Sasaki and Peeps - Volume 8 - Chapter 2.1

<The Neighbor’s POV>

Just before end-of-day homeroom begins, a bunch of police cars pull up outside the school. I hear their shrill cries draw close, and then officers pour into our campus. With classes now over, students are walking freely around the school, and they are quick to notice the commotion.

“Hey, the police just came in!”

“Huh? For real?”

“I heard the sirens, but I didn’t think they were headed here!”

“Did something happen?”

“Was there a bomb threat?”

“I’ve been hearing about those a lot over the last few years.”

“Yeah, but there’s almost never a real bomb, right?”

Word reaches Class 1-A quickly. There are still a few minutes before homeroom begins, and a few kids with too much time on their hands burst out of the classroom, ready to rubberneck. For them, this is probably just a little entertainment to spice up their otherwise peaceful lives.

Meanwhile, I can’t suppress my anxiety.

Based on what my neighbor said yesterday, big shots the world over are already aware of the proxy war. It’s possible some elite has mobilized the police and sent them here to get rid of me and Abaddon—especially considering the recent incident on Miyakejima. In fact, that’s a pretty realistic scenario, isn’t it?

My partner has proven himself time and again inside isolated spaces. If someone wanted to take him out, the obvious choice would be to come after us on the outside. In fact, just the other day, I was lured out and shot with a sniper rifle during just such a ploy.

If our opponents were able to use public servants to corner us, they could go right over my neighbor and Futarishizuka’s heads to get to me. It’s a logical strategy. I feel more nervous right now than I do when I get caught in an isolated space.

If it’s come to this, I can’t simply sit here in my classroom and wait for them.

“I’ll go see what’s happening,” I say as I stand up, excusing myself from the classmates gathered around my desk. Depending on the situation, I might have to flee the school.

“Huh? Kurosu, you want to see, too?”

“Seems kinda out of character.”

“Yeah, you’re usually pretty calm in situations like this.”

“If you’re going, then maybe I’ll join you.”

“Oh, then I’ll come, too!”

Ignoring the others, I quickly leave Classroom 1-A.

Where will the police come from? Will they use the faculty entrance? Either way, they’re bound to go to the faculty room first, and I know which hallway connects the two.

“You left your things in class. Was that the right decision?” Abaddon asks once we’re alone.

“I haven’t decided to flee yet.”

There are quite a few students in the hallway, but it’s very noisy thanks to the arrival of the police. I decide that a quiet conversation with Abaddon is probably fine as long as we keep moving.

More importantly, I need to hurry and figure out what the police are here for.

“I would recommend leaving school, like, right now.”

“First, I want to at least figure out who we’re up against.”

“Yeah, I agree with you there!”

The two of us keep moving as we discuss the situation. Abaddon is floating in the air a little ways in front of me—probably to keep me out of the line of fire if anything happens. He’s very conscientious for a demon; I certainly didn’t tell him to do that.

“Maybe you should also call the family, just in case,” he says.

“Are you suggesting my neighbor failed to negotiate with the organizers?”

“If things went that badly, I think he would have contacted you already.”

“All right. Just to be sure, I’ll have my phone ready to go.”

I take my phone out of my pocket, open the voice call app, and keep one hand on it. Then I run down two flights of stairs and arrive at the first floor. As I trot down the hall, the faculty room entrance comes into view.

“Well, well. Are they having a party or something?”

“……”

Abaddon is right about one thing—there’s a lot of noise coming from the area in front of us. I see several police officers in the hallway, too. Men and women in navy uniforms have surrounded the room, and around them is a crowd of teachers and students. Everyone is focused on what’s happening inside; none of them turn to look at us.

“I didn’t do it! This… This must be some kind of mistake!”

I hear a shout from inside the faculty room. It belongs to a young male teacher.

“Get off of me, or I’ll sue you for assault!”

His desperate, ghastly cries reach all the way out into the hallway.

I can hear the officers trying to restrain him, saying things like “just be quiet,” “we have proof,” and “we’re not assaulting you.” Apparently, they’re in the middle of an arrest. It seems like quite a big deal.

“I think I recognize approximately one of those voices,” Abaddon points out.

“What a coincidence,” I reply. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

The mood in the air is a little different from what I was expecting. I envisioned the police having a faculty member escort them up the stairs and officer after officer filing into Classroom 1-A. But now it seems like someone else is already playing the part I’d envisioned for myself.

I can’t exactly charge in from the front, so I hide behind a pillar and watch the proceedings in secret.

Eventually, I see the police officers in front of the faculty room move. The ones blocking off the room’s entrance part to the left and right, creating a path down the hallway. As they do, a person emerges with several officers forming a ring around him; his hands are in cuffs, and his head hangs low. It looks exactly like the arrests I’ve seen on TV news shows.

“Suspect arrested at 3:55 PM!”

And it seems that’s exactly what’s happening. The officer’s voice rings out, easily reaching Abaddon and me, as he announces their success. The suspect must have been particularly belligerent because he’s tied to one of the officers by a rope around his waist meant to restrain him.

“It looks like this had nothing to do with us,” says Abaddon, sounding disappointed.

“……”

Though we weren’t arrested, I still find myself rather surprised. After all, I know the person in handcuffs.

“What the hell?! Isn’t that our homeroom teacher?!” comes a voice from surprisingly nearby—one I’ve become familiar with over the last few days.

It’s one of the boys in my class. Startled, I look over, and there he is, standing right next to me. I have no idea when he got there. He must have followed me. Several more students are right on his heels, all running up to join us. They each express their shock.

“Wait a minute. What’s going on?”

“No way! It is him! Mr. Takahashi!”

“Uh, this is a big deal, right? Homeroom teachers don’t usually get arrested.”

“It’s like I’m watching the news.”

“Get out your phone! Take a video so you can upload it!”

I never thought I’d see our homeroom teacher get arrested right in front of me. Though, as it happens, I have an idea as to what his crime might be.

