Jidou Hanbaiki ni Umarekawatta ore wa Meikyuu o Samayou
Author: Hiru Kuma
—
"And so, Hakkon's is mine for the whole day today-!"
I've been had. The next day after the eating contest, as promised I was rented out to Shui for the day, but the place she took me to early in the morning was … the tent that's the Fools of Whimsy Brigade's base.
Oh yeah, after the eating contest, the drink vendors and food merchants and the like earnestly apologized to me, na. Saying that the tension was way too high, and in order to keep it up, they forcefully made me the prize.
They said that all the expenses today will be reimbursed, but I politely refused. It's my fault for replying when I wasn't properly listening to the discussion.
"How nice~. Shui, I'm way jealous! Right, Red?"
"All you can eat and all you can drink-! Unfair, right White?"
The Red-White twins seem earnestly jealous from the bottoms of their hearts, and they're staring fixedly at Shui and me. Towards those two, Shui stick out her chest in pride.
"Well done, Shui. If the time limit is a day, then we can even go monster hunting, na."
"That's true, Leader. If we are able to have Hakkon-san help with our arrangements, then we can go for rarer things—"
"Leader, Vice-Leader, Hakkon's is mine, you know? Not lendings him."
So she has no intention on joining in on Leader Keryoil and Vice-Leader Felmina's proposals.
"Hakkon and I's is going to the Starting Level on a date together."
E-, really? First I heard of it. Or like, where's the Starting Level?
"So you intend to take him to the first level. There, is… I get it, na. Well then, see ya. We're working on getting Hakkon's promise to help us anyway. I'll give up for today."
"Un, un. In the first place, today's is the day I gets to monopolize him, after all."
"But ya know, Shui, I don't think there will be even a chance of it happening, but if you go ahead and kidnap or sell Hakkon, you'll get what's coming to you. We're the Fools of Whimsy Brigade. We follow the pact of never selling out our comrades. That's the Brigade's law."
Leader Keryoil's eyes narrowed and his voice grew increasingly threatening. If I look carefully, the facial expressions of the other members have all disappeared, and they're looking at Shui with a cold light in their eyes.
They're usually guys who have an air of always screwing around about them, but it now feels like the air has become stiff and stifling. Rather than saying it's not like them, this might be their true forms.
"I gots it, Leader. I'm the one who shot that idiot that time, you know. I don'ts got any intention of betraying comrades."
"That's true. Then, go have fun for the day. And lastly, don't forget to come back bringing us souvenirs."
"Then, the fizzy drink and stew!"(Red/White)
"Let's see, then the Zyugiuma fried snack and sweet, cold tea!"(White/Red)
"The yellow soup for me, please."(Felmina)
"Gots it-. If I remembers, I'll buys it -."
Leaving that proud, parting report, Shui moved to the tent's entrance. And then, turning to look at me with a broad smile, she lightly bowed her head.
"And so's, Hakkon, Ramis, 's it okay to come arounds with me?"
"It's okay~. Hakkon and I are basically one and the same, ne-."
"Welcome."
I by myself can't move satisfactorily, so like we're fated, Ramis comes with me in a set.
I didn't want to bother her so I had thought to have the wheels underneath so Shui can somehow or other transport me, but after going 5 meters she gave up the idea.
Although she's a hunter, for a single woman to push a vending machine is quite the heavy labor, so in the end it became set for Ramis to help. Even though, if I just had legs I could move by myself… but if a vending machine sprouted legs and started walking around by itself, it would be queer enough to make a fuss. The visual is way too severe.
"I'm offs-"
And so, I'm going to spending all day today with Shui and Ramis.
—
We boarded the Hunters Association's transfer circle, and for the second time I experienced the transfer. This sensation makes me think of roller coasters; I don't think I'll get to like it.
When the light from the transfer circle faded it's a stone-made room, so it's not all that different from the room the transfer circle was in on the Seiryu Lake Level.
When the door was opened it was the outdoors, so it looks like this is just a small room to put the transfer circle in.
Here is a strange place. It's gloomy, or like the sky is a stone ceiling, and there's no sunlight shining at all. The ceiling height seems to be around 10 meters from the ground.
Normally it wouldn't be weird if it was pitch black, but the place where the community has settled has the light of torches and magic tools as lamps, so our field of vision is more than well secured.
Giving a look around at the surroundings, there are houses made of wood and stone lined up one after another, and the foot traffic is also intense. This high density population is well above Seiryu Lake's community.
"It's been awhile since I've come to the Starting Level, na-. How nostalgic."
"I come quite a lots."
Compared to the restless Ramis, Shui is smiling gently. The girl who's usually not interested in anything other than food seems like a different person.
She seems to have already decided on the destination, so without any hesitation she proceeds down the main street with quick steps. Ramis turns her head here and there, looking at the houses along the streets, trying not to separate from her.
