I apologize for the late update.
I will post it one day late.
Being pushed on a wheelchair by a demon. If you only hear these words, it sounds like a line from someone on the verge of death, but in reality, it’s just a demon with a sheep-like face pushing my wheelchair.
From the outside, it would be a bizarre sight, an experience that one would normally never have, as I return to the waiting room.
“Yo, I lived and came back victorious.”
Even though I grasped victory, the fact that I caused worry is undeniable.
It was clear that if I went to see her with the marks of treatment, this would be the outcome.
A subtle atmosphere must have lingered until I entered the room.
The moment I entered, the first scene I saw was Kaido and Minami, who had been trying to liven up the mood with forced cheerfulness, their eyes shining as if a savior had arrived.
Seeing their sudden silence, I glanced towards the entrance and there I was.
So, I also raised one hand in greeting.
“Jiro-san, I was worried sick. Honestly, how many times do you need to make me worry…”
“Sorry, I caused you worry. Are you alright?”
“Yes, Memoria and everyone else were here for me.”
Suella slowly approached me, cradling her stomach, and I returned her embrace.
She gently told me “You must be tired,” and I held her softly as well.
After hugging for a while, Memoria then hugged me and bit my neck.
“To bite me after I’ve bled? Is that normal?”
“No, this is… a habit.”
Whether it was to hide her embarrassment or confirm my existence, Memoria quietly buried her face in my neck after sucking a little blood.
I gently patted her back in response.
“To make a vampire lose its bloodlust, what were you doing?”
“Just dealing with a few demons.”
“It’s fine to be stubborn, but please remember to exercise some restraint. Your body now doesn’t belong to you alone.”
I thought she was referring to the child, but when I asked if that meant she couldn’t suck my blood anymore, Memoria simply smiled and gently pulled away from me.
And finally, there was Himik.
“Master, I… I…”
“Yeah, I’ve returned with all my limbs intact.”
It seemed like she was on the verge of tears. Though she seemed fine earlier, the lapse in tension due to relief caused her emotions to overflow.
The one among the three with the most volatile emotions looked at me with tears welling in her eyes.
And once Memoria moved away, she clutched my knees and started to cry.
“Master, I’m so glad you’re safe, truly, truly, ughhh…”
“Yeah, I caused you worry.”
Come to think of it, this is the first time Himik has seen me so seriously injured.
She must have been incredibly anxious.
I had overcome through my willpower, but that was just self-satisfaction, and I felt a little regretful.
I looked at the others while stroking Himik’s head, thinking that it would be a while like this.
“You all caused me worry too.”
I feel bad for comforting a fallen angel in this unusual posture, but I’ll proceed as is.
It feels strange to use the word “long time,” but it’s been a long time since I’ve been this severely injured.
Even if I’m used to receiving treatment, it’s human nature to worry.
The usual faces, seeing me unharmed and showing expressions of relief, gradually regained their composure.
“Seriously, Master, why do you always get so beaten up? Are you a masochist? It’s the only explanation for how you end up so battered every time, Gozaru.”
“It’s sad that I can’t deny it. I’ve grown old indeed, to be lectured by you.”
“Hmph, your sarcasm doesn’t even sting. This time, we have justice on our side, so I can lecture you as much as I want. Please don’t worry us so much, Gozaru.”
“My apologies.”
As a result, I ended up being lectured by Minami, who is usually the one being lectured.
Normally I would tell her not to get carried away, but this time I was at fault, so I’ll listen obediently.
Truly, the world is not designed for convenience.
Katsu nodded in agreement with the arrogant Minami, as if to say, “I agree this time.”
The others, Kaido scratched his head and looked away, Kitamiya sighed in exasperation and agreed, and Amelia could only force a laugh.
Well, I did end up getting so seriously injured that Suella and the others worried about me.
I can’t possibly say that it’s unavoidable since I’m always fighting strong opponents.
After sincerely apologizing, as the atmosphere lightened, cheers erupted from outside the window.
“Hmm, it seems the match has ended while we were talking, Gozaru.”
“The match progresses quickly, so this should be the end of the first round, right?”
“Yes, it should end with the previous match.”
Everyone turned and confirmed.
When Kitamiya checked the match pairings, the previous match was indeed the last of the first round.
“After this, it looks like there will be a short break before the next match.”
“How long is that?”
“It says one hour.”
With the first round of matches concluded, it’s likely for the recovery of the athletes as well.
A moment of respite descended upon the venue, and spectators began to leave their seats one by one.
“That means we’ll have some free time, Gozaru. I’m not that hungry, so it’s not time for a meal… shall we play cards, Gozaru?”
“Do you carry playing cards around, Ann?”
“Mufu-fu, it’s a hobby of an otaku to carry around entertainment, Gozaru.”
“No, I don’t think that’s right? Min-chan.”
