Chapter 99
Prologue
By mid-June, the temperature had risen considerably.
The humidity clung to my skin, making it terribly muggy.
As always, I was visiting Miyu-san's house after school today. Of course, I was there to create scrolls.
"...Done."
I finished wrapping the dried paper around a spiritwood core.
A tiny scroll the size of an AA battery. This was my magic.
I examined it in my hand, turning it over as I checked for flaws. Including the flow of mana, everything seemed to be in order.
"Phew..."
Since I had made it 'for the first time,' I had been a little worried. But apparently, my concern had been unfounded.
I put it in my pocket with the other newly made scrolls and headed toward the garage.
───I had made something incredible.
I nearly skipped along the way. I even felt like humming.
I was getting carried away, even by my own standards. After all, this might be a major innovation related to supernatural abilities, on par with the 'Mana Supply Scroll.'
Well, to be precise, it wasn't something I had thought up myself. It was the product of knowledge that had originally come with my ability. It wasn't something I should be proud of.
But I couldn't stop myself from getting excited. That was how incredible it was.
As I walked with slightly longer strides than usual, three women's voices reached me from the garage.
"Excuse me!"
As I announced myself and opened the door, I found Miyu-san, Riko-senpai, and an unfamiliar beautiful woman inside.
...Huh? Who was that?
"Hmm. Young oni, was it? Come to think of it, you make scrolls here."
"Hey, Otaku-kun. Come here for a break?"
"Good work, Kota-san."
"Ah, no... Wait, 'young oni'?"
"Hmm?"
I met the gaze of the beautiful woman who had a face exactly like Rosso-san's and spoke with Rosso-san's voice and mannerisms.
Her sand-gold hair was gathered into a neat coil behind her head. Her skin was almost unnaturally white. A slender, straight nose sat beneath thin-framed glasses, and her pale pink lips were strangely alluring.
She was tall and slender, yet her enormous breasts pressed outward against her suit. A high-waisted pencil skirt that covered her knees traced a beautiful curve from her waist to her hips and thighs.
She looked like a capable, beautiful secretary straight out of a movie.
And she was radiating the same mana as Rosso-san.
"W-why are you staring at me so intently...? I-I don't dislike it, but... I suppose it makes me nervous. Or embarrassed, perhaps... N-no! I'm not embarrassed! I am a noble of the demon world! J-just because you are looking at me a little? It's not as if I care about it at all..."
"W-wait, is that Rosso-san?"
"What else did you think I was!?"
The beautiful woman, her cheeks flushed red as she blushed adorably, opened her eyes wide behind her glasses.
"Otaku-kun, I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. This beautiful secretary really is Rosso-san..."
"That can't be...!"
"You too, Riko!? Wait, was it really that surprising? Was it truly worth that much shock...?"
"Yes."
"You too, Miyu!?"
Riko-senpai announced the shocking truth with a serious expression. Miyu-san, wearing an equally dignified expression, nodded.
What on earth was going on...!?
"This beautiful secretary who looks like she can do her job perfectly is... that hopeless self-proclaimed demon-world noble and twenty-something chuunibyou patient!?"
"I'm going to punch you once, you know? With my fist."
I could get sued for fraud. Someone who looked like this, with Rosso-san's personality inside her.
I bowed my head slightly to her as she glared at me in a huff.
"I'm sorry. I was just so surprised..."
"Honestly. There are limits to rudeness."
"I really am sorry. I thought there was an unfamiliar beautiful woman here, and I got carried away."
...Ah. That slipped out.
Calling a friend beautiful to her face was a little embarrassing, after all.
Perhaps she felt awkward too, because she abruptly looked away.
"W-well. In that case, I suppose it can't be helped. I shall permit you to admire my unusual charm."
"Th-thank you...?"
"Seriously? Can we take pictures, Otaku-kun!? Let's get some low-angle shots together!"
"I did not give you permission for that much, you fool!"
"Aw, come on."
"Um, putting that aside, why are you dressed like that?"
"Is it not obvious? I am returning from negotiations with that paper mill, brokered by Tatsumin."
"Oh. Wait, were you okay? I mean, your way of speaking and all?"
"───Of course, it was no problem. A noble must be able to use language suited to the occasion. Otherwise, one would become the laughingstock of the court, would one not?"
"Ohhh...!"
Her way of speaking seemed a little out of step with that of an ordinary businessperson, but with her air, it somehow suited her...!
Rosso-san crossed her arms beneath her breasts and gave an intimidating smile.
