Chapter 87: Heading to the Sea
The place Aymok designated was a seaside bathing area about an hourâs walk from my house. It was also the spot where I had returned to this world.
This time of year, the beach was mostly deserted, which made it the perfect place for a meeting.
We rode together on Soutaâs bicycle to get there.
At first, we were going to ride separately, but when Souta saw me wobbling around trying to mount my bike while holding a staff as tall as I was, he told me to hop on the back instead.
I sat sideways, cradling the staff in my right arm and wrapping the other around Soutaâs waist to keep steady as we rode.
âSorry, Souta. Iâve got you doing all the pedaling.â
I spoke to him while we were stopped at a red light.
âMm⊠donât worry about it. That thingâs something you need for the fight, right?â
Souta glanced back as he answered.
I nodded.
âThis is a staff made from the World Tree. It helps reduce mana consumption when casting magic. Itâs tougher than iron and lighter too, so it works great as a blunt weapon.â
I lifted the staff, showing it off a little as I spoke.
âWhoa, âWorld Treeâânow that sounds straight outta a fantasy world. You ever seen one, the World Tree?â
Soutaâs eyes lit up with curiosity. Come to think of it, he always did like fantasy stuff.
âOh, Iâve seen one⊠actually, I had to climb it.â
I stared off into the distance, remembering.
âIn the middle of raging wind gusts, I had to leap from branch to branch with nothing but my own body, fighting off magical beasts as I scaled a World Tree that was several hundred meters tall⊠not something Iâd ever wanna do again, honestly.â
That one was definitely in my top five ânever againâ experiences.
âS-Seriously? That sounds roughâŠâ
The World Tree staff was a byproduct of that ordeal.
âSo, what about that outfit? Does it have any special effects too?â
âYeah⊠I mean, if it didnât, thereâs no way Iâd be wearing something like this.â
Right now, I was wearing the ceremonial robes of the Water Priestessâwhat Alicia used to wear in the other world.
A short, ornamented one-piece dress in white, paired with matching white thigh-high socks held up by garter belts. The whole outfit gave off a pure and mystical vibe, just like Alicia herself.
âThese robes are blessed by the water spirit god Minstia. Theyâre tougher than chainmail against blades, offer magic resistance strong enough to neutralize regular human-level spells, and even repair themselves if they get damaged or dirtyâtop-tier stuff.â
Unlike blessings that fade when applied to people, the ones imbued into items apparently donât vanish, even in this world. So these features were all still intact.
ââŠThatâs seriously amazing.â
âBack over there, they said the whole setâs worth enough to build a house, easy.â
âNo wayâŠâ
That was according to my dad, after he tested its capabilitiesâhe said it was too over-the-top to even put a price on in this world.
âOh, and itâs got heat and cold resistance too, so technically I donât even need a coatâŠâ
At the moment, I was wearing my usual navy-blue duffle coatâwhat I used for schoolâover the priestess robes.
âYeah, no, thatâd be way too muchâŠâ
Walking around the outskirts of a rural city dressed like a cosplaying shrine maiden definitely raised some eyebrows. Still, since it was Christmas season, people might just assume it was some kind of holiday event. Better that than doing this on a regular weekday, at leastâŠ
ăâŠâŠStill, this place really brings back memories, doesnât ită
Alicia spoke with a hint of nostalgia. The telepathic link also reached out to Souta.
ăYeah. Itâs hard to believe it's only been six months since I walked back this same road in a shrine maiden's outfit...ă
The past half-year had been just as intense and stimulating as the year Iâd spent in the other world.
At first, this body had felt completely alien, but now it seemed to fit me quite well⊠though I still wasnât used to that thing that came every month. That, I figured, was just something Iâd have to live with from now on.
ăMan, the beach in winter looks freezing... Hey Alicia, like I said before, letâs go to the ocean next summeră
ăThat sounds like so much fună
ăâŠYou two sure are relaxed, considering weâre about to charge straight into enemy territoryă
Souta sounded exasperated.
ăIn the other world, we were constantly in life-or-death situations. Letting our guard down even once could get us killed... I got used to loosening up just enough to stay saneă
If you stayed tense the entire time, your mind would break. Iâd naturally learned how to stay ready to move while keeping myself calmâit was something Iâd picked up through battle.
ăIkuto, sounds like youâve been through a hell of a lot over thereâŠă
ăâŠYeah, you could say thată
Even now, half a year after returning to Japan, I havenât shaken the habit of being overly cautious about my surroundings while traveling.
The light turned green, and the group started pedaling again.
ăLetâs get Suzuka out. No matter whată
ăYeah!ă
Two thuggish-looking men, each holding signal batons, were blocking off the only road leading to the beach.
As Souta stopped his bike, the men approached in a threatening manner.
"From here on out, this place is reserved for us, Uroboros!"
"No entry for outsiders. If you two lovebirds wanna cuddle, go find somewhere else!"
The men waved their batons to shoo them away.
"I was invited here by your boss. I donât like it either, but that makes me a 'relevant party,' doesnât it?"
"...Youâre that rampaging wolf from Hirakou!? The hell you thinking showing your face to us again... Iâll kill you!"
"Hold on. Aymok said to let him through if he showed up, remember?"
"But still...!"
"So what is itâare we doing this or not? Iâm fine either way."
"You cocky bastard...!"
"Cool it. Didnât Aymok say he brought this guy in for a public execution? Heâll settle our score for us... Now get moving. Enjoy strutting around while you still can."
With that, the thugs stepped aside.
Getting back on their bikes, they entered the beach area, where more delinquents were lying in wait.
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