Mob Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni
Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #107
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 107: Last Present
The
next day, guided by Anna, I visited her house.
The Jushichiya family is now one of the richest
families in Japan. I wonder how large a mansion their house really is...
I
was nervous as I headed there, wearing the uniform I hastily sent off for dry
cleaning last night (I decided it would be safer than wearing a shoddy brand of
clothing), but....
"Surprisingly, it's pretty
normal......."
Contrary
to my expectations, I was surprised to see a small, ordinary house and muttered
so.
The
exterior of the house could be described in one phrase: a long, horizontal
white tofu.
It
was a two-story house, longer horizontally than vertically, with no decorative
features at all, designed to be simple ...... wasn't
it something called 'simple modern'?
A
distinctive aspect was the windowless first floor, while the second floor was
entirely glass. The glass, likely specially manufactured, prevented anyone from
seeing inside, even without curtains.
Although
the house was certainly twice as large as the Kitagawa family's, it did not
have the feel of a grand mansion.
On TV, President Jushichiya seemed to be a
fancy person, but maybe he is more reserved in his private life. This made me
tilt my head in wonder...
"Is it surprising? Well, you'll find out when you go inside."
Anna,
smiling meaningfully, urged me to open the strangely sturdy-looking door and
enter.
"... Sorry for intruding."
"Welcome~"
The
entrance area was as clean as a model room, and somehow strangely devoid of
life.
Usually, when you enter someone else's house,
you can smell the everyday life of that house and think, "Oh, I've come
to someone else's house..." but this is different...
With
this in mind, we proceeded to the back of the house.
"........................”
...... It was, after all, quite strange.
Beyond
the entrance, the other rooms, even the living room, lacked any lived-in feel.
This really feels like a model unit.
It
also struck me as odd that Anna didn't invite me into the living room, but
simply led me past it.
And where are Anna's parents?
Even if they disliked me, I'd expect them to at
least greet me.
We
continued deeper into the house. As we began descending the basement stairs, I
couldn't hold back any longer. I asked,
“...... Hey, where are we headed?”
"Of course, to my parents."
......Somehow, I have a bad feeling about this.
In horror movies, this is the kind of situation
where you'd see Anna's parents turned into corpses or taxidermy specimens.
As
I was thinking such absurd, morbid thoughts...
"Oioi, why is there a steel door like the
one in a Dungeon Mart..."
At
the end of the stairs was a familiar steel door.
“Don't tell me ...... there's a dungeon beyond?”
"No, there isn't. This is simply a sturdy
door."
…While
I was wondering what they were protecting with all that effort, Anna was
performing fingerprint recognition, retinal recognition, and other strangely
strict security checks.
Just
as I was left speechless by the scene, which was like something out of a spy
movie, the door slid open with a whoosh.
Beyond
that was .......
“......A gate?”
A
massive gate, about three meters high and two meters wide, stood in the center
of the room.
This is ...... no way!
"Is this, a teleportation gate?!"
You guessed it.”
A
teleportation gate.
It
was a set of two magic items that allowed transfer/teleportation between their
paired locations.
It
wasn't disposable, but a rare magical item that was reusable indefinitely.
Because it could be used outside dungeons, the government was buying up all
available units. Consequently, they were never found on the open market.
An individual, can own this...?
“Apparently, it was bought from a professional
adventurer who was sponsored."
"I see......."
"Then, may I ask you to hold my
hand?"
"Eh?"
I
glanced over at Anna, and she looked a little embarrassed...
“Well, this can only be used by pre-registered
individuals. If someone wants to bring another person, they need to make
contact with them.”
“Oh, I see. ...... I get it now.”
I
nodded back and took Anna's hand.
...Uwah, her hand is so small and soft.
Suppressing
the urge to squeeze it, I touched the gate with Anna.
The
next moment, the view warped.......
"......So bright!”
Squinting
against the piercing light, I looked around and saw an unfamiliar grassland.
