Chapter 12

The meeting with the client concluded without any issues. It was now slightly before noon.

“Senpai, what should we do for lunch? There’s a place nearby called Tosaya that has amazing bonito,” Yoshioka suggested.

Yoshioka is thin, but he’s quite the gourmet. If he recommends a place, it’s almost certainly a winner. But today, I had no time to spare.

“Sorry. I have some shopping to do, so I have to head to Toyoko Hands now.”

I planned to buy polishing compounds, whetstones, a snow shovel, and other supplies. I parted ways with Yoshioka and headed to Toyoko Hands, a department store that sells almost every kind of daily necessity.

Most things should be available here. I hurried through the aisles, picking up what I needed: two snow shovels and a set of four whetstones, ranging from coarse to finishing grade. I was also grateful to find “thermal underwear” for Jutta-san and Egon-san, as well as a knife for Zotto. I bought a Medium for Egon-san and a men’s XL for Jutta-san. That should be a perfect fit.

I managed to finish the shopping by using my entire lunch break. My lunch for the day consisted of nothing but a jelly drink on the station platform.

In the evening, I couldn’t exactly leave right on the dot, but I scrambled to finish my paperwork and managed to leave the office before 6:00 PM. It felt like a minor miracle.

Next stop: Akihabara. While waiting for the Chuo Line on the platform, Yoshioka called out to me.

“Huh? Senpai, don’t you usually take the subway?”

“I’m heading to Akiba to do some shopping.”

“Oh! Nice!”

Yoshioka hadn’t reacted at all to Toyoko Hands, but he responded instantly to Akiba. A true otaku to the core.

“What are you buying? Or do you have a favorite maid cafe or something?”

“Sorry, but I don’t think it’s a shop that would interest you, Yoshioka.”

I showed him the printout of the security goods specialty shop’s homepage.

“Senpai… are you being exiled to a factory in South Africa?”

“No, though I do have a short business trip in February.”

Well, it’s a natural assumption. The area around our factory has a very high crime rate.

“Body armor has six different levels, but if you’re going to buy it anyway, you should go for Level III or even Level IV,” Yoshioka noted.

Is that so?! Is this really okay? Still, as expected of Yoshioka—he has an abundance of useless knowledge like this. It would actually be a big help if he came along.

“Yoshioka…”

“You don’t have to give me those puppy-dog eyes; I’ll go with you. I feel like I’d get ‘pet loss syndrome’ if you died on me, Senpai.”

“Am I a lapdog to you?!”

It seems he sees me as a dog, too.

“Look, the train is here.”

Oh well. He’s coming along, at least.

“Woof woof.”

I expressed my joy in a dog-like fashion.

Once we arrived at the shop, a slight problem arose. Buying a bulletproof vest was one thing, but making excuses for a military helmet and a crossbow was difficult.

“Senpai, are you secretly a military otaku?”

“No… well, how should I put it…”

I felt like I could be honest and tell Yoshioka everything. However, whether he’d actually believe me was a different story.

“Actually…”

I took the plunge and told Yoshioka the truth—that I had become a summoned beast in another world. As a result…

“I see. So… you’ve come down with it.”

“Come down with what?”

“Or rather, you’ve got a severe case?”

“Severe case of what?”

“Chunibyo.”

“No, I don’t!”

That’s when I showed Yoshioka the commemorative photo I took with Ria and the others. It was a shot of Ria, Zotto, Noel, and me standing in a row. I swiped through my smartphone, showing him one photo after another that I had taken in the other world.

“…”

He went completely still.

“These photos… they aren’t CG, are they?”

“Do you really think I’d go through the trouble of photoshopping myself into pictures?”

“No way. You don’t have that kind of skill, Senpai.”

It was a fact, but I still felt like he was making fun of me.

“Then how about this?”

In the corner of the shop, I performed a demonstration of my Spatial Storage skill.

“…A magic trick? That’s a bit elaborate for a year-end party performance, isn’t it?”

“Spatial Storage.”

“…Crap. This is real.”

Yoshioka seemed to fall into deep thought for a moment, but then he suddenly grabbed another set of military helmet and body armor from the shelf.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going too!!”

Of course. I should have seen that coming.

“Come on, what are you waiting for? Let’s hurry up and pick out the crossbows. You said you’re out of time, right?”

I mean, that’s fine, but there’s no guarantee he’ll be summoned with me just because I’m giving him a piggyback ride. He’s already completely convinced he can go…

After finishing the purchase of the crossbows and armor, Yoshioka and I split up. Earlier today, I had called my usual bike shop and asked them to set aside some chains and grip heaters. I had to go pick them up before it got too late.

I asked Yoshioka to handle the bulk of the food shopping. In the end, I managed to finish all the shopping somehow.

“Okay, come to my place at 6:00 AM tomorrow.”

“Understood. I’ll leave the luggage to you.”

The next morning, we were to meet at Yoshioka’s apartment. The crossbow box was too large to fit in my Spatial Storage, so Yoshioka transported it by taxi. This was a huge help, as it meant I didn’t have to bring crossbows and bulletproof vests back to the home where Emi was.

Besides, if I were preparing for the summons at home, Emi might see me. I really didn’t want to be caught wearing a bulletproof vest and a military helmet, holding a crossbow, while giving Yoshioka a piggyback ride.

I got home after 9:00 PM. I was a bit tired from running all over the place, but I’d successfully bought everything on my list. Emi wasn’t home yet. She must be working late again tonight. I took a bath and fell asleep while reading the survival books I’d bought.

The next day, I went to Yoshioka’s apartment early. He’s a single guy living alone, but his place is always spotless. He’s really the only colleague from work whose home I visit. I might actually spend more time with him than with Emi.

By the way, Yoshioka’s “girlfriend” apparently lives inside his head—a 2D character. Even though he’s quite a good-looking, bespectacled “herbivore” type, he hasn’t had a real-life girlfriend in ages. Maybe it’s his androgynous vibe? Or a personality issue.

“Morning. You ready?”

“Good morning! I’m all set. I bought as much food as I could!”

Right next to him sat a backpack stuffed to the point of bursting.

“Alright, let’s put on the bulletproof vests and helmets.”

The two of us chatted excitedly as we geared up. I shoved the food and anything else that would fit into my Spatial Storage.

“I guess this is it.”

“What’s the plan?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’s the plan’?”

“How are you going to carry me? A piggyback? Or… a princess carry?”

Give me a break.

“Piggyback, please.”

“Roger that. I’ll wear the backpack, so you carry the crossbows, Senpai. Let’s do a little practice run.”

We had four crossbows in total. Two were small pistol-types, and the other two were large models. They were pretty expensive, but I considered it a forward investment. I might even be able to earn money on the other side, after all. Even if my daily wage is only 600 Marques right now.

“Your back is so wide, Senpai~”

“Stop saying creepy things and just get on.”

I crouched down, and Yoshioka climbed onto my back. With his weight plus the luggage, it was reasonably heavy, but it was a breeze compared to carrying the motorcycle.

Before long, the alarm went off, signaling the time for the summons.

“This is it.”

“Yes…”

The playful look on Yoshioka’s face had vanished, replaced by a clear tinge of tension.

Alright. Time for my fifth dive.