In a Different World with a Smartphone (LN) - Volume 2 - Chapter 3

Chapter III: Day-to-day Life II 

The day after we returned from Mismede, we made our way to the guild in the capital to receive our rewards. 
As I looked at the quest board, which was just as surrounded as the one in Reflet, I gave my card to the receptionist. Since it was a direct request, the royal palace should have already informed the guild that it was completed. The lady at the desk looked over our cards and request papers before pushing that familiar seal against them. 
“You’ve all done a great job. Your completion of this quest has increased your guild rank. Congratulations!” 
I looked over the cards she gave us, and, sure enough, mine, Elze’s, Linze’s, and Yae’s were Blue, while Yumina’s was Green. Since the order was Black, Purple, Green, Blue, Red, Silver, and Gold, we were now in the perfect middle of the chain. Once we got to red, we’d be able to call ourselves proper adventurers. 
“And here is your reward. It comes out to ten platinum coins.” The receptionist placed ten white coins on the table. 
Still can’t believe just one of these is worth one million yen. I mean, that’s ten million yen in total... Isn’t that a bit much? Then again, it’s a reward for a mission that’ll help decide the fates of two countries, so maybe I shouldn’t feel so bad about it. Plus, the whole plan depended on my rare ability to use [Gate]. If you take that into account, maybe the reward was just inflated because of the special conditions. 
Each of us took two coins and turned to leave the guild. But before we had a chance to leave, the receptionist stopped us. 
“Ah, could you wait just a minute? We were told by people from the royal palace that a party led by one Mochizuki Touya has killed a Black Dragon. Would that be you?” 
“Well, yeah. We did defeat one... Can’t help you if you’re asking for proof, though.” I didn’t feel like showing off the guns I made from the Dragon’s horn, and the pieces I hadn’t used yet were all back at home. Plus, that stuff no longer resembled a horn, so I doubted they’d have believed me even if they saw it. 
“Oh no, it’s enough to just confirm your identity. The validity of your kill was assured by the royal palace, so there is no problem in that regard. With that in mind, the guild would like you to accept the symbol of your deed — the title of ‘Dragon Slayer.’” As she spoke, she took the cards of everyone who participated in the battle and pushed a different seal against them. She handed them back, and I quickly noticed a round symbol in the right corner of my card. It portrayed a sword piercing through a grounded Dragon. The proof of a Dragon Slayer, huh? 
“If you present this card to weaponsmiths, armorers, tool shops, or inns that are partnered with our guild, you’ll receive a 30% discount on all your transactions. I hope you enjoy the benefits.” 
Huh? There are bonuses to this? Well, no way I’m refusing something so nice. According to the receptionist, the Dragon Slayer title only went to those who had slayed a Dragon in a party of five or less. That seemed reasonable enough to me. After all, if a thousand people went and swarmed a dragon to death, it wouldn’t be fair to call those people Dragon Slayers. 
The receptionist also said that a Blue member killing a Dragon was a very rare occurrence. Interestingly enough, the only Gold adventurer in the world was also still Blue when he killed his first Dragon. Putting small talk aside, I happily accepted my new title. 
We left the guild, and as the girls began talking about buying clothes and other knick-knacks, I decided to head back home. But before I could leave, I remembered there was something I had to take care of. Alright, now, to find a blacksmith... 

My shopping left me a tad overburdened, so I used [Gate] to return to my lawn, where I accidentally surprised my gardener, Julio. Whoops, my bad... 
“Sir, what might that be?” Curious about what I had with me, Julio stopped his work on the flower bed. 
“Steel, rubber, and a bit of leather. I’m about to try making a bicycle.” 
“Buy-sickle?” 
“A simple vehicle. One that allows you to go really fast.” 
“I... see...” He replied, but was clearly oblivious to the idea. Couldn’t exactly blame him for that, though. 
As I was getting started on the tires, it hit me that I probably needed an air pump first. Then I remembered that the roads in this world would make them go flat very quickly, so I decided to make them full rubber. Riding on a bike with full rubber tires would probably be a lot less pleasant, though. 
While I was using [Modeling] to give the rubber the shape of a bike tire, Laim came to the garden, accompanied by none other than Duke Ortlinde. 
“Sir, His Highness Duke Ortlinde has come to visit and... If I may ask, what are you doing?” 
“Hey there. What is that thing?” 
Their reactions were the same as Julio’s. My reply was exactly the same as well, and, as one would expect, they didn’t understand at all. 
“So, what brought you here, Duke?” 
“I merely came to thank you for what you did. Oh, also... about those mirrors meant for sending letters... I was wondering if you could give me another one.” 
“You want another Gate Mirror? What for?” 
“Well actually, this would be for my wife! I was thinking that she’d have such a smile on her face if I gave her the means to frequently talk with her mother. Her mother lives quite far away, you see.” 
You’re looking pretty bashful there, Mr. Duke. Heh, how cute. I had Laim go to my room and fetch me a set of mirrors from the drawers in my desk. Then, I used [Enchant] to imbue them with [Gate]. Just to make sure, I put a piece of paper into one of them, and it came out the other just fine. 
“I’d be thankful if you kept these a secret. I don’t like the idea of someone shady going after me.” Even if it might’ve been a bit late to stop the gossip, I tried my best to hammer that point home. 
“Of course, no need to worry there. Both my wife and her mother always keep such promises.” Since he happened to be there, I decided to also give him the souvenir that I’d bought in Mismede for Sue. It was just a silver hair clip, but I hoped she’d like it. 
“By the way, how long will it take you to finish this... bicycle, was it?” 
“Hmm, it’s my first time making one, but I guess it’ll be done in about thirty minutes. Though the fine-tuning might add a bit to that.” 
“I see... Then I shall take the liberty of observing you until completion, if you don’t mind.” 
Duke, you have too much free time. Well, whatever. I have a tire to finish. I took a steel ingot and used [Modeling] to create a bike wheel frame.

“Okay, looks to be about done.” 
“Hoh. So this is a bicycle...” Laim, Julio, and the duke looked at the completed bike with great curiosity. 
In the end, I opted for a standard city-bike design. Though simple, it was complete with a basket at the front and even had a rear carrier. However, bike locks and lights for night rides seemed like a pain to make, so it didn’t have any of those. 
Not wanting to waste any time, I sat down on the leather seat and began pedaling forward. Laim, Julio, and the duke looked on in amazement. 
Alright, all good. Well, maybe it’s vibrating a bit too much. I rode a lap around the garden, came back around, then hit the brakes. Good, no problems there either. 
“Touya! Can I ride that too?!” 
“Anyone can. Where I come from, even children ride these. Though, first-timers usually end up falling over a lot while they practice... Are you willing to go through that?” 
