Chapter 141 - Staff Roll
When I instinctively peeked at Philia's hands, I realized that images were being projected from the coin.
It seemed she was using it to make characters appear on the wall.
In short, it was an ultra-miniature projector.
For something found in a medieval-style fantasy world, it was an unnaturally modern device.
...No.
Far from just modern, one might even call it futuristic.
An image projector no larger than a coin felt as though it surpassed the scientific capabilities of Earth.
Was the world where Kana lived a place where OOPArts were just lying around everywhere?
Could it be that the fantasy world I was in was like that too?
With my head full of question marks, I turned my gaze back to the wall.
Once again, my field of vision was filled with strings of characters in bizarre shapes.
It was a type of script I had never seen before.
It was completely different from the alphabets of fantasy worlds, and it didn't resemble any script from Earth either.
Thanks to my [Language Comprehension] skill, I could read it without difficulty, but without it, it would have looked like nothing more than random scratches.
It was an unpleasant typeface.
It had an atmosphere similar to the journals of heinous criminals that were once released on news programs. A messy handwriting that felt devoid of humanity, as if written with a ruler.
Though the difference was between Japanese and an unknown language, the humanity of the writer somehow comes through.
Without a doubt, I would not get along with the person who wrote this.
"Not that I have any plans to meet them," I muttered with a wry smile as I continued reading.
From the look of it, these scratched characters seemed to be listing job titles and names.
Planning: Galgimendo
Original Concept: Ba Agel
Monster Design: Borozoul
Balance Design: A Givon
"...A staff roll?"
Yes, a staff roll.
It bore a striking resemblance to those tedious strings of text displayed in the end credits of games and anime.
Absurdly, there was even a part that read, Extras: Earth's Pleasant Companions.
It was true that in the fantasy world where Kana and I were summoned, game-like concepts such as skills, levels, and statuses existed.
But even so, there was no need to lean into the game theme this much.
It was a trivial, insulting prank.
To think that after a place where lives were traded, this was what waited at the end?
I stared at Philia's face in astonishment. In her vacant profile, there was no sign of intelligence.
I knew it would be a waste of breath, but I tried asking anyway.
"Philia, can you explain what this means?"
The former High Priest gave no answer. She seemed to like the coin quite a bit, licking it all over with a tongue like a dog's.
Sighing, I took the coin away from Philia.
I thought it was dangerous, as she might accidentally swallow it if left like this.
"Ah—! Ah—!"
As expected, Philia, having had her toy confiscated, began to whine. However, I was just about getting used to handling this girl.
If I just gave her some butt massages and sucked on her lips, she'd probably quiet down... I was thinking that when I heard a sound like sobbing from my feet.
It was Angelica.
Sitting in a tuck position with her eyes red and swollen, she was looking up at me with resentful eyes.
When did she get here?
I wondered, but while I was preoccupied with the text on the wall, I was wide open, so she had plenty of opportunities to approach.
"Are you having an affair since this morning...?"
Angelica muttered in a tearful voice, then let out a particularly large, retching sob.
Naturally, my guilt was enough to pierce through my chest.
"Listen, Ange. Philia won't quiet down unless I do it this way."
"Even so, you don't have to do it right in front of my eyes!?"
She started screaming and wailing. Of course, since I was at fault ten to zero, there was no way I could argue.
A man is simply a punching bag.
"You're right, I should have just shoved her in a toilet and comforted her. That was my fault."
"Please do the same thing to me."
"That would be bad. You're only sixteen..."
"Why can the High Priest do things that I can't!?"
Since she looked like she might actually start crying, I confessed honestly.
"If the partner is Philia, it's just like providing nursing care, but if I were to flirt and make out with you, Ange, I might get horny and unable to focus on work. I don't have the confidence to restrain myself with you."
"What kind of excuse is that... Wait, eh? Ehhh? I-Is that so? I see... So Father thinks of me that way..."
"Then it can't be helped, I guess," Angelica said with a smile, sliding closer to me.
When I wondered what she was doing, she hugged me with practiced movements and gave me a light kiss on the cheek.
If Philia was a large dog, Angelica was truly a kitten.
"Are you watching properly, High Priest? Father belongs to me, you know. Father loves me, you know..."
Was she trying to show off to a thief dog instead of a thief cat?
It seemed Angelica's anger was directed at Philia rather than me.
As I let out a sigh of relief, thinking I had dodged a bullet, she sucked on my lips as if to say she wouldn't let even that breath escape.
Well, this is how it goes. This is just my life.
Starting from the morning, an incident occurs in my mouth, and I'm kissed with such intensity that my breath is practically overwritten by the scent of Angelica.
With Ayako-chan joining in after watching the whole thing, it was a state that could never be shown to the public.
Or rather, if I showed it, I'd be arrested.
"Let's just eat quickly..."
If the concept of violating the Child Welfare Act were personified, it might be me.
While my sense of guilt swelled grandly, I sat at the dining table.
Garlic-laden toast and a Mamushi drink greeted me.
Perhaps it was better to be emitting the smell of garlic than to walk around reeking of a young woman's scent.
Telling myself that, I wolfed down a breakfast that looked like nothing but dinner.
[Author's Note]
I fell asleep and couldn't make the update for last night in time... I am sorry.