I woke up and greeted the morning.
Today, we need to go buy the Home Economics Club members.
However, once we buy them, it’s likely that the conflict between the quiet girls and the newcomers will escalate again. It might be a good idea to keep these two groups separate, maybe divide them into the gymnasium group and the information room group.
Now, for breakfast, we have the classic menu: rice, miso soup, pickles, and grilled fish.
The pickles are turnip radish pickles, made from some of the turnip we had yesterday. The grilled fish is a salt-grilled white fish fillet.
Personally, I like sweet sake-marinated fish or sake lees-marinated fish, but those tend to go better with fatty fish like mackerel or flounder. Having them first thing in the morning might be a bit much, so we went with a light, low-fat white fish like salmon for the salt-grilled dish.
…One of the nice things about grilled food is that the aroma attracts everyone, and they start waking up.
After breakfast, we each took some extra money and headed to the town of Kukurts. There, we waited at the meeting point for Homura-kun and his group.
They arrived about 15 minutes late, as lively as ever. It’s good to see them so energetic early in the morning. And, as usual, we were left behind.
“Hey there! Shall we head straight to the mine?”
“No, we’re not going. Here’s the money.”
I handed Homura-kun a bag of money, which naturally left him puzzled.
“Huh!? Uh, why!? Why!? Why aren’t you going!?”
…I shouldn’t forget that there are girls in the Home Economics Club who used to be in the Chemistry Club and quit in the past.
Without a doubt, those girls are newcomers, which means they are currently in the mine.
If we accidentally go to buy them, we can easily imagine them getting all worked up, saying things like, “You intend to buy us as slaves! You plan to treat us roughly!”
It’s not like we’re doing anything inappropriate, but establishing communication to make them understand that is a distant possibility.
In fact, it would probably be futile to try with someone who is already so suspicious of others.
So, at this point, I decided it’s better to let Homura-kun handle it with his “poison to counter the poison” approach.
I think Homura-kun probably has some kind of toxin that can neutralize the suspicions of those who are overly wary. Well, not exactly a toxin, but more like an additional layer of ink on top of ink. Something like that.
“We shouldn’t go because it will just complicate things.”
“Eh!? But, like, the taxi is with you, right, Maito-san?”
Oh, yeah, that’s true.
I think the gymnasium group is the safest option for now, but since we can “transfer” there, we’ll have to get involved anyway. Yeah.
“No, Toriumi in full armor will handle it.”
“Eh…”
Oh, he made a really unhappy face! Come on, with a helmet on, no one will recognize you! If needed, you can even pretend to be an NPC!
“Uh, is there something you don’t like about the Home Economics Club members?”
“It’s not that I dislike them… it’s more like… it’s better for both parties if we don’t get involved…”
If someone doesn’t get along with others, the wisest choice is often not to get involved. I’ve learned that.
“Well, then… we’ll go and handle it ourselves, okay?”
“Yes, please do.”
And so, we left it to Homura-kun to buy the Home Economics Club members.
…Or so we thought.
While we were browsing the shop for Kadomi-kun’s equipment, we received a “communication” from Homura-kun.
[Sorry! Can any of you write the letters of this world?!]
…Yeah.
“I can write them. What’s going on?”
[I need to write a contract, but no one here can read or write the letters of this world!]
…OH.
So, you’ve been living without being able to read or write this world’s letters until now? You must have compensated for that with excellent communication skills!
[That’s why I need someone to write it for me… Please!]
He’s seriously asking for a favor. What do we do?
“Okay, I’ll send someone over. Just wait a moment.”
I temporarily cut off the “communication” and held an emergency meeting.
“Homura-kun and the others can’t write the letters, but they need to write a contract.”
“Is there a contract for slave transactions in this town? How conscientious.”
No, President, that’s not the point you should focus on.
“So, someone needs to go there.”
Of course, the candidates are me and Toriumi.
