15-Intermission 6. A Peaceful Day [Arisa]

 

"Po-Pochi lost.... Pochi can't believe it nodesu."
"Fufuhn, this is Arisa-chan's true power!"

I childishly bragged in front of Pochi who was hanging her head down.

"Tama next~?"
"Come at me with all your secret ninja arts!"

I provoked Tama by parodying a line from a super popular beat-em up game, 「Samu☆Tama」.

"Tama, won't lose~?"
"Here I go!"

Tama's sharp kinetic vision catches my high-speed hand-throwing.
Normally, I shouldn't be able to win against Tama who could act after seeing my move.

However--.

"Aryarya~?"
"Ta-Tama lost noddesu!""

--Tama's excellent kinetic vision became her downfall instead.

"See? This is Arisa-chan's phantasmagoric 『Kaleidoscope』!"
"Amazingly awesome~?"
"Gureat, nanodesu!"

After having beaten Dog Hero Pochi and Ninja Tama, I went to the final stage.

White Fort Nana who has triumphed over Magic Spear Liza and Spirit User Mia is waiting there.

"So you've gotta be the one in the showdown after all. 『Innocent Oppai』 Nana!"
"....Arisa, demanding the change of that name."

Mou, Nana, it's inelegant to complain about your nickname like that.

"Then how about 『Innocent Beauty (Face)』."
"Acknowledged so I tell."

Nana nodded.

"Now then, we've had a bit of distraction, but let's continue."

Nana and I readied ourselves.
Contrary to me who's taking the standard pose, Nana is standing naturally.

"Let's go!"

Nana quietly nodded.

"Rock paper scissors!"

Mine's paper, Nana's also paper.
The starting hands won't decide the winner.

There's only a few people who throw scissor in the beginning.
Thus it'd be either rock or paper.

"Aa, let's, GO!"

Still a draw with both paper.

"GO!!"

This time, both are scissors.

"GO!!!"

And the fourth throw finally determined the winner.

"Aw yiiiiiiiiiiiiis!"
"Arisa's victory~?"
"Victorious nanodesu!"
"Nn, strong."

I receive the praises with the phoenix pose.
Fuffuffu, this means I've secured the winner's right!

"Then Arisa will take the duty of telling Master about dinner."

Liza said that plainly.
But, looking at her tail lifelessly lying on the ground, it seems she's relatively dejected.

"Tomorrow will be me so I tell."
"Nn, winners' turn."

Mia nodded at Nana's declaration.

"Third place play-off~?"
"I won't lose Tama."
"Come on~?"
"Do your best~, nanodesu!"

While listening to Tama and Liza's rock paper scissors match behind me, I went into the teleport gate heading to Master's research lab.


◇


"If he's not here, then he's either at Aze's place or under the tree's shade in the courtyard maybe?"

I couldn't find Master in the study room that looked like an office.
It's been quite hard to find where master is ever since he could went anywhere after learning the Unique Skill [Unit Arrangement].

"--There he is."

Master is sitting on several arranged cushions with his eyes closed under a tree.
His shota-ness which hasn't changed in the least from the time we first met is truly splendid.

Especially this defenseless, eyes-closed figure, awwfully to my liking.

....Guhe. Guhehehe.

J-just a bit okay.

I stealthily tip-toe and slip into Master's side.

I mustn't use space magic even by mistake.
He found me out immediately when I did so back then.

I wipe the drool hanging on my mouth with my sleeve and then I slip onto Master's lap.

--So blissful.

Ehehe~, let's lean my head on Master's chest and then--.

Can't get enuff of this~.

It's so wonderful my Kansai dialect inadvertently came out.
This euphoria is enough to sustain me.

Still, Master isn't reacting eh?

I grind my head on him.

--Muhhaa.

The shota's [This is it!] smell stimulates my nasal cavity.
Ah, I can die happy like this.

Right when I raised my head while laughing like Tama, "Nihehe~", I'm met with Master's black eyes.

"--Mor, ning?"
"Ah, morning Arisa."

There it is, my favorite Shota voice.
Now it's come to this, I've gotta steel myself like a woman would.

I turn around to face Master and hug his neck--.

"What're you doing."
"Sexual harassment?"

I was going to impulsively kiss him, but Master held my forehead back.
Geez, this Cheat.

"'Sexual harrassment?'　--Not. You're banned from this prank."
"Yes, I'm sorry."

I obediently apologize and wait for Master's punishment.

"Don't do it again okay."

His fist touches my hair like pomf.

"Guhhaa!"

Ow, oww. It reaaally hurts.
The person himself seemed like he was holding back, but it was painful enough to make me reflexively scream.

