Sasaki and Peeps - Volume 5 - Chapter 4

<Heroine of Justice>

Peeps and I spent some time touring the town of Erbrechen. The local street views were very different from the Herzian scenery I knew; the town was fairly large, too, and time passed quickly as we went here and there enjoying ourselves as tourists.

If I had to sum up the place in a word, it would be overbearing. During our walks, we saw many sturdy, stately buildings, all decorated with conspicuous metal adornments—metallurgy was probably more advanced in the Empire. Compared to Herz, many of the houses here were very dignified in appearance.

The abundance and variety of the available cuisine in particular was impressive, more than adequately satisfying us during our sojourn. Prices, however, were overall higher than in Herz. The townspeople’s clothes looked somewhat neater and more fashionable, too.

After my initial encounter with General Troy and Margrave Bertrand at the inn on our first day, we never bumped into them again. My stately dog’s impression was that they’d already left town.

Their absence meant the two of us could fully enjoy our peaceful, relaxing holiday.

The days at the inn we’d paid for in advance slipped away in what felt like the blink of an eye.

On our last day, we checked out of the inn, then decided to leave Ohgen and head to the Republic of Lunge. We’d come to the otherworld early in terms of Earth time, and so we’d put off our usual dealings with Mr. Joseph until now.

“I’ve been so absorbed in seeing the sights for the last few days that I completely forgot to practice any magic,” I remarked to Peeps.

“A break once in a while should be fine,” he replied. “You’ve already made outstanding strides in that area.”

“Maybe. I feel like I’ve been doing nothing but slacking off recently, though.”

“If you learned too quickly, I’d be out of my job.”

“No way. I’m lightyears away from catching up with the Lord Starsage.”

With our transformation magic dispelled, we hopped over to Lunge with a quick teleportation spell.

We then transported the goods from modern times into the now very familiar Kepler Trading Company warehouse, according to our routine. That same day, we paid a visit to the main offices and said hello to Mr. Joseph in the reception room.

“It’s good to see you again, Mr. Joseph,” I said as we each settled down onto a sofa.

“Yes, and I’m glad you’ve come, Mr. Sasaki,” he replied.

I handed over the inventory and waited for him to finish going over it. The three of us—including Peeps—were the only ones in the room. Mr. Marc was apparently out of the office. A maid had come in to pour us tea, but she’d left pretty quickly.

Done checking the inventory, Mr. Joseph clapped his hands to summon an employee into the room. The man took the list we’d submitted and headed off to check the items right away; we would receive payment in cash on the spot once they’d gone through everything.

This was all the same as before. We hadn’t brought any new products with us, so our deal for the day was now over. In terms of payment, I expected about the same amount as last time.

As we concluded our regular business, Mr. Joseph said, “By the way, I had something I wanted to discuss with you.”

“What might that be?” I asked.

“About that wireless device we’re using to communicate with the Marc Trading Company’s branch office in Baytrium—would we be able to procure another one?”

“For the Ohgen Empire, I assume?”

“I am aware of your standing as a Herzian merchant—and that the kingdom and the Empire are in a precarious relationship of late. Actually, that’s precisely the reason for my request. The situation is unpredictable, and our anxieties over it are endless.”

Now that our regular business was done, Mr. Joseph was making his move, and with something of a sob story, too. How unusual.

I unconsciously straightened up. This man was the personification of confidence and self-assurance. If he had decided to give me a peek at his vulnerable side, it implied some rather unwelcome things at play behind the scenes.

And so soon after that nasty surprise at the chief’s welcome party.

“Should you accept, you may examine every phrase and letter of our exchanges, as you’ve already suggested. We were also hoping to get Mr. Marc’s assistance operating it.”

Now he was actively offering to compromise, without even letting me speak. His tone was calm, but he was clearly dead set on acquiring another radio.

“Have any similar products made their way to other companies?” I asked.

“No,” he said. “At least, not as far as any of us are aware.”

“And I hear that long-distance mana-based communication is still in its early research stages,” I added, spouting some high-level info I remembered Peeps telling me once.

This earned a subtle change in Mr. Joseph’s expression. I had to hand it to the bird—apparently this was pretty new information in Lunge.

That shift only lasted a moment, though, as he continued putting on the pressure. “You heard correctly; we’ve received word of similar movements elsewhere. To be frank with you, I wish to request your help in building up the Kepler Trading Company even further.”

In the mid-nineteenth century, when the first undersea cable was laid down to connect opposite sides of the English Channel, those in attendance must have felt the same degree of emotion as Mr. Joseph did now. That event had been even more of a shock to the system than the birth of the internet. No normal person would have ever thought to lay down a metal cable dozens of kilometers long across the bottom of the sea.

“I’d ask you to recall that these long-distance radios require a very specific energy source to run,” I said. “And you’re well aware of how difficult they are to operate. Unfortunately, I don’t have any means by which to set one up in the Ohgen Empire.”

“We were actually hoping to handle the energy source ourselves,” he replied.

“Do you really intend to bring such a thing into the Empire from here?”

The power source Peeps and I had brought into the otherworld was a diesel generator. I wanted to avoid bringing gasoline over if I could, considering the danger of combustion even at normal temperatures. I could explain how to use it all I wanted, but in the end, I felt sure the Kepler Trading Company would be the site of a large explosion. And as the one who provided the offending material, I’d have no way to escape criticism.

Diesel fuel ran the same risk, though lower. My storage solution in modern times involved using magic to keep it at a constant temperature. Transporting it over a long distance by horse-drawn carts would cost a fortune.

And yet Mr. Joseph kept pressing me, this time offering rewards. “If you support us in acquiring another machine, I can promise you ten percent of the profits we make in the Empire in Lungian currency. In the meantime, we would place you on the company’s board of directors.”

This was a very attractive proposal. I couldn’t imagine how much money that would come out to, but I could grasp that this offer was of a different nature than our previous deals. Being catapulted right onto a famous trading company’s board of directors? This was the kind of scenario life-long corporate drones went to sleep dreaming of.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Peeps shifting a bit. Immediately, I wanted to ask for his opinion. He was the one who’d originally suggested this trading company on our first visit to the Republic. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take my eyes off the man in front of me. He’s staring at me so hard he’s forgotten to blink.

“Considering the Kepler Trading Company’s scale, wouldn’t it be dangerous to rely on a single person such as myself?” I asked.

“My idea was to acquire one year’s worth of fuel to start and then have you resupply us during our regular deals—and only for the amount expended.”

“I see.”

Supplying them with whatever diesel fuel the generator consumed presented no issue. According to Mr. Marc, the machine used a few liters of it a day at most. I’d estimated about two hundred for a month, which I’d brought to the otherworld on my current trip.

On the other hand, each supply of sugar—the main product in my dealings with Kepler—weighed several tons. One extra radio would be a drop in the bucket in comparison.

If I brought over more radios, I could use that as an excuse to stop shipments of my regular products such as sugar and manufactured goods. And if I restricted the fuel to one barrel per trip, it would massively decrease Ms. Futarishizuka’s workload. Ever since our first visit to the otherworld, I’d gotten carried away, trying this thing and that, and by now I was dealing in a pretty wide variety of items. I wasn’t selling a lot of each one, but altogether it must have been a ton of work to stock.

“Such a proposal is not out of the question,” I said to Mr. Joseph.

“Really?” he replied. “Then would you mind looking into it for us?”

It wasn’t clear to me why Mr. Joseph would want to elect some stranger of unknown origin to his board of directors. But such a proposal made me feel that whatever issue he was dealing with would be short-lived—or at least something he could resolve in the short term.

As I was thinking about it, he pressed me even harder. “We at the Kepler Trading Company very much wish to do business with you long into the future.”

This was the first time I’d experienced anything like this from Mr. Joseph. I could feel my spirit waver in the face of someone with such power begging for my help.

But I couldn’t simply agree to a suggestion like this. After all, they’d be placing the new radio in the Ohgen Empire. It had to have something to do with the two nations’ rising hostilities.

“Mr. Joseph, I am a trader from the Kingdom of Herz.”

“I am aware of that.”

I didn’t have any strong attachment to this world. If anything about it was truly important to me, it was the being currently sitting on my shoulder. Beyond that, the things I valued most were the connections and relationships I’d formed with people like Count Müller, Mr. Marc, and Mr. French.

So, unable to betray those friendships, I gave my honest answer.

“The continued well-being of the kingdom is an interest on which I absolutely cannot compromise.”

Mr. Joseph thought about that for a moment, then solemnly nodded. “I understand.”

He must have been deeply aware of my relationship with the Kingdom of Herz from our early business transactions. I was sure he’d thought through a hundred different ways of going about this. It made me very curious how it all related to his own financial concerns.

“Then I will promise you that your interests are our interests,” he said.

“Are you sure that’s wise?” I asked.

“I am. There’s no doubt in my mind that this will bring great benefits to us both.”

“Is that so?”

But when I mulled it over, it struck me that I didn’t need to take things so seriously. If worse came to worst, we could disguise ourselves with transformation magic, sneak into Kepler’s Imperial branch and destroy the radio. Fuel aside, the radio itself couldn’t be replicated with this world’s technology. Mr. Joseph might seek a replacement, but all the items I dealt with were safely stored away in the warehouse in modern Japan. No matter how hard he searched for one, he would never find it in this world.

“Thank you so much for your understanding, Mr. Sasaki.”

“I look forward to our future business together, Mr. Joseph.”

He held out a hand. I took it.

I didn’t know how much these profits from the Ohgen Empire would amount to. But based on Mr. Joseph’s unusual behavior, I could guess that our current deals were nothing in comparison.

So for now, I decided to simply be happy about potentially making a huge fortune.

In modern terms, this would be like creating a working quantum computer before anyone else and using it to crack the TLS encryption protocol. I began to idly wonder if such a thing was already happening somewhere. This was so far removed from the affairs of ordinary people that there was no way to know what the right choice was—there was no answer key for any of this.

Even in another world, the most profitable product was always up-to-date information.

After our meeting with Mr. Joseph was finished, we stayed the night in Lunge as usual, where we were treated to even more generous hospitality than before. The next day, once they’d confirmed the product inventory, they paid me in cash. We also decided on the contents of our next deal: one set of parts necessary for radio communication plus a year’s worth of fuel. In exchange, Mr. Joseph told me that, for the time being, I could hold off on bringing the other goods, sugar included, for as long as I pleased.

Judging by his tone, it seemed our past dealings were fairly minor business for the Kepler Trading Company overall. As Peeps and I were leaving, he told me—now a freshly minted board member—that he’d introduce me to his organization soon.

After parting ways with Mr. Joseph, we headed to Baytrium, where we paid a visit to the Marc Trading Company’s branch office to deposit funds for Mr. French. It felt like we were just transferring all the gold we’d made from Kepler to its next destination. We’d gotten about the same amount as last time, and since we’d already spoken to Mr. Marc about the details, all we did was hand the money over.

Once all that was over with, we headed for the domain of “Baron Sasaki” and its famous Rectan Plains development site.

As we looked down from our lofty aerial vantage point, we saw that the work had progressed significantly. The fortress and its surrounding walls were virtually finished, with construction on the town outside advancing quickly.

Stone-paved roads stretched out from the fortress in all four directions, each lined with buildings in various stages of construction. Closer to the center, a few were already complete and in use. I could see people going in and out of them.

The same was true of the fortress and its immediate surroundings; there was a never-ending stream of people and carts passing through the wall’s gates. Some of them were construction workers, while others looked more equipped for battle.

“I think I see some soldiers and knights,” I told Peeps. “Could they be the count’s?”

“Yes,” said the bird. “Julius must have sent them here.”

