Chapter 11

Today was my first break in six days, the day I’d finally return to my original world. I was to be sent back from Clara-sama’s study.

“You’ve worked hard these past six days. I shall pay you your wages before you depart.”

With those words, Clara-sama stacked coins on the desk. There were three silver coins and six large copper coins. At 600 Marques a day, that made 3,600 Marques for six days. In Japanese yen, that’s 3,600 yen.

“Thank you very much.”

I shoved the jangling coins into my pocket. From now on, I’d need a wallet specifically for this world. A leather drawstring pouch would probably look the part. I wondered if they were sold anywhere? Another item added to the shopping list.

I had so much to buy once I got back to the other side. It was currently just before dawn on Friday in Japan, so I still had to go to work. I had a meeting with a client at 10:00 AM, so I was scheduled to go out with Yoshioka. I’d have to find a way to carve out some time and finish all the shopping.

“The re-summons is to be in 27 hours, correct?”

“Yes. Please.”

I was scheduled to be summoned back at 11:00 AM in this world’s time, which would be around 7:00 AM Japan time.

“Oh, Clara-sama.”

“What is it?”

“Is there anything in particular you want?”

“Something I… want?”

“Yes. I’m planning to buy souvenirs for everyone when I get back to my world, and I was wondering what you would like.”

Clara-sama gave a faint smile.

“You need not concern yourself with such things. I am unsure if it is proper for a master to receive gifts from an attendant. It would be one thing if I were buying something for you, but…”

Clara-sama is as stiff as ever.

“I’m getting thermal underwear for Egon-san and his wife to help with the cold, chocolate for Ria, a knife just like mine for Zotto, and a hairbrush for Noel. That’s why I asked what you might like.”

Clara-sama’s eyes widened at my words.

“W-Wait! Chocolate and a knife?! Those are all luxury goods! Chocolate is a delicacy that only city-dwelling nobles or the extremely wealthy ever taste.”

“Is that so? I can buy it for about 90 Marques at a shop near my place.”

That’s about right for a bar of chocolate. Even cheaper if it’s on sale.

“I-I see. I… well, just make sure you don’t overextend yourself.”

“I won’t. So, is there anything you’d like, Clara-sama?”

“I… well… if chocolate is truly that inexpensive, then perhaps one for me as well… Naturally, I shall pay for it!”

She didn’t have to turn that red. So, chocolate for Clara-sama too…

Alright, I’ve got it all noted down.

“Then, please send me back.”

“Understood. …Kota.”

“Yes?”

“Uh… it’s nothing.”

???

I wonder what Clara-sama wanted to say. I thought about asking, but I was sent back before I could. Clara-sama’s been acting a bit strange ever since the day we went hunting. Sometimes she’s strangely distant, or she looks at me with an anxious expression. Then, the next moment, she’s perfectly normal.

I bet it’s that. It’s probably her “time of the month.” Emi is the type to get emotionally unstable during her period, too, so I recognize the signs. I’ll just give her some space. If her cramps are bad, she might be iron deficient. I’ll add some dried prunes to the souvenir list.

The moment Kota vanished from the study, Clara slumped listlessly against the back of her chair. She hated how restless and unsettled she felt.

Will you truly come back again?

The words she had almost said to Kota echoed in her mind.

“Idiot!”

She shouted at no one in particular and grabbed her sword. She would swing it. She would swing it until all these cluttered thoughts were forgotten.

Clara stood in the falling snow, swinging her sword mindlessly until her thoughts grew quiet.

I stepped through the red door and returned to the parking garage before dawn.

The time was 3:09 AM, exactly the same as when I had been summoned. I didn’t have much time to waste. First, I had to search for books that might be useful over there and look into weapons. I headed back to my apartment and booted up my PC, making sure not to wake Emi.

I peeked into the bedroom; Emi was breathing softly in her sleep. Come to think of it, even though no time had passed on this side, it had been six days since I last saw her face. It felt like a lifetime. Perhaps because of that distance, I didn’t feel the same old irritation when I looked at her.

