress’ is actually the [No Name]s? What’s this all about? I’ve not heard about this, you know?
“Please…Please wait a moment! It’s better to leave this place to Jack-sama to……”
“Quit your nagging! The one who repaired those two items is none other than my great self! All of you better shut your traps!”
“Don’t …Laius-sama!”
“Eh?” the sound escaped the lips of Asuka and Kuro Usagi in surprise as they looked at each other.
“……Kuro Usagi, I’m not dreaming right? I seemed to have heard a familiar despicable name being mentioned.”
“Des…Despicable, Kuro Usagi will leave that aside for now but that name of Laius, could it be……”
In the next moment, the door that led to the back was kicked open.
And appearing from the billowing dust cloud was a man who had a [Medusa Head] Flag engraved before his chest.
Previously defeated by the [No Name]s a few months earlier—Laius of [Perseus] was staring at them in rage.
Part 2[edit]
Little Garden, Outer Gate Number 54545’s Stage Area, The Arena before the [Tablet of the Sea of Stars].
Kasukabe Yō had just arrived in the area and the sparkling sculptures of glass flowers that decorated the area around her made it one of the most beautiful places within [Kouen City]. But it wasn’t merely those glass pieces that made the corridor such a beautiful place. It was the addition of precious gemstones that gave off the twinkling light of stars that made the place take on a dream-like quality.[6]
This corridor also served as an area to commemorate the generations of crafters who had helped in the building as well as maintaining of the North Side Territories for various monuments in remembrance of the crafters that had been gathered in this place.
And if Yō were to come through as the champion of the Game such as the <Duel of Creators> during the Birth of the Fire Dragon Matsuri, she would obtain the rights to carve her Community’s name and Flag onto the Corridor of Displays. Aside from that, if one won in a Game hosted to compete within the technique and art of crafted masterpieces, they would also obtain the right to display their accomplishment in the stone pedestal of the Corridor of Displays.
Looking around at the countless precious masterpieces showcased around her, Yō started to feel a sense of doubt taking seed in her heart as she tilted her head.
(……Is it really possible for me to take part in this Game?)
Just as mentioned earlier, the North Side is where Gifts of refining metals, manufacturing by crystallizations, alchemical arts and the like circulated widely. And perhaps it was due to the climate of this region, the population of Humans were dense in these areas. The fact that the race of Humans didn’t possess much power was one that everyone knew well. As long as the birth is an ordinary one, it wouldn’t be too much to say that Humans ranked at the lowest rungs of the power ladder. But in the North Side, the talent of creating Gifts through the techniques of Human or Spirit alike were highly prized treasures there.
Hence the creativity of Humankind in developing techniques and skills received high praise and the North soon became a place that made it easier for Humankind to call it their home. Amongst them were Communities that have left their mark on the [Tablet of the Sea of Stars], having had their strength recognized and receiving high praise from [Salamandra].
And those who were now gathered in the arena were all fierce competitors who would wish to leave mark of their accomplishments behind for generations to come. In a large collection of strong competitors, would it really be a good idea for herself to be mixed in amongst them……Yō started to ponder such stuff as she stared blankly in front of her.
(Just visiting this Corridor of Displays has already been quite a pleasant experience for me. Even for the Community, I shouldn’t allow any smear to get on our reputation……right?)
Yō tilted her head as she started to give it some thought. Having been brought up in an environment that lacked much interactions with others, Yō didn’t know much about these sort of things. Just shortly before, Yō might still be able to ask Calico Cat’s opinion about it, but he’s no longer by her side. Having been injured in the battle against the huge Dragon, he had decided to retire and spend the rest of his life in [Underwood]’s Great Tree.
(……)
Yō continued to stare at the displays with a distant look in her eyes.
That was something that was decided after they had both sat down to talk about it.
Calico cat had been born on the same day as Yō and he’s an old cat who has seen through fourteen winters with her. It could even be said that he’s closer than her next of kin.
And precisely due to that reason, Calico cat was very worried with Yō’s capability in interacting with other Humans more than anyone else.
“Ojou, you aren’t alone anymore, you need to learn how to live amongst humans in society from today onwards.”
Having been told of such a thing by Calico who was heavily covered in bandages, Yō couldn’t bring herself to deny it. After all, it was a separation that would have to come sooner or later. Though she might feel lonely, but the rejection of such a request would have been equivalent to betraying the other.
So Yō hid her sadness as she handed Calico cat over to Garol of [Six Scars] while entrusting the future care and treatment of the wounds to them. The people of [Six Scars] who were also future allies in their Alliance had also readily agreed to her request to care for Calico Cat while treating him like one of their own.
