The Joint Request

The Joint Request

The day after Kenning's parts arrived.

Takanashi-san and Riko-senpai were repairing the Kenning. I had no knowledge of machinery, so there was nothing I could do except handle the heavy lifting. Unfortunately, the jobs that could be solved with brute force had been finished on the day the parts arrived.

As a result, today was a complete day off. ...Or so it seemed.

After school, I found myself visiting Takanashi-san's house again. That was because—

"Phew..."

I set down my glass pen and looked at the writing on the desk.

The characters written there belonged to no language in this world. They were a fragment of a culture that had vanished at the end of the Age of the Gods without being passed down.

Magic letters.

Making scrolls at home was difficult simply because I didn't have enough space. The only place I had to dry completed scrolls was the floor of my room.

Takanashi-san's house, on the other hand, had plenty of vacant rooms, and the house itself was enormous. Thanks to her kindness, she had lent me two entire rooms as workspaces.

I checked for any typos or omissions, verified that mana was flowing through it, and gave a small nod.

"Mmm...!"

When I stretched lightly, I felt a faint tingling in my shoulders and back. It was oddly pleasant.

This was my ninth scroll. I'd used a considerable amount of mana, and my head felt heavy.

I must have gotten carried away because working here was more efficient than working at home. It had been a while since I'd made this many at once.

Still, I didn't feel as though I was running out of mana. That was probably proof that my spiritual rank was growing. If this were a game, I'd be around 'LV: 12,' maybe? I might soon be able to stop calling myself a rookie... right?

I thought about that, then shook my head with a wry smile.

I'd only been an adventurer for a month. Even if I'd had some intense experiences, I was still a beginner.

Overconfidence: absolutely not. I repeated that to myself and carried the scroll into the next room.

I placed it on the newspaper spread across the floor and glanced at the scrolls I'd set down earlier. Maybe just a little longer?

I slowly closed the door and returned to the workroom.

At first, I thought one room would be more than enough, but having two rooms to work in like this was making me worry that I'd get used to the comfort.

I could probably make one or two more scrolls.

As I rolled my shoulders, I suddenly started wondering what time it was.

I took my smartphone out of my pocket and discovered that an hour and a half had passed before I knew it. It had felt like half that long.

Maybe I actually liked the time I spent working on scrolls.

I praised myself, thinking that it was kind of cool and craftsmanlike.

"Huh?"

That was when I noticed a notification on my smartphone. I hadn't heard it because I had my phone on silent.

Apparently, Toramari-san had sent it fifteen minutes earlier.

I tilted my head slightly and checked the contents.

In short, it said...

"A joint dungeon request?"

There were few ability users, and even fewer adventurers.

Because of that, multiple clans sometimes worked together to explore a dungeon. I only knew this from things I'd read online and at training seminars, but apparently it wasn't unusual.

According to Toramari-san, one of her clan members had been injured while exploring a dungeon. However, there was apparently a dungeon near their clan where the process of thinning out the monsters had fallen behind.

So she had asked me to help them just once.

...Could this be an attempt to get information about the Kenning?

That suspicion crossed my mind, but perhaps I was overthinking it. I put the thought aside for the moment.

Apparently, if I agreed to leave the decision up to the clan master, Toramari-san would submit a formal request to 'Alf.'

After hesitating briefly, I called Master.

She answered after two rings.

'Hello? What is it, Yahiro-kun?'

"Ah, sorry to bother you while you're busy. Master, do you have a moment?"

'Yeah. There aren't any customers right now, so it's fine.'

"Thank you. Actually—"

I explained the request for cooperation from Toramari-san.

I also mentioned the possibility that she might be investigating the Kenning. I had no evidence, but it was better to share questions like this with someone smarter than me.

At least, that was what I thought.

'What, a friend from Yahiro-kun's school!?'

That seemed to be more important to Master.

"Well, I suppose she's someone I might be able to call a friend..."

'That's fine! Go ahead and meet her! If you're worried, I could come along too. Do you think you can manage by yourself?'

"The dungeon materials attached to the email make it seem like the difficulty should be manageable even for me."

'No, that's not what I meant. Do you think you'll be able to talk properly? Though maybe having an adult come along would just make things awkward...?'

"Master, I'm not going to visit a friend's house to play, you know...?"

'I know! If they submit the request to the clan, I'll approve it, of course! Though it ultimately depends on you, Yahiro-kun.'

"Right... I understand. I'll send Toramari-san a message accepting the request, then."

'Got it! Do your best! Also, what should we do about souvenirs? I'll bake some delicious cookies for you! Do you think Toramari-chan has any allergies?'

"I'm saying this one more time, but I'm not going over there to play, okay?"

'...Wait, is this a date!? Eek! Youth, youth! I have to cook red rice...!'

"Listen to me!"

Oh, crap. I had accidentally spoken too casually.

That level of runaway enthusiasm was unmistakably Riko-senpai's grandmother. Though maybe she was still better than that one.

I ended the call like that and sent an email to Toramari-san.

"Sigh..."

Man... I was tired.

I let out a small sigh and put my smartphone away. Given the time, I should stop making scrolls for today. If I got home too late, Mom would worry.

...And, at worst, I might get home at exactly the wrong time and end up in an unbearably awkward situation.

I was thinking that as I started putting away my tools.

────Knock, knock.

"Yes?"

Someone knocked on the door, and I looked that way.

"It's Takanashi. May I come in?"

"Ah, sure. Of course. What's wrong? Do you need help with anything?"

I answered as I opened the door.

Standing there was—

"No, that's not why I came..."

Takanashi-san stood there with a confused expression.

Wearing an American schoolgirl outfit.

Her white blouse was cut open daringly at the chest, revealing a generous expanse of pale cleavage. Even the leopard-print bra supporting it was peeking out.