“Of course!” Seriously, man? You’ve got more curiosity than you ought to, Duke! 
Duke Ortlinde excitedly took the bike from me and imitated what I did by sitting on it and pedaling... only to fall over almost immediately. Well, who didn’t see that one coming? Laim hastily helped him up, but the duke was undeterred. He hopped back up on his bike and... fell over again. 
It made me remember back when I went through the same rite of passage. I thoroughly believed that repeated failures were what made the first success so satisfying. Shame I couldn’t remember how long it took me until I could ride properly. 
I ran an internet search, found a site on “How to learn to ride a bike in a day” and used it to give him some advice. I could only hope it would help him. 
The duke was occupied with falling off the bike, Laim was occupied with helping him up after he fell, and Julio was occupied with watching the whole spectacle unfold. I decided that it was the best opportunity I’d get to make a second bike. After all, it was far too obvious that he’d want one of his own when he learned to ride it. 
Once the second bike was done, I figured Sue would want one, too, so I began making a child’s bike with training wheels. I also added a tool to remove the training wheels, just in case. 
When I was done with the smaller bike and left with nothing to do, I decided I’d help the duke with his training. But it seems that wasn’t necessary judging from the fact that he whooshed right past me as I turned around. Well I’ll be... he’s actually riding it pretty well! 
“I did it! I finally did it! Hahahahahah!!!” The duke laughed uncontrollably as he rode his bike around with ease. His expensive clothing and regal face were covered in mud, but he seemed to be having the time of his life as he did several laps around the garden. It’s weird how people are able to control bikes so easily as soon as they manage to ride them. 
“What the heck is that thing?!” Elze exclaimed. 
“It has wheels of some sort, it does!” 
“Some kind of vehicle...?” Linze muttered, questioningly. 
“U-Uncle, what are you doing?!” The four girls returned from their shopping spree, noticed the duke laughing as he made laps on the bicycle, and looked at him with confused and disturbed expressions on their faces. 
Well, it certainly was a disquieting sight. 
Soon enough, the duke stopped by me and said exactly what I was expecting him to. 
“Touya! Please let me have this bicycle!” 
“I knew you’d say that, so I made one for you already. I made one for Sue, too. But you’ll have to pay me for the materials.” I pointed at the two bicycles behind me. 
The duke gallantly sat down on his very own bike, singing my praises all the while. I used a [Gate] to get Sue’s bike to the duke’s garden, but the man insisted that he’d ride his own bike home. 
Just to be safe, I told him not to ride out into intersections before confirming that it was safe, to watch out for carriages and pedestrians, and to watch where he was going. Honestly, I felt like an elementary school teacher. 
With an elated and soothed expression on his face, the duke returned home alongside the carriage he arrived in. 
Man, that was tiring... I already know what’s gonna happen now. He’ll show it off to the king the first chance he gets. And then the king’s gonna ask for one too. I should probably just make another one already. 
After seeing off the duke and returning to the garden, I saw Elze gracefully falling off the bicycle. 
“Owowow... This is harder than it looks.” Elze said as she scratched at her bruises. 
“I wish to be next to try it, I do!” 
“I-I’d like to try it after Yae.” 
“Touya, could you make another one?” Yumina asked. Linze, Yumina... I get that you wanna try the bike, but could you change into something other than a skirt first? 
After being finally freed from saving the duke from bicycle failure, Laim and Julio now found themselves having to save Elze and the others from the same fate. While they were at it, I went and made bikes for each of the girls and one for the servants to share as well. As expected, I ran out of materials and had to restock at the shop. As animated as I might’ve seemed about it all, I had absolutely no intention of becoming a bike salesman. 
I was just being considerate of my servants. After all, a bike would be a great help when shopping or running errands. Besides, they were in for a world of pain until they learned to ride it properly. 
Come evening — bath time, to be precise — I could hear some whining about the hot water stinging their wounds. I suddenly realized that I could’ve used Healing magic to get rid of their injuries, but in the end, I figured that the small grazes would serve as symbols of hard work and decided to leave them alone. 
 
Alright, let’s see what this new Null spell can do... 
“[Storage]: [In].” A magic circle appeared on the floor, and the chair I had placed above it quickly sank into it. Right, the storing part seems to work just fine. 
“[Storage]: [Out].” I cast the reverse of the spell while thinking about the chair. A magic circle appeared once more, but this time it forcefully fired a chair out from the middle. 
“Whoa!” I caught the chair before it could drop to the ground. Fine-tuning this thing’s power isn’t gonna be easy... 
The Null spell [Storage] did exactly what it said on the tin — it stored objects. It didn’t work on living, animated creatures or anything, but it seemed to work well on plants. Apparently, the amount one could store depended on the user’s magic power. So if I had to guess, I’d say my limit was probably an entire house and then some. 
The stored objects allegedly ignored the flow of time, too. Soups and similar things would come out as warm as they were when they were taken in, even after a whole day of storage. It felt like a very useful spell to me. 
After all, the most annoying thing about travel was the management of our luggage. The mirror we took to Mismede, the Dragon’s horn we got... things like that were an absolute pain to carry around. 
Even during the recent bicycle event, I couldn’t help but be frustrated with the fact that I had to haul materials back and forth. 
So that was where this spell came in. It was so I could finally say goodbye to the troubles of luggage management. 
Now the girls can ask me to carry all their stuff and it won’t even be a problem! If I use this alongside [Gate], I can lead a comfortable life as a one-man home delivery service or something. And on that note, it’s time for shopping! No matter how much I buy, nothing’ll drag me down anymore! Ahaha! 
I took my wallet, left my room, and walked down the stairs to the first floor, my chipper mood shining all the while. I saw Kohaku in the living room, stretched out on the sofa and sleeping without a care in the world. You’re becoming more like a house cat, my fluffy widdle tiger... 
I crossed the terrace and walked out into the garden. Soon enough, I saw Julio and his wife, Crea, looking over our vegetable garden. 
“Hey there, are the crops doing well?” 
“Ah, good to see you, sir!” Crea replied. 
“Why yes sir, they’re growing beautifully. For now, I only planted some cumbers and tomatoes, and it looks like it won’t be too long until we can harvest them.” Julio seemed quite happy with his work. He was right to be proud, of course, considering he was going to be responsible for our freshly-grown produce. 
Just in case it wasn’t obvious, “cumbers” were cucumbers. This world had some vegetables with the same names as the ones in my previous world, but there were also those with completely different ones. Well, tomatoes were still tomatoes, at least. Still, I wasn’t sure if they’d wind up different to the ones I was familiar with. 
