Chapter 204 The Man and the Woman, Talking
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
At any rate, with this, I have successfully gathered the five Unique¹ units. This is the maximum my current farm scale can sustain. From here on out, I would like to focus on grinding my Quester level² for a while.
But in tandem with that, bolstering my auxiliary forces is a matter of life and death. Beyond the Dominion’s³ defensive grid, I need to expand my roster of Magical Girls⁴.
And so, that evening found me in the guest room of my latest prospect: Ginya Kanade. She had finally come to after her ordeal, so I had arranged a light meal for her. She was still bedbound, so I had the food brought directly to her side. I had already had Ami-chan give her a primer on the situation; I figured she would be more receptive to a familiar face than me suddenly looming over her with a list of explanations.
”Hey there. For a minute, I wasn’t sure you’d make it… I’m just glad to see you’re among the living.”
”Th-thank you…”
Ami-chan and Vectra-san were with us. Kanade’s gaze remained sharp, laced with an instinctive wariness. “Did Ami-chan walk you through the basics?” I asked.
”Ah… yes. Well… she told me it was a close call. And… that Ducky’s power is gone. That I don’t even exist on Earth anymore…”
The whole concept of Existence Power⁵ is a headache even for me, so I had been worried she wouldn’t get it, but she seemed to have grasped the gist. Maybe that damn cat had given her a similar spiel before.
Kanade was still a shadow of her former self. When we met at the pool, she had been the picture of a bubbly, energetic girl. Now? Between the unhealed trauma and her first meal in days, she was drained – physically and mentally. Plus, the realization that her life on Earth had been erased must have been a heavy blow, on top of the terror of being spirited away to a foreign land.
”We haven’t properly introduced ourselves. I’m Shimizu Shoichi. In this world, I go by Vulcain.”
”I’m… Ginya Kanade. Um… how should I… what should I call you?”
”Oh, whatever you like,” I replied, keeping my voice soft and my gestures open. No hostility. These tiny displays of consideration are what prime the pump for future Affection Level⁶ gains.
Ami-chan fluttered between us, nodding sagely. “Kanade, didn’t Dum-cchi mention that you were burning your own Existence Power to fuel those stunts? And after he pushed you into a fight you couldn’t win – leaving you broken and battered – he just cut his losses and yanked his power the second you were ‘useless.’ Totally cold-blooded, right?”
Ami-chan was laying it on thick, likely by design. She was poisoning the well against the cat, making us look like the benevolent alternative.
”Um… I have two friends back home with the same power…” Kanade whispered.
”The ones you were with? Knowing Dum-cchi, if he decides they’ve outlived their purpose, he’ll pull the plug on them too. It’s one thing to do that when you’re healthy, but if they’re hurt like you were…”
”Without our intervention,” I added, “you likely wouldn’t have survived the transition.”
Kanade’s face went a shade paler as the reality of her mortality set in. “Shoichi-kun brought you here specifically because he knew you’d die otherwise!” Ami-chan chirped.
”Eh…?” Kanade blinked, her eyes wide.
Well, that was the catalyst. Vectra-san had practically pulverized her; she had been a mess of broken bones. “I didn’t know if Japanese medicine could even fix you,” I said, leaning in slightly. “I was worried you’d never walk again, or be covered in scars. But here, with magic, we can make you whole.”
”C-could it be… Val-san… are you actually a good person?”
”Wait, ‘Val-san’? Sounds like a brand of cigarettes or something,” I joked.
”Pfft… ahaha! Sorry! It’s just… you’re nothing like I imagined…”
She actually laughed. Perfect. We were making progress. “Oh? And what did you imagine?”
”A total creep. Like, a calculating s*x offender.”
”Ouch. That’s cold.”
I knew she thought that back at the pool, but she was the type to say it right to your face, huh?
”Ahaha! But that fairy… Ami-chan, right? I heard you were doing some really ‘villainous’ things in another world…”
”Mmm, I won’t deny it,” Ami-chan said with a shrug. “But ‘villainy’ is a matter of perspective, isn’t it? From where I’m sitting, Dum-cchi is just as bad. He thinks he’s some grand god guiding humanity with his suffocating rules. Some people need that cage to feel safe, I guess. But me? I don’t think everyone fits in that box. Some people only reach their true potential when they embrace their desires.”
She wasn’t denying the accusations; she was reframing them. She validated Kanade’s doubt and then pivoted to a ‘freedom’ narrative.
”But… if those desires hurt people, that’s wrong,” Kanade countered.
”A valid point,” Ami-chan conceded. “But think about Japan. Think about Earth. Hasn’t human desire driven every great leap in civilization? The most powerful inventions were born from people wanting something so badly they changed the world to get it, for better or worse.”