It’s quite dissatisfying that it comes down to the two of us just because we can hide our faces, but there’s no helping it.
“What if the two of us go together? With me, there’s enough combat power, but having Maito-san there would be convenient for things like ‘Sleep Cocoon,’ right?”
Yeah, that makes sense…
Personally, I don’t really subscribe to the theory of “if there are 8 people but only 5 chairs, let’s all stand,” meaning that everyone should share unhappiness equally.
I believe that we should minimize unhappiness.
However, in this case, having two people is likely to improve the situation, so I’ll go along with it.
“Alright, we’ll write the letters and come back…”
“We’re off…”
While you’re at it, try to find Kadomi-kun’s sword. Oh, and if you happen to come across a L○vca, buy it for me too…
And so, we arrived at the entrance to the mine.
What we saw there was quite unexpected, to say the least.
It was a scene that was both surprising and strange.
Homura-kun and the others were in distress. The mine workers were frustrated because their customers couldn’t write the local script. And there were seven girls who seemed completely lifeless compared to how they were before.
First things first, let’s write the script.
“Excuse me, Homura-san. I’ve come as a scribe.”
I poked Homura-kun to remind him that I’m a different person. He seemed to understand that.
Yes, your quick thinking came in handy.
With the arrival of a scribe who could write the script, the mine workers seemed relieved. Sorry, but we’re from another world.
“I’ll be the scribe, so please tell me verbally.”
Homura-kun read the text and told me what to write, and I transcribed it.
Yes, we managed to fill out the documents in this manner.
Alright.
“Now we’re done.”
“No, no, no, wait a minute!”
I was about to leave after finishing the writing, but Homura-kun stopped me.
“Listen, don’t those girls seem a bit strange to you?”
“They do seem unusual.”
I have to say, they lacked the vitality they had before, and they felt different.
“You know, there are rumors that the mine is haunted or something.”
Um, is this story going to be a long one?
“…So, these mine ghosts are apparently stealing people’s hearts,” Homura-kun concluded after his lengthy explanation.
Honestly, just that last sentence would have sufficed! Homura-kun’s extended narrative was quite lengthy and detailed.
In other words, these seven girls from the Home Economics Club, who are outsiders in this world, had their hearts stolen by these so-called “ghosts” in the mine. It’s not like they fell in love with someone; it’s more like their consciousness, emotions, and such things have completely disappeared.
Is that even possible? Isn’t that bad for them as humans?
“So, my point is, I want to help these girls get their hearts back.”
Well, yeah, that seems like the right thing to do. Even if it means they become really annoying in the process.
“So please! Can’t you ask for help from your side?!”
I don’t understand!
Homura-kun didn’t originally come to this town to help these girls. His goal, then and now, is to “help his friends and return to his original world.” He’s just helping them because he can’t abandon them if he happens to pass by.
And Homura-kun’s friends are currently in a state that’s like being plant-like humanoids.
So, Homura-kun wants to go to the capital city of Aegis, where alchemy is advanced, to quickly find a solution for them. I can totally understand that.
And while it would be great if we could also go to Aegis and find a way to alchemically restore our lives, both the choir club members and the home economics club members are equally important to us.
If Homura-kun is taking care of the life and death situation, then it’s quite reasonable for us to handle the current issue, which is rescuing the hearts (or whatever) of the home economics club members.
So, in summary…
We’re going to explore the mine.
The mine ghosts, as they are called, are actually one of the legends in this town that has been around for a long time. In other words, somewhere in this mine, there is a nest of these ghosts, and normally, the ghosts don’t come out of it. However, if we happen to enter their nest, our hearts get stolen, or so it goes.
In the end, this seems to be a lesson like “Don’t be too greedy and delve too deep.” But in the past, there have been a few incidents that seemed like the work of these ghosts.
Considering that this world is quite fantastical, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were actual ghosts. However, I have a feeling that the true nature of these “ghosts” might not be what it seems.
