(428) What Malina left behind

Translator: Tseirp

“What the heck is this!?”

I inadvertently shouted out but still phrased it ordinarily.

A detective shot by a pistol in a drama long before I was born shouted in the same way so perhaps that was something humans would unknowingly scream when something incomprehensible happens. Well, that was screamed according to a script so it wouldn’t have been subconscious.

Whereas I shouted subconsciously.

Nevertheless, in front of the observatory, beginning with the Demon G.o.d-samas, all the Dark Elves were gathered in an open s.p.a.ce on a heart-shaped stand.

【Grand Confession to Ichinojo-sama Event!】

And a banner written with that was displayed.

“What’s this about? I didn’t hear anything about this. Who did this!?”

In the first place, what is a grand confession event?

“Sorry, Kusunoki-san. It was me. If I went home like this, both Marina and Kanon would be angry with me.”

Malina said and bashfully went up the stage.

“I like Kusunoki-san! If you’d like, please get engaged with me and return to j.a.pan together with me!”

That was a sudden confession.

Well, there was a huge banner t.i.tled grand confession event so it wasn’t abrupt at all.

Malina’s actions did show some hints of this and she was recorded in my Home Return skill too.

Why did it feel as though this was a story and I’m a reader?

But, for me, this was not sudden or unexpected.

The abrupt confession and affection.

I was surprised but her feelings had already reached my heart.

“ … Thank you, Malina. That makes me happy.”

I looked at her and said.

“But, sorry. I have decided to remain in this world. I can’t respond to your feelings.”

My reply caused her to look down a little.

I was delighted to hear her words and receive her feelings.

I realized how painful it was to refuse a person who had feelings for you.

But I knew that it hurt her a lot more so I looked at her intently.

“ … Okay, I understand. Ah, Kanon mentioned that she would sock you when you reject me so please accept it obediently.”

Malina replied with a laugh.

“I don’t want that.”

I smiled in reply too.

“With this, I have nothing keeping me here. Okay, next.”

“Next … eh?”

Others were planning to confess to me?

Then, someone else stood on the stage to replace Malina.

It was Norn-san.

“Onii-san … no, Ichinojo-san! Emm, a delicious river fish shop has opened in the Florence square so let’s go together next time.”

“Eh? Sure.”

The surrounding audience applauded when I nodded.

I like river fish and I would gladly accept if she invited me so why did she have to ask here?

In fact, I had already promised her to eat together.

“Then, next would be Miri’s turn.”

It was a string of star performers as Miri went up the stage next.

“You have something to say too?”

“Yes, it is an important confession.”

An important confession from Miri?

I had a bad feeling about it. Was it related to the Demon Lord? Or related to the G.o.ddesses?

“Actually, Miri is not Onii’s actual younger sister!”

“A really serious confession appeared!”

“Just kidding – -”

I stroked my chest in relief when I heard it was a joke.

There was a bottom line for jokes.

“Even though I am no longer human, from now on and forever, I will always be together with Onii. Please let me stay as your younger sister forever.”

Miri said to me.

With a serious look.

“ … ha?”

What was this girl saying?

“Miri. We’re sending Malina to Earth so read the atmosphere a little. This is not the time to fool around.”

“Wait, Onii, I’m not fooling around!”

“I am your guardian. So it’s natural that we will be living together? I mean, you are my younger sister, I can’t quit from having you as a younger sister just like how I can’t quit being Jobless. Well, as a brother I want to find a splendid husband for you and I feel restless that you wish to remain single but you probably can’t get married now that you are a G.o.ddess?”

I said with a laugh and Miri got off the stage with her face bright red.

What was wrong with her?

“The audacious Demon Lord has magnificently slipped desu. A masterpiece desu!”

Sheena No.3 cackled as she said and it seemed that Miri heard it as she took her anger out on her by kicking her s.h.i.+n as hard as possible so Sheena No.3 was rolling around the ground holding her s.h.i.+n.

Miri was still the same regardless if she was a Demon Lord or a G.o.ddess.

“Isn’t it about time we moved to the main topic? I still have to return home to watch the late-night anime I recorded. If I don’t wach it soon, I might see spoilers on the internet.”

Torerul-sama said something outrageous.

She was a G.o.ddess who couldn’t read the atmosphere even more than Miri.

“Torerul, there are five hours thirty-seven minutes and twelve seconds left until the purification of Earth is at its maximum. Also, the equipment is not ready.”

“That’s right. Well, I look forward to this slightly since we have the old and the new G.o.ddesses gathered. Right, Minerva.”

Libra-sama announced the schedule down to the second as she looked at her watch while Koshmar-sama drank tea as she chided Torerul-sama and looked at Minerva-sama seated beside her.

That Minerva-sama was sitting on the chair while hugging her knees and muttering to herself as if she was muttering a curse.

“The surrounding eyes hurt. The eyes that say 『You, the one who caused so much chaos in the world, why did you come to partic.i.p.ate in this party』. I want to die … eh, why didn’t I die at that time? That was the perfect chance. Well, it’s not too late. You die when you die so let’s die.”

