Rosso-san's Everyday Life

Rosso-san's Everyday Life

"You know, speaking of which—"

Riko-senpai broached the subject when the second race began.

"What is it? I am concentrating on this game right now, you know."

"Well, I'm definitely getting the penalty game, so..."

"Mmm... You..."

I could hear the exasperation in Rosso-san's voice.

I understood how she felt, but I did not stop her. Somehow, I could tell what Riko-senpai was getting at.

I deliberately stopped attacking them and settled for disrupting the NPCs instead.

"Why is Rosson the only one who calls Otaku-kun by his given name? Though calling us by our full names is weird too."

"...You do not call the young oni by his name either."

"Otaku-kun is Otaku-kun☆ I'll be extra gentle with you...!"

Ugh, I just got chills.

So this was what it felt like to be a punching bag for someone's urges... It was a little frightening.

"Still, you are a brat who cannot even tell the difference between a dhampir and a Vampyra."

"Now, now. People keep learning their entire lives. Give him a break."

"How tiresome...!"

Are we really still on that joke? Otaku fans have different genres, you know! Specialized ones...!

...No, more importantly, I still do not admit that I am an otaku!?

All I had done was answer a very simple question right after we met, and somehow I had been certified as an otaku.

"But is there actually a reason?"

"...Well, you see..."

When I glanced back, Rosso-san was wandering her gaze around with her cheeks slightly flushed.

"...I-it is embarrassing to call someone of the opposite sex by her first name..."

...I understood that feeling painfully well.

"Are you a maiden!?"

"Q-quiet! Is there something wrong with being a maiden!? Even a noble of the Demon World has... well, that is to say! Precisely because I am nobility, chastity is important!"

Please do not touch that subject, Riko-senpai. Seriously.

"Anyway, why do you call us by our full names!?"

"Because... I do not know how I am supposed to address my friends."

I understood... If you started out calling someone by their surname with an honorific, you could lose track of when to change it afterward.

"Huh? We're friends, so just go with the flow and change what you call us, right?"

This fake gyaru was saying something exactly like a real gyaru would...!?

Oh, no. I was so flustered that I missed a corner. My cart went off the course and plunged into a river, after which one of Abe no Seimei's shikigami returned me to the track.

"Hah! It is my prerogative! Do not concern yourself with such trivial matters!"

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, Rosson's kind of a fake noble, huh... What about your house? Is it Japanese-style? Western-style?"

"Who cares...? It was originally an ordinary Japanese-style house, but I had it remodeled when I was in elementary school."

"Huh. Did you leave the tatami and stuff?"

"Some of it. I also use shoji as curtains."

"...That doesn't seem very noble-like! It's totally ordinary! At least make it look like a Heian noble's house!"

"Call it a fusion of Japanese and Western styles! A fusion of Japanese and Western styles!"

Riko-senpai's aim was obvious. She was gathering information about Rosso-san.

It was not because she still suspected Rosso-san, but because she wanted to confirm her innocence beyond any doubt.

For all her quirks, she was a dependable senior adventurer. ...Though only by a few days.

"Anyway, you live with your mom, right? I don't know if I should ask this, but doesn't she say anything about those clothes? They look like they'd be a pain to wash."

Indeed. More importantly, how did one even wash a gothic-lolita outfit?

Well, that woman did not wear gothic lolita clothes all the time. Apparently, she rode her motorcycle in a racing suit, then deliberately changed into something extravagantly decorated after reaching her destination.

"I do not wash them at home. I have a dry cleaner do it."

"Seriously? You must be pretty loaded~"

"Until the 'Day of Regression,' I watched the Ever-Shifting Golden River. I have enough savings to live at that level. Even as a daywalker, the fact that I need not deliberately venture out into the sunlight is one advantage of modern civilization."

"What?"

"I believe she is referring to stock trading."

"Oh, I get it. As expected of you, Otaku-kun!"

"No."

"You're like some kind of chuunibyou professor!"

"Shut up."

No, seriously. Any ability user our age would go through a chuunibyou phase at least once. A pretty severe one, too.

Besides, Rosso-san's chuunibyou-speak was beginner-level. Even someone who had never experienced chuunibyou could probably understand it.

"Of course, I abandoned that after the 'Day of Regression.' The fluctuations were far too violent. I cut my losses quickly."

"Ah..."

The 'Day of Regression' changed the world's common sense. A few months later, spiritual disasters, elixirs of immortality, and all kinds of other things began appearing.

