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Chapter 2-3Now then. Since I've already decided that it will go better if I pick, let's choose something quickly.
That was what I had initially thought, but with how indecisive I was, I couldn't really pick one. After considering many items, I chose a pen. A pen would be somewhat usable, right? I could not tell whether this souvenir pen was a ballpoint pen or if it was actually a mechanical pencil. I pushed the top downwards, and the tip extended. After finding out that it was a pencil, I pushed it down again several times. However, no lead came out.
"Ocht, what's that?"
"A mechanical pencil. It's a tool that can be used to write words, but…"
First, I took off the cap and turned the pencil upside down. Two pieces of lead fell out from the inside. I was relieved. If it had not had lead inside, I would have had to teach them about something unusable again. I put one piece back inside, and then inserted the other one from the front. There was probably a short piece of lead that was still stuck inside. There was resistance at first, but soon after, the piece of lead went in. I unfastened the lid and took out the broken piece of lead.
"Now it's good. This is a tool for writing on paper. It will become unusable when there is no more lead inside."
"By lead, you mean this?"
The cat man picked up the broken piece of lead.
"Yep. But this one is not long enough, so it's unusable."
"What is this substance made of?"
"Something called 'Carbon.' A kind of mineral. I don't know how to make it."
The Demon Race man stared at the lead with keen interest, so I offered him the pencil. It would probably be easier to understand if they actually wrote with it.
"It's made so that lead will come out when you press the top. As long as there's lead, you can use it to write on paper. But, it will break if you use too much force."
The Demon Race man clicked on it many times with deep interest. After all of it had come out, he opened the cap and put the lead back in.
"Even someone of the Dwarf Race or the Elf Race would have trouble creating something so thin."
I somewhat understood the elves, since I was connected to them by blood, but I wondered what the dwarves were like. Were they a race distinguished by their skillful hands, as per the norm?
"Hey, hey. What kind of guys are they?"
As I tilted my head, Clau asked before me.
"Ahh. Dwarfs excel at handling minerals and live underground. The Elf Race is smart, so they might know how to make it. The Human Race has the most skill with their hands, but it's impossible to make this with just skillful hands. Besides, the main thing looks simple, but it also requires a lot of craftsmanship…just how did they make this hole?"
The Demon Race man groaned at the pencil he held in one hand. He gave off the feeling of a person who was looking at a work of art, but it was only a common store item in Japan. Not to mention, mass produced. This just showed the difference in cultures, but I felt sorry, as it seemed as if I was deceiving them.
Anyways, there was only one item left to explain. I looked over the table as I intended to finish this quickly before the feeling of guilt became unbearable. While I was troubled over which would come in handy, the Demon Race man picked out something in front of me and presented it.
"Then, for the last one, will you tell us what this model is?"
A plastic model car laid in his hand. I was fine with telling him, but I shot a glance at the cat man. To the bitter end, the one I was teaching was the cat man, not the Demon Race man.
"Is that fine?"
"Yeah. Sensei always listens to my unreasonable requests after all. If you know, would you tell us?"
"…That is an ornament in the shape of a car. A car performs the same job as a carriage, but it can move without a horse. It is normally big enough for people to ride inside."
The cat man gave his approval, so I talked about the car. I felt that the knowledge about the car, rather than the plastic model, would probably be more beneficial to the Demon Race man.
"How does it run despite not using horses?"
"It has something called an engine, which turns the tires. The fuel running the engine is gasoline…or so I heard, but I don't know the details."
Unfortunately, just like the pencil, I knew the usage, but my memories lacked the knowledge of how it was produced. It probably would not have affected my life even if I did not know it.
"I see. A car. So it is used instead of carriages, right? Did they specially created this because that world doesn't have horses?"
"… I think it's probably because it's more efficient than a horse. You need gasoline while it's running, but you don't need to feed it everyday. You also don't have to be bothered by things like feces… is what my Mom said."
When should I stop talking?
I did not need unnecessary troublesome things to pile up because I spoke too much about the other world. I was worried that they were going to ask me, 'Why do you know so much?'
But, the Demon Race man was not really listening to what I had said. He was just turning the car over like a toy as he muttered to himself.
Maybe I was a little too self conscious. I felt relieved at that fact. Anyways, I was done.
"That makes three."
I looked at the cat man.
With this, our arrangement came to an end. Now then, how would they react? My heart pounded wildly as I waited for their response. I was a Mixed Breed, and furthermore, a child, so I believed that it could not be helped if he dismissed the information fee. Anyway, it was fine as long as we returned back to the troupe safely.
"Understood. It was a promise, so pick one you like."
The cat man gave a broad smile with his canines sticking out. It seemed that he was not planning on making this difficult.
…This cat man really was a good person.
With surprised thoughts, I looked down at the desk. Something overly big would be conspicuous, and while it would be nice to receive, the other troupe members would probably take it from me.
"Then, I'm fine with the cellphone."
After some deliberation, I chose the first item.
Even though I understood that it was broken and unusable, it was the most nostalgic one. I was certain that I walked around with a cellphone in my past life.
"If I remember correctly, isn't this broken?"
"Yep. But I'm fine with this."
"Then take it."
Even if it was unusable, I was perfectly fine with it just being there. That alone would help me a bit, as it made me understand that I was not empty.
I gently picked up the cellphone, as if it was an important treasure, and placed it into my pocket.
"Then, let's go Ocht!"
I nodded and stood up from the chair as I grasped Clau's hand. The Demon Race man also stood up and headed towards the entrance.
I glared at him, wondering if he was actually going to follow us, but he stopped at the entrance.
"Here you go, Little Sage."
With a grin, the Demon Race man held the door open. It seemed that he was seeing us off.
Although his action was courteous, I could not help but feel as if he was scheming something. Was I overthinking things? By all means, I wanted it to be true. Hurray for being overly self-conscious! I passed through the entrance as I glared at the Demon Race man.
"See you again."
There wouldn't ever be an 'again'.
I turned my face away from the Demon Race man who was waving at me as he smiled, causing his red eyes to narrow. Clau honestly waved his hand back, but I had no intentions of doing so.
When we were far enough that the Otherworld shop was no longer visible, I was finally able to relax myself. I looked back, but I could not see anybody following us.
"… I'm tired."
"Then, let's go back?"
I nodded to Clau's question.
"But, is it fine?"
We had not gone to any of the places Clau had wanted to go. No matter how I thought about it, he had only followed me as I did the things that I wanted to do.
"I'm happy just playing with you, Ocht."
How kind.
I felt as if my irritated heart was healed instantly. Children were just too cute. I was a child too, but my purity was tainted by my past self.
"Thank you."
I wanted to express the feelings that I could not put well in words alone, so I gave Clau's hand a tight squeeze.
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