With that said, I had to modify the documents I wrote earlier to transfer ownership of the seven girls to me. Homura-kun and his group are leaving for Aegis today. In that case, it falls upon us to take care of these girls, and it would be quite inconvenient if the ownership remained with Homura-kun.
It would have been nice to discuss this before I wrote the documents.
“Are you all okay?”
I address one of the seven girls, but she just looks at me with vacant eyes.
“Could everyone please stand up for a moment?”
I say, and all seven of them stand up immediately.
“Alright, march.”
I give the signal, and they start walking in the indicated direction.
“Stop, all of you.”
I signal again, and they come to a halt.
This is starting to look really serious. They seem like they’ve lost all sense of purpose or thought.
Well, to be honest, I had briefly considered the possibility of sending these girls back to our original world in their current heartless state. Just briefly.
We are currently in a position where we can do that, and we have the ability to do it.
But it’s not good, is it? After all, no matter what direction their minds are in, it’s probably better than returning to complete apathy.
I think being human is all about feeling and thinking. Even if those feelings are anger, hatred, or overwhelmingly negative, feeling nothing—or in this case, not knowing if they’re feeling or just not expressing it—is, in my opinion, better than feeling nothing at all.
Well, maybe these people want to say, “We don’t want to think or feel anything!” In that case, I’ll treat them as if they don’t want to feel or think, but since we are in a position to restore them, and we have the ability to do so, we’ll do it whether they like it or not.
“…So I’ve taken on the task of helping them.”
Seeing is believing, so when I brought them back with me, they immediately understood.
Yes, it’s quite apparent—their abnormality.
It’s so blatantly obvious, and that’s a good thing.
“…Well, if we’ve taken on this task, there’s no helping it. I’ve also finished shopping. Shall we go to this mine?”
Sorry for bringing trouble. I’ll be causing you more inconvenience. I apologize.
…It turns out the nature of the trouble was different from what I imagined.
I woke up and greeted the morning.
Today, we need to go buy the Home Economics Club members.
However, once we buy them, it’s likely that the conflict between the quiet girls and the newcomers will escalate again. It might be a good idea to keep these two groups separate, maybe divide them into the gymnasium group and the information room group.
Now, for breakfast, we have the classic menu: rice, miso soup, pickles, and grilled fish.
The pickles are turnip radish pickles, made from some of the turnip we had yesterday. The grilled fish is a salt-grilled white fish fillet.
Personally, I like sweet sake-marinated fish or sake lees-marinated fish, but those tend to go better with fatty fish like mackerel or flounder. Having them first thing in the morning might be a bit much, so we went with a light, low-fat white fish like salmon for the salt-grilled dish.
…One of the nice things about grilled food is that the aroma attracts everyone, and they start waking up.
After breakfast, we each took some extra money and headed to the town of Kukurts. There, we waited at the meeting point for Homura-kun and his group.
They arrived about 15 minutes late, as lively as ever. It’s good to see them so energetic early in the morning. And, as usual, we were left behind.
“Hey there! Shall we head straight to the mine?”
“No, we’re not going. Here’s the money.”
I handed Homura-kun a bag of money, which naturally left him puzzled.
“Huh!? Uh, why!? Why!? Why aren’t you going!?”
…I shouldn’t forget that there are girls in the Home Economics Club who used to be in the Chemistry Club and quit in the past.
Without a doubt, those girls are newcomers, which means they are currently in the mine.
If we accidentally go to buy them, we can easily imagine them getting all worked up, saying things like, “You intend to buy us as slaves! You plan to treat us roughly!”
It’s not like we’re doing anything inappropriate, but establishing communication to make them understand that is a distant possibility.
In fact, it would probably be futile to try with someone who is already so suspicious of others.
So, at this point, I decided it’s better to let Homura-kun handle it with his “poison to counter the poison” approach.