The
grass and trees were rustling, and a pleasant breeze caressed my cheeks.
I
thought I smelled the scent of the sea, and when I turned around, I saw the
beautiful blue ocean.
This is .......
"This is an uninhabited private island,
owned by the Jushichiya family. The house you just left is a dummy of
sorts."
“A private island...... dummy......”
It
was way beyond my imagination, I can't keep up...
"It's nothing special. Senpai's house has
a shelter too, right? In our case, it's just this private island."
"It's on a completely different
scale."
This is why rich people are .......
"But if it's the Senpai now, you could buy
an uninhabited island or two if you wanted to, couldn't you?”
“Such a thing is........................
possible, hmm.”
If
I sell one or two good B-rank cards, I could probably buy a small island.
Dungeons
tend to appear in places with large populations, so there are generally no
dungeons on uninhabited islands.
If
you think about it as a choice between buying a single B-rank card or buying a
safe piece of land where dungeons don't exist... I can understand the
Jushichiya family's reasoning.
"Then, let's head home. It's too far to
walk, so let's use magic items. If I remember correctly, Senpai has a
flying-type magic item, right?"
"Yeah."
I
took out a flying carpet, while Anna took out a sci-fi-esque bike that looked
like an artificial magic item and rode on it.
Hey, I know that thing! It's definitely the
flying bike that was jointly developed by a domestic motorcycle manufacturer
and Emerald Tablet Company!
"That's so cool!"
'Right~? Well, I can't use it in the school dungeon,
though."
As
we flew along talking about such things, the real Jushichiya house came into
view.
It
was a huge mansion, just as I had originally imagined.
It
was a palace-like white house, large enough to fit at least ten ordinary
houses. In front of the entrance was a fountain in a square, and in the yard, a
huge swimming pool with a water slide. At the back of the house, there was also
a small waterfall and a creek."
"Uwa, amazing ...... it looks like a
Hollywood star's house."
"It's just unnecessarily spacious."
While
my eyes sparkled at the grand house, a sight I rarely saw, Anna regarded it
coolly.
Maybe
it would actually be inconvenient to live in such a large house.
We
landed in front of the fountain.
When
we reached the front door, Anna opened it and welcomed me in.
“Come in, Senpai. This time, welcome."
"Thank you, sorry to intrude.'
The
entrance hall was, as expected, spacious.
However,
I was not as surprised as I was when I saw the exterior.
Is it because Mayoiga is as gorgeous in terms
of interior design?
"I'm back! I have brought Senpai with me!"
Anna
shouted as we walked further in, and soon after, with a pattering sound, a man
and a woman appeared.
One
was a beautiful red-haired woman who looked so young and beautiful that I
thought she might be Anna's older sister. She had a cheerful, kind smile on her
face and trotted over to us, her ample maternal features rocking. ...... I'm
afraid that I should not even be thinking this, but she's pretty, big. I
averted my gaze to the other person, trying not to stare too much.
Unlike
the woman, the man walked slowly toward us, and I recognized his face immediately.
I've seen him on TV many times: President Souichi Jushichiya... it was him.
His
face, which must have been quite sharp in his younger days, had become quite
rounded, and his stomach area was also rather pudgy. Yet, he didn't appear
obese or had a metabolic problem, likely due to his vibrant expression. Though
close to 50, he exuded vigor, making him look a decade younger.
Knowing
this man was the president of a major Japanese company, I deduced the woman
beside him.
In other words, these two are Anna's parents.
"Papa, Mama. This is Kitagawa-senpai."
"I am Utamaro Kitagawa. I'm always
grateful for your daughter's care. Thank you for inviting me today."
Anna
lightly introduced me, so I bowed and greeted them.
It
was a standard phrase, but it was a perfectly reasonable choice of words.
…But,
“Ho-hoo? She has taken care of you, huh?"
Anna
Papa muttered meaningfully.
"How exactly have you been taken care
of... I'd really like to hear about it, hmm?"
