Chapter 166 - Chapter 165: Trys's Souvenir
The second day of the wind week in the second month of fire.
Mika was running energetically through the capital city as usual.
This was around the center of District 4.
Classes at the academy had ended, and he was on his way to fulfill a commissioned request for "Curse Removal," but along the way, he spotted Trys.
(By the way, does she have a house in District 4?)
When they bumped into each other while shopping before, he felt like she said something like that.
He thought about stopping to say a quick hello, but Trys looked different than usual.
Usually, she wears an aura of dignity, stands straight with her back straightened, and looks sharp.
But Trys, with her shoulders slumped, was letting out a sigh.
Seeing Trys walking sluggishly surprised him a little.
(...Did something happen?)
This is a bit out of the ordinary.
"Trys."
Mika ran over and called out to Trys, who was walking toward him.
Noticing Mika, Trys twitched for a moment, then hurriedly straightened her back.
"Oh, Mika-chan. What a coincidence to meet you here."
She said it with a stiff smile, just like that.
"Did something happen? You don't seem energetic."
"Oh, really? It's nothing like that."
Trys was clearly putting on a facade.
And she was trying to hide something.
(Hmm... which is the right answer? Should I pretend not to notice? Or should I press her for the story?)
Everyone has one, two, three, or four things they don't want to be known.
Stepping into that territory makes him feel a bit reluctant.
(But...)
Sometimes, borrowing someone's hand can solve things immediately.
Well, if it were just that level of trouble, Trys wouldn't be acting like this.
(So, is it a problem level that can't be solved by just that?)
If the person really doesn't want to say it, should he back off?
But maybe he shouldn't just brush it off with a casual "Oh, okay."
So, Mika stared at Trys with a gii--- look.
Receiving Mika's gaze, Trys made a slightly troubled face and turned away.
Still ignoring that, Mika continued to stare at Trys with a gii----- look.
Then, Trys let out a long haa... sigh.
"Mika-chan. It really is nothing. It's just a... well... a money problem."
"Money?"
Mika looked bewildered.
In this case, prying too much might be rude.
Interfering with someone's financial situation is something even Mika feels reluctant to do.
(Should we set up a Niconico Loan? With 5% interest per two days?)
He casually sets an extremely evil interest rate that even surpasses some emperors.
If converted to an annual rate, how many percent would it be?
No, how many hundred thousand percent?
Compound interest is scary.
"Um, I know this is presumptuous, but..."
Mika wondered if he should back off, but he wanted to confirm at least that he had a rough idea of the situation.
When they had first met, Trys had accompanied Mika on a "Curse Removal" mission out of concern for him.
Even if Mika didn't understand Trys's intentions, he couldn't just treat her coldly.
It might be meddling, but he didn't want things to develop into something truly strange under any circumstances.
Depending on the situation, Mika might even pay for it himself.
That was how much he trusted Trys.
Of course, he wouldn't charge interest, right?
"Oh... sorry. It's not like I'm short on money or anything like that."
Trys gave a bitter smile.
"I have money. It's just that the amount is huge. Whether I should spend that much... I was thinking about that."
"Oh, I see."
It was a worry fitting for the reliable Trys.
(Of course. Trys wouldn't go into debt or anything like that.)
He had worried rudely.
Now that he understood the reason for Trys's worry, Mika felt relieved.
But then, Trys's face became a bit serious.
"Mika-chan, there's something I want to ask you..."
"Yes? What is it?"
The atmosphere was completely different from before, and Trys was so serious it felt somewhat oppressive.
"It's about taking things out of a Magic Bag. Is it difficult?"
"A Magic Bag?"
Salvage.
"Earlier, you spoke as if you weren't very confident, right? I was wondering how successful it actually is."
"Oh... Yeah, that was the case back then."
When he showed it off before, there were no success cases yet.
Now, he has succeeded in over ten Salvage operations, with zero failures.
If done carefully, one can say it will almost never fail.
Unless he gets tired of doing it bit by bit and tries to replace everything all at once.
"If done carefully, I think it will almost never fail. It requires quite a bit of caution, so I can't say it's absolute."
"Is that so?"
"Also, the number of times is still small. If a pattern we haven't seen before comes up, it might be a bit... If I do it a few dozen more times, I'll be able to say it with a bit more confidence."
He hasn't done enough Salvage to call it something backed by experience.
Mika answered without any particular burden, and Trys's expression softened slightly.
"I see. If Mika-chan says so, then it must be so."
Trys said it with a somewhat relieved expression.
"Thank you. I've made up my mind."
And she returned to her usual smile.
"Next time, I'll have you take on a request. Please take care of it."
"Hm?"
A request?
A request in the flow of this conversation?
"Could it be... you have a Magic Bag you want to take the contents out of?"
"Yes. To be honest, that's exactly it."
Trys ran a hand through her hair and gave a bitter smile.