I think Homura-kun probably has some kind of toxin that can neutralize the suspicions of those who are overly wary. Well, not exactly a toxin, but more like an additional layer of ink on top of ink. Something like that.
“We shouldn’t go because it will just complicate things.”
“Eh!? But, like, the taxi is with you, right, Maito-san?”
Oh, yeah, that’s true.
I think the gymnasium group is the safest option for now, but since we can “transfer” there, we’ll have to get involved anyway. Yeah.
“No, Toriumi in full armor will handle it.”
“Eh…”
Oh, he made a really unhappy face! Come on, with a helmet on, no one will recognize you! If needed, you can even pretend to be an NPC!
“Uh, is there something you don’t like about the Home Economics Club members?”
“It’s not that I dislike them… it’s more like… it’s better for both parties if we don’t get involved…”
If someone doesn’t get along with others, the wisest choice is often not to get involved. I’ve learned that.
“Well, then… we’ll go and handle it ourselves, okay?”
“Yes, please do.”
And so, we left it to Homura-kun to buy the Home Economics Club members.
…Or so we thought.
While we were browsing the shop for Kadomi-kun’s equipment, we received a “communication” from Homura-kun.
[Sorry! Can any of you write the letters of this world?!]
…Yeah.
“I can write them. What’s going on?”
[I need to write a contract, but no one here can read or write the letters of this world!]
…OH.
So, you’ve been living without being able to read or write this world’s letters until now? You must have compensated for that with excellent communication skills!
[That’s why I need someone to write it for me… Please!]
He’s seriously asking for a favor. What do we do?
“Okay, I’ll send someone over. Just wait a moment.”
I temporarily cut off the “communication” and held an emergency meeting.
“Homura-kun and the others can’t write the letters, but they need to write a contract.”
“Is there a contract for slave transactions in this town? How conscientious.”
No, President, that’s not the point you should focus on.
“So, someone needs to go there.”
Of course, the candidates are me and Toriumi.
It’s quite dissatisfying that it comes down to the two of us just because we can hide our faces, but there’s no helping it.
“What if the two of us go together? With me, there’s enough combat power, but having Maito-san there would be convenient for things like ‘Sleep Cocoon,’ right?”
Yeah, that makes sense…
Personally, I don’t really subscribe to the theory of “if there are 8 people but only 5 chairs, let’s all stand,” meaning that everyone should share unhappiness equally.
I believe that we should minimize unhappiness.
However, in this case, having two people is likely to improve the situation, so I’ll go along with it.
“Alright, we’ll write the letters and come back…”
“We’re off…”
While you’re at it, try to find Kadomi-kun’s sword. Oh, and if you happen to come across a L○vca, buy it for me too…
And so, we arrived at the entrance to the mine.
What we saw there was quite unexpected, to say the least.
It was a scene that was both surprising and strange.
Homura-kun and the others were in distress. The mine workers were frustrated because their customers couldn’t write the local script. And there were seven girls who seemed completely lifeless compared to how they were before.
First things first, let’s write the script.
“Excuse me, Homura-san. I’ve come as a scribe.”
I poked Homura-kun to remind him that I’m a different person. He seemed to understand that.
Yes, your quick thinking came in handy.
With the arrival of a scribe who could write the script, the mine workers seemed relieved. Sorry, but we’re from another world.
“I’ll be the scribe, so please tell me verbally.”
Homura-kun read the text and told me what to write, and I transcribed it.
Yes, we managed to fill out the documents in this manner.
Alright.
“Now we’re done.”
“No, no, no, wait a minute!”
I was about to leave after finishing the writing, but Homura-kun stopped me.
“Listen, don’t those girls seem a bit strange to you?”
“They do seem unusual.”
I have to say, they lacked the vitality they had before, and they felt different.
“You know, there are rumors that the mine is haunted or something.”
Um, is this story going to be a long one?
