“Boobs. Boobboob. Booob.”
“Tentacletentacle. Tentatentatentacle…”
“Muscles. Musmusclesmuescles. MUSCLES.”
In the park empty of other people, we shouted those things and then quickly switched to serious expressions on our faces.
“That’s odd. The TV show yesterday said that ‘high school boys can talk with each other using only their sexual preferences’.”
“Maybe it’s because we’re basically of different cultures, don’t you think?”
“The language barrier is quite thick…”
Our usual trio nodded to one another, while the ever-smiling Layla lightly shook her head.
“Master and friends,”
“Yeah?”
“With all due respect, it looked like each of you had gone absolutely insane, so I think you should refrain from doing that ever again.”
“Right~?”
I had a feeling that was the case.
We had went to the usual park somewhat near our school. And for the first time in a while, I was able to do some attacking practice with my two friends and Layla. We were currently taking a break.
“Oh yeah, how has it been for you guys lately?”
“You sound like a dad who doesn’t usually talk to his children, you know.”
“I thought I told you, Dad, not to wash my things with yours!”
“No, you didn’t, and aren’t you supposed to be the dad!?”
Uoyama-kun retorted so with a loud falsetto, to which I only shrugged my shoulders in response.
“Anyway, I know you guys disbanded the party and wanted to go at it by yourselves, but well, I’m just wondering if you want to team up again.”
“Who knows, maybe? Right now though, I think we’ll just keep exploring dungeons with a brute-force approach, something we can do thanks to Uoyama’s familiars.”
“We’re mostly going to D rank dungeons.”
I see. With 2 Sea Monks and Kumai-kun at the front, they can just focus on offense. Really muscle-headed of them though. But then again, I believe Blue Magic has some healing-type spells under its umbrella, so aside from the lack of a scout, they should manage somehow. And if they got caught by surprise by monsters, they would still likely crush the enemies due to the sheer difference in their ranks.
“How about you, Kyotaro?”
“I suppose I mostly do D rank dungeons too. I occasionally go to C rank ones though. We also have Yukine now, so I think we’re quite solid.”
“Ohh”
“Ah, speaking of Yukine, have you found a familiar of your own, Kumai-kun?”
When I asked him that, his face turned quite sullen and he folded his arms.
“Well…not yet. I haven’t found anyone that makes me want to say ‘that’s the one’, you know what I mean? Maybe I’m better off going the normal route: looking for a human partner.”
“In your case, that might be so. Unlike mine and Kyotaro’s, normal people can fit the bill for your fetish.”
“Wait, mine’s quite conventional though?”
“Huh? …aren’t you a special kind of a narcissist? Like, aren’t you into non-humans who also happen to be ‘you’?”
“And you even told your parents about such a weird thing.”
At that, I placed an iron claw grip on Uoyama-kun’s face.
“H-hey, I give, I give, uncle!”
“Even though Mom and Yukine have gotten close recently, it still hurts a bit when Mom looks at me, you bastard.”
“Right now, I’m the one in pain! Physically!”
“Yeah, that’s the point”
Geez.
When I let him go, Uoyama-kun let out a bit of a groan as he readjusted his glasses.
“Speaking of Yukine-san, what do you normally do about her? I mean, Uoyama-kun has his familiars turn into their spiritual forms and then places them inside his body, but what about you?”
“I do that too when we go to dungeons, but in day to day life, she just stays home.”
I wanted to make a familiar at first as a countermeasure in case I get caught up in another dungeon overflow incident. But then, thinking more about it, if a dungeon did form somewhere nearby and overflowed without notice, I would be more at ease if there was someone to protect my Mom. Yukine had apparently been helping Mom do chores, so they had gotten quite close so quickly, which was honestly a surprise.
As for my Dad, he would likely be at the Dungeon Store and thus be safer there than at home. In fact, my Dad was at the Dungeon Store even today, a Saturday. According to him, instead of following a regular work week schedule based on the public holiday calendar, they would now be following a rotating shift schedule. The Store he was in seemed real busy nowadays.
It had been only a little over a year since the Adventurer System was implemented and related agencies seemed to still be fumbling around in the dark.
