After that, the bingo tournament for presents continued, and after Amelia, Suella received a muffler prepared by Mie.
Then, Mie received a wooden charm prepared by Suella after Suella. This was a common scene for a gift exchange.
Next to be chosen was Kitamiya, and the gift he received was a punch bag filled with air, prepared by Kaido for stress relief.
It was basically a sandbag with a low center of gravity that would pop back up when punched.
Kaido said he bought it because it seemed fun, and it was apparently available at Giant’s store.
Kitamiya’s mouth twitched upon seeing it, but Kaido…
You’ve given something that shouldn’t be given to someone who shouldn’t receive it.
You may have forgotten, but recently Kitamiya has started incorporating close combat into his training, following Suella’s example.
This item will surely polish his combat senses.
It was like giving a mage fighting skills, I thought as I watched Kaido smiling and likely with good intentions, telling him to use it for stress relief.
In response, Kitamiya said he would make full use of it with a smile, so my prediction probably won’t be wrong.
I wonder if Kitamiya will learn skills like “God Blow” or “Golden Right Straight” in the future?
It’s normal here for mages to learn close combat, but it’s also strange to resort to physical combat just because you’ve run out of magic power.
Next, Kaido followed Kitamiya, and he won a disc-shaped automatic floor cleaner that I had prepared.
It was perfect for Kaido, who wasn’t good at tidying up.
I looked at my own bingo card. Not a single square had been marked off.
I’ve experienced bingo a few times myself, but I’ve never had a card this blank.
Normally, I would have at least two, three, or even four squares marked, but only the free space in the center and one other square, which was just marked, were open.
At this point, it felt like I was being intentionally excluded.
“Ah, bingo,” I heard someone say.
Meanwhile, the next person to be chosen was Katsu. Kaido was checking the card in his hand. Minami, who was supposed to be co-hosting, seemed too engrossed in staring at her bingo card to notice.
“Number eight!”
“Ah, mine!!”
As Kaido called out the number Katsu drew, Amelia reacted.
“A CD?”
“Yes! I’ve compiled my favorite music. Please listen to it!”
“I will. I’ll give it a listen.”
Katsu received the five-disc CD set from Kaido, and as he looked at the CDs with English lyrics, Amelia happily urged him to listen, and he promised to do so.
Now, only I, Minami, and Memoria remained. I figured it would be a while before I got bingo, so I waited for the next number while drinking beer.
“Ah, I got it.”
“Oh, that’s good, Memoria.”
“Yes, it’s hard to get bingo, isn’t it? I had three lines ready.”
“That’s how it goes. I only have one line ready yet.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll draw first.”
Memoria, one of the three, got bingo and drew.
“Oh, it’s mine.”
“Did Himik prepare this for you?”
“Indeed! It’s quite a confident creation! I asked Master what to prepare for Christmas, and he said this! It’s my first time trying it, but I think I did a good job!”
It was something Himik had prepared. Memoria fumbled in the red paper bag and took it out.
“This is…”
“A coaster made of yarn. I’ve prepared various patterns.”
I thought that few people made hand-knitted sweaters these days, but I suggested to Himik that hand-knitted items might be nice.
She said she was too clumsy to do it, but decided to try it, and she got completely hooked.
Himik’s hobbies were usually housework and cooking, but knitting gave her a new joy in her everyday life.
I often saw her knitting in her room with a magazine, and I was glad I had encouraged her.
The finished coasters were not as perfect as a professional’s, but they were meticulously crafted.
Matching the Christmas season, Memoria stared at the winter-themed patterns like snowflakes and snowmen, then slowly lowered her eyelids and smiled.
“Himik, thank you. I’ll cherish it.”
“Indeed!”
She carefully put the coaster away in the bag.
I sometimes worry that relationships become strained when three people have lovers, but I think we’re getting along well.
Well, it’s time to return to reality.
“What!?”
“No, the joke’s fine, but it’s just you and Minami left, right?”
