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Color Gallery

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Copyrights and Credits

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Chapter 1: The Drugstore’s Bug ­Products (Part One)

Chapter 1:
The Drugstore’s Bug ­Products (Part One)

 

HEARING AN IRRITATING buzzing noise, I noticed a mosquito zipping around me. I’d gotten a lot of bug bites on the clock lately, and I figured that was this little jerk’s fault. Both Earth and this world had mosquitos, and when the temperature rose, they came out to play.

As the mosquito flew around carelessly, I slapped it. “Hyah!” I gazed down and heaved a relieved sigh as the mosquito died on my palm. “Man, can’t drop my guard for a second, huh?”

Noela entered the drugstore scratching a bug bite. “Itchy, Master.”

“You too, Noela? There’re a ton of mosquitos around lately. Don’t scratch too hard unless you don’t mind bleeding.”

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“Bleeding?! Noela stop,” she said earnestly, putting an end to her scratching. Her itchiness remained, however—she fidgeted uncomfortably.

“Consider this a test of your mental strength,” I suggested.

She’d been about to start scratching again, but her hand stopped. “Mental strength?!”

“However itchy you are, you can’t scratch. If you do, the itch will only get worse.”

“Itchy is itchy, Master.” She wasn’t wrong, but that was why this would challenge her willpower.

Noela didn’t seem to care much about overcoming the itchiness, though. She’d stopped scratching but now dug her nails into the mosquito bite to distract herself, leaving nail marks atop the old, straight scratches that formed an X over the bite.

“I’ve done that,” I admitted.

“Groo. Noela make good ‘X,’” Noela told me proudly, raising her index finger. “Show Noela Master’s bite.”

She apparently wanted to “treat” my mosquito bite too. I held out the arm that’d been bitten yesterday, and Noela scratched an X on my skin.

“Thanks,” I told her.

“Groo!”

I enjoyed seeing her look so satisfied, and I was glad she was being thoughtful. Still, her “treatment” only got your mind off a bite temporarily.

“You up for some work, Noela?”

“Groo! Work!” She was so up for it that she unwittingly resumed scratching her mosquito bites.

“You’re doing it again.”

“Arroo? How happen?!” She shook her head with a frantic expression, her own scratching taking her by surprise. “‘X’ no work, Master!”

Nope.

Hearing voices in the store, Mina poked her head in. “Did you finish pulling the weeds, Noela?”

“Listen, Mina! No time for weeds!”

“Huh?” Mina cocked her head. Understandably, she had no clue what was going on.

“A mosquito bit Noela,” I explained. “She can’t stop scratching it.”

“Ah.” Mina quickly understood. “There are quite a few little bugs flying around the clothesline.”

“Did they bite you?”

“No. I imagine that’s thanks to my physical state.”

“You are a ghost, after all.”

“That’s right!” Mina clapped, satisfied by that explanation.

The city-girl werewolf frowned. “Hate bugs.”

“What about Bye-Bye Bug Queen?” I asked. “Have you used any of that?” The drugstore should still have had it in stock.

Noela shook her head. “Hassle.”

You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make her drink. Still, I understood where Noela was coming from. Applying bug repellent just to go into the yard would be a pain.

“Since there are bugs out when it’s warm, I asked Noela to weed the garden while it was still cool outside,” Mina told me.

Noela shook her head. “No tattle, Mina!”

“Don’t even, you darn fluffball.” I whacked Noela’s head lightly. She did this to herself, after all. “Jeez…”

“Let’s handle those pesky weeds, all right, Noela?” Mina insisted. “I’ll pitch in.”

“Groo…”

Mina dragged Noela toward the door at the back of the drugstore, and they disappeared.

Since insect bites healed quickly, and I’d already created Bye-Bye Bug Queen repellent, I hadn’t gotten around to formulating a mosquito bite treatment. I wondered whether Kalta’s other residents just dealt with bites the way Noela did.

“Doesn’t look like we’ll get any more customers,” I muttered. “Maybe I’ll try whipping something up.”

Leaving the drugstore, I entered my lab and followed my skill’s instructions, gathering the necessary ingredients to create the new treatment.

 

Bug Bite Gold: Chills affected area, relieving itchiness.

 

“All right, done.” A bad itch always felt terrible. It’d be fantastic if this new product got people’s minds off itchy bites.

I heard Noela and Mina chatting happily outside. When left alone, Noela tended to shirk her duties, but she was usually diligent if someone else was with her. Well…maybe that was restricted to when Mina was with her.

“Grooooo!” Noela shrieked.

“Noela?!” Mina yelped in response.

Worried, I peeked outside—only to see that another mosquito had bitten the werewolf girl. She clawed furiously at the bite.

“You mustn’t scratch like that, Noela,” warned Mina.

“Know! Know, but can’t stop! Garroooo!”

She’d already begun a vicious cycle of scratching. Crap. “Better get this to Noela ASAP,” I muttered.

I put some clear Bug Bite Gold on a brush and spread it over my own bite; it was cool and refreshing. “Ah… This feels really familiar.” This treatment didn’t just get your mind off a bite—you’d literally forget you were bitten in the first place.

I hurried to the garden where Noela was rolling on the ground, attempting to distract herself. “Arrooo! Arroooo!”

“Noela! Spread some of this new treatment on your bite!”

“Groo? Master?!”

I tossed her the brush and bottle of Bug Bite Gold. She caught them dexterously, then hurried to brush the liquid over her mosquito bites.

“Groo…? Cool… Not itchy?” She stared at her bug bites curiously.

“May I try some?” Mina took the brush and bottle from Noela. “Ooh—she’s right! It is nice and cool!”

A refreshed feeling now apparently enveloped both girls. “Ahh,” they sighed simultaneously. “So nice!” They stretched their arms wide, appreciating the refreshing, breezy sensation of Bug Bite Gold with their whole bodies.

“Er… This isn’t really a cooling treatment.”

“Put on more,” Noela declared, spreading Bug Bite Gold from head to toe. “Arroooo!” she howled, closing her eyes.

We have a product for cooling off. It’s called icy gel. I didn’t point that out though. “You can pull those weeds for Mina now. Right, Noela?”

“Groo! No fear anything!”

Er… Does she understand that that’s just a bug bite treatment?

The mosquitos buzzed and swarmed around Noela.

“Groo!” She swatted them down—or so it seemed. “Arroo?! Bit again, Master!”

“Bug Bite Gold doesn’t prevent that.”

“What?!” She definitely hadn’t understood me.

I soon applied some Bye-Bye Bug Queen to Noela too, which finally helped her focus on weeding the garden.

Chapter 2: The Drugstore’s Bug ­Products (Part Two)

Chapter 2:
The Drugstore’s Bug ­Products (Part Two)

 

“GROO! ARROO! I hath once more swatted a mosquito to death,” Noela declared like some old samurai. She stared scornfully at her defeated enemy’s corpse, then blew it off her palm like a gunman blowing smoke from his barrel.

Maybe this situation was inevitable. After getting those mosquito bites, Noela became leery of insects—and of being bitten by them. That was a problem; it was summertime, and bugs were everywhere. Anytime she saw one flying around, she slapped it immediately. Lately, she’d even made a habit of wearing Bye-Bye Bug Queen inside the house to defend herself completely.

Vivi the lake spirit arrived just before the drugstore opened. “Good morning!”

“Oh, morning.” I hadn’t realized she was scheduled to work. “Counting on you today.”

“I’ll do you proud!” As Vivi shot me a charming smile, several insects swarmed around her.

“You’re attracting some bugs, Vivi.”

“Oh! That’s because I’m a lake spirit.” The insects apparently meant her no harm. She held out her index finger, and a bug landed on it. “I’m basically the lake itself, and all living things relax at lakes,” the bug tamer explained proudly. “Especially during the summer, when fauna need more water.”

“Before you brag about being a lake spirit or water source or whatever, you should mull over how unfortunate this characteristic is for a woman.”

“Huh?”

“Who wants to be around some girl who attracts bugs?”

Vivi’s expression turned from content to deeply concerned. “Wh-what?!”

“And at the moment, our resident fluffball’s especially—”

Before I finished speaking, Noela entered the drugstore and began to panic, looking as if she couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Ah, Noela!” Vivi called out enthusiastically, spotting her fluffy friend. “Good morning!”

Noela didn’t have time for that. “B-bugs everywhere!” she cried.

“Uh-huh! That’s because I’m a lake spirit—”

“No stay inside, Vivi!”

I figured this would happen.

“Wait! Why?!”

Noela’s arms warded Vivi off. “Bring bugs! No good! Very no good!” She then held her arms up in an X shape.

“It’s not like I asked those bugs to like me…” Vivi slumped sadly, completely rejected. “This happens whenever I come down from the forest this time of year.”

How is she always so tragic? Still, I felt for Vivi. Living creatures sought water—that was natural—so I figured she was right that she basically couldn’t prevent the situation.

“Use this,” Noela ordered, passing Vivi the Bye-Bye Bug Queen.

Once the lake spirit applied it, the insects swarming her fled quickly. “Thanks, Noela.”

“Groo! Leave to me!” The werewolf’s chest puffed out proudly.

Noela’s bug phobia was going to be a problem. At this point, she was on the verge of being so hypersensitive to insects that she couldn’t focus on work. I mean, she’d always been kind of like that, but it was worsening.

As she and Vivi prepared to open the drugstore, a thought crossed my mind. “That’s the only choice during a Japanese summer,” I whispered to myself.

Hearing me, the girls cocked their heads in confusion.

“What’s wrong, Master?”

“Reiji?”

“Keep working,” I told them. “I just had a thought, so I’m heading to the lab.”

Noela’s eyes sparkled. “Potion?!”

“You had your morning potion already, didn’t you? I’m not making more today. We’ve already got a good stock.”

The werewolf slouched. “Groo…”

“Keep an eye on things here,” I said, mostly to Vivi.

She saluted me, seemingly moved. “Reiji’s relying on me,” she told herself.

Keeping the part-timers motivated was an important part of running the drugstore.

On my way to the lab, I bumped into Mina in the hall. She’d just finished her chores.

“Making something new?” she asked.

“Yeah. Basically something I used during Japanese summers.”

“Huh? ‘Japanese’?”

Of course she didn’t know what Japan was. I didn’t expect people to learn much about neighboring nations,to say nothing of countries in another world.

“You’ll understand soon enough.”

As I entered the lab, Mina trailed behind me. “I hope this isn’t presumptuous, but I’d like to help!”

“Awesome. Thanks.”

Mina and I gathered the necessary ingredients, following my skills’ directions.

I’d never have thought of this if Noela hadn’t gotten so anxious about bugs. After all, Mina never panicked if she spotted an insect while working in the meadow. If anything, she enjoyed the moment. Then again, Mina had been frail and sickly before she became a ghost—she’d rarely been able to go outside. That was probably why she really appreciated the outdoors now.

“What’s this do?” she inquired.

“You’ll see soon enough.” I quickly finished mixing the concoction.

 

Bug Guardian: Liquid for indoor use. Diffuses upon contact with air, repelling insects across a huge radius.

 

“All right,” I said. “We shouldn’t have trouble with bugs coming inside anymore.”

Mina brought her nose close to the bottle. “It smells rather odd.”

“Well, if you put it someplace bugs tend to come in, they’ll stop.”

“That’s revolutionary!” Mina’s eyes widened. “So, this is a ‘Japanese Summer’!”

She obviously didn’t understand what “Japanese” meant. “Um…this product’s called ‘Bug Guardian.’”

“With this, we won’t have any more insects in the house?!”

“Exactly.”

“Let’s try it!”

I nodded, then headed for the store, carrying the bottled Bug Guardian. It’d work in any window, but I figured we’d put it by the drugstore’s main door since it opened and closed most often.

“Waaaaaah!!!”

Hearing the odd scream, Mina and I glanced at each other. We entered the drugstore and found Vivi with Noela, the latter waving off bugs.

“What happened to the Bye-Bye Bug Queen?!”

“Augh! Used, Master! But—”

“It seems like my spirit power’s stronger,” Vivi said with a smug laugh.

“These insects will bother the customers. I’ve got the ­perfect solution though.” I handed Vivi the Bug Guardian.

“What’s this, Reiji?”

“Open it and you’ll find out.”

Tilting her head, Vivi opened the bottle. A unique aroma wafted into the air.

Ah, yeah. This was how Japanese summers smelled, I reminisced.

Mina and the other girls piped up.

“Oh! The bugs are flying away!”

“Bugs flee!”

“What about my spirit power?!”

I reiterated how Bug Guardian worked for the surprised trio. “This is a new product to keep bugs away. Put it next to you, or by the door, so insects won’t come in.”

“A barrier!!!” they cried in unison.

Wrong.

“It’s simply a portable insect barrier, Mr. Reiji!” Mina insisted.

“Er…no.”

“I can’t believe you created something stronger than my spirit power,” Vivi told me. “I knew you were something else, Reiji!”

Er…am I misremembering, or did she want those bugs around earlier?

“No more bugs! Antibug shield!” Noela cheered as if discovering a brand-new weapon.

“It’s nothing that crazy,” I insisted. “It keeps bugs away, is all.”

Since we’d just opened the store, a nearby customer who overheard us came over to ask for details. “You said something about keeping bugs away?”

After I described the Bug Guardian, I wound up selling the prototype to the customer; they told me they didn’t mind purchasing the bottle we’d been using.

I mass-produced Bug Guardian immediately. Not everyone was as wary of insects as Noela, but most people disliked them. News of Kirio Drugs’ “anti-insect barrier” got around fast, and Bug Guardian became one of our bestsellers.

Chapter 3: The Pet Puppy

Chapter 3:
The Pet Puppy

 

HEARING HER CLOSE FRIEND Elaine’s carriage roll in, Noela rushed into the drugstore. “Drills here!” she exclaimed, causing me to turn around.

“Looks like it,” I acknowledged as Elaine entered the store, hugging a puppy to her chest. The puppy had chubby legs; it’d probably be a big dog when it got older.

“Look, everyone!” Elaine exclaimed.

Noela wagged her tail excitedly. “Dog! Groo!”

The little puppy sniffed the air, its tail wagging even faster than Noela’s.

“Hi, Elaine. What’s with the pupper?”

“Listen, Sir Reiji! We’re going to raise this puppy at my manor!”

Ah. Elaine’s here to show off.

Noela extended her hand toward the puppy cautiously. The tiny animal gently licked it. “Tickles!” She stroked the puppy’s fur, excited.

“We don’t allow pets into the drugstore,” I told Elaine. “Could you tie it up outside?”

“All right.” She exited, tied the puppy’s leash to a post, and reentered the store.

“You’re dropping by to brag about your new puppy, huh?”

“Hmph! Not at all!” Elaine frowned angrily. “Please don’t belittle me, Sir Reiji.”

“My bad,” I replied with a strained smile. On Earth, I’d wanted a dog or a cat at times. The fluffball I gained since coming to this world had filled that niche, however. “So, why’re you visiting today?”

“Well, I read a book on how to raise Ringburgsteins.”

“Ring…what?”

“Ringburgsteins.”

“Is that a breed of dog…?”

“It’s the puppy’s name,” Elaine declared.

That’s way too long.

“But since it’s far too lengthy,” she continued, “I’ve been calling him ‘Ring.’”

“Why not just name him Ring?” Nobody would ever use the puppy’s full name.

She didn’t answer that. “While studying, I learned that insects could make puppies sick,” she announced.

“Uh… Well, yeah.” I’d never worried about that since I’d never owned a dog. And no one else in Kalta owned one either, so I hadn’t made products targeted at animals before—at least, not pets. Frankly, the average household here didn’t have the means to keep a pet. The wealth disparity in this world was even crazier than on Earth. Only landowners, merchants, and aristocrats like Elaine could afford that kind of thing.

“If Ring ever gets sick, I’ll cry and cry!”

“How about taking him to a vet first?”

“Good idea.”

Didn’t take much to convince her. I couldn’t see Noela anywhere, but I soon heard her voice outside, as well as little yelps from Ring. I assumed they were playing together.

“Anyway,” Elaine continued, “I’d like you to formulate a cure-all that’ll heal any ailment that might befall my little Ring.”

“I can’t possibly make a product like that. Not even for a dog.” My skill had reacted, actually, but it was calling for materials I’d never seen or heard of. I couldn’t just go around the world searching for ingredients for a custom prescription for Elaine’s dog.

Through the window, I watched Noela and Ring play around. They almost looked like siblings.

“Woof! Woof!”

“Garroorrooo!”

“Pet medicine…” I mumbled. We did have monster ­potions for Griffy, but they might be too strong for dogs—I created them for monsters and beasts. Besides, potions healed external wounds rather than treating illnesses.

Noela hurried back into the store, Ring in her arms. “Rolling, Master!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Ringring rolling. Itchy.”

Now that she mentioned it, the puppy had been rolling around over and over.

“You can tell he’s itchy?”

“Arroo! Understand what Ringring say,” she confirmed.

“Can you two communicate?”

“Groo!” She nodded deeply.

Right. Noela was half human and half wolf. It made sense she understood Ring to a degree, and that he understood her.

Elaine stood. “I-Is Ring sick?!” Despair washed over her face.

Noela handed the puppy over. “Master understand itchy,” she assured Elaine. “But hard to stop.” Noela clearly empathized with Rings’ struggle; she had a grave expression on her face.

“Your mosquito bites were really itchy not long ago,” I recalled. Then I turned to Elaine. “I can’t make a cure-all. I could make something preventative, though.”

“Really?!” she gasped.

“Yup. Hold on.”

“Groo! Help too. Watch store, Drills!”

“Of course!” Elaine agreed.

I’d normally interrupt to tell Noela that was her job, but I let it slide today. “I don’t have enough ingredients in the lab. Could you pick some for me, Noela?”

“Groo!”

As I jotted down the plants I needed, Noela applied Bye-Bye Bug Queen. Then, she tied a string to a bottle of Bug Guardian and hung it around her neck. She really did hate bugs now; she was fully equipped.

“These are the plants I need,” I told her.

“Groo!” Taking the note, Noela transformed into a wolf and dashed out of the house toward the forest. Having learned that a fellow canine was suffering, she was really working her butt off. Of course, Ring might just have been too friggin’ cute to leave high and dry.

I did what I could while Noela was gone. She soon returned and breathlessly passed me the outstanding ­ingredients, allowing me to finish the prototype product.

 

Pet Saver: Unscented insect repellent to protect pets from fleas, ticks, and mosquitos.

 

“Done, Master?”

“Yup! Apply this to the pup. It’ll protect him from bugs.”

I handed Noela the bottle, and we hurried outside to Ring.

“What sort of treatment is that?” Elaine looked concerned.

“It repels tiny bugs we can’t see.”

“Here, Drills.” Noela offered her friend the bottle.

“I just pour it on him?” Elaine drizzled Pet Saver over Ring’s back.

I couldn’t see any results, but Noela was another story. “Groo?! Lots of bugs leaving Ringring, like ‘Hop! Hop!’”

Mission accomplished. “Take this home with you, okay?” I urged Elaine. “Ring’s the only pet around Kalta that can use it.”

Elaine accepted. “I promise to pay you later!”

“That’s okay. Just apply Pet Saver to Ring once a month. And keep an eye out for pests.”

“All right! Thank you so much, Sir Reiji.”

Ring wiggled in Elaine’s grasp as she boarded her carriage and went home.

Now I was worried about Griffy too, so I used leftover materials to make more Pet Saver. I applied it to the griffin, who kept flapping in confusion. “Kyuu?”

“You aren’t itchy, right? You don’t have bug bites or stings or anything?”

“Kyuu…?” It apparently didn’t, given its confused response.

I soon received a letter of thanks from Elaine, as well as a massive 20,000-rin donation. I felt bad accepting so much money. Elaine wasn’t here for me to decline, though, so I figured I’d say something next time I saw her instead.

Other monied pet owners became aware of Elaine and Ring’s visit to the drugstore, and customers began arriving from far away in pursuit of Pet Saver.

Chapter 4: No Boy Hates Them

Chapter 4:
No Boy Hates Them

 

NOELA’S HATRED OF INSECTS was always at full strength now—she considered them to be evil, destructive beings. When she went into the woods to forage for ingredients, she covered herself in Bye-Bye Bug Queen. Heck, even when she wasn’t going into the woods, she made sure to put the stuff on.