There was still a sea of tents near the town. Traffic would only increase as development progressed, and there seemed to be even more tents than last time. I expected that, the next time I visited, buildings would be standing in their place, and the zone of tents would have moved even farther out. The site’s natural progression played out in my mind.

“Shall we descend?”

“I was thinking of paying a visit to the fortress first.”

“Understood.”

The distinguished sparrow still on my shoulder, our altitude began to drop, and we headed in a straight line toward the fort. We landed just inside the main gates, right in front of the building. As we came down, we saw someone emerge from the fortress to greet us.

“Count Müller!” I called out. “I hadn’t realized you were here, my lord.”

“I didn’t inform you,” he explained. “My apologies. Did you need something from me?”

He must have come to us after spotting our figures in the sky. Behind the count were several knights—his guard, no doubt. They always used to give me cold glares, but recently they seemed to have calmed down, and now they did their jobs without much emotion.

“Not exactly, sir. I’ve finished my business with Kepler, so I came to see how the fortress was doing. I just entrusted the Marc Trading Company with fresh funds, so please check on that when you have the time.”

“I always ask so much of you, Baron Sasaki, and you always deliver.”

“You flatter me, sir. We’re doing this because we want to.”

It was all for one thing and one thing only: that relaxing life of leisure that Peeps and I had promised each other when we first met. I was trying to take the shortest route there, though I often felt like we we’d ended up on a lengthy detour.

“I received word from Prince Adonis that Prince Lewis has departed from the capital,” said the count. “I decided to stay at the fortress and wait for them both to arrive. I’ve already explained what is likely to happen to French and the others.”

“Thank you for taking the time to do that, sir.”

“Think nothing of it. This should have been my responsibility all along, not yours. In fact, I feel guilty—it’s as though I’ve placed you directly in the firing line. I’m terribly sorry to have gotten you mixed up in our business.”

He was probably saying all this to the Starsage as well as to me; I could see his eyes glancing toward the sparrow every so often. The bird couldn’t speak, of course—not with so many people around. Instead, “Baron Sasaki” continued in his place.

“In that case, why don’t we wait here with you?” I suggested.

“Are you sure?” he said. “You must have plenty of business of your own to attend to.”

“We have some free time, though it’s only for the next few days.”

After that, we’d have to get the radio and diesel fuel ready for the Kepler Trading Company. I’d probably have to go see Ms. Futarishizuka the next day at dawn. I had the machines themselves in storage, but making sure they were set up and ready for use was too difficult a job for me.

I’d been doing a bit of studying in my free time in the hopes of receiving an amateur radio license, but I still wasn’t that accustomed to the devices. In order to meet Mr. Joseph’s expectations, I had to get the preliminary work done with plenty of time to spare.

Nevertheless, Peeps and I didn’t have anything pressing until then, and shoving everything to do with my territory off onto other people wasn’t great for appearances. Since I’d already done a lot of that, I at least wanted to be here to greet the princes.

“Then you’re more than welcome,” said the count.

“Thank you, sir.”

A short time later, Mr. French came running up, and the three of us discussed matters. As the count had implied, the former chef was already aware of Prince Lewis’s incoming troops. Apparently, everyone in charge of the fortress, including him, had already come to an agreement on it. While a few had reacted negatively, they couldn’t do much to oppose the first prince.

There were also a few hotheaded types, like the master builder, whose carts had come under attack on their way to the fort from Baytrium and who were more than willing to stick it to the Empire. Though I knew the truth of that incident—that it was all a setup staged by Prince Lewis—I couldn’t say a word. Ultimately, we set about preparing for the princes’ arrival, with the count taking charge.

The marked increase in pedestrian and cart traffic was due to goods and supplies being brought in from Baytrium. More than a few soldiers would be coming through this area, so they were rushing to get all the necessary food and whatnot into the fortress.

In light of the situation, we decided to spend the day helping out, using magic to levitate the incoming goods and direct them to their proper places. The menial, physical labor felt good, and it was nighttime before I knew it.

That evening, we ate dinner in the fortress’s dining hall—with Mr. French himself in the kitchen. It had been a long time since we’d eaten curried rice, and it tasted amazing.

Eventually, it was almost time to hit the hay. Peeps and I had come to the fortress’s reception room to speak with Count Müller. Nobody else could be seen in the room, and the door was locked from the inside, with knights standing guard beyond it.

A rug had been placed on the floor; it felt comfy under my feet as I sat on a magnificent sofa—one of two set in the middle of the room. None of this had been here last time. As I sunk down into the cushions, I faced the count across a low table, already equipped with a little perching tree that Peeps alighted on. The count must have brought it here in yet another casual display of his adoration for the Starsage.

“My apologies for calling upon you so late at night, Julius.”

“I had my hands free, so I was actually happy for the invitation.”

Unlike earlier, Peeps took the lead in this conversation. I left things to him; he’d had to remain silent all day, and I was certain it would also please the count.

“There was something I wished to discuss with you now, while we have the chance.”

“In that case, might I assume this is about the Ohgen Empire’s activities?”

“That is correct. I’m glad you’re still so quick on the uptake.”

“No, no. You flatter me.” The count seemed pleased at the compliment regardless, and while he made sure to act modest, he was smiling a little, probably in spite of himself. Seeing his reaction left me conflicted—would it be best if I just left Peeps with him for the night?

“Lewis will almost surely be defeated in the upcoming battle.”

“Yes, I feel the same way.”

“When Sasaki and I visited the Empire, we caught wind of General Troy’s movements. There have also been developments in Margrave Bertrand’s territory, directly across the border. I believe they’re aware of Lewis’s aims.”

“What? You…you gained that much information?” asked the count, eyes wide with surprise. He probably hadn’t expected us to get any supporting evidence.

“We personally met the two of them during our stay. While Margrave Bertrand’s presence isn’t out of the ordinary, there must be a good reason for General Troy to have left the central Empire, especially considering the timing.”

“I find myself consistently impressed by you, Sir Sasaki. You discovered much despite your brief visit.”

“Actually, it was all coincidence, my lord…” Everything was the result of Peeps and my choosing a particularly luxurious inn—an accidental product of our desire to live the high life. The count’s reverence made me feel a little guilty.

“I know I am in no position to ask such a thing,” said the Starsage, “but I would very much like you and Adonis to pull this off.”

“Of course. You left us this kingdom, and I swear to you I will protect it.”

The lights hanging on the walls shone through the dark, illuminating Peeps and the count, shortening their shadows. Unlike the ceiling lights usually found in modern Japanese homes, these had a dim glow, like the indirect illumination in a fancy bar.

The two of them looked so cool, discussing things like that. One of them may have been a Java sparrow, but he still exuded a powerful, indefinable sense of presence.

“Should anything happen while we’re away, if you find yourself in trouble with no way out, you would do well to go to the great hole in the plains. As long as a large invasion force doesn’t attack like last time, you should be able to manage.”

“You want me to seek shelter with those two giant dragons?”

“Yes. I will instruct them to listen to your orders, to an extent.”

“Your consideration is more than I deserve. Thank you.”

“I apologize that this is all I can do for you.”

“You needn’t feel that way, Lord Starsage. The blame lies with the Herzian nobles—and us alone. And even at a time like this, we shamelessly rely on your aid. Yet you have decided to help us, in spite of everything. You mustn’t apologize.”

Peeps and the count continued this master-pupil chat for a little while. I should bring a more lighthearted topic of conversation to the table next time, I thought as I sat nearby and watched them.

Shortly under an hour later, we decided to turn in for the day, and each of us returned to our designated private chambers in the fortress.

From the next day on, we helped prepare the place to welcome Prince Lewis and Prince Adonis.

Due to the imminent influx of soldiers, there was a lot to do. I never wanted for a new task—especially with the town’s development still underway. I helped with that as well, partly as a means to practice the golem spell I’d recently learned.

The construction work had me covered in dust and dirt every single day, but I found it to be surprisingly enjoyable and grew absorbed in building the town.

Personally, I had been hoping for a chance to meet the incredible golem user and thank them directly. Unfortunately, they were away from the site during our visit, so we weren’t able to meet.

Several days went by in a flash, and it was soon time to return to modern Japan. We bid farewell to the count in the fortress’s reception room before making our way back.

“I’m really sorry, my lord,” I told the count. “I would have liked to greet the princes myself, but I must stock up today for my promised deal with the Kepler Trading Company. I’ll probably be away for some time.”

“Please do not worry,” he said. “Forget about us and do what needs to be done.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“You have my apologies as well. Say hello to Adonis for me.”

“I will. No matter what happens, we will protect this land.”

“Don’t hold too tightly to that. Your life is what’s most important.”

As the count looked on, the sparrow on my shoulder invoked his spell. A magic circle appeared at our feet, its brilliant light enveloped us, and our short vacation in the otherworld came to an end.

Our return destination was the hotel room serving as our temporary living space. Pulling open the curtains—the color of which I still wasn’t used to—I looked out the window.

As expected, it was already light out. The clock embedded in the bed’s headboard indicated it was just a little past eight AM. As Peeps made his way over to the laptop on the desk, I checked my office phone. No missed calls or unread messages. It was starting to feel like I was on an actual vacation. But just to be sure, I checked my private phone as well.

There was a single notification on the screen. I tapped it to open a messaging app and read the contents. It was brief and to the point: I’m on my way.

“Huh?” I muttered. “That’s a little scary…”

“What is it?”

“Oh, I just got a weird text message.”

If the message had come up in a previously existing chat, I’d have been fine with it. But getting this particular phrase without any context made it seem very conspicuous. If this is spam, they could have been a little friendlier about it.

I scrolled to check the sender, only to find my senior colleague’s name. The message had reached me a little under an hour ago.

“…I think Miss Hoshizaki is on her way here,” I said.

“Does she even know where we are?”

“She probably checked the location on my phone again.”

For the last few days, I’d left my phone in this hotel room while in the otherworld. In fact, Ms. Futarishizuka’s car had been parked in the lot a few times as well. If Miss Hoshizaki matched that info to our travel times, she would have had an easy time finding out where we were staying.

“Does she know our room number, too?”

“I don’t know. But she has a police badge.”

If she asked for me at the front desk, they’d have no problem telling her what room I was in. We’d been here for several days now, so the hotel staff probably remembered us.

“I thought you were on vacation.”

“Well, I haven’t heard anything from my boss.”

I immediately recalled Miss Hoshizaki’s and my conversation from the day before—the one about studying English together. No way. Is she here for that? So early in the morning? She was like a kid in elementary school during summer break. I felt my face stiffen. I faintly recalled once charging over to a friend’s house early in the morning and his parents fixing me with stern glares.

But I’d been in the lower grades at elementary school then. She’s in high school, isn’t she? I thought—just as I heard a knock at the door.

Knock-knock-knock. The sound echoed through the room. I wondered if I could pretend to be out—could she be fooled? But if she was using her phone to look at my location data right now, there would be no doubt I was here, so that wouldn’t work. The marker indicating my current position, at least, would be pointing to the hotel.

This was confirmed a moment later.

“Sasaki, you’re in there, right? Are you still asleep?” came her voice from outside the door, followed by another series of knocks.

I started to feel like I had a debt collector after me. She must be pretty upset about the offer at Atsugi Base I made her pass up.

“What now?”

“Well, I can’t exactly ignore her—”

I was only talking to Peeps for a second when my office phone began to vibrate. I glanced over at the screen to see who was calling—it was Miss Hoshizaki.

“It’s from her.”

“……”

Even the Lord Starsage himself was at a loss.

Without much of a choice, I went over to the door. Miss Hoshizaki now knew about my fantastic talking bird after the events surrounding the Kraken. I checked the peephole, and she was the only one I could see. In that case, I can let Peeps do as he pleases in the room, I thought, pushing the door open with a ka-click.