Man, if we’re able to harvest fresh veggies, we should get some fruits too... Maybe I should plant some chestnut or persimmon trees... Wait, is a chestnut a fruit? 
“Sir, do you have any requests for lunch?” Crea asked me about today’s menu. I mostly let her make whatever she felt like making. Her food was always good. 
“Well, it’s kinda hot today, so I’d like something refreshing... like chilled Chinese noodles.” 
“Chilled Chyne-ease noodle? I’ve never heard of that. Is that another dish from your homeland?!” Her eyes began to gleam with joy. Crea didn’t seem to know a single one of the meals I wanted to eat, so I always had to give her a recipe. The exotic cuisine I presented her with never failed to spark her curiosity. 
“Well, it’s obviously a noodle-based dish. It uses a cold, sour soup, vegetables, meat, and sometimes an egg. I’ll give you a detailed recipe, so try your hand at making it.” 
“Yes sir! I’m looking forward to it!” Excitement was good and all, but we happened to be in a different world. She probably wouldn’t be able to get all the necessary ingredients. Regardless, Crea was just so good that I had no doubt she would whip up something delicious. It wasn’t the first time I had her make some noodles, so it was safe to expect something just as good. 
I ran a search for chilled Chinese noodles and used [Drawing] to get Crea the recipe. Heh, I’m looking forward to lunch now. 
Okay, time to head out! I opened a [Gate] and went to the outskirts of the capital. The southern district, to be precise. It was focused on commerce, so there were lots of shops and services lined up next to one another. To the west, you could find elite stores like Berkut, while the east had an entertainment sector full of taverns, theaters, and other facilities. 
The western district, where we lived, was the residential area of the wealthy, while the commoners inhabited the opposite district to the east. 
Compared to the western district, the east was quite dangerous. I had heard it even had slum-like areas. Among all the rumors, I heard that people who lost their jobs and orphaned children formed criminal gangs there. I’d even heard rumors of roving pickpockets. Guess it was only natural for a great city to have a big shadow. 
After stepping through my [Gate] to the back alley in the southern district, I made my way to the bustling main road. I decided my first order of business was to make my way to the guild to take out some money. On the way, I saw a number of street peddlers and performers. 
Whoa, that guy’s juggling knives! Reminds me of the time my grandma tried to teach me how to do it with beanbags, but I just couldn’t get the hang of it... As such thoughts ran through my mind, I forgot to watch where I was going and accidentally walked into someone. It was a young boy. He was wearing a worn-out jacket, ragged trousers, and a large, but grimy cap, which he put on in a way that covered his eyes. 
“Oh, sorry about that! I wasn’t looking...” 
“Oi bruv, watch yer step. Make sure that doesn’t happen again, aye?” After saying that, he ran off and disappeared into the crowd. What a brat! He looked even younger than Sue. His parents are probably good-for-nothings... 
I entered the guild, which was as bustling as ever. Various adventurers stood before the quest board and glared at the many missions posted there. Ignoring them, I walked up to the receptionist and asked if I could withdraw some of my money. 
“Certainly. May I have your guild card, please?” 
Alrighty, lemme just... Oh? Front pockets, chest pockets, side pockets, back pockets... Wait... wh-what? Where’s my wallet? Did I leave it back in my room? No way. Did I drop it? No, I... Oh. Shit. It was probably the kid. That brat stole my wallet! Goddammit! I didn’t have much money in there, sure... but he made off with my guild card! 
I hastily left the guild, took out my smartphone, sighed the greatest sigh of relief I could at the fact that he didn’t steal my smartphone, and then ran a search for “my wallet.” Sure enough, I got a hit. Great, he’s still in this district. 
Hmm... judging from the speed this pin’s moving, I guess he’s running. Oh, he stopped in a back alley... Probably planning on looting the contents and tossing the actual wallet there. Well, if that happens, I’ll just run a search for “my guild card.” Don’t really care if he takes the money. For now, I’ve just gotta make my way to that alley. 
Once I got there, I saw two boorish-looking men kicking the little boy, who was huddled down on the ground in the fetal position. 
“Doin’ business in our area again, ya little shit?! It’s yer fault the patrols’ve stepped up, innit?!” 
“Oi, you fookin’ listening to us?! Ya blew our whole operation! Get ready fer yer jus’ desserts, gobshite!” One of them took out a knife and pushed one of the boy’s arms against the ground. The blood drained from the boy’s face, and his expression became one of sheer terror. 
“I-I’m sorry! I’m really sorry, please lemme go!” The boy cried and pleaded with them, but the two men only laughed at him, clearly having no plans to release him. 
“Bit late for sorries, y’little runt! As friends of the trade, we’ll let ya off with jus’ one finger. Don’tcha dare let us catch ya in our area again, aye? Cause next time we’ll just snuff ya out. Bwahaha.” 
“N-No...! Please! No! Somebody help!!!” 
“How about you just stop right there.” The two hoodlums shot a collective glare in my direction. The boy, who had closed his teary eyes in fear, opened them up and looked my way as well. 
“Th’fook’re ya after? This ain’t none of yer business. Piss off or we’ll kill ya!” 
“Where I come from, it’s normal to get in the way of people who get their kicks hurting kids. Judging from what you said, I think it’s safe to assume that you’re thieves, too, right?” 
“Aye? So what?” 
“Well, nothing really... Just means I don’t have to hesitate.” I pulled out the Remington New Model Army and fired at them both as if it was nothing. 
“Whuh?!” 
“Argh!” The rubber bullets imbued with [Paralyze] hit their mark. The men crumpled to the ground like wet paper bags. I holstered my gun and ran over to the boy. 
“You okay?” His face wet with tears, the boy nodded. I could see a number of bruises and injuries on him. 
“Come forth, Light! Soothing Comfort: [Cure Heal]!” The Healing spell quickly made the wounds fade away. The boy observed the changes in his body with surprise in his eyes. 
Once done with the spell, I took out a small cube of steel, used [Modeling] to turn it into wire, and tied up the two hoodlums so they couldn’t move. Sure, [Paralyze] was supposed to stay active for a few hours, but you couldn’t be too careful. I figured I’d call some guards over to apprehend them anyway. 
“Can I have my wallet back now?” 
“Ah...” He quickly searched his sides, took out what was mine, and returned it to me with quivering hands. I looked inside to confirm the contents. Alrighty, there’s my guild card. 
“Well, I got my wallet, so I won’t report you to the guards this time. Later!” 
“H-Hey!” As I turned to leave, the boy called out to me. Hm? What does he want? 
“Th-Thanks fer savin’ me just there...” 
“If you’re actually grateful, just stop stealing. You might get caught next ti—” Suddenly, I heard a strange, low growl. 
