Chapter 71

Today is the day Gravity comes back.

Gravity went around with Yura yesterday and bought a lot of stuff, so she’s busy packing up a ton of things.

“Did you get everything?”

“…Yeah.”

A bulging bag that I don’t even know when she packed. It definitely feels like she packed a lot. And next to it, a big rabbit doll. She’s probably planning to carry that around again.

“Take care.”

“…Yeah.”

Gravity, with the bag on her back, waved at me while holding the rabbit doll. And then Kkui… Kkui the White Rabbit, who I have no idea when she woke up, disappeared through a [Gate]. With that, it’s back to the usual routine… Oh, right, I have to go to Germany.

The sausage & beer party is right around the corner. Diamond Dust, Typhoon, and Pretty Heart have all significantly improved their combat abilities, so I can relax and enjoy myself. Plus, Pandora’s side won’t be causing any trouble for a while. Ah~ I’m looking forward to it~

Yura’s already gone to work, Diamond Dust is off to school… So, time to throw off my clothes and grab a beer! Ah~… Snacking like this is the best, isn’t it~?

“…Hey, Chubby.”

“Yes?”

“Anything unusual happening lately?”

“Nothing!”

“Really?”

That means everything’s flowing as usual. Guess I should start preparing to go to Germany. Hmm… But before that, maybe I’ll take a nap.

◇

Time passed, and I arrived in Germany. The magical girl I asked to cover for a week has already left on a trip with her family. So, I came to the address written down… but it smells like a normal household, which feels a bit off. Oh, there’s a key in the mailbox.

“Then I’ll head back!”

“Alright.”

This time, I just took the signal device and sent Chubby back home. If Chubby’s not around, no one can cook. I’m fine since I’ve lived alone before, but Yura and Diamond Dust can’t handle household chores at all.

…But here, delivery isn’t an option. What do I do? Sigh… No choice. I’ll have to eat all my meals at restaurants. I was planning to do that anyway. So, I’ll start by visiting the restaurants I’ve marked.

“Oh…”

So, I ordered at a restaurant where I could eat sausage right away. First up… a sausage where you peel the skin with a knife. It’s white, which feels a bit odd, but… I guess I can just slice it and eat it? …Oh, this is good. But why don’t they eat the skin? …It’s really tough. That’s why they give you a knife and fork to peel it.

Hmm, I ate well, so maybe I’ll go back and take a proper look around the house. I’ll be staying here for about a week, so I should at least give it a quick once-over.

First… it’s exactly what you’d imagine a European household to look like. The inside looks just like in the movies. The kitchen and dining area are cozy, and the living room is surprisingly spacious. And this must be the bedroom? It’s smaller than I expected, but the bathroom is huge. There’s a separate bathtub and a shower booth by the entrance… I probably won’t use the bathtub. I’ll just take a quick shower.

Next, if I go to the other side… Oh, it’s a kid’s room. With idol posters plastered all over, they must be an idol fan. Honestly, I wouldn’t want to sleep here… So, I guess I’ll sleep in the bedroom.

“…Huh? The quality is pretty good for a normal household.”

Huh… The bed and blankets in the bedroom are super soft. And the wall-mounted TV is pretty big… Wait, I only glanced at the kitchen earlier, I should check it again. …Ah, this is definitely a well-off household. The kitchen appliances are surprisingly high-end. Hmm… But I’m not going to cook, am I? No need to worry about that.

Anyway… time to enjoy some beer and sausage. First, the white sausage… what was it called? Weißwurst? I’ve tried that, so now I’ll try the grilled ones. I saw before that ground meat formed into shapes is also called sausage. I wonder how you eat that. From what I’ve seen in videos, you spread it on bread. Crazy Heart said to put it in army stew.

…If I keep thinking like this, time will fly by, so I’ll stop and head to the next restaurant. While I’m at it, I’ll watch some superhumans fight, figure out who the criminal is, and take them out with a wand throw. I opened a [Gate] and threw it without anyone seeing, so they won’t know it was me.

“This is the… Pork Knuckle restaurant…”

Oh, it’s golden, just like in the videos and photos. I should definitely have this with beer. So, one wheat beer and one Pork Knuckle… Ah, they asked for my ID. Being short is such a problem.

“……”

This golden Pork Knuckle… I’ve been wanting to try it ever since I saw that video… First, I’ll quench my thirst with beer… Ah~… The beer’s delicious. Now, let’s slice this…

“Wow…”

This alone makes me feel like coming to Germany was worth it… But seriously, this is so good. The skin is crispy without being tough at all. And the meat is juicy and tender…

“Ah~ I’m full…”

I ate well and enjoyed the beer… Time to head back. Where should I go next? Even I can’t eat sausage every day for a week, so I should check out some regular restaurants too. And I can get sausage without going to a restaurant. I heard you can buy all kinds at the mart? But I don’t know about the sauces, so it’s better to eat out.

“Ugh~…”

…Thinking about it, do I really need to go on these overseas assignments? If I want to eat something for lunch, can’t I just use a [Gate] to that country, eat, and come back? Why do I have to go through the hassle of these overseas assignments? Honestly, I’m not even sightseeing. Didn’t I think the same thing before? What did I say back then? ……From now on, I’ll just use [Gates] from home.

