Chapter 81 The Young Woman Who Approaches the Core
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Yesterday, I had quickly used my ‘teleportation’¹ to flee the changing room and go home.
Ami-chan’s ‘teleportation’ really is incredibly convenient! It makes travel so easy!
I can’t use it too often, though, as I need to save some ‘Ego Point’ for when I have to return to the other world.
And today, the second day, was another day of part-time work. I had my eye on various things I wanted, so all I had to do was work toward my target amount of money.
(I really must add more cosplay outfits! And thigh-high stockings, too! Oh, and I want a cat-ear Alice band! And then…)
…Adult merchandise, as well!
While browsing a mail-order site for cosplay costumes, ‘Recommended for you’ items showed up, including some rather shocking devices for pleasure.
Now that I can put things into my ‘Treasure Trove’, it seems… no, I really want to try using them!
With these desires surging within me, I worked diligently today as well. And the day ended peacefully… but then.
”Say, Ami-chan…”
”Yep. We’re definitely being watched!”
That was the thing. Since the evening, I had somehow felt I was being observed by a girl in a school uniform.
I thought I might be being paranoid, but Ami-chan seemed to feel the eyes on us too.
”She’s been watching from quite a distance. I wonder if she’s curious about Shou?”
”Eh!? I-I’ve never been popular in my entire life, you know…!”
”I know that, of course. Not in a ‘boy-likes-girl’ way, but maybe in a ‘creepy-cute’ way?”
”What’s that supposed to mean…”
Besides, isn’t that comment subtly rude?
”That girl… I thought I’d seen her somewhere. She’s one of the Kendo Girls.”
”Eh…?”
”You know, the one who was rumoured to be the fiancée of ‘The Handsome’ in the suit.”
”…Ah!”
Now that she mentioned it, she did look like one of them. I hadn’t seen her in uniform before, so I didn’t realise until Ami-chan said something.
”Maybe she forgot something…?”
”It seems like her target is Shou, though. What shall we do? With her watching us so closely, it’s hard to use ‘teleportation’…”
It’s true! If I were seen entering the dark changing room and then disappearing, it would look incredibly suspicious.
There was a chance someone might call the police, reporting a suspicious person setting up a hidden camera in the changing room.
Honestly, getting involved with the police right now would be no laughing matter. If that happened, I would simply resolve never to come to Japan again and flee to the other world.
Well, I did intend to eventually stay in the other world for good, but for now, there’s also the matter of the ‘Pursuer’.
”It can’t be helped, I suppose I’ll walk home… I can’t ‘teleport’ once I leave the workplace, can I?”
”I’m merely connecting this spot and your room, that’s all. More importantly, why don’t you go over and talk to her? She might leave quickly once her business is concluded, you know.”
”There’s no way I can do that!”
Suddenly speaking to a girl in uniform whom I don’t know at all… The hurdle is far too high for me!
In all likelihood, she would just be repulsed, and that would be the end of it. In fact, she might genuinely call the police right there, thinking I was a suspicious person.
Also, if she were to scream the moment I spoke to her, my life would be ruined.
I would then become excellent fodder for my classmates’ reunions!
Knowing them, they would certainly say all sorts of things they liked, like, “I always thought he’d do something like that someday,” or “He was the sort of guy whose thoughts you never knew,” or “He might have been good at schoolwork, but he was lacking in social education.”
And they would happily drink sake over my misfortune. Confound them!
”Unforgivable…!”
”What are you so angry about? …Well, never mind. Let’s just go home, then,” Ami-chan said.
Sigh… if only I could use ‘teleportation’, I’d be there in an instant. I suppose I’ll accept it as exercise…
It will take an hour, but it doesn’t feel that long when I’m chatting with Ami-chan. And I did feel like the ‘Ego Point’ would be wasted, too.
Thinking this, I left my workplace and began walking the night streets. I could clearly hear footsteps behind me.
…Eh, now I’m genuinely frightened…
”Shou. Don’t react to my voice, just keep listening,” Ami-chan whispered.
I continued to walk without showing any reaction, just as I was told.
”About that girl… she’s walking quite close behind you. Her target is definitely you, after all.”
I had a feeling that was the case…! Is it really the same girl following me from behind?!
When I tried walking a little faster, the footsteps behind me also quickened. When I slowed down, they slowed down too. This was pure horror.
(Eh!? I-Is she a stalker!? N-No. Calm down… there’s no way I would have a stalker! In that case…)
C-Could it be… a Mugger targeting an old man!?
Maybe she was trying to apply pressure like this, waiting for me to make contact and ask, “Do you need something?”