“Be content and accept it, Minerva. This is the mission that has been imposed on you.”

Tet-sama who had returned to being a G.o.ddess was beside Minerva-sama and was quietly reading a book.

It seemed that her work had acc.u.mulated while she was a Demon G.o.d.

Even though the problem with the miasma was postponed, it seemed that many other disasters in the world could not be overlooked.

That said, Metias-sama and Minerva-sama who had become Demon G.o.ds were currently helping Tet-sama with her work so the acc.u.mulated work had been cleared to some extent so she had some leeway to take her time with her work.

“Demon G.o.ds and G.o.ddesses eating a meal together. Did you antic.i.p.ate this as well? Metias-senpai.”

“Well, I wonder? My ability to look into the future is limited after becoming a Demon G.o.d.”

The free-spirited Setolance-sama asked as she drank beer from a pitcher while Metias replied as she gracefully tilted her wine gla.s.s.

“Sheesh, in the end, everyone is just postponing the problem, both the G.o.ddesses and Demon G.o.ds are so carefree.”

“Like you are one to speak.”

I chopped Miri’s head. The ribbon on her head was greatly wrinkled.

In the first place, she created a system that automatically purified miasma on an uninhabited island which made Metias think of this solution.

Incidentally, if they collected the magic stones, the problem of the miasma would be solved even further.

“But do you think it is easy to collect the magic stones? Magic stone is an important source of energy in this world.”

“Koshmar is thinking about that so it will be fine. If she can’t think of it, we can still act a hundred years later.”

Such confidence.

Miri issued a condition that she would not work as a G.o.ddess for a hundred years when she agreed to become a G.o.ddess.

Why a hundred years? When I asked that, she replied that it would not be too late to start after she sees me pa.s.s away.

Going by that conclusion, I would live to be over 120 years old.

I didn’t want to pa.s.s away and leave Haru and Carol behind but I didn’t think that I would live so long.

“In that case, shouldn’t you have made it a condition that you won’t work as a G.o.ddess until I pa.s.s away?”

When I asked her that,

“If I did, the G.o.ddesses or Demon G.o.ds might a.s.sa.s.sinate Onii in secret.”

She gave a shocking reply.

As much as I wanted to believe in them, Metias-sama, who wanted to annihilate the world to confirm if I can function well during peacetimes, was the leader of the Demon G.o.ds.

When they really needed Miri’s power, she would weigh my life over the world and could actually choose to a.s.sa.s.sinate me.

I told Miri she did a good job on that.

After the tiring grand confession event was over, everyone enjoyed a standing meal together until the time was up.

It was a barbecue event with everyone.

“Master, the meat here is cooked.”

“Ichino-sama, the mushrooms here are done.”

As I ate the meat and mushrooms that Haru and Carol served to me, I looked at Malina.

She didn’t partic.i.p.ate in the barbecue and ate the sandwich she received from Margaret-san.

“What’s wrong? You don’t want to eat barbecue?”

“Ah yes. I heard from Koshmar-sama that I can bring the mask pieces back to Earth but I can’t bring these sandwiches over. Furthermore, these sandwiches are packed with all the things I love.”

There were all kinds of sandwiches.

So all her favorite ingredients were there?

Going by Malina’s personality, regardless of how she became good friends with Margaret-san, she wouldn’t be able to answer many questions about her favorite food.

In that case, how did Margaret-san know?

“That means …”

“Yes. I think Kanon made it with her. For me.”

“That sounds like something Kanon would do.”

“Yes. Ah, Kusunoki-san, I’ll return this too.”

Malina said and pa.s.sed the Wind Bow to me.

I guess it was natural that she won’t be able to bring a magical bow to Earth.

“Ah, I should return this to Haru too. Oh, I have one request.”

“What is it?”

I explained about a certain location.

I handed a hand-drawn map to her along with it.

“Do you know about the shrine located there?’

“Yes, I do.”

It was quite a famous shrine so Malina knew about it too.

“I see. Then, there is a tombstone that says Kusunoki grave which is the second from the left at the rear of the cemetery so could you go there and report this to my parents? That Ichinosuke and Miri are living well and happy.”

When Miri and I transmigrated, everyone on Earth lost their memories of us.

However, that effect might not extend to the souls of the dead so our parents might be worried in the afterlife.

“Okay. I will make sure to convey the message. I’ll clean the grave at the same time.”

Malina replied.

There was still some time left after the meal so Malina did some street performance for entertainment.

Starting with juggling on a unicycle, she also showed us various magic tricks like the cigar box as well as other acts such as tightrope walking on a ball.

Juggling while on a ball on a tightrope showed an amazing amount of street performance technique but at the same time, I was also surprised by Pioneer’s production skills in making the large and small props for the street performance in a short time.

With the extra time, the Dark-Elves also showed off hymn singing and bow performance and before we knew it, it was time.

“The preparations are complete.”

Daijiro-san announced.

Since when was she here?

In fact, she’s not a G.o.ddess so how did she enter My World without a permission seal?

“I summoned her. Although there is a method to return to earth, only she is capable of setting the coordinates.”

