by Hirukuma
Copyright
Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon, Volume 2
Hirukuma
Translation by Andrew Prowse
Cover art by Ituwa Kato
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.
JIDOU HANBAIKI NI UMAREKAWATTA ORE HA MEIKYUU WO SAMAYOU, Vol. 2
© 2016 Hirukuma, Ituwa Kato
First published in Japan in 2016 by KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo.
English translation rights arranged with KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo, through TUTTLE-MORI AGENCY, INC., Tokyo.
English translation © 2018 by Yen Press, LLC
Yen Press, LLC supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact the publisher. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Hirukuma, author. | Kato, Ituwa, illustrator. | Prowse, Andrew (Andrew R.), translator.
Title: Reborn as a vending machine, I now wander the dungeon / Hirukuma ; illustration by Ituwa Kato ; translation by Andrew Prowse.
Other titles: Jidou hanbaiki ni umarekawatta ore wa meikyuu wo samayou. English
Description: First Yen On edition. | New York, NY : Yen On, April 2018–
Identifiers: LCCN 2018004692 | ISBN 9780316479110 (v. 1 : pbk.) | ISBN 9780316479134 (v. 2 : pbk.)
Classification: LCC PL871.I77 J5313 2018 | DDC 895.63/6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018004692
ISBNs: 978-0-316-47913-4 (paperback)
978-0-316-47914-1 (ebook)
E3-20180725-JV-PC
Contents
Cover
Insert
Title Page
Copyright
Prologue
Together with You
Devoted to You
Hulemy’s Magic Tools
Marvels
Overthrow the Chains Restaurant!
An Expedition and Diplomacy
Vanity, Pride, and Vending Machines, Part 1
Vanity, Pride, and Vending Machines, Part 2
Canned Oden
Spring Comes
Along for the Ride
Crocodiles and How to Deal with Them
Crocodile Hunting
The Fighting Vending Machine
Rapid Descent
New Powers
New Encounters
The Voracious Devils
The Four Critters and the Machine
The Flame Skeletitan
Reunion
Operation and Subjugation
Secret Plan
Extinguishing the Flames
The Finishing Blow
Epilogue
Afterword
Yen Newsletter
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Prologue
“This weather’s great.”
I broke a desk when I tried to help clean the house, and Ma got mad at me, but that’s okay! The sky is blue, the air is sweet, and the water is beautiful. There’s no time for feeling down.
What should I do today? I tried to help Pa with his farm work, but I broke the machine, and he smiled and said I didn’t have to do anything, so…I guess I’ll go fishing.
They get mad at me whenever I wander outside of the village, but it should be fine if I just stick to the wall.
“Well, if it isn’t Lammis. Where are you off to play today?”
“Um, I’m going to look at the flowers!”
“Is that right? Well, just be sure not to leave the village, okay? Recently, I’ve been hearing about neighboring villages getting attacked by monsters.”
“Don’t talk to children about that, dear. Be careful, Lammis.”
“I will!”
My aunt and uncle who live next door are field workers. They would’ve definitely gotten mad at me if I told them the truth, so I lied. The river is just outside the wall, so I’m sure I’ll be fine.
I usually get caught if I use the large path, so let’s try a route people don’t normally take.
This should be good. I can go behind the houses, all the way to the wall. It’s perfect!
“Hey, Lammis! What’re you doing?”
“H-hyaa! I…I’m sorry! I know what I did ain’t right, but, um—uh, hold up; just go ’head and forget I said anything!”
The jig is up. If Pa and Ma find out about this, they’ll be super mad.
“Pfft, ha-ha-ha-ha. Your accent always comes out whenever you’re excited.”
Wait, that laugh—it’s Hulemy!
“Oh, for cryin’ out loud! Don’t scare me like that! I thought my heart was gonna jump right outta my chest!”
“Sorry, sorry.”
Hulemy, my best friend ever, grinned at me, her frizzy light-brown hair fluttering.
I like exercise and hate studying, but Hulemy is the opposite. She reads hard books and makes all kinds of things. The adults ask her to fix their tools for them. The village relies on her, even though she’s a kid. She’s amazing.
I don’t know my own strength, so I’m always breaking things, but Hulemy never complains. She just fixes them for me.
She talks sort of like a boy, and she’s aggressive, too. I’ve never seen her lose an argument. I always hear the boys whispering about her, calling her boss, but I won’t tell her that.
“Anyway, where are you sneaking off to?”
“Well, I was going to go to the river…”
“The river? You’re going outside? You can’t get out without climbing over the wall. They won’t let kids through the gate.”
The log wall is a lot bigger than I am, but I can make it if I jump really hard. Then again, if I use too much strength and break the wall, they’ll get super mad at me again.