It was his stomach. It actually made a sound loud enough to cut me off. Silence reigned for a few moments. 
“...You hungry?” 
“Haven’t eaten in three days...” The boy let his head hang forward. He looked kinda pitiful. 
Well... crap. Guess I lack the mental capacity to understand that his hunger has nothing to do with me. I’m a total sucker, huh? Fine then, if it’s gotta be this way... 
“Come on then, kid. If you come with me, I’ll give you some food.” 
“For reals?!” Wait, I totally just sounded like a kidnapper right there. But it seemed that if I was actually a stereotypical kidnapper, it would’ve worked out just fine. The kid was clearly an idiot and eagerly ran toward me. Suddenly, the spring in his step made his cap lose its balance. It shifted slightly on his head, revealing a long head of hair beneath. 
Once the boy realized that, he took off the cap, which was coincidentally the moment my perception of him switched from “that’s totally a boy” to “that is definitely a girl.” 
What. She had light beige hair that flowed down past her shoulders. The entire image that I’d had of the kid was shattered in an instant. 
 

“Wait... you’re a girl?!” 
“...Aye.” Her green eyes looked up at me as if I was a weirdo for ever assuming otherwise. And that was how I met the thief girl, Renne. 
 
Now that she’s scrubbed some of that grime off herself, Renne’s actually a pretty sweet-faced kid... 
“Oi, bruv. What’re ya gonna feed me, then?” The way she talks is a lot less sweet, though... 
I figured that hard food would be too much for a stomach as empty as hers, so I bought some fish soup from a food stall next to the guild. Then I put it in a cup and gave it to her. 
Renne fearfully took it into her hands and slowly began drinking it. Looked like she couldn’t handle hot stuff. But that was fine by me. If she took it slowly, she wouldn’t overwhelm her stomach. 
“Wait here for a moment.” I left her there and went into the guild. I gave them my guild card and withdrew some of my money. Not a lot in total, though. Once I left the guild, I took Renne with me. I considered entering a proper restaurant, but with her appearance, she was bound to get kicked out. 
So, I settled on going to another stall, getting some roasted meats, and eating them on a bench in the plaza. 
“There’s no need to rush, just take it slow.” 
“Nngh.” Renne, seemingly out of her mind due to her hunger, greedily gnawed at the meat. She didn’t pay me much heed. She’s almost a match for Yae... 
“So, uh, where do you live?” 
“Lotsa places. Sometimes the park. Sometimes the alleys. Lived at an inn with my dad before that.” 
“Where’s your dad now?” 
“He was an adventurer. Went off ta kill a beast ’bout a year back. Never came home.” 
Oh... Oh no. Her dad totally got killed by a monster. It wasn’t rare for adventurers to get killed while on hunting quests. If it happened while they went solo, they were usually treated as missing persons. 
“What about your mom? You have any other relatives?” 
“Dead. Right after I was born, said old dad. Dunno any other family. Never got told much at all.” 
Finished with her meat, Renne wiped her dirty hands on her pants as she told me her story. 
So her father vanished and she was left as an orphan? I’m just amazed she survived a full year all alone... 
“After me dad up and vanished, a kind old lady rolled through town and taught me how to nick things off people. Knew it wasn’t right, but a girl’s gotta eat...” 
Well, that old lady sure did something she shouldn’t have... Still, it was the stealing that allowed Renne to survive so long. Man, this girl’s a complicated case. I don’t know what I should do here. She doesn’t have any parents, and no other family either... I could try taking her to an orphanage, but she’s already a criminal, so... She says she only steals when she needs to, but I don’t know if they’ll let it slide since she’s a poor kid. Kids like her aren’t unusual here, I get that. If they stop stealing, they’ll just drop dead. They’re just doing their best to survive with the hand they were dealt. They lead unfair lives, sure. But that doesn’t mean stealing is the right thing to do... Maybe I could get her a job? Nah, that’s not gonna happen. But if I leave her here, then she’ll just go back to stealing again. And that might lead to her getting caught... 
People probably would’ve called me a huge softie for my actions. But I really couldn’t have cared any less at the time. After all, I really wanted to help her. 
“Renne... would you like to come work at my home?” 
“You wot mate?” 
“You’ll have a place to sleep and food wouldn’t be an issue either. You will have to work properly, though. You’ll be paid for the work you do, don’t worry about that part. How about it?” 
“Wait, wait... You’re gonna hire me?! You havin’ a laugh or what?!” Renne looked at me with obvious surprise and suspicion on her face. Though she was clearly perplexed by my sudden offer, her eyes were gleaming with hope. 
“But I’m offering you this job on the condition that you never put your thieving skills to work again. If you do, I won’t be able to let you keep working for me. Think you can handle that?” 
“Y-Yessir! I’ll never use ’em again long as I live! Cross me heart!” As Renne excitedly nodded, I gave her head a light pat. 
I should’ve probably waited and had Yumina look at the kid with her Mystic Eyes, but I don’t think Renne’s a bad person. Well, now that’s settled... let’s go home. 
I could’ve used a [Gate] to get us there immediately, but I decided to lead her on foot just so she’d know the way. 
“Hang on a tick. It’s not over here?” 
“Nope, my home’s over there. I live in the west district.” 
“The west?!” Renne, who was facing the east, suddenly turned around. She looked even more surprised for some reason. 
Is it really that big of a deal...? We left the southern district and entered through the western gate. We headed through the gradually widening residential area, and eventually came across the gentle hill on which our home stood. I kinda hate this hill... It’d be way easier if we didn’t have one. 
“Hold up, bruv... Uh, Touya... you some kinda noble?” 
“Well, can’t really say I am. Very nearly became one, though.” She was probably feeling extremely insecure and out of place. Most nobles chose to live in the inner district rather than the outskirts. But nobles with lesser influence or disgraces would often move out into this area. This district had a number of affluent merchants, too. 
Once we hiked the hill, we could see the red roof of my very own home. Renne stood still, dumbfounded, before slowly turning to me. 
“This the place? You’re not havin’ a laugh?” 
“Yep, this is it. Oh, hey there, Tom.” 
“Oh? Good day, sir! It’s rare for you to come home through the front entrance.” The guardsman spoke with a broad smile on his face. Well, I always used a [Gate] to go to and from the mansion, so it was only natural for him to make that comment. 
We entered my territory through the pedestrian entrance next to the main gate. We walked through the garden and made it to the front door, which I opened to find Lapis and Cecile cleaning the entrance hall. 
“Oh, what a welcome surprise, sir! It’s rare for you to use the front door.” 
“Ohhh? Who is this?” Cecile looked at Renne, her stare almost boring holes into the little girl. Renne hid herself behind me, likely out of embarrassment. 