This morning, she again prepared the drugstore—and herself—for war.

As Mina cleaned up after breakfast, she wore a pained smile. “I feel as though Noela’s going a little overboard.”

“We don’t really need bugs day to day, so she wants to get rid of them,” I said, sipping my black potion. “In a way, I get it.”

“You certainly know quite a bit about insects, Mr. Reiji.”

“Not really. I lived in the boondocks up until high school, so I guess they don’t bother me as much. I used to catch bugs a lot, actually.” I’d head to the woods to find cicadas, grasshoppers, and praying mantises like your average kid from the sticks. Nowadays though, I didn’t really want to deal with bugs directly.

“Till ‘haiskool’…?”

Right. Mina wouldn’t understand that concept. “At any rate, I have gone bug catching and stuff.”

“Gracious. I had no idea. It sounds as though you were a courageous boy, Mr. Reiji. On the other hand, Noela’s stopped visiting Vivi.”

No wonder. Vivi’s lake was in the middle of a forest. And speaking of the lake spirit, she had a shift today. I heard her voice from the drugstore. After finishing my black potion, I poked my head in.

“Ah! Reiji! Good morning.”

“Morning. Counting on you today.”

When Noela headed to the lab to restock, Vivi lowered her voice and addressed me. “Do you think Noela hates me now…?” The lake spirit sat in the corner, hugging her knees. Her eyes were filling up with tears.

“I don’t think so. Not at all,” I replied. “Did you do something…?”

Vivi shook her head.

“Then why would she hate you?” I asked.

“She always used to come play at the lake. But now she doesn’t.” Vivi welcomed coworkers to the lake with open arms, and when she didn’t have a shift, she made a point of inviting us there. Despite being a spirit, she was devoted to others.

I’d seen misunderstandings like this in elementary and junior high, and I figured relationships could get messy in any world.

Something relevant came to my mind. “It’s probably because Noela’s phobia of bugs escalated. Your lake’s in the woods, after all.”

“What?! But she’s a werewolf!”

“I know, right?” I even met Noela in the woods originally. Not long ago, we’d go outdoors together to pick herbs and other greenery. She seemed to have made up her mind about insects, though.

“So, she won’t come play anymore?” Vivi looked like she was about to cry.

“Of course she will,” I blurted out, but the reality was that I didn’t know for certain.

Noela needed to understand that there were tons of bugs in the world. There were even some bugs that didn’t look like bugs. Bugs she might like…especially one particular species.

Carrying back stock into the drugstore, Noela began refilling shelves. After a moment, she noticed something was off with Vivi. “What wrong?”

“Please don’t hate me, Noela!” Vivi embraced her.

“Arroooo?” Needless to say, Noela was puzzled.

It was time to help our wacky lake spirit—both for her sake and that of the drugstore’s atmosphere. “I need to head out for a sec. Watch the store, ladies.”

“Groo!” Noela seemed buoyant.

Vivi, however, was completely down in the dumps. “All right.”

Jeez.

Heading to the lab, I mashed and crushed ingredients, concocting something to assuage Noela’s phobia of bugs. “She hates bug bites and stings,” I whispered to myself. “So…”

Noela thought all bugs stung or bit. Hopefully, if I helped her understand that plenty didn’t, she’d stop overreacting and go back to visiting Vivi’s lake.

Noela, my dear, your master’s much more observant than you think, I mused as I modified the bug gel and lure I’d already formulated. “Done!”

 

Rhino Beetle Bait: Sap-like pheromone product armored beetles love.

 

Given Noela’s personality, there was no way seeing a rhino beetle wouldn’t thrill her. When she spotted one of those cool dudes, would her hatred of bugs diminish?

“Heh heh heh,” I cackled quietly.

Heading outside, I spread thick liquid bait on a nearby tree. “Let ’er rip!” Nodding to myself, I turned and walked back to the house. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t childishly excited.

When I looked up at the sky, I could already see several bugs. “No way…” Turning hesitantly back toward the tree I baited, I saw tons of rhino and stag beetles gathering. “Crap—that’s way too fast! It’s now or never.” I hurried back into the drugstore.

“What wrong, Master?”

“I’m off to catch something badass!”

I quickly found a basket. I’d put those suckers—the hope and dream of young boys everywhere—in there!

“Groo…?”

Without saying anything else, I rushed back to the tree. As I expected, the bait worked incredibly well, drawing tons of armored beetles to it. And not just rhino or stag beetles—there was even a cool, almost monsterlike insect.

 

Elephant Beetle: World’s biggest rhino beetle. Rare and expensive; extremely popular with enthusiasts.

 

The elephant beetle was certainly much bigger than the other bugs. The fact that its metallic, dark-gray body wasn’t super shiny only made it cooler. It had giant horns on the top and bottom of its head, plus smaller ones on the left and right.

I put the elephant beetle in the basket with the rest of the insects, voicing my biased opinion aloud: “There isn’t a person alive who wouldn’t flip out over this.”

Double-checking my basket’s contents, I headed back to the house. As I passed the garden, I spotted Mina hanging laundry. “You sure look excited, Mr. Reiji.”

“I’m going to show Noela how cool bugs really are!” I grabbed the elephant beetle and held it up so Mina would understand.

Mina cocked her head silently but ultimately gave me a forced smile. She didn’t seem to get it at all. Do women not understand the greatness of beetles?!

“What do you plan to do with all those?” she then asked, glancing into my basket.

“What kind of question is that? I’m obviously going to make them fight!” I was pumped.

“Fight?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm.” Her response was half-hearted. Totally uninterested. Women just didn’t get it.

Still, Noela would inevitably be excited; even if she was a girl, her mindset was similar to mine.

I called for her, and she trotted over. “What wrong, Master?”

“Look at this, Noela!” I whipped the elephant beetle out of the basket.

“Groo!” She squinted at it. “Master, that—”

“It’s an elephant beetle!”

“Elephant…beetle?”

“Super cool, right?”

Mina tilted her head. “Is it?”

Quiet, woman!

“Groo! Arroo!” Noela’s tail wagged with excitement. As I expected, she was on board.

“Penny for your thoughts, Noela.”

“Super cool! Horns. Looks strong.”

“Its silver body is really hard. Try touching it.”

Noela tapped the beetle’s horn and back. “Arroo!” she howled, thrilled.

Tanks didn’t exist in this world, but the beetle was much like one—big and strong. You just couldn’t resist its charm.

Noela apparently didn’t know anything about rhino beetles, so I explained how their mandibles worked. “These guys use their horns to fight, you know.”

“Fight with big horns?” She was in love.

I knew exactly what the little fluffball was wondering. “Do you think this elephant beetle is the strongest? Or maybe one of the others?”

“D-don’t know.”

“Let’s make them fight it out, then!”

“Arroooo?! F-f-fight?!”

“Yeah. Want to see the elephant beetle fling another big armored beetle with its horn?”

“Garroo!” Noela’s eyes practically sparkled.

But before that could happen, I added, “I’ve got to be honest with you, Noela. These guys… Well, they’re bugs.”

“Arroo?!” Her expression darkened. She stared down at the finger that’d touched the beetle a moment before.

Man, when did she become such a clean freak? “You might not realize it, but the world’s full of cool bugs, Noela. And not all of them bite or sting.”

Noela glanced at the basket of beetles, seeming to put two and two together. She went quiet, as if repeating my words internally, then lifted her head. “Master?”

“Yeah?”

“Want see bug fight,” she said. “Like cool bugs.”

I patted her head, then gently set the elephant beetle on the ground. It began to walk slowly.

Noela scrutinized it, then picked it up by its back. “Tough. Horn looks strong.” She examined the beetle from several angles; she seemed quite fond of it.

I picked an opponent for our champion and put it near Noela. “Put the elephant beetle across from this one.”

Although she swung her arm theatrically, she placed the elephant beetle down gently.

“Elephant set!”

Even Mina couldn’t help smiling as she watched the hyped-up werewolf girl. “I don’t quite understand it myself, but seeing you two so eager has me excited too.”

The elephant and rhino beetles gradually closed the distance between each other. The elephant beetle had an overwhelming range advantage thanks to its long horn, which it eventually slipped under the rhino beetle’s body. The rhino beetle tried its best to cling to the ground, but ultimately, the elephant beetle lifted it up and flipped it over in one fell swoop.

“Groo! Elephant beetle strong!” Since I caught several beetles, Noela looked in the basket for its next opponent.

I tried to call Vivi over as well. “Hey! Vivi!”

There was no response, but I heard children chatting inside the drugstore. Puzzled, I peeked in and saw the three usual neighborhood kids teasing Vivi. She was easy to get a rise out of, so these kids constantly bugged her.

“Hey, how come you’re always here?” demanded the boy who appeared to be the ringleader. “Nothing to do, huh?”

“I have stuff to do! I work here full-time!”

Tsk. That’s a lie. Vivi was a part-timer.

“But you ain’t got no customers!” the tall boy pressed.

“I mean…not right now…”

“Then you’re just doing nothing, even if you say you’re working,” the boy with the shortest hair laughed.

“I have stuff to do even when there aren’t customers. You’d know that if you’d worked a day in your life!”

I personally thought these kids might actually like Vivi quite a bit, so I usually just watched from afar, smiling. This visit was at the perfect time, however.

“Noela’s waging a bug war outside,” I told the four. “You should go take a look.”

“Bug war?!” they responded in unison.

“Seriously, go check it out.” I pointed toward the garden. The kids headed out immediately; Vivi stayed behind. “Not going?”

“I’m in the middle of work,” she replied. “Are you tempting me to leave my post so you can fire me?”

“I’m not gonna do that. That’d be a real jerk move. Go check it out.”

“Really…?” Vivi seemed doubtful, but I’d convinced her to go outside. There, we heard cheers and excited voices out back.

“Let’s make them fight!”

“Hey! Doggo! Lend me that big guy.”

“This elephant mine! And Noela not doggo.”

“Now, now, everyone. Play nicely,” Mina said protectively.

After blowing off steam, the three kids reentered the drugstore.

“How’d you catch them?” one asked me.

“Uh, well…” I took out the rhino beetle bait and explained how it worked.

The fascinated kids asked tons of in-depth questions about how to catch beetles.

“Hey,” I said. “You guys always show up when Vivi’s around. Do you like her?”

“N-no way!” they blurted.

Got it. You do like her. Okay. “She can be a little weird, but she’s pretty cute.”

It seemed like I teased them a little too much though, because they awkwardly fled the store after that.

“Want catch beetles, Master!”

“They are bugs,remember?”

“Groo! Understand.”

Noela had a lot of fun today, and her phobia of bugs seemed to have taken a real beating. I was glad I made that bait.

“Wait… Why did I make that?” I had a great time with the stag and rhino beetles, but I could’ve sworn I had another goal in making it…

“I sometimes spot elephant beetles near my lake, Noela,” Vivi told her.

“Groo! Go to lake!”

“Yay!”

Oh, that’s right. This whole thing started because Vivi thought Noela hated her.

As the sun began to set, our day of fun finally came to an end.

“I had a great shift today,” Vivi told me. “Thanks for helping, Reiji!”

“No big. Can you come with me for a moment though?”

“Where to?”

Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t explained this to Noela or Mina either. I called them over as well. “The bait attracts things besides beetles. There’s a little river nearby, and—”

Vivi nodded; she immediately understood. Noela and Mina, on the other hand, still had no clue what I was getting at. As night started to fall, I brought the girls to the tree I originally baited.

“The tree,” Mina whispered to herself. “It’s…”

“Garroorrooo! Glowing!”

“No kidding, Noela.”

“How come?”

“The bait attracts fireflies too,” I said.

The fireflies weren’t just on the trunk of the tree—they cast light from its branches and leaves as well. For a while, our eyes were glued to the magical sight in front of us.

“Amazing,” Mina marveled. “They’re beautiful. I’ve never seen so many gather in one place before.”

“See, Noela? There’re all kinds of bugs out there.”

“Groo. ‘Bug’ very big group.”

Just as I’d planned, Noela overcame her phobia of bugs. Meanwhile, those three kids talked up the rhino beetle bait. It became popular with children, so mothers with sons started coming by Kirio Drugs to purchase the new product.

Image - 07

Chapter 5: Outracing Noela

Chapter 5:
Outracing Noela

 

AS I UNLOCKED the drugstore, I noticed a sheet of paper between the door and the doorframe.

“The Valgas family is pleased to announce the first regional athletic tournament.”

The Valgases were rich nobles who ruled this domain, and Elaine was Lord Valgas’s daughter.

So, they’re basically holding…like…a school sports meet?

Reading the flyer more thoroughly, I learned that the tournament was exactly what I’d guessed. Each town and village would choose representatives to compete in various events, including a sprint, a relay race, and combat and marksmanship competitions. The winners of each event would receive prizes.

“What’s wrong, Doctor? Why such a serious expression?” asked Ejil.

Ejil was one of my part-timers, as well as being the demon king. I wound up hiring him after he fell in love at first sight with Noela. She couldn’t stand him though, and she had said as much. Ejil always showed up five minutes early and never missed a day. It honestly weirded me out that the demon king was a perfect part-time employee.

“I guess the Valgases are holding an athletic tournament.”

“I’m not sure I follow.”

“Basically, reps from across the region will compete in different events,” I explained. “Lord Valgas is going to give the winners prizes.”

“How will an event like this benefit him?”

A truly demon king-esque question. “Folks will think more highly of him, I guess,” I replied. That being said, Elaine’s father had a good reputation already—he was a friendly gentleman who cherished his daughter.

“That’s an excellent idea,” Ejil mused. He jotted something down.

I peeked at what he wrote. “Diversions for underlings are beneficial.” He apparently planned to recreate the tournament. I figured there’d be an athletic meet for the demon king’s ranks sometime soon.

“Garoo… Ejil?!” When Noela spotted him, she ducked behind a post and glared at us.

Ejil greeted her instead, his eyes practically turning to hearts. “Good morning, Noelaaa! Your silver fur looks lovely today!”

She completely ignored him. “Noela go clean outside, Master.”

Lately, Noela and Ejil had at least been friendly enough that Noela acknowledged her coworker in the morning. I wondered what happened.

“I quite enjoy those contemptuous looks she gives me,” Ejil mused.

“You really shouldn’t,” I sighed. “Don’t tell me you did something to her…?”

“I haven’t done a thing. For some reason, though, we wound up arguing about which of us was faster during our break the other day.”

“The heck?” I muttered, exasperated.

Ejil explained that he and Noela eventually raced, and she won by a mile. “I was fairly confident in my abilities,” he mused. “I’m the demon king, you know. Still, I didn’t stand a chance against her.”

“Oh. Now I get it.” I could touch Noela, rub her head, or do pretty much anything you would to a loving puppy—she didn’t mind at all. But if she outshone someone she detested like Ejil, I understood her distancing herself from them.

“Well, Noela’s half wolf,” I told Ejil. “She respects a person’s physical ability, regardless of their personality. However, she won’t waste any thought on those she sees as beneath her.”

“Doctor, I want to outrace Noela!” Ejil declared.

He could just as easily show off some magic. He was the demon king; he could probably wield tons of spells like no one had ever seen. “You’ve got plenty of other abilities, Ejil. You don’t need to outrace her.”

“On the contrary!” he exclaimed. “My agreement with Noela still stands!”

“What agreement?”

“If I win, I can touch her tail!”

Ah. An ulterior motive. “Can’t you win using magic?”

“The rule was ‘no magic.’”

“Huh. There you go, then.”

Ejil glanced around, then lowered his voice. “I was wondering…could you create a product to speed me up?”

“You’d be allowed to use a product from the drugstore?”

“Yes. Those aren’t magic,” said Ejil with a rotten smirk.

“Well, I’m not making some product to help you cheat and satisfy your lust.”

“If you could supply a product like that to the Red Cat Brigade, they’d respond to threats much more quickly.”

“Good point…” I admitted.

“Promptness facilitates success!” Ejil declared theatrically.

Now he’s trying to sound all regal and crap. Still, if the product Ejil requested made Kalta safer, it’d ultimately be worth creating. After all, the Red Cat Brigade—the mercenaries who guarded the town—just had two horses. Only their leader, Annabelle, tended to ride on horseback. Everyone else walked.

I hemmed and hawed anyway. If Ejil used this product before racing Noela, he’d be doping. But he might give her a run for her money, even if she took the race seriously. At the moment, Noela didn’t want to work with Ejil, so scheduling their shifts was going to be a pain.

This race could soften her attitude toward him…

“Fine,” I said. “I’ll try to create something.”

“I knew you would, Doctor!” Ejil said unctuously.

“Watch the drugstore for me.”

I headed to the lab and started the new concoction. The drugstore couldn’t afford to lose Ejil—he was serious, good at his job, and always lent an ear when needed. I wanted to reward him for his good work.

“Done!”

 

Dash Tonic: Temporarily boosts user’s agility and speed.

 

I sipped the dash tonic, then started tidying. Swoosh! Cleaning the lab didn’t even take thirty seconds; I normally needed more than five minutes. I-I can’t believe I’m moving so fast—like someone else completely! If the drugstore was super busy and I needed to restock rapidly, I could take the dash tonic.

“Will Noela really come in second?” I asked myself. It was hard to imagine her losing a footrace, but if Ejil used this stuff, it might be possible.

I carried the new product into the drugstore. Having finished neatening the storefront, Noela and Ejil were restocking.

“You haven’t forgotten our promise, have you, Noela?” demanded Ejil.

“Groo. No lose race.”

“Keep your tail to yourself while you can! It’ll be mine soon enough!” Ejil grinned nastily. He was less a demon king and more a scoundrel.

“Ejil’s bark worse than bite,” Noela retorted.

Says the werewolf.

When Ejil noticed me return, I showed him the dash tonic. His leer vanished. “Noela! I challenge you to another race!”

“However many, same winner.”

“Are you chicken?”

Noela shook her head, sighing. “This lout’s stubborn as a mule.”

Excuse me? Where’d my Noela go? Only femme fatales were allowed to say things like that, as far as I was concerned.

“Same terms as last time,” Ejil declared. “If I win, I can enjoy your tail all I want. All right?”

“Fine.”

It was finally time for me to speak up. “Noela, if you win, what do you want?”

“Um… Nothing need from Ejil, Master.” The fact that Noela didn’t want anything clearly showed how little she cared about him. “Winning brings me naught but emptiness,” she added.

She was basically saying it was lonely at the top… Did she have some kind of track record in the racing world?!

Noela pointed outside, signaling that it was time. Ejil nodded, his expression serious. “My prescription’s ready, isn’t it, Doctor?”

“Yup. Here.”

Ejil carefully took the dash tonic with both hands. “Thank you for this blessing,” he said, certain of victory.

It’s not really a “blessing.” Oh, whatever.

We relocated to the open field outside the drugstore and chose the starting and finish lines. Then Ejil put a hand on his hip and downed the dash tonic.

“Whew!” He wiped his mouth and tossed the bottle away. “The doctor made a brand new treatment to speed me up, Noela, so get ready to be wowed by my extraordinary speed! It’ll be so awestriking that you won’t be able to comprehend it.” The dash tonic made him talk a mile a minute.

He stretched and practiced his start frantically.

Noela, on the other hand, stood still and frowned at me. “Master took Ejil’s side.”

I stroked her head. “He’s doing his best. I figured I’d give him a chance.”

“Groo.” She scowled. It was adorable.

“Are you nervous about racing Ejil after he’s used my new product?” I asked.

“Not nervous.”

“If the race starts looking close…” I continued to whisper to her, reminding her that she had a trump card.

To Noela, though, my strategy might’ve sounded like surrendering. A troubled look crossed her face. “Arroo…”

“Just in case, okay?”

“Yeah…”

“Let’s do this, Noela, come on let’s go.” Ejil quickly positioned himself at the starting line and beckoned her.

“Champion. Race champion.” Noela stood beside him.

The demon king rapidly sniffed the air, trying to smell her.

Ew. That’s gross on a fundamental level.

I was in charge of starting the race and declaring the winner, so I moved to the finish line. “I’m going to throw this rock into the air. When it hits the ground, run.”

The competitors nodded.