In the end, the bingo tournament became a close race between the unlucky duo of me and Minami.
Or rather, I had low luck stats, so I kind of expected this to happen.
But as for Minami, I couldn’t help but suspect it was due to poor daily conduct.
“I have quadrupled reach, and yet why don’t I get bingo?!”
Looking at Minami’s bingo card, compared to mine, which finally had one line of bingo, hers had holes scattered all over, with several potentially bingot spots.
Despite that, there was no sign of bingo.
In fact.
“Damn, I missed again,” I said.
“Me too.”
We still hadn’t hit bingo.
“I wonder if these two will ever finish.”
“I think they will. If all the balls are drawn, it’ll surely end.”
“It’s abnormal to not get bingo even at this point.”
A light rattling sound echoed, and we looked at the number on the ball drawn, but it wasn’t on my card, nor on Minami’s. Kitamiya and Kaido voiced their unease at our misfortune, but I wasn’t too concerned.
“Well, if worse comes to worst, we can decide with rock-paper-scissors.”
“That won’t do! There’s a difference in our dynamic vision and athletic ability between me and the leader! By the time the leader says ‘rock-paper-scissors,’ how many times can you change your hand?”
“Uh, four times?”
“Two times. Who would challenge a match that’s already decided by this point? It’s impossible, leaving afterimages while changing hands? Is that a cheat?”
“It’s the result of effort.”
“Your direction of effort is wrong.”
Strictly speaking, I think I could increase it by two or three more times if I tried hard.
Since I had been drinking alcohol, it was a bit difficult to change hands accurately, so I gave a slightly lower number.
Well, if things continued like this, I thought it would take too long, and I simply proposed a straightforward match that wouldn’t take much time, but I didn’t expect it to be accepted.
Indeed, Minami refused due to the difference in stats.
This was the first time I had been asked to use my status abilities in rock-paper-scissors, but when I thought about it, it made sense, and I quietly continued with bingo while drinking my beer.
“I’m not getting bingo.”
“Well, it’s about how it is.”
I checked each ball that came out and marked a square, but I couldn’t even get close to a bingo. Suella peered in with concern. I told her it was alright. On the other hand, when I looked at Minami, who was determined not to lose in the genre of games.
“Just one more, just one more number and it’s my win!”
Minami, the opposite of a passionate character, was uncharacteristically fired up. She was so focused on the next bingo ball to come out that she seemed to have forgotten her role as host. Watching her with amusement.
“Come to think of it, Shiik, Miik.”
“What is it, big sister?”
“What do you need, big sister?”
“What did you two prepare for your presents?”
“Oh, big sister, if you say that, half the fun will be lost.”
“Yes, I was disappointed when I heard it wouldn’t necessarily go to the Hero, but if that’s the case, we thought it would be good to prepare something nice, Miik and I.”
“Did you prepare something substantial?”
“That’s for sure. I guarantee it. Right, Miik?”
“Yes, Shiik. We thought about it very seriously.”
“More than anything, it’s something we made, so I’m sure they’ll be pleased.”
“Yes, we’ve prepared something useful.”
Himik, curious about what her younger twin sisters had prepared, asked them, but the twins said that opening presents was part of the fun, and didn’t reveal the contents. That attitude made her a little uneasy.
“By the way, Kaido, do you know what’s inside?”
“Oh, brother-in-law, that would be rude.”
“Yes, Hero, please don’t answer the brother-in-law either.”
“Hahaha, that’s what they say. Well, I don’t know what they prepared either.”
Incidentally, as a side note, the twins call me “brother-in-law” because Himik and I are recognized as master and subordinate as well as lovers. It felt a bit strange to be called “brother-in-law” by someone older, but I accepted it as it wasn’t a problem visually. While we were talking, another ball came out.
“Oh, I got it.”
“I GOT IT!!!”
The moment I saw the number, the only line I had was completed, and I had bingo. Minami also let out a roar.
