Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody, Vol. 9

by Hiro Ainana

  “So you’re worried about Yuuneia, Rei?”

  “Yes… She’s scary…and I don’t remember her…but she calls me ‘Sister’…and she seems to…miss me.”

  That made sense. Rei did seem to care a lot about other people.

  “We’ll be…at Lalakie soon…”

  Rei gazed at the seas ahead.

  “If I go there…do you think…my memories…will come back?”

  “It’s very possible. But try not to stress out about it too much.”

  She looked anxious, so I placed a hand on her head and rubbed it gently.

  “S-Satou…?”

  “Oops, sorry, sorry.”

  I’d automatically done the same kind of gesture that I would normally use to comfort Tama or Pochi.

  “Don’t worry. Whether your memories return or not, you’ll still be Rei. And you’ll always be our friend.”

  “…Thanks.”

  Rei’s eyes almost looked teary as she smiled back at me.

  Our conversation ended there, and together we enjoyed the sunset in a pleasant silence.

  Although Arisa’s and Mia’s faces as they stared at us from around the corner were a little bit frightening.

  “Is that our destination? I inquire.”

  “That’s right.”

  The other kids gathered around the helm to see where Nana was pointing.

  A subtropical-looking island had come into view, with a little inlet and a small mountain wreathed in trees.

  Along the way there, we’d been attacked by octopus, horned swordfish, and other such sea monsters with relative frequency, but I took care of any threateningly high-level ones with Remote Harpoon, so to the rest of the group, it probably seemed like a pretty boring journey.

  “I wonder if that’s Lalakie, then?” Arisa asked Rei in a light tone.

  “…I don’t…know.”

  Rei lowered her head sadly, so I reassured her.

  “You don’t need to try to force yourself to remember. This place just happens to be near the Sealtower Islands, so we don’t know if it’s part of Lalakie or not.”

  With that, I steered the ship into the bay.

  “Swirlyyy?”

  “So whirly, sir.”

  Up in the lookout post, Tama and Pochi were excited about something.

  The entire island was surrounded by a whirlpool-like current, as if to prevent ships from entering, with sharp reef outcroppings hidden in the water.

  I checked it out with the map and my scouting gargoyle golems, but there didn’t seem to be any suspicious barriers or defense mechanisms hidden in the vortex.

  “An island protected by a whirlpool… Do you think Poseidon’s going to show up?”

  If I remembered correctly, Poseidon was the Greek god of the ocean, but knowing Arisa, this was probably some kind of anime or manga reference.

  Our ship easily flew over the whirlpool and proceeded into the bay.

  “Sea turrrtle?”

  “It looks delicious, sir!”

  The waters were so clear that it was easy to see the ultramarine-shelled sea turtle swimming slowly past.

  Liza threw a harpoon at it, but I’m afraid it got away.

  I was busy making sure nothing unusual was happening on the island, so I wasn’t able to participate in this particular hunt.

  “It’s so peaceful.”

  “Yes, it seems that way.”

  We laid anchor near the beach, and there was still no reaction. The island seemed to be very quiet.

  I had been half hoping that some mysterious objects would rise from the sand or the sea, but I’d probably read too many stories.

  “What a beautiful beach.”

  Lulu gazed at the near-paradise-like island with an admiring sigh.

  I wanted to take a picture of that expression.

  “I imagine there are plenty of shrimp and shellfish here.”

  “I hope to find more tropical fruits, I propose.”

  Liza and Nana seemed more concerned with food.

  I did a map search across the island.

  There were no monsters within the circumference of the whirlpool; the island seemed to be inhabited by normal animals and rare mythical beasts.

  We could already see palm trees laden with coconuts, but there seemed to be other fruit trees growing elsewhere on the island, like bananas and mangoes.

  Until anything strange happened, we could probably just enjoy a relaxing vacation.

  “First we should find a safe place to set up camp.”

  We went to shore in a small rowboat, then set up a simple camp on the beach a safe distance away from the tide line.

