“That’s... Guess I can’t hide anything from you. And here I was trying not to be obvious about it.”
“My, you do realize everyone’s noticed, right? Yue-san and the others look like they don’t want to leave either... I’m so glad Myu was able to meet such wonderful people.”
Remia turned to watch a topless Shea chasing after Myu, who’d stolen the top of her swimsuit as a joke. Then, she turned back to Hajime and spoke in a more serious tone.
“Hajime-san. You’ve done more than enough. Everyone has, really. So please don’t look so worried. Go on to finish what you have to do.”
“Remia...”
“She’s grown up so much since she met all of you. Even though all I did was spoil her while she was here, she’s learned to care about other people. Myu knows too. She knows you’ll have to go. Of course she’s still young and doesn’t really want you to leave, but... even then she’s never once asked you directly not to leave. She knows she can’t keep you here forever, so...”
“I see. Man, I’m pretty pathetic if I’m letting a little girl worry about me. Alright. I’ll tell her tonight. We’ll leave tomorrow.”
Remia’s right. Myu doesn’t want us to go, but she also doesn’t want to say that because she doesn’t want to make it harder for us. After having realized the depth of her resolve, Hajime steeled his own.
Remia smiled at him again.
“In that case, I’ll make a feast for you all tonight. It’ll be your farewell party.”
“Sounds good... I’ll be looking forward to it.”
“Ufufu, glad to hear it, dear.”
“Seriously, could you stop calling...” Before Hajime could finish, a frigid wind passed over the two of them, and a voice colder than death interrupted him.
“Remia, you better not.”
“Remia-san, when did you... I can’t let my guard down around you.”
“Hmm, from this angle, it almost looks as if she’s servicing master. Exhibitionism... Wonderful!”
“Hey, Myu-chan? Could you give me my swimsuit back? People are starting to stare...”
Yue glared angrily at Remia. She absolutely wouldn’t allow her to marry Hajime. This scene had played out numerous times over the past week. Everyone ignored Tio. Likewise, they all ignored the nearly naked crying bunny girl as well.
Remia’s smile didn’t waver in the slightest, despite Yue’s bloodcurling glare. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking when she smiled like that, which was the reason Hajime was still unsure if she was serious about marrying him or just playing around.
Maybe that’s just how widows tease people... Hajime’s attention was diverted when he saw Yue in her swimsuit. He’d seen it quite a few times already over the past few days, but it never failed to captivate him.
Her swimsuit was a black bikini. It was the kind that had to be tied around the front, so it was pretty provocative. The black contrasted nicely with Yue’s pale skin. She’d also bound her hair into pigtails for once, making her look even younger than usual. The disparity between her young appearance and her mature swimsuit made her look extremely alluring.
Yue was in the middle of a fierce staring contest with Remia when she noticed Hajime’s gaze. She smiled seductively and turned to face him.
Unwilling to let herself be outdone, Kaori came up to Hajime from the opposite side and took his arm. She blushed at her own boldness and pressed his arm into her white bikini. Then, she looked up at him, imploring him to pay attention to her too.
At the same time, Shea came up to Hajime from behind and pressed her massive knockers against him. Myu still had the top half of her swimsuit, so doing that was also a good way to hide her exposed breasts from view. Of course, having them pressed directly against his back only made things harder for Hajime.
Tio too, was dressed in a rather erotic swimsuit. But in her case, the effect was ruined by her disgusting panting. Hajime threw a piece of metal at her to knock her out of it. He might have thrown it a little too hard, as it literally knocked Tio out and left her floating like a drowned corpse in the sea.
Myu, too, jumped out of the water, eager to join in the fun. She landed between Remia and Hajime, then threw herself into his arms. She raised Shea’s bikini up high, as if showing off her spoils of war, and placed it atop Hajime’s head. It seemed this was her gift to him.
“M-Myu-chan!? Why are you... Wait!? Don’t tell me Hajime-san asked you to? J-Jeez! If you wanted my swimsuit, Hajime-san, you should have just asked... I wouldn’t have minded.”