With
that, Anna Papa put his hand on my shoulder and leaned in close to me,
threatening me.
Uwah, there it is.
As
I was unable to say anything and my face grew tense...
“-————Just kidding! Only joking, joking!”
Anna
Papa suddenly smiled and put his arm around my shoulders, inviting me in.
“Yaa, I've been wanting to say something like
that for a long time! Welcome, welcome, thank you for coming. Come on up!"
"Ah, yes..."
“Oh, why! I told you not to do that!"
Stumped
and speechless, I could only watch as Anna angrily protested on my behalf.
"Sorry, sorry, I just couldn't resist. You
see, in a way, it's a situation that every father with a daughter dreams of,
isn't it?"
"...... I, don't doubt the feeling."
I guess that's where you get it from, Anna.
Like father, like daughter.
"Papa is just excited that Anna brought
home a male friend for the first time. Please forgive him. I'm sorry,
Kitagawa-san."
"Ah, no, no. I'm sorry to bother
you."
"We have always wanted to meet you guys,
right, Papa?"
“Yes. Thank you so much for coming. I'm sure
you haven't had dinner yet. Dinner
is prepared. Let's talk over a nice meal."
"Thank you very much. Itadakimasu."
I
bowed my head, relieved at the unexpectedly welcoming atmosphere.
————Dinner
at the Jushichiya house turned out to be a very enjoyable experience.
The
meals, prepared by Matsumoto-san, their semi-resident chef, were as good as
those at a three-star restaurant---- I'd
never eaten at one, of course, but I trusted Anna-Papa's judgment---- I had to restrain myself from devouring
everything."
No
matter how good the food was, if the atmosphere was terrible, the taste would
be like chewing sand. However, Anna Papa was a good listener and storyteller,
and he kept the conversation lively and natural without making me feel
uncomfortable as a guest.
By
the time the meal was over, I had completely opened my heart to him and even
felt a sense of closeness with him.
Could
this be what they call charisma?
It
was a fearsome way to win the hearts and minds of people, especially coming
from the president of a large corporation.
"How do you like our dining experience?”
“It was a very enjoyable and delicious dinner.
Thank you very much."
"I'm glad to hear that. Matsumoto will be
very pleased."
————After
dinner.
I
was being guided around the Jushichiya mansion by Anna Papa, who wanted to talk
to me alone.
The
inside of the Jushichiya residence was just as gorgeous as the outside. It
featured a recreation room with billiards and darts, a theater room resembling
a small movie theater, a training room like a small gym, a heated indoor
swimming pool, and even a bar counter for entertaining guests. It was
essentially a resort hotel.
"You see, this island is embedded with
magic items. The entire island is covered by a barrier that blocks detection
and makes it invisible. We've also manipulated the ocean currents a bit, so
that absolutely nothing, from garbage to castaways, can drift here. The only
way to reach this island is through the teleportation gate.
“Oh, wow. ...... Is that a measure against
Angolmore?”
"Of course. No matter how sturdy a
building is, there is a limit against high-ranked monsters. The best defense is
to remain undetected."
"I see......."
“There is a magic stone generator for
large-scale commercial in the basement while all the facilities in the mansion
are all electric, so there is nothing to worry about when it comes to energy.
The basement is stockpiled with enough magic stone to last for 200 years, so
don't worry."
“......? Yes."
I
sensed something was off with Anna Papa, but I nodded.
"As for cleaning, this mansion itself is
an artificial magic item, so it automatically cleans away dirt and dust. There
is no need for cleaning. For organic waste, there is a magic item that turns it
into fertilizer, so you can just throw it in there. As for other waste, there
is a magic item in the basement that converts it into electricity after it is
transformed into magic power, so you can just use that to dispose of it."
".........................”
As I thought, it is strange .......
At first I thought he was just bragging about
the facilities in his mansion, but this way of speaking is just like .......
"Well, you can ask Anna about the rest of
the details. It's a house that means a lot to me, so I'd be happy if you took
good care of it."