“Oh, is it a tie? In that case, will it be rock-paper-scissors or sudden death until the next bingo is called?”
“No, I’m fine with going later. Minami, you go first.”
“Huh? Is that okay?”
“With that many lines, I suppose so.”
“Oh! Leader is generous! Then I won’t hold back!”
Since it was a tie, I was content with enjoying the atmosphere and told Minami to draw first. Happily, she reached into the box and held up the number in her hand for everyone to see.
“Fufufu, there are two bags of the same size left. Now, what is my Christmas present?”
“Oh, this number is Shiik’s. Then, please have this.”
“Thank you! It’s quite heavy, I wonder what’s inside?”
She rummaged through the bag, about thirty centimeters tall, and firmly grasped it before pulling it out.
“…Is it a potion?”
“Yes, it’s a magic potion I made?”
The shape of the bottle was familiar from somewhere. It was the size of a plastic bottle. While it was larger than the potions we usually use, at first glance, it looked like a normal potion.
“Oh, a potion made by an angel? It looks effective.”
“Yes, it works well.”
“What are its effects?”
“Fufufu, it’s a gender-changing potion. If you drink a mouthful, your body will immediately reverse. The effect lasts for one hour. I made something like the ‘party goods’ the Hero mentioned.”
“A gender-changing potion?! It doesn’t seem useful for dungeon攻略 at all. Ten bottles… how am I supposed to consume them?”
However, the contents turned out to be novelty items. I had heard of gender-changing potions in fantasy, but I never expected a real one to appear.
“Damn, the only thing I can think of is using it when I cosplay a male character next time.”
“You can think of something? Well, whatever. Kaido, please do mine too.”
“Understood.”
“By the way, is mine the same?”
“No, I made something else.”
“Oh. Is it something that a man like me can receive without any problems?”
“Yes, there are no problems. It’s something that is useful for both men and women.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“I brought it! Here you go, Senpai.”
“Alright, let’s open it.”
I smiled wryly at Minami, who was finding a use for the potion, and I, too, rummaged through the bag and placed the contents on the desk. Unlike Minami’s blue potion, mine was transparent. I could see that it wasn’t empty, but that something was indeed inside. Now, the problem was its effect.
“So, what kind of potion is this?”
I was off my guard as it didn’t look suspicious at all. Miik smiled and said, to my anticipation of what would come after the gender change.
“Yes, it’s a nighttime potion. It promises a sweet night.”
“Huh?”
She said something outrageous. Seeing her dressed like a junior high school girl, I couldn’t immediately grasp what she was saying and blurted out a question.
“Oh, do you intend to make a woman say the same thing? You cruel person.”
But she just smiled teasingly and didn’t answer.
“It’s simple to use, just add one drop to your drink, and you’ll be energetic for the whole day. If you add too much, there will be serious consequences, so use it in moderation.”
Moderation? But there’s this much in here… But Miik, ignoring my confusion, smiled cheerfully after explaining how to use it.
“However, in your case, Brother-in-law, it seems a little more would be good.”
Despite looking like a middle schooler, she was much older than me and was completely teasing me. I kind of understood why she was teasing me. Hearing Miik’s explanation, Himik and Memoria looked at me with anticipation, while Suella looked disappointed.
“…Don’t put something that makes my reaction difficult to understand.”
“Ah, you’re blushing, Senpai.”
“Shut up.”
Seeing Minami relieved that he could play with something from another world, and watching him, I finished the Christmas gift exchange.
Today’s word:
Even though it was an unusual everyday life, it was interesting.
This is all for now.
If you found this interesting, please leave comments, ratings, bookmarks, etc.
*The first volume 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 was released on December 19 of the same year.
The third volume was released on February 20, 2019.
The content consists of revised and expanded versions of the material posted on Shosetsuka ni Narou, with the addition of unpublished intermissions.
Please check out the new releases too!!
In addition, a comic adaptation has also been decided for Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.