Sigh, people’s minds change so quickly. Before doing something, you think it’s a good idea, but once you start, it’s just a hassle. …Let’s watch some TV.

“……”

Ah, this is Germany. I was trying to listen to some English, but it’s all German, so I can’t understand anything. I’ll have to use a translator.

Oh, they talk a lot about magical girls here too. Magical Magician… She must be a famous magical girl in Germany. She’s mentioned the most. And she has long orange hair? …Saying long hair is short feels contradictory. It’s long for short hair… I guess?

“She’s more of a magician than a magical girl with that outfit.”

She uses cards or various magic tools… It’s more like killing with magic tools than casting spells. But she still uses magic, so it’s a bit ambiguous.

…Ah, I’ve been watching this and that, and it’s already evening. Alright, let’s go out for dinner. This time, I’ll go to a regular restaurant. Hmm~ That place looks good.

“Hello!”

“Hello!”

“…Who’s there?”

“Magical Magician here!”

“Here!”

“Ah, okay…”

I was heading to a decent restaurant for dinner when suddenly, this Magical Magician showed up and greeted me. I’m sure I saw her on TV, but meeting her like this… How fast are these flags being triggered? Does she live here too?

“Nice to meet you, Rampage!”

“Do you live here?”

“No?”

“Then why are you here?”

“Just passing by?”

“Is that so…”

And she’s all smiles. What’s she so happy about?

“Rampage!”

“What?”

“Can I have your autograph!”

“…Sure.”

She wants an autograph too… Well, I can’t say no to that. …Hmm, done.

“Thank you!”

“Alright. So… did you come just for the autograph?”

“That’s part of it, but there’s something else!”

“What is it?”

“Please watch my magic!”

“…Why?”

“Because I’m a magician!”

This is ridiculous… What’s with the sudden magic… Anyway, I need to eat first.

“Let’s eat first.”

“Ah, you haven’t eaten yet?”

“No.”

“Then I guess I have no choice…”

Surprisingly, she gave up easily. If she had started a magic show, it would’ve been really annoying. Good thing she’s not completely lacking in common sense.

…Or so I thought, but after finishing dinner, she showed up again, releasing pigeons in front of me. Isn’t Germany supposed to have a clear separation between public and private life? Why did she wait until I finished eating?

“Ta-da~!”

“Are you a stalker?”

“No!”

“Then why did you wait?”

“…Actually, I wanted to consult with you. Is that possible?”

“Consult? …Sure, I guess. Where should we do it? At the house I’m renting?”

“Yes!”

How badly did she want to consult that she waited like that… If she wanted to consult that badly, she could’ve contacted me through a mascot. Is it because it’s overseas? Ah~ Maybe she didn’t want to bother me because of the time difference?

Anyway, I took Magical Magician back to the rented house. And we plopped down on the couch in the living room. With a beer can in one hand.

“So, what’s the consultation about?”

“…How can I become as strong as you, Rampage!”

“…Become strong?”

“Yes.”

Become strong… Well, there’s only one way. What else could there be?

“Then train every day at the training ground, and do mana control training. That’s all there is. The rest is just diligently defeating monsters or demons whenever they appear. At least 10 a day.”

“R-really…”

“But why? Do you have a reason for wanting to get stronger?”

“…Back when a Duke-Class appeared, I couldn’t do anything. And because of my mistake, a comrade got seriously hurt…”

“I see. Well… it’s a good thing you didn’t die. So, what happened?”

“A senior took care of it, but… I got scolded a lot back then…”

Hmm… If that’s the case, you can’t really argue with the scolding. You hurt a comrade because of your mistake. But you’re still holding onto that… Well, there’s only one thing I can say here.

“If no one died in the end, that’s what matters. Why did you become a magical girl?”

“Me? …To protect my family and… my friends.”

“Then how are you doing now? Are you doing well?”

“Now I defeat them all before any damage is done! Even Marquis-Class!”

“Good. Then you don’t need to worry anymore, right? You’ve already saved countless lives, and you’re not so inexperienced that you’d hurt your comrades anymore. Right?”

“…Yes.”

“You’ve already worked hard and achieved results. You’ve reached a level where you can make up for the same situation. So, you don’t need to hold onto the past. You’ve already moved past it. Got it? Most importantly, if you keep dwelling on atonement, it’s not good for your growth.”

“…Yes! I understand!”

…That ended more easily than I thought. The fact that she doesn’t drag it out is already a positive sign. Well, the consultation seems to be over, so I should send her home.

“If you ever want to consult again, contact me through my responsible mascot. I’ll come find you at a convenient time.”

“Yes!”

“Then head home. Your parents will worry.”

“It’s fine! I’ll just tell them I’m staying at a friend’s place!”

“…What?”

“It’s already late, let’s sleep together!”

“Hey, wait…”

“…? Is it weird to sleep in the same bed with someone of the same gender?”

“Of course it’s weird. Have you ever seen grown-ups of the same gender sleeping together?”

“Ehh… But I sleep holding hands with my older sister…”

“Ah, is that so…”

Seriously, this is ridiculous… You’re noisy, go sleep somewhere else, kid. And are you really planning to sleep here?! Sigh… Fine, do whatever you want…