“Let’s do this!”

I tossed the stone, and a couple of seconds later, it hit the ground.

Noela and Ejil began racing instantly. Noela’s steps were light, but Ejil moved astonishingly quickly.

“Amazing amazing amazing! The doctor’s new product is incredible! Noela, are you watching?!” Ejil just barely pulled ahead.

“Arroooo!” The gap between them widened. “Won’t lose!!!”

“Ga ha ha ha ha! My dear Noela!!! What’re you talking about?! You’re never catching up with me!!!” Ejil taunted her unreservedly, cackling.

Meeting Noela’s frustrated eyes, I nodded at her. It was time for our trump card.

She nodded back. “Garroo!”

Noela shone for a moment, then transformed into a wolf and sprinted with everything she had. “Arrooooo!!!”

Glancing back, Ejil made a buffoonish sound. “Gwah?!”

Despite her opponent’s confident taunts, Noela closed the distance between them immediately.

“Blaaaugh!” Ejil yelped, legs pumping rapidly as Noela virtually galloped next to him.

They were neck and neck, and Noela’s snout just barely crossed the finish line first. Her momentum carried her right into me, knocking me to the ground.

“Augh!”

“Groo?!” Noela exclaimed, transforming back.

Meanwhile, Ejil’s speed carried him right into a tree. “Hableeaaaugh?!?!?!” He toppled over, eyes darting about as he yelled, “Wh-who won, Doctor?!”

I got back to my feet and held Noela’s hand high. “Noela’s victorious!”

“Arroooo!” she cried. “Weakling relied on Master…but evil defeated!”

“I…I lost,” Ejil sighed. “Do what you will with me.”

Noela thought for a moment, then approached him and offered her hand. “Mm.”

Moved by the grunt, Ejil gawked at her. “What’s this, Noela…?”

“Handshake.”

She’d developed a sense of sportsmanship. It was incredible that she could forgive someone who resorted to cheating; she really had grown.

“You’re… You’re acknowledging me?” Ejil stood and picked leaves off his head, trying to look cool. “Very well. A handshake symbolizes friendship to humans, correct?”

“Mm.”

The pair clasped hands, and Ejil paused. The event taking place in front of me was delightful, yet something about his behavior was creepy somehow.

“I-I’m shaking Noela’s h-hand!” The demon king’s eyes reddened. He began to pant, clenching his fingers as if assessing the werewolf’s grip. “I’ll last five more decades on just these memories and feelings!”

Noela’s expression instantly contorted into revulsion. “Disgusting!” Squeezing Ejil’s hand, she hurled him with all her might.

He soared away once more. “NOELAAAAA!!!”

“This is why you’ll never get anywhere, Ejil,” I muttered.

“Work, Master.”

“Yeah, yeah.” It was time to leave that idiot and head back to the drugstore.

Ejil eventually reentered Kirio Drugs, sandy and covered in leaves. Noela’s reaction was icy as usual, but she began communicating as needed with him during shifts. She’d come to understand that that was sometimes necessary to do business.

Meanwhile, shaking Noela’s hand had only increased Ejil’s adoration. “I must say, Doctor, I love it when Noela’s so diabolically cold.”

I didn’t doubt that he’d reposition his entire army if she asked him to. He was as enamored as could be.

Chapter 6: The Regional Athletic Tournament (Part One)

Chapter 6:
The Regional Athletic Tournament (Part One)

 

“EJIL, BUDDY, the drugstore’s in your hands.”

“You can count on me!” Ejil saluted us as Noela and I left for town.

Flyers for the Valgases’ big tournament had been distributed all over, and now Kalta’s business association was gathering to choose the town’s representatives.

Entering the meeting hall, I found the same folks who recently teamed up to manufacture tents. They sat around a long table, striking their best “senior bureaucrat” poses. Each had a serious expression just unique enough that—if this’d been an anime—you’d assume an artist had copied and pasted a face on each one of them, making just slight changes on each.

“Hello!” someone greeted me.

“Hey.”

“What were you up to, Rei Rei?! You’re late!” cried Paula, the tool shop owner. Even she looked different, as though an artist had shaded her face more heavily than usual.

“My bad.” I found an open seat and sat down. Noela plopped down on my lap, since there were no other spots.

“Garroorrooo!” she sang. “Master’s lap!”

“I can’t see anything with your tail in front of me.” I managed to look around it, luckily.

“Now that the pharmacist’s here, we can start,” declared Paula, who was chairing the meeting. “I bet everyone got a flyer, so I’ll cut to the chase. We’re gonna win this thing!”

I assumed the tournament’s cash prizes were driving Paula. Lord Valgas was being much too generous; victory overall would yield a whopping three million rin.

No one seemed to object to Paula’s declaration. If anything, the group members nodded more seriously than ever.

“We need to pick reps for each event,” she continued. “Does anyone want to nominate somebody?”

The same flyer I’d found while opening the drugstore sat on the table. I took another look at it. There were five events total—a sprint, a relay, a barrel throw, a marksmanship competition, and one-on-one fights. This was more like the Olympics than a school sports meet.

To participate, representatives had to be somehow related to their region. They didn’t actually have to live there though, so that meant people like Vivi and Ejil were eligible.

As far as the sprint goes… “Can I recommend Noela as our sprinter?” All eyes fell on me as I spoke. “She’s a werewolf.” Noela looked pleased that I specified that, since the townspeople often called her a “pup.” “She can turn into a wolf, and in that form, she’s pretty dang fast.”

The folks at the table stirred.

“You know, Noela just might win us first place,” Paula agreed. “Any objections?” Everyone shook their heads. “All right! Noela will represent Kalta in the sprint!”

“Groo! Do best!” Noela’s tail wagged rapidly. “Watch close, Master!”

“You bet I will.” I patted her on the head.

Nominations for other events flew back and forth.

“For the barrel throw, how about Doz from the Red Cat Brigade?”

“Marksmanship has to be Kururu the elf, right?”

“He doesn’t live in Kalta, but he’s from the forest nearby. He ought to be eligible.”

“We should pick Annabelle to fight. She’s a woman, but she’s tough as nails.”

The group excitedly chose Kalta’s competitors one by one. A couple were from Kirio Drugs—Noela would pull double duty on the relay and sprint events, and Ejil would also run in the relay.

“If we win, I thought we’d spend the prize money on another town event,” said Paula. “What do you all say?”

Paula was super reliable when it came to organizing that kind of thing. Even though she was always swinging by the drugstore to hang out with my staff, she had good business sense.

The others nodded.

“Sounds like a plan,” one said. “We’ll get more out of investing the cash into tourism than splitting it up.”

“Indeed,” another agreed.

“Sound good to you, Rei Rei?”

“Totally. I’ll leave it in your capable hands.”

“I bet this whole competition will be a cinch if we use products from Kirio Drugs,” Paula said with an evil grin. Her glasses reflected the light, so I couldn’t see her eyes.

“Uh, that’s not happening, okay? We’re doing this legit. That’s my condition for my employees participating.”

“How come? Don’t you wanna win?”

“I just don’t want to cheat.”

“Awww…” Paula had clearly counted on the drugstore’s selection.

Noela, Kalta’s sprinter, snorted and puffed her chest out proudly. “Win big, Paula. Count on me.”

At that point, we chose back-up competitors for each event. After we finished, Noela, Paula, and I went to visit the Red Cat Brigade to tell them what we decided.

“Hey! What brings you here, Medicine God?”

“Stop with that nickname. Are Doz and Annabelle around?”

“They’re in a meeting room in the back. Lemme show you the way.”

The mercenary guided us straight there. Annabelle and Doz seemed surprised to see us.

“What is it, Pharmacist?”

“Well! If it ain’t Reiji, Wolfy, and that young lady from the tool shop.”

I cut straight to the chase. “Did you guys see that flyer for the tournament?”

“Yeah. What about it?”

“The business association met and chose both of you to represent Kalta. You’ll be in the barrel throw, Doz. And Annabelle, you’ll compete in the fight event.”

“Me? I get why you’d pick Doz, but I ain’t nothin’ special in a fight.”

“Er…no?” It sounded like we’d made the wrong choice.

“Now, Boss, stop bein’ so humble. Not one merc can hold his own against your Punishment Kick!”

Punishment Kick?

Paula grinned. “You just don’t get women, do you, Doz? Annabelle doesn’t want you calling her powerful in front of Rei Rei.”

“Th-that ain’t it at all…” Annabelle was practically whispering. She twisted her red hair around her index finger, refusing to look my way.

“Dang. The tool shop’s owner right on the mark, huh, Boss?” Doz turned back to us. “Anyway, expect big things from her!”

Annabelle kicked him. “Shut up!”

“Heh heh heh. My bad.” Doz seemed pleased.

“Um… Look, Pharmacist, don’t get your hopes up, all right? I’m tougher than average, but…”

“No worries,” I said, assuring Annabelle. “At the end of the day, this is pretty much a festival. Win or lose, it’s about having a good time.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

Noela was watching the two of us. “Red’s face red,” she pointed out quickly.

“Hush up. It ain’t. Not at all!”

“Noela’s totally right,” Paula interjected.

“Wha—?!” Annabelle protested, a threatening look in her eyes.

“That’s three competitors locked down. I can’t wait for this tournament, Rei Rei!” Lost in her greed, Paula let out an off-putting laugh.

Chapter 7: The Regional Athletic Tournament (Part Two)

Chapter 7:
The Regional Athletic Tournament (Part Two)

 

TODAY WAS THE DAY of the tournament.

“Everyone ready?” asked Mina. She wore a wide-brimmed hat and held a basket of lunches that were made that morning.

The drugstore employees—Ejil, Vivi, and Noela—were ready to rock and roll. I’d heard Noela rustling around that morning, apparently helping Mina make lunch in secret. She could be such a cute little fluffball.

We headed for the plains in the center of the region where the competition would be held.

“What kinds of things do people do at an athletic tournament?” Vivi hadn’t heard.

“Well, this region’s citizens will compete in a bunch of challenges,” I explained.

“Noela and I are running the relay,” Ejil added. “We’ll blow the competition away. Right, Noela?”

I’d told Ejil that fast guys were popular with girls. He had taken that to heart and trained up a storm—practicing his starts, strength-building for speed—all to draw Noela’s attention.

“No lose to anyone,” Noela confirmed.

“Good luck, Noela!”

“Groo!”

Nearing the tournament grounds, we saw representatives from the region’s towns and villages, along with their cheer squads.

“Heh heh… Foolish humans! Quiver before the overwhelming speed of Noela and myself! Bah ha ha ha!!!” Ejil cackled.

The attendees shot him cold stares. People outside Kalta weren’t used to Ejil’s behavior—to them, he was just some edgelord.

“Hey,” I warned him. “Quiet down.”

We figured out where Kalta’s residents had gathered. As we made our way there, Paula came over.

“Hey, drugstore team. How’re you all doing?” She was drenched in sweat.

“What’s up?” I asked. “You helping with prep?”

“No. Well, um… Ha ha! Don’t mind me.”

What’s she hiding?

“Feel free to take a load off till the events start. See you later!” And with that, Paula hurried away.

Townsfolk began chatting with Ejil and Noela, Kalta’s relay reps.

“Sir Reiji!!! Noela!!!” someone called.

Across the clearing, I spotted Elaine and her parents sitting in extravagant chairs under a giant parasol their servants had set up. That was apparently the athletic tournament’s “headquarters.”

“Noela!” Elaine called again. “Good luck!!!”

“Garroooo!” Noela waved and wagged her tail. I waved to the Valgases as well. A handful of butlers near their chairs were discussing something with serious expressions on their faces. I wondered what they were up to.

Suddenly, one raised a large placard and read loudly, “The current odds! Filden’s the most popular bet, at 2.4—”

Ah. People were gambling over who’d win the events.

As he read odds for each town, I didn’t hear the butler mention Kalta.

“And at number eight—last place—Kalta, with odds of 68.5!”

We were the least popular bet. The seventh town’s odds had beenfifteen to one, so nobody expected anything of us. I overheard townsfolk beside us discussing our chances.

“Oh well. We haven’t got adventurers in Kalta, after all.”

“If only we did!”

“Uh-huh. There ain’t much we can say about the odds.”

Other towns and villages had chosen current and former adventurers—or just folks confident in their strength—as competitors. But as far as Kalta’s odds went, I suspected Paula was up to something.

“What’d that announcement mean, Reiji?” Vivi had no experience with any of this. Noela and Mina seemed confused too, and they waited for my answer.

“Basically, if you bet a hundred rin on Kalta, you’d get a 6,850-rin prize if Kalta came first.”

The girls had never gambled before, so that sounded extremely exciting.

Vivi gasped. “Y-you’d win that much?!”

“Th-that’s amazing!” Mina cried.

“Garoo!” exclaimed Noela. “Win jackpot!”

“That’s only if Kalta comes first though. If we placed second or worse, you wouldn’t win any cash whatsoever. People are favoring other towns, and lots of them think we’ve got no chance.”

Noela caught on to what I meant. “Kalta dismissed!” she declared, then stewed quietly.

“How can the gamblers ignore the fact that I threw in my lot with Kalta?!” Ejil demanded. “Hmph! Noela and I shall force these foolish humans to see the error of their ways!”

Ejil, unlike Noela, generally ran at the speed you’d expect, given his apparent age. He’d hold her back, if anything. I could totally see that creating even more tension between them.

“I’m betting what little I have—500 rin—on us!” said Vivi, coin purse in hand. She turned toward the competition headquarters.

“Uh, hold your horses,” I interjected. “If you’re using your hard-earned money, at least limit yourself to a hundred rin.”

“Wha…? But 500 rin’s five times more than 100, Reiji!”

“Think about what’ll happen if you lose. None of that money will come back.”

“Fiiine,” Vivi replied, not exactly swayed by my explanation. She trotted toward the Valgases’s fancy seats.

At that point, Lord Valgas stood and loudly cleared his throat. “Thank you for gathering, good citizens! Today, we’ll hold a grand athletic tournament to test your mettle! Should you lose, don’t bear those who defeated you a grudge. Should you win, remain humble. Enjoy yourselves!”

The attendees—including me and the drugstore team—burst into applause and cheers.

Remain humble, huh?Not bad advice for nobility.

“The first event will be the sprint!” Valgas announced.

Noela snorted in excitement. “Master!”

“Yup. Go knock ’em dead, Noela!”

“Arroo!”

“Good luck!” Mina chimed.

“My eyes will be glued to you.” Ejil sounded like a stalker.

The butler conducting things told the sprinters where to gather.

“It time,” muttered Noela.

I saw her off, then heard heavy footsteps nearby.

“Reiji, man!”

“Hey, Doz. What’s up? You don’t look so hot.”

“It’s the boss. She…she…” His shoulders shuddered.

“What happened to Annabelle?!”

“Something happened to the Red Cat Brigade’s captain?!” Vivi echoed as she returned.

Doz shook his head. “She…she can’t come today!”

Crap. Had Annabelle gotten caught in a trap designed to knock Kalta out of the tournament? Somebody might’ve heard that she was our fighter. People were gambling; if someone used underhanded tactics to win, it wouldn’t be that unexpected. “Don’t tell me another town messed with her.”

“Nah. She was gonna bring a homemade lunch, but you know the boss—she’s real clumsy sometimes. When she tried her food…” Doz mimed an explosion, then started guffawing at the memory of what happened.

“A…homemade lunch?” There hadn’t been a conspiracy to screw Kalta over. Annabelle basically shot herself in the foot instead.

“Thank goodness she’ll be fine, eh? Ha ha ha!”

I laughed alongside Doz before snapping back to ­reality. “Wait. This is bad! We need a substitute!”

“Yeah. That’s why I hurried here from town.”

“Hey! Paula!”

I found the tool shop owner wandering around. “What’s up, Rei Rei?”

“Er, well…” Pulling her aside, I repeated Doz’s explanation.

Paula trembled and clutched her head. I saw despair on her face. “Wh-what?! Annabelle can’t compete?! I bet all my cash on our competitors!”

“Why in the world would you do that?” I asked, exasperated.

At that point, Paula admitted what she’d been up to till a moment earlier. “I’m running a negative publicity campaign so Kalta will sound like a long shot. Everyone’s falling for it—they’re betting on other towns! Now all my hard work will go to waste. Dang it!”

That’s really why she was so sweaty?

Paula vented her anger. “Why the heck did Annabelle make lunch?!” she screeched, stomping her feet. “To show off for Rei Rei?! Jeez—you can’t beat Mina at homemaking! Leave that to her! Don’t bother doing stuff you’re bad at! Are you freaking kidding me?! I’m ruined!”

All I can say is, it’s Paula’s own fault. Her panic didn’t affect anyone; the other business association members watched in silence, used to the tool shop owner’s habits.

“Anyway,” I continued, “We can either withdraw or get a substitute.”

“Obviously the latter, dang it!” Paula snapped.

“We need to figure out who, then.”

“No worries. I already picked someone.”

Who was she talking about? Someone in the Red Cat Brigade? I glanced at the other business association members. Nobody seemed to know.

“Someone who could go toe to toe with even Anna­belle,” continued Paula. “Her one and only rival.”

She pointed at Mina, who was sipping tea with Vivi. A peaceful aura surrounded them as they picnicked in their own serene world.

“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Noela won first place?” Mina asked.

“Uh-huh!”

Oh, no. “No, no way. Not Mina.”

“Hey, my eyes are sharp, and they tell me she’s good to go!”

“She’s not! Not at all!” Mina had probably never trained in any kind of combat. Her physical “training” experience consisted of dieting, and that was about it.

Mina heard us yelling. “Is something wrong?”

“Mina, darling, that bumbling Annabelle’s AWOL today!” cried Paula. “I want you to replace her in the combat event!”

“Wha—?!” Mina gaped. Of course she reacted that way; none of us believed she was fit for the role.

“I’m not asking you to win. You just gotta get third place!” With bloodshot eyes, Paula grabbed Mina’s shoulders and pressured the ghost girl.

“Um…as I recall, the town in third place will still earn points, won’t it?” Mina asked uncertainly.

“Exactly! And if Kalta doesn’t win overall, I’m dead!”

“D-dead…?”

“Mina, you don’t need to take her seriously. She brought this on herself.” I tried to give her an out.

“If Kalta loses, I’ll have to sell my body. I know Rei Rei’s excited about that.” Paula’s eyes were dead.

“Like hell I am!” I snapped back.

“If it comes to that though, please request me. I promise to give you a good time.”

“Mr. Reiji!” Mina stared at me as if I were scum.

“What’d I do to deserve that glare of yours?”

“Are you looking forward to requesting Paula?!”

“No! And for the record, you wouldn’t want to compete in some dangerous fighting event!”

“No, but Paula needs my help! I’d like to do what I can for her.”

“You’re an angel, Mina!” Paula latched on to her.

Mina stroked Paula’s head gently. Her maternal instincts were activating in the worst way.

Regardless, I truly wanted to stop her from assuming the worst of me. “Fine. I’ll do what I can to help too.”

“Thank you, Mr. Reiji!”

“Thanks, Rei Rei!”

Jeez. Scratching my head, I rummaged through my bag. I brought some potentially useful products with me today, but would any help with this?

My bag contained stomach medicine, icy gel which lowered your temperature and prevented heatstroke, and potions for healing wounds. Besides those, all I had was sunscreen… And some black potions to drink after meals.

Image - 08

I pulled everything out of my bag. There were a couple of other things I brought too, but I hadn’t intended to use them.If I did, they would assure our victory—but however you looked at it, it would count as doping. On the other hand, letting Paula continue messing with Mina wasn’t my idea of a good time. Avoiding that was my top priority here. Besides, I doubted the tournament’s outcome would hinge on Mina’s combat event. Depending how other events went, her winning first place might be no help.

“Ready for Operation Float Like a Butterfly, Mina?”

“Of course!” She was brimming with determination to save Paula.

“That’s what I like to hear.”

Chapter 8: The Regional Athletic Tournament (Part Three)

Chapter 8:
The Regional Athletic Tournament (Part Three)

 

“MASTER!” Noela called from the starting line.

I waved. “Good luck, Noela!”

“Noela, honey, you gotta win first place!” Paula yelped, displaying her desperation to everyone. “I calculated that you should be able to!!!”