Because Katsu and Himik had served food multiple times, I didn’t feel hungry, and even though I had been active, I wasn’t particularly hungry myself.
And there’s a gap until the next match.
So, naturally, we decided to find something to pass the time.
It would be fine to spend time just chatting idly, but since everyone gathered, Minami rummaged through her bag and pulled out a standard deck of playing cards in a plastic case.
“For cards you prepared, these are surprisingly normal.”
“Kitamiya, you don’t understand me at all, Gozaru. The rule is that character cards are for display and preservation. Using them is out of the question, Gozaru.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
There were no objections to playing cards, and Kitamiya, after looking at the normal cards Minami was shuffling with surprise, responded dismissively after hearing the reason for them being normal.
While the general flow was to play, the only issue was.
“Master, what are playing cards?”
“They’re a type of plaything. It’s more of a mental exercise than a physical one.”
“Do we have such things?”
“Yes, have Suella and the others played before?”
“Yes, we’ve played casually during breaks, but we’re not very familiar with them.”
“I’m the same.”
It seems the Otherworld group has little experience with playing cards. Suella and Memoria have played before, but Himik is a complete novice.
Holding the cards handed to her by Minami, the Fallen Angel had a question mark floating above her head, wondering what one does with these paper cards.
Given her life story, it’s likely she lived a life devoid of play before coming to me.
It’s understandable that she wouldn’t know about playing cards.
“There are quite a few people, so should we just play simple Old Maid?”
“That seems like the most reasonable option, Gozaru.”
Setting aside slightly more complex games like Poker, Old Maid immediately comes to mind as a game that beginners can play. It’s a simple game where players draw cards from the person next to them in a clockwise direction and form pairs of the same number.
There are nine of us in total: me, Kaido, Minami, Katsu, Kitamiya, Amelia, Suella, Memoria, and Himik, which is quite a large group, but it’s not impossible.
“??”
After briefly explaining the rules, I sat down to Suella’s right, followed by Kitamiya, Kaido, Katsu, Memoria, Amelia, Minami, and Himik in a clockwise direction.
I would be drawing from Suella’s cards and Himik would be drawing from me.
Sitting next to me, Himik looked at her hand with a confused expression.
“You don’t understand the rules?”
“No, I understand the rules. But is this a game of chance? I’ve heard that people often want to know their fate, but do they also compete with luck?”
“It can be seen that way, but there are other elements involved.”
“Is that so?”
As Himik says, if you only listen to the rules, Old Maid might seem like a game of luck, competing to draw pairs of cards into your hand as quickly as possible.
However, there are, of course, other aspects.
“Ah, that’s right. It’s also a game of poker face, where you don’t let your opponent read your expression.”
“Not letting your expression be read?”
“Yes. When playing card games against opponents, it’s best to show as little emotion as possible. It’s like battle; no matter how disadvantaged or advantageous you are, not showing your emotions can reduce the information given to the opponent and influence the outcome.”
“I see. It is indeed similar to what we do in battle. Within simple rules, there is a surprisingly deep psychological game.”
Himik pondered my explanation, looking at the cards with a thoughtful grunt, but we are not gamblers who make a living from it.
Though I don’t think we need to be so serious about it.
Looking at Himik, intently staring at the cards in front of her, I wondered.
In many manga and anime, beginners are either extremely strong or extremely weak.
In that regard, I had a pure question of which category Himik would fall into.
“Let’s begin, Gozaru~ I’ll start.”
“Oh, is that so?”
But that’s not something to worry about now; we’ll find out when we play.
Thinking that this might be the first time we’ve played like this, I decided to enjoy the moment purely, watching Himik take a card from Minami and waiting for time to pass.
Then, the Old Maid game proceeded smoothly.
“Alright, I’m first!!”
“Oh my, am I second?”
“Yes!! I’m third!”
“Fourth, a tricky number.”
“Fifth, is it?”
“Oops, I’m out. I’m sixth.”
“I’m out. Seventh.”
Kaido, who had a good initial hand and fewer cards, was the first to go out, followed by Suella, Amelia, Kitamiya, Memoria, me, and Katsu in that order.
And in the end, who lost?
“I-impossible, for me to lose.”
The one who initiated the game ended up losing.
“Master! I won!”
And Himik had a close match with Minami.
As if boasting, Himik showed me a hand with a matched seven of diamonds and seven of clubs, and I thought I saw dog ears appear on her head and her tail wagging.
“Ngaa!! I can’t read Himik-san’s expression at all! What is that poker face? Is it horror?! Not even a muscle twitched, and I couldn’t tell where her eyes were looking! It didn’t even seem like she was nervous!”
“Hmph! Your training is insufficient. If you control your breathing, your body will calm down. Your expression was also hard to read, but not as much as mine.”
Even with an element of luck, who would have thought that Himik, who is prone to emotional outbursts, would display such a poker face that it would befuddle Minami, who has excellent observational skills?
