Volume 1 Chapter 31 Photo
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The day after I had a crash with Aaa-aaa, I went to the Royal Museum with Puruun to test my smartphone, as promised to Mr. Panarail.
It seems like he understood it was an accident, but honestly, Puruun is still pretty grumpy. I hope my smartphone works to cheer him up.
At the testing site, besides Mr. Panarail, there were 6 elf curators.
I broke the shrink wrap, took out the batteries, and set them in the charger, connecting it to the smartphone that the museum had.
Oh, a charging symbol appeared! This smartphone is alive! When I turned it on, after a moment… Yes! The home screen came up.
There were pictures of a person who looked like a mother and child.
I wonder if they are the family of the smartphone’s owner.
Behind the people in the picture, I noticed a poster with only kanji on it, so I thought it might belong to someone of Chinese descent.
The curators were also amazed by the image displayed.
”Puruun. This is a photo. You can keep images of your loved ones on a smartphone like this.”
”Wow. So it’s not just a drawing. That’s amazing.”
Unfortunately, when I tried to go to the main screen, it asked for a password.
Since it’s a 4-digit code, I might be able to crack it if I try ten thousand combinations, but I probably won’t have enough time or battery.
When I explained this to Mr. Panarail, he said that later, we might try to break the password together.
It feels bad to have all the curators gathered and not be able to do much with just this.
Next, it was time to test my smartphone.
I thought it wouldn’t be broken since it was working when I came to this world.
I connected the charger and turned it on.
The home screen displayed… Ah, it’s Tomori! How nostalgic.
Oh no, I’m getting emotional…
”Hey, Yuuta. Who is this?”
Puruun asked.
”Oh, this is Tomori. Ms. Akari mentioned her before. She’s Ms. Akari’s daughter!”
Ah, even though the face doesn’t look alike, it’s the person who said her personality is similar to hers. It’s true that she doesn’t resemble her at all. Yeah. But, Mama Akari definitely has some resemblance.
Since it’s my own smartphone, there’s no issue with authentication. I entered the main screen and started explaining the features to the curators. I showed Puruun a few photos from my folder.
”This is from the last kendo tournament where I totally lost.”
”Wow, Yuuta looks weird in this. And Tomori next to you is wearing a really short skirt, almost showing her butt.”
”Ah, that’s because I’m wearing a chest protector and gloves over my uniform. In our kendo world, we wear this kind of gear for matches. Tomori’s outfit is called a cheerleader uniform, which is basically for cheering.”
”Really? I see…”
I want to show this to Ms. Akari, who is coming to the city tomorrow.
”Hmm, in Mr. Yuuta’s world, everyone has one of these devices, and they can talk to each other no matter where they are… that’s even cooler than magic! We often underestimate humans, but you really have some amazing technology.”
Mr. Panarail is super excited.
”Hey, Puruun. Can I take a picture of you?”
”Really, is that okay?”
So, I took a solo shot of Puruun and another one with the curators.
”Wow. Is that really how I look?”
Puruun complained after seeing the photo. There are mirrors in this world, but they’re made of polished metal, not like the bright mirrors we have.
This might be the first time Puruun has seen their face so clearly. But that’s good. They seem to be in a better mood now.
After that, I recorded a video to show them and explained various features in detail as much as I knew, and by the time we left the museum, it was already evening.
Since I was able to charge my phone the whole time, I should be able to show Tomori’s photos to Ms. Akari and Melon when they come tomorrow.
I saw some nostalgic things, and Puruun cheered up a bit. Tomorrow, Ms. Akari and Melon will finally arrive in the Royal Capital… I felt a little happy and was walking home with light steps, but just as I was almost home, Puruun stopped and talked to me.
”Hey, Yuuta. Can I ask you something?”
”What is it? What do you want to know?”
”Your smartphone photos. Why is it Tomori?”
”? Why? Tomori is Ms. Akari’s child…?”
”That’s weird… why is it Tomori and not Mama Akari! And it’s not just the first screen, but there were so many of Tomori inside too… There wasn’t a single photo of Mama Akari! Plus, I thought Tomori was a much smaller kid… but they look about the same size as me! Is Tomori your and Mama Akari’s child?”
”Ah, uh…”
Puruun’s pointed question left me flustered and unable to speak.
”What’s wrong? Silent? Then let me tell you. In that other world, your partner was probably Tomori!”
I felt like my feet were crumbling beneath me. It was careless of me, but the secret I had kept for so long was now exposed in a bad way.
However, at this point, I had no choice but to explain properly. I steeled myself and told Puruun that my true partner was Tomori, but I had drifted into this world with Ms. Akari, Tomori’s mother. With Mr. Goetec’s advice, I had been living under the pretense that I was paired with her.
