The Power of Moe

by Ichiro Sakaki

  “...Huh.”

  I thought back to what had been on the test. How everything had been technically correct, but somehow off, as though an outsider had written it without seeing any of the material for himself.

  “Hence, we hit upon the idea of having Amutech managed by someone with firsthand experience, someone who knew the trends. This is all unprecedented, which makes it awfully difficult for public servants to handle.” A note of self-deprecation entered his voice. “We much prefer rules and manuals, as I’m sure you know.”

  “Okay, sure,” I said. “But why me?”

  I had already admitted to myself that I was a lost cause of an otaku. But you could find people like me in every nook and cranny of Japan. Why go out of your way to hire someone who had, until just recently, been a home security guard?

  Matoba-san didn’t say anything. Concerned, I looked over at Minori-san, but she was watching me with an ambiguous expression. Half smile, half pity.

  .............................Pity?

  “Well, it’s... You know.” Matoba-san didn’t seem quite able to bring himself to say it. “The existence of the hole, and our interaction with the Eldant Empire, could have a major impact on the future of our country. It’s very much a secret.”

  “Yeah, I got that...”

  “We needed someone with whom the secret would be easy to keep,” he said.

  “And you picked me because I’m so good at zipping my lips?”

  I tried to remember if they had asked me anything at the interview that might have told them one way or the other.

  “No. I don’t think how tight your lips may or may not be is likely to pose much of a problem.” He still wasn’t getting to the point. “After all, you’ll be living here from now on, so who would you tell?”

  “...Huh?”

  Living? Here? Like, here-here. In this mansion in the Holy Eldant Empire? In this other world?

  But that meant...

  “H-Hang on a second...”

  “It’s just... Well. Having someone whose disappearance wouldn’t cause too much of a stir... Well, it was quite convenient for us.”

  “Whaaaaaaat?!” I bellowed.

  So this was all because if a home security guard like me went missing, everybody would just be like, “Yeah, we figured that was gonna happen,” and go on with their lives?

  I felt an unpleasant sweat trickling down my back. State secrets. With an excuse like that, they could do pretty much anything they wanted. I mean, people were routinely killed for state secrets, right? And with something as crazy as actual contact with an actual other world, foreign governments were sure to be interested, so—

  “Um... Can I go home now?”

  With a dry grin, Matoba-san replied, “How?”

  I was lost for words.

  He was right: I had no idea where this “hole,” this passage through hyperspace, even was. If they left me alone in this world—and I’m not trying to brag here, but I’m 100% completely certain that I wouldn’t last three days.

  Wait. It was worse than that. I’d been told state secrets. There was no way they were just going to be like, “Well, it’s a shame you’re not on board,” and send me back. At worst, if I tried to run, they might even chase me down and... erase me!

  “It’s all right. We wouldn’t do anything so ridiculous,” Matoba-san said, as if he had read my terrified thoughts. He probably hadn’t needed to. I suspected it was obvious from my face.

  “Once we’ve achieved certain goals and Amutech is firmly on the right path, we’ll be able to release you. Of course, you’ll be paid a salary from the national treasury—that is, from the Far East Culture Exchange Promotion Bureau’s budget. The Eldant Empire is similarly prepared to grant you treatment befitting a guest of state, so I promise you won’t go wanting.”

  “Uh... Okay, but...”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of all of the paperwork,” Matoba-san said, tapping his own chest gently.

  Never mind the fact that he didn’t exactly inspire much confidence. The bureau chief himself was going to handle my paperwork? Was it possible the Far East Culture Exchange Promotion Bureau... didn’t have any other members at all?

  “All you need to do is relax and help popularize otaku culture in its various forms here in the Eldant Empire. You know, the—what do you call it? ‘Akiba-type’ things? Magical girls and tsunderes and moes and what have you. That sort of thing.”

  Reeling, I thought, This is impossible.

  This had already been settled by all kinds of official bodies. It wouldn’t do any good for me to object now. I was being pressed into service by a fait accompli.