“No, there’s a hole in part of the wall. Adults can’t get through, but I can.”
“Oh, really? I didn’t know about that. In that case, I’ll tag along.”
“Well, that’s fine, but…keep it a secret.”
“Sure thing. I promise.”
Hulemy never breaks her promises. I’ll be fine. Yup.
Behind the houses, we’re hidden by the shadows of trees, so anyone nearby can’t see us. Let’s see—I just have to move this big rock out of the way.
“Whoa. There really is a hole here.”
“Yup. The big rock is in the way, so I don’t think you can get in from outside.”
“A ‘rock�
�… Lammis, that’s a boulder. This isn’t some ordinary secret passage. Nobody could move that thing.”
Is it really that surprising? The rock is bigger than a grown-up, but grown-ups could move it, too.
“Okay,” I say. “You go first, Hulemy. I have to put the rock back afterward.”
“Make sure you cover the hole up, got it?”
“Yup. Wouldn’t want anyone coming in.” Ma always tells me that it’s important to close the door behind me.
As we go through the hole in the wall, we see the familiar forest and river. Maybe I’ll catch some fish today.
“Whoa. A shortcut directly opposite the gate? Talk about convenient. I guess you can’t use it unless Lammis is around, though.” Hulemy folds her arms and thinks.
This is my secret hangout, but it’s okay because we’re friends.
Let’s see. Should we play in the water first? Or pick flowers first? Hmm… What to do, what to do?
“Hey, did you just hear a shout from the village?”
“They didn’t find out, did they?!”
If they did, they’ll yell at me again. What now? If I go right back and say sorry, will they forgive me?
“I don’t know. It sounded pretty angry.”
“Oh no… U-um, let’s catch some fish and go back! I’m sure they’ll forgive us then…maybe?”
“They probably would go easy on us if we brought back a gift or something.”
Yeah. They’ll be happy if we bring back extra food for lunch.
Okay. We just have to catch as many as we can and then go home.
“Let’s get to it, then.”
“Fishing, huh?” says Hulemy. “Hang on a minute. I’ll make a pole with branches and ivy.”
“What? I can catch fish with my hands.”
I walk into the river shallows, then throw a punch at some fish in the water. The river water makes a slapping noise as it splashes, and the fish splash up with it.
Three of them fly out; two land back in the water, but one falls onto the gravel.
“The force of your fist sent everything flying, fish and all…”
“See? I caught one.”
Hulemy’s eyes are really wide, like she’s surprised. Did I do something wrong?
Oh, I know. Mom says I have to be careful, since I’m too strong, and that makes me different from other people. It makes me different from the other kids, too.
“Sorry for startling you…”
“Yeah, that was a fright! But it’s just as I thought. You’re awesome, Lammis!”
“Huh? But I’m too strong, so I always break things, and people get mad at me a lot, and the boys make fun of me and call me a monster…,” I say, starting to feel sad as I say it. I wish I was cuter. All I ever do is scare people.
“What the heck are you talking about? Being strong is an amazing talent. I’m telling you, one day, that strength is going to come in handy. One day, you’ll be glad you have it! I’m sure of it!”
Isn’t Hulemy scared?
Why is she saying nice things to me? I break things in the house, I can’t do anything right, and Pa gives me a smile that makes me feel like a bother.
“Chin up! If you keep your head down like that, you can’t choose what you want to buy.”
“Buy?”
What is she talking about? Buy… Huh?!
Wait, where did Hulemy go? What’s this big squarish box? It wasn’t here a minute ago. Where did it come from?
A lot of pretty things are lined up inside. It’s like a treasure chest. What should I do with it?
“Welcome.”
Wait, I heard a voice. Could it be…? “Did you talk?”
This box, I…I know what it is. Um, where did we meet, again?
When I touch it, it’s hard and cold, but for some reason, I feel relieved.
I know this touch… The one always beside me, protecting my back… That’s right, I remember now.
How could I have forgotten something so important?
This big, kind, rectangular box is a precious magic item that saved my life—Boxxo.
Together with You
“Boxxo… Don’t be leavin’ me again…”
Ever since we were rescued from the underground room, we’ve been resting in a corner of the fortress. Lammis, all her tension melted away, had leaned against me and fallen asleep.
After I disappeared, she must have been searching for me around the clock without much sleep.
“Lammis depends on you quite a bit, huh? The way she’s so bent out of shape… This must have reminded her of what happened back then.”
Back then? Hulemy just piqued my interest. “Too bad.”
“Right, you don’t know what I’m talking about. Well, I guess I can tell you. Lammis and me are from the same village. Childhood friends, and all that.”
I see. They seem like polar opposites, but they do say people with opposing personalities get along surprisingly well.