Following my plan, I picked out books that seemed useful for life in the other world. I downloaded whatever was available as an e-book and made a list for the ones that only existed in print. I’d drop by a bookstore during my lunch break.

Then, I moved on to the most crucial task.

First, I searched for armor. I could buy some in the other world, but I had a feeling the quality would be better here. But where on earth do they sell armor? I’d never seen a shop like that in town.

At first, I searched for “Armor Sales,” but a bunch of kendo gear came up. That wasn’t quite right. That’s not what I’m looking for. I changed my search terms to “Bulletproof Vest.”

Doing that brought up all sorts of results. It seemed the thing I was imagining is called “Body Armor.” The kind marines wear. I figured that would be lighter and stronger than the leather armor sold in the other world.

However, it seemed body armor isn’t widely circulated. Apparently, it’s because it makes it difficult to suppress criminal organizations if they get their hands on it. That makes sense. It’d be a nightmare if gangs had the same equipment as the police.

After a bit of digging, I found a shop in Akihabara that carried bulletproof vests claiming to meet Chinese police standards. The material was made of a strong fiber called Kevlar, and it weighed about 4 kilograms. I could wear that without any issues.

If I ordered it online, it wouldn’t arrive in time, so I decided to go to the shop tomorrow to buy it directly. Since it looked interesting, I browsed the shop’s website and found they also sold military helmets. The helmets I currently owned were for motorcycles and mountain climbing. The motorcycle helmet was full-face, which narrowed my field of vision, and I was worried about whether the climbing helmet could withstand an attack. Might as well buy a military one while I’m at it.

Is there anything else I need…? A stun gun? No, I have Paralysis magic, so I don’t need that.

Wait. A crossbow…

That could be useful. Riding an off-road bike while wielding a crossbow… I’d look exactly like a wasteland thug from a post-apocalyptic movie! But hey, at this point, it might be fun to just lean into it and shout “Hyah-ha!”.

Maybe I’ll buy one of those too. However, crossbows ranged from small pistol-types to large ones that looked like rifles. The prices varied too—the cheap ones were under 10,000 yen, while the expensive ones could go for over 200,000 yen. Apparently, the expensive ones had better power and accuracy. The more I looked, the more I wanted the high-end stuff. I’ll decide after consulting with a shop clerk.

I suddenly looked up to find Emi standing at the bedroom door, watching me.

“G-Good morning.”

“Morning. You’re up early.”

“Yeah, I just woke up.”

Emi stared intently at my face. What? Did something happen?

“What is it?”

“Nothing… You just seemed like you were having fun…”

I see. Maybe I was. I felt like I had been living a life of non-stop excitement lately.

“Since the bonus came in, I was thinking of doing some shopping.”

“I see. …Want some coffee?”

As expected, Emi had zero interest in my shopping. Well, it’d be a problem if she did take an interest. I mean, wouldn’t you be shocked if your husband suddenly started buying crossbows, military helmets, and bulletproof vests? Even Emi would probably interrogate me then.

The nice smell of coffee wafted in from the kitchen. Come to think of it, I hadn’t had any coffee while I was over there. I closed the browser and stood up. I think I’ll make some toast.

I stepped away from the desk but immediately doubled back. I couldn’t forget to clear my browsing history. I didn’t want Emi to find it by some chance and get any weird ideas.

Yoshioka brought over the printed materials for the client meeting, and we checked them over together.

“Hey, Yoshioka, mind if we head out a bit early?”

“What’s up?”

“I want to stop by a bookstore.”

“Sounds good. Should we leave about twenty minutes early, then?”

“Let’s do that.”

There was a relatively large bookstore in the station building, so we stopped there.

“Same as always, huh? Nothing but outdoor books.”

Yoshioka knew that mountain climbing was my hobby. He didn’t seem to find it strange at all that I was buying books on hunting and bushcraft.

“Are you still not interested in this kind of stuff, Yoshioka?”

“Well, if I ever end up going to another world, let me borrow them.”

Right? And that’s exactly why I’m buying them.

First, I’ve got the necessary reference materials. After this, I still have bike parts, weapons, armor, souvenirs, and daily sundries. I still have a long way to go.