I understood it after surveying our surroundings, but this place the houses are lined up in is a giant cave, feeling like they forcibly turned it into a community. It's almost like a village that was made in a dungeon… no, communities within a dungeon should originally have this sort of form, huh?
Seiryu Lake Level and the Maze Level are the abnormal ones; normally it would be bare rock ceilings and walls. Furthermore, it's a dungeon so of course there shouldn't be any light. I have been poisoned by that level, and the common sense within me has been broken down.
"Shui, where are you aiming to go?"
"Towards the inner part, the area wheres the poor people gather."
That's all she told us, and afterwards she didn't say a word, silently continuing to walk onwards.
A place where poor people gather. I wonder if it's something like a slum. In a place like that, it's common sense that the public order will be bad. I'm pretty sure that she has no intentions on leading us into a trap, but for cautions sake, I'll remain alert.
The neighborhood around the transfer circle was made of proper, sound buildings, but around here are dilapidated houses, or more like buildings on the level where you're wondering if it's not alright to call them ruins.
If it's Ramis' super-strength, she'd just have to lightly poke them to change them into rubble.
"O-kay, we've arriveds."
So saying, behind the girl who had turned to speak to us was an old, worn out, abandoned mansion. Over half of the one-story mansion is surrounded by a crumbling, stone fence. At first glance, it's like, how many years has it been abandoned without people living in it, but here and there are places that have been repaired.
There are also no weeds growing in the garden; clearly there have been human hands at work.
"Everyones, I'm baaaaaack!"
When Shui called towards the mansion, the double doors were forcefully flung open, and children flooded out from it one after another. There ages are … the youngest is probably are two, and the oldest is somewhere above ten, I think. The whole group easily surpasses ten members.
"A-, it's really Shui nee-chan!"
"Welcome back-, presents?"
"Nee-chan, let's play, let's play!"
In the blink of an eye, Shui is surrounded by the kids pulling at her sleeves. I can tell with just one look at the scene of the kids smiling wholeheartedly that they truly missed her.
"I'm back. Looks like everyone's doing wells, ne. Nee-chan's happy. Playing's gotta waits. Where's the Principal?"
"Principal is cleaning! Principal-! Shui ne-chan came back-!"
'Yes, yes. I can hear you. Welcome back, Shui."
The one who came out a bit later than the children was a single, thin woman. See the wrinkles around her mouth and the corners of her eyes, she's in her fifties. Looking at her, she's a gentle person with a calm smile overflowing with kindness; she strokes the heads of the children who come running over.
She's wearing a white kerchief over her hair and loose, navy-blue robe-like outfit. It's clothes that look like a nun's.
"I'm backs, Principal."
"Indeed, welcome back, Shui. Is the person behind you with the luggage your friend?"
"Un, basicallys. A comrade in the same line of works."
'Oh my, so it was like that. Welcome. Before we end up standing around and talking, please come in."
"Oka-y, I'll be intru… is it going to be okay with Hakkon inside?"
A-, it does feel like the floor could give way. Here it would be better if we prioritize safety and set me up outside, I suppose.
"Too bad."
"Right? Then, I'll put Hakkon at the entrance. Umm, Principal, please wait a moment. Kids, gather up-"
When Ramis set me in place, she turned around and beckoned to the kids. The kids were confused, but Shui also waved her hand at them, so they felt reassured and came running.
I understand what she wants to do, so I reorganize the products I had lined up a little.
"Everyone, this box is a magic box! If there's something lined up here that you wants, you push this part sticking out. Today, Nee-chan gots the promise to be ables to use him freely, so's you don't need to hold back."
"What's this round one?"
"This is a sweet fruits juice drink. As for Nee-chan, I likes this black fizzy one."
"What's this one? What's this one?"
"This one's a snack. It's a little sours, but it's tasty, sees-"
The gentle girl gently giving the explanations, and the frolicking children happily grabbing the products that fell. Watching them, a vending machine can't help but give some extra service.
Making sure that drinks, snacks, and food had been passed out among all of them, I did a form change. My body was mostly yellow, and within my center a lot of balloons of all colors before they'd been filled with air were lined up.
"E, what's that? What's that?"
O, the kids are peeping in. And now, I begin filling balloons with gas. The kids were startled and pulled back a step, but their curiosity won out and they were staring hard at the balloons.
When the filled balloons had strings attached to them, Ramis took them out and distributed them to the children. Delighted with light and floaty balloons, the kids ran around grasping the strings.
I had shown my balloon selling form once before and given them to Ramis and the Big Eaters Brigade who wanted the balloons, and they had also been delighted that time. The kids' reactions were within expectations.
The Principal and Shui watched over the frolicking children. They have their hands full with the kids. It looks like I'll be spending the whole day with the kids today, but days like these aren't bad.
Also, thanks patrons. I am currently looking into other things for patron rewards, and failing about half.
I will put up the chapters I owe in a short while. I really wanted to get the other thing ready at the same time too, though…
I totally expected him to get hijacked into going adventuring with the brigade, but light and fluffy is also good.>