“Her name is Renne. She’s gonna work here from now on, so try to get along with her. Go on, Renne. Introduce yourself to them, they don’t bite.” 
“Errm... I-I’m Renne. It’s a great p-pleasure to meet you!” 
Wow, she turned so meek and formal. Guess she’s nervous. Not unreasonable, given the gaudy place I brought her to. 
“Where’s Laim?” 
“He went to the living room to give Miss Yumina her tea.” Lapis pointed the way, so I took Renne along with me. I let the little girl sit on a comfy chair while I explained the situation to Laim. 
Yumina silently listened to what I was saying, staring at Renne all the while. It didn’t take a genius to tell that she was using her Mystic Eyes. Soon enough, Yumina adopted a light smile. There, I knew it! Renne isn’t a bad girl! 
With a sidelong glance, Laim confirmed it himself. 
“Very well, sir. I understand the circumstances. However, I need to be certain she is serious about working here. I cannot have our efficiency as a team hampered by anyone. You there, your name is Renne?” 
“Y-Yup...” 
“Do you truly intend to work here? We won’t mind if you fail or cause a bit of trouble for us servants at first. However, you must promise to learn from your mistakes and not to flee from your responsibilities.” Laim glared at Renne with the sternest expression I’d ever seen him adopt. I thought it was a slightly harsh thing to do to a child no older than ten, but it didn’t seem like I had any business intruding, so I held my tongue. 
“...Yeah. I wanna work here. I wanna be where Touya is.” Renne stared right back into Laim’s stern eyes. After staring at her for a good moment, the butler softened his expression and stood up with a smile. 
“Cecile. Take young Renne to the bath. I want her scrubbed down until she’s spotless.” 
“Okaaay. Come with meee, little Renne. It’s bath tiiime, eeheheh.” 
“Uh?! What?!” And so, Renne was taken to the bathroom. Though it might have been more apt to say that Renne was dragged into the bathroom. 
“Lapis, go buy her some fitting clothes. Oh, and order a custom-made uniform for her.” 
“Understood, sir. If you don’t mind, I will use the bicycle.” Lapis hurriedly went outside. She and Cecile learned to ride the bike in just a few hours. I wasn’t too surprised, given that they were this world’s equivalent of the ninjas. 
Yumina suddenly spoke up after hearing us speak. 
“When she’s done bathing, she can wear my clothes, for the time being at least. They’ll probably be too big for her, but it’ll only be until Lapis returns.” Yumina got up off her seat. She was probably headed to get some clothes to the dressing room. Once she left, I spread myself out on my chair and drowned myself in thoughts for a while. Soon enough, Laim came over and placed some tea on the table in front of me. 
“...Should I have just handed her over to an orphanage? Did I do something uncalled for?” 
“That is for Renne to decide, sir. For now, if you’ll permit me to say... you should only accept the truth. The truth is that you have saved a young girl from poverty.” 
Guess you’re right about that, Laim... I shouldn’t overthink it. I did exactly what I wanted to do, anyway. That’s all there is to it. Man, I can see why Laim used to work directly under the king. He’s got a way with words. Putting all that aside, though, Renne is still a criminal. I’ll have to make her atone for whatever it is she’s done. Maybe I should consult someone about that? Well, whatever. I’ll just talk to the king or something. 
...Hm? I could hear someone running through the corridor. Suddenly, the living room door flung open, and Renne ran in, wearing nothing but a bath towel. In her arms, she held my dear little white tiger. 
“T-Touya! Bruv! There’s a little tiger over ’ere!” Kohaku looked at me with an annoyed expression on his face. I could totally understand why. 
“Master... who is this child?” 
“You wot?! It can bleedin’ well talk!” 
...She’s noisy, and that way of talking came back pretty quick, too. She should really put on some clothes, honestly. Doesn’t look very proper at all. As I started to think about just how lively my home would become with her, I noticed something strange. There was something hanging on her neck. It looked like some kind of pendant. 
“Renne, what’s with that thing around your neck?” 
“This? Dad gave it to me. Said it was to remember my mum by. It’s the only thing I ever had for myself.” 
“Can I take a look at it?” Renne took it off and gave it to me. Moments later, Cecile, with her sleeves rolled up, came and dragged her back to the bathroom. Things got way too chaotic, way too fast... 
I shifted my gaze to the pendant in my hand. From what I could tell, the thing was gold... It would clearly fetch a considerable price on the market. Since Renne kept it around despite the fact that she could feed herself by selling it, the pendant must’ve been very dear to her. 
The design was a pair of spread wings, in the middle of which was a gem in the shape of a downward triangle. Is this... an emerald? No, it’s a wind spellstone. 
There was a crest on the back. 
“Laim, do you recognize this crest?” 
“A Griffin, a shield, two swords, and laurels... I cannot say I do.” 
“If this is really a memento, could it mean that Renne has some blue blood in her?” 
“I would not be so sure. It might be something her parents or grandparents merely happened upon.” 
And it went from generation to generation until it ended up in Renne’s hands, huh? That’s definitely a possibility. But usually something so gaudy would’ve been returned or sold, right? Well, with Renne’s dad gone, there’s no way to know for sure... 
“As far as I am aware, there is no such crest among the ones used by Belfastian nobles. Though, I do know that Griffin crests are quite popular in the Empire...” The Empire... which is that again...? Oh, the Regulus Empire? I think that was to the east? The one that isn’t on the best of terms with Belfast. Was Renne’s father a fallen noble who escaped from that place? Whatever the case, this doesn’t seem like something I should talk about more than necessary. 
I made a mental note to ask about the crest if I ever met someone from the Regulus Empire. 
 
“Yep, it looks good on you.” 
“R-Really?” Renne slightly raised the skirt of her new maid uniform and did a little spin. The pendant hanging around her neck swayed along with her. 
“That thing might get in the way of your work, so you should put it under your clothes.” 
“Ah, gotcha. No prob, Touya!” While I wasn’t lying about it obstructing her work, it was better for it to be hidden away from those who’d like to steal it. 
Laim, who was standing at my side, looked straight at Renne. 
“Renne, from now on, you are one of us. You are among the servants. When referring to the one you serve, you must use ‘sir.’ None of this ‘Touya’ or... ‘bruv,’ as you put it.” 
“Ah, erm... Got it! I’ll do my best, Mister Laim!” 
“Excellent, young lady. Your job right now is to help the servants working here. Go to Crea to learn about how we prepare our meals. The rest you can learn from Lapis and Cecile.” 
“Gotc— l understand.” Renne’s answer was proper and straightforward. Even so... I couldn’t help but worry a bit. 