  I placed a magic tool on top of a waterproof sheet and poured magic into it, and it produced cloth and a frame with a little pop, forming a tent in no time flat. The tent was big enough for everyone to stand inside.

  I’d made this myself in the elf village, since they had textiles that expanded and contracted magically, the magic version of a shape memory alloy, and other such materials.

  I could’ve simply produced a bungalow from Storage complete with all our everyday needs, but since it was the first day of our little trip, I thought it would be more fun to camp out.

  “All right, everyone, time to change!”

  “Aye-aye, sirrr!”

  “Roger, sir!”

  Tama and Pochi struck a dramatic pose, and the three of them ran into the tent, followed closely by the rest of the group.

  Mia and Nana tried to drag me in as well, but that would defeat the purpose of putting up the tent in the first place, so I slipped out of their grasp right before the entrance.

  While everyone was changing, I used my “Quick Change” skill—transformation sequence excluded—to put on a pair of knee-length trunks.

  Arisa wanted me to wear some kind of thong-like swim briefs, but I didn’t think anyone but athletes and pro swimmers wore those, so I declined.

  I wasn’t really interested in showing off my beach bod anyway.

  “Master, look?”

  “Look at Pochi, too, sir.”

  The first two to pop out of the tent were Tama and Pochi.

  As they sent the tent flap flying on their way out, I thought I caught a glimpse of Lulu’s pale skin, but I’d just pretend that didn’t happen.

  Tama was wearing a peach-pink two-piece swimsuit, while Pochi wore a similar getup in yellow. The bottom of Tama’s was skirt-shaped, while Pochi’s consisted of shorts.

  “The two of you look very cute.”

  Both of them grinned bashfully.

  “Master, the three of us will go harvest some seafood, if that’s all right.”

  Liza appeared in a crimson two-piece, wielding a harpoon made from a land urchin spike.

  To cover for her lack of volume, there was a rose-patterned decoration over her chest.

  “All right. I’ll put some magic on you for safety, but don’t rely on it too much.”

  “Understood.”

  “Aye-aye!”

  “Yes, sir! Get ready for a big haul, sir!”

  No doubt the three of them would return with some tasty prey.

  I would have preferred for them to simply enjoy some normal swimming and relaxation, but everyone has fun in different ways. No doubt Arisa would invite them to play after we ate later.

  “Satou.”

  Wearing a white-and-aqua-striped bikini, Mia did a little twirl in front of the tent.

  Her usual twin tails were braided into buns.

  “Master, the larva and I are ready as well, I declare.”

  Instead of a bikini, Nana was wearing a plain one-piece suit, probably thanks to the iron-wall pair.

  Unfortunately for them, their plan had backfired: The plain swimsuit only increased the sexiness factor, especially considering her bust size increase from the cultivation tank.

  “How do I look…Satou?”

  Rei hesitantly peeked out from behind Nana.

  She was borrowing one of Arisa’s spare swi
msuits, a bikini that matched the design of Mia’s.

  “All three of you look extremely cute. They look great on you.”

  They smiled, looking pleased.

  “I’m ready, too, master.”

  Lulu appeared from behind the other three, clad in a pink cardigan over a black-and-white one-piece with a low back. The cardigan covered her back and shoulders, but the open front revealed a glimpse of her cleavage and cute belly, giving her an innocent charm.

  “I’m sorry—it took a while to braid everyone’s hair.”

  Come to think of it, Nana and Rei had the same braided-bun style as Mia.

  Lulu seemed to be the one who had done their hair for them. Her own long black hair was held in a simple braid.

  “That’s all right. You look wonderful.”

  “Th-thank you, master.”

  Lulu turned adorably bright red, although the way she pressed her shoulders together and ducked was a little dangerous.

  “Ta-daaaa!”

  Finally, Arisa appeared in a white swimsuit, announcing her own arrival with a little tune.

  “Obviously, you’ve got to save the star of the show for last!”

  …Oh, Arisa.