Naturally, stock prices fluctuated wildly. ...Or so they said on television. I did not really understand stocks.

"The wealth I have stored is not infinite. More than anything, it is the duty of a monarch to wield this power for the sake of the common people. That is why I became an adventurer, one who delves into labyrinths to seek the unknown."

"That makes sense~ Speaking of which, why did you join our clan? We were happy to have you, but isn't our place kind of far from your house? Otaku-kun and the others said you protected a shelter during the Lycanthrope spiritual disaster."

"It is not particularly far when one uses modern devices. Besides..."

"Besides?"

"...I felt I might not fit in with an ordinary clan. So, well... I thought I would be fine in a clan that people online called a 'freak show,' 'a place that forces its kinks on others,' 'a nest of suspicious people,' and 'the defeat of the law itself.'"

"Huh...? Huh!?"

"Seriously...?"

I reflexively glanced behind me twice. Rosso-san looked extremely uncomfortable and averted her eyes, while Riko-senpai stared into the distance.

Takanashi-san alone remained focused on the game. Hey, future girl. Where had the person who was most wary of that chuunibyou dhampir gone?

"...I think I will buy Grandma something next time. Something that might help her blow off steam."

"Yes. I will think of something too..."

"Indeed... Be kind to her..."

Master surely had no idea that the clan headquartered in her own café was called things like that.

More importantly, how had Rosso-san worked up the nerve to come to 'Alf' despite that reputation?

"However, it is also true that this clan is an even greater freak show than I expected. What is with the service-crazed gender-swapped maid, the perverted painter, and the self-proclaimed mascot in a costume?"

"Don't worry, Rosson. The self-proclaimed Demon World noble living in a half-Japanese house is pretty bad too."

The self-proclaimed otaku-friendly gyaru had something to say.

"How dare you! There is nothing wrong with using shoji instead of curtains!"

"Really? I kind of imagine that you can see people's shadows through shoji. And they tear."

"They cannot be seen from the road, so there is no problem. Besides, even if they tear, they are merely serving as curtains. There is a window behind them, so there is no serious security issue."

Shoji... I was pretty sure my grandparents' house had some when I visited as a child.

My grandparents had passed away, and relatives lived there now. I had not visited in several years, so my memories were hazy.

When I was little, I used to be afraid that I might see a ghost beyond the shoji at night.

...Hmm?

I felt as if something had almost surfaced just now. It had nothing to do with my memories or Rosso-san.

It concerned the matter of the 'future' that had been troubling me for so long.

...Monsters cannot be seen by ordinary people. Objects without mana could not interact with them in the first place... No.

Conversely, if one used something imbued with mana, even a non-ability user could interact with them────

"Ah."

While I was thinking, the race seemed to have ended. The ox cart controlled by my character crossed the finish line.

I came in third overall. Two NPCs were ahead of me.

And then.

"Huh? Oh, nooooooo!?"

Rosso-san's scream rang out.

"When did I end up in last place!? I-Inoue Riko! Why are you so far ahead of me!?"

"Sorry! A super item popped up earlier, so I took a shortcut by force."

"You fiend! So the reason you kept bombarding me with questions was..."

"Nope☆ I just wanted to learn more about a dear friend☆"

"Liarrrrr!"

Apparently, Riko-senpai had decided to cover it up that way.

At the very least, Rosso-san had realized that the questions were a trap designed to put her in last place. Half in tears, she crossed the finish line dead last.

"Y-you... youuu...!"

"There, there, Rosson."

Pat, pat. Riko-senpai gave her an unnecessarily refreshing smile and patted Rosso-san on the shoulder.

"Sharing the same suffering is friendship☆"

"Do you have no heart? A friend should not force her friend to suffer the same humiliation!"

"I was tempted☆"

"Youuuuu!"

Well, I had no particular grudge against Rosso-san, so this was unexpected for me too.

However, she really did seem like an ordinary person. Aside from the chuunibyou thing.

If that was the case, she was obviously innocent. She must have avoided falling into monstrosity because she had defended that shelter.

Now that I was reassured, I should focus on the race. I absolutely could not come in last. My dignity was on the line...!

"You two."

A clear voice rang out.

I turned my gaze toward it and saw Takanashi-san—or rather, a walking theme park of indecency—gripping her controller with a serious expression.

As the other three looked toward her, she closed her eyes for just a moment, then said:

"This is the final race. Please lend me your strength."

With that, she voiced her request.

"I absolutely must beat Yahiro-san. I want to win and make my 'dream' come true. So please... lend me your strength."

