I was just being considerate of my servants. After all, a bike would be a great help when shopping or running errands. Besides, they were in for a world of pain until they learned to ride it properly.
Come evening — bath time, to be precise — I could hear some whining about the hot water stinging their wounds. I suddenly realized that I could’ve used Healing magic to get rid of their injuries, but in the end, I figured that the small grazes would serve as symbols of hard work and decided to leave them alone.
◇ ◇ ◇
Alright, let’s see what this new Null spell can do...
“[Storage]: [In].” A magic circle appeared on the floor, and the chair I had placed above it quickly sank into it. Right, the storing part seems to work just fine.
“[Storage]: [Out].” I cast the reverse of the spell while thinking about the chair. A magic circle appeared once more, but this time it forcefully fired a chair out from the middle.
“Whoa!” I caught the chair before it could drop to the ground. Fine-tuning this thing’s power isn’t gonna be easy...
The Null spell [Storage] did exactly what it said on the tin — it stored objects. It didn’t work on living, animated creatures or anything, but it seemed to work well on plants. Apparently, the amount one could store depended on the user’s magic power. So if I had to guess, I’d say my limit was probably an entire house and then some.
The stored objects allegedly ignored the flow of time, too. Soups and similar things would come out as warm as they were when they were taken in, even after a whole day of storage. It felt like a very useful spell to me.
After all, the most annoying thing about travel was the management of our luggage. The mirror we took to Mismede, the dragon’s horn we got... things like that were an absolute pain to carry around.
Even during the recent bicycle event, I couldn’t help but be frustrated with the fact that I had to haul materials back and forth.
So that was where this spell came in. It was so I could finally say goodbye to the troubles of luggage management.
Now the girls can ask me to carry all their stuff and it won’t even be a problem! If I use this alongside [Gate], I can lead a comfortable life as a one-man home delivery service or something. And on that note, it’s time for shopping! No matter how much I buy, nothing’ll drag me down anymore! Ahaha!
I took my wallet, left my room, and walked down the stairs to the first floor, my chipper mood shining all the while. I saw Kohaku in the living room, stretched out on the sofa and sleeping without a care in the world. You’re becoming more like a house cat, my fluffy widdle tiger...
I crossed the terrace and walked out into the garden. Soon enough, I saw Julio and his wife, Crea, looking over our vegetable garden.
“Hey there, are the crops doing well?”
“Ah, good to see you, sir!” Crea replied.
“Why yes sir, they’re growing beautifully. For now, I only planted some cumbers and tomatoes, and it looks like it won’t be too long until we can harvest them.” Julio seemed quite happy with his work. He was right to be proud, of course, considering he was going to be responsible for our freshly-grown produce.
Just in case it wasn’t obvious, “cumbers” were cucumbers. This world had some vegetables with the same names as the ones in my previous world, but there were also those with completely different ones. Well, tomatoes were still tomatoes, at least. Still, I wasn’t sure if they’d wind up different to the ones I was familiar with.
Man, if we’re able to harvest fresh veggies, we should get some fruits too... Maybe I should plant some chestnut or persimmon trees... Wait, is a chestnut a fruit?
“Sir, do you have any requests for lunch?” Crea asked me about today’s menu. I mostly let her make whatever she felt like making. Her food was always good.
“Well, it’s kinda hot today, so I’d like something refreshing... like chilled Chinese noodles.”
“Chilled Chyne-ease noodle? I’ve never heard of that. Is that another dish from your homeland?!” Her eyes began to gleam with joy. Crea didn’t seem to know a single one of the meals I wanted to eat, so I always had to give her a recipe. The exotic cuisine I presented her with never failed to spark her curiosity.
“Well, it’s obviously a noodle-based dish. It uses a cold, sour soup, vegetables, meat, and sometimes an egg. I’ll give you a detailed recipe, so try your hand at making it.”