Having received the assurance from others that the environment of the Great Tree would contribute to a speedy recovery, the human and cat then set off on their separate paths. Hence from that day onwards, Yō had to reach her own conclusions.
For if she couldn’t do that, she wouldn’t be able to face Calico Cat squarely with pride.
(Nn. Garol-san had already given me encouragement by making known his support for me. I must do my best as well.)
Yō clenched her fists tightly.
He who had claimed to be her father, Kasukabe Koumei’s friend, Garol had really helped the [No Name]s a lot. But he never brought up any talk of his past with her father and had only left this line for her when they were about to go their separate ways—
“Currently, I can’t say anything about it. But if you really want to know Koumei, you will need to chase after his footsteps. Only then will you understand what kind of man he is.”
The next two months following that day, Yō had tried her best to search for a trace of her father’s whereabouts but had come up with nothing.
Leticia had also been adamant with a reply of ‘Its fine to just wait for now’. And so she had come to visit the Corridor of Displays to look at the [Tablet of Sea of Stars].
(It’s said that there are only a handful of Corridors of Displays in Little Garden and I had thought that it might be a place to start searching for my father’s crafted pieces……But it sure seems like it’s not that easy after all.)
Troubled by the lack of results, Yō crossed her arms. There was still another method for her to get a lead. And that was to participate in the Game while registering the [Genome Tree] as the specific Gift to be used while observing the reaction of the crowd then.
But to appear in the Game where many famous blacksmiths and sculptors had signed up to vie for glory, it still gave her the feeling of uneasiness. If it were only a blemish to her name and becoming a laughing stock, it might have been much easier to bear but she didn’t want to bring shame to [No Name] again because of that.
*Plonk!*
Ouch. That hurts. But Yō still couldn’t think up of a solution. She, who couldn’t arrive at a plan could only reach up to take the sharp yet blunt weapon that had been dropped on her head.
(……what is this?)
That was a blunt weapon that took the appearance of a cross while its topmost was a rounded piece. From the shape of it, it would be more similar to a ‘hammer’ than a cross.
……No, isn’t it literally a hammer?
(This is really dangerous. If it weren’t me, a person might have been gravely injured.)
Yō looked around her but it’s a really impossible task to find the culprit amongst the crowd that milled around the Corridor of displays. Tilting her head quizzically, Yō thought to herself that perhaps in the craftsman city of [Kouen City], hammers dropping from nowhere might just be a common thing. Just then—
*Plonk!*
Another strike came flying at her.
Yō gripped the hammer in her hand tightly. Once might have passed for a coincidence but twice would make it clearly intentional. Moreover for the person to escape Yō’s five senses that were as sharp as a wild beast, that would make the throw truly unusual.
(……)
She quietly took on a battle stance. Since there’s a second, a third wouldn’t be that surprising.
Closing her eyes to focus on her hearing, Yō prepared herself for the third wave.
Yō wasn’t that forgiving to laugh while receiving some unknown attacks. Izayoi had said that the market rate for him was to return things tenfold. Whereas for Yō, she would want to return it a hundredfold.
Preparing to sense the hammer that would fly out from the crowd at her—
“…..Are you alright?”
“?!!”
Yō almost leapt out of her skin.
Suddenly having a stranger striking up a conversation with her, Yō had almost fallen to the ground in her surprise.
And that was to be expected for in the state where Yō had heightened her senses to the maximum, for this female stranger to approach this close would have been impossible. But it was a fact that the young lady[7] stood before her and it could be said to be a flawless sneak attack.
“Uh, um……”
Yō’s mouth was half agape as she looked at the girl who seemed to be the same age as herself.
Then, she was stumped by surprise once more.
The young lady had a sweet baby face with a slightly wavy twin tailed hairdo, her curvaceous body-line didn’t seem to match the age that she appeared to be from just the face alone. Although her height did not differ greatly from Yō’s, her breasts were filled out like those of a grown woman. The black and blue laced Gothic Lolita outfit boldly revealed her legs and part of her breasts, making her look very attractive.
The bold choice of dressing would have made others to think that she’s trying to lure men to fall for the temptations but those eyes of hers were pure and innocent while defenselessly revealing large parts of her body. Be it guys or girls, anyone would definitely have their pulse set racing at the sight of such a girl.
But with such an overly tempting and attractive appearance, it had instead triggered the caution in Yō’s heart.
(This child……isn’t human?)
Doll-like—A demon in the form of a girl. That was the line that flashed through Yō’s mind.