“Groo!”

“Our sprinters have taken their starting positions,” declared the butler providing commentary. “So, Noela from Kalta is the favorite to win this, milady?”

“Noela’s leg strength exceeds the other competitors’, since she’s a werewolf,” Elaine explained confidently.

“According to the rules, however, she must start the sprint in human form. Will that affect her performance?”

“Noela’s much shorter than the other sprinters. Running in human form, she’ll be at a major disadvantage. The timing of when she transforms will affect her chance of winning greatly. On the other hand, it’ll be key for her opponents to pull ahead before she transforms.”

“Well, this event’s full of excellent runners!” the butler concluded. “Will there be any upsets?!”

Noela hopped up and down, shaking out her arms and legs.

The butler at the finish line raised a small flag, signaling that preparations were complete. The air in the venue became tense as the sprinters took their positions. The butler at the starting line raised his flag, and the crowd quieted, waiting for the starting signal.

“On your mark! Get set…!”

The second the butler lowered his flag, most of the competitors began to dash. Only Noela missed the signal and started late. The race was a hundred meters, so a mistake like that would be costly.

“Arroooo!” Noela was doing her best, but the other runners were men. Their strides were much longer than hers. She pushed herself to go faster but just couldn’t close the distance. “Groo!” She decided to use her trump card; her body glowed brightly, and a silver wolf appeared in her stead. The audience stirred as Noela picked up speed on all fours.

Eventually, the tape at the finish line broke. The crowd let out cheers. It looked like Noela had come in first, although not by a lot.

“In first place, Wolon’s sprinter! In second place, Kalta!”

Huh? “I could’ve sworn Noela came in first,” I told Paula.

“Likewise.”

“Agreed,” Ejil said. “Shall I turn back time, Doctor?”

Can he really do that…? “Please don’t casually suggest something that outrageous.”

We were all confused by the outcome—maybe due to our viewing angle. As Wolon’s townspeople cheered happily in their section, Noela returned, depressed. “Lost, Master.”

“Yeah, but you were great out there.”

“Groo… Tried hardest.”

“That’s all that matters.” I stroked her head, then turned to see Paula angrily grinding her teeth.

“I knew it! They definitely did it. Those bastards.” She was glaring at the group from Wolon.

What’s she talking about?

“I’m gonna expose them.” After that unsettling whisper, Paula vanished.

“The next event’s barrel throwing!” the butler declared. “Competitors, please gather in the designated spot.”

That was Doz’s event. “I’m off!” he said in his deep, hearty voice. His massive frame strolled toward the event area.

That was the one event that relied solely on power. In the end, Kalta didn’t get any points. Wolon placed first again, and Doz placed fourth. Still, barrel throwing turned out to be just as exciting as the sprint. Even empty barrels were pretty heavy, and witnessing such a mass of muscleheads tossing them dozens of meters was a sight to behold.

“Groo. Macho!” Noela exclaimed.

“I could toss barrels as well if magic were allowed, Noela,” Ejil piped up.

“No cheat.”

“I know…”

Next was marksmanship, so it was Kururu’s time to shine.

“It’s finally time to show you how manly I can be, Reiji baby,” he called.

He did his best to show off to me but landed in last place thanks to the wind. As the judges on the archery range told him his results, Kururu came off as cool and manly. Still, he looked utterly defeated as he returned to the group from Kalta. His nose was running a bit.

The first half of the competition was over, and it was time for lunch. As the drugstore team ate the lunches Mina and Noela prepared, Paula ran over in a huff.

“Rei Rei! Rei Rei! They’re up to no damn good!”

“What? Calm down. What do you mean?”

“Those Wolon jerks paid off the judges!” Paula’s brow furrowed.

“I…totally forgot that was an option.”

“Hey! It’s not!” She explained that, while hidden in the shadows, she spotted Wolon’s mayor bribe several butlers to make calls favoring that town.

“Heh heh heh… Fine! Time to show them that there’s a competitor they can’t defeat by cheating!” Ejil snapped his cape heroically.

I just wished he’d wiped the rice off his mouth before trying to act cool.

“Revenge,” Noela agreed. “No lose.”

“Good luck, Noela, Ejil!” Mina said warmly.

“Mina, shouldn’t you get ready for the combat event?” I pointed out.

“Oh! Right!” She clapped as if she’d forgotten something simple, like bringing in laundry.

Concern was written all over Vivi’s face. “Will she be all right?”

“She’ll win,” I replied.

“Really?” Vivi said skeptically.

Instead of weapons, the fighters in the mixed martial arts-style combat event would have to use strikes, holds, and pins—exactly the kind of thing Mina didn’t normally shine at. Products from the drugstore would give her more than a chance of winning though. I felt better about her using them now that we knew Wolon was bribing judges.

That afternoon, the butler announced the relay race. Noela would anchor the Kalta team, while Ejil would run third. They were both more than pumped.

The race began, and Kalta was in fifth place when our second runner passed Ejil the baton.

“Bwa ha ha ha! Prostrate yourselves before my power, foolish humans!” The demon king was quick on his feet—until he tripped over himself.

Smash!!!

In the end, he prostrated himself, to Noela’s surprise. “Groo?!”

Kalta residents’ voices and sighs washed over us. “Ah… It’s over,” one mumbled.

“Heh heh heh…! Urrrgh…”

I-Is Ejil in tears?!

Although he was half weeping, Ejil managed to pass Noela the baton. She did her best to catch up from last place, and while Kalta didn’t come in first, we managed to end up in third.

“I can’t believe I took a misstep like that! I-I’m so ashamed…” Ejil trembled, enraged with himself.

Noela patted his shoulder.

“Noela…?”

“If no trip, no run hardest. Ejil run hard.”

Ah. For once, she was saying something inspiring.

“Does that mean you love me…?” Ejil breathed.

“No.” Still, her words rejuvenated Ejil.

Meanwhile, Paula gnawed her handkerchief, sensing doom closing in. I couldn’t tell from her uncanny facial expression whether she wanted to scream with rage or sob.

Vivi glanced at the scoreboard. “All that’s left is Mina’s event. Kalta definitely can’t come in first overall anymore. Betting a hundred rin was the right move, Reiji.”

Wolon was in the lead. Thanks to their bribes, they’d won every event so far.

Chapter 9: The Regional Athletic Tournament (Part Four)

Chapter 9:
The Regional Athletic Tournament (Part Four)

 

“AHEM!” Lord Valgas cleared his throat loudly, drawing attention to himself. “Time for the final event everyone’s been looking forward to—combat! And guess what? First place will receive one hundred times the usual points!”

The sudden change to the scoring reminded me of an old variety show. Now, whichever town won the combat event would come away with victory overall, regardless of how the tournament had unfolded before this.

Residents of villages nowhere near first place cheered; those whose towns were already in the running booed. Wolon’s citizens, in particular, didn’t seem even remotely pleased.

Valgas remained unfazed. “Forgive me, but I organized the tournament, so I make the rules! If you keep booing, I suppose there’ll be no cash prize.” The crowd was totally riling him up, but once he became petulant, the boos quickly subsided.

When it came to this tournament, Valgas was basically a god. But to be honest, I was thankful for the second chance.

“Give this to Mina, Rei Rei. It should help her.” Paula handed me a paper bag.

Glancing inside, I saw sportswear for the fight. “Got it.” I turned to Mina. “Let’s have a strategy meeting,” I suggested, pulling her aside.

Workers in the center of the venue were erecting the combat ring. It’d be ready in about twenty minutes. The competitors had gathered in the meantime. They were all brawny men.

“The other fighters are male, Mr. Reiji,” Mina said anxiously.

“I know,” I said. “I thought I’d be okay with Kalta losing—but now that I know Wolon bribed the judges, I’ve changed my mind.”

“Agreed.”

“Here,” I said, handing Mina the bag. “Paula brought you an outfit.”

Mina glanced around for a changing booth. Spotting one, she went in and closed the curtain. After a moment, she called, “M-Mr. Reiji? Is this really all right…?”

I turned. Mina had emerged from behind the curtain. The “sportswear” from Paula was a bikini—one consisting of so little fabric that I couldn’t look at Mina directly.

“I-I feel so exposed…” Mina blushed. As her arms tried to cover her torso, her hips twisted from side to side, making the outfit look even sexier.

“Hey,” I said. “There’s a note in the bag.” I unfolded the paper, turning it so Mina could read it too.

The note was short. “These are victory duds! In other words, clothes to bring out your skills! They’ll lead you to a win!”

“Skills”? I think Paula meant “charms.” Paula wasn’t wrong that the outfit enhanced those.

“You could…probably just wear your normal clothes,” I offered.

“No! Paula went out of her way to get these. And if they raise my chance of winning even a little…”

Would they? Absolutely. We lived in a vast world, butno man could gaze steadily at a sexily dressed warrior like Mina. “If you feel that strongly, I’ll leave it up to you,” I said.

As I helped Mina put on a robe and boxing gloves, cheers came from the venue, signaling that the ring was ready.

Each fighter was introduced with their own over-the-top catchphrase, and just like that, the first, second, and third matches blew by. According to the tournament bracket, Mina’s match would be fourth.

Amidst the cheering, Mina quietly punched her fists together in wait.

“It’s about time you take these, Mina.” I handed her two drugstore products.

“Right,” she replied, and then she drank them both.

“Wolon might’ve rigged this event too. We have to make your victory clear as day.”

“I’ll need to crush my opponent, won’t I?”

“Exactly!”

At that point, the announcer called the fourth-round competitors up to the stage. “Onward to the next battle! In the red corner, from the town of Rockzen, the man said to have strangled a bear—Howwwwaaaaard!!!!”

“Roooaaaaarr!!!” Howling like a wild animal, a large man entered the ring.

“In the blue corner, Kalta’s fighter earns full points on chores and charm! A young lady anyone would love to call ‘Mommy’! It’s Miiinaaaaa!!!”

I patted her back and led her toward the ring.

“I’m off, Mr. Reiji!”

“Hell yeah!”

Mina took off her robe as she entered the ring, letting the crowd gaze at her revealing bikini. “I-I’m so glad I dieted before this!” she exclaimed as a sense of confused admiration washed over the onlookers.

I could imagine that she’d want to look fit in front of so many people. Wait. Why isn’t she more concerned about how revealing that bikini is?!

Mina and Howard faced each other. As the referee explained the rules, Howard’s eyes wandered between the referee and Mina’s body. Even the ref tripped over his words at times, despite having no such issues during previous matches. The two were probably flustered to see Mina in her full “fighting costume.”

Meanwhile, an aggressive aura was coming off Mina. The drugstore treatments seemed to be affecting her oddly—maybe it was because she took both of them at once.

“One round! No time limit! Fight!” The ref stepped back, and the match began.

“It’s no good fightin’ in an outfit that exposes so much, young lady,” Howard warned Mina. “While we’re grappling… Well… Heh heh.” He already had lewd things on his mind.

“Do you truly think you’ll lay a finger on me?” Mina snapped.

The two had yet to exchange blows, and the ref issued a warning. “No talking in the middle of a match! I want to see your breast performance! Fight!”

I think he means “best performance” there…

It was clear as day where the ref was looking. I didn’t realize the bikini would work this well on men.

“Here I come!” Howard lunged forward, prepared to wrestle Mina to the ground. “Got you!!!” he cried, but it was premature. She evaded him far more quickly than I thought—likely because I had her drink the dash tonic.

Howard wound up leaping onto the mat all on his own. “Wh-what?! She’s gone!”

“You tackled my afterimage,” Mina told him.

Wait… Seriously?!

“Well, I’m gonna get you this time—and gonna cop a feel too!” Howard’s objective hadn’t changed a bit. He charged Mina again.

She dodged gracefully, then… “Hiyaah!!!”

Kaboom!!!

It was as if someone had fired a massive cannon. Howard was now sprawled flat on his back, eyes rolling back in his head.

“She downed the bear strangler with one counterattack!” someone cried.

“A single move!”

Yeah—thanks to that Strength Up she drank.

The ref confirmed that Howard was unconscious and then raised Mina’s arm. “The winner! Tits—er, it’s Miiiinnnaaaa!!!”

The crowd stirred, and Kalta’s townspeople cheered loudly…but I heard more than a few women in the crowd yell at the perverted ref to drop dead.

Chapter 10: The Regional Athletic Tournament (Part Five)

Chapter 10:
The Regional Athletic Tournament (Part Five)

 

ALTHOUGH SHE’D BEEN declared the victor, Mina stayed in the ring. The combined dash tonic and Strength Up had driven her over the edge, and she began taunting the other competitors.

“I bet you three are as weak as that guy! I’ll take you all on at once. Come at me!”

The trio approached angrily from the waiting area.

“Heh heh heh! You really think you can beat us all at once?”

“We ain’t goin’ easy on you, you damn vixen!”

Mina stood her ground and beckoned them toward the ring. “I can crush you all in ten seconds!” she declared, raising her pointer finger.

Having beaten Howard, Mina was totally confident in her abilities. She cocked an eyebrow at her opponents, her usually gentle air had completely transformed into a lethal aura. There was no stopping Mina the berserker.

How could this have happened? Mina seemed especially vulnerable to my products’ effects. She’d changed into a fashionista at one point, and even before that, drugstore treatments had brought out worrying sides of her personality.

I noticed Noela and Vivi holding each other, quivering at the sight.

“Come at me, you guys!!!” Mina shrieked.

“Groaaaaaaah!!!” the trio bellowed back at her.

They took the ring to face off with Mina. She kept her word, delivering a heavy punch to each man.

She clocked one square in the face, which sent him flying. “Blaaugh!”

She struck another right in the belly. He doubled over, then fell to his knees, dazed. “Bfoo!”

The third took Mina’s punch directly in the jaw. He fell face down, eyes rolling backward. “Blrrrghaar!”

“One more!!!” Mina screeched.

Er, but all three are down already…

Then, I realized Mina the berserker’s eyes were locked onto the referee.

“Um…I’m just a referee…”

“Get over here!!!” Mina rushed him, delivering a flurry of punches.

“Gaauuugh!”

The ref honestly got the worst of all the guys in the ring. It was more or less deserved though, considering the lewd looks he was giving Mina throughout the whole thing.

When no one else could stand, Mina raised her fist into the air. Passionate cheers erupted from the crowd. They had reached a boiling point.

“Y-your winner!” the commentator stammered. “Forget calling her ‘Mommy’—she’s m-more like the demon of Kalta!”

Well said.

Thanks to Mina the berserker, Kalta won the first regional athletic tournament.

 

***

 

That night, Paula and the Kirio Drugs team ate dinner at our house.

Mina apparently didn’t remember much of her turn as a berserker once we left the tournament.

“Whenever someone looked at me, they gave me a fake-looking smile and backed away,” she recalled, tilting her head in confusion. When we pressed her, she said she couldn’t remember past defeating Howard. “What happened?”

We were all quiet for a moment.

“W-well, uh, you were a real lifesaver! I won a bundle of money thanks to you!” Paula told her with a wooden smile. “Though…I suppose that barely compares to the actual prize money. Ha ha…” She stared into the distance.

Paula had mentioned betting her savings on the tournament, but it apparently wasn’t much overall. And the business association would use Kalta’s prize money to fund more town events, as Paula had suggested.

“Mina’s outfit lewd,” Noela told her.

“P-Paula gave me those clothes!” Mina protested.

“Either way, you were awesome!” Vivi interjected. “You beat up those perverts like they were nothing!”

I guess that’s how things looked to Vivi.

“I didn’t expect you to knock the referee out too,” Ejil chuckled.

“Serves him right,” shrugged Paula. “He was one of those refs Wolon bribed.”

He also ogled Mina’s breasts throughout the match. He deserved way worse than a single punch.

“How’d you get her like that, Doctor?” Ejil whispered.

“She just took Strength Up and dash tonic together. There shouldn’t have been any weird side effects, but…”

“You basically cast ‘last stand’ magic,” Ejil informed me.

“Those products aren’t magic…but explain.”

“You only use ‘last stand’ spells as a last resort when fighting alone on a battlefield. They eat away at your life force and magic power, but they grant unimaginable skills in exchange.”

“I don’t think I created anything that scary.”

“Imagine positioning a soldier who consumed those two products in the middle of enemy territory,” Ejil continued. “They’d go berserk and attack indiscriminately!”

I understood what he was getting at, but it would only work if the area was clear of allies since the berserker would target them too. “That’s not what I made those products for.”

“It isn’t? How unfortunate. I’d love to issue that combination to my army.”

“Well, I’m not bundling or combining them. Even if I did, I wouldn’t sell you any.”

During the combat event, Mina had been in something of a trance. She wasn’t at all vicious naturally, but she took a kind of pleasure in defeating opponents in front of a crowd. That excitement built up inside her until she totally flipped out. At least, that was my theory. I explained as much to Noela and the others when we left, which luckily kept them from feeling scared of her.

After we finished dinner, Vivi and Ejil left, and Noela fell asleep on the couch.

“Well, I’ll head home too,” said Paula. “I really owe you one. I wouldn’t mind letting you give me a—”

“What the hell are you trying to suggest?” I had a feeling she’d back off if I interrupted.

“N-nothing! See you!” Paula fled the premises.

Why was she so panicked?

“What did Paula mean by that?” Behind me, Mina once again exuded a violent aura. No wonder the tool shop owner ran off.

“Who knows.”

“You mustn’t be inappropriate, Mr. Reiji,” said Mina.

I didn’t want to hear that from her, of all people.

Chapter 11: Noela’s Big Adventure

Chapter 11:
Noela’s Big Adventure

 

ONE DAY, while Noela was on drugstore duty, Reiji headed to the lab to restock inventory as always. On that day, however, he was taking an extra-­long time.

“Groo? Master?” the werewolf called out from behind the counter, but there was no reply.

Noela cocked her head. Then, since it didn’t seem like a customer would come in anytime soon, she headed for the lab.

Outside the door, she heard Reiji talking to himself. “Right—I’m out of tsukuyomi grass. And I haven’t got anything to substitute. Hmm…”

Tsukuyomi grass was a stonecrop that grew in the woods. Since Noela had helped Reiji harvest it many times, something occurred to her. “Arroo…”

Noela surmised that Reiji saw her as one of the drugstore’s more unreliable employees. He scolded her often and always chastised her for constantly quarreling with Ejil. Noela felt that most of those quarrels were Ejil’s fault. Still, she did cause Reiji trouble.

But if she could get some tsukuyomi grass in secret and hand it to him…

“Here, Master.”

“Huh? Tsukuyomi grass? Where’d you get this?!”

“Groo. Secret.”

“Amazing, Noela! How thoughtful!”

She could see it now.

“Garroorrrooo!” Noela wagged her tail in excitement, nodding confidently at her idea.

While applying Bye-Bye Bug Queen to get ready, however, she stopped in her tracks.

“Groo…?”

Mina was shopping, Vivi and Ejil had the day off, and Reiji was in the lab. If Noela left, there’d be no one to watch the store.

“Groo…” She began to think.

That was when Ejil showed up, despite not having a shift. His hands were behind his back, hiding something. “Are you alone today, Noela?”

Sniffing the air, Noela realized he was carrying flowers. “Groo. Alone.”

“Here! For you!” The demon king presented her with a single rose.

“No need.”

“Wha—?!” Shaken to his core, Ejil sniffled on one knee. “But… Um… I-I went out of my way to pick that wild rose, despite being strapped for time… And…”

Ejil wasn’t working today, Noela remembered. If she asked him to harvest tsukuyomi grass and claimed she gathered it herself, no one would know she was fibbing.

“Groo…!” Noela quickly devised a plan to take full credit—but after a few moments, her conscience rejected it. She didn’t want to cheat; she wanted Reiji to praise her for working hard. “Ejil? Watch store, please?” she asked.

“You’re finally asking for my help, Noela?! Heh heh heh! That’s going to cost you…”

Noela didn’t want to owe him any favors. Still, a chance like this likely wouldn’t come again. The drugstore rarely ran out of ingredients completely—her master was usually on top of things.

“So, er, where do you plan to go?” Ejil inquired.

“Tsukuyomi grass. Master ran out.”

“Ran out? That’s unusual.”

“Noela go get.”

“I see. How about I gather it for you?”