“Yes sir! I’m looking forward to it!” Excitement was good and all, but we happened to be in a different world. She probably wouldn’t be able to get all the necessary ingredients. Regardless, Crea was just so good that I had no doubt she would whip up something delicious. It wasn’t the first time I had her make some noodles, so it was safe to expect something just as good.
I ran a search for chilled Chinese noodles and used [Drawing] to get Crea the recipe. Heh, I’m looking forward to lunch now.
Okay, time to head out! I opened a [Gate] and went to the outskirts of the capital. The southern district, to be precise. It was focused on commerce, so there were lots of shops and services lined up next to one another. To the west, you could find elite stores like Berkut, while the east had an entertainment sector full of taverns, theaters, and other facilities.
The western district, where we lived, was the residential area of the wealthy, while the commoners inhabited the opposite district to the east.
Compared to the western district, the east was quite dangerous. I had heard it even had slum-like areas. Among all the rumors, I heard that people who lost their jobs and orphaned children formed criminal gangs there. I’d even heard rumors of roving pickpockets. Guess it was only natural for a great city to have a big shadow.
After stepping through my [Gate] to the back alley in the southern district, I made my way to the bustling main road. I decided my first order of business was to make my way to the guild to take out some money. On the way, I saw a number of street peddlers and performers.
Whoa, that guy’s juggling knives! Reminds me of the time my grandma tried to teach me how to do it with beanbags, but I just couldn’t get the hang of it... As such thoughts ran through my mind, I forgot to watch where I was going and accidentally walked into someone. It was a young boy. He was wearing a worn-out jacket, ragged trousers, and a large, but grimy cap, which he put on in a way that covered his eyes.
“Oh, sorry about that! I wasn’t looking...”
“Oi bruv, watch yer step. Make sure that doesn’t happen again, aye?” After saying that, he ran off and disappeared into the crowd. What a brat! He looked even younger than Sue. His parents are probably good-for-nothings...
I entered the guild, which was as bustling as ever. Various adventurers stood before the quest board and glared at the many missions posted there. Ignoring them, I walked up to the receptionist and asked if I could withdraw some of my money.
“Certainly. May I have your Guild Card, please?”
Alrighty, lemme just... Oh? Front pockets, chest pockets, side pockets, back pockets... Wait... wh-what? Where’s my wallet? Did I leave it back in my room? No way. Did I drop it? No, I... Oh. Shit. It was probably the kid. That brat stole my wallet! Goddammit! I didn’t have much money in there, sure... but he made off with my Guild Card!
I hastily left the guild, took out my smartphone, sighed the greatest sigh of relief I could at the fact that he didn’t steal my smartphone, and then ran a search for “my wallet.” Sure enough, I got a hit. Great, he’s still in this district.
Hmm... judging from the speed this pin’s moving, I guess he’s running. Oh, he stopped in a back alley... Probably planning on looting the contents and tossing the actual wallet there. Well, if that happens, I’ll just run a search for “my Guild Card.” Don’t really care if he takes the money. For now, I’ve just gotta make my way to that alley.
Once I got there, I saw two boorish-looking men kicking the little boy, who was huddled down on the ground in the fetal position.
“Doin’ business in our area again, ya
little shit?! It’s yer fault the patrols’ve stepped up, innit?!”
“Oi, you fookin’ listening to us?! Ya blew our whole operation! Get ready fer yer jus’ desserts, gobshite!” One of them took out a knife and pushed one of the boy’s arms against the ground. The blood drained from the boy’s face, and his expression became one of sheer terror.
“I-I’m sorry! I’m really sorry, please lemme go!” The boy cried and pleaded with them, but the two men only laughed at him, clearly having no plans to release him.
“Bit late for sorries, y’little runt! As friends of the trade, we’ll let ya off with jus’ one finger. Don’tcha dare let us catch ya in our area again, aye? Cause next time we’ll just snuff ya out. Bwahaha.”
“N-No...! Please! No! Somebody help!!!”
“How about you just stop right there.” The two hoodlums shot a collective glare in my direction. The boy, who had closed his teary eyes in fear, opened them up and looked my way as well.