A familiar face filled my vision. “Morning, Sasaki,” said my colleague. “I see you’re in your suit. That means you were awake, doesn’t it?”

“Good morning, Miss Hoshizaki. What are you doing here so early?”

“Oh, good. I almost felt bad for waking you up.”

“I see.” You calling me would have woken me up either way, I thought. But she was smiling, so I held back my comment. This wasn’t the first time she’d raided my room in the morning.

She was in high school girl mode today, dressed in her uniform. Remembering what time it was, I had to ask. “Shouldn’t you be at school? Class is probably starting soon, don’t you think?”

“No, there’s no school today.”

“Oh. I see.”

“Yeah…”

She finally had some time off, and she was up and active this early in the morning? I wish I had that kind of vitality. As someone who slept until at least noon on my days off, I was seriously impressed.

“Then why did you come here in your school uniform?”

“Wh-who cares?” she stammered. “Lots of schools have rules requiring students to wear their uniforms when they go out, even on days off. Plenty of other kids wear theirs to the amusement park or whatever, you know.”

“Oh.” That had been a rule when I was young, too. I remembered finding it in the student manual. The male students had completely ignored it, though.

“Anyway, we should start our English conversation sessions today.”

“Why not invite one of your school friends instead of an old guy like me?”

“Oh? Getting nervous? Well, there is a high school girl in her uniform standing in front of you.” She put a hand on her hip and struck a pose, complete with a fearless grin.

I was fairly used to seeing her do this in her suit, but now that she was in her uniform, it felt somehow fresh. The way the motion emphasized her chest and waistline drew a stark contrast with her bookish appearance. It was almost like she was in cosplay.

“Yes,” I said. “I am.”

“Oh. Well, that was honest of you. You could have tried to deny it a little.”

“I think you’d have better luck with the boys in your class.”

“Hey, isn’t spending a day off with a high school girl, like, a reward for an old guy?”

She’s really emphasizing the words high school girl, I thought. Did something happen to her?

“The other students in your English class will be at the same level as you,” I pointed out. “Inviting one of them would probably be a lot easier. You don’t attend school that much in the first place, so you should focus on building friendships with your classmates.”

“……”

Her momentum soon died down. When I repeatedly brought up the subject of friends, she eventually fell silent. A few moments passed.

“Miss Hoshizaki?” I asked.

“I don’t have any friends,” she said solemnly, her hand still on her hip.

Her saying this to my face made me really uncomfortable. It was times like this that her straightforward attitude became an issue.

I vaguely remembered seeing her with some schoolmates on her way home once. But that was all about an upperclassman who liked her. Didn’t she have at least one or two friends she could talk to about normal stuff?

“Sometimes I hear the kids in my class chatting, and I try to listen, but everything they say is just so boring,” she explained. “They might be talking about some big video streaming site, but if we’ve been watching different things, it’s like we live in different worlds.”

“In situations like that, people tend to stick to generic, relatable topics,” I said. “If you get to be better friends, I’m sure you’ll start to see more interesting sides to them. And that kind of thing is usually more conspicuous with girls than guys.”

“Do you have more interesting sides to you, too?”

“Well, I suppose I have a few.”

“I wonder what the parts of you I don’t know about are like. You’re pretty friendly whenever you talk to Futarishizuka, aren’t you? She plays phone games, right? I’ve never tried them, though, so I don’t know much about them.”

“Hey, there’s no point in you thinking so much about me.”

“I’m your work buddy. We should understand each other.”

It seemed like my initial attempt to be the more mature, experienced person had backfired as she began crawling up that thread of conversation instead. I’d been so busy lately that I’d barely had any time to watch online videos. Back at my old job, I’d stumble back to my apartment, utterly exhausted, then drink some beer and watch animal videos to soothe my soul. In fact, that had been practically the only thing holding my life together.

“All right, then,” I said. “What kind of videos or shows do you like?”

“Huh? Me?”

“Yes, if you don’t mind my asking.”

“I like the kind where the bad guys get what’s coming to them.”

“Like samurai films or superhero shows?”

“Exactly. They’re nice and easy to understand.”

“I see.”

“I have enough annoying stuff to deal with in real life.”

“I don’t disagree there.”

This high school girl had the same worldview as a worn-out office worker. Actually, considering our work situation at the bureau, maybe she was a worn-out office worker. That probably made her stand out quite a bit in the classroom.

“Well, whatever,” she said. “Let’s go to my place.”

“Are we really doing this?” I asked.

“You have the day off, don’t you?”

“Your parents will take one look at me and freak out.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. They don’t live with me.”

“They don’t?”

“I live with my little sister.”

“I doubt she’d be okay with it, either.”

“I’ll just tell her you’re from my part-time job. She won’t care.”

“She’ll care. She’ll be terrified!”

“In any case, she said she’d be out all morning, so we’re fine.”

Apparently, she’d been calling her job part-time work around her family. The bureau had helped me when I switched careers, and they were accommodating when it came to overcoming societal obstacles and formulating alibis. I felt sure she’d taken advantage of those same accommodations. It’s so convenient to have the power of the state behind you.

“Aren’t men supposed to be happy when women invite them over?” she asked. “You’re really putting up a fight.”

“Maybe,” I replied, “but only when the man has ulterior motives.”

“Really?”

“If you’re too careless about such things, you’ll get into trouble one day.”

“I-is that right?”

Her devastating lack of friends had probably done a real number on her social know-how. Other kids her age would naturally gain experience with the opposite sex, whereas Miss Hoshizaki was completely absorbed in her work at the bureau. She probably has no experience at all.

In the meantime, my distinguished Java sparrow emerged from the living room. Flapping his wings, he fluttered to a stop on my shoulder.

“Are you leaving?” he asked.

“No,” I said. “Nothing’s been decided yet.”

“Would you mind if I borrowed Sasaki for a bit?” Miss Hoshizaki asked.

“Me? Not at all.”

“See? Your bird says it’s okay, too.”

Treating him like a mere bird the moment he shows up, huh? Bold as always. She didn’t seem the least bit daunted by this incredible sparrow that had single-handedly put an end to the Kraken. I couldn’t tell how she felt about him on the inside, but she was acting totally casual.

Then she said something I couldn’t ignore. “If only our cat was as smart as him. It’d be a lot less trouble for us.”

“Huh? You have a cat at home?”

“My sister picked up a stray. Then, over time, we just got used to having it around.”

Oh my God, I thought. I kind of want to see it. And pet it, if possible. Before adopting Peeps, I’d gone to cat cafés on the regular. The cats employed there were all professionals, though, so they were pretty curt with people most of the time—more than happy to give patrons the cold shoulder and leave them feeling lonely. I’d always wanted to play with a family cat. Just once. And now that opportunity was dangling right before my eyes.

“You like cats, Sasaki?”

“Well, yes, I am fond of them.”

“Hmm.” Miss Hoshizaki flashed me another smirk, then repeated her flirtatious pose from before, her hand back on her hip. She seemed so sure of herself. The next thing she said was predictably provocative. “If you come over, you’ll be able to pet our cat as much as you want.”

“……”

What an attractive invitation, I thought. The two of us had spent enough time together at work. A simple visit to her house posed no issues legally, including prefectural regulations. If her younger sister was out, then maybe I didn’t have to be so nervous about this.

And she had come here to see me first thing in the morning. That was why I’d hesitated to refuse her outright. She was my colleague at the bureau—and frequently my partner on-site. Since we’d be continuing to work together in the future, we needed to find some common ground.

I’d started seriously considering it—I really was a hopeless adult.

Dogs were great. But so were cats. If I had my way, I’d adopt a kitten and a puppy and raise them together. I wanted to watch over them as they built a touching inter-species friendship. I wanted to record them as they grew and put it on a video site. I was already dreaming of it.

“…Well, all right.”

In the end, I decided to spend the day studying English conversation with my coworker. My call to Ms. Futarishizuka about stocking up for the otherworld would have to wait until later.

After setting off from the hotel, we took the train to Miss Hoshizaki’s place.

I’d been to her school before, and as I’d guessed from seeing her walk home, she lived relatively close by—probably about twenty or thirty minutes on foot.

Eventually, we arrived at a nine-story condominium. The building itself was very solid, made of reinforced concrete. Each floor had two or three rooms, making it a small-scale apartment with under fifty units. I guessed it had been built within the last ten years. It was well-kept from top to bottom, and both the outside and inside were neat and tidy. Near the front entrance, I saw package delivery boxes and auto-locking storage. I guessed these were rental condos.

“You live in a pretty nice place,” I said. “And the location… Isn’t it expensive?”

“We could have gone with a cheaper apartment, but we didn’t. For reasons.”

“I see.” It didn’t seem like she was paying more than she could afford, considering her bureau salary. In fact, it seemed like an appropriate choice for a woman.

“…You’re not gonna ask about the reasons?” she prodded.

“I don’t think it’s right to pry into someone’s private life,” I replied.

I didn’t want to end up in a heavy conversation, and considering the context, it couldn’t have been a happy story. A high school girl, living alone with her younger sister apart from their parents? I may have only met Miss Hoshizaki recently, but I could easily surmise that they’d been through some kind of family issue.

“You’re really blunt about this stuff, huh?” she commented. “Just not interested in other people, or…?”

“Did it come off that way? I wouldn’t say that about myself.”

Miss Hoshizaki put her key into the lock next to the shared entrance. The door slid open with a whirr, and we passed through it into the lobby—a space about twelve square meters containing mailboxes and a resident bulletin board. In the back was an elevator. The floor was totally clear of litter.

We got into the waiting elevator. Her condo was on the sixth floor. Using the same key, she opened up her front door.

“Come on in,” she said.

“Thanks.”

I entered her condo. How long had it been since I visited someone of the opposite sex? Had I ever done that? The thought made me somewhat nervous.

As for Peeps, we’d parted ways back in the hotel room. He was off to Ms. Futarishizuka’s villa in Karuizawa to do what his useless partner didn’t have time for and put in an order for diesel fuel and radio equipment. He was, as ever, the most dependable Java sparrow I knew. Actually, come to think of it, Ms. Futarishizuka counts as a member of the opposite sex, doesn’t she?

“Back already?” came a voice from down the hallway once we were inside.

Then I heard the pattering of energetic feet. A small girl rounded the corner and looked at us.

“Huh? Who’s that man?” she asked.

“Mutsumi?” said Miss Hoshizaki. “I thought you went out today.”

“My friend had to do something else, so I came back a little while ago.”

She held a cat in her arms. The cat. She was holding it by its sides, its lower half dangling in the air. It was just along for the ride—and so adorable.

I couldn’t afford to enjoy the view, though. “You know what, I’ll just go home,” I told Miss Hoshizaki, turning right around.

“Wait just a minute,” she replied, blocking my escape. “You’re already here. You can’t just leave.” She had her arms out to either side in a defensive posture between me and the front door.

“I don’t want to bother your family,” I insisted.

“You’ll be in my room anyway. You won’t bother her,” she replied.

“I don’t think that’s the issue here.”

“Is that Mr. Sasaki?” asked her sister. “The one you’ve been talking about?”

“That’s right,” said Miss Hoshizaki. “He’s my junior at my part-time job.”

“Really?”

Her sister looked at us. Apparently, she already knew about me. A man my age at a part-time job instead of working full-time, and with a high school girl treating me as her junior colleague. Didn’t that make me a total loser in the eyes of society? There were plenty of people out there in that category, but a girl her sister’s age was likely to consider them human trash.

And now that trash was in her home. This was probably hell for her.

“Mister, she didn’t threaten you, did she?” the sister asked.

“Hey, who do you take me for?” shot back Miss Hoshizaki. “I only made him come here for some English practice.”