“I think I’ll explore dungeons some more to hopefully find my ideal partner.”
“I’ll join you. Who knows, maybe I can have another faithful encounter and grow my harem of tentacles.”
“Well, good luck to you two.”
And like that, I parted with the two and went home. It was already well into the afternoon, so I didn’t stop by any dungeon. I planned to go tomorrow though, to gather materials for the Golem again.
“I’m home.”
“Welcome home, dear.”
After hearing the pitter-patter of her slippers, I soon saw Yukine.
Today, she was wearing an apron on top of a navy blue T-shirt and a pair of jeans. Her long hair was tied in a low ponytail, and it seemed quite graceful for some reason.
What the…she gives off serious newly-wed wife vibes. Wow.
“Thanks for your hard work. It was quite humid outside, wasn’t it? I’ll prepare some cold barley tea, so after washing your hands and gargling, please head to the living room.”
“Oh, thank you, Yukine.”
We were halfway through June, and maybe because of global warming too, it had gotten a little bit hot already. It was the humidity that made it awful. No matter how tough an Awakened One’s body was, a very humid atmosphere still felt displeasing.
Anyway, after washing my hand and gargling, I headed to the living room as advised. And it was at the right time too, as Yukine soon brought in the tea on top of a tray.
“Thanks again. Itadakimasu.”
“Ah, that’s right, Mother forgot to buy milk from before, so she just went out to buy some. She said it won’t take long.”
“Oh, I see.”
While gulping down some tea, I began to think.
While it had gotten quite dangerous lately, maybe Yukine and I accompanying Mom even on a shopping trip was a bit too much. Well, it would be bothersome for us too, of course. Still, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried.
“Thanks for the tea.”
“I’ll wash the cup, so please hand it over.”
“What, no, it’s fine. I’ll go wash it myself.”
“I insist. Please, just go back to your room and relax.”
She then gently brought her mouth to my ear. Inevitably, her large boobs pressed against my arm. Even through the apron, t-shirt, and bra, i could tell just how heavy and soft they were.
And then, her slightly chilly breath gave way to words and caressed my ear.
“And later, I’ll join you in the bath and show you lots of my affection.”
“Understood!!”
Yukine chuckled at my lively reply as she took the cup to the kitchen. And while she walked away, I unconsciously stared at her jean-covered butt. I was always of the opinion that jeans were the best for people with butts and thighs like hers.
At any rate, I returned to my room with a bounce to my steps and then made Layla materialize.
“Master. Is it alright for me to go the Otherworld first and do some work? I’d like to make some progress toward the creation of the Golem.”
“Oh, sure. In fact, please do.”
“Understood. I will be in the usual work room, so if you have any need of me, please inform me.”
She said so with a graceful bow and then headed to the Otherworld.
But the Golem, huh…
She said that if she was going to make one, she would rather it be something that could be brought along to places like it was normal, but beyond that, I had no idea what kind she’s going to make. When I asked her about it once, she only evaded the question, making me more curious. But I had no intention of forcing her to tell me. If for nothing else, I didn’t to meddle to avoid a scenario where my desires somehow affected the Golem.
I did my homework for a while but soon finished it, so I found myself with quite some free time. I took my phone out and just randomly looked at sites.
…when considering how to ensure the safety of my parents, it looked like the best approach was to make them Awakened Ones.
However, the training required tremendous efforts in the span of years and years. So much so that it would disrupt their regular day-to-day life. If you looked up online the specific methods, it would feature various shrines and temples. To make matters worse, the search would also show many shady groups. Among those groups were some which sold foodstuff containing magic power.
That made me wonder again if my Silver Apple could Awaken someone without them undergoing any kind of training. I dismissed that thought as soon as I had it though. Like, sure, we had used it in making many items by now including Layla’s staff, but it was still an unknown plant for the most part. To have my parents ingest it all of a sudden was a scary thought. There was a gap as wide as heaven and earth between “using” it and “consuming” it.
I guess we really ought to do at least some experiments with animals. Maybe I should catch some civets or weasels in the neighborhood. But then again, what if those animals Awaken or something? Will they turn into monsters? That’ll be dangerous, won’t it?