  “Now... Is there anything else you’d like to ask me?” Matoba-san said. He didn’t sound concerned at all.

  Several hours later. I was fiddling with my smartphone.

  “Hmm...”

  You’re probably wondering, why would a home security guard have something like that? But I had actually owned this phone since before I became a shut-in. It was one of my principles that any self-respecting otaku should be an early adopter with gadgets like this.

  But anyway.

  A series of sentences I had written showed on the liquid crystal display. I had decided to jot a few notes about today as a way of understanding what was going on and organizing my feelings about it. In a word, I was keeping a diary.

  Honestly, I felt a little funny using an electronic device like this in a world that didn’t seem likely to have electricity, but Minori-san told me I could bum a little juice off the LAV’s battery or something, so for the time being, I was using my phone as a notepad.

  At the moment, I was in the room assigned as my office. This mansion had an almost wasteful number of rooms, but the ones I would be using for the most part were this office in the middle of the second floor and the bedroom right next to it. In addition, there were several other bedrooms and guestrooms, one of which my bodyguard Minori-san would be sleeping in.

  “Master?”

  There was a knock at the door, accompanied by a voice as lovely as a tinkling bell. It was Myusel, the maid girl.

  “I... ahem... I brought you tea.”

  “Oh, thanks.” I stood up, still holding my phone, and went over and opened the door. But when I did—

  “Wha—?” There was Myusel in the hallway, standing next to a tea tray on a cart, looking startled.

  “What?” I said.

  “Oh... No, thank you very much.”

  I gave her a puzzled look. “Don’t mention it...” I didn’t know why she was thanking me, but I stood aside so Myusel and the cart could enter the room. “Come on in.”

  “Eh? Oh... Y-Yes, of course.” She bowed her head, almost like she was frightened, then wheeled the cart into the room. Something seemed to be confusing her; she kept glancing at me, then looking down at the floor as if she was upset about something.

  Oh... Right.

  I finally got it. I was her “master,” so I didn’t have to come open the door as if I were welcoming a guest. It was the same reason the tea was on a tray and not a dish. She had assumed she would open the door herself, so when it was suddenly opened for her, it threw off her rhythm.

  She pointed to a spot on the desk. “Shall I set it here?”

  “Oh, sure.” I nodded. Then I stood kind of dumbly for a moment, watching her prepare the tea.

  “Er... Is... Is there anything...?” She finished making the tea and was looking at me again. She was definitely concerned.

  “Is there anything what?”

  “Oh, no, it’s... Since you’ve been staring...” Myusel said with a look of confusion.

  “Oh. Sorry, it’s just— This is all kind of new to me.”

  Not counting earlier that afternoon, and ignoring video games, this was the first time in my life that a maid had come to make tea for me. I was pretty much straight out of my comfort zone, and it left me unsure of what to do.

  “New, sir...?” Was I imagining things, or did Myus
el look even more worried than before?

  Afraid that this would turn into some kind of misunderstanding, I hurriedly added, “I’ve just never been served tea by a maid before, so I kind of...”

  “Oh. Is that so?” She smiled, looking somehow relieved. Gah! She was really, really cute...

  She usually looked so vulnerable that a genuine smile like this really stood out. I felt my heart beating faster as I said, “Um... So you’re Myusel Fourant-san, right...?”

  “Yes! I’m Myusel Fourant...!”

  The maid, Myusel, smiled happily. She just looked so innocent. It was super moe.

  “All right,” I said, straightening up and giving a small bow of my head. “Let me introduce myself right. I’m Kanou Shinichi. Pleasure to meet you.”

  “Y-Yes, sir, the p-pleasure’s all mine...!” Myusel bowed deeply and practically shouted her greeting. She seemed kind of... anxious. Almost like she was afraid of me. I was happy that I’d been able to get a little closer to this adorable maid, but having her be this nervous around me all the time was going to wear on me. I mean, I guess Matoba-san had said that I was like a state guest here in the Holy Eldant Empire—a real VIP. So it was understandable.