Metias-sama said.

It seemed that although it was easy to return to Earth, special calculations were required to set the location of the transfer.

“Wait, Daijiro-san, you aren’t returning to Earth? I was of the impression that you would rush for the chance to return to j.a.pan.”

“Didn’t I pa.s.s you the book with the coordinates to return to Earth?”

Miri was referring to the book she gave to Daijiro with a piece of paper inside stating the time and place where the purified miasma would spew out from Otherworld.

Miri said that with those coordinates and Daijiro’s invention, she would be able to return to Earth like the preparations this time.

“I no longer need to return thanks to this.”

“Eh?”

I inadvertently made a sound.

Daijiro took out a book from her pocket.

It was the latest volume of Nyaa Piece (duplicated).

“The j.a.panese manga such as Nyaa Piece and other t.i.tles which I desperately wanted to read are now available in this world. I no longer need to go back to Earth.”

“You worked so hard just for the sake of reading manga!?”

I subconsciously retorted.

I see, her pirate cosplay and the image of riding a flying s.h.i.+p as an air pirate was not coincidental but an exact cosplay of Nyaa Piece, d.a.m.n it.

Now that I think about it, I forgot that this person wrote doujins.h.i.+ under the pseudonym of Big Second and is a genuine lover of 2D.

“It’s not an insignificant matter. Manga is the treasure of j.a.pan, the heart of j.a.pan!”

“Okay okay. Then, Daijiro-san won’t be returning to j.a.pan?”

“Yes. I will continue to support the j.a.panese people who lose their way into this world.”

“ … Please do your best.”

I guess that was who she was from the beginning.

Flying around the world for her fellow j.a.panese people, reaching the places where the transmigrators will arrive at, and placing helpful information and tools there.

I had been helped by her all this time.

Perhaps the reason that she was looking for a way to return to j.a.pan for manga was just an excuse and it was in fact for j.a.panese people like Malina who wanted to return.

Like an unsung shounen manga hero.

“Malina-san, come here. There’s not much time left.”

“Okay.”

Malina replied, rushed to me, and kissed me without any preface.

Our lips only touched for a split second and it was a faint kiss that I hardly felt but I was left with a strong impression of the scent of herbs that seemed to have been in the sandwich.

That kiss gave me the impression of the gla.s.s shoe Cinderella dropped as she ran away for fear of the melting magic.

I reached out momentarily toward her back as she ran away – – and withdrew my hand.

“Good luck, Malina! Stay healthy on that side too!”

“Yes, I’ll be going, everyone, thank you for taking care of me.”

She climbed the ladder hung on the observatory, waved her hand at the top, and smiled until the end as she disappeared into a pillar of light.

She left with a little bit of loneliness and a lot of smiles.

I was immersed in the afterglow of Malina’s departure but the G.o.ddesses stood up all at once.

“Now then, it’s about time we leave.”

Koshmar-sama said.

“Eh? Already?”

“Yes. After all, in order to operate a dungeon efficiently, we have to create a new type of dungeon. The plan is for every G.o.ddess apart from Tet to create and operate ten dungeons for a total of 40 dungeons.”

I see, so it has already started.

Haru, who loves to challenge dungeons, was wagging her tail non-stop after hearing that.

I guess there was something to look forward to from now on.

“Wait, Koshmar, don’t decide on your own. I believe I said that I have to watch the late-night anime that I took and saved!”

“Can’t you watch it any time if it is a recording?”

“Then there would be internet spoilers – -”

“Don’t worry, I’ll give you enough work that you won’t have time to surf the internet.”

Koshmar-sama smiled and Torerul-sama flinched.

“No! I need a vacation!”

“Wait! Torerul!”

Torerul-sama disappeared to escape and Koshmar-sama similarly disappeared to chase after her.

I guess Koshmar-sama had it rough too.

“Well then, we’ll take our leave too.”

“I see. New dungeons huh? I’m excited thinking about what monsters to create.”

Libra-sama and Setolance-sama left as well.

“Then, we should leave too. Metias-sama, Minerva.”

“Yeah, see you, Ichinojo-san. Please live as hard as you can. This world is barely free from disaster with the power of each human being. It doesn’t mean that one person can’t do anything by themselves but you might fall into disaster at any time if you lack just one person. Never neglect to put in the effort.”

“ … But if you wish to die, let me know. I’ll get you to work. When you are full of work to do, you won’t even have the energy to think of dying.”

Tet-sama, Metias-sama and Minerva-sama put in their words respectively.

Isn’t Minerva-sama’s symptoms quite dangerous?

I was a little worried but I felt that Minerva-sama would be fine.

Even if Minerva-sama became a Demon G.o.d and Tet-sama knew that she was betrayed, Tet-sama was still by her side and she will continue to help her.

After the G.o.ddesses left, the rest of us started cleaning up.

Suddenly, I looked at the table and there were tools that Malina couldn’t bring back to Earth, such as the Wind Bow, the item bag that she had, and her magic tools.

I picked up the bow and muttered.

“Do your best over there, Malina.”