“…So, these mine ghosts are apparently stealing people’s hearts,” Homura-kun concluded after his lengthy explanation.
Honestly, just that last sentence would have sufficed! Homura-kun’s extended narrative was quite lengthy and detailed.
In other words, these seven girls from the Home Economics Club, who are outsiders in this world, had their hearts stolen by these so-called “ghosts” in the mine. It’s not like they fell in love with someone; it’s more like their consciousness, emotions, and such things have completely disappeared.
Is that even possible? Isn’t that bad for them as humans?
“So, my point is, I want to help these girls get their hearts back.”
Well, yeah, that seems like the right thing to do. Even if it means they become really annoying in the process.
“So please! Can’t you ask for help from your side?!”
I don’t understand!
Homura-kun didn’t originally come to this town to help these girls. His goal, then and now, is to “help his friends and return to his original world.” He’s just helping them because he can’t abandon them if he happens to pass by.
And Homura-kun’s friends are currently in a state that’s like being plant-like humanoids.
So, Homura-kun wants to go to the capital city of Aegis, where alchemy is advanced, to quickly find a solution for them. I can totally understand that.
And while it would be great if we could also go to Aegis and find a way to alchemically restore our lives, both the choir club members and the home economics club members are equally important to us.
If Homura-kun is taking care of the life and death situation, then it’s quite reasonable for us to handle the current issue, which is rescuing the hearts (or whatever) of the home economics club members.
So, in summary…
We’re going to explore the mine.
The mine ghosts, as they are called, are actually one of the legends in this town that has been around for a long time. In other words, somewhere in this mine, there is a nest of these ghosts, and normally, the ghosts don’t come out of it. However, if we happen to enter their nest, our hearts get stolen, or so it goes.
In the end, this seems to be a lesson like “Don’t be too greedy and delve too deep.” But in the past, there have been a few incidents that seemed like the work of these ghosts.
Considering that this world is quite fantastical, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were actual ghosts. However, I have a feeling that the true nature of these “ghosts” might not be what it seems.
With that said, I had to modify the documents I wrote earlier to transfer ownership of the seven girls to me. Homura-kun and his group are leaving for Aegis today. In that case, it falls upon us to take care of these girls, and it would be quite inconvenient if the ownership remained with Homura-kun.
It would have been nice to discuss this before I wrote the documents.
“Are you all okay?”
I address one of the seven girls, but she just looks at me with vacant eyes.
“Could everyone please stand up for a moment?”
I say, and all seven of them stand up immediately.
“Alright, march.”
I give the signal, and they start walking in the indicated direction.
“Stop, all of you.”
I signal again, and they come to a halt.
This is starting to look really serious. They seem like they’ve lost all sense of purpose or thought.
Well, to be honest, I had briefly considered the possibility of sending these girls back to our original world in their current heartless state. Just briefly.
We are currently in a position where we can do that, and we have the ability to do it.
But it’s not good, is it? After all, no matter what direction their minds are in, it’s probably better than returning to complete apathy.
I think being human is all about feeling and thinking. Even if those feelings are anger, hatred, or overwhelmingly negative, feeling nothing—or in this case, not knowing if they’re feeling or just not expressing it—is, in my opinion, better than feeling nothing at all.
Well, maybe these people want to say, “We don’t want to think or feel anything!” In that case, I’ll treat them as if they don’t want to feel or think, but since we are in a position to restore them, and we have the ability to do so, we’ll do it whether they like it or not.
“…So I’ve taken on the task of helping them.”
Seeing is believing, so when I brought them back with me, they immediately understood.
Yes, it’s quite apparent—their abnormality.
It’s so blatantly obvious, and that’s a good thing.
“…Well, if we’ve taken on this task, there’s no helping it. I’ve also finished shopping. Shall we go to this mine?”
Sorry for bringing trouble. I’ll be causing you more inconvenience. I apologize.
…It turns out the nature of the trouble was different from what I imagined.