"The pact has been made. By this bond, your sorcery has advanced another step—or rather, perhaps I should say it has drawn closer to darkness. Do not forget it. The path you have chosen leads to an eternal abyss should you stray even one step..."
"Thank you for finalizing the contract, Rosso-san. And I will keep firmly in mind that I must not abuse it."
"Indeed. You may thank me to your heart's content! And remember my words of wisdom as well!"
Rosso-san puffed out her chest in satisfaction.
My gaze was drawn toward the magnificent breasts making their presence known even through the suit, but I escaped the temptation by bowing my head.
"I haven't heard that Kumamoto dialect in ages."
"That is a dialect from Kumamoto...? This is it...?"
"That's right, Miyu-chi. In Kumamoto, if you don't speak like that, you die."
"I see... So Japan contains such a dangerous region."
"Also, when you're walking through Gunma, you die if you stray from the highway. Remember that too."
"Understood. Thank you, Riko-senpai."
"Don't mention it!"
"Miyu-san, everything Riko-senpai just said was a lie. Don't take her seriously."
!?
Miyu-san stared at Riko-senpai with an expression of utter shock, but the fake gal in question ignored her completely.
She turned a floppy smile toward me.
"So, what's up, Otaku-kun? There's an unusually high concentration of mana wafting from your pocket."
"Ah, yes. That's right."
I had forgotten about the reason I had come to show them a scroll because of Rosso-san in her suit.
"My spirit rank rose quite a bit during that battle, remember?"
"Yeah. It was that intense of a battle."
"Yes. As a result, I had to overhaul 'Kenning.'"
Miyu-san looked upward. There, suspended from the garage ceiling by wires, was a giant steel figure.
After its fierce battle against the Lesser Demons, its armor had been damaged across the entire body. Some attacks had reached the frame itself, and one had even pierced the area near the cockpit.
It was fortunate that Miyu-san had emerged unharmed, but the color had drained from my face when I heard the extent of the machine's damage.
Apparently, having only a police baton and a shield for weapons was too much of a limitation.
"Except for the black box, we practically had to rebuild the whole thing."
"I'll help too, so let's do our best, Miyu-chi. Anyway, you said your spirit rank went up—does that mean this is a 'Yahiro Kota learned new magic!' situation?"
"More or less. To be precise, I already had the knowledge, but my increased output made it possible to use it."
"Congratulations."
Miyu-san said it with considerable force.
When an ability user awakens, a rough understanding of their ability is implanted in their mind.
Some say that knowledge dissolved in the spirit veins flows into them, others that they connect to the Akashic Record, and still others that they remember the memories of their soul. None of these theories has been confirmed.
"So, I can now create new scrolls. Their power and effects are also greater than those of the previous ones."
"Seriously? Congratulations, man."
"Indeed. That is good news. I hear that this happens when one's spirit rank reaches the '30' tier..."
"It seems to be the same for me."
I nodded to Rosso-san and took a certain scroll from my pocket.
"I wanted you to look at one of them—the 'Word Spirit Scroll.'"
"The Word Spirit Scroll? What is that?"
"It would probably be faster if I simply used it."
I gripped the scroll and poured mana into it.
A translucent rectangular panel appeared before my eyes.
It was something like thin, pale-blue glass. It also resembled the message windows in games.
"Wait, seriously? What is that?"
'Wait, what is that, exactly?'
Words appeared on the floating panel.
They displayed the 'word spirit' spoken by Riko-senpai.
"In very rough terms, it's a magical translation device."
"Whoa. That's super convenient. Wait, there's some writing floating over here too."
'Whoa. This is extremely convenient. Wait, there is also writing floating over here.'
...This felt incredibly strange.
I had made it myself, but it really was just like a translation app.
"Could you try speaking in a language other than Japanese?"
"Seriously? Is Ondul-speak okay?"
"Ondul-speak is Japanese."
"Ondul...? Is that a dialect?"
"Very well. Then I shall speak in G□rungi..."
"Ah, I understand that one. It's ancient Japanese, isn't it?"
Miyu-san, no. That wasn't an actual language.
"So Ondul-speak is out?"
"Text works too. Oh, but I don't think it can handle mechanical sounds."
"Hmm, hmm. Then let me try this Hindi sentence I was about to say, but gave up on because I didn't know how to pronounce it."
With that, Riko-senpai brought her smartphone screen close to the magical panel.
The translation began immediately.
'Excuse me, sir. What kind of underwear are you wearing at the moment?'
"I wonder whether the magic failed or Riko-senpai's brain failed."
I directed a full-power cold stare at the self-proclaimed gal, who was making an unnecessarily smug face.