“Anyway, it’s a common story. A small, nameless village, wiped out by a monster attack. Lammis and me are among its few survivors… Well, in any case, both her parents died.”
I’ve always thought Lammis’s words and actions were kind of infantile, and that she needed attention. Maybe she’s been subconsciously seeking someone to depend on—a substitute for her parents.
“As for me—well, I can handle myself, but ever since then, she’s regretted being unable to do anything besides cowering in fear despite having the strength to make a difference when it counts. She was always a slow-witted girl who wouldn’t hurt a fly. But now she’s gone and become a hunter? Idiot.”
Her words were sharp, but her voice was full of concern.
Lammis’s Might certainly fit the bill for hunters, but I’ll be honest: She’s not cut out for fighting. When she’s working at her inn job or helping clear debris, she looks like she’s truly enjoying herself. If I could, I’d tell her to give up the dangerous hunting life.
But she feels strongly about this. She has a reason she can’t give it up. I’d like to help her if I could, but…
“Boxxo, do you have a moment?”
“Welcome.”
Oh, Director Bear is here, too? At a glance, the raid on this base consisted of around ten members, and I can see the Menagerie of Fools among them. Their captain and vice captain are keeping an eye on me as they take a rest.
“Lammis is asleep? The exhaustion must have gotten to her. Let her sleep for a while, then. I must apologize for this incident. I had received prior information revealing that this band of thieves was after you. Tomorrow, I had planned to request that you act as a decoy to round up the whole lot at once, but then things got out of hand. Still, we should have helped you, but at my orders, we decided to tail you instead. This may have been to corner the thieves, but it still put you in danger. You have my apologies.”
Director Bear bowed deeply before me. That was about what I’d figured, so I was neither shocked nor indignant. In hindsight, their nonintervention in my kidnapping allowed me to meet and subsequently save Hulemy.
If they hadn’t kidnapped me, there’s no telling what might have happened to her. Nobody needs to be sorry for anything.
“Welcome.”
“In light of the trouble this incident has caused you, you shall be rewarded for your efforts. Additionally, should anything happen to you in the future, Boxxo, I promise you that the Hunters Association will spare no effort in lending you our aid.”
The simple fact that I now have a powerful link to Director Bear is more than enough reward.
“Geez, let us go already. Are you bastards really just gonna swipe all the loot I’ve hoarded?!”
That angry shout must have come from their boss. I look over and see them all bound up in ropes. One of them lay on his side unmoving—a corpse. He was the lookout. Despite seeing a dead human body, it isn’t shocking, or even a little disturbing.
“What’s this? More worried about your money than your life? You seem awfully cal
m about all this. Don’t worry—the Hunters Association will put these piles of money to good use.”
His fingers tracing the brim of his hat, Captain Kerioyl speaks to them slowly and loosely, rubbing at his sleepy-looking eyes.
I’m glad to be rescued, but now I’m indebted to the Menagerie of Fools. I’ve got a bad feeling about this. By the way, Captain, most of the coins they hoarded are inside me now. Though if he knew that, he’d probably be upset.
Anyway, whatever the case may be, the kidnapping affair has come to an end. Now Lammis and I just have to wait for morning and go home, with me nestled comfortably on her back.
Now, then! I think it’s time to reward the hardworking hunters with a lavish feast. Since I have a new mode to heat up frozen food, I can sell grilled rice balls, karaage fried chicken, french fries, fried rice, fried soba noodles (or yakisoba), and even fried octopus dumplings known as takoyaki. It’s all from a vending machine manufacturer that’s also famous for their frozen foods, so it’ll all taste good, guaranteed.
Personally, I recommend the karaage.
“Oh hey, Boxxo changed shape. And what are these new food pictures? They look great!”
“I’ve never seen any of this stuff before!”
“All of you, calm down. They could be dangerous, you know. Let me, the captain, be the first to try them.”
“No fair, no fair! Captain, that’s no fair!”
“You’re a tyrant! Organizations that don’t value their subordinates never see any new blood!”
As Captain Kerioyl pushes through the line of hunters in front of me, the Menagerie members cling to him, stopping him from moving.
“Ahhh, dammit. I’m docking your pay, all of you!”
“What lunacy is this? Boxxo, there appear to be no prices displayed beneath any of these items. Could it be that you’re treating us?”
“Welcome.”
“Thank you very much. Then I will have this meat lump.”
Filmina, the vice captain, ignores the captain and crew as they goof around and pushes the button for karaage.
“Thank you.”
“H-hey, Filmina, you can’t just waltz on up ahead of us!”
“Vice Captain Filmina, that’s not fair!”
“This meat is almost unbelievably soft. When I bite into it, all the juices come flowing out… Ahh…”