After saying that, Takanashi-san placed her controller on the table, turned toward Riko-senpai and Rosso-san, and bowed deeply.

Her long, beautiful black hair fell in a graceful sweep under the pull of gravity. It was a waterfall of obsidian, concealing Takanashi-san's expression from view.

But it was obvious that her eyes... must have held a more serious light than anyone else's in the world.

"...Well, can't be helped."

Riko-senpai stretched out her fingers with a series of cracks.

"It's a cute junior's request. I was already giving it my all, but... I'll show you what lies beyond the limits!"

Then she gave a delicate wink.

"As your senior, that is."

"Hmph."

Beside her, Rosso-san crossed her arms beneath her ample chest.

"You ask this monarch to grant your great wish. How utterly ordinary. One might even call it one of the proper roles of the common people. Thus, my heart remains unmoved. ...However."

Her closed eyes opened, and her lips curved into an amused smile.

"For a friend's request, I suppose it cannot be helped. I too... shall race beyond my limits."

"You two...!"

Takanashi-san raised her head. Her eyes seemed to sparkle more brightly than usual.

"Thank you...!"

Wait, all they were doing was trying to force someone into cross-dressing cosplay, right?

And so, with the three of them burning with the flames of friendship while I alone went completely flat, the third race began.

"Whoooooo!"

"There!"

"Whoa."

From the very start, Riko-senpai and Rosso-san tried to ram their ox carts into mine.

"You understand, Inoue Riko!"

"You bet! We'll support Miyucchi while making sure we don't come in last either! Otherwise, it won't be a complete victory!"

"Yes! Our goal is... a flawless happy ending!"

Was this a hobby anime?

The NPC-controlled ox carts gradually overtook us. However, according to the rules, only our rankings relative to one another mattered.

Moreover, in this game, the lower a player's rank, the more likely they were to receive powerful items from the baskets. Since all four of us were running near the back, we were engaged in a brawl with powerful items.

What? This is obviously Mari● Kart no matter how you look at it? It isn't, and I told you I don't know anything about it! Please, have mercy on me.

Ah! At the window! At the window! A company that looks like it has its headquarters in Kyoto!

And so the race continued.

We were clustered together near the back, but as a beginner, Takanashi-san seemed to be running in last place.

Judging by the minimap at the edge of the screen, we had already fallen far behind the NPCs. But that was precisely why a comeback item should appear in one of the baskets on the course.

All that remained was deciding who would draw it, and when...

"I'm not letting you get ahead, Otaku-kun!"

"You shall sink here! Forever!"

The two of them fired cow dung wildly at me. But I had no obligation to let myself be hit. I used the ordinary passing ox carts on the screen as shields and fended off their attacks.

Then I deliberately braked. Riko-senpai and Rosso-san moved ahead of me.

"Good! We'll keep them in check like this!"

"...Wait, Rosson! This is a trap!"

Let me say it again: the lower one's rank, the more likely one was to receive powerful items.

...No, I did not actually say that out loud. This was not a hobby anime, after all. I was not going to narrate an explanation every time.

Thus, I acquired 'Raiko's Star Helmet,' which made me invincible for a limited time. I waited for the right moment and used it.

"Damn it! No!"

"Our attacks can't stop Otaku-kun! Miyucchi is...!"

"It is all right. You two go on ahead."

Takanashi-san's calm voice reached me.

"But!"

"It is fine. I will... overtake Yahiro-san from here."

The final straightaway came into view. I used the 'Star Helmet' and became invincible, protecting myself from interference. I should be able to reach the finish line before its effect wore off.

"...I see! Miyucchi got that item!"

"Yes."

I glanced back toward the sofa. Noble fighting spirit burned in her eyes.

Those were the eyes of a warrior challenging one final gamble!

...This was not the time for that!

"The 'Ushi-Oni'...! To obtain it here, you are quite a woman!"

The 'Ushi-Oni.' It was the most powerful item in the game.

It made the player temporarily invincible, granted them extraordinary acceleration, and enlarged their ox cart as they raced down the very center of the track.

Even while invincible, I could be knocked away by the difference in vehicle weight.

"Go!"

"Advance... Miyu Takanashi!"

"'Ushi-Oni'... activate!"

...Wait, am I supposed to shout something too?

My Foresight Magic Eye gave me no answer. Was it telling me that it could not grant me social skills...?

"...Um, Miyucchi?"