"Since it's a commissioned request, it should be fine, right? But considering the risk of Loss, I was wondering if I should really go through with it."
As Mika looked up, he met Trys's direct eyes and gaze.
"But, while it's not zero, it seems I don't need to worry too much about Loss. So, the only thing left is whether the 'thing' is worth the cost."
There, Trys closed her eyes once and took a breath.
"I judged that it has that kind of meaning. So, I'll have you take on the request next time."
While Trys had a relieved expression, this time Mika slumped his shoulders and let out a sigh.
"Hey... Trys."
"What is it, Mika-chan?"
Seeing Mika suddenly slump his shoulders, Trys looked at him with a slightly suspicious face.
"You don't have to go through the Guild. Just tell me directly."
"No, no. As an adventurer, I have to follow the rules. It's in the Guild regulations, and especially for high-value requests—"
"That."
Mika pointed sharply at Trys.
He thought it was rude, but he did it on purpose.
"Why make it a request? It's free. Just give it to me."
"What nonsense. There's no way—"
Mika interrupted Trys mid-sentence and went to buy a juice being sold at a shop right next to them.
Then, he called out to the Cafeteria Lady who was watching the shop.
"I'll take one of these. The money comes from that lady over there."
"Huh?"
Mika took the juice from the Cafeteria Lady and took a sip.
Trys was stunned by Mika's sudden action.
The Cafeteria Lady watching the shop smiled and immediately projected an aura of "pay up now" while reaching out to Trys.
Though confused, Trys was pressured by the Cafeteria Lady's aura and paid the money.
"Okay, let's go then."
"Go? Go where?"
As Trys put away her wallet, she asked that.
"Of course. It's your house, Trys."
"Haa!?"
Trys's absurd voice echoed around.
"I'm coming in."
"Oh, ah, please. It's a small place."
Losing to Mika's forcefulness, who showed the juice as if saying "I've already received the reward," Trys invited Mika into her home.
Mika also proposed that he could do it anywhere outside since barging into a house suddenly was bad.
But since she said it didn't matter, they decided to visit Trys's house on the spur of the moment.
"Really... I completely forgot that once you start talking, you won't listen."
Trys said that, but she didn't seem offended.
Mika, thinking it might be rude to look too closely, lightly checked the inside of the house.
Trys's house was an apartment building.
Exposed concrete.
If you call it stylish, it is stylish, but it felt more rugged than fashionable.
A small table with two chairs.
But it didn't feel like anyone lived there with her.
Or rather, the feeling of someone living there was extremely thin because there were so few things.
Trys, could she be a minimalist?
"This is it."
Trys brought a Magic Bag from the back room.
It was a bit aged, but the bag wasn't torn.
Mika was invited by Trys to sit opposite her at the table.
And so, he received the Magic Bag.
"Just to be safe, I'll say it again: I can't guarantee I can get everything out. Please understand that there is a possibility of Loss in the worst case."
"Oh, I understand."
"Are there any expensive items inside?"
When Mika asked that, Trys made a face as if thinking deeply.
"I don't know much about the contents. But..."
"But?"
When Mika asked again, Trys looked straight at Mika with a serious expression.
"There should be a rocket inside."
"A rocket?"
Launch it?
There's such high-tech stuff inside?
(...Ah, I see. That's what it means.)
The "rocket" in this case was—
"If I can get out even just the Rocket Pendant, I don't expect much else."
Trys looked down slightly and smiled sadly.
It seemed to be a souvenir.
(Well, even if I can manage just one... I can't do such dexterous tricks. Regarding Salvage, it's all or nothing.)
He would just throw his all into it.
Mika closed his eyes and concentrated, interfering with the Magic Bag.
(...It doesn't seem to differ from other Magic Bags.)
It's normal for there to be slight differences in structure.
He searched for the place to replace the mana as usual and found it exactly where he thought it would be.
(I can't fail under any circumstances. I won't rush; I'll go slowly, perhaps too slowly.)
And so, taking a little more time than usual, he succeeded in replacing the mana.
As Mika exhaled deeply, Trys, who had been watching with bated breath, also let out a sigh of relief.
"I think I probably did it."
When Mika tried putting his hand into the bag, it went in without any resistance.
And so, he grasped the contents of the bag.
(Rocket Pendant. Is this it?)
Smiling at Trys's anxious expression, Mika took out the target item first from the contents he had grasped.
Then, he turned his clenched hand toward Trys and opened it.
Inside was a pendant with an oval-shaped rocket charm attached.
The moment she saw it, Trys's face showed surprise, then immediately twisted into a grimace.
She gently picked up the pendant with trembling hands and squeezed it tightly against her chest.
(...Ru...do...)
Trys seemed to mutter something small and quietly, but Mika couldn't hear it.
Maybe it was the name of the owner of this Magic Bag.
For a short while, she held the Rocket Pendant like that, then gently opened the rocket charm.
And so, a single stream of silent tears flowed.