And once I spoke to her, she would suddenly scream and play the victim…
Or perhaps her boyfriend, who was waiting nearby, would emerge, yell, “What are you doing to my woman!?” and take my money after beating me up.
After all, my part-time job pays daily! She might be planning to snatch today’s earnings!
While considering all these possibilities, I started crossing a bridge with few people around.
(Wait a minute… here, I can…)
There were no signs of her companions lurking nearby. If there were, they would have crossed the bridge with her.
R-Right… there’s no need to be timid. Even if I spoke to her and she screamed, the residential area is a bit far away from here!
Desperate to be released from the pressure that had been on me for so long, I stopped in the middle of the bridge. The footsteps from behind also ceased.
I gathered my courage and turned around. The girl was standing much closer than I expected.
(W-We made perfect eye contact…!)
This was the first time I had seen her so close. Illuminated by the town light, the girl was quite lovely.
She wore a white hairband on her glossy black hair, which was obviously very well-cared for. That alone added a solid eighty points to her sense of cleanliness and grace.
About seven-tenths of her fringe on the left side was left to grow normally, but the remaining three-tenths on the right side were tucked back toward her ear and fastened with a hair clip.
Her hair seemed to extend past her shoulders at the back. As one who practises kendo, her face looked a little stately.
The harmony between her purity and stateliness was quite splendid, I thought. She was, at the very least, a type of beautiful girl I had never seen among my classmates.
Standing so much closer than I had imagined, her beautiful features made me momentarily shrink back. But somehow, I managed to squeeze out a voice.
”U-Um… is there… something you need…?”
Even though she was younger than me, I ended up using extremely polite language!
But this was the first time I had ever spoken to an unfamiliar woman in town. I couldn’t help but feel nervous.
The Kendo Girl showed no sign of fear and parted her somewhat thin lips.
”Tonight… is the Fairy not here?”
”………!?”
Eh…!? W-What did she just say…!? F-F-F-Fairy…!?
The only thing I could think of when she mentioned a Fairy was Ami-chan.
But no one should be able to see Ami-chan. Even I can’t see her.
”That reaction… as expected, you are… the one from that time…!”
”Eh… E-Eh, eh!?”
I hadn’t said anything! W-What is going on?!
Was the confusion on my face really that obvious?
”Yesterday, you flew out of the changing room into a different space… How about that?”
”Ha… eh…”
This is bad. She knows! My heart is pounding fiercely! W-What kind of situation is this?!
The Kendo Girl showed a rather intimidating smile and took a step closer to me.
”Hee hee… I was right, after all…!”
”Oh, dear. So, we’ve been tracked since yesterday, have we?” Ami-chan appeared.
The Kendo Girl’s expression instantly froze, and both her eyes widened.
”A… Fairy…!”
”Hello there, I’m Ami-chan. Hmm, there’s no helping it now. Shou, since this girl knows about us, we should just…”
”As I thought… you dispose of witnesses…”
”Ohoho! ‘Dispose of’? Heavens no, not that… but we’ll certainly make you obey…”
’I have found you, Lewd Princess!’
”!”
Suddenly, a loud, deep male voice boomed. The events were happening too fast, one after another, for my mind to keep up!
Almost simultaneously, a monster surged up from beneath the bridge with a great splash.
”Eh…”
”Ah… this one’s bad…”
’Perish in the Time Prison! Dimensional Fault: Eternal Omega Force!’
If I had to describe the monster, it looked like the result of a praying mantis mating with an alien.
In short, it had a somewhat high level of unpleasantness to its appearance.
The moment its insect-like eyes glared, the space around us was instantly replaced by an empty, pitch-black void.
—
Summary:
Shou’s efforts at his part-time job are interrupted by the Kendo Girl, who has been following him and suspects his connection to the Fairy; Ami-chan reveals herself, but before she can resolve the situation, a monstrous pursuer appears and traps them all in a dark, dimensional space.
—
Character Insight:
Shou continues to display a strong sense of social anxiety and fear of public shame, especially concerning his past classmates, prioritising evasion over direct confrontation. The Kendo Girl is shown to be highly observant and persistent, directly challenging Shou about his hidden ability and the existence of Ami-chan, hinting at a larger understanding of the world’s hidden mechanics.
—
Behind the Scene:
The author notes the conclusion of the side story ‘The Senjutsu User of the Emerald Sakura Empire’ and thanks readers for their support, while teasing the approaching ‘time of awakening’ for the main story.
—
T/L:
¹ [teleportation]: The ability to instantaneously move from one location to another, facilitated by Ami-chan and costing ‘Ego Point’. ↩
Notes:
• 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.
• Emerald – Magical Girl version of Cleonora. Smaller, side-tailed, green-and-white mini-skirted girl.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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