“You’re contradicting yourself,” said her sister. “Also, didn’t you say just the other day that you’d never learn English? You looked really smug about it, too. And now suddenly you’re all for it. I’m a little concerned, as your sister.”

“L-look, things change. Now move out of the way, will you?”

Miss Hoshizaki took off her shoes, then pushed past her dubious sister and walked farther into the condo. And since she was tugging on my sleeve with one of her hands, I had no choice but to follow.

If I shook her hand off and ran away now, that wouldn’t paint a very flattering picture, either. I’ll just have to wait for a good chance to excuse myself, I thought, allowing her to drag me down the hallway.

There were two doors facing each other at the far end. We went straight through one of them, which turned out to be Miss Hoshizaki’s room. I saw other doors I assumed led to the living room and bathroom, so the second door at the end probably belonged to her younger sister. Layout-wise, it seemed to be a two-bedroom unit with a living room, dining room, and kitchen.

Miss Hoshizaki’s room was probably around ten square meters, with a very simple interior. It featured wood flooring, a desk, a bed, and a metal shelving unit. The shelves held textbooks, notebooks, and makeup tools. I also saw a single-door closet.

The desk wasn’t the compact sort parents bought for their children when they began school, but rather a metal home-office work desk. Around the bed, too, everything had a restrained design in various shades of brown. It felt less like a high school girl’s room and more like that of a female office worker who had just gotten a job and moved to Tokyo. There was nothing on the floor, either, so the room had an empty feel to it.

“I like your room,” I said. “It suits you.”

“Enough flattery. I don’t have chairs, so just sit on the bed or something.”

“Oh. Uh, okay.”

“I’ll go get us something to drink. Do you want barley tea?”

“Sure. And thank you.”

Without hesitation, she left me alone in her room. Not wanting to sit on her bed, of all things, I took a seat on the floor instead. I didn’t feel right sitting cross-legged, either, so I ended up settling back on my legs in seiza position.

After a few moments, the room’s owner returned with a tray and two glasses. She immediately shot me a questioning look. Suspiciously, she asked me, “You’re not trying to look up my skirt, are you?”

“No. I just didn’t want to sit on the bed, obviously.”

“Well, excuse me. I’ll have you know that I wash the sheets regularly. Every week… Well, not quite every week, I guess.”

“That isn’t the reason.” She must have a screw loose somewhere, I thought. It had seemed that way during her conversation with her sister, too. Did she really not care if someone else sat on her bed?

But when she mentioned her skirt, I changed my mind—she was right. I took a seat on the bed, sitting up very straight and trying my best not to put too many wrinkles into her perfectly smooth comforter.

I was expecting her to pull a fold-out table from her closet or something, but she just set the tray on her bed. This whole room was set up for one person, and only one person, making it more clear than ever that she really didn’t have any friends.

“All right,” she said. “Let’s hop right into it.”

“About that,” I replied. “I was thinking I should just go back home.”

“My sister would probably find that even more suspicious, you know.”

“But I can’t bother your family, and—”

“Here are the lesson materials. My English teacher said that, at first, you should just read along with the scripts to get your tongue used to the words. If you’re starting from zero, it’ll be easy to trip up. So let’s stick to this for today.”

She handed me a stack of papers stapled together. I glanced over the front page and saw a conversation written out in English. She must have put it all together—including my share—beforehand. It was clear she was really excited about this. When I thought about it like that, I started to want to answer her expectations.

“All right. I’ll try to help for a little while, at least.”

“Great. So for this, I’ll play the girl’s part, and you can read this one…”

From there, we began our English study session, just as we’d originally planned.

Sometime in the middle of the session I went to use the bathroom. That was when it happened. Once I was finished with my business and on my way back to Miss Hoshizaki’s room, I saw her younger sister standing in the way. She was staring at me, not moving. This didn’t seem to be a coincidence—she’d put herself there because she knew I was using the bathroom. The cat she’d been holding upon my arrival was nowhere to be seen.

“Thanks for letting me use your bathroom,” I said.

“I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Oh. Okay. What is it?”

Maybe she was concerned about the manner in which I used the bathroom. Not to worry, I thought. I sat down to do it. I did that at home, too, regardless of the nature of my bathroom visit, so that shouldn’t be an issue. It was a habit I’d picked up when I’d started having to clean the toilet myself after moving out on my own. While I could wipe the toilet down with a cloth to make it look nice, things had a way of shooting in weird directions. And when I considered the possibility of such splatter winding up on my pants, I had naturally begun taking a seat to do my business.

“Could you come over here?” she asked.

“……”

At her request, I headed after her into the middle of the living area. Miss Hoshizaki seemed to be waiting for me in her room; she wasn’t here. Her little sister turned around to face me, the unwelcome guest. She was close enough she could have stretched out her arm and touched me. While I had no uncouth intentions, this still made me nervous.

“My sister has told me about you,” she began.

“Has she?”

Both of us remained standing. The cat didn’t seem to be in the living room. I wondered where it had gone. If I couldn’t see it in here, it was likely in Miss Hoshizaki’s sister’s room. That would make it difficult to bond with—I couldn’t exactly ask Miss Hoshizaki to bring me into her sister’s room.

“I’m like my sister,” she explained. “I’m also into older men.”

“Is that so?”

“People say we have very similar tastes.”

“I see.”

“Do you understand what I mean?”

The danger I’d felt immediately after seeing her turned to conviction as I heard those words. As if to confirm my suspicions, she took a step forward—a quick, large step that put her on a collision course with me. She brought her hand out from behind her back; she had a phone in it.

I sucked in a breath. I knew the couch was behind me. If I so much as brushed her, this would turn into an emergency. I couldn’t afford to stand there gaping, so I angled myself to the side.

Without me to catch her, she passed right by and hit her leg against the couch. Her knee and shin struck the armrest, throwing her off balance. She lurched forward, the couch cushions stopping her fall. As her face plunged into them, she let out a muffled grunt.

I hope she’s not hurt.

“Oww…”

“Are you all right?” I asked.

I watched as she immediately picked herself back up and hastily turned around to look at me. Her gentle expression of moments ago had been replaced by one of obvious irritation.

“Why did you avoid me?” she demanded.

“Look, I’m sorry for barging in like this. I’ll leave by lunchtime. Would you tolerate me being here for that long? I couldn’t betray the enthusiasm your sister is showing for learning English.”

“……”

During my bureau training, they’d mentioned honey traps. Most of the psychics belonging to the bureau were novice government workers without a shred of patriotic loyalty. That was partly why this kind of ploy could cause such serious damage. I never dreamed I’d encounter one here.

“Are you trying to take advantage of my sister?” she asked.

“What? No, of course not.”

During college, and even after entering the workforce, acquaintances had told me about acts with middle school kids. From a woman’s point of view, adults who went out with minors must be a dime a dozen. Personally, I couldn’t help but wonder how on earth such things even happened. Regardless, that must have been why this girl saw me as such a danger. The asymmetry of information in the marketplace of love and romance truly terrified me.

“I would do anything for her,” she said. “Even kill someone.”

“You shouldn’t say things like that. Not even as a joke.”

“I’m not joking. I’m serious!”

I hadn’t expected such an extreme remark, but it really showed how much she cared about Miss Hoshizaki. And the reason they were living alone here in a condo, separate from their parents, was probably related.

I expected that due to some parental issue, Miss Hoshizaki was doing her best to support her younger sister. I recalled the time she’d recommended that I go play pachinko or fool around with prostitutes during my free time on a business trip. It spoke to her image of adult men—and by extension, possibly her own father.

In that case, wouldn’t it be best for me to be up front with her sister about the situation? Miss Hoshizaki would probably explain it to her later on anyway, and if our stories didn’t match up, things could get even worse.

So I collected myself and asked her a question. “Excuse me, but are you in middle school?”

“Yeah. Second year. Why?”

In that case, she could probably help Miss Hoshizaki with her English studies. For better or worse, her elder sister’s English grades weren’t great. From what I’d just witnessed in our session together, I was sure of it. Her stiff pronunciation and embarrassed attempts to read proved we were in the same boat when it came to the language.

“Then there’s something I want to discuss with you.”

“…Discuss?” she repeated, eyeing me suspiciously.

I proceeded to explain all the events that had led me here: Miss Hoshizaki running into an opportunity to use English at work, her losing out because she was no good at it, and her picking me as her conversation buddy, all while glossing over the bureau’s existence and her real job. I also made sure to suggest to the girl that she take on my current role going forward.

“Is it normal for a girl to invite an old guy from her part-time job back to her house for something like that?” she wondered aloud.

“That’s something you’ll have to ask her about,” I said.

“Even if all that’s true, I can’t believe you really came. You must be crazy.”

She was right. Even I thought I was crazy for doing this. “Your sister is in a position of leadership at her job. She’s helped us all out a lot, myself included, and I find it hard to turn her down when she tells me to do something. I want to try to help her where I can.”

“But you’re no good at English, either, are you? I heard through the door.”

“She suggested we work together because we both need the help.”

“……”

If Miss Hoshizaki’s little sister found out she was isolated at school, she’d undoubtedly be sad. But it was true that she was a big name at work—and in a leadership position. I didn’t want to harm her position or her reputation in her own home. I could say some things, but her sister would have to learn the rest from Miss Hoshizaki herself.

“I think this is the perfect opportunity for you to help her,” I continued. “If what you said before is true, will you bring it up with her? This evening, maybe? I’m sure she’ll be happy you’re offering.”

“Does my sister work at a sex place?”

I did not expect that fastball. But I could understand why she might have come to such a conclusion. This condo was pretty expensive for two minors to be staying in by themselves. Their rent had to be at least twice that of my former apartment.

“Why do you think that?” I asked.

“She’s still in high school, but she comes home late at night a lot. I asked her once, but she denied it. Our guardian said the same thing. But isn’t it weird that we live in such a nice place?”

Miss Hoshizaki, you work too much overtime, I thought. You’re making your sister worry! I wished the section chief would think a little more about her situation when assigning jobs. In that sense, Mr. Akutsu was something of a crazy person himself. He’d provided a substitute legal guardian but failed to explain any of the important parts!

“She doesn’t tell me anything,” said her sister.

“She doesn’t?”

“No, but that doesn’t mean we don’t get along. She really loves me. This one time, our father barged in here because he couldn’t pay his debts, and just before he punched me, she got in the way to protect me.”

“Your sister does things like that on a daily basis.”

“Even at work?”

“Yes. All her colleagues rely on her.”

Their paternal situation was a lot messier than I’d thought. No wonder Miss Hoshizaki worked her butt off to make money—it all made sense now. In fact, the elder sister was paying for everything in this situation, wasn’t she? Rent for the condo, food and basic needs, academic fees…

And considering her younger sister’s age, this would be the most expensive time for them. Usually, a child could depend on savings their parents put away before they were born, or else support from relatives. Without either of these available to her, Miss Hoshizaki must have been carrying a ton of weight on her shoulders. The truth was, not all mothers and fathers could be relied upon.

This also explained my colleague’s world-weary, office-worker-like mentality.

“I’ll work at the sex place instead, so please, let her go,” pleaded the girl.

“Your sister has a very special talent,” I explained, struggling to keep a serious look on my face as I made my appeal. “That talent is why she was hired, and she uses it on the job all the time. She’s not working anywhere disreputable. You’ll just have to trust me on this—for the sake of her pride.”

“…She’s really not?”

“Really. I promise.”

The way her sister was talking, she seemed to think I was running the sex place. Despite that not being the case, I still felt like a bad guy, somehow. If Miss Hoshizaki found me like this, there was no telling what kind of scolding I’d get.

Her sister still seemed suspicious. But after holding my gaze for a few seconds, she replied.

