Arifureta After III The Hauria Came! Second
–
Fortunately, the downtown interview wasn’t broadcasted live.
The camera was hindered due to the interference from Lightning Clad. The TV crews withdrew because they weren’t in a state to do recording anymore. They looked terribly frustrated.
It wasn’t because their camera broke, but because it returned to normal after they took a certain distance. Surely that was frustrating for them.
Hajime and Shia dragged away the Haurias from the noisy location to escape. They let out a large sigh when they entered the entrance of a shopping department.
「Hajime-san, are you alright, mentally?」
「It felt like my soul got shaved off a lot, but I’m still alright. Though, don’t let your guard down Shia. Concentrate. If not――you’ll die.」
「No, we aren’t in a battlefield. This is a departm――」
「Boss! This is a really amazing place! If it’s here surely they will have splendid collection of weapons!」
「Around here there are only clothes……. Boss, where are they selling tools? I want to resupply my wire soon.」
「Ah, boss, I also want sharpening stone for my knife.」
「Are they selling hidden weapon here? I want a spare blade for the assassin blade boss bestowed to us.」
「No no, chief. Also all of you too. We are finally able to come to boss’s world yeah? Then, first it has to be explosive! Boss, please show us the best explosive material!」
For the time being, the ladies who were sending feverish gazed to Carm and Io opened their eyes wide in shock. Their eyes were darting around was undoubtedly the proof that they were hesitating whether to report this to the police or not.
Shia raised a dry laugh 「Ahaha……」.
「I retract my words. This place is a battlefield. Our heart will be done in if we let our guard down. Also please don’t report this to police.」
「Perhaps it might be best to go to hardware store.」
There wouldn’t be any explosive or assassin blade there, but perhaps there would be a full set of material there. At the very least, there would be a mountain of product for making trap there.
Although, the store would also have bar or chainsaw. Hajime didn’t want Hauria to equip these two items.
Rabbits equipping “bar-like thing” or “chainsaw” inside forest……that was nightmare. If it was turned into horror movie, it felt like it would give terror that surpassed that person in the 13th Friday.
Hajime shook his head to chase out the scary imagination. He then thoroughly, very thoroughly told Carm and others that there wasn’t any weapon here, that till the end this was a market for general public. He told them to never ask anything like 「I want to buy explosive though, where is it placed?」 to the shop staff no matter what.
Carm and others were a bit disappointed, but they came here today for the sake of learning a part of living in another world. They accepted that they didn’t came for weapon resupply. For the present time they were following behind Hajime obediently.
「Hmm, it’s unfortunate that they have no weapon here, however, this place is really resplendent. It looks like the imperial castle’s audience hall or party venue.」
Carm let out an impressed voice. The first floor that became atrium which reached until third floor was certainly resplendent not just from the ceiling’s lighting, but from the lights of each store too.
「Look around casually. Tell me if there is something that pique your interest. However, don’t go off by your own. Tell me properly. You all get that? This is an absolute order okay? Completely absolute okay?」
「……That’s a joke isn’t it boss?」(TN: Here Carm said the sentence in a slang wording usually used by youngsters in Japan)
「That ain’t it.」
The chief-san grinned broadly and guessed the boss’s meaning. It made Hajime wanted to make a tsukkomi why they knew about earth’s culture (?) only in that kind of area.
The atrium floors that reached until the third floor were basically consisting of only brand clothes or bag shops. Perhaps because of that, it seemed the Haurias weren’t really interested. Their gaze were sliding away from all of those in disinterest other than learning what kind of clothing Japanese people were wearing and just how much was the price.
「Hmm, Mina-san, Nea-chan. Are you two interested in western clothes? Look, something like this, I think it will look good on Mina-san see? Isn’t it cute?」
Shia smiled wryly at the disinterest of her fellow female Haurias toward fashion while pointing at the mannequin display of a certain shop.
The group of good looking people was naturally also standing out inside the department store. Noticing that Shia stopped walking, the female shop staff’s eyes were shining hopefully. She was quickly closing the distance with a perfect smile.
Two beautiful women who looked like foreign model. The female customers inside the shop and also the passing by people inadvertently directed their gaze to them.
Amidst that, Mina who was staring intently at the mannequin display that was dressed in long skirt Shia pointed out was……
「It looks hard to move at. I think it will be a hindrance in battle.」
「……」
The shop employee stopped approaching. The female customers went 「Eh?」 and tilted their head wondering if they were mishearing.
