An Unwitting Rare Existence

An Unwitting Rare Existence

"Hmm..."

The day after the battle for our dignity.

Once again, I was borrowing a room at Takanashi-san's house today.

I stared at the bleach, newspaper, and several tools I had bought at the hundred-yen shop and groaned.

It would probably be bad to do all sorts of things in someone else's house without permission. I decided to ask permission while I was there to check on Kenning.

With that in mind, I headed toward the garage, where I heard Riko-senpai's voice.

"Wooooo!"

I lengthened my stride a little at the sudden roar.

The garage at Takanashi-san's house could also be entered from inside the house. I opened the door while putting on the sandals resting on the lower step.

"What happened?"

Inside were Takanashi-san in coveralls and Riko-senpai in the casual outfit of a T-shirt and jeans.

For some reason, the latter was holding a tablet while thrusting both hands into the air.

"I did it... I did it!"

"...What?"

"The Kenning overhaul."

Takanashi-san turned toward me and answered my question.

In front of them, Kenning was kneeling with both knees on the ground. Most of its armor had been removed, leaving its frame exposed.

But that frame...

"Wait, haven't both its arms and legs become wooden?"

They had been replaced with the spirit-wood material I had made. The metal frame should still have been sturdier, though.

Perhaps reacting to my words, Riko-senpai whipped her head around at incredible speed.

Good grief, that's scary.

"H-heh heh heh... Its strength did drop. Seriously. I wouldn't call it one-hit mode, but it's probably down around twenty percent overall. Probably."

"Isn't that bad?"

"Just give it Otaku-kun's 'Telekinetic Shield' for defense. But that's not the point."

"Its mobility has increased dramatically in exchange."

Takanashi-san announced this with eyes that seemed to sparkle.

"Using Yahiro-san's spirit wood greatly improved its responsiveness to controls. Before, the system couldn't keep up, so its movements ended up being no different from those with the ordinary frame."

"But that's changed now."

With an expression that looked like it belonged in a slightly different art style, Riko-senpai clenched the hand not holding the tablet.

"This smart, well-behaved Riko-chan realized something after watching a Dora○mon movie with Miyucchi the other day. 'If future old-fashioned machinery has become incomprehensible, why not turn it into understandable, cutting-edge modern machinery?'..."

"...Wait, don't tell me."

"Miyucchi has money. She has a reason to want to get stronger. So we bought all kinds of expensive, commercially available equipment. We got the latest tablet and computer models and built them into that thing."

With a sharp gesture, Riko-senpai pointed at Kenning's cockpit with her thumb.

That was something else... How had it not caused constant errors? I had once heard on television that modern smartphones were as powerful as, or more powerful than, supercomputers from the end of the Showa era.

"People often talk about using the latest models to preserve old memories, right? That means there's demand for it. And technology with demand develops. So Riko-chan-sama subtly asked the teachers at school, researched it online, read overseas research papers, and worked hard to stick everything together."

"I-I see..."

Apparently, Kenning had been built using mostly very old technology, and Riko-senpai had skillfully replaced it with modern equivalents.

"Thanks to that, its response speed is way higher! The old Kenning couldn't even draw out thirty percent of Miyucchi's power, but now it can draw out around sixty percent!"

I opened my eyes wide in surprise. If Riko-senpai was telling the truth, that meant it was twice as powerful as before.

I remembered Takanashi-san's movements during the lycanthrope spiritual disaster. She had already been plenty strong then, but...

"Now praise me! Sing Riko-chan-sama's praises!"

"Y-you're amazing, Riko-senpai!"

"That's incredible, Riko-senpai."

"Bwahahahahaha! Hahahahahaha!"

Riko-senpai laughed uproariously, a slightly unhinged look in her eyes and one hand on her hip.

Her ample breasts shook slightly beneath her black T-shirt in time with the laughter, but I looked away from them with all my might.

"Well, that's as far as I can go. Of course, I'll handle maintenance and adjustments, but I'm still just a student. Honestly, I can't overhaul it any further. From here on, magic gets involved. And, well, you need skills at a professional level too."

Riko-senpai stopped laughing and shrugged as if to say she was throwing in the towel.

Then she turned toward Takanashi-san.

"From here on, it's your job, Miyucchi. Do your best with the motor connections, attaching the armor, and, most importantly, actually operating it."

"Yes. Thank you so much, Riko-senpai."

Takanashi-san saluted the grinning Riko-senpai.

Riko-senpai nodded in satisfaction, then turned her gaze toward me.

"So, what brings you here, Otaku-kun? Did you need something? Or were you lonely all by yourself?"

"Ah, no. That's right. There was something I wanted to ask Takanashi-san."

"Me?"

Takanashi-san tilted her head in puzzlement.

"Actually... I'm really sorry, but I was wondering if I could borrow another room."

"That would be fine."

"And it might get a little noisy, not to mention smelly..."

"Wait, no way!?"

Riko-senpai glared at me with exaggerated astonishment.