“Okaaay, Renne, let’s gooo!” 
“Alright. I’ll be off, bru— sir.” 
“Do your best out there.” Renne left the dining hall, led off by Cecile. All she needs to do is get used to it. 
“Don’t think you have to worry about her, Touya,” Elze said. 
“Y-Yes, I feel the same way...” Linze muttered. As they drank their post-breakfast tea, the twins expressed their approval of my decision. I had told them everything that led up to me employing Renne the day before. 
“Yes. She has a very strong heart, and I am certain she properly considers everything, I am.” Yae was still eating breakfast. Her hunger was as great as ever. I couldn’t even imagine how many croissants she had consigned to the void within her this morning. 
I heard the door to the dining hall open and turned around to see Yumina walking in. She was holding a piece of paper in one of her hands. 
“It’s from my father. He requests that you pay him a visit today, if you have the time.” The Gate Mirror through which we kept in contact with the royal palace was in Yumina’s room. The letter probably came through there. The royal palace was only a thirty minute walk away, but the Gate Mirror was useful nonetheless. 
“The king? What does he want from me?” 
“He said something about uncle boasting to him about his bicycle, so I think it has something to do with that.” Yumina smiled wryly. I had predicted this a few days ago, and now it had come true. 
Well, guess I better make another one. At least this’ll be a good excuse to talk about Renne. 
I walked out to the garden and used [Storage] to take out the bike materials. Since I had made so many of them already, I had the king’s order done in a mere ten minutes. Using [Storage] again, I took the bicycle with me. Man do I love this spell. 
“Alright, I’m off.” 
“I’ll come with you.” Yumina walked out into the garden. Well, I can’t freely walk around the castle without her, so her presence will be a big help anyway. 
“Hold up there! I’m coming too. I wanna fight the general again.” Elze ran out, her asymmetrical gauntlets dangling on her side. General Leon, the supreme commander of the royal army, had fought her countless times by this point, making their relationship sort of like that of a master and apprentice. 
It just hit me that this country has both an “order of knights” and an “army.” What’s the difference? If I remember right, Reflet was being protected by the knight order. 
So, are they responsible for policing duties, while the army are the ones handling monsters and outside threats? With those thoughts in my head, I opened up a [Gate]. 

“Well, you know, Al... No, ah... Duke Ortlinde showed me a most peculiar vehicle. He also said that you were the one who provided him with it. So, er... I was wondering if you would be able to give one to me, as well.” The king told me why he called me over, acting strange all the while. It was just as I had thought. 
He and I were having a little talk in one of the smaller palace rooms. Since Elze went to see the general, and Yumina went to meet the queen, the king and I were alone together. Well, alone if you ignored the guards. 
“I thought that was why you called me over, so I prepared one before coming here.” 
“Oho! How considerate of you, my boy! So, where is it?!” I cast [Storage] and created a magic circle on the floor. From it, I summoned the bicycle I had prepared earlier. 
“As always, you do the most unexpected of things, Touya my boy... Is this different from those [Gate] things of yours?” 
“This one’s a storage spell. It allows me to keep many things on demand, so I use it a lot.” The king simply sighed before shifting all of his attention toward his new bike. I figured he was out of things to say about my spells at that point. He stared at it from every direction and touched it all over to see how it felt. 
“Did Duke Ortlinde let you ride his bike?” 
“He did, but I was unable to grasp the proper technique... Al told me that it requires practice. How much, exactly?” 
“It took the duke about a day, but my maids got the hang of it in just three hours. I’d say three days should be enough for anyone.” The king was a busy guy. He probably didn’t have any days he could dedicate entirely to bike practice. But it was still a fact that he’d be able to ride it sooner or later. 
As the king joyfully hopped up on the saddle, I began talking about my own business. 
“Now that we’ve settled this, there’s something I’d like to ask... or maybe just discuss with you.” 
“Hoh? It’s rare for you to ask for my help, Touya.” As the king raised his brow slightly, I told him about Renne. He was intently listening to me, and when I finished, he began speaking in a highly serious tone. 
“Crime is crime. She must pay for what she has done. However, we must take her circumstances into account as well. If you, Touya, are able to properly look after her and turn her into a proper member of society, we will let her off with only a hefty fine and a warning. However, she will not receive a second chance. Be sure to inform her of that fact.” His words made me feel relieved. I was definitely serious about protecting Renne. I couldn’t be more thankful for the king’s rationality. 
Moments later, the king turned ominously silent. D-Did I do something wrong? 
“Hmm... I just cannot understand it.” 
“What do you mean?” 
“Why are there so many vagrant children? The funding I direct to the capital’s orphanages should be more than enough. Could it be that...” The king clapped, and a masked figure clad in black silently fell down from the ceiling. Whoa, that caught me off guard! For a moment, I thought it was one of my maids — Lapis or Cecile — but then I noticed that the symbol on the forehead of the mask was different. Lapis’ was a hexagon; Cecile’s was an oval. This one was a pentagon. Whatever the case, it was clearly another member of Espion — the intelligence officers who answered directly to the king. 
“Who is responsible for the funding of orphanages?” 
“Baron Sebek... There are rumors that his influence has been growing unusually strong over the last few years.” 
“Thoroughly examine the flow of money and have anyone clearly guilty of embezzlement dealt with accordingly.” 
“Yes, my liege.” He disappeared through the ceiling just as swiftly as he appeared. A ninja if I ever saw one. 
“My apologies, Touya. The circumstances of the child you took in might be the result of my own carelessness. Forgive me for my negligence.” He bowed his head. 
So the money meant for the orphanages was probably laundered by someone who managed the flow. Which means the orphanages couldn’t operate at full capacity and weren’t able to take in all the kids. So people like that exist in this world too, huh...? Scumbags who get fat and fill their own pockets by exploiting positions of power... 
Still, the king sure was a person of good moral character. Not everyone would bow to another over something like that. The public might disagree, but I couldn’t help but think that this country was blessed to have such a ruler. 
“You sure have it hard, Your Majesty.” 
“Indeed. If only there was someone who could take my position and allow me to retire.” The king grinned broadly. 
...Are you referring to me and Yumina, old man?! Even if I do marry her, I have absolutely no intention of being king! I had a great amount of respect for King Belfast, that much was true, but it was completely unrelated to me succeeding him. 
I should meet up with the head chef of the castle and give him a recipe for a dish that gives a hearty boost to stamina. Maybe then the king can just make another baby. Garlic, yam, turtle... do those things even exist here? That doesn’t matter, I need to get them, and fast! 

“We’re back.” Yumina and I walked out of the [Gate]. We arrived just outside our front door. Elze said she’d come back on foot as soon as the training was over. 