I was also hesitant to tell my parents about the effects of the Silver Apple. As was often said in dramas, the more people know of a secret, the higher the chance of it getting exposed. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust my parents, but plenty of things could happen. Just to give an example, if people that they couldn’t ignore in times of crisis do get in trouble, like a serious injury. Regardless of how I felt about those people or if I even knew them, my parents would probably ask me to use a Silver Apple to help. I couldn’t fault my parents for that, but helping would mean that there were more people in the know, which would lead to even more people.
“Haa…”
I breathed out a sigh. I couldn’t really come to a conclusion.
I guess I should consult Layla and Yukine about it later. I was finally in a good mood again but now, my thoughts are turning negative. I should play a game for a change of pace.
With that thought, I tried to swipe my finger against my phone’s screen. But then, the heading at the top of the search page caught my attention.
“[We can help you have a safe and guaranteed Awakening training]…?”
There were many shady sites that offered the same promise, but for this one, I recognized the organization’s name: The Society of the Sage.
This was the place full of criminal activity that Togo-san mentioned from before.
“Talk about scary…”
When I took a peek at the website, I saw the image of a rather large building out in the mountains. Moreover, it seemed like there was a plan to build even a settlement in that place. Suspicious didn’t even began to cover it.
As they say, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. It seemed like it was as Togo-san warned. I decided not to get involved with that as much as I could.
* * *
Night time. After bathing with Layla and Yukine, I arrived at the dinner table with a lighter mind and body. My Mom, however, was acting strange, prompting my Dad to ask her about it.
“What’s wrong? You look like something’s troubling you.”
“Well, I went shopping this afternoon, right? I heard that our neighbors, the husband and wife Tamura, have joined a shady religion.”
“Is that so…I was in the same grade as the husband back in my school days, and for all the time I knew him, I didn’t think him to be the type to join a religion.”
A shady religion, huh…
As I listened in on their conversation, I proceeded to stuff my cheeks with karaage.
“I think it was called the Society of the Sage or something. I heard it got something to do with Awakening training, but I don’t know how. I mean, what does that even mean?”
“Awakening training, you say…come to think of it, we occasionally get believers of that faith come to our Dungeon Store as adventurers.”
As I followed up the karaage with some rice, I recalled the ad I saw online.
There weren’t many suspicious rumors about it online, but Togo-san had mentioned that the police was investigating the group. The police supposedly haven’t found any good evidence, but still. According to him, chances were, that group was “doing something” with their superpowers.
At that moment, the quiz show playing on TV began playing ads.
<<Order, stability, peace. Only Awakened Ones can make those things a reality in modern-day Japan.>>
…speak of the devil.
<<Everyone holds the potential to Awaken. Allow us to help you take that first step toward a new society, a new world.>>
An elf woman in a suit said those words on the TV.
<<Our home is always open. You can come visit anytime you wish to Awaken.>>
And then, the words for “The Society of the Sage” was displayed in big, loud letters.
“…they reek of fishiness”
I couldn’t help but think this group could go toe-to-toe with Minister Arikawa in terms of shadiness.
Like, will anyone ever fall for this?
Taroppe-sensei(author)’s Q&A corner
Thank you for reading!
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Your support is appreciated and I hope you continue doing so.
Q: why won’t Kyotaro just feed his parents the Silver Apples?
A: It’s an apple that can suddenly appear from his hand, so his first impression of it was “is this thing safe”. Some of that misgivings still remain. Even so, he would waver whenever the chance to use it presents itself.
Q: What did they mean when they said the familiar entered inside the body?
A: Humans protect the soul—mostly a lump of magic power—by encasing it inside the vessel called the flesh. But here’s the thing, upon making the contract, the familiar and its contractor become linked through magic power. So, if the familiar assumed a spiritual form, they could be stuffed within the contractor’s flesh, somewhere near area being protected.
Familiars within the contractor are only half asleep and can only think in a hazy manner.
Q: You can leave familiars at home?
A: It varies depending on the individuals and their aptitudes, but if supplied with a lot of magic power, familiars can be left to act alone even if they were separated from their contractors by a few kilometers.
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