I apologize for the one-day delay.
I will now post.
Today is Christmas.
It’s sometimes called a cruel event that separates winners from losers, but that’s only if you take a cynical view.
Generally, it’s a day spent happily with family, lovers, and friends.
However, for those who don’t fit into that category, it’s a day just as I said at the beginning.
If that’s the case, then the members here should be called winners.
The time is six in the evening.
In the corner of the room, a fir tree conspicuously decorated, many presents gathered around it, and various dishes spread across a large table in the center of the room.
We were calmly conversing in that space.
Since we started as the sun began to set, the Christmas party, which has been going on for about an hour, was in full swing, despite being a home party scale.
“Ugh, I never thought I’d see the day I could participate in such a fulfilling event. It was worth dressing up like this,” said Kaido, his voice thick with emotion.
“Oh dear, our Hero seems to be quite sentimental, doesn’t he, Miik?” said Shiik.
“That seems to be the case, Shiik. Here, Hero, try this dish. It’s delicious,” said Miik.
Kaido stuffing his face with the dish offered by the Twin Angels while shedding manly tears seemed to be a perfect example of what I was thinking.
The Twin Angels, instructed by Minami, were wearing Santa costumes thinking it was Christmas formal wear, which made that earlier analogy accurate.
Kaido’s reindeer costume was a bit odd, but it was fine in its own way.
To give another example, Kitamiya, listening attentively as Himik explained the dishes, showed an air of being accustomed to such gatherings.
“Himik-san, this dish is delicious. What is it called?”
“Ah, this. This is a bird dish taught to me by Suella, passed down in the Dark Elf village. The key is the herb flavor. For this meal, I’ve prepared dishes from Japan and Isal. Please enjoy.”
“Yes, I am enjoying it. Is this alcohol from over there too? I’ve never tasted it before.”
Himik also tried to put on the Santa costume Minami had prepared, but I stopped her.
The Santa outfit Minami prepared was intentionally small, and she was barely able to fit into it.
It was fortunate I noticed when she was called to try it on, and I clearly remembered punching Minami in the head without a word.
Now she was changed and dressed in a turtleneck white sweater and a light blue skirt.
Himik explained the dishes, while Kitamiya, wearing a wine-red jacket and a gray skirt, savored the food.
“Oh, this alcohol is delicious too.”
“It’s fruit wine from my homeland. I’m glad it suits your palate.”
“Yes, the subtle sweetness and clean acidity are quite impressive.”
“Mommy, don’t drink too much.”
“Yes, yes, I understand. But let’s have a little more today.”
“In that case, how about this honey-based one? It’s sweet, but has a clean aftertaste and pairs perfectly with these dishes.”
“Oh, that sounds delicious. I think I might end up eating too much today.”
“…This is turning into a bad situation.”
Near the table sat Amelia, her mother Mie, and beside them, Memoria, all drinking the otherworldly alcohol.
Amelia and Memoria were in appropriately sized Santa outfits, while Mie, having declined, was in normal attire.
Amelia, being underage, wasn’t drinking but instead had something like otherworldly juice.
However, sandwiched between the two drinkers, Amelia seemed concerned about Mie drinking alcohol.
Well, if worst comes to worst, I thought I could give her a potion to sober her up, so I stayed quiet.
Come to think of it, interacting with people from another world like this has become commonplace, but it must seem like a rare scene to outsiders.
This space where beings other than humans mingle.
I know what we’re doing as a group, but the atmosphere changes so much depending on the casting.
However, that change was by no means bad, but rather good.
The lively atmosphere, while not as raucous as the boisterous parties of my student days, was still cheerful, and everyone was enjoying themselves.
It was a sight that made me glad I went through with it.
“So? What are you sulking about on such a celebratory day?”
“It’s nothing, Gozaru! I’m not sulking, Gozaru!”
“Don’t say things a sober person would say.”
While I was enjoying some drinks with Suella in that atmosphere, another person intruded into our space.
“Are you sad because Katsu is late and hasn’t arrived yet?”
“I don’t know, Gozaru! I don’t care about Katsu, Gozaru.”
Minami, who was hugging a large cushion bought to reduce the strain when Suella sat down, though not an “invincible cushion,” hid her face, her voice lacking its usual cheerfulness.
She had been energetic when participating in this party, but her spirits had gradually declined since she heard on the phone that Katsu would be late.
She was unusually quiet for someone attending a Christmas party.
Even now, she was just sipping her canned chu-hi and nibbling on the food Himik had prepared, not her usual lively self.
“Katsu-san will be here soon. Until then, let’s talk with us.”
Suella gently stroked the head of the unusually downcast Minami. The sight of Minami, whose stomach was starting to show, wearing loose-fitting clothes and a Santa Claus costume, was quite amusing.