“Fine. I believe you.”

“Okay, then. If you have any questions I can answer, I’d be happy to oblige.”

“Thanks for telling me all that stuff about my sister.”

“It’s really nothing. It’s only natural for family to worry about their own.” Thank goodness, I thought. I managed to get her to understand.

The girl bowed to me, and I felt the worst was behind us.

“She’s kind of weird—okay, really weird,” she said. “So I worry about her.”

“I can certainly understand the sentiment.”

Having been thrown into adult society so young, Miss Hoshizaki still lacked knowledge and experience. This shortcoming was so extreme that it was obvious even to her little sister. She really hated to lose, too. Maybe she’d simply heard a lot of things—including about sexual matters—secondhand, but without experience, she’d failed to really understand them. The thickness of her makeup seemed to hint at that as well.

Suddenly, I heard my name from the hallway. “Sasaki, what are you doing out there?”

The very person we’d just been talking about had arrived. A fair bit of time had passed since I’d left to use the bathroom, so she’d probably come out to see what was going on, then heard us talking.

I wondered how to answer her. But as I began thinking up possible excuses, I glimpsed the cat behind the couch. I’d thought for sure it was in her sister’s room, but apparently it was just hiding.

“I’m sorry,” I told her. “I saw the cat coming this way.”

“I don’t care what happens to me, but if you do anything weird to my sister, you won’t get away with it.” She glared at me, her hapless junior colleague.

“I would never.”

Her glare only lasted a moment before she smoothly redirected it toward her sister. “And, Mutsumi, don’t provoke Sasaki, okay?”

“…Okay. I won’t.”

With Miss Hoshizaki’s arrival, my conversation with her sister came to an end. At the former’s urging, I headed back into her bedroom, and we resumed our English session.

After a while of sitting, textbook in hand, awkwardly repeating English conversations, it was time for lunch. And so this junior colleague, wanting to escape the Hoshizaki residence, invited his senior colleague out for lunch. That was what I’d originally planned; my idea was to leave from the restaurant afterward and go home. She gave me the okay.

Our destination was an Italian restaurant close to the subway station near her home. I’d looked it up while using the bathroom. I also saw a promising ramen place nearby, but I figured a more put-together, prettier restaurant would be best if I was going somewhere with a girl her age.

As we neared our destination, however, she said, “Hey, Sasaki, got a second?”

“What is it?”

“There’s an amazing ramen place around here. Can we go there instead?”

Was it the same place I’d spotted on my phone? I’d eaten lunch with her and Ms. Futarishizuka several times already at work, so we had a good handle on each other’s preferences. Her suggestion was more than welcome. And while I wondered about a modern high school girl choosing such a place, personally, I was grateful for it.

“I just know you’re gonna love it. Unless you don’t want to.”

“No, no. If you insist, let’s—”

Just as I was about to say go there, we heard a scream from down the road.

A few moments later, people—pedestrians, most likely—came rushing toward us. They were coming around the corner of the intersection ahead, where the street we were on connected with a larger road. And there were a lot of them. More than I could count on my hands. Office workers in suits, wives with shopping bags hanging from their arms, a boy on a bicycle, and even an elderly man who must have been on a stroll—the throng spanned the whole range of ages and genders. And they all had one thing in common: the terror written on their faces.

“S-Sasaki!” cried my colleague.

“Go to your sister,” I told her. “I’ll head over to see what’s happening.”

“I’m coming with you!”

“She might come out here because she’s worried about you and get caught up in whatever this is.”

“But—”

“Please make sure your family is safe first. Once you know she’s all right, we’ll meet back up.”

“Okay. Thanks for looking out for my sister.”

“No problem. Let’s move out.”

Surprisingly, despite a job arising right in front of her eyes, Miss Hoshizaki caved and ran off in the direction we’d come. She’d weighed her wages against her sister—and the scales had tilted pretty quickly. It was obvious which of the two was the real reason she was working so hard.

After seeing her off, I started running against the current of people, remembering to put up a barrier spell as I did so. All the while, I heard them shouting at me.

“Run away, old man!”

“Hey! Don’t come this way!”

“There’s something real bad going on down the road!”

“It’s a terrorist! A terrorist attack!”

“Hey, dumbass, wrong way! You got a death wish?!”

“Run for it! And stay off the main roads!”

Silently apologizing as a quick stream of advice flew at me, I hurried on my way. I only needed a few minutes to reach the intersection.

The first thing I saw was smoke coming from crashed cars. There must have been a lot of traffic on the two-lane road, because there had been a big chain collision that now blocked it off completely.

Right in the middle of all this, a whole bunch of people were fighting. Like the people fleeing, they had all different appearances and ages. Some were children, others elderly, some men, and some women, all engaged in a big brawl. As their shrieks flew, so did their punches.

“……”

I stopped at the side of the intersection and observed. In my opinion, those here could be divided into two groups. One group was actively attacking people, and the other was running for their lives from the first group.

I couldn’t see any commonalities within the two groups other than their actions—it wasn’t like the attackers were mainly men or younger people, nor were the ones fleeing mainly women or the elderly. In fact, one young woman was bleeding from her face as she assaulted a middle-aged man. What’s more, everyone participating in the violence looked like totally normal people wearing normal clothes.

At this point, I had no choice but to suspect a psychic’s presence. And the fact that this was happening so soon after the Kraken incident, and so close to Miss Hoshizaki’s home, gave me pause. It all seemed a little too coincidental. I wavered on what to do next, wondering if it would be best to join my colleague at her home. As I was thinking, my personal phone rang.

It was Ms. Futarishizuka. “Hello, this is Sasaki,” I said.

“It’s me,” came the voice. “Me! You know, me. Do you have a moment?”

“I’d prefer it if you kept things brief.”

“Then you must already be there.”

“Has the chief contacted you?”

“No. Someone posted a video on the internet.”

“Oh.” Apparently, the brawl had already gone viral.

Thankfully—insofar as one could be thankful in such a situation—there were no clear signs of psychic abilities at play, like people flinging fireballs or floating in the air. I expected it would be relatively easy to deceive the public once this was over.

A few people were swinging around heavy objects, like a bicycle left on the road and some signboards, but nobody was holding a weapon like a knife or gun. If someone witnessed this with no context, it would probably just look like a big street fight, though perhaps that would still be plenty of cause for alarm.

“The day after we’re summoned to Atsugi Base, there’s a big party at our dear senior’s doorstep. Seems rather suspicious, yes? I’d assumed you were the main target, but then again, your apartment did get blown up the other day.”

“I think you’re on the right track.” She was having the same thoughts as I was. As a result, my next words came easily. “Where are you right now?”

“Do you see the intersection with the convenience store on the corner?”

“I’ll be right over.”

She was at her Karuizawa villa last night, so Peeps had probably helped her get to the scene. I felt really bad for using the bird as a mode of transportation. I should pick up some tasty meat as a souvenir before I go back.

I quickly located the convenience store. It was several dozen meters away from the kerfuffle—which, unfortunately, was steadily expanding. In a few minutes, it would encompass this area as well.

The person I was looking for was standing out in front. “I’m so sorry this is happening on our well-deserved holiday,” I said.

“Despite how it may seem, chances to indebt myself to you do not come along very often.”

I went over and greeted Ms. Futarishizuka. People were fleeing all around us, having seen the big street fight nearby. The wailing of police sirens from several directions inevitably put me on edge. I peeked inside the store; the patrons were all gone, of course, and even the clerks had fled.

“Really?” I asked. “It seems to me you’ve been helping me almost constantly.”

“Perhaps, but you can’t put a price on a colleague’s life.”

“…Yes, I suppose you’re right.”

The mark on the back of Ms. Futarishizuka’s hand was still there, and at the same time, we were providing her with an endless supply of gold. With how my business in the otherworld had been steadily growing lately, she must be at a loss as to how to get an advantage on Peeps. She was right—in our world, money could buy just about anything but time or one’s life.

“I’m more concerned about Miss Hoshizaki than I am about this fight,” I said.

“The sparrow headed to her after dropping me off here. That should cover it, yes?”

“Then I’ll have to thank him later.”

I couldn’t think of more reliable backup than the Lord Starsage himself. He was more than capable of protecting both her and her younger sister.

I decided not to mention the fact that Ms. Futarishizuka appeared to know where they lived. It was possible she’d asked Mr. Akutsu about it, or she could have gone through a private detective agency to find out ahead of time. She had once tracked down my address, too, and shown up on my doorstep.

“Do you think this is the work of a psychic?” I asked her instead.

“There are several known kinds of powers that allow a person to manipulate others,” she explained. “But at this scale, it’s more than likely the work of a high-ranking psychic. If they take control of me, will you promise not to attack?”

“That would be the worst-case scenario,” I mused. I recalled when the nerd had created a fake Futarishizuka; it had been a terrifying situation. I tended to forget, but she could instantly kill a person just by touching them.

“But what can we do here?” she wondered aloud.

“Can’t you just touch them all and drain their energy?”

“Why, so someone can take a video and upload it to the internet?”

She was right; many people had taken up positions nearby, phones at the ready. I could see them up in the buildings around us, too. I expected the bureau would have to use their powers to stop the spread of information once this was over; I couldn’t imagine the chief sitting by and letting a mess of this magnitude run its course. But the current situation made it very hard for us to expose ourselves and get to work—especially for someone in Futarishizuka’s position.

“I have a suggestion, actually,” I told her.

“Eh?”

The hint came from our little sojourn in the otherworld the night before. Specifically, I was thinking of the magic Peeps had used—the transformation spell.

“I’ll need to prepare. We can talk on the way to Miss Hoshizaki’s.”

“You sound confident. I have a bad feeling about this.”

And so, shortly after seeing the disturbance for ourselves, we turned back toward our colleague’s condo and started running.

Unlike the way there, which had been a nice walk with some light conversation, the sprint back had me out of breath by the time we arrived. If I’d given it my all and tried to keep up with Ms. Futarishizuka’s powerful strides, we’d have reached our destination in no time at all. It’s a good thing I haven’t eaten yet.

In any case, we ended up back in the living room of condo 601. We stood in the center of the room, all facing one another. We’d used the intercom to tell Miss Hoshizaki we needed to hold a strategy meeting, and she’d let us in right away. Peeps was already there. Apparently, she’d seen him sitting on the veranda and invited him in.

Importantly, her younger sister was safe; no problems had occurred for the moment.

“All right, so some psychic or other is causing a riot,” said Miss Hoshizaki. “And you’re saying we’re the reason for it?”

“Ms. Futarishizuka and I believe that’s likely,” I said.

“We did disappear that giant monster after it withstood a direct nuclear attack,” Ms. Futarishizuka pointed out. “Other countries probably see us as a threat to their safety, though I don’t know who might be responsible for this.”

We shared our information with Miss Hoshizaki and Peeps. The former’s sister did as she was told and waited by herself in her room.

Peeps was using his magic to protect the condo, so I doubted anyone would be barging in anytime soon. It was the same setup as when we’d placed Ms. Futarishizuka under house arrest in our otherworld lodgings.

“Given the situation, Ms. Futarishizuka’s power seems ideal for quelling the violence,” I continued. “But there are still too many people watching. While our opponents are more than happy to have this riot in the public eye, we’d be putting ourselves at a disadvantage by conspicuously using our own powers.”

“We could have the police or SDF mobilize to suppress the riot in the standard way, you know,” suggested Ms. Futarishizuka.

“I’d rather the police and SDF not get caught up in whatever this psychic power is doing.”

“Yes, I suppose that if they brought guns along, things could get out of hand very quickly.”

“Doesn’t this mean our own psychics might turn against us, too?” asked Miss Hoshizaki.

“Perhaps. We’re better off not risking it,” I told her.