"Otaku-kun, has your sex drive finally gone wild, leading you to some deviant hobby at Miyucchi's house!?"

"No. I'll fill that empty head of yours with concrete."

"Oh no. The crisis facing my genius brain."

"What exactly do you mean by noise and smells?"

"Ah, right. I've actually already been trying to make paper, and I was wondering if I could work on it here too."

"I see."

Takanashi-san folded her arms as though supporting her enormous breasts and nodded.

My gaze nearly drifted there, but I resisted through sheer force of will. Hang in there, my reason...!

"In that case, I see no reason to refuse. Please use the room as much as you like."

"Thanks. I can get more done here than at home, after all..."

At home, there were too many distractions even before considering my parents. Games, anime, manga, and light novels—I kept reaching for them without thinking.

"Specifically, you'll probably hear sounds from crushing or grinding wood, and smell bleach."

"Huh. So, does using special paper increase the power of scroll magic?"

"Well..."

I gave a wry smile at Riko-senpai's question.

"My magic probably wouldn't get much stronger. It would be within the margin of error, I think."

"Seriously? Then what's the point of making special paper yourself?"

"The formula I'm using has already been standardized quite a bit, so it wouldn't serve much purpose for that. But I'd like some if I were going to simplify it. And, actually, there's one more thing I want to do."

"What would that be?"

"I was wondering whether it might be possible to let non-ability users see monsters too."

Takanashi-san's eyes widened at my words.

"That..."

"Huh. So what does making paper have to do with that?"

Riko-senpai tilted her head. It was an entirely natural question.

"I'm hoping to make relatively thin paper infused with mana. If you looked through it, perhaps you could see at least the shadows of monsters."

"Like a shadow appearing on a shoji screen, huh? But don't monsters let sunlight pass through them too?"

"Yes. So if it were used, we could either pair it with magical fire, or cover a light with a mana-infused lens or sheet of paper and view them under its illumination. Either way, it would be a hassle, but I think it should be possible."

I shifted my gaze from them to Kenning.

It was a mass-produced model used in the future. Takanashi-san had told me that non-ability-user soldiers rode those machines into battle against monsters.

I couldn't think of any way to suddenly increase the number of ability users. Nor did I want to commit immoral and illegal acts like cloning.

But perhaps increasing the forces available to fight monsters was something I could do... or so I was getting a little carried away thinking.

Maybe being told over and over by Takanashi-san that the me in a parallel world had been a hero had gone to my head. Normally, even if I thought of something, I would have given up, assuming that someone else had surely already tried it.

So it might not work, or someone far more capable might accomplish it first, rendering all this effort pointless.

Even so, I thought I would try, just a little.

"...I've heard that infusing paper with mana is extremely difficult."

I gave the expressionless Takanashi-san a small nod, as usual.

"Yeah. I've been using 'Blood of Rejuvenation' in place of water, but if I use too little, the mana disperses, and if I use too much, the wood reacts strangely. Still, I've recently managed to make it if I personally handcraft everything from start to finish."

As I said that, I took a sheet of paper from my pocket.

It was a piece of paper that could hardly be called beautiful. Pulp paper I had made while watching videos online.

It was faint, but I had definitely succeeded in imbuing it with mana. However, it was extremely uneven, with different thicknesses in different places. I had tried writing something on it with a pen, but it hadn't worked well.

The quality of the paper didn't matter. What I wanted was something that wasn't handmade.

"...!"

"I was hoping I could somehow make it possible for people other than ability users to produce it too. Then we could mass-produce scrolls, and achieve the monster-visibility I mentioned earlier."

Takanashi-san suddenly grabbed me by both shoulders.

Huh? Déjà vu.

"Why..."

"Yes... yes?"

"Why did you die at the harbor!?"

"I told you, I'm a different person."

Even when she said something similar to that time, all I could give her was the same answer.

"I understand that. But it's just too much... If the you in my world could do this too, then even more so...!"

"What am I supposed to say to that?"

You're too close. Your beautiful face and national-treasure-class breasts are too close.

I desperately tilted my face and eyes upward to preserve my reason. Should I pretend it was an accident and touch her with my elbow or the back of my hand, you completely oblivious airhead?

Please realize how incredible you are.

"Come on, Miyucchi. I don't really know how amazing this is, but Otaku-kun seems to be working hard, so give him some encouragement."

"...Understood."

After Riko-senpai waved her hand, Takanashi-san slowly removed her hands from my shoulders and then said:

"I will support you with all my strength. Please command me as you wish."

She gave me a beautifully executed salute.

The sway of her huge breasts nearly stole my attention, but I took several steps back with a wry smile.

"Haha... Well, um, thanks. Then I'll borrow another room, okay?"

"Yes. In fact, perhaps you should live here as well, Yahiro-san. I will protect you twenty-four hours a day."

"No, thanks..."

"Miyucchi, this is going to sound incredibly cruel, but without Kenning, you're only about one-fourth as strong as Otaku-kun..."