The girl did not notice Yō’s caution as she moved closer look at Yō’s face:
“……is your head fine?”
“Ah, Nn. It’s fine. But who are you?”
The girl gave a slight nod.
The girl’s every action was incredibly cute and just that slight nod already compounded to the overall cuteness. Even if it’s Yō, she would also be unable to beat up such a cute girl. So possessing that level of understanding, Yō—
*Swish!*
“!”
Only gave a chop with her hand with a strength that wasn’t too great. … just enough to smash a boulder.
“Let’s call it quits with that.”
“……Nn.”
The mysterious girl nodded her head. It would seem that she had given it some self-reflection.
Yō sorted out her thoughts as she planned to make a self-introduction but the girl was a step ahead in taking the initiative.
“You are joining the Game too?”
“……Game? You mean the <Duel of Creators>?”
The girl nodded her head as the pair of pure and innocent eyes stared at Yō fixedly.
Though Yō’s a laconic person, this girl seemed to be even more reserved with her words. It’s truly Yō’s first time to have met such a strong opponent for she had never met a girl who’s more laconic[8] than herself.
Yō, who hasn’t decided whether to turn up for the event, nodded her head while replying:
“……Nn. I will be joining.”
A smile spread across the girl’s face.
“Great. With this, I can complete the promise I’ve made to Koumei.”
“Eh—“At the moment when Yō was left speechless—
The girl vanished without any warning.
“—That must be a lie right?!”
Vanishing into thin air. That’s right, just vanishing.
It wasn’t by disguising her scent or a rapid get-away nor was it taking to the skies. Such biological disguises would not be able to fool the senses of Yō.
The girl who had suddenly appeared had also simply vanished before Yō without a trace.
(How did she do that……No compared to that……)
Koumei—That was the name which people who are close to her father, Kasukabe Koumei, used to call him. Then, the girl might have been referring to her father by saying the name ‘Koumei’.
(Could it be……that I’ve actually found a lead on my father’s whereabouts?)
Yō gazed towards the arena from the Corridor of Displays as her eyes were no longer clouded with the troubled look of earlier.
Looks like she had finally found a reason to appear in the ring.
While looking out for the figure of the sweet looking girl, Yō made her way to the registration office.
Part 3[edit]
—[Ruby Cave], Underground bathhouse
The North had abundant precipitation in the form of snow but it didn’t really rain much.
And that was no exception for [Kouen City] that received the protection of the chandelier. It was the responsibility for the [Floor Master] for the intervention with the weather of Little Garden but there’s always an inherent difference in the climates of the North Side as compared to the East Side that experiences a spring season throughout the whole year. Of which the Masters would be unable to eliminate with their powers even if they wanted to.
It’s all thanks to the bonfires on the chandelier that the snow rarely collected on the pathways. But the canals were another matter entirely as it often froze up when the temperatures drop with the onset of a heavy snowfall.
And to solve that problem, they created underground canals.
[Kouen City] was a natural fortress that had its entire back of its Outer Wall built against a huge mountain range. The mountain range that was covered with a dense forest served as a huge natural reservoir, forming the lifeline that runs through the lands.[9]
Through means of channelization, they led the flow into the underground canals to control the flow.
The bathhouse that Percher and the others were visiting at the moment was one that was close to the by-product of the heat manufacturing plant which prevents the freezing of the flow in the channels.
(……No. Compared to all that… Isn’t the progress of the situation way too strange?)
Thinking up to that point, Percher, who was in the children’s changing room, gave a sigh of relief.
Rin and Sandra who had also escaped into the changing room were happily undressing themselves with a harmonious atmosphere that seemed to take the things that were happening around them in their stride.
“Right~A Public bath for children. And naturally there won’t be any adults coming here.”
“Nn. Although it’s not their usual business hours, but I’ve asked the staff at the counter to let us in.”
“Ooh! As expected of Sandra! That’s just an abuse of authority as the leader of the Community!”
And it was just as Rin had said. This sort of situation was the worst possible scenario for Percher for in the bathhouse for children, there was definitely not a chance for them to meet the other members of [No Name].
(Being unable to meet up with Asuka and the others……Then I should at least tell Jin in on the situation……)
The ‘Piper of Hamelin’ Ring that was worn on Jin’s right hand bore witness to their contract. And due to the contract that forges the relation between them as Master and subordinate, they were able to communicate through the contract ring in secret.
It would be simple for her to tell Jin that ‘Rin and His Highness are our enemies’ through the link in the contract ring, but—
(……in the instant that their identities are exposed, they would be sure to show their true colors and bare their fangs.)