“Hajime, take mine too.”
“M-Mine too! If that’s what you’re into, Hajime-kun... Ah, but it’d be too embarrassing to strip here, so come to my room later, okay?”
“Oh my, I suppose that means you want mine as well... Would you prefer the top, the bottom, or perhaps... both?”
Hajime Nagumo sat there, a bikini on his head, surrounded by girls pressing their swimsuits against him.
Water from Shea’s swimsuit dripped down his cheek. Despite all the excitement, his expression was as wooden as a board. This situation was beyond surreal.
The male onlookers were all crying tears of blood. From that day onward, rumors began to spread across Erisen. “Watch out for that white-haired eyepatch kid. He’s got a swimsuit fetish. He’s a pervert who ran around town with a girl’s swimsuit on his head.”
That evening, Hajime finally told Myu that he’d be leaving. She gripped the hem of her dress tight, and tried her best not to cry. After a protracted silence, she finally said something.
“I won’t ever see you again?”
“......” Hajime didn’t know what to say. His goal was to return home to Japan. He still wasn’t sure how exactly he was going to do that, or even when he’d be able to.
Miledi Reisen had told him he needed to clear all the labyrinths if he wanted to see his wish granted. It was possible he’d be forcibly transported back the moment he beat the seventh one. He doubted he’d be returning to Erisen before his journey was complete, so it was certainly possible this would be the last time she’d ever see him. The last thing he wanted to do was lie to her.
“You’ll always be my daddy, right?” Before Hajime could come up with a reply, she followed up with another question. He gripped her shoulders and looked her squarely in the eyes.
“If that’s what you want.” Myu held back her tears and squeezed out a smile. Yue and the others were taken aback. Myu’s smile looked strikingly similar to Hajime’s when he was backed into a corner and up against a powerful foe. The two really were coming to resemble each other.
“Then when I get older, I’ll come find you, Daddy.”
“Find me? Myu, I’m going to be going somewhere really far away, so...”
“But if you can go there, I can too. Because... I’m your daughter.”
If Hajime could do something, she could too. Myu was certain of it. If her daddy wouldn’t be able to come back to her, then she’d just have to go find him.
Of course, there was no way Myu could understand Hajime was planning on traveling across dimensions to get back to his own world. Plus, it was unlikely that she’d be able to conquer the labyrinths on her own and chase after him to his world.
Despite her determination, it would be nearly impossible to actually follow Hajime to where he planned to go.
Still, no one dared ridicule her resolve. No one dared to tell her it was impossible and that she should give up. They knew they shouldn’t. No, they couldn’t. Hajime finally understood what Remia had meant when she’d said Myu had grown. Though they’d only spent a short time together, Myu had learned a lot from Hajime and the others.
And now, they were going to leave her. Can I really just leave her like this? No, I can’t. I definitely can’t.
Hajime made his decision. He bound himself to yet another oath.
“Myu, wait for me.”
“Daddy?” Myu tilted her head quizzically. She’d sensed the slight shift in Hajime’s demeanor, b
ut she didn’t know what it meant. There was no longer any hesitation in Hajime’s gaze, only the steadfast resolve he usually showed. The same steadfast resolve Myu had learned to emulate.
“Once everything’s settled, I promise to come back to you. We’ll all come back to see you again.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really. Have I ever broken a promise?”
Myu shook her head. Hajime ruffled her hair.
“When I come back, I’ll show you my home. You’ll get to see where I was born. I bet you’ll be surprised. My hometown’s a pretty different place.”
“I want to see the place where you were born, Daddy!”
“Looking forward to it?”
“Yep!” Myu jumped up happily. Hajime’s gaze softened as he looked down at her. Now that she knew she’d be able to see him again, there was no reason to be sad. Still beaming, she leaped into Hajime’s arms. Hajime lifted her up and hugged her.
