“Yes, well, I was watching late-night anime back when I was alive, it was quite a while ago, but there was this anime called ‘Mayo-ga,’ you know, it was really something… and by the way, anime is when stories are drawn and then animated, but anyway, let’s put that aside.”
Mr. Iwamotor, as usual, started talking about nonsensical things unilaterally. Normally, I would have jumped in to stop him, but I had free time, so I decided to let him continue.
“How much of ‘something’ was it, to put it concretely, it might violate the terms of service of Narou, so I’ll refrain from saying too much, but well, you get it, please imagine. So, when that anime was about to be broadcast, I thought it would be streamed, but there was an ‘introduction pre-show’ for the anime, and the voice actress for the heroine was hosting it, or something like that, she was there.”
He was in a chatty mode, unlike his usual security guard mode. Perhaps this man’s true, unvarnished self was the Iwamotor I was seeing now.
“And this female voice actress, oh my, she already knew that the recording was finished and was aware of the content, and even though she knew how outlandish the anime was, she was diligently, truly working hard to praise how interesting and wonderful it was, yes, desperately so.”
Ah, Ange yawned.
“Man, I thought professional voice actors really go this far, and I, this old man, couldn’t help but tear up. Touched by her earnestness, I ended up watching that anime! And what do you think happened? After watching it, I looked like I had lost all my money on FX, yes.”
And then came some mysterious phrase, which I probably wouldn’t understand even if asked.
“And so: ‘Arbuck contract employee, actually part-time, Ange-sama’s summoned Otherworlder, Teruyuki Iwamotor (54), Assassin. Thank you for your time, yes.'”
“Eh?! Was that long story just an introduction before your self-introduction???”
“It was, so what?!”
Sooooo loooong!!!
“Hey, hey, Mr. Iwamotor?”
“Yes, Summoner Ange-sama.”
“And what do you mean by ‘And so’?!?”
“Waaah.”
Oh well, the line has moved forward a bit more.
“Um, Ange, do you want to ask for details about the parts you didn’t understand in that story? Or…?”
“Otta-chan, can you tell us a story that’s a little easier to understand?”
“Understood. Then I shall tell you about an event that happened when I was a young middle school student.”
Oh, I don’t know when he was a middle school student, but maybe it’s a sweet, nostalgic love story?
“Here you go.”
“It’s about a toy shop in my hometown, Niigata. Well, it was also an electronics store, so small children would come to watch TV after school, play with games and toys, and I used to go check out the latest toys occasionally, and buy cheaper ones. Then one day, a shabby elementary school boy from the lower grades…”
What is TV? I understand that elementary school students are younger than middle school students.
“That boy brought a bag full of worn-out batteries. Ah, batteries are like magic stones here. Think of them as used magic stones. He brought them and said, ‘I heard you buy used batteries at the electronics store.’ Of course, that wasn’t true. They were just trash. But the shopkeeper was running a business for children, and perhaps he was simply kind.”
“‘If you have that many, I’ll buy them for two hundred yen.'”
“Two hundred yen must have been a lot of money to that poor boy. In this world, is that two copper coins? Or twenty? Still, he went home overjoyed. ‘Can used batteries really be sold?!’ I asked my parents when I got home and they explained, and of course I understood. They also scolded me, saying that a middle schooler should know.”
So he bought something that was supposed to be trash? How kind.
“I used to visit that toy store occasionally on my way home. Sometimes, it seemed the boy would save up batteries and bring them. When he brought a lot, the shopkeeper gave him three hundred yen. But one time, the boy brought an unusually small amount, and yet the shopkeeper gave him two hundred yen…”
Ah, something bad is going to happen.
“‘They really buy them!’ ‘Buy mine too!’ ‘I found these!'”
“Boys after boys, who looked poor, came. Well, I don’t know if I can call them friends. In the end, that day was settled for two hundred yen per person, but…”
Yeah, that’s how it goes.
“The moment I bought the boys’ batteries, a guy from outside brought a cardboard box full of old batteries and said, ‘Buy mine too.'”
Ah, that’s what’s going to happen.
“The shopkeeper said, ‘No, no, we’re not buying them.’ But he insisted, ‘You just bought them, so buy them for ten thousand yen.’ He threatened, ‘I came all this way because I heard you buy batteries.’ Of course, the shopkeeper couldn’t buy something like that. He tried to explain the situation by calling him to the back, but the man just kept demanding, ‘Buy them!’ In the end, he scattered batteries around the store and left…”
“So, what happened?”
“The next day, a sign was posted at the store entrance: ‘Battery purchasing has ended.'”
What a sad story, a little bit heartbreaking.
(This story feels a little too close to home for me too.)
“Hmm, O’chan.”
“Yes, Summoner Ange-sama.”
“I’ll give it 39 points.”
“Is that out of 50 points?”
“Nnn, out of a hundred.”
“Gyafun!”
Oh, “Gyafun” came out!
“Well, this is a story I heard from someone who used to work at a radio station in Akasaka. A certain radio program decided to use a female voice actress. The producer called the voice acting agency and said, ‘We’d like a woman with a typical anime voice.’ The agency replied, ‘We have heaps of those!'”
