“Good meowning, people! It’s been a while!”
“Oho, it’s you! It’s not actually morning, though... How’ve you been?”
“You seem the same as ever.”
“Gahaha, you seem a little on the scrawny side, buddy. Sure you been eating right?” They were clearly old friends, so they were hitting it off well.
“Alright, well. You guys are gonna be helping Mr. Mittens, but otherwise, you’re free to roam around town.”
“...Mr. Mittens?”
“N-No! Erase that name from your minds right meow! I’m D’Artagnan!” Mr. Mittens flailed his arms around out of embarrassment. I had totally forgotten that Mr. Mittens wasn’t his real name.
Since they were reuniting after a while, I gave them all a silver coin and told them to have fun on the town for a bit. All the bars in this area would be fine serving alcohol to the cats. Catnip-infused booze, of course.
Since Mr. Mittens had to finish up helping Fiana, I took the three cats to the bar ahead of him. I decided to teach them the ways around the streets, so I didn’t use any fancy teleporting. It was already evening, so there were a few people out and about.
Nobody seemed to mind the sight of me and the three Cat Siths. Everyone was used to Mr. Mittens, after all. I only got a few confused glances from traveling merchants.
“This is quite a pleasant town.”
“I’m glad it’s to your liking.” Athos cheerfully glanced around, but he seemed very alert. Aramis was already flirting with a nearby female cat. He was waving at her as she sat on a wall. Porthos, on the other hand, was hungrily staring at a stall that sold chicken skewers.
I think I had a good grasp of their personalities even though I hadn’t known them long.
“So basically, you guys are gonna protect this town from the shadows just like Mr. Mittens does. Make sure you do your best, now.”
“Very well!” We headed into the bar and found a bunch of men who had been drunk under the table by Suika. She was still sipping booze. The little gremlin was at it again... I had no idea how she was paying for booze when I’d canceled her allowance. She’d probably been winning bets against guys who thought they could outdrink her or something. “Ohh... Big bwoooo... How’re... Hic... Youuuu?”
“I’m fine. How much have you had to drink?” She was completely wasted. I cleared up the glass bottles that were scattered around and shifted my eyes toward the barkeeper. He just looked away. I see your game, mister. I’m sure she’s bringing in a lot of income for you...
“Let’s get going, alright? Don’t want Karina to catch you in this state.”
“Bweeh... Hic! Fhiiine... But cawwy me...” She had free control over whether or not she got drunk, so it seemed to me like she just preferred being completely hammered. If she wanted to, she could make herself sober in a matter of minutes... But it seemed like half of the fun of drinking was in losing your inhibitions.
It was too late to blame her for it, so I just did what Suika said and put her on my shoulders. She really was a useless little gremlin.
“Hey barkeep, get some catnip sake for these guys. Mr. Mittens is coming over soon, too. So save some for him.”
“Gotcha.” The barkeep was a resident of Brunhild, so he didn’t even blink twice at the sight of three cats ordering booze. He certainly got used to the swing of things quite fast.
I left the trio behind and headed back to the castle with Suika piggybacking on my shoulders. I felt like walking back on my own instead of using [Gate], for once.
The cool air blew along the path. It felt nice, in all honesty.
“Touya...”
“Yeah?”
“...I’m gonna barf...”
“[Gate]!” I charged toward the portal I’d opened up in front of me, but it was too late. No way, this isn’t happening!
“...Bureegh＠＊〆＃Hrrrrk＄＋☆％Oooorkh...!!”
“OH HELL NOOOO!! AUUUUUGH! IT’S ALL DOWN MY NECK!” I made a silent oath at that moment. A promise to myself that I would never carry a drunk person ever again.
Afterword
Hello again. How did you enjoy volume fourteen of In Another World With My Smartphone?
It’s been quite a while since the anime aired now, hasn’t it? A lot of time has passed without me even realizing it... Time flies like an arrow, after all.
I didn’t watch the anime when was it was airing, but I picked it up on DVD and enjoyed it a lot. I even saw it got a lot of praise overseas, which was really nice to see. I am extremely grateful to all of you.
When I started thinking about writing this segment, I thought back to when Hobby Japan first approached me about making it a proper novel series. I still can’t believe we managed thirteen volumes and then some more. It was only four years ago, you know? It’s gone by unbelievably quickly for me.
The story’s still going on, so I hope you join me for the rest of it.