"That... What do you mean?”
When
I stopped and asked, Anna Papa turned around and looked at me.
"I'm giving this house and this island to
you."
His
face was serious, not as if he was joking.
"Well, it's not free, of course."
"...... I don't think I can afford to buy
an entire island with a mansion of this magnificence.”
"Don't worry about the money. Just do me a
favor and it will be all right.”
“A favor ......?”
"Yes. In case of emergency, you must take
Anna and escape to this island...... That is the condition for giving up the
island and the house."
So
that's really what it was all about...
"You guys are working on making the school
a base, but if it fails you'll need a place to escape to, right?"
“...... I'll give you my answer directly, Sir.”
When
I said this, Anna Papa smiled at me.
His
smile was just like his daughter Anna's.
"Yes, that's good. You are very quick to
make a decision."
"I'll take up your request. I promise you
that if there is an emergency, I will take your daughter and run away to this
island."
“Good. I'm so relieved.”
Anna
Papa patted his chest in an exaggerated manner, but he seemed to be relieved
from the bottom of his heart.
"But there's one thing... no, two things I
want to ask."
“Why don't I take Anna by force? Why is it you?
...Are these your questions?”
"......Yes.”
As
expected of Anna's father. It seemed like he knew all about my inquiries.
"You've probably already heard from Anna,
but my wife and I are going to take shelter in a special shelter. By design,
the shelter is capable of withstanding an attack from B-rank monsters, and even
high-ranking government officials flee to it, but I have doubts about how safe
it will be......."
"Why? From what I've heard, it sounds safe."
"Even if it does sound safe from an attack
from 'outside', I'm not sure how safe it is from what is 'inside'. Think about
it, a lot of people flee into an enclosed space with highly ranked cards, no?”
"Ahh.......”
I
was deeply convinced.
I see....... That may be more dangerous than
outside in some ways.
In
a sense, having people with B-rank cards would be no different than there being
B-rank monsters.
At
first glance, it may appear safe to have a large concentration of high-rank
cards, but on the flip side, it means that many bombs are assembled in one
place.
Moreover,
most of them would be people who have only ever stood on top of others.
Just
imagining the complex and bizarre human situations that will unfold is
frightening.
......
In the Warring States period, it was said that there were many cases in which
families deliberately split up and joined different camps, so that the family
line would continue to exist regardless of who won the battle.
It
may be a bad way of putting it, but in a sense, it was an insurance policy not
to force Anna to go to that shelter.
From the looks of it, Anna Mama is still young.
They could probably raise a child inside the shelter.
"So... why me? Wouldn't it have been
better to give it to Anna... to your daughter directly?"
To
this question, Anna Papa shrugged his shoulders.
“I'm sure my daughter won't accept this house
or this island. Fortunately, her appearance resembles her mother's, but her
personality is just like mine. She has a strong rebellious spirit- no, I should
say she has a strong desire for independence. She can't stand the thought of
being under her parents' protection forever. Now that she's capable of being
self-sufficient, she won't accept anything more from me.”
“Hmm......... for all that, it seems to me that
she has used the power of her family quite a bit in the past......."
"Of course, when you're still young and
inexperienced, you'll use whatever you can. I did too. Being stubborn about it
would only delay your independence. In fact, if she hadn't used my connections
up until now and had done everything on your own, I would have definitely taken
her to the shelter. She'd just die in vain."
I see... I understand now. Anna certainly
resembles her father.
"I remember that up until junior high
school, she had a certain amount of stubbornness that was unnecessary. But
after she lost to you in the tournament, she seemed to have gotten over it, in
a good way. After entering high school, she started relying on her parents,
which was a relief.”
Hmm... it's true, when I first met Anna, I got
the impression that she hated being seen as riding on her father's coattails.
But
when we met again in high school, she had rather started to make the most of
her family's connections.
I
wondered what had caused this change in her mindset, but apparently it was the
fight with me that had triggered it.
