Chapter 24

Once again, we rented lodgings at the t=Temple in Kattenstrokt.

Tonight, it was just the two of us, Yoshioka and me, in the large common room. Clara-sama was staying in a private room reserved for nobility, and Fiene had returned to her family for the night.

Tomorrow would mark the fifth day since our last summoning. Although it was a day early, I had asked Clara-sama to send us back to our world. This would give Fiene time to say a proper, leisurely goodbye to her family. We had decided to depart Kattenstrokt for the Royal Capital early the morning after next.

“Senpai, what are your plans for tomorrow?”

Yoshioka asked about our schedule once we returned home. I wanted to go shopping, but I also felt like relaxing by myself for a bit. When we get sent back, it’ll be Saturday morning over there. Since I’m off work, I’ll have plenty of time.

“First off, I want to take a bath.”

“Right? I feel you~”

The very first thing on my mind was a hot soak. In the six days since being summoned here, I hadn’t taken a single bath—only wiped myself down. Since the air was dry, I didn’t sweat much, but it still felt gross. As an outdoorsy guy, I’m used to going without a bath for a while. When you’re trekking across mountain ridges, it’s common to go days without one.

But these days, even mountain huts are often equipped with showers. As a civilized human being, a week without a bath was my limit. If I felt that way, I imagine it was even tougher for Yoshioka.

“How about we bathe, relax for a bit, and meet up at the shopping spot around 10:00 AM?”

It takes about thirty minutes from Yoshioka’s apartment to my place. That should give me enough time to unwind in my own room.

“That works for me. What should we buy this time?”

We put together a shopping list in preparation for tomorrow’s return.

“Senpai, speaking of which, what are we going to do about Fiene’s transportation?”

I’d forgotten. Clara-sama would be riding Blitz, and the two of us would be riding double on the 125cc bike. An attendant can’t exactly ride on the same horse as Clara-sama, and fitting three people on a small bike was out of the question. I hear people in Oriental countries do it all the time, but that’s way too cramped. We’d look like some kind of circus act.

No matter how petite Fiene was, I didn’t want to travel the remaining 1,400-plus kilometers like that. To be honest, riding double with Yoshioka was already tough enough. It would be easier if we could pick up some speed, but to keep Blitz from wearing out, we were capped at about ten kilometers per hour. And attaching a sidecar would probably cost more than the bike itself…

“Weren’t there such things as bike trailers?”

A long time ago, I remembered seeing a Super Cub towing a rear car.

“Oh, those! I’ve seen bicycles pulling food stalls like that before.”

If a bicycle could pull one, surely my bike could too.

“We aren’t going to be speeding, so it should work, right?”

“Riding double is a pain, after all. There might be some issues with the suspension, but we don’t have much of a choice at this point. Actually, I think I saw a trailer in the storehouse back at my parents’ place. It didn’t look like they were using it, so they’d probably give it to me if I asked.”

“Seriously? Where is your parents’ house, Yoshioka?”

“Kawagoe.”

Saitama Prefecture, huh. Time-wise, that wasn’t an issue. I didn’t know how much a trailer would cost, but travel expenses would probably be cheaper than buying a new one.

“What else should we prepare?”

“Food, and… I have one flashlight, so I just need to bring that.”

We planned to use the flashlights once we were incorporated into the Royal Capital City Guard. I figured they were a necessity for police officers. Apparently, the one Yoshioka owned was made of aluminum alloy—the kind used by the military—and could serve as a weapon for self-defense. The batteries weren’t standard AA or AAA either; they were something called CR123s, which cost nearly 400 Marques a piece. It was powerful enough to blind an enemy with light, allowing you to strike them while they were flustered.

“Why do you even own something like that?”

“Well, you know, the world is a dangerous and scary place.”

You’re the one who’s scary for owning that. But since he could use offensive magic now, he didn’t really need self-defense gadgets anymore. At least he wouldn’t have to worry if he got stopped for questioning at night back home.

“What else did we need?”

“Oh right, Yoshioka, didn’t you have some handheld radios?”

Cell phones don’t work over here. I wanted a means of communication.

“Oh! That would be handy. Those are at my parents’ house too. I’ve got both handheld and mobile units gathering dust in the closet.”

Apparently, even a handheld model with high output can cost around 70,000 Marques. Tomorrow was definitely going to involve a drive to Kawagoe.

“We can just charge the handhelds before we leave, but the mobile unit is going to need a power source.”