I roll on the ground like a caterpillar for a while.

Apparently Master thinks my reaction is just an exaggerated act, it seriously hurts you know.
It's a mystery how my health gauge isn't decreasing at all.

Maybe Master has the phantom [Hold Back] skill with him.


◇


"So, what are you here for?"

Master asked with a nonchalant face as I got up with teary eyes.
You really can't tell that he's the same great hero who defeated greater demons and demon lords in his spare times.

"Lulu asked me to go get you since the dinner's ready."
"Oh, it's already that time huh."

Master got up and stretched himself.

This would have been the time for the shota character to show a glimpse of his navel if this were an otome game, but such a wonderful scene didn't come to pass since the hem on Master's shirt was too long.
I should think about that part the next time I'm designing Master's shirt.

"By the way Master, what are you researching?"

I asked Master while we were walking together toward the gate.
Master's pose earlier is the pose he takes when he's researching something inside the PC in his mind with his Unique Skill.
There were times when he was really doing nothing and taking a nap when he did that, but since he didn't react even after I got on his lap earlier, I'm sure of it.

"Ah, I was making anti-god equipment."
"Antigod?"

An-tigod?

Ant-igod?

Antigod?

No--anti-god!!

"Y-you're not going to fight god next are you?!"

I don't think it's true, but Master might just be able to do it.

"Nope."

Master replied negatively with a gentle smile.

"That's right, you wouldn't--"

--Wait, I remember.

It's not might, he's already beaten the strongest Dragon God.
Master must be telling the truth since he's not the type to joke around about that.

"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing. But, you're making anti-god equipment even though you're not going to fight them?"

Master took the thinking pose when I asked him that.
It's like he's finding the words to answer me.

"Right--You can say that having the power to fight and the intention not to fight aren't necessarily antithetical I guess?"

In other words, even if Master doesn't have the intention to fight, there's a possibility that the other party (Gods) might.

When I confirmed it to Master, he nodded lonesomely.

"Yea, it looks like there are gods who like to fight, and when the times come they challenge me, I'd have a hard time if I didn't have the mean to oppose them."

--[Challenge] and [Have a Hard Time] huh.

I noticed some things that the person himself wasn't aware of in Master's words.

Master isn't concerned about victory or defeat.
It's about whether he could win easily or with a hard fight.

"Was there a time when you had a hard fight?"
"Yeah, in my battle against the Wild Boar King, I only got one mid-class magic, I also barely had any anti-demon lord weapon with me, it was really hectic."

It's rare to see tedium in Master's face, but I've got to tell this to Mito.

"Speaking of, were you able to design those anti-god equipment?"
"Well, the one for me is simple enough, but the size gets too big when I try to make them usable for Arisa, Liza and the others."
"Hee, how big?"
"It gets bigger than the small airship of the tourism ministry."

Master showed a hologram of a twin-frame spaceship-like thing in the air using light magic's [Illusion].

What's this?

What's this! It's so cool!

"Is it like the Staff Warship?"
"Ah, this one's for Arisa. For Liza and the others, something like this."
"It's like a robot, or rather, it looks like a powered exoskeleton that'd appear in a moe battle anime or a light novel."

The powered exoskeleton itself looks like it can be downsized to human size, but it seems the magic furnace and magic device parts are too big to be installed on the frame.
Apparently Master is researching the way to deploy those parts in the Ethereal Plane.

Mounting them here would be difficult.


◇


"Master, you were here."
"Ah, Lulu. Oh yeah, it's already time for dinner huh."

Lulu called when I was talking with Master.
Master looks so gentle, enough to make me envious, whenever he's looking at Lulu.

"Mou, oh Arisa. The meals will get cold if you don't call Master right."
"I'm sorry, Lulu-anesama."

I obediently apologized to Lulu and we went to the solitary island palace's dining room together.
Furthermore, it seems today's dinner will be with the first bonito catch from Ganika Marquisdom.

"Fresh leaves in the eyes--"

Not of mountain cuckoo, but of infant green dragon and God Bird Hisui's chirping, while listening to them, I eat the extraordinary bonito dish Lulu cooked with relish.
<TLN: From the old Japanese Haiku "Me ni wa Aoba, Yama Hototgisu, Hatsu Katsuo" that explains that upon seeing the appearance of Fresh Leaves and the chirping of the Mountain Cuckoo and the Skipjack Tuna (Bonito) is a sign that the early summer days has come.>

Since Master seems like he can change the climate of this solitary island palace at will, maybe I should ask him to change it to early summer for today?

Un, we're having another elegant meal today!































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