Sousetsuka

52 Communicated Uncommunicated

I managed to get away and caught up to Aryl somehow.
She went in an alley on the side of the main street to hide herself.

"Ah, that was scary. That came out of nowhere."

(That was deliberate huh. Makes sense.)

After sighing in relief, she spoke resolutely.

"Forget about that! I've been waiting for this day all my life. I'm gonna do this!"

Her triumphant pose looks heartwarming.

"So do you know where the spot is?"

"I'll be fine. I have a map on me. It's at the backstreet right around this corner."

"...Backstreet huh, that doesn't bode well..."

"Let's go!"

That just sounds ominous to me, but she's so fired up she doesn't seem to even mind.
Looks like my uneasiness remains uncommunicated.

(Yup, this is yeah... Must be heading that way...)


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Those two became a center of attention.
Many speculations about what happened in the merchant association flew around.
What did that black haired young man [Did]?

No no, that big man just lost his balance and tumbled grandly.
Could he be using magic.
Or perhaps he tripped the man at the right timing?
Who is that guy anyway?

None managed to catch sigh of what took place in that instance.
Forget witnessing the full particulars, not one of them could even perceive it.

All the merchants stayed back due to the unusualness of the situation.
Originally it should have been something akin to throwing [Flour] at a newbie.
Do it, this is how you do things in our association, if she proved to be a good merchant, they'd give her preferential treatment in trades while gaining information on her.
They would decide what to do with her, either getting on her good sides, leaving her alone, or making use of her if she turned out to be an easy mark depending on how she dealt with that trouble.

Yet none of the merchants made their move.
Those who saw what took place could not process it, not even a hint.
As every single one of them lacked information, they decided to take a wait and see approach.
For better or worse.
That day, no merchant attempted to make a contact with the two.

Meanwhile, the hoarse voice man groaned 'Gununu...', panicking and groaning with a pale face.

"Dammit! The heck just happened. Gotta report to boss..."

His whisper caught no one ears there.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
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We grabbed some food for lunch in a stall along the way.
A cylindrical bamboo-like water flask, and meat, vegetable and bread packed on a lunch box.
Apparently this is a common thing. Another thing Aryl taught me.
One portion usually costs around 3 to 4 dimes.
Just right for a businessman's lunch. So I secretly thought.
As I didn't have a water flask or a lunch box on me, Aryl took me to a general store and picked good ones for me.
It made me forgot my uneasiness even.
It's simple, the lunch I got packed from the stall was tastier than I thought it would be, my mood improved.


Now then, putting that aside, I'll just say it now.

We had to set up Aryl's stall ourselves. I helped her set it up and line up the goods.
So far so good. But in just 30 minutes since we opened,


We got squabbled with, twice.

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51 Not Going as Planned

(Even if I went on like that during my past life, I'd probably never get a girlfriend and keep on playing fighting games till old age. I can easily imagine myself devoting my life for the sake of gaming.)

For some reason I suddenly felt like ridiculing myself.
You don't know what's in store in life, that phrase doesn't comfort me now.

After all I've been [Reincarnated] in this world.
Even if you don't know what's in store, this is just too much.

I can only reminisce games I loved now.
I've been doing daily form training to vent the stress of not being able to play those games.
Since I can forget everything when I move my body.

But even if it's my source of stress now, I'm [Me] because of games, and thus I'm on the verge of losing myself.

(That doesn't mean I should keep training and become saiyan-like...)

Focusing will [Isolate] me from this world, wielding my power in that state results in some truly [Frightening] things.
Thinking carefully, I'd like to live on without using this [Power].

"We should be going to our allotted spot. Let's go."

The coiling unpleasant gazes directed at her may be due to her being a girl merchant or her being unfamiliar here, at any rate, I could only pray by whispering, 'Please be trouble free.'

My prayer was denied just a few steps ahead of the crowd at the entrance.
A hoarse voice called out to us.