At the time of writing this, it’s August... And it’s unbelievably hot. It’s kind of getting in the way of my progress if I’m honest.
I have an air conditioner at home, but there isn’t a unit in my bedroom... I only have an electric fan in there. That’s why some nights I find it hard to fall asleep. I go to bed, and some mornings I wake up tired because of all the tossing and turning. I hope summer comes to an end soon. It’s most unbearable.
I’m not good with heat, as I might’ve mentioned before. My body tends to get weaker around this time, too.
The only salvation here is that my job doesn’t require me to go out much, so I’m at least spared from heatstroke.
But I think if this continues, I could end up falling ill. That’s why I’ve decided that I might just sleep in my living room for a while. I expect things to get cooler around September, at least.
But man, a lot of stuff happened in this volume, huh? The Phrase Sovereign, Melle, finally awakened. From now on the Phrase won’t just be enemies. Touya’s meddling will lead to a lot of interesting situations for them. Ende’s certainly gonna add to that, too.
The basic threat of the Phrase species is over at this point. The antagonists are now on a much broader scale, there’s the threat of the wicked god and the mutants. I still don’t think my story has that much of a heavy tone, though... So you should be able to read it just as lightly as ever.
I’d like to think my story is something worthy of being re-read now and then. If it isn’t, then I’d like it to become that. So if you have my work on your bookshelf, please think of me every so often. I’ll keep on doing my best for the sake of everyone who’s been buying my stuff so far.
Oh right, the language that the king of Primula speaks is actually based on some wordplay I jumbled around. It’s fine if you can’t understand it, though. It’s no big deal. It might get used again in the future, though.
Anyway, it’s time to give my usual thanks.
To my illustrator, Eiji Usatsuka, thank you for sticking with me. There have been more and more characters coming up lately, so thanks for keeping track.
To the mech designer, Tomofumi Ogasawara, thanks so much for your incredible designs. I know there have been even more mechs coming up, so let me know if you need me to do anything. Thank you.
And of course, to K and the members of the Hobby Japan editorial staff, thank you so much for getting this book published.
And, of course, thank you to everyone who has followed my story on Shousetsuka ni Narou.
Patora Fuyuhara
Bonus Short Story and Column
The Feline Fiesta
“Now, let’s celebrate our reunion!”
“Cheers to that!” yelled all the cats in unison. They clinked their glasses together and chugged down the refreshing drinks. The cats were drinking the finest matatabi sake, infused with properties similar to catnip. Though, to be fair, calling them cats wasn’t quite accurate. They were Cat Siths, faefolk summoned by humans. Though they were varied in size and shape, they were actually all old friends from the same homeland.<
br />
“Hmhm... So you say that our mission is to protect this town?”
“Verily so, my furry friend! The knight order may patrol, but the underbelly of this town relies on our purrfect espionage! We must protect, serve, track, and trace!” Mr. Mittens spoke proudly in response to Athos’ question. He was truly proud of the authority he had earned in Brunhild and had even reached the point where knights listened to his orders.
In short, the cat knights were the other side of the knight order. They were the ones that handled the harder-to-find, dirtier work.
Athos nodded along before speaking up again, “I see, I see... This is quite a serious responsibility we have. We’ll strive to keep the peace here, then.”
Athos was a particularly intellectual Cat Sith. He was a master of strategy and had a focus on tactical thinking. He sought to manipulate all his assets like extensions of himself, and use them to achieve victory.
“Come now, fellows! This is no time to discuss work! I’m quite interested in the little honeys I’ve seen around town... A lot of pretty little cat ladies in these parts!” Aramis tipped his hat as he sipped at his drink, grinning as a sly cat would. Aramis was a little different from Athos in that, while he was intelligent, he was more of a charmer and a ladies’ man. He wasn’t serious or studious like Athos was and instead preferred to take things in stride. Of the four cat musketeers, he was surely the most adept at swordplay.
“Oh man, this stuff is great! The booze goes really good with the teriyaki chicken, aw man!” Porthos, the fattest cat at the table, greedily shoveled chicken into his mouth. The sheer power behind his motions was something to behold. In case it wasn’t clear, he was the physically strongest of the four cats, as well as the largest.
“I must say, I pawsed in shock and relief when you two appeared... I was pushing the limits of my strength alone, so I’m thankful for your help!”
Mr. Mittens laughed as he knocked back some more of his drink. Athos smiled back in turn, then shrugged. “Is the country really that unsafe? It seemed fine to me.”