“Hey, I just got a text from someone who was in the faculty room,” says one of my classmates. Everyone’s attention turns to her. Still looking at the phone in her hand, she continues. “Apparently, our homeroom teacher was doing it with Miyata.”

She’s right on the mark.

And yet I’m still confused. I heard them at it just the other day, but I thought he had the situation under control. It would be a different story if she were under thirteen—he’d be charged with rape no matter what. But I heard that if the person is thirteen or older, things often get settled outside of court—especially if both parties are happy with the situation. It seems incredibly unusual for the police to suddenly charge in like this. Was he using shady drugs, maybe? I don’t even have to ask before my classmates start trading information every which way.

“Uh, are you serious?”

“Mr. Takahashi is a lolicon?!”

“He was after Miyata? Yeah, he’s definitely a lolicon.”

“Wait. Why her anyway?”

“Didn’t she stay home from school today?”

“Well, he sure has awful taste in girls.”

“Ha-ha, you said it!”

The boys are all completely astounded. The girls are, too, but some of them sound a little envious of Miyata. I’ve heard that people tend to be more forgiving of good-looking criminals, and it seems that idea extends to sex offenders as well.

Either way, Abaddon and I are in the clear. That guy gave me quite the scare.

“It looks like we won’t have to contact your neighbor,” says Abaddon.

“Yes,” I reply, happy that I didn’t jump to conclusions. I don’t want to bother him with something so stupid.

Then—probably because of all the noise in the hallway—one of the teachers I saw in front of the faculty room comes rushing up to us. I’ve seen him before, too. I think he’s the school principal.

“All of you, back to your classrooms!”

My classmates start protesting this command, emboldened by what they just witnessed.

“But what are we supposed to do about homeroom?”

“The police took Mr. Takahashi away.”

“How far did Miyata and Mr. Takahashi go?”

“Were the other teachers doing it, too?”

“I’m kind of scared to be at school now.”

They seem very enthusiastic—this is a rare chance for them to vocally stand on the side of justice against adults. I imagine it’s payback for all the scoldings and lectures the teachers give us on a daily basis.

“L-look, just go back to your classroom. I’ll handle homeroom!” the principal shouts back, faltering in the face of their energy.

In the meantime, the police cars parked out front start pulling away. They drive into the distance, sirens still blaring. I take a peek out the hallway window and confirm that most of the cars have now left. It seems this whole event truly had nothing to do with the proxy war.

That day, all club activities are canceled, and everyone is sent home at once.

We waited until it was time to clock out, but Section Chief Akutsu never returned to his desk.

So, having finished up our clerical tasks, we left our hardworking colleagues to their overtime and departed from the office right on schedule. Using a terminal provided by Type Twelve, we zoomed out of Tokyo and back to Ms. Futarishizuka’s Karuizawa villa.

This new pickup service was, in a word, perfection. First, we made our way to a neighborhood park. Then Miss Hoshizaki called out, and a saucer-shaped UFO appeared out of nowhere. I suspected the terminal serving as Miss Hoshizaki’s protection had arranged for the transport. As always, the machine was shrouded with some kind of optical camouflage. Inside, Type Twelve greeted Miss Hoshizaki.

From that point on, it was pretend family time. Once we met up with Peeps and Lady Elsa, who had been minding the villa in our absence, and my neighbor and Abaddon, now back from school, we moved to the single-family home inside the unidentified flying object. Once inside, everyone gathered around the low Japanese table in the living room to have dinner.

Today’s meal was sukiyaki. And on a lesser note, I was to serve as cook. I’d picked up the ingredients at a supermarket in the Tokyo suburbs on our way to Karuizawa. Unlike the cramped stores in the city proper, this one—which had a big parking lot, too—boasted so many varieties of food that I found it fun just to wander around looking at them.

Incidentally, while we were on the job playing pretend family, the bureau picked up all our meal expenses. The section chief had told us to treat it as a social expense allowance.

With that in mind, I decided to splurge on the meat and chose a black wagyu rib roast. Not only did we have a crowd, but some of them were also growing children, so I went big—we’d have three hundred grams of it per person. In total, I’d purchased over two kilograms of rib roast; I couldn’t help but smile as I tossed the store’s entire supply into our shopping basket.

Back at the dinner table, a certain Java sparrow glanced up from his meal at me.

“Isn’t this meat simply delicious?” Peeps said, clearly excited. “And a good cut, too, yes?”

“You think so? Well, I’m glad you like it.”

Peeps was giving my cooking rave reviews. I’d gotten the rib roast partly as a way to repay him for helping us so much during yesterday’s death game. According to Abaddon, the distinguished sparrow had eliminated a sizable number of angels and demons.

Most of them were average at best, though; the stronger ones were more capable when it came to exchanges like these and could position themselves better. If we had to take them on in the future, it probably wouldn’t go as smoothly.

“Hey, Sasaki,” said Miss Hoshizaki. “Are you compensating for your mediocre cooking skills with expensive ingredients? That doesn’t seem fair.”

“Sorry about that,” I replied. “We had to go into the office today, so I had time constraints to think about.”

“I don’t think the young newlywed who can’t even melt curry mix properly should be talking,” remarked Ms. Futarishizuka.

“Ugh…”

The mother-in-law had some potent zingers up her sleeve. Her own skill at cooking made her remarks land even harder. Never underestimate the power of food, I thought.

“Grandmother, it is not good to criticize Mother. I helped her, and thus, I share some of the responsibility.”

“You sure take every opportunity to score points with her, don’t you?” grumbled Ms. Futarishizuka.

“Futarishizuka, shouldn’t I help with the cooking like everyone else?” asked Lady Elsa, considerate as ever. I briefly wondered to myself if, out of all of us, she wasn’t the one treating this pretend family business the most earnestly.

“But I’ve heard from our good father that you are of very high status,” she replied.

“Even nobility can cook. And I’d like you all to taste some food from my homeland.”