The crux of the problem now was whether Jin’s capable of hiding it from them while he receives the message.
Although Jin did possess the capabilities in bargaining which he has started to pick up, but he’s still fundamentally a youth and Percher wasn’t that confident in him being able to hide his inner feelings.
No matter how much Percher was rattled by this situation, she could only rein those feelings in for now.
(Although I don’t know what sort of scheme they are up to, but those two are willing to play along with the current situation. Perhaps it’s just underestimating us, but this condition of the situation is still quite good.)
In any case, I must first dig up the intent of the other party.
Having reached a decision in her thoughts, Percher started to undress by undoing the buttons on her maid outfit. Though she really hated baths, but she didn’t want to let them out of her sight. So Percher followed Rin and Sandra who had proceeded towards the baths before her—
“AH, Jin! You guys came in first?!”
And she tripped over herself.
“ “——Hah……?!” ”
Percher and Jin gave a loud cry in surprise and the reason needn’t be said.
This was a normal bathhouse that was similar to any other in the world——which means that everyone was naked in there.
Part 4[edit]
—Let’s backtrack time by a little.
Jin who had taken off his clothes in a jiffy sat beside a pedestal that sprayed hot water to wash his hair.
With a practiced action of pressing out the shampoo, Jin made it foam and bubble. And he could tell from just the fragrance given off by the shampoo that the public bath had prepared shampoo that could be said to be of a high quality.
This should be shampoo made from the distilled essence of petals. And it could be said to be a luxury item to the [No Name]s.
Rubbing the white foamy shampoo suds in his palms—Jin was a bit troubled.
The source of the troubles was of course that white haired golden iris youth who sat silently in a corner.
(This…This is so awkward……)
It’s just been a quarter of an hour since they first met each other and his real name was still unknown. Within just that short span of meeting each other, he had already ended up in this situation where they saw each other’s naked body.
The situation defied conventional logic—in a certain sense, Jin did not have any method to break this strange atmosphere around him.
“……”
Jin slid a sidelong glance.
The youth who was called His Highness was sitting before the mirror to be used for washing one’s hair without a word nor did he do anything at all as he just sat in a straight posture while staring at the pump that dispensed the shampoo. That scene was really strange.
The shampoo found in this place was definitely a highly priced product and it was clear that the living standards between a 5 digit and a 7 digit was just that wide.
But this youth’s gaze didn’t seem to be one that looked at it in distaste—But it was more of a gaze from one who had never seen such a thing before and it was curiosity that filled his eyes.
“Erm, that… Your Highness-kun?”
“Yes, is something the matter?”
The serious reply from the youth responded to Jin’s nickname for him, causing Jin to feel more troubled.
Originally thinking to warm the atmosphere with a joke of calling him with that ‘Your Highness-kun’ that didn’t seem to be a superior nor a junior way of addressing someone, but when used upon this youth that seemed unbound by the rules of this world, jokes didn’t seem to have an effect on him.
It seems like I must use a much simpler joke to launch my attack, Jin thought to himself while setting his determination for the task.
“That……even if you keep staring at the pump for the shampoo……”
“Oh is that so? So this is called a pump.”
*Uwa!*
“It….It is called a pump. Shampoo is contained within it.”
“Oh, I see, I get it now. Pressing this part will cause a rise in the internal pressure and cause the fluid to rise from within. Though it’s a simple structure but it sure is a landmark invention.”
“That…That’s right.”
“Nn.” His Highness reached out his hand to the shampoo pump in admiration.
At this point, Jin pursed his lips in an unpleasant foreboding.
“Could it be….you have never washed your hair……”
“That’s rude. My hair is washed every day.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It’s just that I don’t wash it myself.”
His Highness replied with a serious expression.
……seems like he’s telling the truth. His hair was normally washed by others.
Jin could only give a long sigh while looking up at the ceiling.
“……Just asking in advance, do you know how to wash your hair?”
“Although I’m not too sure, but I do know of the theory behind it. The water and shampoo comes into contact with air to have a chemical reaction and then rubbing it to form bubbles, that’s all, right?”
“Ye…Yes! You need to use the foam to remove the oil from your hair.”
“So it’s like that. Jin’s really knowledgeable. Okay—“
His Highness excitedly pressed on the pump. Was it just overthinking things a bit? For it seemed like he was really enjoying this process of forming a large amount of foamy bubbles in his hands before washing his hair with a face of amazement.
Jin asked with a wry smile:
“Normally your hair is washed by a servant of yours?”