Ms. Futarishizuka and Miss Hoshizaki gave their opinions in quick succession. Peeps, sitting on my shoulder, simply watched us in silence. Psychic powers operated under a different set of rules than magic. Perhaps he was purposely taking a step back from matters involving them.

“And if we bring in the authorities, those affected by this psychic power would naturally end up in legal trouble,” I added. “If this whole thing is happening because of us, I’d really prefer to avoid that outcome.”

“I get what you’re saying,” Ms. Futarishizuka replied. “But what about this preparation you mentioned? What do you have up your sleeve?”

“Ms. Futarishizuka, I’d like for you to transform into a superhero and fight for the good of the people.”

“Ugh,” she groaned. “Yet another utterly tiring suggestion.”

“My idea is not to go through any government agencies, but instead stage the entire disturbance as the filming of a TV show, or maybe one of those surprise pop-up events. If it goes well, those who have been harmed likely won’t come under much legal scrutiny.”

“Then why don’t you transform?” she demanded. “I bet you’re secretly dying to.”

“Your power is very well-known in this industry,” I explained. “If we assume whoever’s behind this has marked us as the cause of what happened to the Kraken, they’ll have taken your presence into consideration. They could flee the scene if you get too close.”

The magic I’d learned was all quintessential fantasy stuff, so I wanted to avoid wielding it out in the open. The only thing the bureau knew I could do was create water and icicles.

Peeps, who had been quietly watching our lively conversation, remarked, “You’d like to change this one’s appearance with magic, correct?”

“That would be ideal,” I said. “Will it work?”

“It may, but I can’t be certain. Depending on how much mana the target has, the spell risks overloading the body and destroying it. You have received my power, so you were able to handle it. But I can make no guarantees about casting it on one from this world.”

His response didn’t sound altogether promising. So this was what he’d meant when he’d muttered all that stuff about how it’d be fine, and I could handle it. While I was more than happy to take the Starsage at his word, I really wanted to go and get a medical exam now.

“It risks what?” demanded Ms. Futarishizuka. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’m against it! I will not consent!”

“Then could you hide your face or change your clothes instead?”

“How about my little sister’s school uniform?” suggested Miss Hoshizaki. “She’s about your height. It’ll probably fit.”

“Hold on a minute. That won’t help with my face, and that’s the most important part!”

“You ride a motorcycle, right?” I said. “Do you have a helmet or something similar at the villa?”

“A sailor uniform and a full-face helmet?” she said. “I thought you wanted a superhero!”

“Tokusatsu hero shows have been leaning toward realism for the last few years,” Miss Hoshizaki pointed out. “I think it could work.”

“And if you wore a large scarf, it might actually complete the look,” I agreed.

“While you sit here doing nothing, hmm?” she asked me. “While you just watch?”

“Every superhero needs a bad guy,” I said. “I was thinking I could play that role.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Once you drive off all the enemies, I could appear and play the mastermind behind it all. There’s no guarantee our enemy psychic is acting alone. I’ll hide nearby until then and back you up if needed.”

“It’s a spur-of-the-moment plan, but you did think it out. A little.”

“So how about it?”

Peeps would be able to use his transformation spell if I was the target. If he turned me into a totally different person, no third parties would find out my identity. Mr. Akutsu would probably be suspicious, of course, but that was nothing new.

After I’d outlined my plan, an evil grin appeared on Futarishizuka’s face. “You know, even a hero of justice—or heroine, in this case—can’t live on cheers and encouragement alone.”

“Speaking of that, I have a big business deal planned for the coming days,” I told her. “I believe you’ll find it significantly more rewarding. And the costs of stocking things on your end should be quite a bit lower, as well.”

“Oh? Really, now?”

“How does that sound?”

“Well, you’ve never lied about these things before. All right, I accept.”

“Thank you.”

Mr. Joseph had made me a board member of the Kepler Trading Company in the otherworld, and as part of our expansion of their wireless radio network, our trades were set to be reduced to a single barrel of diesel fuel. I never thought this development would come in handy so quickly.

“I’ll contact the chief and have him put a hold on the police response,” I explained. “You can use that time to disguise yourself. Miss Hoshizaki, I know we’ve rudely barged into your home, but would you mind assisting her?”

“Yeah, sure thing.”

“And keep the makeup light, if you please,” added Ms. Futarishizuka.

“L-look, I have to do it that way for my job!” Miss Hoshizaki insisted.

“And if possible, while you’re at the villa grabbing your helmet, could you upload one of Lady Elsa’s new videos onto the internet? We have a bunch saved as drafts for times like these.”

“Certainly. Better to pull out all the stops, eh?”

Thus began Operation Superhero Transformation.

I left Miss Hoshizaki’s condo and went to the main road near the big brawl. It was just as chaotic as before. I hid myself in an alley and watched.

I’d parted ways with Ms. Futarishizuka at the condo after she’d finished changing. She was off to the villa with Peeps to grab her helmet and a few small things. We’d promised to meet back up on the scene, and I’d come here in advance of her arrival.

Eventually, I got a message on my phone. The sender was Ms. Futarishizuka, and it was blank, with only a single picture taken from inside the brawl. Searching out pieces of scenery, I quickly found where she was.

“P-please, stop! What did I ever do to you?!”

“Die! Die! I hate you, creep! If you’re not hot or rich, then die!”

A middle-aged man in a suit was lying face up on the ground as a woman around forty straddled him. The latter was using her handbag to smack the man in the head. The picture was of these two, taken from a short distance away, using a phone’s magnification function.

Moments later, I heard the rumbling of an engine. I turned to look in the direction of the sound and saw a motorcycle zooming toward the fight, the muffler emitting an awfully cool roar; it must have had its baffle removed. But thanks to the noise, I could easily make out her entry point amid the pandemonium.

That long, low-seated design; the pushrods positioned on either side of the engine; the chrome plating decorating the large frame. Even someone with as little experience in motorcycles as me could tell at a glance that this one had a large, classic design and was likely produced by a foreign manufacturer. She’d taken off the plates, too—nothing had been overlooked.

Ms. Futarishizuka sat atop it, wearing—as we’d planned in advance—a sailor uniform and a full-face helmet. The mirrored visor perfectly concealed her facial features. She also wore platform shoes to make up for her extreme deficiency in height. Her outfit gave off a modern vibe, especially compared to her usual kimono getup.

The man grunted in surprise from where he lay on the ground, and the woman stopped flinging her handbag at him.

Ms. Futarishizuka slammed the brakes, letting her back wheel slide until she came to a stop right next to them; the motion was incredibly cool.

She then introduced herself, loud and clear, from behind her helmet.

“The Masked Sailor, heroine of justice, has arrived!”

Ms. Futarishizuka—or rather, the Masked Sailor—had just made her big entrance. The name reeked of Showa-era sensibilities. She also seemed more into this than I’d expected.

That said, the heroes I saw on TV as a kid would jump off their speeding motorcycle to attack the bad guys, crashing it every time. The Masked Sailor, however, clearly loved her bike too much for that; she took the time to put down the stand and turn off the engine—and even remembered to lock the handles.

“Hah!” she cried immediately after, setting upon the woman brandishing her bag. “Sailor Medulla Oblongata Chop!” Then she delivered a karate chop directly to her neck.

In reality, she stopped right before striking, instead touching the woman’s skin gently to drain her energy; her target then fell limp on top of the man she was straddling.

“Who…who are you?!” he asked.

“Did I not already say? I am the Masked Sailor, heroine of justice!”

Ignoring the baffled man, Ms. Futarishizuka ran off, seeking her next prey. There were plenty of other people before her driven into a frenzy by some unknown influence; the Masked Sailor took them out one by one. Each time she touched their arms or legs, they would fall over.

She was considered a peerless A-rank psychic in close combat, and it had been a long time since I’d gotten to see her at work. Sticking to hand-to-hand fighting for the whole action sequence struck me as a little boring, but she couldn’t exactly help it. If we’d worked in laser beams or the like, it might make for a better show, but it would be straying too far from our purpose. Her cries of “Hi-yah!” and “Taaahhh!” began to echo throughout our surroundings.

Meanwhile I, the villain, stayed hidden behind a building, watching and biding my time, waiting for my turn. There was still no sign of the real mastermind anywhere.

As I looked on, a small bird fluttered down and landed on my shoulder. “I’ve made the preparations as requested. But are you sure it’s all right?”

“Thanks, Peeps. And sorry for making you bring the entire motorcycle here.”

It was Peeps who had descended from the sky and assumed his regular position. But he was no longer a Java sparrow—now he was a different type, a tree sparrow. He’d cast the transformation spell on himself so as not to draw attention while flying around outside. He’d done everything he could in the short time available, from transporting Ms. Futarishizuka back and forth to reuniting with me.

“What am I to do now?” he asked.

“I’d prefer you stick around, considering the spell’s restrictions.”

“Then could I stay on your shoulder like this?”

“No, absolutely not.” Tree sparrows didn’t even like humans, did they? I suddenly wanted to try feeding one.

“Then I’ll tuck myself away in your shirt. Would that be acceptable?”

“I mean, if it’s fine with you, it’s fine with me, I guess…”

“Then I shall.”

He slid over from my shoulder to my collar, then right into my suit pocket. I felt a ticklish sensation every time he moved. That, combined with the fear that I might crush him if I wasn’t careful or if something happened, made me incredibly uneasy. But I couldn’t think of anything better.

I looked down at my jacket’s inside pocket, and he looked back up at me with those big, round eyes. Birds were so cute. Java sparrows were wonderful, but tree sparrows were great, too. They’re both in the same order, if I recall. Hastily, I brought my gaze back up, scanning my surroundings to hide my fascination.

That was when I saw something curious in the chaos. One person in particular, who had been smacking a metal rod against a building window, threw his weapon aside when he saw Ms. Futarishizuka approach and darted between a couple of buildings, disappearing. That was the first person I’d seen among the brawlers who had run away. It seemed the Masked Sailor hadn’t noticed him.

“What is it?” asked Peeps.

“I think the enemy psychic just fled.”

The suspect was pretty far from me. If I gave chase now, I doubted I’d be able to apprehend him. More importantly, I had to focus on the plan—tying up the situation with a neat little bow.

“Then it’s your turn next, yes?”

“That’s right.” I nodded, then checked the road one more time. As far as I could see, Ms. Futarishizuka had whittled down the number of brawlers to just a few, who were sure to be knocked out within a couple minutes. It was time for the bad guy to show up for the big finale.

I launched out of the alley at a sprint. As the Masked Sailor put the last rioter down, I spotted an abandoned car on the roadside nearby. I didn’t see anyone inside. It looked expensive, but the bureau would be able to cover damages to a single car. There was no reason to hesitate. I leaped up onto the hood using a tiny bit of flight magic, though not enough to cause any issues.

“That’s as far as you go, Masked Sailor!” I shouted at her as her rampage through the street came to an end.

As I said the words, I felt more embarrassed than I’d thought I would. I casually glanced around, spying several people at a distance with their phones out. Even more were watching from the windows of nearby buildings.

If it weren’t for Peeps’s transformation spell, I don’t think I’d have been able to handle the pressure.

I’d cast off my plain appearance for some pretty distinctive features. My skin was so white it was like I was covered in powder. My eyes and nose had sharpened, too. Basically, I looked like some kind of makeup-covered, visual kei rock star. My hair was blond now, with a side part; and I had two horns sticking right out of my forehead.

In addition, I had on a suit and glasses, and I was striking an exaggerated pose.

“It’s you!” shouted Ms. Futarishizuka, stopping and looking up at me. “The Demonic Middle Manager!” She’d come up with that on the spot; come to think of it, we hadn’t decided on a name in advance.