"Yoo missy. This ain't no place to have a date ya know? Yer' an eyesore frolicking round like that. Gimme that tally! It ain't for women. I'mma make better use of that!"

Tally here is the permit to open a business in this city. It's also a license to open your store at an allotted spot.
This hoarse sounding man tried to snatch that with dumb excuses.
He just made it up on the spot to achieve his goal.
In other word, dude is a thug. Believing he can get his way with a threat.

On top of that, there's a scary-faced man standing behind the man with folded arms.
However, Aryl kept walking toward the entrance without stopping nor looking like she even heard him.
Making the hoarse voice man look like a clown.

Other merchants crowding around the entrance all reacted differently at that, some were giggling, some ignored it, some sighed, and some stared silently.

Seemingly unable to bear the atmosphere, the scary faced man stepped forward and tried to grab Aryl's shoulder, 'Oy! Listen here you bastard!', I moved at the same time.

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<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
(What should I do? I mean, I'm a bodyguard for once see?)

I curse at this chain of quibbles from yesterday.
Template after template. What is this?

(I still can't hold myself back well, y'know? At this state.)

My prayer came to a waste.

(Ending this peacefully... Seems impossible, with this pattern...)

In most cases like this, the other side may [Withdraw] if you shame them, but they will surely come back for us later because we disgraced them or something.
And yet crushing them thoroughly would also yield the same result.

(This kind of trouble won't [End] unless you've got someone with authority backing you.)

But we've got nothing like that, we've just arrived here yesterday. No way we would.
His stretched out arm is slowly coming closer.

(Well damn... I can't come up with an answer. No choice, sink or swim, let's just do this...)

I still can't control my power well. Therefore, I can't just punch him in this state.
Can't let him die in this place.

Thus I thought.

I grabbed his arm, put my leg out and waited for the right timing to undo [Acceleration]...

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THUD!

A tremor shook the floor like a quake.

The man who caused that had his back on the floor, knocked out.

I [Threw] him in a way that made it look like he stumbled.
Making sure no one around was aware I did it.
Since I did this without a rehearsal, I'm not actually sure how it looks to others.
I thought I did well at adjusting my power. And yet, it still resulted in the target getting knocked out.
Still, I decided to see it as a better end than him dying. However.

(They're gonna hold a grudge and come for us again later...)

I retreated at once while thinking that, pushing my way through the sardine can.
Meanwhile, Aryl had already gone out ahead of me.

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50 Morning and Fiery Gazes

Our meal was extravagant as expected of this inn.
Meat, fish, salad, and soup. Every single one of them is flavorful.

I'm probably starving for strong seasoning. We only used a bit of salt in the village after all.
I quickly cleaned up my plates.
Once we were done and rested a bit, Aryl stood up, 'Now then.'
I followed after her.

We gave the room key back at receptionist.

"We await your next patronage."

Thus we left the inn hearing that.

"Let's go!"
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
Aryl briskly walked on the main street.

The street is crowded even though it's still early in the morning.
Those briskly heading to their job, those selling food, those enjoying the morning, sounds of chatters between people haggling, those pulling loaded carts toward the gate.
All kinds of [People] living [Passionately] in this city.

(Really makes me feel how [Cold] my past [Life] was.)

Observing my surroundings while commuting back then would show tired looking people, faces glued to their phones or those wearing earphones to shut themselves out of the world before we all packed ourselves full in the train.

Both of them aren't really different in nature, yet just what makes them so separate?

As I was thinking that, we arrived at the merchant association.
However, its state in the morning was overwhelming.
So many merchants are coming and going, exchanging money, doing business talks and even unloading and loading their carts around the entrance.
Negotiations here and there, and commodity jam packed everywhere.

(It's like I'm in a busy fishing harbor...)

These spectacles were all over the place, not just inside buildings.

Undaunted, Aryl pushed her way through the crowd toward the receptionist counters.

(Should I go with her or not?)

I'm reluctant to squeeze myself in that sardine can, but I persevere.