We walked through the door and into the main hall, where we were welcomed by Laim. 
“Welcome back, sir.” 
“Good to see you too, Laim! It all worked out with Renne.” 
“Most excellent. Oh, and you have a visitor.” 
“A visitor...?” I nonchalantly looked down the corridor beyond Laim, where I saw something strange bobbing over to us. 
Fifty centimeters tall. A red ribbon around its neck. It was a stuffed bear with round, cutesy eyes. 
“Paula?!” The bear heard her name and greeted me by raising her right hand. She came up to me, so I picked her up. 
“Did you come all the way from Mismede? By yourself?” 
“Of course not, you silly little man. She came with me.” The door to the parlor opened, and out came a girl in gothic lolita clothing. Her long white hair was in twintails. 
“Leen?! What’re you doing here?” Well, I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised. Paula wouldn’t have just been here without her creator. 
“I’m just here for research. Oh, and I had to punish Charlotte, too. I slapped her already, so that’s done and dusted.” 
Man, she sure is one to hold grudges... Kinda immature. Aren’t you over six hundred? 
As I stared at her with slight disappointment, Yumina pulled on my sleeve. 
“Touya? Who might this be?” 
“This is Leen, the Clan Matriarch of Mismede’s fairies. She doesn’t look it, but she’s way, way older than us.” 
“Fairies? But...” Yumina looked at Leen with a puzzled expression. 
Wait, where’d her wings go? Sh-She didn’t cut them off, did she?! 
“Oh, I concealed my wings with Light magic. They attract far too much attention in this country.” She removed the spell, causing a set of see-through wings to gradually appear behind her. The sunlight coming through the windows made them gleam and shimmer. I couldn’t help but wonder whether fairies and avians had trouble sleeping because of their wings. 
“Why are you in my house, though? How’d you even find out where we live?” 
“Charlotte told me. I had something I wanted to ask you. Specifically, I wanted to ask you about that ‘crystal creature’ you defeated some months ago.” 
“...What?” 
The crystal creature. I know exactly what you mean, Leen. That mysterious beast from the ruins underneath the old capital. The one that regenerated, absorbed magic, and couldn’t be hurt by blades. 
“For you see, that crystal creature... One has appeared in Mismede, as well.” Leen’s words not only surprised me, but made a strange chill go down my spine. 
“It was a day before you returned home. The palace received an urgent message from Lairesse, a town in western Mismede. It warned of a strange phenomenon that had been happening there over a period of a few days.” 
“What was that?” Leen took a sip of the black tea that had been prepared for her, then leaned forward in her seat slightly. On the other side of the table, there was Yumina, Linze, Yae, and myself. Paula was seated right next to Leen. 
“The ones who discovered it were a group of children from Lairesse. What they found was... a crack, of sorts. A crack, suspended in thin air in the middle of the forest. No one could touch the strange crack, but everyone knew it was very real.” 
A crack in empty space...? What the hell? Was it a spell or something? 
“Soon enough, the children noticed that the crack was growing bigger each day. One of them decided they should tell the adults about it. After that, the village chief sent a message to the capital.” Leen placed the teacup back on the plate. So, the messenger reached capital the day before we returned to Belfast, did he? 
“What we found was carnage. Utter carnage. What was once a home was now a warzone, teetering on the edge of annihilation. A crystal creature was killing them... No, it was slaughtering them. It had no remorse. The soldiers and I tried to fight, but we stood no chance. Swords could not harm it, spells were absorbed by it. It regenerated when shattered... It was like battling a nightmare. Half of the soldiers were maimed beyond recovery. The village could not be saved.” 
“Sounds just like the one we fought... Did you manage to defeat it?” 
“Somehow, yes. Just barely. When I found out it was vulnerable to magic that dealt physical damage, I used Earth spells to hit its head with a boulder that weighed several tons. Once I shattered the core in its body, it stopped regenerating.” 
The red core again... So it ceased all activity when it was destroyed. That meant it was definitely the same type of creature that we fought. 
“I wanted to do more research on that monster, so I went to Charlotte to get her to help me. It was then that she informed me of a similar event in Belfast. I was quite surprised when she told me that you were the ones who defeated it.” Leen looked straight at me with quite a wicked-looking grin. I felt like a frog being eyed by a snake. It was actually making me sweat, so I would’ve preferred her to stop sooner rather than later. 
“There was another thing she told me. You can cast any Null magic, right? That explains why you could use [Program].” 
“Well... what can I say here? I’d be thankful if you didn’t talk about it too much.” Dang it, Charlotte, don’t spill all the beans! Come to think of it, the poor girl was probably forced to talk under duress... Guess she couldn’t keep anything in when this demonic teacher got in her ear. 
“The few surviving villagers told us that the crack in space was destroyed, and the crystal creature came out of it.” From the crack...? So it wasn’t like with us, where it just awakened in the ancient ruins. Leen took out a piece of paper from her pocket and spread it out on the table. The creature displayed on the paper was unlike the crystal creature that we had defeated. This one had a different shape. 
The one we encountered in the ruins had an almond-like body and six thin, long legs. Overall, it was like a cricket. But the one Leen presented us with had an almond-shaped head — rather than body — and instead of having legs, it was just very long. 
If the one we fought was a cricket, then this one was a snake. A crystal snake with a winding body. Kind of shaped like a katana that had been bent one too many times. 
“This one’s shaped differently to the one we fought. The one here in Belfast was more like a cricket. It attacked us by extending its legs.” 
“Ah. The one we faced in Mismede used its tail to impale people and shred groups apart. It was like a sharp, precise blade.” 
The shapes of the two creatures were different. Still, it was clear that they were the same type of creature. If I had to compare, I’d say it was similar to grouping butterflies and praying mantises into the same group. That group being “insects,” of course. It seemed pretty reasonable to deal with it like that. 
“...A long time ago, when I was still a young girl, an elder of my kind told me a story. She spoke of a race of monstrous beasts that emerged as if from nowhere. They brought the world to the brink of ruin, and were known as the ‘Phrase’... Their bodies were pure crystal, said to be completely invincible. But in the end, they disappeared as spontaneously as they had appeared. The world simply returned to normal...” 
“So, you think the Phrase and the crystal creatures could be one and the same?” 
“I’m afraid I do not know. The elder is no longer with us, and she told us that it was merely a tale she heard when she was a child. Also, we fairies only began to have contact with outside species a mere hundred or so years ago.” 
If those beasts were really the same as the stuff in the story, where did they come from? Is someone controlling them like summoned creatures? But then why would they attack people? No amount of thinking could answer those questions of mine. 
They’re strong, but they aren’t invincible. If one appears again, we just have to kill it. And if there’s a mastermind behind it all, we’ll just drag him out and beat the crap out of him, too. 