“I’m surprised you would resort to violence against the very people you’re meant to protect!” I shouted.

“Oh, don’t you worry! That was just a warm-up for the real thing!”

“Does it not torment your conscience to hurt the innocent?”

“It does—more than you could ever imagine! But know this! That pain will be my strength, and it will lead us to a bright and just future!”

Since this whole conversation was essentially ad-libbed, I got the impression our hero’s true nature was seeping into it. Fortunately, there were no directors to demand a retake or any authors we had to be considerate of.

“You are my final enemy!” she continued. “I’m sure you can see what befell the ones under your thrall!”

“Yes, it seems that way, indeed.”

As she spoke, the Masked Sailor cast me a meaningful glance. I returned it with a tiny nod—it was time to clean things up.

“Demonic Middle Manager! I’ll defeat you in a snap and be on my way!”

“Defeat me? Never. I shall have you repent for what you’ve done!”

Ms. Futarishizuka kicked off the ground and zoomed toward me. I, the demon, hastily put up my guard, but it didn’t do much against her overwhelming physical abilities. She grabbed me by the nape of my neck, then flung me down onto the pavement. As I fell off the car and plummeted toward the road, I used a barrier spell to soften the impact.

The girl superhero took the chance to climb on top of me. From inside my jacket pocket, the little tree sparrow poked his head out.

“Don’t get too violent, girl.”

“Nuwooooh?!” Surprised at Peeps’s sudden and unexpected appearance, Ms. Futarishizuka immediately jumped away.

Peeps then tucked himself back into my pocket so that nobody would see him. I doubted anyone had, but now the onus was on the Masked Sailor to explain why she’d suddenly retreated from the big bad demon. How would she convince the audience? Fortunately, my concern only lasted a moment.

“Ack! You’ve got the body odor of the century! I can’t even get close to you like that!”

I really wished she’d picked something else.

As I stood up, I frantically thought about how to respond—though I certainly felt bad for shocking her with Peeps like that.

“Things have been too busy at work for me to go home!” I declared. “I haven’t showered in three days!”

“Not only are demons horrible to the world at large, but they’re cruel even to their own! I should have expected as much from an organization of evil!”

“Today’s the day I make you one of us—a demon! You will help us change the world!”

“No way! A heroine of justice never pulls an all-nighter at the office! Down with worker exploitation!”

We’d stalled for a while, but our real enemy—the psychic who had caused the pedestrians to go berserk—showed no signs of appearing. The person I’d spotted must have been the mastermind after all. In which case, it was time to wrap things up without giving anything away.

“Oh, well, excuse me!” I declared in a high-and-mighty tone. “Speak of the devil—literally, in this case. I appear to have a phone call from the boss.”

I took out my phone. I hadn’t actually received a call; I’d simply had the device ready for this ad-libbed conversation. In fact, I was the one doing the calling. The other person picked up in two rings, and it was exactly who I’d told the Masked Sailor it was.

“Chief, the psychic has escaped. Please send in the bureau.”

“It would have been nice if you had captured them.”

“We’ll have to leave that, as well as determining who they work for, for later.”

“…All right. I’ll have our people on the scene shortly.”

I spoke to him in hushed tones so nobody could hear me. In the meantime, I pretended to be contacting one of the bad guys higher up the chain.

Mr. Akutsu probably had a read on what we were doing through video feeds. He didn’t ask for any more details; he just expressed his understanding. I was only on the phone with him for a few seconds. Once it was finished, I put the device back in my pocket.

Now that I had the chief’s permission, I needed to notify the Masked Sailor of my impending withdrawal.

“It would appear I don’t have the time to bother with you now!”

“What?!”

“Our fight will have to wait for another day, Masked Sailor!”

“Halt! Wait right there, Demonic Middle Manager!”

And then I turned tail and ran.

Despite her yelling “Halt!” at me, she didn’t move to chase. Instead, she pretended to be concerned about all the people lying on the road nearby. Even the pedestrians in the distance with their phones were shifting their cameras’ focus around the scene.

At about the same time, bureau members flooded onto the site. Like previous incidents, they quickly locked down the vicinity, warning not only the people outdoors, but those up in nearby buildings to refrain from photography. This time, their excuse was that they were cleaning up after filming.

Ms. Futarishizuka, in her sailor uniform and helmet, took her leave. She retrieved what I believed to be her own motorcycle as bureau employees went around securing all the people she’d taken out with her powers along with those wounded in the chaos.

I could see police officers surrounding us at a distance. But while they helped direct traffic, they stayed out of the immediate area. I also noticed them stringing out yellow “keep out” tape in several areas to prevent onlookers.

After sparing a few glances around, I returned to the narrow alley I’d hidden myself in earlier. Once I’d made sure nobody could see me, I turned my gaze to my inside pocket.

The tree sparrow was looking right up at me. “Is your work finished?” he asked.

“Yeah. Could you undo the transformation now?”

“Very well.”

I’d checked in advance to make sure there were no surveillance cameras here, and of course there were no human eyes on me, either. A moment later, Peeps’s spell returned my body to normal.

And so the Demonic Middle Manager blended into the crowd and left the scene.

After withdrawing from the site of the riot, Peeps and I first met up with Miss Hoshizaki and Ms. Futarishizuka at the former’s condo, then went right back to the scene with an air of nonchalance. There, we worked with the other bureau employees to help cover up any evidence of psychic activity, all the while staying on guard in case the culprit reappeared. Naturally, we had to skip lunch to do it.

Before I knew it, the sun had set. Unfortunately, even with the site fully cleaned up, we still had a job to do. We headed to the bureau office and caught up with the section chief, who was awaiting our report, in the same meeting room as always. Mr. Akutsu sat across the table from us. Once again, I was between the two women.

“There is a lot I want to ask the three of you,” he began.

“Oh?” said Ms. Futarishizuka. “We’ve just been at work all day without any lunch, and this is the treatment we get?”

“I know you’ve been hard at work, Masked Sailor, and you have my apologies.”

“Well, then I’d very much appreciate seeing some of that in your attitude toward and treatment of us, Mr. Demonic Middle Manager.”

Ms. Futarishizuka was so reliable—she’d taken the lead and started making a fuss, wresting control of the conversation. She’d confronted the section chief himself without so much as a moment’s hesitation. I was in awe of her vigor. There was a world of difference between her and Miss Hoshizaki, who had cried herself to sleep over the spy camera incident and was practically twisted around our boss’s little finger.

“I believe that role belongs to Sasaki, not me,” said the chief.

“Come to think of it,” continued Futarishizuka, “your people’s work out there struck me as strikingly quick and efficient.”

“The location being what it was, we couldn’t afford to waste time.”

“Are you sure you didn’t hear anything from the target? Maybe an advance warning or two?”

“……”

Apparently, her calling the boss Demonic Middle Manager was just to spite him.

I recalled the nerd’s advice back at the resort in Atami—about how things would get harder for me from here on out. He must have been referring to this. If the chief had purposely decided to shelve this information rather than give it to us, then he was likely under the influence of some troublesome third party.

And from his perspective, it would be like killing two birds with one stone. He could ingratiate himself with this other person or group, while at the same time trying to figure out what, or who, was behind us.

“I must ask, Sasaki,” said the chief. “What was that face all about?”

“The demon disguise, sir?” I asked. “Miss Hoshizaki showed me the basics of how to do makeup.”

He was trying to change the subject; she must have hit him where it hurt. Rather than responding to Ms. Futarishizuka’s implied follow-up question, he’d shifted his attention to me.

Miss Hoshizaki and I had agreed on our coverup for the transformation spell in advance. I hadn’t changed in front of anyone, but she’d still seen me at her home with a completely altered appearance from the neck up. We’d agreed to chalk it up to her special skills with thick makeup.

“Yeah, I showed him a couple tricks,” Miss Hoshizaki added. “We had all the tools at my place already.”

“It seemed like more than just his facial features,” the chief pointed out. “He appeared to have horns growing out of his head.”

“We put them on with glue,” I said. “My scalp still stings.”

“…Is that right?”

I’d actually grown them with transformation magic, but that was our secret. After all, nobody would be able to tell if they were real from far away.

The tools to achieve such things were commonplace these days, and putting on makeup to change into someone else was an increasingly popular pastime. We men already knew how shocking a woman’s makeup skills could be, and the chief was likely no exception.

To press our advantage, I pushed him even harder. “Like Ms. Futarishizuka said, we didn’t want to simply go along with the enemy’s scheme.”

“Well, it’s true that I’ve been receiving inquiries regarding your actions.”

When I brought up the as-of-yet unseen agitator again, the chief folded. It seemed we’d been right—he’d had advance information on the day’s incident.

“And I am grateful to all three of you for settling the riot so skillfully,” he continued. “Your little performance reduced the damages and casualties to far less than what we’d expected.”

“Chief, I can’t just let that statement go,” said Miss Hoshizaki.

“They had no intention of causing you harm,” he explained.

“My sister could have been hurt,” she insisted. “Not just her, either. None of those people were doing anything wrong. And they could have ended up in jail.”

Miss Hoshizaki was growing agitated. The riot had happened right by her home. She was right, too—one wrong step and her sister could have gotten dragged into it.

“I promise you that I will send a bodyguard to protect your family in the future,” said the chief.

“I’m not really sure if I can trust you on that.”

“Obviously, I will let you have a say in the choice of personnel.”

“Did you leak Sasaki’s and my location?”

“No, I wouldn’t go that far. And that’s why I want all three of you to be very careful in the days ahead. After the Kraken incident, you’ve been marked by far more organizations both inside and outside Japan than you probably think.”

Judging by the psychic who’d stirred up the mob’s quick retreat, I expected Mr. Akutsu was right about that. Someone, somewhere, had obviously provoked us to try to find out our secret to taking down the Kraken. And the chief, due to some deal or other, was looking the other way.

I was all for getting an introduction to this mysterious third party. But I also knew that probably wouldn’t happen; I could guess as much from Ms. Futarishizuka’s silence on the matter.

The psychic’s power had been invisible, so that any observers wouldn’t understand what they were seeing. Various balances of power were probably at play here—which meant this attacker had been a lot nicer than they could have been. I wouldn’t be surprised if one showed up who was totally fine with kidnapping people outright.

“Was this a lesson you were trying to teach us, then? Hmm?” asked Ms. Futarishizuka.

“Perhaps it was. Though I doubt you needed it, Futarishizuka.”

“Then I’d rather you hadn’t done it during our vacation.”

“Oh, Futarishizuka, don’t worry. We’ll be putting in our time for all the work we did today,” Miss Hoshizaki assured her.

“That’s not what I was getting at…”

As an employee, it was very disappointing to know that my boss was most likely behind the incident we’d just had to handle. But this time, at least, it didn’t seem like he’d wanted to cause us any harm, so I decided to just accept it. What surprised me was that the third party’s interests extended to Miss Hoshizaki. I’d have to watch out for my senior colleague in the future.

“In any case, you now owe us quite the debt,” said Ms. Futarishizuka.

“Considering the backing the bureau will continue to provide you, I should think the scales are even,” said the chief.

“Grrr…”

Simply learning our boss’s intentions would have to satisfy me for now.

In the future, I expected my position as an employee of the bureau would become much more important.

That day, after our meeting with Mr. Akutsu, we finished up the paperwork resulting from the incident and then headed home. The sun had already set by the time we’d arrived at the office, and when we finally punched our time cards, it was almost midnight.

Futarishizuka and I parted ways with Miss Hoshizaki at the bureau, then took Ms. Futarishizuka’s car to the hotel where I was staying. In my room, we met up with Peeps, then had him warp us to the Karuizawa villa.

It was very late, and Lady Elsa was already asleep in bed. I didn’t see my neighbor and Abaddon, so I figured they were in their new house next door.