  “...Huh?” Suddenly I noticed something, and blinked. I hadn’t paid it any mind earlier in the day—or rather, most of the time, her hair draped over the sides of her head and hid them. But...

  “Myusel. Your ears...”

  “...Oh!” Myusel hurriedly pressed her hands to her head, looking upset.

  Huh?

  “I’m—I’m so sorry...!” Her voice was practically a sob.

  “Huh?”

  I had no idea what she was apologizing for. She, however, looked like this was a tragedy, and she kept sputtering: “But I—I promise you, Master, I wasn’t trying to—to deceive you, I mean, I was hiding them, but—”

  “Okay, hang on, calm down. I don’t know what you’re so afraid of, but Myusel... Are you an elf, or some wild race like that?”

  That’s right. When she had bowed deeply to me, I was able to see her ears. They poked out from the sides of her head, ever so slightly pointy at the tips.

  After a long moment, Myusel said, “Yes.” She nodded, seeming a little calmer now. “I’m a halfbreed, elf and human.”

  “I knew it!” A half-elf! Another well-trod, and very moe, fantasy character. The beauty of an elf and the familiarity of a human—a character with the best of both worlds. But wait, so Myusel here was both a maid and a half-elf? Talk about your overachievers! I thought I was going to die from the sheer moe-ness of it.

  “But I... I swear I wasn’t trying to hide it from you, Master...”

  “Absolutely perfect!” I howled, clenching my fist.

  “It—It is?!” Myusel froze in place, shocked.

  I drew closer to her, saying, “A maid and a half-elf! Fantastic! I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say my entire life has been leading up to this moment!”

  “.........Huh? Huh?”

  “Myusel! Myusel, show me your ears again!”

  “What? Er—y-yes, sir...”

  Unable to resist my insistence, she took one hand away from her head, revealing her ear. It was the quintessential fantasy-elf ear.

  “Whoa...! A real elf ear...!”

  It was something to admire. Myusel, however, didn’t seem to understand why I was so happy.

  “M-Master...” she said, turning red.

  “Oh, sorry about that. Thanks.” I took a step back. Now that I thought about it, I realized any girl would be embarrassed to have someone checking her out at close range like that, whether it was her ears or whatever.

  “Still, that’s incredible,” I said. “I’ve seen something truly amazing today.”

  Myusel only looked more confused as she said, “You—You aren’t angry?”

  “Huh? Why would I be?”

  “I mean... because I hid the fact that I’m a half-elf...”

  “Why would that make me angry?”

  Myusel seemed lost for words.

  In the back of my mind, something clicked. “I don’t know much about this place, but is it that half-elves aren’t very well-liked? By humans, or elves, or both?” That’s a familiar enough trope in fantasy.

  “...Yes, sir.” Myusel gave a small nod.

  Even saying “aren’t very well-liked” was putting it gently, an expression I used to spare her feelings. Most likely, there was outright discrimination. So much that being born with mixed elf blood would be reason enough to be persecuted.

  Myusel’s discomfort only confirmed my hypothesis. She was used to being abused and hated.

  “Um... Myusel-san?”

  “...Wha? Oh.” She looked zoned out for a second, but then hurriedly said, “Master, please, don’t add an honorific to my name!”

  “Huh? But... Hey, Myusel-san, how old are you? Aren’t you older than me?”

  In fantasy stories, elves always live a long time. So even if Myusel looked like she was just in her late teens, it was entirely possible she was much older than me.

  “How old am I? I’m six—sixteen, sir...” She sounded downright nervous.

  “Oh. Younger than me, huh? Well, okay, then. I’ll just call you Myusel.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “But Myusel. Let me be clear about one thing.”

  “Y-Yes, sir?”

  “I’m very happy that you’re a half-elf. Frankly, I wonder what I did to deserve it!”

  “Huh? Huh...”

  “So I promise I won’t get angry about you being a half-elf, or upset, or anything. Okay?”