"...I see."

Well, yes. It wasn't really about strength. It was because I couldn't relax at all with her around.

Talent as an ability user was a minor matter. If a beautiful woman with a figure like Takanashi-san's were beside me twenty-four hours a day, wouldn't I go insane?

Wouldn't the world be a greater loss if she died than if I did? She was this beautiful, with breasts this enormous. Compared to her, mana-infused paper was less useful than toilet paper.

It's probably just that someone more amazing than me would surely invent something even more impressive. Kenning itself was proof of that. Even if it was manufactured fifty years from now, there must have been basic research behind it.

Still, I wasn't planning to die. I valued my own life.

"I mean, if Otaku-kun had someone cheering him on beside him while dressed as a cheerleader, he'd work with a hundred times more energy!"

"Understood. I'll go put it on."

"Wait!"

Riko-senpai hurriedly grabbed Takanashi-san by the scruff of her neck as she tried to dash off without hesitation.

More importantly, did they even have a cheerleader outfit?

"It was a joke! A joke! If you did that, Otaku-kun wouldn't be able to work anymore! He'd start doing something else!"

"Riko-senpai, I won't deny it, but please spare me. I'm begging you, please spare me. Don't torment my tender adolescent sensibilities...!"

"Sorry! But it's true!"

"Damn...!"

I covered my face with both hands in embarrassment. Why did I have to be called a sex-crazed demon by a beautiful girl my own age?

No, this was seriously painful. And I really didn't think I was at fault. I wanted to loudly declare that the true culprit was Takanashi-san's obscene, sex-expo-level body that practically walked the line of an 18+ rating.

But I wouldn't say it! If I did, I would truly die socially!

"Um... understood. But when are we doing that thing?"

"That thing? What are you talking about? I don't know, I don't remember anything, and I have no recollection."

Riko-senpai's eyes wandered as Takanashi-san turned toward her.

"It was yesterday's penalty game. When are you going to cosplay?"

"Oh, that. Right..."

Riko-senpai was silent for several seconds before saying:

"Please give me time to prepare myself mentally...!"

She muttered that while covering her face with both hands.

There are a lot of people covering their faces in this room.

"Even I have a maiden's heart. I can't easily find the courage to stick chopsticks up my nose and dance...!"

"LOL."

"Don't laugh, damn it!"

I pointed both index fingers at the self-proclaimed gyaru who had lost a three-on-one fight.

I can't wait to see your disgraceful—er, amusing—appearance, Riko-senpai!

"If only I had the courage of those light-music club girls who performed with ten-yen coins shoved into both eyes and their nose at the school festival!"

"Are you seriously saying that? Or rather, please tell me that's a lie."

Wasn't the school Riko-senpai attended a prestigious school for young ladies?

Please don't. You're seriously ruining my dream.

"Incidentally, this year they were fired up to play the keyboard with their toes while in that condition."

"What are they even aspiring to become?"

I thought they should rename themselves the street-performance club instead of the light-music club.

"Please don't do things like that, young ladies from an all-girls school. Don't ruin the dream...! Be more sparkly...!"

"Says the guy who demanded I do the loach-scooping routine."

"Oh, but I thought it would be okay for you, Riko-senpai."

"Want me to put you in tomorrow morning's paper!?"

I backed away from Riko-senpai, who was roaring with a wrench in hand.

Because she's a self-proclaimed gyaru who's kind to otaku. At this point, her very existence was a joke.

"I just realized, the penalty game back then came with the condition that it had to be 'clothes from my house.'"

"Oh, right! Surely Miyucchi's house doesn't have any loach-scooping costume gear!"

"Tsk."

"I heard that, Otaku-kun! How badly do you want to stick chopsticks in my nose!?"

"I thought it would be funny."

"That's not something you do to a maiden for the sake of humor!"

"In that case, how about Riko-senpai wears whatever I randomly choose that day?"

"Yes! Pick something super cute, Miyucchi!"

"Yes. Leave it to me."

Riko-senpai... Is that really a good idea?

When Takanashi-san gave a firm thumbs-up, I got a bad feeling.

It was strange. A beautiful girl's cosplay should only make me happy, so why was I getting such a chill?

"You really don't have to do it if you genuinely don't want to, you know? It's just a penalty game among friends. We don't have to take it so seriously."

Besides, if she was going to be that strict about it, I should be the one choosing.

"No. This time, you are absolutely going to wear it. Both Riko-senpai and Rosso-san, too."

"Why are you going that far?"

"Because..."

With a swift turn, Takanashi-san faced me.

"If you win the next match... that means you'll have to wear one too, Yahiro-san."

"...Huh?"

Wasn't Matsuo Race, with its penalty game, the final one?

As she looked at me in shock, Takanashi-san huffed through her tiny nostrils.

That was hardly the attitude of someone who had just said, "I will protect you twenty-four hours a day."

...Wait, if we ended up living together, would I be the one in danger?

At the chill that once again ran down my spine, I quietly hugged myself.