Chapter 49 The Two Days a Man Spent in Japan in the Blink of an Eye
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The next day, I made sure to leave detailed instructions. I asked Cleonora and Liliarette to hold down the fort at the base while the maids were tasked with the important job of grinding for Resource Points. Cleonora and Liliarette had also decided to take turns being a Magical Girl¹, rotating out so they could keep up with hunting those demon monsters in parallel. I couldn’t help but wonder how Liliarette would manage her basic needs when she was alone… but I figured if I just left enough instruction for the maids, they could probably handle that kind of thing well enough.
Last time I came back to Japan, I had to leave Cleonora all by herself. This time, though, the two sisters get to stay together, and with someone to talk to, it definitely wouldn’t feel like a lonely five days. I was really glad Liliarette came along, in that sense.
”Well, here we go! Let’s get this show on the road~ Goya²!” Ami-chan chirped.
”Goya…?” I mumbled, caught off guard.
Ami-chan’s cheerful call was the signal, and then the dimensional transfer began. The moment I opened my eyes again, I was back in my own room, a sight I hadn’t seen in what felt like ages.
”Wow… I’m back. No, wait, it feels like that world is my real home now, which makes this place feel weird… I’m feeling such a disconnect,” I mused, looking around. The laundry was still hanging exactly where I’d left it, just as messy as ever. The floor was scattered with all the things I hadn’t been able to take with me on my last trip, including a pile of my old clothes.
I immediately swapped out the clothes I’d worn from the other world for my old Japanese ones.
”It’s so strange,” I thought to myself. “When I come back from the other world, my clothes come with me fine. But when I jump from Japan to the other world, I can’t take any clothes at all…”
”It’s a pretty irregular situation, huh? I gave up trying to figure out the cause a long time ago, you know!” Ami-chan declared with a flippant air.
”Yeah, well, thinking about it won’t solve anything,” I sighed, moving on. “For now, I’m just going to toss everything I see into my Treasure Vault.”
I started shoving metallic spoons, forks I’d bought before, and various seasonings like salt into the Treasure Vault without delay. But then, I decided to run a quick experiment.
First, I poured some salt from a small jar into a plastic bag, folded the bag neatly, and slipped it into the Treasure Vault. Next, I didn’t bother with a container or bag at all, and just tried to store the loose salt powder itself inside. When I pulled both back out…
”Woah,” a sound of surprise escaped me.
The salt I’d bagged came out perfectly, bag and all. But the loose powder just trickled and scattered, spilling right through the circle made by my fingers. I hadn’t put in much, but if I’d stored a huge amount, it would have poured out like a waterfall.
”Can you adjust the amount you take out?” Ami-chan inquired, a note of slight curiosity in her voice.
”I guess I could, but by the time I try to make any fine adjustments, it just keeps spilling out, you know?” I explained, frustrated.
”I see. So, packing it in a bag or container is the safer bet then, huh?”
”Probably. Though, I think I could work around it if I took it out over a plate or something,” I responded.
Having an endless supply of seasonings is never a bad thing, as it means I can add a lot more flavor to our meals back in the other world. I had to bring back as much as possible.
”I guess I need to figure out better containers then… Right! Time to hit the 100-yen shop,” I declared, getting up.
I headed to the nearest 100-yen store, searching for exactly what I needed. Thankfully, I found the perfect thing right away.
”Oh, now that is clever! I bet these containers would slip right into the Treasure Vault without any trouble at all!” Ami-chan exclaimed, though still invisible.
They were tall, slender, flask-like containers made of clear acrylic, which meant I could see the contents perfectly. And they were cheap, too! I immediately grabbed all the store had and dumped them into my shopping basket.
By the way, Ami-chan had made herself scarce, just like the first time we met. She was still around, but unseen.
”While I’m here, I might as well buy anything else I can think of that might fit in the Treasure Vault…”
I bought ballpoint pens, rubber bands, and tube-based seasonings like mustard and wasabi. I also picked up nail clippers, a penlight, and a few chocolate snacks. I swung by a supermarket, too, grabbing small amounts of rice and pasta.