“Ah, Nn. There are three exclusive attendants to follow me but Graiya Oji-chan’s really clumsy with his movements and the task of washing my hair is mainly left to Aura or Rin.”
“Rin……Could it be that girl just now? You allow girls to wash your hair?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
His Highness lifted his head of white hair while having a surprised expression but that movement caused a bit of the shampoo suds[10] to get into his eye and he quickly closed his eyes seemingly in pain. It would seem that His Highness had really never washed his hair on his own before.
Jin was dumbfounded as his mouth was agape, but he raised a serious question:
“Your Highness……is the successor of your Community?”
“Precisely because I am that I’ve gotten such an intimate nickname like that.”
“And your real name?”
“Secret. Jin, if you are able to guess it, I will tell you.”
He game a smile as he lifted his head again. This time, it caused some suds to drip into his other eye and he used his hand to rub it in reflex. The first time washing his hair was instantly turned into a tragedy.
“……washing my own hair by myself sure is tough.”
Muttering while tolerating his pain. It should have been pain enough to become irritable but perhaps this coolness was part of his talent and Jin was secretly impressed.
Just as he applied the soap suds to his hair and was about to scrub—
“AH, Jin! You guys came in first?!”
Jin tripped over himself. And it was while in his sitting position that he tripped together with the stool to turn a full half circle with the momentum.
“ “——Hah……?!” ”
This was a normal bathhouse that was similar to any other in the world——which means that everyone was naked in there.
“You…You must be lying right?”
Of course it wasn’t a lie, nor was it a metaphor.
Five youths of both guys and girls were all without their clothes—No, to be more precise, with the exception of Rin who wrapped a bath towel around herself, the other four youths of both guys and girls were all naked.
But Sandra paid it no mind as she rushed over with her red hair swaying behind her.
“Jin, it’s been three years since we last bathed together! And I remember that we used to bathe together in the past too!”
“Ara, so Jin also did get help from others. And here I thought that I was the only weird one.”
“Eh? Nno…wawait, that’s not it…!”
Jin frantically tried to explain as he stammered on his words.
Ignoring Jin’s situation, Rin who was wrapped up in a bath towel walked up to His Highness.
“Uwa! His Highness is actually washing his own hair! What mind of emotional change could have caused this?!”
“No, it’s not an emotional influence but a situational one. If there’s no one around to help me, I would just have to do it alone right?”
“Ooh, I see!” Rin replied, impressed. She then started to help His Highness to wash his white hair in a matter-of-factly. ……What sort of relation did those two have?[11] It really seemed to be getting weirder by the moment.
But upon seeing their actions, Sandra had also taken an interest in it as she came to stand behind Jin.
“Then, let me help Jin to wash as well!”
“San…Sandra!”
Sandra happily wriggled her fingers in excitement. To avoid any misunderstanding, she’s still currently in the nude.
Jin covered the part that logically required his covering as he ran around the bathhouse with a red face. And Sandra happily chased after him while Rin looked on at them in a happy mood.
Only Percher was alone in a corner covering her body as she muttered wordlessly to the Heavens:
(……this sort of situation. What do you want me to do?)
Translator’s notes[edit]
- ↑ [magref notes:‘Rare Sacred Iron’ I’m placing it like this though the text didn’t have the ‘’ stuff. Somehow it looks neater to me….]
- ↑ [magref notes: yes I added the good to see you part… sounds more English like what he’s supposed to say.]
- ↑ [magref notes: replete-filled]
- ↑ [magref notes: studio-workroom/warehouse, using it interchangeably]
- ↑ [magref notes: ok this is just for fun…. Not too sure but it seems like Asuka is close to Izayoi huh from this speech….]
- ↑ [magref notes: original would be The various gemstones that seemed to give off a radiance like those of stars also served to make the corridor even more eye-catching. Errr…. Nvm I think the direct translations would have erased all the artistic sense in the description so yeah…]
- ↑ [magref notes: girl or lady? Hmmm young girl would be very young… young lady might sound a little older…>.<]
- ↑ [magref notes: I’m sure I used the word laconic before. But if you are wondering about it, it means a person with very few words/to the point.]
- ↑ [magref notes: This part is where the author tries to use some artistic talent in describing a drainage basin where all the water flows from the higher points in the region:mountains , and converge to form a river that runs down through Kouen City. Free diagram of a mountain range and drainage basin at the top.]
- ↑ [magref note: sud is the soapy water.]
- ↑ [magref notes for fun: What is this relationship, the two men getting incredible feeling. That’s google translate …. Boy girl Love-love became yaoi love love XD]