“Well, nothing will come from us just thinking about it. They aren’t creatures I’d be pleased to meet again, but if they do appear, we’ll simply defeat them like the first one.” 
“Reasonable indeed. Oh, by the way, while Olga is away, I will be staying in this country as the Mismedian ambassador.” Is this fairy serious? Oh Charlotte, you poor girl... 
“I’ll be visiting here every once in a while, so let’s get along. Also, Touya, you can use [Gate], right?” Ah, dang it... She’s sharp. I went out of my way to resort to trickery to keep it a secret, but since it came out, Mismede would likely turn wary and begin doubting the alliance. 
As if reading my thoughts, Leen adopted a faint smirk. 
“No need to make that face. I won’t tell anything to the beastking or the other clan leaders. I’m gentle to my own, you know?” 
“Your own?” 
“Oh yes. You will be my disciple, won’t you?” Leen’s grin had turned sadistic. Good lord. This is the textbook definition of blackmail. As I wracked my mind trying to figure out how to respond, Leen started laughing. 
“Eheh... it was a joke, silly. I don’t like forcing people to do what they don’t want to do.” 
That’s a total lie. You were at least half-serious there! As I glared at Leen, the door to the living room opened up. Through it came Cecile and Renne, carrying trays with a teapot and sweets. 
“I-I’ve gone and b-brought more tea for you’s— you!” Renne’s way of speaking made it clear that she was extremely nervous. Fidgeting something fierce, she placed the plate with the sweets on the table and refilled our empty teacups. Cecile was watching over her with a smile on her face. 
“E-Excuse me.” Ah, she stuttered. The two left the room after that. That wasn’t too bad at all. In fact, it was pretty good, considering it was her first time. Go Renne! 
“I see that you employ someone exceptionally young. It didn’t seem like she was used to dealing with guests. A newcomer, I assume?” 
“She just started, yes. I’d be grateful if you tolerated any clumsiness from her.” I took a sip of the tea Renne just gave me. It’s a bit too hot, and it’s brewed way too strongly. Well, it’s only natural that she wouldn’t be as good as Lapis or Cecile yet. Not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things. 
“Back to what we were discussing, though. You can use [Gate], right?” 
“I can, yeah. Though, it has the negative of only letting me go to places I’ve visited.” 
“Ever heard of the Null spell, [Recall] at all? It allows you to read people’s minds and gather their memories. By using it, you should be able to open a [Gate] leading to places known to the person whose mind you read.” 
Really? I’d never heard of that. Wonder where she learned about it... Oh, right, most fairies are born with Null spells, so maybe it’s only natural for her to know. 
“I want you to use this spell in conjunction with [Gate] to get me to a certain place. There’s a ruin I want to examine in that country.” 
“I’m not fully getting it, but... what place are we talking about?” 
“The far east — the easternmost part of the world, even. The Divine Nation, Eashen.” 
“Eashen...?” I instinctively looked at Yae. She looked pretty perplexed, too. 
Eashen was the country which had lots of similarities to Japan from my original world. I had always been quite curious about it. And now I had a chance to go there. 
“This girl was born in Eashen, right? If you read her mind, you should be able to make a [Gate] that leads to Eashen.” 
“W-Wait! T-Touya-dono is going to read my mind, is he?!” 
“Don’t worry. As long as you’re properly conscious, [Recall] only lets the caster take the memories you allow them to have. You don’t have to worry about him seeing memories you don’t want to be seen.” Unable to properly fight back, Yae turned pensive. Well, it was natural for people to have sides to them they wouldn’t want anyone else to see. Even if there was no risk of that, she couldn’t help but worry. I was confident I’d be just like her if our roles were reversed. 
After a long moment of hesitation, Yae nodded. 
“The Null spell, [Recall], works by harvesting memories from the person’s mind through touch. The most efficient way of touching in this case is a kiss.” 
“What?!” All of the girls in unison. 
“It was a joke.” Leen’s words seemed to drain everyone of their strength. I’d really like it if she wiped that grin off her face. Curse this sadistic gothic lolita! She played us like a fiddle! 
“Alright, now calm down, stand here, and face each other. Hold each other’s hands, too.” Leen dragged both myself and Yae, and made me stand before her. There were other methods, apparently, but until I got used to the spell, we had to do this to have the greatest chance of success. 
Leen grabbed my hands and connected them with Yae’s. They’re soft... Way softer than I’d expected... I didn’t think anyone could use swords as much as Yae and still have such lovely hands... Crap, now I’m getting all nervous! 
“Ahh...” 
“E-Eek...” When I raised my head, my eyes met with hers. She was staring at me, face red as a beet. That expression is just unfair! It’s making me even more embarrassed. 
“Alright, close your eyes. Now Yae, try to picture the landscapes of Eashen. Make sure the image is as clear as possible. If you picture something vague, the [Gate] will have a small chance of transporting us to a place that’s only similar in aesthetic. When the image is clear, Touya, place your forehead against hers and cast [Recall].” 
Doing as I was told, I began focusing my magic and placed my forehead against Yae’s. The pleasant smell that assaulted my nostrils almost made me lose my focus, but I was able to keep myself together and cast the spell. 
“[Recall].” Something began to flow into my head. A large tree... Is it a camphor, maybe? There’s something near its base... It looks like a torii arch, one of those traditional gate arches you’d find at a shinto shrine... Oh, I can actually see the little hokora shrine as well... Two lion-dog statues on either side of it... What I saw was clearly a hokora shrine inside a forested area. I could only assume I was observing Yae’s memories of Eashen. 
“I see it.” I opened my eyes and met Yae’s gaze. Sharing memories with someone was quite a strange experience. I felt as though I had been there countless times. 
“Ahem!” 
“Whoa!” Yumina’s forced cough made me come back to my senses and let go of Yae. The fact that we were just holding hands and looking into each other’s eyes made us both turn bashful and look away from one another. 
“If you actually saw Eashen, I would like you to open a [Gate] now. Are you able to?” Oh, how I’d like to wipe that grin off your face... I pictured the place in Eashen I just saw and opened a [Gate]. 
Once I walked through the portal of light, I stepped out into a forest with a large camphor tree, under which there was a torii arch with a hokora shrine, protected by the two lion-dog statues. Everything was exactly as I saw in Yae’s memories. 
“There is no mistaking it. This is indeed my homeland, Eashen, it is. We are at the grove of the village shrine near my hometown of Hashiba.” 

Yae walked through the [Gate], looked around, and confirmed my success. 
There I was, at the easternmost country in the world. I’d finally taken my first steps in Eashen, the Divine Nation.