“Groo?!” Noela stiffened, realizing Ejil apparently had the same idea she did.

Although Ejil struggled to deal with customers, he was good at almost everything else, and Reiji was fond of him. If he gathered the tsukuyomi grass and presented it to her master, he’d curry even more favor.

“No. Noela go alone. Watch store, please.”

“Hunh. All right.”

“Thank you. Big help.” Noela resumed applying the Bye-Bye Bug Queen to herself. No insects would bother her on this trip to the woods.

“Does this mean you’ve fallen in love with me, Noela?”

“No.” With that, she pulled on her backpack and left the store, then led Griffy out of its stable.

“Kyuu kyuu?” Griffy seemed to be asking where she wanted to go.

“Try hard. Help Master,” she explained.

“Kyuuuuu!” Griffy replied, as if it thought that was a great idea.

Noela got onto the griffin’s back. Just as they were about to lift off, Ejil careened out of the drugstore. “Noela! Just a sec!” he called. “Uh…I just realized. Won’t the doctor wonder why I’m watching the store instead of you?”

Noela hesitated, recognizing that he had a point. The demon king’s ability to think ahead was part of the reason Reiji valued him so highly. “Say went to bathroom.”

Ejil caught on rapidly. “Got it! I’ll do my best to fool him!”

“Groo.” Noela patted Griffy’s neck, signaling to the creature to move. Griffy burst into a sprint, spreading its wings wide while Ejil waved them off.

“Master pleased!” Noela wagged her tail happily.

Griffy beat its wings. “Kyuu!”

Given Griffy’s speed, reaching the usual foraging spot only took about thirty minutes. Noela had the griffin touch down as they neared her destination. There, she trotted about to and fro.

“Garroo! Roo roo roo! Master, roo roo! Happy grassy!” she sang. “Garrooroo…roo…?”

Reiji had said tsukuyomi grass grew year-round since it was a stonecrop. However, Noela had yet to spot any, even though she scrutinized the ground as she walked.

At that point, she recalled something Reiji told her the last time they’d come here. “We’ve pulled up all the grass nearby. Next time, we’ll need to find a new spot.”

“No grass?!”

Noela couldn’t afford to go home empty-handed. If she did, Reiji would think she made Ejil cover her shift while she played hooky. Instead of praising her, he’d scold her!

After changing locations, Noela brought Griffy to search with her. “Look together, Griffy!”

“Kyuu!”

There were medicinal herbs in parts of the field, but no tsukuyomi grass.

“Nothing,” Noela sighed.

“Kyuu…”

The werewolf tried to use her keen sense of smell to find the grass, but the scents of everything in the area mixed together. It didn’t help that tsukuyomi grass didn’t have a strong scent on its own either.

She’d already been searching for far longer than the half hour she initially planned, and Ejil was probably starting to wonder about her.

About to give up, Noela heaved an uncharacteristic sigh, but then she happened to notice a single fawn lying in the field. Creatures like deer tended to flee from Noela, recognizing that she was a type of wolf, but this fawn was different. As it raised its head, it met her gaze, but it didn’t attempt to flee.

“Groo…?” Curious, Noela approached the fawn and discovered that it had injured its leg. It had tried to run off, although she hadn’t realized it.

Noela suddenly came up with an idea. Rummaging through her bag, she pulled out a potion she brought along for when she got thirsty. “Here,” she told the scared fawn. “Master save Noela with this.”

She opened the bottle, then held the scared fawn’s head still and opened its mouth. Slowly, Noela poured some potion down the young deer’s throat. Its injury visibly healed, and Noela finished off potion when the deer was done.

“Kyuu! Kyuu!” Griffy seemed delighted that Noela had helped the fawn.

The baby deer rose slowly to its feet as if nothing had happened. It started to dash away, then stopped to turn and look at Noela. She waved, and the fawn stared at her for a moment. It looked forward, then back at her again, as though saying, “Come with me.” Noela didn’t know for sure; she couldn’t communicate with the fawn the way she could with Griffy.

The werewolf and griffin approached the fawn slowly so as not to frighten it. Once they were a specific distance away, the fawn bolted off for a bit, and then stopped again to wait for them. It repeated that process until the unusual trio came across a creek. Its water clearly drew lots of animals and monsters there—their tracks were all over.

“Groo!” At the edge of the creek, Noela spotted a patch of tsukuyomi grass. “Garroo!”

Wagging her tail excitedly, she harvested the usual amount she and Reiji would get. Reiji had warned her before against taking more than necessary.

“If you pick too much, we have to wait for more to grow. Plus, there’s no guarantee we can use it all.”

Noela remembered thinking that her master was so smart when he said that.

The fawn watched Noela harvest the grass. “Thanks,” the girl said to the deer.

The creature’s tiny ears twitched a bit, as if saying, “You’re welcome.”

An older deer—perhaps the fawn’s mother—appeared from the brush; the fawn nuzzled it. The pair glanced at Noela, then vanished.

“Acted like Master.” Noela lifted her chin, proud.

“Kyuu?” Griffy chirped, eyes wide, as though asking what she meant.

“Home, Griffy. Ejil still working.”

“Kyuu.”

Noela pulled on her now-stuffed-with-grass knapsack, climbed atop Griffy, and flew back to the drugstore. There, she found Reiji grilling Ejil.

“Uh, what happened to Noela?”

“Er…I didn’t do a thing to her, I swear.”

“You totally did.”

“No, I’m serious!” Ejil protested.

“Your earnest eyes make that claim even scarier,” said Reiji.

As they spoke, the pair noticed Noela.

“Ah!” exclaimed Ejil. “Welcome back!”

“Where’d you get off to?” Reiji demanded.

Noela presented him with her backpack. “Gathered this, Master!”

“What’s… Whoa! Tsukuyomi grass?! Where’d you get all this?”

“Acted like Master!” she declared proudly.

“Er… What’s that mean?”

“Went to woods. Acted like Master. Then found!” Excitement made her explanation particularly patchy.

Reiji exchanged a look with Ejil. “That’s why you were watching the drugstore?”

“Exactly.”

As he figured out what had unfolded, Reiji furrowed his brow. “Thanks, Noela.” He stroked her head.

Noela beamed. “Groo!” Then, thinking back on Ejil and Reiji’s chat as she arrived, she pouted. “Master more patient with Ejil than Noela.”

“Why do you say that? Because you know I think Ejil’s helpful at the drugstore?”

“Groo.” She nodded emphatically. “Noela good and helpful werewolf. Master rely more!”

“Sounds like Noela sees you as a workplace rival, Ejil,” Reiji said with an awkward smile.

“I see,” Ejil responded, his expression somber. “She loves me then.”

“No way.” Noela shook her head.

“All right,” Reiji sighed. “Noela, watch the store for me. And you can go home, Ejil.”

“Garoo!”

“Got it, Doctor.” Casting a teleportation spell, Ejil quickly vanished.

“Guess I’ll go make the backstock we ran out of,” Reiji shrugged.

“Helpful werewolf, Master.”

“You sure are. You’re my mascot, my fluffball, and a very helpful werewolf.”

Her attempts to explain how she “acted like Master” hadn’t gotten through, but nonetheless, the satisfied Noela returned to her spot behind the counter.

Chapter 12: The Obligatory Hunting Party

Chapter 12:
The Obligatory Hunting Party

 

THE VALGAS FAMILY’S BUTLER, Rayne, dropped into the drugstore one day. He usually accompanied Elaine, but today was different.

“Lord Valgas has summoned you, Sir Reiji,” he told me.

“I’m pretty busy, to be honest. Does he need something?” I had to make tons of treatments and didn’t have much time on my hands.

Noela overheard Rayne, however, and seemed keen on coming along. She was getting ready to go already, even though I hadn’t accepted Rayne’s request.

“Lord Valgas wishes to hear the citizenry’s opinions on the other day’s tournament,” Rayne informed me. I figured Valgas must be curious about how his subjects felt after actually participating in the event. At this point, it had happened about two weeks ago.

Mina and Vivi were here today, and Ejil had an afternoon shift, so the drugstore would be fine without me around.

“All right,” I said. “Is it okay if I finish some work up first?”

“Of course.”

Mina offered Rayne a black potion as he waited. The butler was one of the few people who truly understood what made the bitter black potion delicious.

“Noela visit manor too, Master. Play!”

“Hey. You’re letting your ulterior motive show.” I assumed that was the reason for Noela’s excitement anyway, so I didn’t scold her. Instead, I had her help me in the lab. When we finished prepping, I left things to Mina, and Noela and I boarded the carriage.

“Try not to go nuts at the manor, Noela.”

“Groo. Understand.”

Does she really?

After the carriage shook us around a while, Lord Valgas’s manor came into view. Its gates opened, and we passed through. Valgas and Elaine awaited us at the front doors; we disembarked and exchanged brief greetings with them.

“Hi, Lord Valgas. I don’t think we’ve seen each other since the tournament. Thanks for having us.”

“Thank you for coming, Sir Reiji. I see Noela’s with you as well.”

Noela bowed her head. “Groo! Came!”

“I’m always visiting the drugstore, so today, I’ll show Noela around the mansion,” Elaine offered.

“Adventure!” Noela cried.

I had a hunch Elaine wasn’t offering that. Well, at least Noela wouldn’t be too rambunctious if they were together. “Thanks for looking after my fluffball, Elaine.”

“Of course!” Clasping Noela’s hand, Elaine began to give her a tour.

Lord Valgas and I headed into a sitting room, and Valgas sat across from me. “The tournament seemed to go over well…but what did you think overall?”

“Everyone had a blast.”

Lord Valgas had already been notified about the bribery. According to him, he severely punished the judges who’d accepted money. “I’ll ensure such things don’t happen at future events,” he told me.

“Great.”

“Now, on to the reason I summoned you.” Valgas’s cheerful expression turned serious.

“I didn’t think you called me here to analyze the tournament,” I said.

“I appreciate how quick on the uptake you are.” He rose to his feet and gazed out the window. “Do you have any experience hunting, Sir Reiji?”

“None at all.”

“I see. Well, the truth is, I’m attending a banquet with other aristocrats…and the next day, the guests will go hunting.”

That was exactly the kind of entertainment nobility enjoyed. “Sounds like a good time,” I commented.

“Four others and I are going, and you see, these hunters will all be quite talented.”

“Including you, Lord Valgas?”

“I have some experience with a bow… But no, not really.” He shook his head soberly. “In truth, I’ve never really hunted.”

“Why would you agree to go, then?” I asked with a half sigh.

He turned toward me on the verge of tears. “Only four other lords will attend, and the outing’s meant to strengthen our bonds! I couldn’t possibly decline.”

Back on Earth, I was invited to similar events—drinking parties hosted by different divisions of my company. I didn’t want to attend, but to keep the workplace relaxed, I had to. Those were definitely similar to what Valgas described. I understood the importance of those drinking parties—or rather in this case, the hunting party.

“Could you ask the hunting god to descend and help me, Sir Reiji?!” he begged.

“Do I look spiritual to you? I’m a pharmacist.”

“Then could you at least create a product to help me hunt without embarrassing myself?!”

Embarrassing oneself was a surprisingly big deal in the adult world. Aristocrats put on airs constantly; they obviously focused on outward appearances.

“All right,” I said, giving in. “Let me think a little.”

“Thank you, Sir Reiji!”

“Yup. I empathize. Please stop crying.” I calmed the grown man down, grimacing. Then, I asked what the hunters usually did and more about Valgas’s own abilities. That would help me create the right product. “How good are you with a bow?”

“I’d say I’m a novice.”

“But your skill level won’t mean anything if you can’t find a quarry, right?” I asked.

“Fear not—we’ll find deer. After all, we release them into the woods to hunt!” Deer in that situation would normally flee, so the nobles put up fences to prevent their escape.

What kind of entertainment is that? It was like a staged game show. The noblemen apparently saw themselves as skilled hunters, but it was more like their retinues let them feel that way. They’d be hunting on easy mode.

“So, each guest will fell one deer?”

“Yes. Unless they miss their mark.”

It seemed that while they tracked the deer, the men rode through the forest and chatted.

It’s like, uh, golf. Okay. Parties you didn’t want to attend, rigged entertainment, a bunch of old dudes who didn’t realize they were being coddled… All this was hurting my head.

“Something wrong, Sir Reiji?”

“Uh, nothing. I just recalled some painful memories.” I smiled at the confused Lord Valgas. “I think I understand the situation. Let me see what I can do.”

“The Valgases’ dignity rests on your shoulders!”

 

***

 

Valgas’s carriage took me back to the drugstore, where I entered the lab and got to work.

“If he’s this worried about easy-mode hunting, Valgas must be really bad.”

He was stuck doing something he didn’t want to, and he was concerned the event would embarrass him. He seemed fairly desperate when he asked for my help too. I pictured his expression, mulling over what a hassle old guys could be, and grimaced as I finished concocting a product to keep him from humiliation.

“Take this to Lord Valgas, Rayne!”

“Yet again, thank you for everything. I shall bring this to my master posthaste.”

I handed the butler the product and instructions, then watched him leave.

 

LORD VALGAS’S SIDE

 

LORD VALGAS SOON LEFT with his wife Flam for the events he and Reiji discussed. Once they got through the banquet, which several families attended, the day of reckoning was upon him.

The quartet of lords who’d be hunting were discussing the excursion.

“I’m quite looking forward to today’s hunt.”

“I practiced archery even more than usual to prepare for this.”

“Ha! I can tell you’re all excited.”

“Let’s see how many deer we each slay!”

“Heh heh! I-Indeed, let’s compete…” Valgas said with a dry smile, managing to join the conversation quickly.

He had no confidence, needless to say, but he did have a genius alchemist in his domain. With the product that man gave him, he could hunt down at least one deer. Valgas checked his pocket, ensuring the vial was there.

 

Paralyzer: Even trace amounts cause temporary immobility. Spread carefully on weapons or food. Use with caution.

 

Reiji’s instructions had read, “Put this on an arrowhead, and it’ll paralyze a deer, even if the arrow only grazes it. You could probably also trap deer by putting paralyzer on bait, although that might not qualify as hunting.”

“I’m counting on you, Sir Reiji.” Valgas patted his pocket. He had to make sure to apply paralyzer to his arrowheads, and then all he’d have to do was aim for his quarry. He just needed to seem fairly skilled to the other four hunters.

Saddling their horses in the stable, the nobles rode into the woods.

“I know this forest inside out—it’s like my backyard. Please follow me,” said the host, a man with a tiny mustache. The other four hunters proceeded after him, ­chattering, with Valgas bringing up the rear. Three servants behind them carried the group’s things.

As they rode, the mustached host reiterated the plan for the hunt. “We’ll all search for deer together. When we find one, we’ll take turns shooting at it in the order we chose yesterday. One hunter will get the first shot at the first deer, another at the second, and so on.”

There was a chance they wouldn’t find any deer. That would be that; it wouldn’t be anyone’s fault, and it would let Valgas save face. He could just say it was a shame he wasn’t able to show off his talents.

“Quiet! Over there!” called the host.

Just ahead was a single deer.

A nobleman quietly dismounted and took up his bow. His target was about thirty meters away. The animal seemed to be eating and had yet to notice the hunting party. In the silence, the nobleman drew his bow and released the bowstring. His arrow soared through the air and pierced a tree next to the deer, causing the animal to flee in surprise.

“Ugh! Curses!” the hunter exclaimed.

The others chimed in with the usual line. “Oh, so close!””

“I would’ve gotten it, though,” one ribbed him.

The others added their own pointless jabs as the group continued into the woods.

When they caught up with the deer, the second and third noblemen shot their arrows. Neither hit their target, so it fled again. The fourth hunter, however, was lucky enough to immobilize his quarry. His second ­arrow struck the deer as well, and he scored the first kill of the hunt.

“Ho ho! As I expected.”

“It seems your practice wasn’t for naught.”

“Perhaps I should’ve practiced too! Ha ha!”

They’d find another deer quickly at this rate. The men around Valgas were paying compliments to each other and cracking jokes; it’d be a problem if they noticed he was a nervous wreck. He was embarrassed that, despite his rank, he wasn’t a proficient hunter. The silver lining was that only one of his companions had slain a deer so far. But if he could just graze one…

“It’s Lord Valgas’s turn to shoot first!”

“We’re excited to see what you can do, Valgas!”

“W-with reason!” Valgas exclaimed. “I shall fell a deer in but a shot!”

After they continued for a few minutes, one nobleman heard soft noises. In front of them was a deer.

Valgas quietly dismounted. The deer had yet to notice him, so he moved quietly and slowly. His heart pounded as he dipped an arrowhead into the drugstore’s paralyzer and fixed the arrow on his bowstring. His trembling hand pulled his bowstring as far back as possible before releasing it. The arrow cut through the air…but missed his quarry.

The other four men sighed in disappointment. “Ah…”

However, the arrow had bounced off a stone on the ground and scraped the deer’s hindquarters. When the animal tried to flee, its legs gave out, and it fell to the ground.

“What’s this, now?”

“My word.”

“It collapsed!”

“Is it dead…?”

The men’s eyes bored into the fallen animal.

“Looks like a hit to me!” Valgas announced, smiling confidently, and headed toward the deer. It was breathing but not moving; the miraculous arrow had grazed its tail.

“That’s all it took?” Valgas gasped. “Sir Reiji’s paralyzer is exceptional.” A servant darted over to carry the deer away, but Valgas raised a hand to stop them. “It’s all right. Having struck the creature is more than enough. I don’t wish to kill it without reason.”

As he returned to his horse, the other four men applauded.

“You’re so merciful!”

“Now I’ve seen firsthand that hunting isn’t simply about slaying quarry!”

“The citizens you rule are lucky indeed.”

“I have much to learn from you!”

Valgas’s stock had risen in an instant. Incapable of taking it in stride, he loudly cleared his throat. “I actually planned to bounce the arrow off that stone.”

“My word!” the other hunters exclaimed.

“That deer suffered only a mild scratch. It will soon be running about merrily,” Valgas added as though he knew hunting inside out.

The excursion continued a while longer, but even after it finished, the hunters remembered the episode with the grazed deer as a highlight.

 

REIJI’S SIDE

 

THE NEXT DAY, Valgas returned to his domain and visited Kirio Drugs to tell Reiji how things went. “Your paralyzer was incredibly effective, Sir Reiji.”

“Glad to hear there were no issues. It was pretty sophisticated to let that deer go when you grazed it.”

“The others said the same!” Valgas laughed merrily. He paid Reiji, then returned home.

After the hunting party, word of the paralyzer spread far and wide. It became popular with hunters, and even adventurers used it to guard against monsters.

Chapter 13: Farming More Efficiently

Chapter 13:
Farming More Efficiently

 

MY FRIEND ZERAL—whose family owned land in Kalta—brought me to a local field to see something.

“Reiji, buddy, look at those folks working. You can tell, right?”

“Er…tell what? Everything looks normal to me.”

“Young people from farming families often leave Kalta hoping to become adventurers,” Zeral began explaining. “Veteran field hands much older than us tend the crops. They’re experienced, so they’re good at it. But young people with more stamina ultimately do more work, even if it’s sloppier.”

Rural towns on Earth had demographic problems like this too. “How about hiring other young townsfolk?” I asked.

“I wish we could, but it’s not that simple.” Since “adventurer” was a profession in this world, innumerable youths left home in search of fun, wealth, and honor. “But the fact is, most people who talk about becoming adventurers don’t achieve that.”

That surprised me. “No?” I only knew about so-called adventurers from video games and anime. I had no clue about the real deal.

“Absolutely not,” Zeral sighed. “For instance, Orlen turned fifteen not long ago. He left home talking about how he refused to live his whole life farming in Kalta. Guess what happened? He came right back after two months. He’s doing nothing but hanging out at home, not helping at all. He seems to have no idea what he wants to do.”

That was just like the young adults in my world. In middle-of-nowhere towns like this that young folks wanted to escape from, most of the people doing farm work were older. From an age perspective, they had a lot less stamina, so they wouldn’t be getting any more efficient.

“There’s no way to change things?” I asked.

“Honestly, I get where the younger folks are coming from,” Zeral admitted. Despite being filthy rich, he could empathize with the locals. “Maybe it isn’t my place to say it, but being young doesn’t automatically mean you’re strong enough for farm work.”