The three of us sat down on the living room sofas and began hashing out the details. Futarishizuka and I faced each other over a low table, with Peeps perched on the tabletop tree in front of me.

“I want to discuss our future business dealings,” I began.

“Ugh. Haven’t I done enough work for today?”

“My idea was to switch from sugar to diesel fuel for the time being.”

“Right. The sparrow told me about that this afternoon, and I’ve already made the arrangements.”

“Really? That was fast.”

“I have a pretty good idea of what you’re doing over there now,” she added, taking on a listless expression and recrossing her legs.

Despite her childish appearance, her haughty attitude strangely suited her. I could sense a little of the person she really was now that exhaustion had worn down her mask. Before the mark on the back of her hand, she’d probably been an even bolder, more daring person than I had thought.

“I don’t know the details,” she continued. “but just make sure not to flub things up and get yourself killed. We can never know what those above us are planning, no matter how much we struggle. A little mischief might be overlooked, but once you cross a certain line, things will start moving—and fast. And at that point, it will be too late.”

“Are you speaking from experience?”

“Oh, come now. Why do you think I’m so rich?”

She’d answered my question with another question. The contents of hers felt oddly weighty and made me a little nervous. Considering what she’d said just before, I even felt a little intimidated.

“Because you’re skilled at the art of conversation?” I ventured.

“No,” she said. “It’s because I survive.”

“……”

Her answer was so frank and to the point that I wasn’t sure how to respond. I was hesitant to ask for any details, considering the implications she was making about her past life. She was calm and composed now, but I could sense that the path here had been full of difficulty and struggle. I doubted any of it would be very fun to talk about.

“Though perhaps, as long as you’re with that sparrow, you have no need to worry,” she added.

“Indeed. You may rest assured.”

Peeps might talk big, but he had been stabbed in the back—and quite recently at that. I couldn’t help but notice his tail twitch a little as he spoke. He was so cute, acting all tough in front of Ms. Futarishizuka. I hoped he had reflected on his past and was planning to redouble his efforts in future.

“Also, I checked the supposedly defective radio you brought back,” she said. “I found signs of exposure to excess current.”

“Did the manufacturers not wire it correctly?”

“It takes a little more than that to cause the things I saw.”

“Really?”

“Yes. The condenser looked like popcorn.”

“I see.”

“I’d recommend you keep an eye out no matter what it is you’re doing.”

“Thank you for the warning. Really—I’m grateful.”

This revelation, combined with the previous topic, certainly gave me a lot to think about. Considering where the radio had been kept, the only possible culprit was Mr. Joseph. The malfunction had come to light two visits ago. Then, during my last trip, he’d proposed a line to link the Republic of Lunge with the Ohgen Empire. In between those two events, I’d brought in a replacement machine as a fix and told him about the state of my inventory.

I was curious why Mr. Joseph would have exposed the machine to excess current. I’d explained to him that radios operate on a very small amount of electricity. It was frustrating, but I couldn’t tell anything for sure yet. I decided to accept Ms. Futarishizuka’s advice at face value and not get too comfortable in my relationship with the Kepler Trading Company.

“Anyway, you barged into a high school girl’s house, right?” she asked. “Did you do it?”

“What? No. We just had an English study session.”

“How far did you go? Was there a condom in the room?”

“We followed along with the teaching materials and read out a dialogue together.”

“Ugh. You’re so boring.”

The next thing I knew, our serious conversation had given way to sexual harassment. Maybe she didn’t like the tension in the air. I was grateful for her consideration, but the way she was handling it was so last century. She stared at me, sighing.

“Regarding the diesel fuel—how long do you think it will take?” I asked.

“If you need a lot, I should be getting a notification soon. What do you want to do?”

“Then, if possible, could you hold off for a short time?”

“Fine by me. I need some dinner anyway. I can’t sleep on an empty stomach.”

“I suppose we haven’t eaten since this morning.”

We’d prioritized our work at the bureau, so we hadn’t eaten dinner. And we’d missed lunch, too, thanks to the riot that afternoon. I’d been thinking of eating first thing when we got to the otherworld.

“You two want to join me?” she asked.

“If it’s all right with you, sure,” I said.

“You won’t mind my presence?” asked Peeps.

“It’s no extra trouble,” she replied, getting up and heading to the kitchen.

Our little group—two humans and one bird—took our places around the table for a late dinner. The meal was cooked by the villa’s owner herself, and Peeps and I helped out where we could. It took a little under an hour to prepare before we all sat down.

The diesel fuel took longer than expected, however, and it was starting to grow light again outside by the time the notification reached Ms. Futarishizuka’s phone. According to her, it had been delivered to the usual warehouse, and we could pick it up at our convenience. Once we’d checked on it, we would head to the otherworld for another short visit.

“I’m going to sleep for a while. Don’t wake me up, all right?” said Ms. Futarishizuka.

“We won’t. Thank you for doing so much for us.”

In all honesty, I wanted to get some sleep, too. But if I went to bed now, I’d sleep like a rock, and a lot of time would pass in the otherworld. Instead, rubbing my eyes to try to keep the drowsiness at bay, I made the trip with the help of Peeps’s magic.

This time, we headed to the Kepler Trading Company before visiting the count. We’d taken several more hours than planned in Japan, resulting in a wider time gap.

There, we supplied Mr. Joseph with the extra set of radio equipment as well as the diesel fuel. We also took the chance to explain how to set it up, since their company would be handling all of that in the Ohgen Empire. It was our job to prepare them, so we went over all the procedures once again and even created a manual for them. As a result, we ended up staying in Lunge for several days.

For the time being, we decided to hold off on bringing sugar and the other products we’d previously provided. Those at the trading company were much more concerned about securing a stable source of diesel fuel.

With all that squared away, staff from the company loaded the fuel and radio equipment onto carts and headed out of the Republic. After we’d watched them go, it was time to visit the Kingdom of Herz.

Peeps’s teleportation magic brought us straight to the town of Baytrium, and we made our way to Count Müller’s estate directly. Unfortunately, the count was gone; we heard he’d been out for some time. When I asked for more details, I was told that he hadn’t returned since we left to visit my lands together.

Peeps and I then hurried over to the Rectan Plains fortress. An entire day in Japan had passed since our last visit, and as we looked down at the surrounding area from the sky, we saw a little town forming. The business with Prince Lewis’s soldiers aside, the region still seemed to be under development.

Using flight magic, we alighted in an inner courtyard of the fortress. The count came out to greet us immediately.

“Lord Sasaki! You couldn’t have come at a better time,” he said.

“It’s good to see you again, my lord.”

“I apologize for the rush, but could you come with me?”

“Yes, sir.”

The fortress and its surrounding area were bursting with activity, which meant a lot of people watching. To avoid prying eyes, we headed inside the building. Our destination was a familiar reception room—the one we’d used during our last visit. A lot of new furniture had been brought in, though, and it was now looking pretty fancy. It seemed safe to assume that the fortress’s interior decoration was now finished.

We saw someone else in the room as well.

“Baron Sasaki, Lord Starsage, thank you for coming.”

“I’m happy to see you again, Your Royal Highness.”

“As am I, Adonis.”

This was the second prince of Herz, leader of one of the two main factions in the running to inherit the crown. Prince Adonis stood up from the sofa at our arrival, welcoming us in. He was the only other person in the room, so Peeps felt comfortable speaking as normal.

“May I assume, sir, that our discussion concerns the matter with Prince Lewis?”

“That’s right.”

I’d been expecting as much, but hearing it out loud made me tense up. I wiped the sleepiness off my face.

“I know it is rude of me to ask this when your brother is in the middle of a war,” I said. “But if it pleases you, could you update us on the current situation? We would very much like to help out.”

“Consider this a request from me as well, Adonis,” the Java sparrow followed up immediately. He’s so reliable.

At that, the prince’s expression changed. He seemed troubled—and yet pleased at the same time. A moment later, we heard the reason from the man himself.

“My brother has achieved a major victory. He has subjugated the Empire’s frontline base while keeping casualties to a minimum.”

“What…?” I blurted out. That was not how I was expecting things to go. The Lord Starsage had much the same reaction; I saw him give a start up on my shoulder.

“We received a letter from him just yesterday,” the prince explained.

“Are you certain of its sender?” asked Peeps.

“I’ve checked and rechecked, and it’s definitely my brother’s handwriting.”

“I verified this as well, Lord Starsage,” added the count, agreeing with the prince.

It was possible the Empire had taken him and other important figures hostage and forced him to write the letter, with the aim of luring out Herz’s unarmed rear support personnel. But we would get nowhere if I kept doubting everything, so I decided to hear the rest of their explanation.

“According to the letter, he and his forces set out from here toward the Geschwür garrison. He says the enemy hadn’t fully replenished their troops after the previous incident and fell to a frontal assault.”

“Did Prince Lewis know that going in?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” answered the prince. “But it’s certainly possible.”

Peeps had obliterated a significant portion of the Empire’s military force with his magic. If the Empire was currently in chaos, what Prince Lewis had described could well be true. The relationship between the general leading the troops on the ground and the margrave in charge of the region had appeared strained, as well.

But if that was the case, how exactly had the prince found out about the Empire’s internal affairs? Did he have spies deeply embedded in the enemy nation, and we just didn’t know about them? They’d have to be very talented, if so.

“If what he says is true, this will bring about a major shift in the battle for the throne.”

At Peeps’s remark, everyone turned to look at Prince Adonis. If his brother really had been victorious, he now had a significant lead. To catch up, Adonis would need to do something equally as glorious as capturing an Imperial stronghold. Wouldn’t that be really difficult, though? I wondered. The second prince’s supporters—myself included—were in a bad spot now. If this news made it to the royal palace, the state of the competition would change overnight.

“It might come off as rude, especially to you two, for someone in my position to say this,” began the prince. “But if it would lead to a better future for this kingdom, then perhaps I should yield the inheritance to my brother.”

It seemed the prince had begun to lose his spirit. He looked at us with guilt plain on his face, clearly demonstrating the kind of man he was. He wasn’t making excuses to protect himself—he was genuinely acknowledging his own lack of power and prioritizing the welfare of the kingdom.

In my opinion, though, it was a little too soon to make that call. “Either way, sir, I believe we should first verify the situation for ourselves,” I replied.

“Yes, sir. That’s right,” agreed the count.

“Depending on the situation, things may be even more dire than simple defeat.”

All three of us quickly voiced our opinions, agreeing that the report sounded a little too good to be true, and that it was simply too early to draw any conclusions.

“For the time being, I shall look into the matter, along with Imperial movements.”

“Are you sure, Lord Starsage?” asked the count.

“Yes, though I will need this man’s help.” The sparrow turned his head to look at me.

Did he really need to ask at this point? “If you’re all right with someone like me, Peeps, then I’ll help with anything you ask.”

“Thank you. And I apologize again for mixing you up in our affairs.”

“Hey, we all have to look out for one another, right? They’re helping us, too, after all.”

“Lord Starsage, Baron Sasaki, thank you,” said the prince. “I’m beyond grateful for your consideration.”

Whatever he might claim, the bird still seemed to hold the Kingdom of Herz dear to his heart. While his comments often sounded conspicuously detached, he refused to forsake its citizens when it counted. It showed how good-natured he was, which in turn made me want to help him out.

“I’d like to leave as soon as possible,” said Peeps. “Is that all right with you?”

“I think that’s a good idea,” I said. “Are we going to the Geschwür garrison, then?”

“Yes, that was my plan. I want to verify Lewis’s safety first.”

If we were going to meet Prince Lewis, we wouldn’t have to disguise ourselves with transformation magic, either.

And so we set off to see for ourselves whether the contents of the letter were true or false.