Talk about moving the goalposts. She had shifted the conversation from ‘personal morality’ to ‘the history of human progress.’ And Kanade was eating it up. She looked genuinely impressed.
God, she’s pure. Or maybe just young and naive. It reminded me of how the Heroes used to hang on every word the Princess said. Or maybe I’m just too cynical for my own good.
”Besides, Kanade, you’ve got it all wrong!” Ami-chan continued.
”Eh?”
”Our operations are strictly limited to this world. No matter how much we expand our Dominion here, it doesn’t cost Japan a single thing.”
”W-what?! But… Ducky told me… he said if we didn’t stop you, Japan would be destroyed!”
”Total lies,” I said, backing Ami-chan up. “I head back to Japan occasionally just to pick up supplies – rice and whatnot – but I can’t expand the Dominion there. Like she said, my focus is entirely on this world.”
So that was it. They thought they were the ‘Last Line of Defense’ for their country. Which meant… we never even had a reason to be enemies in the first place.
”It seems there’s been a massive misunderstanding on both sides,” I said smoothly. “Do you believe me now? That we don’t want to be your enemy?”
”I… I suppose so…”
”Then that’s enough for now. Sending you back to Japan immediately is… complicated. But we have good food here, hot baths, and the best healing magic available. Just focus on resting for now.”
Ami-chan was right – when an Affection Level is in the negatives, you have to grind it back to zero before you can make your move. I’ve learned enough to know that forcing an Estrus Kiss⁸ now would be a mistake. It’s better to play the long game. Close the distance, win the heart, and the road to making her my Slave of Love⁷ becomes much shorter.
”Is that… really okay?” she asked tentatively.
”Of course. It was all a tragic accident. You’ve lost the cat’s power anyway; there’s no reason for us to fight. As a fellow countryman, it would be my pleasure to look after you.”
Playing the ‘Countryman Card.’ In a strange land, the only person from home is an instant ally.
”Then… I guess I’ll be in your care. I can’t exactly get out of bed anyway.”
Yes. Perfect. Hehe… I will make you mine, Kanade. And for that, I can afford to be a ‘gentleman’ for a little while longer.
”Haaah… what a waste,” Kanade sighed.
”Hmm? What is?” I asked.
”Well… Ducky promised that if we defeated you… he’d grant us any wish we wanted.”
”Any wish? Is he really that powerful?”
”Maybe,” Ami-chan mused. “One of him? No. But a whole cluster of them kneading Existence Power together? They might manage a miracle or two. So, Kanade, what were you going to wish for?”
”Eh?! I – no way! It’s… it’s embarrassing! Total secret, onashasu!”
She was actually blushing. God, she’s cute.
All in all, I’d say the first meeting was a resounding success.
—
Summary:
Shimizu Shoichi visits the injured Ginya Kanade to begin his plan of recruiting her as a Magical Girl. Along with Ami-chan, he manipulates Kanade into believing their side is benevolent while painting her former mascot, Ducky, as a villain. Kanade begins to lower her guard after learning that her home, Japan, is not actually in danger.
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Character Insight:
Shoichi demonstrates peak manipulative patience, choosing to build rapport rather than use immediate force. He leverages shared nationality and fear of abandonment to isolate Kanade from her past loyalty to Ducky. Kanade’s quick change from calling him a ‘sex offender’ to ‘Val-san’ shows her extreme vulnerability and need for a protector in this new world.
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Behind the Scene:
The author uses ‘Existence Power’ as a meta-narrative tool to explain why characters can be erased from their original world, common in ‘dark isekai’ tropes to increase the protagonist’s leverage over captives.
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T/L:
Notes:
• Kanade – A tall, model-figured C-cup girl with short hair and a bright, outgoing personality. She enjoys teasing her friends, especially Kiraurumi, about their love lives and body insecurities. She also secretly desires to be a shorter, cute girl. She also thinks she’s the most normal.
• 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.
• Gin – A friend of Kiraurumi who craves excitement and is secretly a ‘lolita enthusiast’ complexed about her own tall stature. She sees the world-saving mission as a ‘plane ride over a river’ of boredom.
• Vectra – A Unique Individual maid with white skin and white hair. Height 170cm, Bust Size D. Class: Duelist. Attribute: Darkness. Weapon: Star-Strike Battle Axe Volkein
• Shimizu Shoichi – A plain, middle-aged Japanese man with short black hair and brown eyes. He looks worn-out and ordinary. Average build, average height, standing looks like Satoru Mikami from certain series.
• Vulcain – Mc’s other name.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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