“Any job’s exhausting until you’re used to it.”

“Absolutely,” he said. “Do you think you make some kind of treatment to…I don’t know…refresh people? You know, keep them from getting too exhausted?”

“That sounds like a really bad drug.” Not that Zeral would realize.

“Huh?”

“Stamina-wise… Well, the problem is basically that young people don’t really do farm work,” I murmured.

“Reiji, I get that all small towns have this problem,” Zeral assured me. “Young people want cool, flashy jobs. Still, someone needs to farm.”

Just then, I thought of something. “I want to try one thing. But there’s no guarantee it’ll work.”

“That’s fine!” Zeral’s dark expression finally brightened. “I knew I could count on the master alchemist!”

He was just joking, so I quipped back, “I’m a pharmacist, dang it!”

Returning to the drugstore, I headed to the lab to turn my idea into a product.

“Master make cool medicine?” Noela had nothing else to do, so she was watching me.

“That’s the plan,” I confirmed, and she started helping out. “People see farming as simple but difficult. If I change that, we might have a shot.”

Since I hadn’t explained my conversation with Zeral, Noela didn’t follow. “Groo?”

“Done!” I exclaimed. “Hopefully this works.”

 

Eye black: Spread paint beneath eyes to absorb sunlight and dramatically decrease brightness and reflections.

 

“Garoorrooo! Cool medicine ready?!”

“Yup. Want to give it a shot?”

“Yeah!”

I beckoned Noela and had her sit in front of me, then put some eye black on my finger and drew short lines on her cheekbones. “Let’s head outside. The sun should seem way less bright, as long as you don’t look straight at it.”

Once we were outside, Noela looked around and blinked repeatedly.

“Groo!” Apparently, she could see a difference.

“Is it bright?”

“Not bright!”

Perfect. The eye black was a success. Now, field hands wouldn’t need to endure blinding sunshine. That’d make work easier, needless to say. And unlike many treatments, the eye black was a major change that anyone could notice right away.

I glanced at Noela. At some point, she put a cap on her head, found a stick that she rested on her shoulder, and was moving her mouth like she was chewing. Where’d all that come from? Does she have gum too?! She looked like a real pro baseball player in the flesh.

“Cool, Master?”

“Yeah! Damn cool! You’re like a major leaguer!”

“Mayjore lee-grr?”

“On Earth, only a select few players get to be major leaguers!”

“Groo!” Thrilled, Noela swung her stick, cutting through the air. “Major leaguer!” she proclaimed proudly, still moving her mouth like she was chewing.

Eye black wasn’t meant to impart baseball skills, so maybe Noela was just hyped up. At any rate, since it did reduce brightness, it’d help people with farm work. Noela and I headed back to the field.

“Reiji, pal!” called Zeral. “That was fast!”

“Here. Have the field hands use this. It minimizes reflected light.”

“Sounds super useful!” Zeral seemed impressed, but he quickly noticed the tiny baseball player next to me, her cap on and her “bat” on her shoulder. “Er, Noela? What’s wrong?”

“Not Noela. Major leaguer.”

“Mayjore leegur?” he asked.

“Yeah. Select few called major leaguers. Noela select few.”

Zeral glanced my way, desperate for an explanation. “She started acting like this after she used the eye black,” I admitted. “I don’t know whether it’ll have this effect on other people, but—”

“Aw-awesome! She’s so dang cool! Those black lines look radical!”

H-he’s into it?! If so, there was a real chance the eye black would work on him too.

“Can I try some?” Zeral asked Noela.

She shook her head. “Select few.”

“Damn. That’s right.”

Er…actually, Zeral could totally try it if he wanted to. Then again, if people saw the eye black’s visual element as cool, restricting it to farm workers might be the best move. “Sorry, Zeral. Only farm jocks can use this stuff.”

“J-jocks?!” I had said that on a whim, but it landed hard with Zeral. He glanced back and forth between Noela’s eye black and the workers tending the field. “Let’s have them put it on ASAP!”

Zeral described the new product to two field hands on break, pointing back at Noela and me while flailing dramatically. “This’ll make you major leaguers,” I heard him say, “and—”

Is it just me or is he missing the point entirely?!

The old man and woman wiped sweat from their brows, looking more bewildered than anything.

Even so, the old man replied, “If that pharmacist made this stuff, it must be the real deal.”

“Yer darn tootin’.”

The pair applied eye black to each other as their break finished.

“Shall we get back to work?” the old woman suggested.

As they did, they pulled their hat brims over their eyes, somehow making the straw hats look like baseball caps. The old man rested his hoe on his shoulder, and for whatever reason, it reminded me of a bat. Even the old woman’s work gloves looked unusually large—more like catchers’ mitts, really—as she pushed her hands inside them. Both elders began to move their jaws as if chewing gum.

Were my eyes going bad, or had they morphed into major leaguers like Noela?

“I hope you keep working hard—” the old woman paused. “No. I hope you keep playing well today, dear.”

Playing? What’re they planning to play?!

The old man grinned. “Thanks to the pharmacist’s new product, I can look up at the sky—it’s not bright in the least!”

“Nope! Catchin’ a fly ball will be real easy!”

There won’t be any fly balls in that field!!!

“Those two major leaguers?” Noela blew a bubble with her gum.

Where’d she get that? Bubble gum didn’t even exist in this world. I decided I’d just roll with the eye black’s baseball branding. “Yup. They’re two of the select few players.”

“Groo.”

Zeral nodded deeply. “I see…”

How can he handle this kind of absurdity?!

“Kalta’s home team, taking on field work,” he added. “Now, that’ll look super cool.”

Well…I’m glad he feels that way. In a way, this strategy was about appearances. And the bottom line was that the eye black seemed to be achieving our goal. Even if the field hands’ work clothes were dirty, that looked cooler than wearing pure white.

“I… I can see my hands!!!” The old man was tilling at top speed.

Meanwhile, the old woman’s gloves pulled up tons of weeds, one after the next. “Yup! Thanks to the eye black, these’re much easier to spot!” She looked like a catcher as she grabbed at weeds—with a flip of her wrist, she’d move her arm like she had just caught a strike behind home plate.

Zeral’s wide eyes were glued to the pair. “So, this is how the select few major leaguers work!”

“I have no clue whether all the field hands will act like this,” I warned him. “But go ahead and give everyone some eye black. Work…er, play…should definitely improve.”

“All right! Thanks a million, Reiji!” Zeral carried the eye black toward the other villagers working in the field.

“If people think that old couple looks cool, we should be able to convince them that working on Kalta’s ‘home team’ isn’t all that bad,” I mused. It was possible I was completely off, though—we hadn’t asked any youngsters what they thought of the eye black.

Noela tapped her “bat” on her shoulder a few times, then grabbed it with both hands and swung.

“Whoa! You’ve got major league instincts.” I picked a small stone off the ground, tossing it toward Noela.

“Groo!” She swung her bat wide, and it made contact with the stone. The rock flew far off through the air. “Fun!”

“Glad to hear it.”

Glancing toward the field where Zeral was running around, I saw that everyone had transformed into baseball players. They held their hoes like bats, their gloves looked like catcher’s mitts, and their work clothes—er, uniforms—looked cool and rugged.

The children who’d been brought to help out, none older than Noela, stared at the “pros” with sparkles in their eyes.

“Those black lines are so cool!”

“Their clothes are dirty, but they look awesome!”

“I wanna be like them!!!”

Kalta’s new home team was giving the kids something to dream about. Zeral was pleased as punch. “People’s image of farming will probably change big-time thanks to you, Reiji.”

“I just hope more kids take on their folks’ farm jobs.”

“They will. I’m sure of it. Hell, even I want to be a ­major leaguer now. But I guess that’s impossible for someone as wishy-washy as me, huh?”

“Wha…? Oh…uh, yeah.” I left it at that. If people knew that anyone could become a major league baseballer just by using eye black, it’d stop being special. This way, only dedicated farm workers could join the home team.

“Select few! Join, Zeral!” Noela swung her fluffy tail back and forth—clearly a great baseball tactic. Holding her bat ready, she explained how to pitch.

“Um… Is this right?” Zeral tossed her a small stone. She sent it flying. “Wow! Amazing!” he exclaimed, watching the “baseball” shoot off into the distance.

Tossing her bat aside, Noela kissed her index finger and held it aloft. Even her gestures were homages to the pros. It was safe to say she was into this whole hitting-a-projectile-with-a-stick thing big-time.

Noela and I hung out with Zeral for a while, then headed back to the drugstore before it got dark.

“What’s the matter with you two?” exclaimed Mina. “You’re both sweaty and dirty!”

“Major leaguer!” Noela cried.

Mina tilted her head in confusion at the unfamiliar term.

Farm workers went on to use eye black to raise their efficiency easily. First, the product spread through Kalta, then to nearby towns and villages. Since many children were intrigued by the “home team’s” appearance, the average age of farmers soon took a nosedive.

Chapter 14: A Mina Mask

Chapter 14:
A Mina Mask

 

ACROSS THE COUNTER, Doz heaved a massive sigh.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. “You just got here.”

“Reiji, bud, listen to this.”

Mina brought out some tea since Doz was a regular.

“Thanks a lot, Mina,” he said.

“You’re quite welcome.”

“Uh…would you mind listenin’ too?” he asked.

Mina cocked her head and pointed at herself. “Me? Um… Certainly.” She glanced in my direction.

I nodded too—I wasn’t sure why Doz had stopped by either.

“It’s about the boss,” Doz began. “She ain’t puttin’ her all into trainin’ or patrollin’. And when someone talks to her, she barely pays attention.”

“That doesn’t seem like Annabelle,” I said. Being the Red Cat Brigade’s captain, she was so skillful that not too long ago, we’d chosen her to represent Kalta in the tournament’s combat event.

“Exactly,” said Doz. “I’ve never seen her like this before. I’m wonderin’ if maybe she ain’t feeling too well.”

“That’s worrying.” Mina’s expression clouded over. “When I imagine what might happen to Annabelle if she weren’t on her game…”

“It’s concernin’,” Doz acknowledged. “But you know her. She won’t bring her problems to her men. It’s kinda sad, thinkin’ she can’t rely on us…” As the mercenaries’ vice-captain, Doz always took the time to help his comrades-in-arms.

“Annabelle’s issue might well be private then,” Mina said rather confidently.

“How do you know?”

“Feminine intuition.”

“You could be right, then!” Doz laughed, his massive body shaking. He glanced at me. “However often we ask, she says nothin’ is wrong. I figured she might open up to you or Mina.”

Ah. I understood what was going on at last. “I see her whenever she comes by for potions, but she’s been perfectly normal. She didn’t seem worried or anything.”

Still, maybe Annabelle did have an issue guys wouldn’t get. I looked at Mina.

She nodded, immediately understanding what I wanted to say. “I’ll go talk to her.”

“You’re the best.”

And so, Mina headed to the barracks to chat with Annabelle.

 

MINA’S SIDE

 

ACCORDING TO DOZ, Annabelle was off duty and hanging out in the barracks today. Reiji saw Mina off.

As she walked, the young ghost found herself reflecting on things.

The Red Cat Brigade’s captain lived for her work. She was fairly unlike other women, but in a good way—she was popular with both men and women in Kalta. Possibly more so with the latter, if anything. It made sense that women admired Annabelle—she was incredibly cool.

“Annabelle has a personal concern,” Mina murmured. “Is she lovesick…?”

That seemed most likely. Annabelle couldn’t bring that kind of concern to her underlings—they were a rough bunch. She couldn’t go to Reiji either.

“Ugh…” Picturing Annabelle and Reiji growing closer made Mina gloomy. “I-If she really is lovesick for Reiji, wh-what should I do?”

Just as she voiced the concern, the barracks came into view, and a Red Cat Brigade member came out to greet her. Mina explained her presence, and the mercenary immediately confirmed that Annabelle was in her quarters.

“I’ll tell her you’re here,” he assured Mina politely. “Hold on a sec!” The mercenary turned on his heel and dashed into the barracks. Before long, he returned. “She says you can go in. I’ll take you to her quarters! Right this way.”

“Pardon my intrusion.”

The barracks interior was a little weathered but well kept and clean. Reaching the back of the building, the merc knocked on Annabelle’s door. “Boss! Mina from the drugstore’s here.”

“Right. Let her in.”

The merc opened the door and ushered Mina inside.

It was a modest room with a side table, chair, and single bed. Mina noticed Annabelle sitting on the bed with a puzzled expression on her face. Some empty potion bottles were sitting nearby. “Cramped, right? Feel free to have a seat.”

“Thank you, I shall. I’m sorry to barge in on your day off,” said Mina.

“That’s fine. Ain’t like I was up to anythin’. Just didn’t expect you, of all people, to drop by. Something goin’ on?”

It made sense for her to find this situation strange. The two women only ever saw each other in town or at the drugstore, and this was the first time they’d been together in private.

“I heard you fell ill during the tournament.”

“Ah.” For a moment, it looked as though Mina had pulled up a bad memory. Then, Annabelle forced a smile. “That’s… Uh, don’t worry about it. I’m doin’ better now. What’s more, I hear you won the event in my stead! That’s incredible.”

“Not at all—I had Reiji’s help. He prescribed some products to help me win.”

“That guy’s somethin’ else.”

“He truly is.”

Although they were chatting casually, neither woman knew what to talk about next. Just like that, the conversation ended, and awkward silence fell. Mina had assumed she’d be able to cut to the chase, but it wasn’t going too well.

“Um, Annabelle? Might you be…struggling with something? Doz is quite concerned about you.”

“He just can’t keep his mouth shut.” Annabelle tousled her red hair, gazing out the window. “I’m sure this ain’t the case for you, but…”

“Erm…yes?”

“You know those kids in town, right? What do you think?”

Annabelle’s question was so vague that Mina wasn’t sure how to answer.

Shyly, Annabelle continued on. “I want ’em to like me, but whenever they see me, they get scared and run off. I know broodin’ about this is out of the ordinary for me, but…what do you think?”

In her heart, Mina was glad this hadn’t concerned romance. Still, her eyes widened at Annabelle’s unexpected worry. “They certainly don’t dislike you!” she replied.

“But kids don’t act like that at the drugstore, do they?”

“Quite the opposite.”

“Then it really is my face,” Annabelle sighed. “Or how I talk, maybe. Then again, my strict personality might remind ’em of their moms.”

Mina had never expected this to be Annabelle’s worry. She felt that the woman shouldn’t concern herself with such things, but she couldn’t say that as Annabelle fretted.

“You want to be liked…?” Mina asked.

The captain scratched her cheek bashfully. “Honestly, sometimes I wish I could be more like you.” Her voice was hushed, as it usually was when she said something embarrassing.

As a woman, Annabelle was Mina’s polar opposite. Her sharp features contrasted with airy, bubbly Mina’s; their voices were completely dissimilar too.

“Like me…?”

“If I was, maybe kids would like me better.”

“D-does this have anything to do with Mr. Reiji?”

“The pharmacist? Not at all.” Annabelle furrowed her brow, confused by the question.

“Ah ha ha!” Mina said, forcing a laugh. She did her best to sweep the question under the rug. “F-forget I said anything.” The problem here really was the children being afraid of Annabelle and running away when they saw the mercenary captain.

“Wonder if there’s a product that’d help me seem more like you,” Annabelle mused.

“More like me…” Mina thought about that for a moment. “May I discuss this with Mr. Reiji?”

“Sure. Guess I don’t mind if he knows.”

Having obtained Annabelle’s permission, Mina headed back to the drugstore.

 

REIJI’S SIDE

AND THAT’S the problem.”

Mina told me what was bugging Annabelle right away. It was an insecurity I definitely hadn’t expected—her rapport with the local kids had never seemed to bother her. She wants them to like her, huh? Doz’s boss was a treasure trove of surprises.

“She suggested children might take to her if she gave off the same aura I do,” Mina added.

“The same aura as you?”

Personally, I thought kids might be more attached to her if she started handing out snacks or something. On the other hand, the kids were as smart as Noela sometimes. They might grab the treats and flee.

Mina was friendly; she had a softness and a maternal air. “It’s not like she wants to become you, is it?” I asked, clarifying.

“No—just to be similar… Have you got any ideas?”

At one point, I created a product called “Face On” that made someone look exactly like someone else. Ejil used it to try and get close to Noela. It hadn’t changed his personality, though, so she sniffed him out immediately. I thought Face On might help, but Annabelle wanted to emulate Mina’s demeanor.

Still, I told Mina there was a product Annabelle could try. “I don’t know whether she’ll like it, but it’s worth a shot.”

“All right! I’ll go tell her.”

Mina left right away, and I headed for the lab.

“She wants to be more like Mina, huh?” I cocked my head. I always thought Mina and Annabelle rubbed each other the wrong way, but maybe I was alone in that.

Annabelle most likely envied Mina’s warm ways. A product couldn’t change her personality; still, I could help her create an impression more like Mina’s. I gathered the ingredients and got to work. Noela peeked in curiously, but when I asked her to watch the store, she headed to her post.

Combining various materials, I finished the new product.

 

“Mina” Cosmetic Mask: Apply briefly to face for a gentle, feminine touch modeled after Mina.

 

As a man, I didn’t know much about makeup. Still, if this helped Annabelle mimic Mina’s warmth, it’d be a win.

Noela returned to the lab. “Red here, Master.”

“Perfect timing.” I grabbed the bottled mask and headed to the storefront.

“H-hey, Pharmacist,” Annabelle greeted me awkwardly. She seemed embarrassed about her request.

“I’m all finished.”

“Really?!”

“Master no lie, Red!” Noela jabbed her finger at Annabelle.

“I did my best,” I continued. “This might make you seem more like Mina, but I’m not sure if it’ll win over the kids.”

“I-I see. What kind of product is it, anyway?”

“A facial mask to give you makeup like Mina’s.”

“M-makeup?!” Annabelle didn’t use cosmetics normally and balked at the idea.

Just like a guy.

“Red like man.”

“Hey. Pipe down,” I lightly scolded Noela—but it wasn’t like I disagreed much.

“Never mind. It’s fine,” Annabelle insisted. “I know I can pull it off!”

She decided to try the mask immediately, so I handed her the bottle of translucent liquid. Noela brought over a mirror, holding it as Annabelle applied the liquid to her face. Suddenly, the mask glowed.

“Groo! Bright!”

“You should be able to remove that now, Annabelle.”

“I understand,” she replied gently.

Wait. Gently?

When Annabelle peeled the mask off, Noela and I narrowed our eyes at the woman in front of us.

“Groo?”

“Uh…”

She was basically a color-swapped, red-haired version of Mina, although the ponytail proved that this was Annabelle.

“Wh-what is it, friends? I-Is something wrong?!” she asked.

“Groo. Look.” Noela raised the mirror, revealing Annabelle’s new appearance to the captain.

“H-how fascinating! It’s not me anymore—it’s Mina…”

This didn’t make any sense. The mask was just supposed to do Annabelle’s makeup, not turn her into Mina. Her gentle facial expressions were basically identical to Mina’s, though. Even her speech was polite and feminine. If I looked closely, I could see traces of Annabelle’s face, but a regular glance wasn’t enough to distinguish them. I wasn’t sure if that was because of the mask, but if so, my medicine-making skill was bordering on a special power.

“Really, Red?” Noela said uncertainly.

“I’m indeed Annabelle, dear child.”

“Groo?” Noela cocked her head doubtfully. She raised her stick and swung it at Annabelle—no, Minabelle. “Arroo!”

“Too slow, dear!”

Noela’s attack didn’t land. Instead, Minabelle smacked the stick aside quickly, knocking it out of the wolf girl’s hands.

“Mina couldn’t do, Master.”

“Yeah. She’s definitely Annabelle.”

“This is wonderful!” Minabelle exclaimed. “I’ll go speak to the children in town.” She left the drugstore triumphantly.

Noela and I nodded at each other, deciding to follow her. We closed the drugstore first since all the employees would be gone.

A shop owner called out to her as Minabelle passed. “Hey, Mina, you just dropped by! Did you forget something?”

“No—I just have an errand to do! Tee hee!” she giggled, beaming.

“Red creepy,” Noela told me.