Although
I am not sure how the fight with me affected her.
“But if she continues to rely on her parents
even after deciding to become independent, it will hinder her growth. I will
not be helping her from now on ...... Nevertheless, I love my daughter as well.
I just wanted to give her one last ...... present.”
So that's the house and the island.
"If you accept all these things, I doubt
you'll be able to distance yourself from Anna so easily. From what I can tell,
you seem to place an unusually high value on loyalty and human connections.
You're the type who would stay at a black company as long as there were seniors
or superiors you owed something to."
Is this a compliment? It doesn't seem like much of a compliment.
......?
I
guess I had a complex expression, because Anna Papa laughed when he saw my
face.
"Of course it's a compliment. I couldn't
have asked for a more reassuring companion for my daughter."
"I- is that so...."
I
couldn't ask him, “Are you sure your otaku daughter isn't a black company
president type?".
"You're loyal, talented as an adventurer,
and lucky. And, best of all, you're not exactly a womanizer who attracts crowds
of women. As a partner for my daughter, you're acceptable, I suppose. You're
just about good enough."
There
were a few things that bugged me, but I couldn't have asked for a higher
evaluation from a father who adores his daughter.
Apparently,
I had been approved by Anna Papa.
“Take care of my daughter, Utamaro
Kitagawa-kun."
"Yes, Sir."
I
firmly shook the hand Anna Papa offered me.
"Did my father do anything strange to
you?"
“Nn...... he didn't do anything."
I
was on my way home, and Anna, who had gone out to see me off, asked me a
question as soon as we were alone.
"Humm... that's fine then."
Even
as she said this, Anna was looking over my entire body.
Anna Papa, you have no credibility in the eyes
of your daughter~
As
I smiled wryly.......
“By the way, did you get this house and island
without a hitch?”
"Huh?!"
I
looked at Anna in shock.
Anna
laughed at the look on my face.
"O~h, so that's really what it was all
about."
“You, did you listen... no, did you just trick
me?”
"I guess you could say that I did play a
trick, but well, that's what my father would do......"
This guy...... sees through it all.
Did you invite me home today knowing that Anna
Papa would have given me this house and this island?
I mean.......
"You... if you knew, you should have just
accepted it. He went to the trouble of giving it to me because he knew
you wouldn't take it directly…"
As
I was dumbfounded, thinking he was such an unfilial daughter, Anna smiled
meaningfully.
"Fufu... Papa's real present to me was
you, Senpai."
"Huh?"
As
I was stunned, Anna spread her hands wide as if to point to the entire island.
"Papa entrusted this island... and his
parental love to you, so that Senpai won't be able to leave. He wanted a loyal
subordinate to protect his daughter in his stead, who could no longer protect
me in the future. That was my papa's real goal today.”
"……………………"
I see, so it's like that....
I
finally understood today's sequence of events and I was deeply convinced.
So,
Anna Papa invited me today ...... in order to bequeath a loyal and trustworthy
fighting force to his daughter.
Furthermore,
the only cost was a house and land he no longer needed, and a day of his time.
By
essentially just throwing things away, he was able to successfully get a
promising professional adventurer to work under his daughter.
What
a great cost performance. So this is the president of a large company...? I
couldn't help but wince.
What
made me smile wryly was the fact that I would end up protecting Anna, just as
he had planned.
I
had to say that President Jushichiya's insight into people was spot on.
But
.......
"If you tell me that, won't it ruin the
whole ruse?"
What
would she have done if I rebelled and said, “I'm not going to go along with
your father's scheme!"
"It was my way of being sincere. Senpai
trusted me and told me your most important secret. I don't want to subject
someone like that to my papa's tricks."
I see. ......
“That being the case, please feel free to take
this island, without regard to my father's promise or anything else. It's too
cheap for your abilities, but this is all I can give you... or rather, from the
Jushichiya family.”
"You say that, but you don't think I'll
run away by myself if the time comes, do you?"