“Oh? Well, count me interested indeed.”

Our dinner was accompanied by lively conversation on all sides. I tended to prefer quiet, but for some reason, I felt at peace sitting there at the low table. The bubbling, steaming pot of food at the center was simply irresistible.

“Ah yes,” said Ms. Futarishizuka. “Have you decided on a name to put on this girl’s family register, dear senior?”

“Oh, um, I think I need a little more time to think…”

“Don’t forget that you promised the boss to get back to him by this evening.”

“Urk…”

Apparently, Miss Hoshizaki was still trying to think of a good name for Type Twelve. I suspected she was having even more trouble because of how important the girl was to her. Ms. Futarishizuka’s off-handed comment about her having the tastes of an old man had put even more pressure on her to think up something good.

Come to think of it, she had been checking her phone an awful lot during her spare time. Looking up baby names, no doubt.

“Mother, I do not mind what sort of name you give me. The important part is that it comes from you. The rest means nothing to me. Please feel at ease while thinking of a name.”

“Thanks, but this is going on your family register,” replied Miss Hoshizaki. “Do you understand how important that is?”

“On the internet, I found an article on a government website stating that, in this country, there is a legal system in place for changing a citizen’s name. Should you desire to change my name at a later date, I am certain Father will speak to your superior about it.”

“Sure,” I said. “That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“That may be true, but I really want to get it right the first time…,” said Miss Hoshizaki. She’d cracked an egg onto her dish and was now stirring the contents around with her chopsticks. She’s having a really hard time with this, I thought.

“Are we giving her a new name, mister?” asked my neighbor.

“Yes,” I replied. “Her official name is a little too long to fit on a family register.”

“Have you already decided on a last name?”

“Father has given me the surname Sasaki,” answered Type Twelve. “There is no problem in that regard.”

“A last name from her father and a first name from her mother, huh? Anyone who didn’t know the truth would think you three were the perfect family.”

“……”

Abaddon looked straight at my neighbor as he spoke; his expression seemed to say, “My, my, how about that?” My neighbor, in turn, was watching Type Twelve with a look of surprise.

“Elder Brother, such impressions make the youngest daughter very happy. Feel free to continue praising me.”

“Really? Well, I think my partner would get angry if I said any more, so I’ll call it right there.”

“Futarishizuka, how do parents name their children here?” asked Lady Elsa.

“Oh, there’s a million different ways, dear. It depends on the person. Some people use the names of other family members, while some choose names filled with hopes about what the child will grow up to be like. Lately, more and more people are borrowing the names of idols and anime characters.”

“But none of those options feel quite right to me,” said Miss Hoshizaki.

“Then let me ask you a question,” Ms. Futarishizuka replied. “How have you been referring to her in your thoughts? If you want to pick something that feels right, you might as well begin there. It’s always harder to start from zero.”

“Huh? Oh, uh, well, I…”

“Oh? Have you been calling her something rude? How awful of you.”

“N-no! I haven’t! I just, well… I think of her as ‘Type Twelve,’ but with a chan on the end.”

“How simplistic of you.”

“Well, what do you call her?”

“‘Roboko,’ of course. Can’t think of a better name than that.”

“Wow. And you think mine’s simplistic?”

After this loud back and forth, Miss Hoshizaki turned to me. “What about you, Sasaki?”

“Huh? Me?”

I had really hoped no one would ask me that, partially to preserve Miss Hoshizaki’s honor. But, unable to lie, I was forced to answer honestly.

“You’re weirding me out, Sasaki,” she said. “Is there some reason you can’t tell us?”

“No, I can. But I’m sorry. I’ve been calling her ‘Type Twelve’ with a san.”

“It seems our dear senior’s tastes are indeed like an old man’s, hmm?”

“Ugh…”

I felt guilty, despite doing nothing wrong. Miss Hoshizaki looked down and clammed up. In her place, this old man redirected the conversation to the one sitting next to him.

“What about you?” I asked my neighbor. “I won’t force you to say, of course.”

“Me? I call her ‘Type Twelve’ with a san, too.”

“Oh, you don’t need to pretend for her sake,” Ms. Futarishizuka assured her. “Why, she did this to herself!”

“Oh, I wasn’t…”

My neighbor was such a good girl. So young and yet so considerate.

“I’m pretty sure none of this is worth arguing over.”

“Please be quiet, Abaddon.”

“Then I would like to ask our most honored houseguest,” said Ms. Futarishizuka. “What are your thoughts?”

“The term alien that Sasaki used in the past left a deep impression on me,” replied Lady Elsa.

“I see… In that case, the old-man name seems to be the most attractive option.”

“Could you please stop calling it that?” Miss Hoshizaki complained.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“Oh, no, that’s not… I’m not saying I don’t like you or anything, Sasaki! Really!”

We all had our own opinions regarding Type Twelve’s name. As we discussed the matter, the girl of the hour looked on before finally offering her own impressions.

“Sitting like this with the family soothes my heart.”

“What’s this now?” asked Ms. Futarishizuka. “That’s a strange thing to say so suddenly.”

“I meant it literally,” Type Twelve replied. “There is no deeper meaning behind my words.”

“Aha,” said Ms. Futarishizuka. “It must feel good to have everyone fawning over you like this. It’s probably tickling you pink. You must be on cloud nine right now.”

“Grandmother, unilateral disparagement not supported by evidence is an inferior act human civilization has dubbed hate speech. Making such remarks unnecessarily in the presence of third parties debases both the speaker and—”

“Come now. Your cheeks are twitching. You must be trying hard not to smile.”

“……”

Ms. Futarishizuka wasn’t letting up. Type Twelve, meanwhile, was speechless. Her cheeks were indeed twitching. Seeing as mechanical life-forms couldn’t lie, Ms. Futarishizuka must have been right on the money.

“Anyway,” the girl in the kimono continued, “can’t we just call her ‘Twelve’?”