“Don’t do anything dangerous. Be a good girl and wait with Mommy, okay? You’re going to be good and help Mommy around the house, right?”
“I will!”
Hajime smiled at their exchange and silently apologized to Remia with his eyes. Sorry for deciding all that on my own.
Remia shook her head, met Hajime’s gaze, then nodded. It’s fine, don’t worry about it. If anything, Remia was thankful to Hajime.
Myu noticed Hajime and Remia exchanging silent glances, and suddenly thought of something. She tugged on Hajime’s sleeve to grab his attention.
“Daddy. Is Mommy going to come too?”
“Uh, well that depends... Remia?”
“What is it, dear? You weren’t thinking of leaving only me behind, now were you?”
“Err, not exactly, but... my homeland’s literally in a different world. You sure you wanna come?”
“Come now. How could I stay behind when my husband and daughter are going? Ufufu.” Remia sidled up to Hajime. For a moment, she really looked like his wife.
Kaori and the others hurriedly stepped in, unwilling to let Remia get ahead of them. The solemn atmosphere from earlier was nowhere to be found. Kaori and Remia glared daggers at each other, while Yue quietly walked up to Hajime.
“Are you really going to take them?”
“Are you against it?”
Yue shook her head and gazed gently into Hajime’s eyes.
“If that’s what you’ve decided, then I don’t mind.”
“I see.”
“But what if we get transported right away?” She’d been considering the same thing Hajime had. There was no guarantee the magic that would return them to their own world would be something they could activate at will. It was certainly possible Hajime wouldn’t be able to fulfill his promise. If that really did happen, it would scar Myu forever.
However, Hajime just shrugged and smiled. Once he made his decision, there was no turning back. Yue had known his answer before she’d even asked. She smiled back, noting the determination in Hajime’s gaze.
“I’ll figure something out. One way or another, we’ll come back to see Myu, then show her Japan too. If the spell takes us back without any time to prepare, then we’ll just have to find a way to come back here again. I’ll hop between worlds as many times as it takes. That’s all there is to it.”
“Yeah... That’s all there is to it.”
The two shared a knowing smile. Yue was glad Hajime had found something else he treasured enough to swear to protect. Hajime, too, was glad he’d begun to change into someone kinder. And like that, the two were once again lost in their own world, flirting without a care for their surroundings.
Kaori and the others stopped fighting with each other to glare pointedly at Hajime and Yue. While the others hesitated to step in though, Myu had no such inhibitions.
She brazenly stepped in between the two of them and begged Hajime for another hug. Even if he’d promised to come back, she still wouldn’t see him for some time. She was going to make the most of her last night with him.
Myu and Remia saw Hajime and the others off the next morning.
A day and a half passed since Myu and Remia saw Hajime’s group off at Erisen. They’d been traveling through the rust-red desert the entire time.
Brise roared across the dunes, heading toward Ankaji. Their eventual goal was still Haltina, but Kaori had wanted to try to see if her newly-acquired restoration magic could repair the damage done to Ankaji’s oasis.
As its name suggested, restoration magic restored things to their original state. Even if healing magic hadn’t been able to purify the toxins in the water, restoration magic could bring it back to its original, pure state. Or at least, that was what Kaori hoped.
As Ankaji was more or less on the way, Hajime saw no problem with stopping there for a bit. Besides, they hadn’t had a chance to try Ankaji’s famous cuisine last time they’d been there either.
Before long, the city’s main gate came into view. Unlike last time, it was quite lively. There was a long line of caravans waiting to be admitted into the city. It looked like a proper center of trade.
“That sure is a lot of wagons.”
“Yeah... This might take a while.”
“That’s all food and water they’re carrying in, isn’t it?”
Kaori was correct. The wagons contained all of the emergency supplies Ankaji had asked Heiligh for. They’d only just arrived. It seemed Lanzwi had also bought the food stores of every other passing merchant. At least, every passing merchant who hadn’t asked for an exorbitant price.