「No, now now, Mina-san. This is a casual wear you know? It’s worn in time like when you are going out shopping for a bit for example, at that kind of time――」
「Fuu. You have become completely lax haven’t you, Shia.」
「Yes?」
In response to Shia who was explaining that it wasn’t a battle clothes with a bitter smile, Mina shrugged her shoulders looking like she was saying 「Oh dear」 really condescendingly. Shia’s expression became somewhat irritated.
「Casual wear? Shopping? I wonder what could you refer to by that. We are the Hauria! How can you be so lax to forget the constant alert state of mind as though you are in a battlefield like this!」
「Eee~」
Shia who was preached at for some reason by her relative who was like her big sister. In addition, Carm and others were also sending her an exasperated expression that said 「Good grief Shia. Can you properly become boss’s wife like that?」. Shia’s irritated expression was getting deeper.
But, she endured! Because, Shia was an able bunny wife after all! Though she couldn’t avoid having her unseen bunny ears trembling.
The female shop employee thought 「Ah, these guys might be a no good type of bunch」 and stopped approaching. Her impregnable friendly smile wasn’t disturbed at the slightest, but her legs stopped moving completely. She was entering a wait-and-see mode.
Mina didn’t even bother with the surrounding’s thought and,
(This is a chance! If I speak as Shia’s big sister that I want to watch over my unworthy little sister, I might be allowed to serve at boss’s side! Ku-ku-ku-. Don’t think bad of me, Shia. Onee-chan is at her limit already here. Each time I listened to the love talk of Rana and you, my heart feels like they are going to crack!)
Mina slipped out a black smile inside her heart. Like this she was going to develop a carefully reasoned logical argument that she ought to stay at the boss’s side using Shia’s clothing choice as excuse. But, however,
「Aa, geez-. What’s with that attitude just because of some clothing! It’s alright to wear cute western clothes occasionally! Even your attire today is lovely you know!?」
(Fuh, that’s naïve, Shia. Really naïve! My outfit right now is trouser look. What’s more, I asked Remia-san to choose one with soft fabric that has elasticity for me! In other words, it doesn’t violate my constant state of mental readiness at all! You who don’t even notice that really need my supervision just as I thought!)
Mina thought that within 0.03 second and replied with an overreaction that wished to express just how exasperated she was toward Shia.
「Fuh, really Shia. You are really a hopeless little sister aren’t you? Now listen, this is――」
「Hajime-san. Don’t you think that this long skirt will absolutely look good on Mina-san?」
「Hm~? Well, I guess it will?」
「Clerk-san! This one, give it to me!」
Mina-san snapped her finger and changed her attitude as easy as turning her palm. Inside her heart the scheme of just a moment ago had been sent flying to the beyond.
(Waa~~~i♪ I was praised by bosss~♪)
She was in a really high spirits. By the way, this year Mina was 23 years old.
She flapped her unseen rabbit ears energetically while passing by Shia who was making a look of incomprehension toward the shop employee.
By the way, each Hauria had been given their own Japanese yen of a certain amount. This was their “first shopping”. It was a part of their learning of currency value and calculation.
It was a brand product, so the price was quite expensive. The shop employee would prepare a different item that was the same like the one in the mannequin display. While waiting for it, Mina was humming ‘un un’ while counting the money she had with all her might.
While waiting for her calculation, the sleeve of Hajime’s clothes got pulled weakly. Hajime went 「Hm?」 and when he turned his gaze, there Nea who was fidgeting went……
「Bo, boss. I also, want some clothes. Is there anything, that suit me?」
The rabbit eared beautiful little girl kept sending glances with an upward look. She was explicitly begging 「I want clothes that boss think will look good on me」.
It seemed there was a gentleman among the passerby. The gentleman made a beautiful turn while passing through. He continued to walk backward while gazing intently at Nea and collided on an auntie with a huge build. *Slap* Such nice sound resounded. The price of staring at a beautiful little girl seemed to be getting hit by an auntie’s slap.
It was Myuu who became flustered by Nea’s attitude.
「Ne, Nea-chan! Myuu and Shia-oneechan will pick up clothes that will look good on Nea-chan nano!」
「Eh? Milady, but, I want boss……」
「Don’t say something bad nano! First-, Myuu and Shia-oneechan will be the one who choose! It’s okay to ask papa whether it look good or not after that!」
Myuu’s stern look was frightening. Myuu tightly grasped Nea’s shoulders and persuaded (?) Nea with a ghastly look.
「That’s right, Nea-chan. It’s just as Myuu-chan said. If not――」
「I, if not?」
「You will end up wearing something like the sweater of a black dragon with terrific fashion taste!」
「You also will end up wearing something like sweater of crap taste with hear mark scattered on it nano!」
It seemed that Hajime-san was thought by his beloved daughter as a person with crap fashion sense. By the way, the black dragon sweater was a loose and oversized sweater with the kanji of “黒龍” printed on it, while the heart mark sweater was a sweater with heart mark printed everywhere on it.