“Th’fook’re ya after? This ain’t none of yer business. Piss off or we’ll kill ya!”
“Where I come from, it’s normal to get in the way of people who get their kicks hurting kids. Judging from what you said, I think it’s safe to assume that you’re thieves, too, right?”
“Aye? So what?”
“Well, nothing really... Just means I don’t have to hesitate.” I pulled out the Remington New Model Army and fired at them both as if it was nothing.
“Whuh?!”
“Argh!” The rubber bullets imbued with [Paralyze] hit their mark. The men crumpled to the ground like wet paper bags. I holstered my gun and ran over to the boy.
“You okay?” His face wet with tears, the boy nodded. I could see a number of bruises and injuries on him.
“Come forth, Light! Soothing Comfort: [Cure Heal]!” The Healing spell quickly made the wounds fade away. The boy observed the changes in his body with surprise in his eyes.
Once done with the spell, I took out a small cube of steel, used [Modeling] to turn it into wire, and tied up the two hoodlums so they couldn’t move. Sure, [Paralyze] was supposed to stay active for a few hours, but you couldn’t be too careful. I figured I’d call some guards over to apprehend them anyway.
“Can I have my wallet back now?”
“Ah...” He quickly searched his sides, took out what was mine, and returned it to me with quivering hands. I looked inside to confirm the contents. Alrighty, there’s my Guild Card.
“Well, I got my wallet, so I won’t report you to the guards this time. Later!”
“H-Hey!” As I turned to leave, the boy called out to me. Hm? What does he want?
“Th-Thanks fer savin’ me just there...”
“If you’re actually grateful, just stop stealing. You might get caught next ti—” Suddenly, I heard a strange, low growl.
It was his stomach. It actually made a sound loud enough to cut me off. Silence reigned for a few moments.
“...You hungry?”
“Haven’t eaten in three days...” The boy let his head hang forward. He looked kinda pitiful.
Well... crap. Guess I lack the mental capacity to understand that his hunger has nothing to do with me. I’m a total sucker, huh? Fine then, if it’s gotta be this way...
“Come on then, kid. If you come with me, I’ll give you some food.”
“For reals?!” Wait, I totally just sounded like a kidnapper right there. But it seemed that if I was actually a stereotypical kidnapper, it would’ve worked out just fine. The kid was clearly an idiot and eagerly ran toward me. Suddenly, the spring in his step made his cap lose its balance. It shifted slightly on his head, revealing a long head of hair beneath.
Once the boy realized that, he took off the cap, which was coincidentally the moment my perception of him switched from “that’s totally a boy” to “that is definitely a girl.”
What. She had light beige hair that flowed down past her shoulders. The entire image that I’d had of the kid was shattered in an instant.
“Wait... you’re a girl?!”
“...Aye.” Her green eyes looked up at me as if I was a weirdo for ever assuming otherwise. And that was how I met the thief girl, Renne.
◇ ◇ ◇
Now that she’s scrubbed some of that grime off herself, Renne’s actually a pretty sweet-faced kid...
“Oi, bruv. What’re ya gonna feed me, then?” The way she talks is a lot less sweet, though...
I figured that hard food would be too much for a stomach as empty as hers, so I bought some fish soup from a food stall next to the guild. Then I put it in a cup and gave it to her.
Renne fearfully took it into her hands and slowly began drinking it. Looked like she couldn’t handle hot stuff. But that was fine by me. If she took it slowly, she wouldn’t overwhelm her stomach.
“Wait here for a moment.” I left her there and went into the guild. I gave them my Guild Card and withdrew some of my money. Not a lot in total, though. Once I left the guild, I took Renne with me. I considered entering a proper restaurant, but with her appearance, she was bound to get kicked out.
So, I settled on going to another stall, getting some roasted meats, and eating them on a bench in the plaza.
“There’s no need to rush, just take it slow.”
“Nngh.” Renne, seemingly out of her mind due to her hunger, greedily gnawed at the meat. She didn’t pay me much heed. She’s almost a match for Yae...