The hem of the blouse was tied directly beneath her enormous breasts, leaving her slender stomach exposed to the air, with faint vertical lines of abdominal muscle visible.

Her blue skirt was absurdly short. If she walked, her panties would certainly be visible. Actually, was she wearing extremely high-cut underwear...? The side strings were sticking out above the skirt's waistband.

As expected, her curvaceous thighs were exposed without restraint. For some reason, she was also wearing loose socks.

It was a perfectly executed, intensely suggestive outfit that had nothing whatsoever to do with an actual American school.

Allow me to use a classic expression.

What is this, an eroge?

"While we were working, Riko-senpai started acting strangely. She shouted that she needed to relieve stress, then ran toward the closet."

"...Takanashi-san, what are you wearing?"

"Riko-senpai told me, 'Miyucchi, become a gyaru too!' and made me change into this."

Takanashi-san explained in her usual flat tone, though she let out a small, troubled sigh.

That tiny movement made her enormous breasts sway faintly. Squoosh. Her alluring cleavage briefly changed shape before settling back into place, and my eyes were riveted to it.

"Please say something to Riko-senpai as well. I don't think I can continue working today."

"Boob... Ah, yes."

"Boob?"

"It's nothing—yesss!"

Takanashi-san tilted her head in puzzlement, so I somehow managed to turn my head away.

This was dangerous... My reason was beginning to crumble with an audible crack!

My reason had never been particularly sturdy. Calling it paper clay would not have been an exaggeration.

Don't tempt me...! I'm weak...!

...Wait. If Riko-senpai had said the words 'Miyucchi too,' that meant—

I heard footsteps coming from the end of the hallway I was facing.

"You damn idiot of a future engineer!"

Riko-senpai appeared, wearing an American schoolgirl outfit.

Like Takanashi-san, she had opened the chest of her white blouse daringly and tied the hem up so that her navel was completely visible.

Although they were smaller than Takanashi-san's, her breasts were still unquestionably large by normal standards, displaying a sun-kissed cleavage. Her pink leopard-print bra was a nice accent.

Her healthy navel and soft-looking thighs were exposed too. The waistband strings of her panties also rose above her ridiculously short skirt.

This fake gyaru was way too lewd!

"R-Riko-senpai...?"

"I can't take this anymore! Why the hell might a computer from the future have lower specs than a modern one!? Are you assuming the cathode-ray-tube era, you damn idiots!?"

"What happened!? A lot of that made no sense!?"

"How many errors can a single process throw, you moron!?"

"Please come to your senses! Come back to your senses!"

As I called out to her, I couldn't help staring at her figure.

Riko-senpai's breasts bounced as she stamped her feet—'boing♡,' 'sway♡'—and pink leopard-print panties kept flashing beneath her skirt.

What should I do? Should I start by shouting words of gratitude?

"My head feels all itchy! I have to raise my gyaru level or I'll die! I really will die, Otaku-kun!"

"I don't understand what you're saying!?"

"Shut up! Don't spout logical arguments while staring at my breasts and panties!"

"I'm sorry! Thank you!"

"No problem!"

My true feelings had slipped out, but somehow she had granted me permission.

Could it be that this person was a little crazy?

"But too bad! These panties and this bra are meant to be seen! Actually, they're swimwear! Hahahaha!"

Riko-senpai laughed idiotically as she pinched the hem of her skirt and fluttered it, showing off her panties.

She called them swimwear rather than underwear, but honestly, to me they were effectively the same thing.

"Yahiro-san, why are you leaning forward? Do you have back pain?"

Takanashi-san peered into my face worriedly and rubbed my lower back.

Her beautiful face and the long cleft between her breasts, reshaped by gravity, entered my field of vision. Ah, wait. Don't touch me right now.

Her kindness was incredibly painful.

"You pervert, Otaku-kun! You're a degenerate, Otaku-kun! Just so we're clear, neither Miyucchi nor I are okay with that kind of thing! Touching us means death!"

"Riko-senpai, what do you mean by 'that kind of thing'?"

"That kind of thing is still too advanced for Miyucchi!"

"????"

Riko-senpai was still in her bizarre mood, while Takanashi-san floated a cloud of question marks.

In any case, Riko-senpai was hardly dressed in a way that allowed her to call anyone else a pervert or a degenerate.

"Riko-senpai is behaving strangely. Yahiro-san, what should I do?"

"...I think you should dump some cold water on her head. She seems to be overheating."

"Would that be all right?"

"I think so. I'll leave the rest to you."

"Wait, wha—"

I retreated into the room inch by inch, leaving the bewildered Takanashi-san behind, and closed the door.

"Yahiro-san!? Am I supposed to deal with Riko-senpai by myself!?"

"Hahahaha! Come on, Miyucchi, let's take some selfies together! Then we'll send them to Otaku-kun!"

"Riko-senpai, please calm down! Wait, why are you groping my chest—eek!?"

I heard their voices through the door as I returned to the desk and sat down.

I put on my earphones, then spread out the tools for making scrolls that I had only halfway put away.

Damn it... I had no choice but to focus on this!

After finishing two scrolls, I checked my smartphone and found that I had received three emails.

The first thanked me for accepting Toramari-san's joint request.

The second contained a selfie of Takanashi-san, looking bewildered, and Riko-senpai, laughing idiotically, pressing their breasts together in their American schoolgirl outfits.

The third arrived about five minutes after the second. It was a meticulously polite message from Riko-senpai apologizing for the commotion and asking me to delete the photo without saying anything.

I... summoned the last scraps of my reason────and deleted the photo.

But I swore that I would burn it into my mind forever.

Thank you, Riko-senpai. Thank you, Takanashi-san.

Thank you, future programmer...!