When she took cards from me, it wasn’t so bad, but when Minami drew cards from her, she stripped away all emotion not just from her face but from her eyes as well, creating an expression that looked like one was being looked at by the glass eyes of a meticulously crafted doll.
Minami, seeing this for the first time up close, even let out a startled scream.
It’s said that a beautiful woman’s poker face is imposing, but when the usually cheerful Himik does it, the impact doubles.
Such a poker face affected those who could see it from an angle, but Minami was undoubtedly the most affected.
Facing an expression like a Noh mask, she countered with one that could be described as teary-eyed from fear, a face that appealed to the spirit in a way.
However, after tens of rounds of competing for the seven, Minami ultimately lost.
“Ngaa!! I can’t end with a loss like this! Himik-san, let’s have a one-on-one rematch with a different game!”
“Hmm, is there a game for dueling? I cannot run away in front of Master. I accept your challenge. What kind of match is it?”
Minami, unwilling to accept defeat, proposed a rematch with Himik, with whom she had just had a close match, in order to avoid losing.
Himik accepted the challenge honorably like a knight, but I think she should have at least asked about the content before accepting.
While I enjoy everyone having fun, I also enjoy watching.
I’m curious about what kind of game they will compete in next, and the others feel the same way.
The previous Old Maid game was surprisingly tense and fun to watch.
I expected the next one to be enjoyable as well.
“Specifically, a speed battle, Gozaru!!”
“Speed? What kind of game is that?”
Minami’s chosen game was Speed.
While there might be regional variations, it’s one of the few card games that involves physical movement, where the player who first gets rid of their hand by playing cards in numerical order wins.
Minami probably chose this game to neutralize Himik’s poker face.
However, those of us from Earth, including me, probably thought, “Ah, Minami’s going to lose this one.”
“Mufu-mufu-fu.”
Minami, who was grinning as she divided the cards into red and black piles and shuffled them, looked confident of winning, while Himik, sensing something from Minami’s expression, was wary.
“Hey, Minami, are you really going to do this?”
“Katsu, the word ‘retreat’ does not appear in my vocabulary at certain times and situations, Gozaru!!”
“No, that’s a normal way of using it.”
“Ahaha, Minami-san’s tension is really high.”
Despite saying something normal, Minami said it in a way that sounded cool, causing Kitamiya and Amelia to force a wry smile.
“Now, Katsu, I am ready anytime, Gozaru. Give the signal to start.”
“Haa, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Himik-san, are you ready?”
“It’s my first time, but it should be fine.”
Both sides lined up their initial hands, ready to play.
Among the Tester group, the outcome of the match was almost certain, but we watched, holding onto a sliver of hope.
“Begin.”
The Speed duel started at Katsu’s signal.
The moment Minami played a nine and Himik played a five.
“Body.”
Minami cast an enhancement magic on herself, trying to overwhelm her opponent…
“Is this okay?”
“Today, is it?”
Himik’s hand trembled slightly, but in an instant, her hand was empty, and a pile of black-lettered cards lay in the center.
Now, let’s calmly consider this.
Himik, who is usually a housewife managing cooking, laundry, house cleaning, and shopping, and before that was sealed away for a long period, might have dulled reflexes. However, she possesses the same level of skill as the instructors.
What would happen if such a being played a speed match against us?
The conclusion, in advance, is that she would simply lose.
Not just a loss, but a defeat so overwhelming that the word “overwhelming” would sound like an understatement.
The moment the word “Begin” was uttered, Himik’s arm moved so quickly that afterimages were imperceptible.
She exhausted her hand in what felt like an instant.
“I-impossible, Gozaru.”
Minami, who was full of confidence and intention to win, couldn’t accept reality. She checked the order of the piled cards, but they were stacked correctly, signaling Minami’s defeat.
“Master, did I win?”
“Yes, you won.”
“Is that so! That’s great! I offer this victory to you!”
Himik, who had asked for confirmation as if she were concerned about the anticlimactic end, beamed with a smile and radiated an aura of wanting praise. I obediently petted her head, and her smile brightened by thirty percent.
“……”
Minami, having experienced an overwhelming defeat in the genre of games, was utterly crushed, as if hearing a “ching” sound.
The surrounding onlookers could only laugh, accepting the inevitable outcome.
“Ngaa!! That’s too much of a cheat, Gozaru!!”
Minami’s cry further filled the room with laughter.
Today’s word:
It’s good to have moments of relaxation amidst a brutal atmosphere, isn’t it?
That’s all for this installment.
If you enjoyed it, please leave your thoughts, ratings, bookmarks, etc.
* The first volume has been decided to be published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
It was released on October 18, 2018.
An e-book version is scheduled for release on October 31 of the same year.
The content has been revised and expanded from the material posted on Shōsetsuka ni Narō, with the addition of unpublished interlude chapters.
Please look forward to it.