When
I asked her this question a little spitefully, Anna cutely stuck out her
tongue,
“Oh, you found out? I thought considering your personality, you
would at least take your friends and family with you on your escape. Well, for
me, it's important whether you're doing this because of a promise you made to
my papa, or because you want to. You know, from a girl's perspective."
A
girl's perspective, huh...... I asked while still smiling wryly,
"Since when was the existence of this
island part of the plan?"
"Uu-n, from the very beginning. It was the
island's existence that allowed the school to become a base."
I
nodded my head to myself, “Thought so."
Given
Anna's careful preparation, it would be strange for her not to prepare a
secondary base outside of the school.
Even
if we cannot rely on the Jushichiya family, I thought it would not be
surprising if we all bought a house in the countryside and made that our
sub-base.
Welp,
I didn't even question it that much because I assumed that if the school went
down in an attack, we still could wander around without a specific base of
operations......
“However, it was 50-50 whether it would be
handed over to Senpai or not. When my papa started asking me to invite Senpai
to come over, I was like, “maybe?”
And when Senpai revealed your secret to me, I
decided to give this base to Senpai. Even if my papa does not give it directly
to Senpai."
"I see...... By the way, what if I hadn't
told you the secret?”
When
I said that, Anna grinned,
"This was a total surprise back
then."
So,
I would have been Anna's pawn, just as Anna Papa wanted me to be.
No, well, the result is still the same.
"But now I guess we have a perfect escape
route in case of emergency, huh?"
"That's right. ... It's Senpai's now, so I
don't have any right to say anything about it, but it would be much appreciated
if you wouldn't tell anyone about this place."
"I know."
...Having
a place to escape to just for ourselves when things go wrong is definitely
going to make people jealous and resentful.
Besides, this island is really our last escape.
It is best not to use it if at all possible.
For
that reason, it would be best to make sure that the school, the 'front' base of
operations, would be fully fortified.
We
need cards with other world cross-space skills, magic items, and cards that
produce food and other items. More cards with production capabilities, like
dwarves, would be ideal. There's no such thing as too many cards with equipping
or subordinate summoning skills. We desire an endless supply of cards and magic
items.
Prices
will go up once Kudan's prophecy is announced, so we really don't have much
time .......
But
then, as I was thinking that, I suddenly realized something.
"Come to think of it, the government is
slow in releasing the announcement......."
“...... You're right. The excuse that ......
they were examining the prophecy excuse is only going to work for a month or
so, so we should expect an announcement soon."
“Surely, they are not going to keep it under
wraps until the end, right?"
“That's ... not the case, I hope. But if it is,
it would be very bad."
No
announcement from the government would mean that the government does not care
about public criticism...... or in other words, they have given up on ending
Angolmore itself.
In
that case, the worst that could happen is that the Self-Defense Forces would
not be deployed, and the government would only protect itself.
You
may say I'm watching too many movies and manga, but there is a possibility that
they could concentrate their forces in a few cities (or in cross-space cards)
to create safe zones.......
The
Self-Defense Forces (SDF), most of whom likely come from ordinary citizens, are
unlikely to follow orders to abandon the people and protect the powerful, but
there may be a certain number of people who would follow orders to let their
families live in those centers.
"Well, surely there'll be an announcement
soon?"
"Let's hope so."
----
But then a week passed, then two weeks passed.
The
government did not make any announcement even though ...... October was coming
to an end.
[TIPS] Teleportation Gates
Teleportation
gates come in pairs. Despite their size limitations, they are reusable and
valuable for travel outside dungeons, making them highly prized by humanity.
Although
it is not forbidden for ordinary people to possess them, it is virtually
impossible to obtain because the government collects them at any cost.
They
are not only useful for conquering A-rank dungeons, but many are also deployed
in Guild shelters, creating transfer gate networks for exchanging personnel and
supplies nationwide.
To
give away such valuable items, including the house and island... Anna Papa is
truly kindhearted!
***
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