The crowd eased up once we got through the entrance.
There are three queues in front of the receptionist, calm and quiet unlike the chaos behind.
The two states aren't mixed as if there were a clear line delineating them.

(Some sort of a tacit rule? At least I can take a breather now.)

Aryl lined up on the leftmost queue to wait for her turn.
Meanwhile, I leaned my back on a wall and relaxed myself.

There's no point in me queueing with her, so I take this chance to look around.

The ones queueing are all old men. All men and not a single one looks young.
There's even an old man with a bent back.

(I've got a mixed feeling about this. I got reborn in this world with a 28 year old inner self. It's been 15 years since then and yet I don't feel like a 43 year old...)

It's not like my mind acts as young as my body either.
My self-consciousness is frozen at [My] past life state.

Meanwhile, Aryl had finished her business and walked up toward me.
Other merchants were gazing at her like they were evaluating her.

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49 Dream Start Dash

"That combo is a tough one to pull off... Who said that and cornered me now!"
"That's my line dang you, bulldozing around with that broken character!"

Thus how I spent all night playing fighting games with my friend.
It's turning bright outside, a dazzling light shines through the window glass...

I woke up.
It's morning. A morning in [This] world.

(Ah... I had only played a bit of that game...)

Looks like my regret runs deep. Seeing that dream now of all time.

(I mean, the [Me] left in [That World] lives on as is, doesn't he? Right? Wonder what he's up to now?)

It's been 15 years since I split up with that [Other] me.
Is it a saving grace if that me on the other side is enjoying his time?
Still... this murkiness won't go away.

Nothing I could do to toward this stress.
I have no way to check how is the other [Me] there doing either.
I can only live in this world.
You can't keep running toward illusion.
The me now is truly helpless.

"Good morning. We're heading to the association after breakfast. Let's go out with a bang!"

A cheerful voice from the side greeted me. Aryl.
She's open for business as a merchant for real today.
An important start dash, it's only natural for her to get so enthusiastic first thing in the morning.

Me frowning here would be like nitpicking her.
Gotta erase it and pretend I'm not in bad mood from seeing a dream of the past.

"Good, morning."
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
My brain finally kicked in.
Village life starts early. We're usually already working outside by this hour when the sun has just risen.
I've gotten used to it already by now. I get up the bed.

As Aryl has changed, she must have woken up earlier.
There's a basket for clothes in the bathroom where I put mine yesterday.
I get myself ready in a hurry.

Once I'm done, I throw one question.

"I'm a bodyguard...? So I just gotta go with you as an escort...?"

I tried asking for now, I still can't picture how this [Job] works.
There were many [Characters] with such a setting, but they never went in deep with the explanation, and ordinary people don't usually know in-depth about this stuff.

"Yes. I'll be counting on you when the time comes."

(Which time again... Counting on me huh...)

I've been living 28 years in the past plus 15 here, yet bodyguard is totally foreign to me.
Of course. Who'd want to lead a life with something like that around. Peace is best.
And here I am challenging that unknown. As a merchant bodyguard even.
[Experience] is everything for this.
I've never even seen a bodyguard in real life.
I can only use myself and reading the mood as a reference.
At most I could help out at her store, I guess?

As I was thinking, Aryl snorted like saying, 'All done!'

"Let's get down to the dining hall in the first floor. We're leaving the inn after our meal."

Baggage okay! Key okay! Nothing left behind! She pointed everywhere as she said that before walking out our room.

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48 Vastness

The phrase [Act of God] just sounds ridiculous to me.
I got abducted by that god and thrown to this world.

(That aside... if royal family exists, then this world is...)

Kingdom and Empire, there should be at least two big nations around.
My [World] expands again in this world.
At this point I lack too much information to understand just how expansive it is.
No point in thinking further.
Heck, the past me found my own nation too [Vast]
Who said that phrase again? 'Where are you hurrying up to in this cramped Japan.'
As someone who never go abroad, the [vastness of the world] just sounds unreal to me.
I spoke while sighing.