As their immediate water supply had been compromised, Lanzwi knew he’d needed to stockpile large amounts of non-perishable goods. Not only did they not have water to drink, but they also didn’t have enough to grow crops. He’d buy whatever food the royal treasury could afford.
Hajime drove Brise past the line of merchants shuffling uncomfortably in the sand and headed for the main gate. He had no intention of waiting out here for hours.
The merchants gazed in awe as a giant black box sped past them. A few of them screamed in surprise, worried a strange new monster had come to attack them. The guards all brandished their weapons, wary at this unknown object speeding its way to the gate.
A senior watchman walked out of the guardhouse to see what the commotion was, and instantly recognized Brise for what it was. He remonstrated his guards and ordered them to lower their weapons. Then, he sent off a messenger to the palace.
Hajime and the others stopped in front of the gate and stepped out of his truck. They were heedless of the stares around them. Like always, the men were first stunned by the girls’ beauty, then amazed when Hajime made Brise seemingly vanish into thin air.
“I thought I recognized your strange vehicle! I see you’ve returned to us, Warriors of Ehit.” The senior guardsman breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Kaori. Hajime guessed he’d seen Brise once before when he’d brought Bize in, or perhaps when he’d left for the volcano.
He’d assumed it was Kaori, the “Warrior of Ehit,” that used it to travel around. That was more or less correct, so Hajime saw no need to correct the man. It made sense that Kaori was the most well-known figure among their party.
“We have. The truth is, I’ve discovered magic that might help me purify the oasis, so I came back to try again. I’d like to speak with your duke about it if possible...”
“Can you really purify the oasis!?”
“I-I think so. I’d need to test it to be sure, but...”
“I should have expected as much from one of Ehit’s warriors. Sorry for holding you up. I’ve already sent a runner to the duke. It’d be best to wait here, so you don’t pass each other by. Once he hears you’ve returned, I’m sure he’ll head straight over.”
The soldier looked at them all with great respect. I guess it makes sense, since we saved his city, Hajime thought to himself. They were being treated like VIPs. Hajime ignored the merchants’ curious stares and let the guard lead them into the guardhouse’s waiti
ng room.
Fifteen minutes later, Lanzwi burst into the guardhouse, panting heavily. He really had come running. Hajime once again realized just how much this city respected them.
“It... Well, I can’t rightly say it’s been a long time. Regardless, I’m glad to see that you’re doing well, Hajime-dono. We were beginning to grow worried when you didn’t return. You and your companions are the saviors of my realm. It would have been quite a shame had you died without letting me thank you properly.”
“I’m just a passing adventurer who happened to be here at the right time. And, as you can see, I’m doing perfectly fine. Thanks for your concern, though. At any rate, it’s good to see your emergency supplies made it in time.”
“Indeed. Thanks to the food being brought in now and the reservoirs Yue-dono made for us, we should be able to last for a while. With this, we’ll manage to avoid starving to death at least.” Lanzwi smiled tiredly. He’d been working nonstop these past few days to ensure his people had enough food. His exhaustion was clear, but so too were the results of his efforts.
“Duke, how does the oasis look?”
“Warrior of Ehit... I mean, Kaori-dono. The oasis remains unchanged. We’ve managed to pump in more fresh water from underground and clear away some of the polluted water... but have otherwise made no progress. It will take at least half a year to remove all of the polluted water and replace it with clean water. And it will likely take an entire year, or perhaps even two, to get the toxins out of the soil.” Gloom settled over Lanzwi’s expression. Kaori then explained that she might be able to purify it herself.
His face lit up like the sun. He grabbed at Kaori’s clothes and yelled “Really!?” with unbelievable zeal. She hesitantly backed away from him and nodded. Lanzwi cleared his throat and collected himself, realizing he’d acted improperly. Then, he implored Kaori to see if she could purify the oasis right away.
As that was what she’d been planning on doing in the first place, Kaori agreed and the party headed to the oasis.
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 5 Page 23