”I’m sorry, Puruun. I always thought I would tell you the truth someday, but there was never a good time…”
”Stop making excuses! In the end, you were deceiving us from the start! Me, Imenji, Melon, and the villagers… what is that, an affair with your partner’s mother… how disgusting. And I was told to just go and make memories with you… what a fool I was!”
Puruun’s anger was intense, and there was no way to approach her.
”What are we going to do about this! Tomorrow, the two of them are coming… What kind of face should I make when I meet Mama Akari! I can’t take this anymore… Why did it end up like this… Fine. I’m going home… You don’t have to come back!”
Saying that, Puruun ran off crying, leaving me behind.
I sat on a bench in the park near my house, reflecting on everything that had happened.
I was so foolish.
In the end, I hurt Puruun in the worst way possible.
Acting all knowledgeable, saying that Beastfolk practice polygamy while humans are monogamous.
Wasn’t I the one who ignored that immorally from the start? I had been hurting Puruun from the very beginning…
Thinking that made me feel so pathetic and sad…
I wanted to disappear from in front of her, but I couldn’t do that.
Maybe Puruun would abandon me like this, but tomorrow, I have to meet Ms. Akari and be by her side… because there’s no one else.
I can’t go home, and tomorrow I have to go to the merchant guild to welcome the two of them.
I couldn’t go too far, and while I was lying on the park bench, I heard someone call me.
”Mr. Yuuta. Is this where you are?”
”Huh? Princess… I mean Aaa-aaa. It’s dangerous to be out alone at night. You should go back quickly.”
”But I’ve never seen Puru like that, and I didn’t know what to do… I got the gist of things from Puru. She’s serious, so she probably can’t accept immoral things.”
”Yeah. Because of that, she completely hates me now. Even if I meet Ms. Akari tomorrow, I probably won’t be able to live with Puruun anymore. I’ll have to find a way for the two of us to survive.”
”But it might take time, but don’t you think she’ll understand someday? You and that Ms. Akari have probably worked together to overcome really desperate situations, right? It wouldn’t be strange at all if real love blossomed between you. In fact, Elves are much more complicated… yeah, that’s right. In that sense, I might also end up being hated by Puru.”
”What do you mean by that?”
”Yeah, I feel bad about dragging you into this later, and I haven’t told Puru either… The reason for my exile… I’m being proposed to by my brother.”
”Huh? Is that the second prince you mentioned yesterday?”
”Yes. Elder Brother Aaron and I, we have different mothers, but we are definitely blood-related siblings. For some reason, Elder Brother Aaron has been really into me since we were kids, and since his mother isn’t of high status, it might also be to strengthen his claim in the royal succession battle. He wants me as his wife.”
”Wait, are you saying he’s serious about this? Isn’t that crossing a line, even for royalty?”
”My other sisters have already been married off to the local nobility. Right now, the first prince, Yomomo, holds the claim to the throne, but it seems like the local lords and high officials find him a bit unreliable, so many are supporting the clever second prince, Elder Brother Aaron.”
”Supporting him is one thing, but does that mean you’re just supposed to go along with his plan? Do you even get a choice in this?”
”But if anything were to happen to our current king, my father, it could lead to internal conflict.”
”Which makes you the key to keeping things stable. But does he really think forcing you into this will solve everything?”
”Elder Brother Aaron doesn’t seem to care much about what others think and keeps insisting that I share a bed with him.”
”I see, so that’s why the second prince’s advances have become so intense that you couldn’t take it anymore and ran away… Still, that’s pretty immoral, isn’t it? Doesn’t anyone point that out?”
”If Elder Brother Aaron were to become king in the future after doing something like that, our family would be completely cut off. That brother of mine is a bit too much of a pervert, or maybe too sadistic…”
Hearing such words from a princess feels refreshing.
”But if that’s the case, you should definitely tell him the reason. Puru will absolutely try to protect you! There’s no family that would be troubled by being cut off.”
”Do you think so? I would be happy if that’s true. Oh, by the way, I couldn’t tell Mr. Yuuta last night because of all the commotion, but I’m moving to the Coral Count territory in the south in a month. I’ve never been there, but I hear it’s a beautiful place by the sea. I want Puru to come with me, but since your sister is also coming to the capital, it might be impossible.”
”I can’t say for sure, but why not ask honestly? I’m in this situation too, and surprisingly, my sister might come along with me.”
I understand. I’ll honestly talk to Puru about my brother too.
I’ll also try to keep an eye on you in a subtle way… And about last night…
I really think it was good that the first person was Mr. Yuuta.
However, because of the magic, I don’t remember the details very well, so if there’s another chance, I’d appreciate it again.
Saying that, Aaa-aaa went back home.
”Eh? Oh, no. I’m honored. If there’s ever a chance, please do!”
No, really, she’s such a kind and lovely princess, but that’s not right.
I just reflected on the whole one-man-one-woman thing… I’m such a worthless guy.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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