“If you weren’t the leader’s wife, I would propose to you, Gozaru. Leader, give Suella to me.”
“No.”
“Hehe, I can’t give her to you.”
“I’ve been rejected, Gozaru~”
Perhaps thanks to Suella’s kindness, Minami’s spirits seemed to lift, and her sulky expression began to fade.
As we playfully interacted with Minami, Suella poking her forehead with her finger as if dealing with a much younger sister, Minami suddenly remembered something and brought up a topic.
“Speaking of which, even though it’s late, there are various haunted spots and power spots in Japan, aren’t there? Does that have anything to do with magic power?”
This was a topic that, for Japanese people, remained ambiguous, left unanswered.
Their existence could only be measured by the presence or absence of their effects.
Some people said there was something there, while others said there was nothing.
If it had nothing to do with magic, I would have dismissed it, but now it was different.
“Come to think of it, you’re right. Are you investigating such places in your world too?”
I hadn’t paid attention before, but even in modern times, there’s no shortage of occult stories like myths and ghost tales.
They say where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and while there are these stories, I wondered if there was some truth mixed in with the fiction, so I asked Suella a question.
“Yes. We’ve investigated and found that there’s no magic power in this world, but we’re looking into whether there are similar forces, or if the spiritual veins, which are the source of magic power, exist. The military is also conducting a search.”
“Oh, so there might actually be effective power spots then, Gozaru.”
“As far as we can confirm at present, we haven’t made any progress. We haven’t been able to contact anyone with magic power or beings other than humans like ourselves.”
“Is that so~ That’s a bit regrettable, Gozaru~”
“However, there are some interesting reports coming in.”
“Interesting reports?”
Suella confirmed that investigations were ongoing.
The result of those investigations was currently that there was no mystery in Japan.
While Minami expressed disappointment, Suella smiled and told us about the report she had received.
“We’ve confirmed several locations that even we can’t access. They are places artificially concealed, in areas like deep mountains or hidden springs that don’t seem to be important Japanese locations, and we were prevented from entering.”
“Wow, could it be hidden villages, Gozaru?! Ninjas? Or perhaps Onmyoji?”
“Not necessarily to that extent, but there’s no doubt something is there. We’ve also confirmed man-made objects hidden within nature. It’s strongly believed that these artifacts are not from the military of this world. Among those involved, individuals with great sensory abilities suspect they might be related to something mystical. Therefore, we are currently investigating within a scope that won’t alert the organization that is concealing them.”
I told Minami that more detailed information would be available later, and she began to grumble with curiosity.
It’s natural to be curious if there’s actually a mystery in Japan.
I myself have wondered if my mother, who was unconventional and the daughter of a shrine priest, had some sort of special power.
The thought that it might be an ancient Japanese power filled me with a sense of romance.
“Also, we’re gathering information, including all sorts of rumors. It’s a big job just to confirm the truth of all the information we have.”
“There are so many false rumors, Gozaru, I can sympathize with you.”
In a way, even casual rumors are valuable sources of information for people like Suella.
However, most of these sources contained content that seemed like jokes, and finding the truth from them would be no easy feat.
While thinking how difficult it must be, I also took a sip of my beer.
“Ah, speaking of that genre, I heard an interesting story recently.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“I’m curious.”
As we were talking, Kaido casually joined the conversation.
Then, the Twin Angels naturally joined in.
“What kind of story is it, Gozaru? Knowing you, Kaido-senpai, it’s probably going to fall flat,” said Minami.
“It’s okay! It’s really interesting!”
“Ohh, raising the bar even higher, Gozaru. You know what you’re doing, Kaido-senpai!”
I watched with admiration as Minami playfully provoked Kaido, who puffed out his chest confidently. Suella also seemed curious and listened intently to Kaido’s words.
“Apparently, there’s something that’s been coming out recently.”
“Ghosts? If so, I’m tired of them already, Gozaru~”
Although his storytelling was clumsy, Kaido paused for a moment and said,
“No! Not ghosts, it seems to be real. And there’s a girl who says things like, ‘You’re really fascinated by demons,’ to people around your age, Katsu-kun.”
None of us in this place would have imagined that this story, which began with such a premise, would lead to what it did.
Today’s word:
Switching one’s train of thought is difficult to do, but if you can, it’s very convenient.
This concludes today’s post.
If you enjoyed it, please leave your thoughts, ratings, and bookmarks.
*The first volume of the novel has been decided to be published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
It was released on October 18, 2018.
The e-book version was also released on October 31 of the same year.
The second volume will be released on December 19.
The content has been revised and expanded from the original posted on “Shousetsuka ni Narou” and includes a previously unpublished interlude.
Please check out the new book!
Furthermore, a comic adaptation is also decided for Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third”.
