Chapter 64

It’s already been a week since I came to Japan for a trip.

It was nice to keep going out to eat, but I’m starting to feel like I want home-cooked meals too.

“Ugh…”

Ah~… When I get home, I should tell Chubby to make me some food right away.

Since it’s a neighboring country, there are some similarities in food culture, but there are still quite a few differences in important areas, so it feels oddly nostalgic.

Especially the kimchi here—it’s not spicy and tastes different.

And there’s no side dishes like namul, so it’s kinda…

“…Is this enough?”

…Anyway, before leaving this house, I wrote a letter.

It’s better than just leaving without a word.

Besides… It’s a bit awkward to talk about this and that when communication isn’t smooth.

I should study English harder…

“Sigh~…”

By the way, the weather is really nice.

Even though it’s autumn, it feels warm, and there’s not a single cloud in the sky.

Ah, I should eat some eel rice bowl before I leave.

Eel is so delicious.

…Speaking of which, those so-called “protection officers” or whatever, they were annoying.

I didn’t mention it, but while walking, they’d suddenly come up and ask, “Where’s your mom?”, “Where’s your house?”, “Where’s your school?”…

Seriously… I had to show them my passport to prove I’m an adult…

“Ugh… Ah, we’re here.”

Well, at least I ate a lot of delicious food, so it’s fine.

Besides, now it’s time for eel rice bowl.

Since it’s the last day, I’ll have two bowls this time.

“Phew~…”

“You really enjoy eating, huh? Are you coming back?”

“Ah, I have to go back today.”

“Is that so… I see. Have a safe trip.”

By the way, this rice bowl shop owner, even though I’m answering in English, they seem to understand pretty well.

They seem pretty smart, so why are they running a rice bowl shop?

Anyway, I ate well, so it’s time to head home.

Let’s see… I’ll go to a place with no people and… [Gate].

“Chubby. I’m back.”

“Ah! You’re back?”

“Yeah.”

By the way, Diamond Dust is still… at school, I guess.

Then I should just drink some beer.

Kuh~… Every time I drink beer, I wonder how German wheat beer would taste.

Can’t they just send me to Germany for a week or so?

“By the way, aren’t you going to see the Fairy Queen?”

“Huh? …Ah, I should.”

Oops, I said I’d go see the Fairy Queen but forgot.

Then I should hurry and go before lunchtime.

“Follow me, Chubby.”

“Yes!”

“Meow.”

“Max, you can’t come. I won’t be gone long, so stay there.”

“Meow.”

Really… Why is this guy so clingy…

Just stay lazy like you’re supposed to.

“……”

“Meow.”

“Sigh… Fine, fine…”

I had no choice but to pamper Max, and after an hour, we finally arrived in the Fairy Realm.

Of all things, a cat-dog hybrid? So annoying.

“I’m here.”

“Welcome~?”

“You heard from Chubby, right?”

“Yes, I did.”

Lying around in a loose T-shirt, eating snacks…

Isn’t this girl too much of a slacker queen?

Well, she’s cooped up in her room all day, so I guess it can’t be helped…

“…If I heard correctly, you said you met a witch?”

“She called herself a witch. She appeared with seven Duke-Class demons, and it’s clear she’s related to Pandora.”

“A magical girl who didn’t transform but absorbed the power of monsters… a witch… Then it’s certain…”

“What is it?”

“After Pandora disappeared, many worlds were destroyed by the Demon Realm, right?”

“I’ve heard.”

“One of the beings that destroyed those worlds… called herself a witch and disappeared.”

“…I see.”

Then, well, it’s confirmed.

If she’s not Pandora’s subordinate, then what is she?

“By the way, a witch… Honestly, she wasn’t much.”

“Rampage, you’re just abnormally strong. But even among witches, there are ranks. There’s a high possibility that some exist who are stronger than you in pure power alone.”

“Well, I’ll handle that. The important thing is to kill Pandora.”

“…Honestly, if you don’t start preparing now… you might not even be able to raise a blade against Pandora.”

“Then, what should I do?”

Sigh, if you’re worried, just get to the point.

That way, I can start training and get stronger as soon as possible.

“As I said before, Rampage’s exclusive training ground is incomplete.”

“Incomplete? I heard.”

“Yes. Right now, it’s just a space where you can train while using your abilities to some extent. And what we’re building separately is a space where you can fully unleash your power, and time flows slower… literally an extreme space for growing stronger. I’ve been through something similar before. It was hell, though.”

“What did you do to call it hell… By the way, is that like a mental and physical training room?”

“Ah, you mean like in that manga? If so… I guess you could say it’s similar?”

“Is that so…”

Well, if that’s the case… Ah, that sounds amazing.

If that’s true, then I can train dozens, even hundreds of times more effectively compared to real time.

For someone like me, whose growth rate has hit rock bottom since becoming an adult, this is like rain in a drought.

So… when will it be completed?

“When will it be finished?”

“It’s been a while since construction started… Probably in about a week.”

“That’s really fast…”

“We have a lot of accumulated knowledge and experience with space-time magic.”