"Everything is an experience, guess I'll just regard it as a trial for adulthood."

Aryl seems to have misunderstood something, she's giggling.

"I'm going to excuse myself to bed. I have to get up early tomorrow. Please turn off the lamplight later. Enjoy yourself."

She must think I'm exaggerating just because of bath.
Still, how is she so unworried? She already went to bed and snored.
Must be quite tired. She doesn't even seem to entertain the idea of me assaulting her.
Well, I don't have any intention to in the slightest though.




A man and a woman under a roof. I've never been in such a situation including my past life.
Of course. I was a 'fighting games before hoes' type. People have their likes, but mine was probably a very specific one.
Some old man sounding line came out as I dipped.

"Phew~ paradise, paradise. Who coulda thought I'd get in a bathtub here in this world~."

It takes so many firewood and so much water.
Labor, money, time, expenditure. Everything enormous.
As expected of a high class inn.
I stayed in bath until the water temperature turned tepid.
It was the most relaxing time I had yet.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >

I got out of bath. And looked at Aryl.
She's sleeping so soundly.
She must have overworked herself. No wonder fatigue caught up to her.
Is the fact that she could sleep this soundly proof of her trust toward me?

I silently walked to my bed.
Softness from air drying, smell of sun. Double sized.
It's huge. A bed so big I can spread my arms.
I can't calm down instead. But it's nice to the touch.

(Ah, gotta turn off the lamp.)

I got up.
Lamp in my village was a small candlelight flame, yet this one here illuminates the entire spacious room.
Even though its shape doesn't look different from the one in my village.
And to turn it off you push on a familiar switch with [O] and [X] marks.

(It can't be, magic again... At the rate this is going, all science-based system will be replaced with magic...)

I pushed the [X] button as I thought that, and sure enough the light vanished.
'Good night', I whispered as I closed my eyes.

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47 God, Intervention

Should I really get in first here?
I was still sane enough to think that.
I told her to go in first.

"Wanna get in together?"

(What is this, a love comedy?)

My heart skipped a beat from that smile, but I tried to keep calm as much as possible.

"Quit it with the joke."

I could barely keep it together from everything thus far, any more and my head would explode.

"Aw c'mon, I was just teasing you. Okay then, I'm going ahead."

'The [Wall] between us sure has thinned enough for her to tease me', thus I decided to take that as.

(...Used bathwater... Oh crap... No wait, I'm not that perverted, definitely!)

Nature's call came as I was thinking some stupid stuff.

I went in the toilet.

(Glad toilet and bathroom are separate. I wouldn't have been able to take it had it been united. Heck, it could have been dangerous in this situation...)

I sat on the seat as I felt relieved from having avoided a pinch.
I'm the pee sitting type. The toilet bowl may be made of wood but it's clearly made with a special processing, the shape is exactly like the ones in my past life.

(Is this made with magic too...?)

Even though they have paper in this world, it's not at my world's level, yet this is genuine toilet paper.

(It's like a whole new world in just two decades... that's way weird. Daily life tools made with these bases. There must be an impetus. Which means this is...)

It hit me like it's obvious.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
([Act of god] huh. Forcibly bringing in lots of these ideas here...)

These are all come from earth.
Just how much this world's god revere that world's god anyway?

Probably.
I was the only one who got brought here from [That Time] with my past life memory intact.

To that my stance is.

(Messing around like that...)

Even though I have put away the anger etched in my mind, the fact that it would resurface whenever I came across a hint of god is proof that this fire won't ever disappear.
Not sure whether that's a good or bad thing.

I opened the water tank lid and peeked. The structure is a perfect copy.
I turned a lever that looks exactly like in my previous world and water splashing sound could be heard.

I left the toilet and sat down on my bed.

(Will I keep coming across this stuff in the future?)