  For an instant, Myusel looked at me silently. Then she said, “Thank you very much, sir,” and bowed deeply again. When she did, her pointy ears peeked out once more.

  I crossed my arms and muttered, “It looks like I’ve got a lot to learn around here.”

  If I were surrounded by silicon-based life forms, or octo-astronauts or something, like in an SF story, where it was hard to find commonalities with humanity, it would put me on notice that what was normal or valuable to them might not be what was normal or valuable to me. But with people who looked like regular humans and lived in a familiar medieval European-type fantasy setting, it was easy to be misled.

  “I only just got here, and I only learned what’s going on even more recently than that. Myusel, what did they tell you about me?”

  “They said you were a very, very important visitor to the Empire, and that you were going to live here for a while, and that Brooke-san and I were to look after you.”

  “Brooke-san?”

  I blinked. This was new.

  “I’ll introduce you later. Right now, I need to check the grounds and do some cleaning...”

  So apparently, I had another servant assigned to me. That meant there were four people living in this mansion. Me (the master), my bodyguard Minori-san, the maid Myusel, and Brooke-san. (Having no idea what kind of person this was, I thought of them with -san for the time being.)

  The house seemed too big for four people, but Minori-san claimed it was small by the standards of Eldant nobles. Yes: nobles. As a guest of state, I was considered on par with nobility.

  “Do you know what I’m here to do?”

  “You’re here to ‘promote commerce’ between the Empire and ‘Japan,’ so that both of our nations can ‘mutually flourish.’” She sounded like she was reading off a cue card. I suspected she was just parroting what she’d been taught, without any real idea of what most of the words meant.

  “Yeah,” I nodded with a dry grin. “Commerce. Right.”

  “You came from a far-off country, didn’t you, Master?”

  “Yeah, I did.” Well, I didn’t know how far it was, but she was right that it was another country. “A far-off world, actually.”

  “World...?” Myusel cocked her head. The gesture had the innocence of a little bird, and I had to struggle to suppress the flood of moe feeling that welled up in my heart.

  “Not another
country?” she asked.

  “Yes, another country. In another world.”

  She seemed to be giving this serious consideration.

  Ahh. Now I understood. Minori-san and Matoba-san had both told me that there was effectively no leisure industry in this country. Magic aside, in a world with medieval technology, where the printing press didn’t exist, books would be a valuable commodity. Nobles might have them, but they would be unobtainable for the common people. The way commoners enjoyed stories would be by telling them to each other—like parents telling fairytales to children, or a poet or bard to his apprentices. Everything would be subject to the imperfections and limitations of the oral tradition.

  For that matter, what was the literacy rate around here? In any event, under the circumstances, they might not have even had a concept of ‘other worlds.’ This was a tried-and-true plot device to an otaku like me, but it might have been totally unfamiliar territory for Myusel. It was much like how medieval and modern peoples didn’t know that there was such a thing as “space” once you got past the sky.

  “I’m very sorry,” Myusel said with a disappointed—almost fearful—expression. “I’m a fool with no real education...”

  “No. It’s totally natural not to understand. I’m sorry.”

  “You mustn’t be!” Myusel said, shaking her head furiously. I could see her pointy ears as she did so, shaking along with her head—the whole impression was like that of a cat or dog flicking its ears. Gaaah, this girl is sooo cute!

  “If only I had some kind of picture that could explain it...” I played around with the smartphone in my hand, looking for something appropriate. And then I noticed it.

  Network unavailable.

  I was only just realizing, but it probably should have been obvious. This was another world. There wouldn’t be any cell phone carriers anywhere. Although if the passageway really was connected to Aokigahara Forest, maybe I could connect if I got close enough to it.

  “Aww, dangit! I have to go without internet, too?!”

  This meant I couldn’t go to the news sites I always checked, or the forums I always lurked on, to say nothing of all the online games where I had accounts. This was a problem. I had to get them to set up an antenna or do something, or I was going to suffocate from lack of information.