"Whew! Those eyes that look at a girl-brother like he's garbage! Some people would absolutely love that!"
"Who's a girl-brother? And nobody wants that."
"No. Once you put on the bunny outfit, please direct that look at the camera as well."
"Miyu-san? Sorry, what did you just say?"
"W-wait, I-I wasn't getting excited or anything!?"
"Of course not. I know that, so please don't get flustered. More importantly, Miyu-san—what did you just say?"
"For the record, I don't have that kind of fetish, so I'm honestly shocked."
"That's not something the person who committed a perverted act gets to say. Miyu-san, please calm down and answer. What did you say earlier?"
Miyu-san straightened her back, her expression dignified.
"When I make Kota-san wear a bunny-girl outfit, I would like him to direct the look he gave earlier at the camera—and at me."
Her eyes were remarkably clear.
...I inhaled.
"Riko-senpai!!"
"It wasn't me! It wasn't me, Otaku-kun!"
"Everyone says that! I'll call the police, you pervert!"
"The police!? Wait, young oni! I am innocent! I have not committed indecent acts with a minor!"
"I wasn't talking to you, you twenty-something chuunibyou!"
"No, seriously, I'm innocent this time! The most I gave him was some soft-SM shoujo manga!"
"That still raises the question of why you gave him that! It's bad for his education!"
"Calm down, Kota-san. Take a deep breath."
"You're the one who needs to calm down right now, you know????"
Why, Miyu-san? Why did things turn out like this?
No, wait. Maybe she had only been making a joke. Maybe she had become comfortable enough around us to joke like that. That was what I would believe. It had to be.
When I looked at her expectantly, Miyu-san narrowed her eyes as if remembering something.
"In the parallel world, you wore a smile so full of compassion that it was entirely fitting to call you the Mother of Humanity."
"Right. So we're different people. And you just arbitrarily turned that one into a woman."
"Yes. The 'Yahiro Kota' from my world and the 'Yahiro Kota' from this world are different people."
"Exactly. That's seriously true."
"And that is precisely why..."
Then Miyu-san smiled. It was a very, very beautiful smile.
It was a smile so beautiful that I nearly became entranced, evoking a lily in full bloom. It gave off a demure atmosphere, distinct from the radiance of a grand flower.
Even in an iron-smelling garage, while wearing a T-shirt and coveralls.
At that moment, she seemed like a sheltered young lady.
"That really did it for me."
Come to think of it, lilies were poisonous.
"I see..."
"Yes. Therefore, I hope you will continue to do so in the future."
"...I will continue to consider the matter positively and do my best to accommodate you."
"Thank you. I look forward to it."
I would have to report this to Master later—or rather, immediately.
I glanced at the magical translation panel. Her words were written there exactly as she had spoken them. I wanted to believe that the translation was wrong and that she had actually said something else.
But reality was cruel.
There was no choice but to rely on Master, now the most sensible person in our entire clan.
"Um... Anyway, Otaku-kun, what is that 'Word Spirit Scroll' supposed to be used for? I mean, it's amazing, but wouldn't an ordinary translation app be enough?"
"Wait, Riko. Even texts and languages that cannot be deciphered in the modern era might be decipherable with that. It could become a compass for unraveling the darkness of history...!"
"I get it! That's amazing, Otaku-kun! Japan's number-one girl-brother!"
Riko-senpai and Rosso-san changed the subject with nervous smiles. That aside, who exactly was a girl-brother?
"Ah, yes. That's one possible use, but I came to report it because I think it will let us 'give golems proper commands.'"
"...Huh?"
"If we use this, I think 'operating golems under specific conditions' will be possible. It will be very limited, though."
"...Huhhh?"
"That could include things like 'golem production of simple scrolls' and 'weaponizing golems.'"
"...Huhhhhh?"
"Well, I have somewhere I need to be, so I'll be going. Excuse me."
I stopped the translation magic, put the remains of the scroll, now reduced to ash, into my pocket, and turned on my heel.
This scroll might be something capable of changing history. But that didn't matter right now. It wasn't important.
I had to ask Master to meet with Miyu-san as soon as possible... Before she became an irredeemable, tragic existence like Rosso-san, I would have him correct her!
With that thought, I took one step forward.
"Wait a moment."
Miyu-san seized my shoulder firmly.
"Explain... Explain everything in detail."
"No, um..."
"I am about to lose my composure."
"...Yes."
With her pupils blown wide, she stared at me, leaving me no choice but to nod.
Miyu-san... Please don't become a lost cause...!