“So, uh, where do you live?”
“Lotsa places. Sometimes the park. Sometimes the alleys. Lived at an inn with my dad before that.”
“Where’s your dad now?”
“He was an adventurer. Went off ta kill a beast ’bout a year back. Never came home.”
Oh... Oh no. Her dad totally got killed by a monster. It wasn’t rare for adventurers to get killed while on hunting quests. If it happened while they went solo, they were usually treated as missing persons.
“What about your mom? You have any other relatives?”
“Dead. Right after I was born, said old dad. Dunno any other family. Never got told much at all.”
Finished with her meat, Renne wiped her dirty hands on her pants as she told me her story.
So her father vanished and she was left as an orphan? I’m just amazed she survived a full year all alone...
“After me dad up and vanished, a kind old lady rolled through town and taught me how to nick things off people. Knew it wasn’t right, but a girl’s gotta eat...”
Well, that old lady sure did something she shouldn’t have... Still, it was the stealing that allowed Renne to survive so long. Man, this girl’s a complicated case. I don’t know what I should do here. She doesn’t have any parents, and no other family either... I could try taking her to an orphanage, but she’s already a criminal, so... She says she only steals when she needs to, but I don’t know if they’ll let it slide since she’s a poor kid. Kids like her aren’t unusual here, I get that. If they stop stealing, they’ll just drop dead. They’re just doing their best to survive with the hand they were dealt. They lead unfair lives, sure. But that doesn’t mean stealing is the right thing to do... Maybe I could get her a job? Nah, that’s not gonna happen. But if I leave her here, then she’ll just go back to stealing again. And that might lead to her getting caught...
People probably would’ve called me a huge softie for my actions. But I really couldn’t have cared any less at the time. After all, I really wanted to help her.
“Renne... would you like to come work at my home?”
“You wot mate?”
“You’ll have a place to sleep and food wouldn’t be an issue either. You will have to work properly, though. You’ll be paid for the work you do, don’t worry about that part. How about it?”
“Wait, wait... You’re gonna hire me?! You havin’ a laugh or what?!” Renne looked at me with obvious surprise and suspicion on her face. Though she was clearly perplexed by my sudden offer, her eyes were gleaming with hope.
“But
I’m offering you this job on the condition that you never put your thieving skills to work again. If you do, I won’t be able to let you keep working for me. Think you can handle that?”
“Y-Yessir! I’ll never use ’em again long as I live! Cross me heart!” As Renne excitedly nodded, I gave her head a light pat.
I should’ve probably waited and had Yumina look at the kid with her Mystic Eyes, but I don’t think Renne’s a bad person. Well, now that’s settled... let’s go home.
I could’ve used a [Gate] to get us there immediately, but I decided to lead her on foot just so she’d know the way.
“Hang on a tick. It’s not over here?”
“Nope, my home’s over there. I live in the west district.”
“The west?!” Renne, who was facing the east, suddenly turned around. She looked even more surprised for some reason.
Is it really that big of a deal...? We left the southern district and entered through the western gate. We headed through the gradually widening residential area, and eventually came across the gentle hill on which our home stood. I kinda hate this hill... It’d be way easier if we didn’t have one.
“Hold up, bruv... Uh, Touya... you some kinda noble?”
“Well, can’t really say I am. Very nearly became one, though” She was probably feeling extremely insecure and out of place. Most nobles chose to live in the inner district rather than the outskirts. But nobles with lesser influence or disgraces would often move out into this area. This district had a number of affluent merchants, too.
Once we hiked the hill, we could see the red roof of my very own home. Renne stood still, dumbfounded, before slowly turning to me.
“This the place? You’re not havin’ a laugh?”
“Yep, this is it. Oh, hey there, Tom.”
“Oh? Good day, sir! It’s rare for you to come home through the front entrance.” The guardsman spoke with a broad smile on his face. Well, I always used a [Gate] to go to and from the mansion, so it was only natural for him to make that comment.
In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 2 Page 15