“Don’t say that.” I couldn’t blame her for that reaction, though, given how differently “Minabelle” was acting. She should’ve explained that she wasn’t Mina right away!

Five children were playing in the town square when we arrived. They lobbed questions at Minabelle.

“Hey! What’s up, Mina?!”

“How come you’re here?!”

“I’m here to play with you all, of course!”

“Yay!” The kids cheered loudly.

Annabelle’s dangerous work gave her something of a natural glare that made kids avoid her. But the truth seemed to be that she was fond of children—that she always wanted to play with them. Watching her horse around with the kids was heartwarming to Noela and me.

“Looks like she’s having a blast.”

“Groo!”

“You know that girl in the Red Cat Brigade?” Minabelle asked the kids suddenly. “What do you think of her?”

Whoa. She’s asking about herself.

“She’s scary.”

“Her eyes freak me out.”

Their criticisms just kept stabbing poor Minabelle’s heart.

“She’s so tough, though!” one kid added.

“Yeah!” another exclaimed. “Crazy cool, right?”

“I saw her swing her sword once! It was amazing!”

So the kids really were watching her. Huh.

“I see…”

Minabelle seemed to be in high spirits. Saying goodbye to the kids, she headed for the barracks.

Doz recognized her immediately. “Hey, Boss! What’re you up to?”

“I’m just on my way home.”

Doz followed her. “You’re in high spirits. We got Reiji to thank for this?”

As Noela and I watched from a distance, a voice behind us suddenly called, “What’re you two doing?”

“Whoa! Mina?!”

“Real, Master.”

“Real…?” Mina looked confused.

Pointing Minabelle out, Noela and I explained what had happened.

“She really looks exactly like me?”

We nodded vigorously at her.

“It seems like we solved her problem,” I added. I honestly hadn’t thought the mask would be that effective.

“Groo. Red cheerful.”

“Is that so? I knew you could do it, Mr. Reiji,” Mina said. “Wait… Don’t tell me you prefer Minabelle?”

“Of course not. For one thing, Minabelle probably can’t cook.”

“Couldn’t watch store. Groo. Fatal.”

With that, the three of us walked back to Kirio Drugs.

“I’m surprised Annabelle felt that way about me,” Mina mused.

“Especially given that you two aren’t that close.”

“Whose fault do you think that is, Mr. Reiji?”

“Wait… Mine?”

“Garoorroo?”

“Tee hee! It’s all right,” Mina grinned. “Forget I said anything.” She was in a great mood for some reason.

Later, Doz told me that the Red Cat Brigade also approved of “Minabelle,” who remained as she was for three full days.

“She was so different, the guys kept goin’ to see her,” Doz shrugged, his voice exasperated. “No one got any work done!”

Chapter 15: Shuttering Kirio Drugs (Part One)

Chapter 15:
Shuttering Kirio Drugs (Part One)

 

I THOUGHT IT’D JUST BE another peaceful day, but out of nowhere, Griffy began calling loudly. It seemed to have detected something nearby.

“Wonder what’s up with Griffy,” I muttered. Is it hungry?

I poked my head into the drugstore. “Customer?”

Noela’s ears twitched slightly. “Strangers’ footsteps. Lots.”

Wait. What…?

Eventually, even I heard weighty metal clanging. Then, a large, grizzled knight with a mustache and beard entered the store.

“Is the shopkeeper in?” The weathered knight glanced around, brow furrowed. About ten more knights—likely his men—stood by outside. “I’m Donis Ildlands, a servant of Marquis Anbomes.”

Marquis Anbomes? This was my first time hearing the name. I figured he had to outrank Elaine’s father, Lord Valgas.

“U-um…I’m Kirio Reiji,” I greeted him mutedly. Picking up on the knight’s dangerous aura, Noela set a cautious gaze on him as she hid behind me.

“There’s a stable outside, Captain!” one knight called. “The griffin’s there!”

Donis grunted, nodding. “This is the place, then.”

“Uh…are you here to buy a treatment?” I asked.

“So, this is the shop keeping a dangerous monster and letting a demon come by, eh?”

I could see how an outsider unfamiliar with Kirio Drugs would view things that way. And Donis’s intensity barely let me answer one way or the other, although I at least recognized that he wasn’t a customer.

“Dangerous? No, not at all,” I replied. “We’ve raised that griffin since he hatched. He hasn’t caused anyone trouble.” As for “letting a demon come by,” I couldn’t deny that; Donis must’ve been referring to Ejil.

“There’s no guarantee that’ll hold true,” Donis retorted. “You aren’t a monster tamer, are you? If and when something happens, it’ll be too late. The same’s true of that demon who’s always visiting.”

“What’re you trying to say?”

“Given the current war effort against the demon king’s army, this drugstore is tremendously suspicious. It might well be a demonic command center.”

“Of course it isn’t!” I heaved a sigh. What’s this old dude talking about? It was a stroke of luck that Ejil wasn’t present—he’d just have made this more complicated. “If you came to check into that, it seems to me that you’re finished. Please leave.”

“You will hand over the griffin and demon,” Donis demanded. He took a rolled parchment from his pouch and opened it. “The marquis himself has declared, ‘The drugstore on Kalta’s outskirts is now a demon base collecting intelligence on humans. It’s a danger to humanity.’”

“What?! That’s outrageous!” These false accusations were absurd. On top of that, this was Lord Valgas’s domain, so why was Anbomes breathing down my neck?! “You can’t just say things like that if they’re not—”

Donis turned his back, paying me no heed. Three knights strode toward the stable.

“Groo!” Noela ducked out from behind me. Breaking into a sprint, she rushed from the store.

I heard the knights react.

“Wha—?!”

“A beastling, eh?”

“What’re you doing, girl?”

I heard wingbeats outside.

“C-Captain!”

“What is it?”

“Th-the griffin got away! The beastling took it from the stable and flew off!”

“What?!”

The knight tensed as Donis glared at him.

Noela got Griffy out? If she hadn’t, the knights would likely have taken it away.

“Reiji is your name, correct?” Donis demanded. “You must hand those creatures over. If this isn’t a demon base, shouldn’t you be more than capable of that?”

“Look, a demon might visit, but he’d never hurt a fly.” Well, the Ejil I know wouldn’t. Although my part-time employee had never hurt anyone, I couldn’t say that of the “demon king.”

“He curries favor with you to gather information about humanity.”

That wasn’t even remotely true.

“Not even you’re aware of that,” Donis continued. “Evidently, he pulled the wool over your eyes.”

“Ejil would never do anything of the sort! And Griffy’s a good pet! How dare you barge in here making tons of bogus accusations!” My eyes prickled with anger, and I breathed raggedly. My hands and knees shook too.

Donis smoothly unsheathed his sword and held it before my eyes. “The griffin and demon aren’t the only reasons this store’s been deemed dangerous.”

Despite the terrifying situation, I did my best to remain unfazed. What was he trying to say?

He pulled a handful of objects from his pouch. “Do any of these look familiar?”

They all did. Strong capshin fluid forcefully induced tears, Strength Up temporarily raised your attack power, giant minimizer shrank you for a while, and paralyzer froze animals and monsters. Seeing that particular collection of products, I immediately realized what’d happened.

“These belonged to bandits who attacked our city,” the old knight told me. “It’s a heavily guarded location since it’s constantly under threat. Somehow, though, the enemy appeared out of nowhere and set the city ablaze, stealing people’s possessions and wreaking havoc. They felled several of our comrades.”

My vision swam. I’d designed those products to help the Red Cat Brigade protect Kalta or to protect against monsters. I assumed people didn’t misuse them, but a drugstore customer—or perhaps a third party who’d purchased them elsewhere—had repurposed them for evil.

Donis explained how they homed in on Kirio Drugs, but it fell on deaf ears. He had his men search the premises to see whether we were hiding demons, but they left soon after Mina protested gently.

“I’ve heard how deeply people respect this drugstore. Now that it’s come to this, though, we’ve no choice but to act,” the grizzled knight told me as they left.

All I could do was stand stock-still. My products had helped bandits commit a crime. Still, I could never turn over Griffy or Ejil. Hiring Ejil and raising Griffy were decisions I made as drugstore owner. I had to protect them—to protect everyone.

Mina entered my field of vision, calling out. “Mr. Reiji? Mr. Reiji? Mr. Reiji!”

My eyes finally met hers. “Oh—right. Mina.”

“I heard everything from the knights.” I must’ve looked awful because she didn’t say another word before embracing me. “It’s going to be all right.” Although she was trying to cheer me up, Mina herself looked teary and overwhelmed with worry.

Noela left Griffy at Elaine’s manor; when she returned, she also hugged me tightly.

The only thing on my mind was how I could keep everyone safe.

Chapter 16: Shuttering Kirio Drugs (Part Two)

Chapter 16:
Shuttering Kirio Drugs (Part Two)

 

AFTER DONIS VISITED, Kirio Drugs closed temporarily. Today, however, I was holding a staff meeting. Since Ejil and Vivi both technically had shifts, I told them everything that’d happened.

“Foolish humans!” Ejil cried. “I’ll destroy them all!”

“Hold your horses,” I said, although I knew that was Ejil’s ultimate objective. “That wouldn’t fix anything.”

“So…what’re we going to do, Reiji?” asked Vivi, her concern contrasting with Ejil’s anger.

“I’m not handing Griffy or Ejil over,” I assured her. “We’re not losing anyone.”

Both part-timers stared at me, moved.

“Doctor…”

“Reiji…”

“I’ve heard of this Marquis Anbomes, Doctor,” Ejil added. “He rules a region centered around a massive city.”

“About that…” I glanced outside to see whether any customers were around.

At that exact moment, a carriage rolled to a stop. Elaine took her butler’s hand to disembark. “Good day, everyone!”

I returned her greeting. “Sorry to cut to the chase, but what’d Lord Valgas say?” I’d explained the situation when I visited their manor to reclaim Griffy.

Elaine shook her head, her lovely, drill-like curls swaying. “He went to lodge a protest, but Marquis Anbomes barely acknowledged him.”

He went himself? Valgas had told me he’d send Anbomes a messenger.

“He says, ‘I’m sorry I failed you,’” Elaine added.

“I see. Well, give him my thanks.”

According to Lord Valgas, Marquis Anbomes saw Kirio Drugs as risky because bandits had attacked his domain using our products. Investigating the drugstore, he discovered that we kept a griffin and let a demon visit, which seemingly cemented us as a threat to human society. It didn’t matter to Anbomes whether we were in his territory or someone else’s—danger was danger.

Donis had said he’d heard of the drugstore, and he seemed to realize it wasn’t dangerous. Still, if I was apprehended—if only for manufacturing the bandits’ products—I wouldn’t have a leg to stand on.

“Sir Reiji,” Elaine exclaimed, “Please prepare to marry into the Valgases!”

“Noela no hand Master over, Drills!”

“But you can’t do anything to clear this up, Noela!”

“Aroorrooo!”

“Argh!”

“Stop it.” I smacked the girls’ heads. “Marry into the Valgases? Why would that happen?”

“Pardon me, but isn’t it the most practical option?” Elaine insisted. “We could at least protect our family alchemist.”

“I’m a pharmacist,remember?” Sure, they could protect me—and Noela and Mina, hopefully—but not everyone else.

“You needn’t worry about me, Doctor,” Ejil assured me. “The second I let them notice me arrive at the drugstore, it was an accident waiting to happen.”

“Kirio Drugs’ staff roll isn’t changing,” I insisted. “I won’t move forward without any of you.”

Tears welled in Ejil’s eyes. “I’ve been blessed with a good teacher!”

“I don’t recall taking you on as a student, but whatever.” I then turned to Elaine. “You’ve put a wonderful offer on the table, Elaine, but I refuse to cause you and your family trouble.” After all, if I accepted, they’d take the blame for anything related to the drugstore going forward. I couldn’t inflict that on them.

Mina seemed to heave a sigh of relief.

“Too bad, Drills.”

I smacked Noela’s head again for that. “Don’t taunt Elaine, fluffball.”

“Reiji, I do think it’ll be really tough to show the marquis that everything’s aboveboard with Li’l Kyuu and Ejil,” Vivi said nervously.

“Yeah, I know.”

There was no way to prove you hadn’t done something. Besides, how could I ask the marquis to accept anything I said about monsters and demons? Objectively, even if I proved I was trustworthy, I doubted Anbomes would acknowledge it. His domain had suffered damage due to my products.

“Is closing Kirio Drugs my only option…?” I crossed my arms and thought.

“Your pessimism’s spreading to Mr. Reiji, Vivi!” Mina chastised the lake spirit.

“No,” I said. “I’m just being a realist. That’s what humans are. There’re philosophy books and stuff about ­being realistic, you know.” I doubt she knows that, actually.

“Doctor, this suggestion is heartrending…but should I stop visiting for a while?”

“No. They’d keep complaining. They’ll probably claim I’m hiding you or something.”

“Tch. Why must humans persecute one another so?” Ejil lamented, shaking his head.

Meanwhile, Vivi puffed her chest out proudly. “So, my ‘negativity’ was philosophical and stuff!”

I turned to her. “Vivi, could I ask a favor?”

“Oh?! It’s pretty rare that you ask me a favor!”

It was more like the first time ever. Still, I couldn’t leave Ejil and Griffy in a lurch. Although the drugstore was just outside the town limits, they probably wouldn’t be able to stay here.

I told Vivi my request.

“You got it!” she replied, once again lifting her chin.

“Marquis Anbomes is beneath contempt! I’m so disappointed in him!” Elaine proclaimed angrily. “Whoever gave those bandits Sir Reiji’s products is to blame. He only sells them face-to-face.”

I occasionally sold things by mail order, but generally speaking, only to regulars. “Hey, Mina? There’s something I want to check with you later.”

“Um…with me? Certainly. But what could it be?” she asked, confused.

“I’ll need to talk with you too, Ejil.”

“Hm? Are you going to apologize to the marquis and order me to explode?”

“Of course not,” I replied, continuing to ponder Kirio Drugs’ fate.

“Mina. Snacks. Want baking.”

“All right. Let me pour everyone tea as well.”

“I’ll help!” Vivi exclaimed. She and Mina headed to the kitchen.

“Go check on Griffy,” Noela announced.

“I shall come along as well!” said Elaine. The pair hurried off while the tea steeped.

When it came to serious issues, Ejil was the easiest member of the team to talk to. Now that he and I were alone, I bared my soul. “Should I give up making medicine, Ejil?”

“Hmph! Now, that would truly be foolish, Doctor.” The demon king opened the drugstore’s request box and checked its contents, pulling out about ten notes. “This. This too,” he mumbled. “Look what the commoners are saying, now that Kirio Drugs is so well known.”

“Commoners?” I grimaced and glanced at the notes Ejil placed in front of me.

“Thanks to your potions, I’ve recovered!”

“Your detergent makes laundry so much easier!”

“I appreciate that useful medicine.”

My eyes welled up, distorting my vision so I couldn’t see my hands clearly. “Ngh…”

“Doctor, who’s at fault here? Is it you? No—it’s the evildoers. It just so happened that, this time, your products made their way into bandits’ hands. That’s not something you ought to suffer because of.”

Ejil continued sorting through notes. There were apparently quite a few. “If someone’s stabbed with a knife, is that the fault of the knife maker?”

“Thanks, Ejil.” He was telling me not to assume responsibility. Still, if I was going to keep running a drugstore, I needed to come up with countermeasures.

“Please, Doctor,” Ejil smiled. “The longer I work for you, the more fully I can repay the kindness you’ve shown me.”

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Chapter 17: Shuttering Kirio Drugs (Part Three)

Chapter 17:
Shuttering Kirio Drugs (Part Three)

 

ELAINE TOLD ME this world’s aristocrats exchanged presents to curry favor with each other. From a Japanese perspective, they were basically mid-year and year-end gifts.

After listening to her for a while, I came up with a plan. I have a chance here.

“If only I could use illusion magic!” Ejil brooded. “I could control humans as I please, and—”

“It’s fine, Ejil,” I interrupted. “We’d be worse off if they learned we’d collaborated with a demon.”

“I really shouldn’t get involved this time around, hm?” Ejil heaved a sigh, his face grim.

Griffy called outside—a warning cry, like before.

“Master. Same footsteps. Here again.”

“Speak of the devil. Look after Griffy, Noela.”

“Groo!”

“Elaine, go with Noela. Keep a low profile.”

“Certainly.”

As Elaine prepared to leave, I made a single request of her. Now, whatever happened, I could turn things around…hopefully.

“Mr. Reiji?” Mina pointed at herself. “Wh-what should I do?”

“Um…switch into your spirit form.” If she did that, only the homeowner could see her. The knights wouldn’t notice her presence.

“But…I want to help.” Sulking, Mina disappeared into the back.

“How about me, Reiji?!” Vivi asked.

“You can head home.”

“But why?! Don’t try to send me packing!”

“What will you accomplish by staying? Uh—you too, Ejil. Hurry—” I looked around, but the demon king had wasted no time fleeing.

“What’re you going to do, Reiji?!”

“I’ll be fine. No worries.”

Once I sent the very nervous Vivi back to the lake, the drugstore was completely empty. It was kind of lonely. I decided to make potions until my “guests” arrived. When I entered the lab, though, the ghostly Mina appeared just below the ceiling.

“Mr. Reiji…”

“I’ve been thinking, you know,” I interrupted her. “About what Kirio Drugs really is.”

“What Kirio Drugs is…?”

“Yeah.”

I made potions one after another. Then I heard Griffy’s wings beat. Through the window, I saw it fly away, Noela and Elaine on its back.

At that point, I heard footsteps, and the lab door opened.

Donis, the knight from the other day, stood in the doorframe. “Kirio Reiji! Should you fail to hand over the griffin and demon, my master Marquis Anbomes will see you charged and punished for your crimes!”

“You’re so friggin’ loud. Could you not interrupt me when I’m working?”

“You don’t intend to cooperate?” Donis’s expression told me clearly that this was my final chance.

I remained quiet.

“Take him,” Donis ordered coldly.

The other knights entered the lab and tied my hands behind my back.

“Mr. Reiji!” Mina cried.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

A brawny knight carried me outside. I wasn’t planning to fight back, but he still held me tight. He could probably have broken my arms with ease, given his strength.

Annabelle and Paula were clearly worried about the knights’ return; they both came to see what was happening. When they saw me being taken away, they protested. Still, they could do nothing as Donis’s men stuffed me into a carriage.

We eventually reached a massive city—apparently part of Marquis Anbomes’s domain—where the knights took me to a dungeon beneath a manor.

“Use this time to mull things over,” Donis said before leaving.

After that, a servant of the marquis came to bargain with me once a day.

“Marquis Anbomes values your skills,” they explained. “He wants you to serve as his private pharmacist and make products he desires. If you promise to do that, he’ll overlook your crimes.”

He’s using my “crimes” to try and rope me in.

Initially, I clearly declined the proposals. At this point, though, I mostly ignored anything the servants said. I was totally annoyed. They asked me about Ejil’s location and the drugstore’s true purpose. I thought they’d torture me, but fortunately, that never happened. Still, the dungeon itself sucked.

One day, Donis appeared. At that point, it felt like I’d been in the dungeon about a week, but I’d long since lost my internal clock, so I wasn’t sure.

“Out with you,” the grizzled knight ordered. “Marquis Anbomes wishes to meet you.”

I didn’t say anything in reply. The rusty iron doors screeched as they opened. Donis pulled the rope wrapped around my wrists, and guards flanked me to keep me from doing anything funny. We left the dungeon, and they led me to a sort of office. There, a large nobleman sat behind an absurdly enormous table. The marquis, apparently.

“So, you’re Kirio Reiji.”

“Yes.”

“You understand that, at this rate, I’ll have to sentence you to death?”

I didn’t say anything.

“Those bandits caused extensive damage, and I can’t overlook the fact that your merchandise facilitated that. Still, I’ll move past it—if you’ll work for me. What’s your answer?”

It seemed very possible that the “demon and griffin” thing had given the marquis the perfect means to create this situation. “However many times you ask, it’s no.”

“You intend to die?”

“Well, that’d be a problem.”

“Then you have but one choice.”

“I won’t formulate products to benefit a single person,” I insisted. “I want to create treatments that help people live fun, full lives.”