“Mother, I am loath to offer any affirmation in response to Grandmother’s comments, but I would like to propose the name ‘Twelve’ as well. In consideration of the circumstances that led to my naming, I believe it is quite significant. If it is all right with you, I would like it if you called me by that name yourself.”

“Are… Are you really sure you’re okay with that?”

“It is a name you came up with, Mother. Therefore, it is of great importance to your youngest daughter.”

“I suppose I did come up with it, but it’s a little strange to use as a person’s name…”

“The youngest daughter is a mechanical life-form, not a human. There is no problem with my name being different from a human’s.”

Type Twelve stopped eating and held Miss Hoshizaki’s gaze.

As though moved by this earnest gesture, Miss Hoshizaki nodded. “Okay, um, Twelve. Then I’ll call you that from now on.”

“Ah, Mother’s warm love is melting the youngest daughter’s heart.”

“That sounds rather indecent, don’t you think?” said Ms. Futarishizuka.

“I knew Grandmother would make a comment either way, so I decided to say whatever I wanted.”

“Oh. Entering your rebellious phase, are you?”

“I’ll tell Mr. Akutsu that we’ve decided,” I said.

“Father, please do so quickly.”

“Just so we’re on the same page, Sasaki,” said Miss Hoshizaki, “use the characters for the number in Japanese, please.”

“Understood.”

Now that we’d decided on a name, I immediately contacted our boss. I sent him an email from my work phone so I could write out the Japanese characters we wanted to use. He sent us the okay within minutes, confirming that he would process her name as Twelve Sasaki.

“Has your talk ended?” asked Peeps. “If so, I would like seconds.”

“Why, you shrewd little bird,” said Ms. Futarishizuka. “You put away all that rib roast while we were talking, didn’t you? Each piece was twenty grams. How can you fit so much food in that tiny sparrow belly of yours? Java sparrows only eat about ten grams a day, don’t they?”

“The key is not to let it build up in my stomach. Then I can enjoy eating as much as I want.”

“Wait, what? Oh, you simply must tell me exactly what you mean by that.”

“There’s plenty left if anyone wants seconds, so you don’t need to worry,” I said.

We spent the rest of our family time in leisure and relaxation. Then we took in an after-dinner TV show and split up for the day.

Once we went our separate ways, I checked my bureau phone again. We still hadn’t received any information from the boss about what we’d be working on starting tomorrow. He hadn’t said anything else after confirming Type Twelve’s name. There was no point waiting late into the night. Instead, I decided to head to the otherworld ahead of schedule that evening and wake up early the following morning.

It had been three days in Japan time since our last visit. With Lady Elsa in tow, Peeps and I departed from Karuizawa and landed in the Kingdom of Herz.

Our first port of call was the royal castle in Allestos. As always, we started by paying a visit to Count Müller’s office in the castle proper. When we arrived, the room’s tenant gestured for us to sit down on a pair of sofas. The count and his daughter took one, and I sat on the other, across a low table from them. Peeps perched on his little tree atop the table as usual.

As soon as we exchanged greetings, Lady Elsa spoke up. “Father, would it be all right if I introduced this kingdom’s food to Sasaki and his friends?”

“What are you talking about, Elsa?” asked the count. “If memory serves, Lord Sasaki and his familiar have already tasted many of this world’s delicacies. Were you referring to some specialty in particular?”

“Oh, um, I’m sorry. I got ahead of myself.” The girl seemed to realize something when she heard her father’s reply. She smiled, a little embarrassed. It was a charming expression on her. “There are people besides Sasaki in his world that have treated me very well. They let me eat all kinds of different foods every day. I would like to offer them some of our kingdom’s cooking in return.”

“Ah, I see.”

“So I wanted to ask your permission to go into town. I’d like to get the ingredients before I leave again. If I may, I’d like to do as the others do and start from procuring what I’ll need to make each dish.”

“Lord Sasaki, are you fine with this plan?”

“I’m incredibly honored by Lady Elsa’s kindness. I’m sure everyone will be delighted.”

He turned back to Elsa. “Then I’ll prepare a carriage and a knight to escort you at once.”

“Thank you, Father!” she exclaimed.

Part of me was concerned by the prospect of bringing food from the otherworld to Earth. But Peeps and I ate things in this world all the time. And besides, if something did happen, Peeps’s healing magic could take care of any unforeseen consequences.

After reassuring myself, I decided to prioritize Lady Elsa’s goodwill. That said, I would definitely be burning all the leftover vegetable peels and seeds.

Incidentally, King Adonis wasn’t at the castle. According to the count, he was still busy purging the Imperialists. That was, of course, why Count Müller seemed to always be around. After a bit more conversation, we said farewell to the father-daughter duo. We promised to visit again the next day, then left the castle behind.

From Allestos, we made our way to the Alterian region to check on the development of the route between Herz and the Republic of Lunge. Peeps’s teleportation magic got us there in a jiffy. Almost two months had passed in this world, and we could tell from above that work was progressing.

Along a river flowing down from the mountains, where forested slopes met a stretch of wasteland, were rows of tents—likely outposts for the workers developing the land. We could see a row of buildings under construction near the center—plus a few campfires here and there, releasing plumes of smoke into the air.

We used flight magic to descend toward the site, landing in one corner of the settlement.

Workers immediately caught sight of us and ran over, passing between the tents. As they grew nearer, we were able to make out their faces.

It was Mr. French’s father and younger sister. They’d probably spotted us first because they were assigned to keep watch over the area. There were tents everywhere, and people who looked like workers were busily going this way and that. As I took in the activity around us, I asked about the site’s progress.

The response caught me by surprise.

“What?” I said. “The tunnel under the river is already finished?”

“There are a few more things to take care of, like paving the road. But horse-drawn carts should be able to get through without a problem. The ground around here is pretty stable, sir; we shouldn’t have to worry about any water leaking through.”

“You’ve made quick work of it…”

“It’s all thanks to your massive investments, Lord Sasaki.”

The father took the lead in explaining all this.