Next, I stopped at a scrap yard, picked up some long steel rods, and hauled them all back home. Once back in my room, I immediately threw myself into the tedious, obsessive task of transferring and packing everything. Honestly, walking around carrying long steel rods made me look like a total weirdo.
”It would be great if one of these things could be efficiently converted into Resource Points,” I hoped, pouring salt into a narrow flask.
”We won’t know until we try, though, will we~?” Ami-chan said, totally unconcerned.
The tube seasonings went right into the Treasure Vault without needing to be repacked. Into the flask-shaped containers went sugar and salt, of course, but also soy sauce, yakiniku sauce, and even mentsuyu (noodle soup base). I even packed the meat sauce for the pasta, pouring it into a plastic bag, shaping it into a long, thin tube, and slipping it through the finger-circle and into the Treasure Vault.
”Next up are plant seeds… Oh, and I should roll up some paper and take that, too. When you actually get to it, there’s a surprisingly huge amount of stuff you can bring back,” I realized, sweat trickling down my temple.
”Well, carrying it all home is a pain, that’s for sure! But those steel rods might turn into some pretty decent metal material, you think?” Ami-chan suggested.
Unfortunately, all this activity had hammered my bank account. My remaining savings were now sitting at a scary 110,000 yen. I had bought a huge volume of seasonings and all sorts of side dishes that go well with rice.
What really broke the bank, though, was the booze. I bought a few kinds of alcohol: beer, chuhai (mixed spirits), whiskey, and even sake. All of those got poured into containers and sent straight to the Treasure Vault. As I was repacking, the strong, unique smell of the alcohol stung my nose. Since I don’t drink regularly, it was a smell I just wasn’t used to.
And just like that, the first day of my return to Japan was completely devoured by the task of stuffing the Treasure Vault. The next day, the second day, dawned with a terrible realization.
”I’m out! I have no money left…!”
”Yeah~ Considering the rent, I’d say the end of next month is your limit, huh? You’ll be lucky to make it two months?” Ami-chan commented with zero sympathy.
My cushion had totally disappeared! Since I had no way to convert anything I made in the other world into Japanese yen, I absolutely had to find a way to earn some money here. I really wanted to cut all ties with my life here, but the fact that I could bring Japanese seasonings to the other world meant I couldn’t just give it all up.
I hadn’t found any way to get equivalent seasonings over there, and I wasn’t even sure if they existed. Plus, the simple fact that I could bring over food like rice and pasta made it impossible for me to abandon my place in Japan. I mean, come on, I wanted Cleonora and Liliarette to enjoy some delicious rice and pasta! They’re stuck with just mystery meat and fruit most of the time!
For vegetables, I was hoping to manage cultivation using seedlings. I had also bought fruits like apples and grapes and collected the seeds inside. I also had lettuce and corn seedlings stored away in the Treasure Vault. I thought that if I could level a plot of land and use my Land of Blessing skill, I might be able to grow some really good crops.
All my efforts to create a truly fulfilling diet in the other world had led directly to me being completely broke. Still, I knew I had to keep this up, especially bringing over the rice and seasonings.
”………”
My eyes slid over, and I noticed my smartphone. “Oh, right… Morisaki offered me that part-time job,” I muttered, the thought immediately tying a knot in my stomach.
I turned the screen on. No missed calls from anyone. I opened my messaging app and checked the text from Morisaki.
”The deadline… is the end of this month, huh.”
I felt a huge wave of resistance crash over me. Even though we’d been casual friends in high school… no, because of that. It was precisely because he was one of the few friends I had that I felt such shame about accepting charity from him. On top of that, he was a successful civil servant! I was certain he would look down on me when he found out the state I was in. But still. Even so.
”Ugh…!” I groaned, running a hand through my hair.
”You’re really starting to sweat there~” Ami-chan observed, unhelpful as always.
In my mind, I saw the two sisters, Cleonora and Liliarette. The scales were balanced: the enrichment of their lives in the other world versus my own, wretched pride. I, a grown adult, would have to admit to a former classmate that I was an unemployed slacker³ and ask for a part-time job referral. But no one could actually prove I was a slacker until I confessed it. I was Schrödinger’s slacker⁴.
”Haah, haah, haah, haah…!”
”Why’s your heart pounding so hard…?” Ami-chan wondered as my panic spiked.