(...Thank you... Mika-chan. Really, thank... you...)
Seeing Trys choke up like that, Mika's eyes involuntarily welled up with tears too.
Leaving Trys, who was quietly lost in thought while gripping the rocket again, Mika returned to the Salvage operation.
A wallet with some money, a scripture of the Church of Light, a bundle of four letters, a figurine of "Clio," several god statues, a small round shield, three swords, and so on.
He kept taking things out, placing them on the wall since they wouldn't fit on the table, or putting them on the floor in the corner of the room.
(A fairly devout follower of the Church of Light? Since there are weapons, she seems like an adventurer. Maybe a former Church Knight like Trys?)
A lover?
Since they couldn't be taken out, there's a high possibility they passed away.
It would be rude to ask too much about that.
(I want to leave her alone, but just leaving silently is also... What should I do?)
After taking out all the contents, Mika placed the Magic Bag on the table, and Trys wiped her tears.
"...Sorry. Showing you this place."
"No."
It seemed Trys had recovered her spirits a little.
"I never thought I'd come back like this. What should I do to thank you, Mika-chan?"
"I just did it on my own, you know? Besides, I already got the reward (Juice)."
When Mika said that with a smile, Trys made a troubled face.
"In that case, I won't be satisfied."
"Even if you say that, I've been helped by Trys too."
"Helped? Did I do something?"
Trys made a strange face.
"Didn't you come along for the Curse Removal? And you taught me a lot of things."
When Mika said that, Trys's eyes became a bit wet.
"...Mika-chan looked quite troubled back then."
"Ah, that was... um... ah, ahaha..."
Yes.
To be honest, I thought you were a nuisance.
Sorry.
When Mika laughed it off, Trys also chuckled.
"I thought so back then too, but Mika-chan is really amazing."
"Hm? What is?"
Trys looked at Mika with very kind eyes.
"You've never fought a 'Unpure One,' yet you found a way to defeat them right there. And even in front of dozens of Wraiths, you didn't flinch at all."
It's probably just my imagination that it sounded a bit like she was stunned.
"And then, you even managed to break such a terrifying curse, and now you're showing me how to take things out of a Magic Bag."
And so, she took a deep breath.
"Are gods dwelling in Mika-chan's hands?"
"Shall we shake hands?"
When Mika playfully offered his hand, Trys laughed.
"Shall I chop it off and worship it every day?"
"Please stop!?"
Mika hurriedly pulled his hand back.
By the way, this person said she would chop off Kaerya's hand, right?
She might really do it.
Trys laughed out loud, finding Mika's panic funny.
But she quickly turned serious again.
"Thank you, Mika-chan. I will never forget this favor for the rest of my life."
"No, that's too much. This isn't a big deal at all."
Mika said that, but Trys shook her head.
"Even a trivial act of kindness can sometimes keep someone's life going. Even if it's trivial for the giver, it's as if the receiver was saved for a lifetime."
And so, Trys bowed her head politely.
"Thank you. Thanks to Mika-chan, it seems light has returned to my dim soul."
And so, when she raised her face, she looked straight at Mika.
But seeing Mika's troubled, indescribable expression, Trys laughed out loud again.
■■■■■■
【Capital City Istora Magic Academy Girls' Dormitory】
"Jus—" (Just back)
A girl returned to her own room in the dormitory.
Seeing her wiping her wet hair with a towel, she must have gone to the bathhouse.
In the room, the roommate girl stood by the window, reaching her hand outside.
"What are you doing, Rimliche?"
"Welcome back. Nothing."
Rimliche closed the window in a slightly flustered manner.
It was summer, but it got a bit chilly at night.
Many dorm residents open the window to let the heat trapped during the day dissipate, then close it.
"The bathhouse was free just now. I went there."
"Oh, really? Then I'll go for a bit."
And so, Rimliche prepared her clothes and towel.
Some girls get by with the academy's sports clothes as pajamas, and Rimliche was one of them.
Normally, one would gradually want cute clothes.
When others wear them, you want them too.
But Rimliche was a slightly strange girl who had no interest in such things at all.
There are girls who spend money on things other than clothes, but she didn't seem to have such hobbies either.
It's a pity she can't chat about clothes or accessories, but Rimliche was a fairly quiet and calm girl.
As a roommate, she was pretty standard.
They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Rimliche was small and quiet, but she was among the top students in her grade.
And she ate surprisingly well.
It seems that in Leventein's dormitory, the rule was simply "eat as much as possible" and "exercise as much as possible."
Thinking about such things, Rimliche stood up holding her change of clothes.
"Then, I'm going."
"See ya."
In the room where Rimliche had left, the girl let out a big "Phew..."
"Maybe it's a bit hot."
Muttering that, she opened the window while wiping her hair.
"Cool..."
The faint breeze coming in from the window cooled her flushed skin.
She closed her eyes for a while and enjoyed the night breeze.