Two weeks had passed since my negotiations with Claude-sama had ended. During that time, almost every night, Monica would come over to report on the village and surf the Internet. It had become Monica’s routine to come over, eat dinner, take a bath, and do some research. Of course, she had come over today as well, and we were eating dinner together. “Monica, how do you feel about this world?” I asked Monica, who was skillfully eating the grilled fish with chopsticks. “It's wonderful,” she replied. “The quality of all goods is high, and they're produced in large quantities, making them affordable.” “You're right, they are cheap,” I agreed. “Definitly. By the way, I'm curious about something. I understand that there’s no magic in this world, but Tatsuya-sama and Tadashi-sama are both mages, right?” Ah, I see. “Actually, there are mages in this world too, but they’re not open about it.” “Is that so?” “Yes. However, there are also demons, and there’s a secret organization that deals with them. I work for that organization.” By the way, my colleague had just sent me a series of messages: [Test’s over!] and [Yay!] “I wonder if science has developed so much that magic is no longer accepted?” “Maybe?” There had been witch hunts in Europe in the past, and there might be other religious reasons as well. “Hmm, I thought we could sell magic products here and buy weath that way. But I decided it would be better not to.” “Yeah. I also thought about selling their gold coins here, but it’s better not to sell things from the other world here. The information management here is too thorough.” “The people in charge might think it’s a good thing, but I feel like it’s excessive. Well, this is a different world, so their common sense is probably different.” There’s a lot of crime, after all. I’m sure the government and police have their hands full. “I can buy enough flour for all villagers with my salary, if neccesary. It’s not expensive, and I have a pretty good income.” The other day, 500,000 yen had been deposited into my account. That night, we had steak for dinner. “That’s very kind of you. We haven’t been able to trade apples yet after all.” According to Monica, a few days ago, Claude-sama’s messenger had come to the village. He asked her to wait a little while longer for the negotiations with the Merchant’s Guild. Apparently, there was a dispute over who would handle the apples. “That’s right. Oh, by the way, I’m sorry I can’t pay you a wage.” I finally apologized for something that had been bothering me. “That’s not a problem at all. Besides, I’m more than satisfied with being treated to dinner and being allowed to take a bath. My house only has a shower.” Monica’s house was equipped with magic tools. Yet, a bathtub did not seem to be part of that. “Hmm, I mean... Do you want some of this world’s currency? I could pay you.” “In that case, I’d rather like you to buy me some clothes. I want to see the town and the shops in person.” Clothes... I don’t know much about women’s fashion. “Ruri, I’ll leave it to you.” “Understood.” Ruri was a fashionista, so I was sure she’d be fine. After that, we continued talking while eating dinner. While we were relaxing after eating, my phone rang. “Who is it, meow?” Miriam asked. “It’s Kyoka. No talking from you!”

“I know, meow.” Miriam nodded, and I tapped the call button. “Hello?” “Ah, Tatsuya-san! My tests are over!” I knew that. I had received many messages from her. “Good work. How did it go?” “It went better than last time! I’m sure I’ll get at least 50 points!” She was full of confidence with just 50 points... This girl really doesn’t know how to study... “Good job!” “Yes! I worked hard!” “What about Yuusei-kun?” “Yuusei-kun said he did as usual with his typical unconcerned face. I think he’ll easily exceed an average of 80 points.” Yuusei-kun is a smart one, huh? I used to be around 70 points. “That’s amazing. Does Yuusei-kun have a part-time job?” Today was Friday. “Yeah. That's why I called you, but how about resuming work again? Let's talk aobut it tomorrow.” Tomorrow, huh... Well, I guess I'm free. “Sure. Let’s have a good-work-everyone party. Is there anything you want to eat?” “Yuusei-kun said he wanted pizza! Ah, um, is it okay if we come over?” “Just give me a moment... Ruri, tomorrow, Kyoka and Yuusei-kun are coming, is it okay if we have pizza for lunch?” I asked Ruri, who was doing the dishes in the kitchen. “That is fine with me.” Seems like she is okey with it. Ruri likes pizza, after all. “You can come.” “Awesome! Then tomorrow, around noon, I’ll come with Yuusei-kun!” “Okay.” “Yup!” “Big sister, hurry up and take a bath!” Huh? “Shut up. I’m on an important phone call, so be quiet.” Ah, 'Slasher Kyoka-chan' has shown up. “Well then, I’m going in first!” “No, your big sister is going in first! Ah, excuse me!” Kyoka had returned to her normal self. “Don't worry about it. See you tomorrow, then.” “Yes. It’s been getting colder recently, so please stay warm.” Are you a mother? “Big sister! Are you done yet? ...Whoa! Don’t pull out your sword!” That’s 'Slasher Kyoka-chan' for ya... “My little brother is acting up, so I’ll hang up. See you tomorrow.”

“I’m sorry. Good night.” “Good night.” After I ended the call, I put my phone back on the table. “She was pretty hyper, meow.” Miriam sounded astonished. “It’s because the exams are over. I used to be like that, too.” I remember how I stayed up deep into the night for no reason... Ahh the good old days. “Was that one of your work colleagues you mentioned earlier?” Monika, who was drinking tea, asked. “That’s right. I’m in a team with the two of them, but they’re still students.” “How old are they?” “I think they’re 16 and 17 years old?” Kyoka didn't have her birthday yet, so I think I’m right. “Wow... They’re so young and yet so amazing.” “You can say that twice.” After we finished deciding on tomorrow’s plans, I decided to study a bit more magic. After Monika took a bath, she also began to study about this world through the internet. After Ruri finished I took a bath as well. When I returned to the living room, Monika was combing her hair, while sitting with Ruri at the kotatsu. “Huh? What’s up?” Thinking it was unusual, I called out to Monika. “I borrowed Ruri-san’s comb. It’s very soft and high-quality, isn’t it?” Oh. Well, Monika did have long hair, so it probably was a good idea. “Could this also work as a gift?” “I think so.” Maybe that’s what they prefer. I didn’t know much about it, so I decided to leave it to Monika. “I'm trusting you on that one.” “Trusting me... Well then, that should be it for today. I’m going home now.” Monika put down the comb and stood up. “Okay. Good night.” “Yes. Thank you very much. See you later.” Monika bowed her head respectfully and went home. “I’m going to have one last low-alcohol drink and then go to bed, too.” “Do you want to have a beer? Or a Strong Zero?” Ruri asked, but I just said a low-alcohol, didn’t I? Strong Zero is... “Maybe a beer?” When I said that, Ruri got up and went to the kitchen. Then she brought me a can of beer and put it on the kotatsu. “Thanks. Do you want a drink, Miriam?” “No, meow. It’s bitter, meow. It’s bad, meow.” She has a child's palate. After drinking only one beer, I went to bed that day.