“My friend, there are adventurers from all over the world gathering in this place. It’s only safe because of my efforts! If many people from many places come together, they might get into fights! It’s our job to end that.”
“Hmm? We’re taking out problems as they show up, then?” Aramis tilted his head. He folded his arms together and heaved a small, grumbling sigh.
“Well,” said Mr. Mittens, “We just need to keep an eye on the place, basically. No need to get involved unless it’s serious. Otherwise, we just need to inform the knights.”
“And strike down the enemy, right?”
“That’s right! We’ll strike them meowtta here!” Mr. Mittens raised his glass, clinking it against Porthos’. There were a lot of different adventurers that came into town, some respectful and some not. It was pretty difficult for Mr. Mittens to keep track of them all. Some of them treated the cats in town poorly, so they had to be dealt with appropriately as well.
“Thanks to you guys showing up, I can focus on being there for my most esteemed master’s mother. I really appreciate it.”
“Of course. One must be there for their friends!”
“Indeed, I’m quite happy to meet the beauties in town as well...”
“Gahaha! If all the food’s gonna be like this, it ain’t gonna be an issue at all!”
The four Cat Siths held their glasses up in the air at the same time.
“One for all, and all for one! Cheers to that!”
The cats partied on, sounds of their friendship echoing out into the city streets all through the night.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Hot... I know I’ve said it before, but summer is unreasonably hot. I just can’t handle the heat. I don’t like sweating or getting my skin getting all sticky.
The apartment I live in has air conditioning, but it doesn’t really cover my bedroom, so I tend to suffer many sleepless nights in the summer. But when I do manage to sleep, I have the strangest dreams. Apparently when you sleep, if you dream you enter a state called REM Sleep, which refers to the rapid eye movement your body undergoes. The dreamless phase is referred to as NREM Sleep, too. When you go to sleep you’re in NREM Sleep for about an hour, and then your state switches to REM sleep. From what I understand, if you wake up during REM Sleep, you’ll have vague memories of your dreams, and that’s what happened to me.
My sleep keeps getting disturbed because of the heat, so I keep having frequent dreams, and I keep remembering all of them. The contents of the dreams have often been odd, too.
In one of my dreams, I was driving a car. I was following all the rules, staying within the speed limit, and staying on the road properly. But then I ended up going a little wild and taking the car off-road before speeding up. The reason this was weird to me was because I didn’t even have a driver’s license. I woke up and remembered being a bit confused because I briefly thought I actually had a license, then remembered I was driving a foreign car... The dream was really vivid, though.
But yeah, that’s the kind of dreams I keep having. I was aware that speeding was against the law, but I didn’t seem to care about being caught. Plus, the car didn’t even belong to me, I remember that I stole it... Or maybe I hadn’t... At the very least, I know it wasn’t mine. I just kept driving while going faster and faster.
My heart was racing, even though it was just a dream. And that wasn’t all, either. There were people chasing me as I drove. There were some people in their cars, and some people just running on their feet. I remembered being panicked as I saw the people. Were they friends? Foes? I remember glancing to the side, thinking maybe they’re friends... But then some guys behind me on bikes started glaring and jeering at me.
At that moment, I started to fear for my life. Luckily, I woke up. And whenever I wake up from strange dreams, I’m drenched in sweat, which makes me feel more exhausted than ever.
That’s why I just set up a futon and putting it in the living room, since that part’s properly air-conditioned. I’m starting to feel queasy and sleepy as I write this. Man, I really hate the summer heat... But I’m hoping by the time this column comes out, it’ll be a lot cooler.
Sign up for our mailing list at J-Novel Club to hear about new releases!
Newsletter
And you can read the latest chapters (like Vol. 15 of this series!) by becoming a J-Novel Club Member:
J-Novel Club Membership
Copyright
In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 14
by Patora Fuyuhara
Translated by Andrew Hodgson
Edited by DxS
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2018 Patora Fuyuhara
Illustrations Copyright © 2018 Eiji Usatsuka
Cover illustration by Eiji Usatsuka
All rights reserved.
Original Japanese edition published in 2018 by Hobby Japan
This English edition is published by arrangement with Hobby Japan, Tokyo
English translation © 2018 J-Novel Club LLC
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property.
J-Novel Club LLC
j-novel.club
The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
Ebook edition 1.0: May 2019
In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 14 Page 21