I was shocked by how much they’d been able to do in two short months. I was expecting something more like this: They’d do a little digging around the entrance, then some leakage from the river would set them back, and they’d have to steel themselves for the long haul. I never dreamed they’d have the road completely dug out already, even if it was still unpaved.

“If you’re willing to be my guide, I’d like to see the site,” I said.

“Yes, sir, by all means. I’ll show you around.”

Mr. French’s father began walking, and we followed him to the tunnel along with his daughter. Our destination would be the starting point for the route.

The river in question flowed alongside the village of tents, and the tunnel had been bored out underneath it. We headed down toward the passage. Because it had been made for carts, the slant down into the tunnel wasn’t very steep. It was quite long, however.

The entrance was pretty wide, too. They’d secured more than enough area for cart traffic. And the surface of the exposed ground was as smooth as if someone had used heavy machinery to level it. According to Mr. French’s father, it had been packed down with magic.

Come to think of it, didn’t the master builder and the others do something similar during the fortress’s construction?

“I hope this doesn’t sound rude, but I’m impressed by how much you were able to excavate.”

“You provided more than enough compensation, sir, and we’ve had plenty of skilled magicians making the trip here from Rotan. A few of them even crossed the mountains from Lunge.”

“They sure came a long way.”

“Well, sir, the latter group originally lived here in Herz. Though they now live in the Republic, they were never able to forget their homeland. I believe that is another reason they’re so willing to work hard.”

I thought back to what Peeps had told me about the history of Herz. He’d said it was once at the pinnacle of magical technology. But as the noble class became increasingly corrupt, skilled magicians grew disillusioned and fled the country, leading to a rapid loss of state power. Now it seemed some of those people had set their sights back on their homeland.

I assumed the new king was another factor in their change of heart. King Adonis purging one Imperialist noble after another had become big news in Lunge; I wouldn’t be surprised if these mages had taken an interest in the situation.

“Would you like to go through the tunnel to the other side, sir?”

“May I?”

“Of course. Let me show you the way.”

I followed Mr. French’s father into the tunnel. I could see light shining in from the opposite end straight ahead. The tunnel was impressively complete. This world’s magic was kind of insane. No wonder science-based technology had never taken off here.

I remembered hearing on a TV program once that when humans wanted to dig a tunnel, it was typical to use the shield tunneling method, which progressed only a few centimeters at a time. According to the experts, with a normal foundation, you could expect maybe ten meters or so to be dug out in a day.

This tunnel was about the same length as one of ours, and it had been fully completed in the same amount of time. That said, while the digging was done, they still had to finish the outer walls. They were now laying bricks on the magically hardened foundation. This seemed like the more time-consuming portion of the work.

“It seems jobs like these go much more quickly with the help of magic users,” I pointed out, just to make sure.

His reply was as I expected. “I can’t imagine how long it would have taken if we’d tried to bore through without magic, sir.”

I had heard there was an advanced spell in the same vein that could completely alter the state of the land. It could turn the ground into a swamp or make it as hard as metal. They’d used the former along with a levitation spell to transport soil away from the dig site and then the latter spell to harden the surface inside the tunnel, thus completing it.

Most interesting to me was the long-term integrity of the structure. Apparently, regular maintenance on tunnels generally involved repacking the soil with magic to keep it sturdy. It all sounded very otherworldly.

On Earth, tunnels often made use of concrete segments. It seemed magic performed a similar function here. A good chunk of the construction period was to be spent on firming up the ground post-dig. I was happy to hear they were putting safety first.

Sometimes, in places like Tokyo, water would leak into tunnels where the ground was less naturally stable. But if you used a spell to freeze the area around the leak, you could instantly fix the problem—no need for liquid nitrogen. This seemed a much more efficient method.

According to Mr. French’s father, these techniques were employed daily all over the place. Nevertheless, no one could keep using magic nonstop all day. They probably had to confine their work to short, focused bursts.

It seemed, however, that the Marc Trading Company’s limitless cash injections had resolved this issue. Because of the number and variety of magic users coming to the site, it was possible to keep digging all day using a rotation system.

Mr. French’s father explained all this while I listened patiently.

“They’re being paid a lot for a few hours of labor,” he said. “And the required level of magical ability isn’t very high. The living situation is a little austere, but even so, they’re receiving exceptional treatment.”

“Is that right?”

“Recently, merchants from Rotan have been coming out to cater to the mages, sir. Thanks to them, while we’re still living in tents, we’re able to get our hands on some luxury items.”

“Ah, so that’s why the tent town seems so lively.”

“We’re also developing residential areas, of course. They’re only shacks right now, but with some more time, I think we can prepare a space to properly welcome you, Lord Sasaki.”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about me. I’d rather you prioritize your own living quarters.”

“I’m very grateful for your consideration, sir.”

After listening to this long explanation, I suddenly had a thought. With this level of work, wasn’t it possible to bore right through the mountains?

It would naturally take many years. And yet I felt increasingly sure it was possible. I wasn’t 100 percent, though. And it was human nature to want to confirm one’s notions immediately.

At this rate, the route’s development would be over before we knew it, and I didn’t want that.

“I’d like to ask some questions about future plans,” I said, addressing Mr. French’s father.

“What is it, sir?”

“Could you gather up everyone supervising the construction for me?”

Just asking shouldn’t cause that much trouble, so I figured I’d greet everyone and pose a few questions while I was at it.

Mr. French’s father led us to a particularly large tent nearby, while his daughter went around gathering up all the supervisors. Thanks to her, we soon had everyone we needed.

We all stood inside the large tent around a table set up in the middle. Atop the table was a map depicting the surrounding area—something we’d borrowed from Mr. Joseph for this job. It showed the region near the border between the Kingdom of Herz and the Republic of Lunge. The map itself was fairly precise; when Mr. Joseph handed it over, he’d cautioned me to take care of it. I normally left it with Mr. French’s father.

