The Protagonist

“Bro! No—God Bro! No—Hair Bro! This way!”

“Stop calling me that.”

The former skinhead guy—now the long-haired guy—kept calling me “bro,” eyes sparkling.

“Bro” is one thing, but “Hair Bro” is what…? What kind of “bro” even is that? There wasn’t a single millimeter of respect in that nickname.

Anyway, names aside, Long-Hair Guy was proudly guiding us along.

Apparently, this long-haired guy wasn’t a thug—he was an artisan called a magic-tool technician.

For the record: Number Two was a leatherworker, Number Three was a metalwork craftsman, and Blue-Head was a woodworker. Despite being young, they were a group of proper artisans who each owned their own shop.

Everyone except Long-Hair Guy was married, so even among skinheads there seemed to be a hierarchy… but Long-Hair Guy’s face was overflowing with hope now, and he was also really good-looking, so he’d probably find happiness.

Also, Long-Hair Guy’s name was Oscar.

His name, his face, his hairstyle… he was going all-in on that “aesthetic” vibe… even if his personality still screamed underling thug…

What Oscar was guiding us to was his shop—and workshop.

Magic tools were… like magical devices, I guess—street lamps, fountains… all sorts of things used them.

Yeah, I knew my explanation was sloppy, but even when I asked Karmos and the others, all they told me was “They’re convenient tools that use magic.”

Well… if someone asked me “What are electrical appliances?” I’d probably only manage “Convenient tools that run on electricity,” so fair enough.

Oscar was a specialist, so he’d be able to explain, but… if he started rattling off technical jargon, I wouldn’t understand. Craftsmen and engineers tended to do that.

The reason I got interested in magic tools was because when I was walking through town, I saw the street lamps and wondered: what’s powering those?

When I asked Ururu, she told me they were a kind of magic tool, and their power source was magical energy.

And that made me think: if I could recreate the electrical appliances I knew using magic tools, it might become a great source of national income…

So I’d been planning to look into magic tools—when Oscar and the others picked a fight with us… and that was how we ended up here.

“Hair Bro! Sorry to make you come all this way! This is my shop!”

“…It’s more impressive than I expected.”

The shop Oscar stopped in front of was a two-story building, about the size of a slightly large convenience store.

I’d imagined something tiny, like a small used bookstore… I couldn’t see inside from outside, but it was definitely a solid building.

Compared to the bakery next door, it had about twice the lot size.

“Thanks! The first floor is the shop, and the second floor is my workshop—and my home!”

“Truly your own castle. That’s impressive.”

“Heh! I’m honored!”

A skilled trade and a home… he used to be bald, but his face was also pretty handsome… so why wasn’t he popular? He seemed like a great catch.

Was his personality the problem?

He was the kind of guy who got drunk and picked fights with strangers… though he didn’t seem that awful…

Whatever.

“If I can help Hair Bro and the lady… Huh? The key… Again? That idiot…”

Oscar sighed, opened the door, walked in, then shouted toward the back of the shop.

“Hey! Patty! I told you not to unlock the door and come in on your own!”

“Oscar! Why’re you closing the shop in the middle of the day!? And you weren’t here since morning—who are they!?”

A woman replied loudly as she came down the stairs at the back… but halfway down, she froze when she saw Oscar.

“I was drinking with Fernando and the others until morning.”

Oscar answered with a shrug, acting like her reaction didn’t exist.

“…Oscar?”

The woman, frowning deeply, called his name suspiciously.

Also—Fernando? From the way he said it, that had to be one of Team Skinhead.

That name sounded absurdly noble. Someone should swap it with Gusco.

While I was thinking that, their conversation kept going.

“Huh? What are you saying—ah! …Hmph. Of course I’m Oscar. Why?”

Oscar said that, then brushed his hair back.

Honestly, it suited him… It was hard to believe he was the same guy who’d been dumped, sprawled on the ground, sobbing his eyes out just a little while ago.

“W-what happened to you!? Huh? A wig?”

“Hmph. What are you saying? Of course it’s my real hair.”

Oscar flicked his hair with his hand… It was starting to get annoying.

“Eh… no way… Did you get dumped and grow hair from the shock?”

“There’s no way something that dreamy happens! If hair grew that easily, the world wouldn’t have any bald people!?”

He escalated instantly… “Bald” was still a forbidden word.

“Then why are you like this in one day… even if it was real hair, it grows way too fast.”

“Hmph… That’s thanks to this Hair Bro right here!”

Oscar struck a pose with the kind of impact that deserved a loud BAAAM sound effect and “introduced” me.

No—he didn’t introduce me at all. Not even a little.

“Huh? What? Hair…?”

“Hair Bro! You fool!”

“Who are you calling Hair Bro, you fool!”

I reflexively bonked Oscar on the head. This might’ve been the first time I’d ever done a comedic “tsukkomi” since becoming the Overlord.

Of course, I held back with everything I had… but yeah, I’d become a body that couldn’t casually bonk people anymore.

“H-Hair Bro… P-please… please spare my head…”

Oscar pleaded with watery eyes.

I sighed at him and decided to properly introduce myself.

“My name’s Fei. If you call me something weird again, I’ll pluck it out, got it?”

“This is Bro Fei! And this is his lady wife, Big Sis Lyn! Show proper respect!”

Oscar immediately changed how he addressed us and introduced Lynferia and me.

“Show proper respect,” like I was some kind of Lord Magistrate…

Well, I was the Overlord, so I outranked that.

“Um… I’m Patty. Nice to meet you. I’ve known that… thing… since we were kids.”

“I’m Fei, and this is my wife, Lyn. I happened to make Oscar’s acquaintance, and since he runs a shop, I thought I’d ask him about magic tools in detail.”

“Ah, I see… Oscar, that means they’re customers! Why are you standing around!? Take them to the back already! I’ll make tea!”

With that, Patty hurried up the stairs. She was energetic, but she also seemed very competent.

“Sorry, bro. She’s loud.”

Oscar bowed with an apologetic expression.

“No, that’s fine—but is she your employee?”

“No. She’s the baker’s daughter next door. Our families have been close forever.”

“Huh…”

“My parents died when I was young… the baker uncle and them have looked out for me since way back. So it’s kind of an extension of that—she makes food for me, does chores and stuff… well, she’s like a little sister.”

“Huh…”

What was with this guy? He was pulling out a setting straight from a dating sim protagonist.

“Ah—sorry, bro. This way. It’s small, but I’ve got a reception room.”

Oscar headed toward the back of the shop.

Wait. This guy had a girl like that around him, and he was crying about being dumped by another woman?

Was he messing with me? Should I pluck out that hair after all?

Or maybe Patty was married…

No, probably not… Even if you were “like family,” a husband wouldn’t tolerate his wife devotedly taking care of another man.

Or maybe Patty just saw Oscar as a troublesome little brother…

Whatever the truth, from the outside it was definitely a “Go explode” situation.

Oscar was handsome, Patty was cute—they looked good together, but I still wanted them to explode.

“…L-lady wife… w-wife…”

I rebooted Lynferia, who was beet red and trembling, then followed after Oscar.