A generator would be too heavy and bulky; I didn’t want to bring one yet. More importantly, I didn’t want to waste the money to buy one. I’ll think about it once we reach the Royal Capital and make a bit more profit in this world. Still, a power source…

“Senpai, how many volts is your bike’s battery?”

“Twelve volts.”

“Then we’re good to go. I’ll just attach a capacitor so we don’t have to worry about the battery dying.”

As expected of Yoshioka—he’s reliable.

“Alright, should I get the car and we head to Kawagoe?”

“Yeah. There’s a home improvement center near my house, so I think we can get everything else we need there too.”

Kawagoe, huh? I haven’t been there since I was a kid. I recall it being a stylish place called “Little Edo” because of its preserved district of traditional clay-walled warehouses. I remember seeing the bell tower called “Toki no Kane” (The Bell of Time), which is the symbol of the city. The fried sweet potato sticks—imo-kenpi—were delicious. If we have time, I’ll get some freshly fried ones as a souvenir for Clara-sama. If I put them in my Spatial Storage, I can keep them piping hot.

After working out a detailed timetable with Yoshioka, I drifted off to sleep.

At 7:00 AM the next morning, Clara-sama performed the dismissal. Since it was also 7:00 AM Japan time, it was easy to keep track of.

“It is acceptable to re-summon you at 17:00 today, then?”

“Yes. Please do. The timer is already set.”

While we could have taken it easy back home, the truth was that both Yoshioka and I wanted to get back here as soon as possible. Yoshioka wanted to practice magic on the outskirts of the village, and I wanted to check out my new skills.

“I shall dismiss you now.”

I wonder why? Every time Clara-sama sends me back, she gets this anxious look on her face. Is the dismissal process more difficult than I realize?

“I’ll bring back some more souvenirs for you.”

Before I could hear a reply to my final words, we were back in the small room in the gap between worlds.

In the room where Kota and the others had vanished, Clara stood in a daze for a while. A pile of luggage they had left behind was stacked in the corner. They had said they were going to empty their Spatial Storage and bring back new supplies.

It’s fine. Kota and the others will return, Clara told herself.

The anxiety that Kota might not come back was gnawing at her again, though not as severely as before. But Kota had given her his usual smile and promised to bring souvenirs. That smile—like a charming pet—always put people at ease.

“It will be fine… Kota will… return to me…”

Clara whispered to herself as she softly touched Kota’s belongings.

As soon as I got home, I immediately started the bath. Since it was a day off, Emi was still asleep. Yoshioka was scheduled to arrive at 9:00 AM, so I decided to enjoy a long soak today. Starting tomorrow, I’d be back to a life without baths.

Soaking in the slightly hot water, I mapped out the day’s plans in my head. My life feels so fulfilling lately. It’s hard to believe I used to live so gloomily. I closed my eyes, sinking in up to my shoulders.

When I got out of the bath and went to the living room, a pleasant aroma greeted me—breakfast was ready. Had Emi prepared this? It felt like it had been forever. Croissants, bacon and eggs, salad, and coffee were laid out on the table.

“Morning.”

“M-morning.”

It was the first time I’d seen Emi’s face in six days, but she seemed calm today. Since it had been a while for me, I felt nervous just being greeted normally. Breakfast proceeded without much conversation.

Television is a convenient thing. Thanks to the announcer prattling on about the news, the silence didn’t feel unnatural.

“What are your plans for today?”

“M-me?”

“Yeah. I’m planning to drop off my suit at the cleaners and head to the bookstore…”

Emi was asking about lunch plans.

“I’m heading to Yoshioka’s parents’ place with him.”

Emi knew Yoshioka since he’d been to the house a few times.

“His parents’ place? Why?”

She was showing a rare bit of interest in my life.

“Ah… I figured I’d help him haul some big luggage in my car.”

He doesn’t own a car, so it was a plausible excuse.

“Hmm. Then we’ll both do our own thing for lunch. What about dinner?”

“I’m not sure yet. I’ll probably be back by 7:00 PM.”

“Mm.”

The conversation ended there. After that, I politely drank my coffee while listening to the announcer’s words.

What is this feeling of guilt? But I suppose Emi and I are the same. Whatever we are doing now is either more fun or more important than our relationship as a married couple. Still, it feels a bit lonely leaving things like this. Maybe next time I come back, I’ll try to spend a little more time with her.