“A… A tunnel to go through the mountains, sir?”

Mr. French’s father was the first one to speak up after I made the suggestion.

“Yes, that’s right. Is it possible?”

“Well, sir, I’m not sure…”

Aside from the two of us, our group comprised several magic users and craftsmen. Evidently, these people were all in leadership positions, and it seemed about half of them were employed by the Marc Trading Company.

Not long after Mr. French’s father, they began sharing their own thoughts.

“I’ve never heard of anyone in the whole world trying their hand at such a major project.”

“I think that might be too rash, even for us.”

“I can’t even imagine how much that would cost.”

“But if we had the funds, it might just be possible.”

“Any craftsman worth his salt would want to have a hand in a project that huge.”

Their responses ran the gamut between those who thought it was absolutely unthinkable and others who had started working their mental abacuses straightaway. The idea was surely reckless, but from what I was hearing, it was technically possible.

“……”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Java sparrow atop my shoulder twitch. But he refrained from sharing his opinion since he was still pretending to be merely a cute little bird.

“Lord Sasaki, some of us have made similar remarks before. But—and forgive me for being rude, sir—they were all jokes. I can’t imagine how much work and money it would take to pull off a project of that scale.”

Mr. French’s father was speaking for his colleagues now. He was clearly dismayed by my sudden suggestion. If I’d been in his shoes, I probably would have refused outright. But when I thought about it, the section chief had forced me to do similarly insane things several times over now… Such was life—it was precisely when you most wanted to flee that running away wasn’t an option.

“And if I might be so bold, sir, even if we did complete the tunnel, it would be a massive undertaking just to maintain a structure of that immense size. Monster attacks and bandits could destroy parts of it, causing massive losses.”

Mr. French’s father was right—large structures were rarely built outside of cities in this world. Even on Earth, less stable countries frequently saw public facilities destroyed after completion or simply couldn’t maintain them.

But there was no point thinking about that now. After all, there was no guarantee this project would even be completed.

“Regarding maintenance,” I said, “I could simply arrange for additional personnel to be assigned once the current project is finished.”

“But sir, I—”

“Let me put it a different way. If you ignore the necessary manpower, time, and cost, would it be possible?” I asked, turning from the anxious-looking father to the other supervisors.

Their faces all grew serious, and they began to debate it on the spot.

“With a map this excellent, I feel it would certainly be possible.”

“If we can keep hiring magic users at the current rate, we’d at least be able to bore the tunnel out.”

“Yeah, sure, but we’d have to protect the finished parts on the way, right? Wouldn’t that be the real issue?”

“That’s what the captain is worried about, too.”

“Maybe if we could borrow knights from the kingdom, but…”

“Why not start digging in a deep spot to keep it out of sight?”

“We’d never be able to keep everyone quiet.”

“It would be difficult to secure ventilation, too.”

“If knights are out of the question, we’d need to hire a sizable band of mercenaries.”

“His Lordship did say we could ignore the issue of cost.”

I watched them silently. Next to me, Mr. French’s father’s face was as white as a sheet.

A short while later, the construction supervisors gave me their answer. Someone dressed like a magician stepped forward to represent the others and addressed me in a formal tone.

“Your Lordship, to summarize, it is indeed possible.”

“I see. Thank you.”

I figured this was a bit like when engineers told you something was “technically possible.” The implication was that it would cost way too much time and money to actually accomplish. That said, my goal just happened to be wasting a bunch of time and money, so their evaluation was very attractive to me. And even if it failed, we could just stop partway through.

To be honest, the mountain base camps were a rather cheap option. Considering how impressive the otherworld’s magic was, I’d need to go bigger if I wanted to spend more than a trickle of the profits currently making their way into my pockets.

“It would certainly take over a decade, sir.”

“In that case, there’s something else I’d like to ask.”

“What would that be, sir?”

“Hypothetically, if I were to make this request, would you all want to work here for over a decade?”

I cut straight to the chase and watched as their faces all stiffened. That was when I remembered—I was a noble here. I’d basically just sentenced them to over a decade of penal servitude. Oh no, I thought and quickly explained myself.

“I would never confine you here for a long time, of course. You would be free to return to Rotan and enjoy a vacation now and then. You’d be able to go back to your homelands once in a while, too. Even so, I know that many of you are probably resistant to the idea of working for such a long period of time.”

The looks on everyone’s faces visibly softened; my intentions must have gotten through to them.

Mr. French’s father stepped forward and addressed me formally. “Sir, this is just a conjecture, but I believe the amount needed would dwarf the budget we’re currently receiving from the Marc Trading Company. The sum would be so massive that even the ruler of a large territory would struggle to make ends meet.”

“That won’t be a problem,” I told him. “I’ll have enough capital ready for you, so please don’t worry about that. On the off chance that payments get held up, please feel free to abandon the project that very day. I’ll make sure to include that in the contract.”

I had it on good authority—namely, Mr. Joseph’s—that the Marc Trading Company’s monopoly on long-distance communication was a done deal. In fact, the bigger problem was how to spread the profits.

“Please, sir, this is far too big a burden to put on your shoulders. This could easily affect the administration of your territory. Why don’t we build the route according to the initial plan first?”

“My understanding is that this project will be very valuable for the Kingdom of Herz.”

“You think it would be to our homeland’s benefit?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Sir, why do you treat the Kingdom of Herz so well?”

“I want to do everything in my power to help His Majesty.”

“I, er, I see…”

I purposely left out which “His Majesty” I was referring to. And I didn’t think this would be nearly enough to repay them—to make it up to them. I thought back to the events that had transpired in the royal palace.

To avoid brooding, I turned to the magicians and craftsmen and asked them what they thought of the proposal.

“I’ll do whatever the captain decides.”

“Yes, I will abide by his judgment as well.”

“As long as the captain says yes, I won’t complain.”

“Hell, if he gave the word, we’d dig out anything.”

“I agree with the others.”