Yeah. That was the goal at Kirio Drugs. And Noela, Mina, Vivi, Ejil, and Griffy were integral to the drugstore. The same went for our regulars—Paula, Annabelle, Zeral, Elaine, Kururu, Ririka. My presence, and everyone else’s—that was the real Kirio Drugs.

“So be it.” Anbomes’s face contorted with disappointment. “This was a waste of time. Fools simply don’t understand.”

He jerked his chin, prompting Donis to pull the rope around my wrists taut. As we prepared to leave, panicked footsteps approached outside.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

“Enter,” Anbomes ordered, clearly in a foul mood. “What is it?”

A servant came in sweating bullets. Stammering, they pointed toward the manor’s entrance.

“Calm yourself. What’s the matter?” Donis asked.

The servant took a deep breath. “The king’s here to see the marquis.”

“Th-the king?!” Anbomes rose. “I-I must greet him!”

Panicked, the marquis shoved the servant aside and exited the office.

After watching him depart, Donis turned his gaze to me. “That stiff expression of yours has certainly relaxed.”

“You’re imagining things,” I replied.

Chapter 18: Shuttering Kirio Drugs (Part Four)

Chapter 18:
Shuttering Kirio Drugs (Part Four)

 

I HEARD A FAMILIAR “kyuu!” outside. Then, voices drifted in from the hallway.

“Your Highness, he’s not the sort you need to concern yourself—”

“I don’t mind.”

“B-but…”

“I wish to speak with him.”

There was a knock at the door. A man entered quickly, followed by Anbomes, who showed him to the office couch. Donis and the other knights knelt, forcing me down as well.

“Raise your heads,” said the young, masculine voice. “At ease.”

“The king demands you raise your heads!” Anbomes added self-importantly.

Slowly lifting my chin, I saw the young king sit down. We were probably around the same age. He had a close beard and mustache, but if he’d shaved, he might’ve seemed younger. “You’re the pharmacist from Kalta?”

“Yes.”

“Release his restraints.”

“But, Your Highness, this man…”

“Do it.”

Anbomes bowed his head deeply, then jerked his chin again. The ropes were removed, and the knights flanking me stepped back.

“You know, Lord Valgas has sent me a number of unique products,” the young king said.

“L-Lord Valgas?” Anbomes repeated.

“Indeed,” the king nodded. “I was, of course, quite wary at first. After all, he sent medicine. I was afraid it was poisoned. According to my appraisers, however, many of the products were masterworks virtually unknown in our world. I was astounded. You’ll understand why I was even more stunned that Lord Valgas made a habit of sending such products. I wanted to know who made them.”

Anbomes couldn’t say anything. He was catching on to what was happening.

Elaine had told me that Lord Valgas often sent gifts to the royal family. Aristocrats usually chose rare goods or regional specialties as presents, but Lord Valgas sent products from Kirio Drugs. After she mentioned that, I asked her to have her father tell the king what happened.

“It appears the pharmacist has been accused of crimes, Marquis Anbomes,” the king continued. “I request that you acquit him.”

“Y-Your Majesty, he committed a grave offense—keeping a monster as a pet—and he lets a demon travel freely to and from his drugstore! Acquitting him would be…”

Anbomes had a lot of damn nerve. Not long ago, he was planning to overlook those same charges if I agreed to become his personal pharmacist.

“I’m aware of that demon,” the king replied. “I’ve kept track of Kirio Drugs for quite some time, you see.”

“You are?”

“In fact, I initially thought the demon created those products Valgas sent. I soon discovered they were a young man’s work, however. Since I confirmed that, nothing odd has transpired at the drugstore. Furthermore, I had my men investigate the demon—he hasn’t done anything concerning. What’d you think he was up to, Marquis?”

“Um…sedition?”

The king laughed. “He’s a Kirio Drugs employee!”

“He’s…what?”

“Even if he weren’t, what purpose would sedition in Kalta serve? There’s no benefit to spying on or stirring the pot in a town in the middle of nowhere. He’d want to do such things here or in the capital.”

“W-well put, Your Highness! Your brilliant observations are stunning!” Anbomes said brightly, wringing his hands.

“In this war with the demon king’s army, the enemy is that army—not individual demons.” The king would’ve been right on the money, except that Ejil commanded the demon army. “In light of that, I deemed the demon harmless and stayed quiet about him.”

“I see! What a wise decision, Your Highness!”

As soon as Anbomes realized the king sided with me, he became a yes man. Boy, that didn’t take long.

“The demon Kirio Drugs employs is law-abiding…”

Yeah. Ejil’s just obsessed with Noela. That’s it.

“So, I’d like you to acquit the pharmacist,” the young king insisted.

“O-of course.”

“I’m quite looking forward to receiving more of his potions,” the king added. Our eyes met, and he smiled at me.

“I’m honored.” I bowed my head slightly. “You’ve been informed that bandits attacked this town, Your Highness?”

The question clearly raised Anbomes’s hackles.

“Yes. I hear there was quite a bit of damage.”

I continued speaking. “Regardless of why that attack took place, products from Kirio Drugs added fuel to the fire. Chances are that one of my customers sold the bandits those goods. Ultimately, things were damaged, and people were hurt. I don’t take that lightly.”

It’d been quite a while since I’d faced the darkness of man, and it was a shock to my system—especially because everyone around me was so kind.

“Bandits are bandits. Their actions aren’t your responsibility.”

Ejil had said the same thing as the king. At this rate, though, products I created would be misused again. I hated that idea; I needed to guard against it. I’d been thinking about that since meeting Donis. “I’m going to stop creating products the way I have up till now.”

“H-how dare you!” Anbomes yelled, eyes bulging. “His Highness said he’s looking forward to your potions!”

The young king restrained him. “Stand back, Marquis.”

“O-of course.”

I spoke honestly and clearly. “I develop the drugstore’s products to help people lead better lives—I can’t allow our selection to be used maliciously. This city wouldn’t have suffered as it did if I hadn’t created those products. I can’t live with that. If Kirio Drugs stays open for business, someone who understands its products’ potential will resell them to an underhanded third party.”

Everyone listened in silence.

I then said something I never thought I’d say. “So, I’m closing the drugstore today.” Memories I shared with everyone at Kirio Drugs ran through my mind, and my vision clouded with tears.

“I see…” the young king said. “That’s truly unfortunate. I believe your products were a stroke of genius.”

He offered words of comfort as my shoulders trembled. Before leaving the room, just to be safe, he again told Anbomes that I wasn’t to be prosecuted.

Anbomes had no further business with me. He said something to his knights, and they left.

“That was a tremendous show of will,” Donis told me before departing.

A servant led me to the gate where Mina and Noela waited. They ran up to me, embracing me tightly.

“Master!”

“Mr. Reiji!”

It’d only been a week, but it felt like years since we last saw each other.

“Master! Master!”

“Thank goodness you’re all right, Mr. Reiji!”

“I’m so sorry I worried you both.” Seeing the pair in tears, I began to weep in relief myself.

For some reason, even the gatekeeper started crying.

Chapter 19: Shuttering Kirio Drugs (Part Five)

Chapter 19:
Shuttering Kirio Drugs (Part Five)

 

“WENT TO CAPITAL TOGETHER,” Noela explained as we left the city. “Me. Drills. Old man.”

That must mean Lord Valgas.

Once we were outside the city, Griffy swooped down from the sky, and we climbed on its back.

But just after it took flight… “I’m closing the drugstore,” I said to the girls.

“Groo…”

Nobody else said anything.

“Lose store no good!” Noela added. “No want!”

“Noela…” Now that I thought about it, it’d just been Noela and me in the beginning. Mina and Ejil then joined us, Vivi became a part-timer, and Griffy hatched.

“Kyuu…” Griffy cried sadly.

We returned to the store and found Ejil and Vivi waiting for us. The pair were thrilled to see me.

“Welcome back, Doctor! I’m so glad you’re all right!”

“Reiji! Thank goodness!”

I tried to tell Noela I wanted to talk to everyone about moving forward, but she fled to her room. Maybe she didn’t want to hear it.

I also asked Vivi to look for a good spot in the woods for us to live. The town would be a little more out of the way if we moved out there, but that was perfect as far as I was concerned.

“Noela loves this place,” Mina told me.

“I do too, Mina.”

“I love it as well, you know.” She wiped tears away.

As I looked around Kirio Drugs, memories overwhelmed me. Choking up, I explained my plans to the others. “Ejil. Vivi. I’m not going to keep making new products like I have been.”

Neither said anything at first. Then Ejil spoke up. “If that’s your decision, Doctor, I’ll respect it.”

“That’s why you asked me to search my forest…?” Vivi asked hesitantly.

I nodded. “Did you find someplace we could build a new home?”

“Yup! In the woods, near the lake.”

“So, close to your place?” I asked her.

“Aw, come on! We’ll be neighbors! Isn’t that awesome?!”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, which calmed her.

“You’ll live in the woods from now on, Doctor?”

“Yeah. Ejil, I want you to cast concealment magic on our new house. There’s no telling what’ll happen if some rando heard rumors and came sniffing around to force me to make something.”

“I understand,” Ejil assured me. “Forgive me if I’m wrong, Doctor, but you said you wouldn’t keep creating new products ‘like you had been.’ Does that mean you’ll still make things…?”

“Uh… Well, yeah. I’ll make medicine and stuff for people who need it. I won’t mass-produce or sell products, though. I won’t have a drugstore anymore.”

“I see now,” Ejil nodded. “In that case, I’ll need to cast a spell that only allows those specific humans to reach your house. Correct?”

He understood my intentions before I could even explain them. “Exactly. That way, not just anyone can drop by. I plan to turn away first-time customers.”

Something like that couldn’t be called a pharmacy anymore. If someone needed help, I’d make medicine for them, but I wouldn’t turn it into a product. That was the best path forward.

“In that case, Reiji, why not stay here?” asked Vivi.

“Well, if someone saw us here still, they’d probably think the drugstore was still in business, right?” And if that person talked to me about their issues, chances were I’d end up formulating something for them.

“So, we’ll finish up here, move to the forest, and only tell certain people our location. Correct?” Mina summarized my plan nicely.

“Yeah. At first, I thought about demolishing this place to make it obvious that we weren’t open anymore. However…” That would only make Noela even more sad. Hell, it would’ve upset Mina and me too. “We’re just going to move instead.”

I spotted Noela peeking into the room. She’d probably been listening to me the entire time.

“You okay with that, Noela?”

“Understand,” she admitted.

I beckoned her over; she trotted to me and gave me a big hug.

It was official—Kirio Drugs was closing.

 

***

 

Three months later, the legendary carpenter Gaston and his team completed a new house for us in the forest. We stayed at Elaine’s manor till our new home was ready.

The house’s sunny, refreshing location was perfect for peaceful walks. There was a river nearby and all kinds of wild vegetables and herbs to gather. Vivi’s lake was also about ten minutes away.

Gaston’s team designed and built the kitchen according to Mina’s specifications, and her eyes sparkled when she saw it. “G-goodness! This is just what I requested! I’m over the moon!”

Three days had already passed since we moved in, but whenever she saw the kitchen, Mina repeated, “This is all thanks to you, Mr. Reiji. I had no idea we had so much money saved.”

I chuckled. “Saving money is a hobby of mine, you know. Plus, you don’t have any wasteful habits. We had a lot more money than we ever used. I am unemployed now, though.”

“Indeed! Don’t think I’ll let you just sit around, Mr. Reiji,” Mina said with a mischievous look, then giggled.

“If we don’t waste money, we should be good for a while. Don’t worry—I plan to work now and then.”

“Honestly, you’re a handful,” Mina smiled.

She turned away to start a kitchen chore. I asked if she needed help, but she told me to just relax.

I could hear Noela and Griffy playing outside. Since I only used Translator DX if we really needed to understand Griffy, I hadn’t heard its voice in a while.

Ejil had cast concealment magic on the house, so people could pass by without ever noticing us. As we’d planned, the magic only revealed our home to specific people.

“Whoa! This house rules! Look, Annabelle!”

“I see it! Jeez, stop yankin’ my clothes.”

Yeah, the usual suspects can find us just fine.

“What’s up? You guys starting the housewarming party?!” Paula set a wine bottle down on the table.

“Mina’s prepping for it. Isn’t that obvious?”

“Hey, Pharmacist. You look well.”

“Thanks for coming from so far away, Annabelle,” I replied.

“Is it just me, Rei Rei, or are you giving me the cold shoulder?”

Annabelle presented me with a huge chunk of meat from a boar she’d hunted yesterday.

Yeah, I’ll need to give this to Mina.

Annabelle couldn’t watch Mina struggle with the meat, though. “I’ll help,” she offered. “Carvin’ boar’s probably outta your wheelhouse.”

“Ah! Thank you!”

Heh. Mina and Annabelle in the kitchen together was a rare sight indeed. Although they seemed to be competing with one another about something, I continued to revel in another peaceful day.

“Hey, Pharmacist, who else is coming?”

Just as I was about to answer, I heard another voice outside. “This place is so remote! It’s certainly inconvenient!”

As I’d expected, Elaine showed up next, along with Rena from the Rabbit Tavern. Unfortunately, “Drills” was far from energetic. After greeting us, she lay down on the sofa.

“I’m oh so exhausted,” she sighed.

“Don’t say that, Lady Elaine,” Rena chastised her. “That was barely a stroll for a commoner.”

Noela’s head popped through the window. “Drills and Rena arrived!”

“Yup, we’re here, Li’l Wolf!”

“But I might never be able to visit again, Noela! That walk was too punishing!”

“No mind.”

“Please mind!” Elaine kicked her legs in annoyance from the sofa. Rena and Noela laughed.

The elf siblings Kururu and Ririka arrived next.

“Pardon us,” Ririka called out.

“Reiji baby, I’m so moved that you invited me to your new home!” Kururu wiped tears from his eyes with a handkerchief.

This really makes him that happy? I shot a sidelong glance at Ririka.

She let out a small sigh. “He cried like that for the entire walk. Let me tell you, it was a real pain. Anyway… Um… Thank you for inviting us.” With that, she shoved a basket of fruit at me.

“Thanks a lot!” I exclaimed. “I feel bad getting all this stuff from everybody.”

“Please, Rei Rei. It shows how much everyone loves you,” Paula grinned.

Ririka shook her head, raising both hands. “Th-that’s not it!”

Zeral and Feris arrived next.

“Hey, Zeral! Thanks for dropping in.”

“Reiji, my man, this place is too far away.”

“Aw, don’t be like that,” I replied.

“I’m glad things turned out all right. That rattled the whole town!”

“Sorry to worry you, bud.” Zeral and I shook hands, patting each other on the back.

Kururu’s eyes widened as he watched. “Reiji baby, wh-who’s this man?!”

“My friend Zeral.”

“You didn’t shake my hand or pat my back!” Kururu protested.

“I mean, we’re not exactly friends, so…”

“Augh!” Kururu yelped. “I didn’t hear that!!! La la la!”

“Stop making a scene, Brother! You can be so embarrassing!” Ririka delivered a powerful kick to Kururu’s lower leg.

“Eyaaaaaugh!” her brother cried—then passed out from pain, falling silent.

Only two invitees hadn’t arrived yet.

“Ejil, could you please stop this and do what needs to be done? Reiji won’t blame you!”

“But this is my problem, Vivi. I’ve got to make up for what happened.”

Finally spotting the two part-timers outside, I opened the window and called out to them. “Hey, Ejil! Are you still being a buzzkill?”

“Ah! Doctor?! I…I’m so sorry my mere existence caused you such trouble!” Ejil had been contrite since Donis’s visit.

Suddenly, Noela appeared at my side. She poked her head out the window as well. “Master say fine! You no listen!”

“Noela! Will you…forgive me?”

“Master forgive, so Noela forgive too.” She’d grown up a little—I really assumed she’d say she’d never forgive him or something. “Forgive…but no forget.”

Ah, she is the type to hold a grudge!

“Come on, Ejil,” Vivi interjected. “You’re used to Noela hating you, right? This is nothing new.”

“I’m not sure you’re helping, Vivi.”

Since everyone had finally arrived, Mina began bringing out the dishes she prepared. Rena, a true pro waitress, helped, which sped the process up a ton. Annabelle had supposedly been helping Mina too, but apparently, she was as poor a cook as ever.

“She was just in the way,” Mina explained with a venomous smile.

Paula, on the other hand, was already drinking. There wasn’t a thought in her mind about helping.

“Master.”

“What’s wrong, Noela? Make sure you get some juice. We’re gonna do a toast.”

“Want tasty taste. Toast with tasty taste.”

“I swear…”

At that moment, I decided to keep making potions regularly, despite how things had gone with the drugstore. After all, when I first met Noela in the woods, I healed her with a potion. It was a special product that saved my bacon when I had no clue what was going on in this new world.

Noela and I entered the new house’s lab. All my tools were in the same locations as before.

“Got ingredients,” Noela told me.

“Just for one potion, right…?” I glanced at Noela, only for her to look away. I knew she’d been gathering materials lately. “Okay. Let’s make enough for everyone.”

“Groo! Help out!”

For the first time in a while, Noela and I made potions together. Then we heard people searching for us.

Kirio Drugs had never been a place. It’d never been about how many products we had in stock. Kirio Drugs existed because we were all there—me, Noela, Mina, Vivi, Ejil, Griffy, and our regulars.

“Shall we head back, Noela?”

“Groo!”

Fresh potions in hand, we exited the lab.

Image - 10

Epilogue

Epilogue

 

“KYUU!” Calling in midair, the griffin beat its wings and slowly descended, touching down in front of a very old house with a sign out front.

The young werewolf on the griffin’s back looked up. Entering the building, the werewolf pulled about ten bottles from her backpack and arranged them on a counter. A note beneath the bottles stated what they contained.

“Potions! Tasty taste! Heal wounds! Free!”

On the counter edge sat a container with “Request Box” written on the front of it. Shaking the box, the werewolf heard several things rattling about. She opened it up and found money inside.

“Groo?!”

Flipping the request box over and pouring its contents out, the werewolf counted and double-checked the money on the countertop. The coins wouldn’t have covered the number of potions missing, but she was still surprised the box contained any money at all.

She returned the request box to its original spot, sat at the counter, and gazed outside. Confirming that there was no one passing by, she stretched her hand toward a potion—but then stopped. Her master had told her only minutes earlier that he had already made her potions, after all.

The werewolf leaned on the counter, wagging her tail. It was bright outside—a familiar sight—and loneliness struck her heart. She decided to have her master cheer her up later.

The gentle breeze coming through the door was so relaxing that the werewolf eventually nodded off.

This building no longer held herbs, ingredients, medicines, or customers in search of products. Still, it was full of precious memories.

 

THE END

Afterword

Afterword

 

HEY, ALL. Kennoji here.

Our tale ends with Volume Eight. Thanks so much to all the readers who stuck with the series till it wrapped up!

I first uploaded this story to Let’s Be Novelists!back at the end of July 2016. I never once thought it’d continue for so long; my environment’s changed greatly in the intervening years.

Drugstore in Another World was truly fateful in many ways. It was canceled when the original publisher stopped operating… Or so I thought. Then, suddenly, Hifumi Shobo rereleased it in a paperback edition, and the manga was announced too! It was my second series to get a manga—I remember being so thrilled. Drugstore in Another World even got an anime, which I could only ever have dreamed of. Now that one of my works has become a show, I feel like I can finally hold my head high and tell the world I write novels. This series has truly lifted me up.

To Matsuuni, who handled all Drugstore’s illustrations: Thanks so much for everything. Your art and character designs never differed from what I imagined. I don’t even remember requesting redraws (sorry if I did)! I looked forward to reviewing your bright, cute illustrations every time.

To my editor: Thanks so much for your support. I won’t go into detail, but if we’d made a single mistake in the process of publishing Drugstore, I don’t thinkit would’ve gotten an anime. In retrospect, we were continually threading a needle with a tiny hole.

To Haruno Eri, who was in charge of the manga, and everyone involved in the anime: It was because of all of you that Drugstore in Another World was so wide-­reaching. Thank you so much.

The Drugstore manga will continue, and the anime’s still streaming. If you’ve only read the original light novel, I highly recommend checking those out too!

Till we meet again in another title, take care.

—KENNOJI