It's something that makes me go [What].
It doesn't make me depressed or anything. But it does make me rethink.

(I'm gonna live as a hermit. I don't want to get in contact with this world anymore. That's...)

A quiet place, a house, abundant of food, I need money for all that.
Faraway and without troubling anyone, living to reminisce good old days.

As I got lost in thought, the bathroom door clicked open.
Aryl came out of the bath.

"Aah, dipping in warm water really brings you back to life~. Please have a go at it too."

She urged me to go, seemingly wanting someone in agreement.

However,

(Yup, I'm well aware. Aryl said this was her second time, but I had it so much in my past life, I lost count.)

She's wearing a bathrobe.
'Again?', I almost got dejected before her next words piqued my curiosity.

"I'm sure the royal family experiences this bliss every single day. So enviable, and a bit scary."

If royal family exists, I guess bathrobes have always been around too.
I gotta stop tying every single thing to [That].

"...Hm? Royal family?"

"Oops, any more would be a lese majeste."

This is a fantasy world, I should stop questioning every little trivia, but I couldn't help to when I heard this particular key word.

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 46 Principle Reason Confusion 

"How does this work anyway...?"

I spoke that out loud.
Aryl-sensei came to the rescue.
Her hands hadn't stopped sorting out her goods meanwhile. Quite dexterous.

"Hmm, I'm not really knowledgable in the subject myself."

Thus she prefaced, but she's definitely better equipped than me about this world.
Even the most trivial thing is [Informative] to me now.

"From what I understand, specialists in [Enchant] technique pour mana into these bags to add the functionality."

From my experiments in the village during my childhood, I concluded that this world's physics and phenomenon are no different from [Earth].
I learned that from trying out impromptu survival tricks and miscellaneous knowledge.
I experienced with my own body how there's nothing that poses as an [Issue] for me to live in this world.

But magic. It's one thing I can't use. Yet it's not like it's necessary for survival.
Thus I never thought about it. I didn't have to.
On how magic influences this world.
The principle behind magic. I'm neither a scientist or a researcher.

No wait, I was a researcher of fighting games. I researched a lot on how enjoy them more.
That's got nothing to do with this topic though.

"They enhance the [Element] a particular thing has. Bags get their capacity enhanced, knives get their sharpness, something like that."

"And naturally special techniques like that, are expensive huh."

"Yes, that's right. Ah, could you take that one here? That blue thing near your feet."

With that, I started helping her sorting.
I brought the thing she asked, she ran a check up on it before putting it into the bag.
The surreal spectacle was simply beyond words.

(She just put the tip in the bag mouth and then [Nyuruuri~] it got in... Sure looks gross in a way...)

It's kinda like slimes I guess? When you make something touch the bag's mouth, it shrinks and expands several times larger before it gets sucked inside.

Peeking inside this bag shows a vast bizarre space that expands endlessly.
The things put inside are [Snugly] lined up inside.
Seeing that made me dizzy.

My face was a bit pale by the time she put back the last item inside the bag.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
"Haa. We're done with the sorting. Huh? What's wrong?"

"Ah no, so much things went down today, I feel a bit worn out..."

(Magic... Gotta get to know more about 'em...)

"Well then, it's finally time for the fabled bath! I'll get it ready in a bit, hang tight now!"

Yes, a bathroom. An exact one.
There's one thing unusual inside.
There's a horn-like thing with a cap put on it.
Aryl took that cap off and mumbled something, then warm water gushed out of the horn.

(This mechanism... Looks familiar... From Spirited Away?)

"We're staying in a high class inn and all. Wouldn't want to miss out the bath!"

"Err, what is this..."

There's a huge difference between our tensions.

"Ah, oh yeah it's your first time."

(Nope. That's not what I mean.)

"This will be my second time."

She explained how to use it afterward.

(Err yeah, I'm quite familiar... That's not it...)

There's so much confusion inside me, I couldn't set my mind straight.

"Ah, the water is full. We should get in before it gets cold."

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