It seemed they were all on the same page, almost as if they’d already discussed the matter. And yet I knew they hadn’t had time for that.

“Excuse me, but who is this captain you keep referring to?” I asked.

“The one from Viscount French’s family. The man right over there, Your Lordship,” explained one of the craftsmen right away. Apparently, they’d been talking about Mr. French’s father.

“They heard I used to be a knight, sir,” he explained sheepishly. “So they started calling me that.”

In less than two short months, the rest of the construction site had come to thoroughly rely on him. However, because Mr. French had been elevated to the peerage, his father and sister were also considered nobility. It amazed me how much the others trusted him despite their differing ranks.

Even though he was only a petty officer, it seemed his time leading a group of knights hadn’t been for nothing. I wondered if something had happened in the last few months that had cemented their trust in him. Maybe I’d ask about it when we next had some free time.

The “captain” nodded to the others around the table, then turned back to me. “Very well, sir. We accept. We’d like to move forward with your proposal.”

“You have my sincere thanks. I feel very reassured entrusting things to you.”

I had a feeling Mr. Joseph wasn’t going to like this idea, but there was nothing I could do about that. In the end, I was a Herzian noble. In exchange, I might have to prepare another attention-grabbing product for him aside from the radio equipment. I thought of Ms. Futarishizuka, who had been fretting ever since Type Twelve showed up; maybe I could have her acquire something that took a little more time and effort.

“I’ll tell Mr. Marc about all of this, so please leave that to me.”

“We will all work with every fiber of our being so as not to let your great consideration for our kingdom go to waste, sir.”

Despite all this, I couldn’t bring myself to saddle them with such a huge task and then disappear. So I spent the rest of my stay in the otherworld personally helping to plan the tunnel’s construction. For an entire week, I helped hammer out a route with the others. Soon, we were able to figure out a basic idea of how to proceed. And with the power of magic, we could immediately do a few preliminary cuts to put our ideas to the test.

Thanks to everyone’s efforts, we’d worked out a plan of action by the time I was ready to leave.

It felt like I’d gotten some real work done in the otherworld for the first time in a while, and I departed from the construction site with a sense of fulfillment. I also got the feeling I’d grown a little closer with the workers. However, this all meant I wasn’t able to fit in any magic practice or horseback riding.

On my final day in the otherworld, I headed to the Republic of Lunge, more nervous than usual. Our first stop was the Kepler Trading Company; once in the reception room, I greeted Mr. Joseph and provided him with two months’ worth of diesel fuel. Mr. Marc was present as well. With the two of them together, I broached my new ideas regarding the route development project.

Naturally, chaos ensued the moment I brought it up.

“Mr. Sasaki, are you serious? I’m sure you must be joking.”

“Your apprehensions are more than reasonable, Mr. Joseph, but I am quite serious.”

“While it’s true that you’re a citizen of the Kingdom of Herz, and while I understand your desire to contribute to your country, there will be no point to your generosity if it destroys you. I can only see this harming Herz in the long run.”

“Please calm down, Mr. Joseph.”

“I don’t see a single reason to calm down.”

You’re right, I thought. I’m sorry. I felt really bad about the whole thing. What I was doing was tantamount to dragging the rest of my family into a multi-level marketing scheme. But I did my best to defend my idea.

“Currently, almost no other countries or organizations have their eye on the Kingdom of Herz. If we establish this trade route, the Kepler Trading Company will be able to monopolize it. I believe the potential profits would be immeasurable.”

“Forgive my rudeness, but is a declining kingdom really that valuable an investment?”

“I like to think of that decline as an opportunity. Right now, Herz is wide open. To add to that, the throne just changed hands, and the Empire’s influence is being steadily removed from the country’s power structure. That will leave a very large hole to fill.”

“I’ll give you that Herz still boasts a significant population. And I am sure a large amount of land will be seized by the government as its rulers are purged. But the trade route will only be valuable if it is completed, yes?”

Several tunnels of similar scope had been constructed in my own homeland—but I couldn’t use that as a defense. Considering the monsters and bandits that roamed this world, the same type of work would likely be impossible. To be honest, I was expecting this proposition to fail from the start, so giving Mr. Joseph and Mr. Marc false hope would only serve to tighten the noose around my neck.

Instead, I changed tack. “Even if this project fails, the only downside would be my loss of status within the company. For Kepler as a whole, I think it’s a good idea. As I said before, I don’t want to cause any problems for your business.”

Lately, my position within the Kepler Trading Company felt precarious. I was a foreigner who showed up suddenly and got hired through a connection to the company president. I was sure the other executives hated me. Regardless of overall company performance, I suspected there had been a lot of pushback from those higher up in the organization.

And now the newcomer was getting carried away on some stupid venture right in front of their noses. But doing this—and thus, lowering Mr. Joseph’s esteem for me—was actually part of my plan. If I did my job too well, after all, I might get assassinated like a certain Starsage.

“You and the company are in no danger,” I said. “Or am I mistaken?”

“Are you saying you’ll take full responsibility for this project’s failure?”

“Please don’t misunderstand. I don’t believe this venture is risky at all.”

“……”

Belatedly, something occurred to me. If an ordinary person like me had come up with this tunnel project, it seemed natural that others in this world had thought of the same idea at some point in the past. A few of them had probably even tried and failed. However, I hadn’t yet heard any such stories.

“I know I’m being pushy with this proposition, but what do you think?”

“…I hear what you’re saying, Mr. Sasaki,” replied Mr. Joseph. He looked more reluctant than I’d ever seen him.

He was a sharp man, and he probably had a complete understanding of my intentions. And yet, rather than getting mad, he seemed to think over the options. This was further proof of just how valuable the Marc Trading Company was to Kepler as of late.

Eventually, after mulling it over, he responded with a small nod. “I accept. I’d like to honor your wishes on the matter, Mr. Sasaki.”

“Thank you, Mr. Joseph.”