I realized I’d been staring at the message on my smartphone until the evening arrived. I had spent nearly a whole day wrestling with this internal conflict. Any normal person would wonder why I needed so long to choose between two options. But it was precisely because I was this kind of monster—a creature made of ego and pride—that Ami-chan had found me worthy of becoming her contractor in the first place.
I knew it in my head. But my finger just wouldn’t move. Maybe next month, some other opportunity would come up. No, wait. Maybe the next time I came back to Japan, I could bring something valuable from the other world to sell.
Ah… yes. There was no reason for me to force myself to contact Morisaki right now, was there? I still had three days before I was due to go back to the other world. I could just think about it tomorrow.
”Alright. I’m going to forget it for now,” I decided, relieved that the problem was punted away.
”Got any leftover chocolate~?” Ami-chan asked hopefully.
I lifted my head, feeling instantly better, and that’s exactly when my smartphone started to vibrate.
”Eh…?!”
The screen flashed, showing an incoming call. The caller was… Morisaki.
”Haah, haah, haah, haah…!” The sound of my own ragged breathing filled the silent room.
”There goes the heart pounding again…” Ami-chan noted, the invisible entity still watching.
I couldn’t bring myself to act first. But if the other person took the initiative, well, that was a whole different story.
And then, with a fingertip that wouldn’t stop trembling, I answered Morisaki’s call.
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Summary:
Shimizu comes back to Japan to gather valuable supplies, managing to stock his Treasure Vault with huge amounts of Japanese rice, pasta, and seasonings. However, this shopping spree leaves him nearly broke, forcing him to face his financial reality. He struggles for an entire day over whether to swallow his pride and accept a job offer from his successful high school friend, Morisaki, before Morisaki calls him directly, forcing Shimizu’s hand.
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Character Insight:
Shimizu’s deep-seated pride and ego are the main obstacle to his survival in the real world. His willingness to spend all his money to improve the diet of Cleonora and Liliarette highlights his shift in priorities: he values their comfort in the Isekai world over his own dignity in Japan. Ami-chan is detached but provides commentary that drives Shimizu’s self-reflection.
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Behind the Scene:
The author establishes the rules of the Treasure Vault for loose materials (must be in a container) and confirms that basic necessities like food are transportable, making Shimizu’s need for Japanese income a continuing plot point. The concept of ‘Schrödinger’s slacker’ is a metaphor for his denial of his true financial status.
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T/L:
¹ Magical Girl: A term that refers to a person, often a girl, with magical abilities. In this context, it is a role or class they can adopt in the Isekai world. ↩
² Goya: Bitter melon, a vegetable most famously associated with Okinawan cuisine. Ami-chan uses it here as a lighthearted, nonsensical exclamation, much like saying ‘Let’s go!’ ↩
³ Unemployed Slacker (Pūtarō): A derogatory Japanese term for a jobless person who lives without working. ↩
⁴ Schrödinger’s Slacker: A humorous, self-aware reference to the ‘Schrödinger’s Cat’ thought experiment. Until Shimizu checks the box (calls Morisaki), his status as a slacker is both proven and unproven at the same time. ↩
Notes:
• Liliarette – The other Princess, who sacrificed her ability to walk and her sorcery talent to save her sister, Cleonora. She is imprisoned in the East Tower and is being used as a political and monetary pawn by Viorga. C-cup, true golden hair, waist-length hair, the fringe was a slightly blunt, hair on her left side was braided to the chest.
• Cleonora – The second princess. Have a yellow blonde hair. Usually styled as hairbun.
• Ami – A palm-sized fairy-like being from a world separate from both Earth and the isekai realm. She has light blue hair tied in a ponytail, mischievous blue eyes, and tiny wings that flutter behind her. Her outfit consists of a provocative high-cut leotard and a short jacket that looks like a miniskirt from the back, leaving her legs bare. Despite her playful appearance, she is actively searching for a contractor who can protect her from dangerous pursuers in exchange for the powers she offers.
• Morisaki – A former high school friend of Shou’s who is now a successful civil servant. He contacts Shou after speaking with Shou’s brother, offering a legitimate job. His success is a source of humiliation for Shou.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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