“Ah, right…”

If that’s the case, then it’s not impossible.

I’m really looking forward to next week.

“Ah, there’s something I want to confirm—how fast does time flow?”

“About a month per hour?”

“…So if I train for two months straight, only two hours will pass in real time?”

“That’s right.”

Then if I train for two hours every day… I might be able to reach Pandora.

But the opponent has lived for at least hundreds of years and strengthened themselves through abnormal methods.

I’m not sure if this will be enough to face them…

“If you’ve been preparing this for a while, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“If I told you earlier, you’d probably spend all day thinking about training and neglect your daily life.”

“…I’m not that crazy.”

This damn queen… What does she think I am?

I’m human too, and I like to have fun.

I want to lie around all day, drink beer, and eat delicious food.

…Well, two months of non-stop training is something I can handle.

I’ve been through something similar with my senior before.

If I had to guess, I could probably endure even years of it.

But even I would go insane.

“Well, at least it’s nice to have a space where I can go wild.”

“Will you really be able to go wild?”

“…What do you mean?”

“That place is being made into an extremely harsh environment. An ordinary magical girl would die instantly just by entering.”

“…What kind of hell are you making?”

“Of course, it’s custom-made for Rampage.”

“I’m not that much of a monster…”

Still, well… It’s good that I can build up all sorts of resistances.

It’ll be a grueling time, but if it makes me stronger, then it’s worth it.

I’ve endured enough pain to die from shock if I let my guard down, so I can handle this.

“By the way, do you know why that witch attacked?”

“You killed her before even figuring out her existence, let alone the details, didn’t you?”

“Ah…”

“Well, given Pandora’s personality, she wouldn’t do something like that. She’ll quietly… wait until Rampage reaches her. And she’s probably preparing a stage for that.”

“…What’s her intention?”

“How should I know? It’s like… she’s looking for someone to entertain her. Even though she’s become so powerful, she hasn’t directly invaded or even touched the Fairy Realm since then.”

Hmm… The more I hear, the more she seems like a strange being.

What exactly is she?

“By the way, it’s almost lunchtime. Aren’t you going back?”

“Lunch? …Ah, it’s already 12.”

“Do you have any more questions?”

“Ah, no. I just came because you told me to, and I don’t have much to ask.”

Time flies.

Then, since I’m craving home-cooked food… I should head back home quickly!

“Chubby. I’m back.”

“I prepared something for you, knowing you’d come around this time!”

“Oh, that’s fast. The side dish is… smoked duck?”

“What sauce would you like?”

“Chili sauce.”

“Not mustard?”

“I always go for chili sauce.”

“Yes!”

Duck… Come to think of it, I’ve heard that duck fat is good for you, something about its composition being different, blah blah.

No matter how I think about it, it’s funny.

“Hey, that’s not for you.”

“Meow.”

“…Chubby. Get this guy out of here. He’s gonna get fur all over the meat and rice.”

“Yes! Come on, play over there!”

“Meow.”

Max, this guy, has an oddly strong liking for me. Why is that?

Did Chubby put some weird ideas in his head?

Otherwise, there’s no way he’d be so attached to me.

…Ah, damn it… There’s a hair in my rice.

“I’m back~.”

“…Huh? What, why are you back so early?”

What’s going on? Don’t you usually come back at 5?

High school doesn’t usually end after just four classes, right?

“They said we have something to do in the afternoon, so we should eat lunch and go home right after.”

“Huh? …That does happen sometimes.”

Ah~ That’s it… But I don’t really remember.

What was it for…? Nah, no need to worry about it.

If it’s like that, then it’s like that. If not, then not.

I don’t need to interfere or try to know more than necessary.

“Ah, by the way, my studies are progressing well, so starting tomorrow, after dinner, it’s training time. Got it? My recovery is done too.”

“……Yes.”

“Hang in there~!”

“…Your encouragement doesn’t really help.”

“Ouch?!”

Katanu, this guy, has this weird way of making me lose motivation the more he cheers…

It’s better if he just shuts up and supports me.

Though it might really help some suspiciously suspicious people.

“By the way, how was Japan?”

“Japan? …Well, dealing with people felt a bit strange~. Some of them, at least.”

“…Isn’t that because of your appearance?”

“Is that so…? Well, other than that, it wasn’t too bad. Ah, and aside from their oddly strong obsession with analog stuff…”

“Are the cons piling up…?”

“Really, there wasn’t much else. The food was generally salty but tasty, people were kind… Ah, the portion sizes were ridiculously small.”

“……”

Huh? Why is Diamond Dust reacting like that?

Well, people tend to remember the bad stuff more.

That’s why it sticks in my memory.

So it’s not like I’m saying anything weird.

“…By the way, did anything happen while I was gone?”

“Something happen? …Max finally let me pet him.”

“…That’s good. Anything else?”

“Nothing.”

“Alright.”

If nothing unusual happened, then that’s good.

…By the way, I should eat the rest of the duck with my hands.

Nom nom nom nom.

Ah~ Delicious.