As we entered the final straightaway, Riko-senpai asked hesitantly:

"On the minimap I'm looking at, Miyucchi's ox cart isn't moving. Is it lag?"

"How curious. Mine is not moving either."

"Mine neither."

The three of us quietly turned to look at Takanashi-san.

She was facing forward with a dignified expression.

"────I got stuck on a house."

The 'Ushi-Oni' was a powerful item, but occasionally its size and excessive acceleration became liabilities.

"Oh, well, putting that aside, I am going to hit and run you."

"W-whoaaaa!?"

"What!?"

While still invincible, she used the acceleration item she had been saving and rammed into Riko-senpai's and Rosso-san's ox carts.

Several NPCs finished ahead of us in the overall race, but she came in first among the four of us.

Takanashi-san, who had suffered a spectacular accident, came in last. Somehow, each member of the three-person alliance had come in last once.

I slowly turned toward the three idiots sitting on the sofa.

"Aren't you ashamed to lose three against one!?"

I thought I was allowed to taunt them at least a little.

Yes, if only to soothe the loneliness overflowing in my chest... I was not an outcast. I had merely come to a trial session for '†Lone Wolf†.'

...What even was a trial session for '†Lone Wolf†'? I had no idea anymore.

"Damn it... Damn it..."

"So this is defeat..."

"I am sorry, you two."

"It's okay, Miyucchi... We'll win next time!"

"Yes... Every defeat is a stepping stone toward the next victory. Miyu Takanashi."

Somehow, it felt as though their bond had grown stronger over there.

Should I throw real cow dung at them? I had no idea where to get any, though.

"That aside, Yahiro-san."

"Yes, ma'am. What can I do for you, a shadow-dweller like me?"

"Otaku-kun has become incredibly self-deprecating..."

"I am honestly sorry."

"It's okay. Really. Heh, I'm used to it..."

I was not crying, okay? I was not lonely, okay?

As I desperately held back the sweat overflowing from my eyes, Takanashi-san tilted her head with a little wobble.

"What should we wear? Since Yahiro-san has the final say."

"Uh..."

Come to think of it, she was right.

I had been so desperate to protect my dignity that I had completely forgotten.

However, I had no intention of asking for overly provocative cosplay. If I gave in to my desires and said, 'Heh heh heh! Bunny girl! A shameful wedding dress! Bikini armor!' it would damage my future relationships with them.

I should choose something harmless.

"To begin with, I don't really know what you have at home, Takanashi-san."

"I believe we have most things."

"Then how about a shrine maiden outfit for you, Takanashi-san?"

"Understood."

A win was a win. It did not expose much skin, but it should still be a feast for the eyes.

"And Rosso-san... how about a school uniform?"

"What!? You want me to wear clothing for young people!? Is that not inappropriate for my age!?"

It was a penalty game, after all. More importantly, Rosso-san looked young enough to pass for a college student. There was no chance it would turn into one of those painfully awkward situations.

If someone in their late twenties pretended to be a high school girl, it would go beyond awkward and become downright pitiful.

Of course, one would not normally encounter such a pitiful person in everyday life.

"And then..."

"Gah...! This is bad. Otaku-kun has been overcome by my charms and is running wild! Don't choose anything lewd, Otaku-kun!"

"...How about a loach-catching old man cosplay?"

"Why did you suddenly veer into comedy!? At least pick something cute! Like the other two!"

"Well, I thought it might suit you."

"I'll punch you, you jerk!"

I felt like that was simply the role of this fake gyaru by now.

It would not be a feast for the eyes, but it would make a good joke.

"Then what would be acceptable? My other candidate is a flesh-colored bodysuit and a sumo wrestler cosplay."

"Why do you always go for comedy!? I'm a beautiful girl! And I've got an amazing figure!"

"Your personality."

"That's harsh!?"

"A flesh-colored bodysuit...? I doubt there was one."

"Oh, then all we need for loach-catching is a pair of chopsticks, a colander, and a tenugui."

"Wait! That would violate a maiden's dignity in an entirely different way!"

"...You have one?"

"Of course I do! You are seriously rude, you little punk!?"

────Creeeeak...

At that moment, the living-room door slowly opened.

There stood our clan master. In her left hand was a tray bearing snacks and cups of juice.

In her right hand, she held a well-used frying pan.

"Everyone... I told you to play quietly, didn't I?"

Master smiled as she always did.

And yet, before we knew it, everyone was sitting in seiza on the spot.

"Shall we... have a little talk?"

After that, we received an absolutely massive scolding.