Ah, now it’s getting hard to understand. The word “anime” again.
“To that, the producer said, ‘Then, I’d like a voice like [redacted] 2.’ On the day of the recording, who showed up at the radio station studio but the voice actress for the actual [redacted] 2!”
“A’aah, i, itsuginon, don, donzo.”
Oh, it seems it’s our turn.
“O’chan, I don’t want to hear anymore.”
“Dobo-ji-te, dobo-ji-te?”
She poked her index finger against mine, sulking.
“Hello, I am Deles.”
“A’anrema’!!”
“Did you just realize that now?”
“Dabe!!”
Finally, in a panic, the Dwarf Rubas rushed over! I wondered if it was okay height-wise, but she brought a stool and hopped onto it.
“Yes, yes, the materials arrived this morning. Your Adventurer Cards, please.”
“Aaah, i, ni-mai.”
“Ah, you were holding Amari’s!”
“Deles-kun too!”
“That’s right, here you go.”
“Hah, confirmed.”
(Conversely, Mr. Jigze went to the Dwarf-only reception. Is this okay?)
While I was thinking that, Rubas finished her checks and brought an Item Bag from the back, placing the contents on the table.
(The counter is high, it must be difficult. But Ange-sama floated it up again!)
“Ah, so many eggs.”
“Yes, they are from bee-type monsters. And a Treasure Chest too.”
“Aren’t you going to check the contents?”
“Except for Mimics, they are all Deles-sama’s!”
How kind.
At the Adventurer Guild, they usually buy high-performance equipment if you offer it.
“Ah, and lots of magic stones.”
“Basically, they are Earth magic stones, but the Quasi Demon Lord’s were Light magic stones.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Yes, and it would be helpful if you could sell these to us.”
Ah, so that’s how it is.
Even at the Adventurer Guild on the Milishitan Continent, the more Appraisal Crystals they have at the reception, the better.
(Though it’s easy to forget, the magic stones of Quasi Demon Lords and Demon Lords can be used as Appraisal Crystals if they are large enough.)
Don’t say “That’s not a crystal!” It’s a convenient expression! Who am I even making excuses to?
“And also, from the head you entrusted to us, four fangs…”
While receiving valuable items like these, some of the corpses were sold to the Guild for serum for those poisoned by bee venom. Well, they should at least get something out of it.
(Though with Gotchan’s or Clarice’s staffs, they could purify it.)
I decided to keep quiet about that, as it would be a duty to provide services, and I didn’t want that.
“…That’s all. Quest complete. Thank you.”
“Ah, yes.”
“So, will you be going to the Komomo Dungeon?”
That’s right, I hadn’t revisited it yet.
“How is it different from before?”
“After Deles-sama cleared it with Karuh-sama, monsters are basically prevented from coming above the 30th underground floor.”
“Ah, a defense magic?”
“It’s a seal. However, adventurers who want Rare Magic Stones can get permission after screening.”
I’ll probably be fine.
“Then, up to the 29th floor for Komomo.”
“Yes, it’s a breeding ground for Komomo. Calculate it so you don’t take too many or leave too few.”
Last time I cleared it, I took quite a lot because it was the last time.
It was good that I left some behind.
“If I go, can I get Komomo?”
“Yes, if it’s Deles-sama, then a decent amount.”
Although, that’s something I harvested and sold alone.
“Ange, what do you want to do?”
“Nnn~, sleepy~”
“Understood. Then, Rubas-san, we’ll have to postpone that.”
Is there anything else we need to do?
“Understood. Please come again to accept requests.”
“Eh, is there still something else?”
“Yes, it’s quite deep into the territory, but there’s an Urban Lamia village. Since it’s far away, it’s not much of a threat yet.”
Then it’s fine.
“Do you want to hunt them?”
“No, it’s research, as it’s a monster with very few samples.”
“Understood. I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Please do, my son-in-law.”
Extra words at the end—!!
“Okay, Ange, let’s go home.”
“Aiai-aiai.”
Before I knew it, only I, Ange, and Iwamotor-san were left.
“Then, I will be going.”
“Otta-chan, do you have anything else you want to talk about?”
You too, with unnecessary things!
“Well, I was resting at a coffee shop near a TV station in Akasaka, and there was a story about a top idol at the time having a row with her boyfriend on her cell phone in broad daylight. Or, in the lobby of a certain radio station, a teenage rookie female voice actress, who had just been chosen as the main heroine for an anime, was being scolded so much by her manager that she was crying…”
Ah, I don’t know what it is, but I have a bad feeling about this!!
“Mr. Iwamotor, thank you for your efforts!”
“Later, bai-nar~”
“Nara, iba.”
Iwamotor-san vanished into subspace with a mysterious reply.
Man, there were a lot of nonsensical stories this time too. Oh well.
“Then, next time I’ll use the Teleport Scroll.”
“Aiai-aiai.”
Including the materials from this time,
I guess I’ll consult about item refinement at Lizard Village again.