  “What’s the matter? Have you succumbed to the adorable Arisa’s charms?”

  I rolled my eyes at Arisa, who was wearing a classic old-fashioned school swimsuit. There was even a name tag on the chest that said ARISA in hiragana.

  The school swimsuit was a staple of anime and light novels, but I had never seen someone wear one in real life outside of cosplaying.

  Dryly averting my gaze from Arisa as she struck pose after pose, I turned to address the others.

  “Why don’t you all go for a swim while I prepare a barbecue?”

  “Awww, c’mon, swim with us!”

  “Master, if you’re preparing food, I’ll help you.”

  Lulu seemed determined to help me rather than enjoy herself, so I agreed to go swimming with everyone instead.

  “It’s the oceeeeean!”

  Arisa shouted as she made a mad dash for the water.

  “Mm, ocean.”

  “That is without a doubt the ocean, I confirm.”

  “Yes…ocean…”

  Nana took Mia’s and Rei’s hands and ran after Arisa.

  Nana usually seemed oblivious to anyone else’s pace, but this time she did shorten her strides to match the smaller girls’ as they ran.

  “Huh? Okay… Um, it’s the ocean!”

  Finally, Lulu sheepishly followed me toward the water.

  I was quick to put away her unnecessary cardigan in Storage.

  “Whew, that was fun!”

  “Mm. Satisfied.”

  Arisa and Mia sighed happily as they finished burying me in the sand.

  Lulu and Rei had long since given up and were relaxing under a beach parasol.

  “Master, I have found many small and cute seashells, I report.”

  Nana showed me the contents of her bag.

  Freeing myself from the sand to look inside, I saw that it was indeed full of colorful little shells, true to her report.

  “Very nice. Why don’t we make some seashell accessories later?”

  “Am I capable of making them? I inquire.”

  “Of course. We’ll all make them together.”

  The other girls would probably be interested, too, so I figured we could have a little seashell accessory–making class after we ate.

  “Preeey!”

  “We caught a lot, sir.”

  “We’ve successfully captured fish, lobster, and some large shellfish.”

  Liza opened the hunting Fairy Pack and showed me their haul.

  There were tropical fish, striped beakfish, and enough spiny lobster to go around, plus oysters, turban shells, and even a pearl oyster so gigantic I almost expected Venus to be inside.

  “Mia, can you take care of the shellfish?”

  “Mm.”

  Mia used the Water Magic spell I’d made on the journey, Clean Clams, to quickly remove the sand and grit from the shells.

  This particular spell had taken a lot of work, and more than a few exploded clamshells, to perfect.

  “Awww, you couldn’t get any sea turtles?” Arisa asked.

  “No waaay?”

  “Mr. Sea Turtle is very speedy in the water, sir.”

  Tama and Pochi shook their heads sadly.

  “Master, may I open this shell?”

  “Yes, of course. Clams can be very strong, so I’ll get it started for you first.”

  I didn’t want Liza’s arm to get stuck in the shell by mistake.

  I gave it a light pull and it came apart easily enough, and Liza thrust her short sword into the gap, expertly slicing up the clam.

  The clam did its best to close, but it didn’t stand a chance against my high strength stat.

  “Whoa, what a big pearl!”

  It really was big.

  Probably around the size of a softball.

  “Master, is the shell transparent now?”

  “You’re right—that’s strange. It was normal only a moment ago.”

  For some reason, the giant clamshell had turned transparent.

  “Actually, I think it’s just blending in. Looks like it changes colors using magic power.”

  It probably used this ability to disguise itself on the seafloor.

  It was pretty solid, so I could probably make some fun things with it, which was an exciting creative prospect.

  As I thought about such things, the other kids opened the smaller shells.

  “Master, I have found a pearl larva, I report.”

  “Wow, I didn’t know they could have pink pearls.”

  “This one has a black pearl.”

  A high proportion of the clams near this beach seemed to have pearls inside.