Thank goodness, I thought. I managed to get his approval. My heart had been pounding over this—I’d talked a pretty big game back at the construction site, after all.

A moment later, his attention shifted to the other man in the room. “Mr. Marc, could I ask you to adjust the trade route development plans and begin digging from the Lunge side as well? Working from both directions at once will shorten the tunnel’s construction time considerably.”

“Y-yes, sir,” replied Mr. Marc. Then, after confirming the details, he rushed out of the reception room.

That ended our meeting. Normally, I’d take the Kepler Trading Company up on their hospitality and stay in town for the night. But because of the complicated nature of our discussion this time, I skipped drinks with Mr. Joseph and left Lunge at once. You might say I felt so bad about what I’d just done that I fled the scene of the crime.

From there, Peeps and I headed straight for our lodgings in Baytrium—our headquarters. Our stay in the otherworld was over, and the only thing left to do was return to Earth. But after warping to the familiar living space, Peeps spoke up.

“Do you truly think you will be able to build this tunnel?” he asked, flying off my shoulder and perching on his little tree atop the living room table.

“Who knows? If we’re lucky, it might just work out.”

“I’m surprised. You seem to have even higher hopes for this than I do.”

“Is that right?”

“In your world’s terms, this endeavor is like cutting through the Alps from north to south.”

“But in terms of technology, the people here are just as capable as those in my world.”

“I won’t deny that, but there are many other issues involved in this case.”

“Do you think we should call it off right now?”

“No. As a statesman, it piques my interest.”

“That makes me feel a little better.”

“Remember the dragon idling about in the royal capital? Once work has progressed to a certain point, I can send him to the construction site. Adonis is aware of your actions as well. I would not be surprised if the royal palace agrees to cooperate with this undertaking.”

The dragon “idling about” in the royal capital was the golden dragon that had cut through the opposition during King Adonis’s march on Allestos against the Imperialist nobles. He was still nesting in the suburbs, ready to take out any more traitors should they arise. Thanks to him, the king could take the lion’s share of his forces to other territories as he continued his purge without worrying about the capital. According to Count Müller, however, the traitors were already running out of steam, and the dragon was now less needed. If that were truly the case, I would be more than happy to make use of him.

“I’m all for it. It will be very handy to have him there should a dispute break out with the Republic over rights to the tunnel.”

“The swiftness with which your mind operates is quite something. And I am very reassured by that quick wit you occasionally show—as you did earlier in your exchange with the Kepler Trading Company. As your companion, I find these traits favorable indeed.”

“I’m honored to receive praise from the Lord Starsage himself.”

“In any case, we can leave the matter for our next visit. Let us return to your world.”

“Don’t forget—we have to pick up Lady Elsa.”

“Ah, yes, you’re right.”

As long as there were profits to be made, people would move of their own accord. If things turned out well, we wouldn’t have to do any work ourselves. We were making great progress in turning this world into the ideal location for our laid-back life of relaxation.

And so these two world-weary companions left the otherworld behind, our hearts full of anticipation.

After meeting up with Lady Elsa in the royal castle, Peeps warped us back to our cheap hotel in Tokyo. We already had it booked for the next six months.

After checking the time, I saw that about an hour more had passed than we’d initially planned. Since the section chief said he would contact us first thing in the morning, I meant to get back right at dawn, but the sky had already brightened. Checking the clock, I saw that it was past six AM. The change wasn’t dramatic, but the difference between the flow of time in the two worlds was still shrinking.

“It would appear the process has sped up once again.”

“Then either the frequency of our trips doesn’t matter, or the effects of going less often will take a while to appear.”

“Both are possible. I believe we should continue our experiment for now. It took a good deal of time after we first started traveling between worlds for us to see a change in the speed of time’s progression; I expect it will require at least as long for us to see the opposite effect.”

“I agree. I think that’s the best idea.”

“Sasaki, I don’t really understand, but I’m not causing trouble for you, am I?”

“Ah, that’s right. There are other factors to consider aside from frequency—such as the total mass targeted by the spell,” Peeps said, coming to some realization after hearing Lady Elsa’s remark. He fluttered down from my shoulder and made for the laptop on the desk.

“…Umm, little bird?”

“Lady Elsa, you’re no trouble at all. I promise. You don’t need to worry. Also, Peeps, I don’t mean to burst your bubble, but…could you wait until we get to Ms. Futarishizuka’s place to start your staring contest with the computer?”

“Yes, I suppose.”

We quickly got ready, and then Peeps warped us to Karuizawa.

We ended up in the villa’s living room. The homeowner was there, of course, along with Miss Hoshizaki and Type Twelve. All of them were seated on the sofas with nothing to do. I was surprised by how early my colleague had arrived; there was still a good amount of time before work began.

“Sasaki, aren’t you a little late?” asked Miss Hoshizaki.

“I don’t believe business hours have started yet,” I replied.

“Didn’t you see the section chief’s message?”

“Oh, sorry. I’ll check right now.”

That was when I realized that I hadn’t checked my phone since returning from the otherworld. Frantically, I pulled out the device and saw several notifications displayed on the screen. One of them was an e-mail from the section chief. In it, he asked me to come to the office as soon as I saw his message. It had come in at 5:30 AM that morning. I began to wonder if Mr. Akutsu ever slept.

“Father, if we use a terminal, we can get there in minutes,” offered Type Twelve before I could respond.

I could feel the excitement coming off her in waves. She stared at me, obviously wishing to leave at once. Though her expression was the same as always, her feelings were as clear as day.

“All right. I’d appreciate that.”

“Understood.”

We took Type Twelve up on her suggestion, and my two colleagues and I departed from Karuizawa with the alien girl in tow. Though I felt bad for leaving so quickly, I had Lady Elsa and Peeps mind the villa as always. It looked like today’s pretend family time would have to wait until we heard from our boss.

Well, whatever he says, as her guardians, we shouldn’t have anything to do but lie around the house eating and sleeping, I thought, trying to be optimistic about our extremely early summons.