The former was for Tio’s use, while the latter was for Yue’s use. The expression of the two of them became something that was hard to be described which they had never shown until that time when they were wearing the sweater. (TN: This referred to a scene in Arifureta Nichijou when Hajime designed clothes for Tio and Yue. The design and their expression were pretty funny)
「Nea-chan is cute nano! There is no way we can allow papa to choose clothes for you nano!」
「Spare me already Myuu.」
Hajime had a faraway gaze. Just where in the world he could be looking at.
Was he looking at the distant past? His previous offense? Or perhaps only the world of unreality……
Carm clapped Hajime’s shoulder kindly. When Hajime turned his gaze toward him, he found a gaze that was displaying understanding and sympathy there. That was the expression of a father who had gotten the pile bunker of heart driven into him by his daughter who was at that age. Surely Carm had also gotten struck down by Shia in the past.
Hajime made a clear smile and nodded. It was a moment when their heart was connected as fellow father.
After that, Hajime and others were dejectedly following behind the female camp that was getting excited choosing clothes.
Midway, Par alone got treated as dressing doll by Shia and Mina, even his scream and begging 「Stop iiit! Please spare me only from thaaat! Bosss, heeelp!」 ended up in vain and he got dressed with female clothing. He looked like his soul had left his body but……
Baltfeld of certain death was supposed to be a tough man, so surely he would be fine.
After that, Hajime and co entered the general store in the fifth floor. There, Carm and others accomplished a revolutionary meeting.
「Bo, bo-bo-bo, boss!」
「What is it Carm? I told you not to be loud.」
A loud voice came from a slight distance away from Carm who was taking wallet into his hand and staring at it fixedly. The surrounding people were also paying attention to him wondering what was going on. Hajime approached him and Carm showed him that.
「This is-, what is this!?」
「It’s wallet.」
「That’s obvious when looking at it! It isn’t that, it’s this!」
*Rip rip rip* sound resounded.
The wallet opened.
Carm closed the wallet once more. The wallet’s mouth closed without any sound.
Then once more, *rip rip rip*!
「What……the」
Io opened his eyes wide in shock.
「Don’t tell me……this is an artifact?」
Mina took a different wallet with trembling hand. *Rip rip rip-*. *Pop-*. (AN: I just can’t find any good sound word for the wallet closing)
「Just, what in the hell…..」
Young boy Par’s dead and rotten fish eyes recovered their light. *Gulp-*, he swallowed his saliva.
「……」
*Rip rip rip-*. *Pop-*. *Rip rip rip-*. *Pop-*.*Rip rip rip-*. *Pop-*.*Rip rip rip-*. *Pop-*.*Rip rip rip-*. *Pop-*.
Nea-chan wholeheartedly did *rip rip rip-* and *pop-* without stopping while staying wordless and expressionless.
「……It’s called magic tape.」
「Magic……as I thought, it’s magic.」
Hajime smiled wryly while explaining the manufacturing of magic tape. The expression of Carm and others became even more astonished knowing that it was functioning without any magic at all.
「Unbelievable……here is, here is the crystallization of mankind’s wisdom!」
「You are that astonished with it huh.」
Certainly, Hajime also thought that it was a ground-breaking and genius invention, but hearing someone praising something so common for him until that far caused him to make a really complicated expression.
‘Also, Nea-chan, I wish you will stop opening and closing the wallet expressionlessly and wordlessly like that soon’, Hajime thought. The smiling shop employee was slowly closing the distance.
Hajime was making a slightly twitching expression and took away the wallet that was making ripping sound from Nea’s hand.
「Ah……」
Nea-chan, she showed a sad expression that she had never showed before! It looked like she just had her treasure taken away from her. Her eyes were getting moist with tears. He could imagine her rabbit tears drooping down with dejection.
It caused a terrible guilt even for Hajime.
Unconsciously,
「I, I’ll buy it for you, so do the ripping at home.」
Nea-chan’s expression brightened radiantly in a flash! It was the radiance like the shine of a dazzling sunlight after the dark clouds of a century was cleared away. Her usual cool warrior face couldn’t be found at the slightest.
Her rabbit ears and rabbit tail were whooshing up and down fiercely! So much so the illusion was shook off and they became faintly visible, expressing her intense happiness!
「I, I’ll treasure it forever!」
「O, ou. No, don’t make a wallet of only a thousand yen as your treasure. Hearing that make me sad for some reason.」