  There weren’t enough to make a pearl string necklace, but I could probably make a single-pearl necklace for each of the girls.

  There was coral washed up on the beach, too; our post-lunch accessory-making workshop was shaping up to be pretty involved.

  Meanwhile, as for the lunch itself…

  “Whoa! It’s like a beach-house smorgasbord!”

  I’d prepared a lineup of curry, yakisoba, ramen, and grilled squid. The yakisoba and salt ramen were new menu items.

  “But the clam’s not missing from the curry, and the ramen’s not soggy enough…”

  Arisa complained that it didn’t seem like real beach-house food, but I wasn’t going to make it poorly on purpose.

  Even as she complained, she slurped up the ramen with a satisfied expression.

  “Mm. Yummy.”

  Mia seemed to be enjoying her vegetable-filled salt ramen, too.

  “The one with meat is good, sir.”

  “That’s roast pork. It’s also called ‘chashu.’”

  “Chashu rameeen?”

  Tama’s pronunciation was a little off, but she and the others all took a liking to ramen at once. Tama and Pochi were using forks, since eating it with chopsticks proved difficult for them.

  For some reason, the yakisoba wasn’t particularly popular, so I would have to work on my recipe some more.

  “Ramen is hot, but it’s delicious.”

  “There are lots of other kinds, so I can make more next time we’re someplace colder.”

  Unsurprisingly, I didn’t want to boil up tonkotsu ramen broth in this sweltering heat.

  I could’ve simply used magic to control the temperature, but that was beside the point.

  “Spicy…and good…”

  “Curry is most delicious on the third day, I inform.”

  Rei and Nana were enjoying some curry together.

  “It’s very good. The curry and fried seafood go quite well together.”

  Liza was eating curry topped with fried shrimp and fish.

  Afterward, once we’d cooled off with some shaved ice, we made the seashell accessories and built a tree house as part of our island vac
ation.

  “Firewooorks?”

  “Pop-pop, sir!”

  Tama and Pochi were twirling around on the beach by the campfire.

  They were both holding a short staff in each hand with a Fireworks Illusion spell on them.

  These staffs had been made by the high elf of the Beliunan clan when I told her about the Fireworks Illusion spell I made. She said she wasn’t very good at making light-type magic tools, but she still turned these out in a pretty short time.

  Making them required special magical assistance, so I couldn’t reproduce them myself.

  “Larva, it is used like this, I instruct.”

  “It’s…very…pretty.”

  Nana was teaching Rei how to use the Fireworks Illusion short staffs.

  “They really pull you in, don’t they?”

  “Yes, they are truly impressive to behold.”

  Lulu and Liza were fascinated by the prototype sparklers I’d made.

  These ones just used regular gunpowder.

  “Campfires are pretty romantic, huh?”

  “You think so? Didn’t you ever have one at a school event?”

  At Arisa’s request, we were dancing the “Oklahoma Mixer,” with accompaniment by Mia.

  I don’t think you’re supposed to do this dance with only two people.

  “Mrrr. Trade.”

  Mia was the only one who could play an instrument well, so Mia and I danced to Arisa’s humming.

  “Larva?”

  Hearing Nana’s confused voice, I turned to see Rei with the light gone from her eyes, staring into the campfire with a blank expression.

  “<…Fire,>” she murmured.

  “Mew!”

  “Something’s coming, sir!”

  Tama and Pochi dropped their short staffs and got down on all fours, looking alarmed.

  A moment later, the ground shook.

  At the same time, birds took off in droves from all over the island, and we heard animals howling.

  “An earthquake?”

  “I don’t think there are any underwater volcanoes or anything around here.”

  Opening the map, I checked for any moving monsters, but nothing stood out. The Skeleton King’s and Yuuneia’s markers were still in the Spirit World.

  “Let’s check the other islands, then.”

  I used the Space Magic spell Clairvoyance to look at each of the Sealtower Islands.

  Three of them were unchanged, but one had produced a towerlike structure that was letting off a red light.