Side: Yuki
Yeah, this is relaxing. Honestly, I'm relaxing more than I ever have before.
Slurp. I sip my tea and take a breath.
Outside, the sky is clear blue... Well, technically we're inside the dungeon, though.
"It really is peaceful. Since we're officially supposed to be with the army, we can't just casually show our faces in public."
"Yeah, that's right."
Today is a weekday. Everyone else has gone off to work.
It was all part of maintaining our alibi, just like we discussed before. Since we're supposed to be marching with the army, we can't appear in front of people.
"But if we keep going like this for another 9 days, I'm going to be bored out of my mind. Why don't we just stay in bed all day?"
"I have no intention of spending my days rotting away in carnal desire."
"Ara, I don't think you need reason or restraint, you know? I'm your wife. I'll gladly accept all of my husband's desires."
"Well, I'm not against it, but if I do that, I'll have to take care of everyone else too."
"Then just deal with them. Me from morning to noon. The others through the night until dawn."
"I'd have zero time to rest in that scenario, wouldn't I?"
It's hard to tell how serious Seraria is sometimes. There are definitely times where she's being 100% serious.
Seraria smiled.
She really is beautiful — almost too good for me.
As that thought crosses my mind, Seraria turns her gaze toward the garden and sips her tea
"...I'm sorry."
The words slip out of her like a flowing stream, a soft murmur that fades into the air.
"What's wrong, all of a sudden?"
Seraria had become unusually serious.
"...About you being brought from another world, Yuki... no, Kazuya Torino, to save this continent."
"...That's not something you should apologize for."
I stop looking at her and turn my eyes toward the scenery I've modeled after a Japanese inn.
No matter how much I make it look the part, this isn't Japan. No matter how far I go, it isn't the real thing. Well, whether a "fake" is inferior to the real thing is a different debate, but to me, this landscape is a replica.
I built this so I wouldn't forget Japan, even just a little. So that my Japanese heart wouldn't vanish into the culture of this world, Alourite. My heart might not represent all of Japan, but Weed is the shape I wanted to preserve of the home I remember.
It's been a little over nine months since I was brought here and told I could never go back. I saved a kingdom, meddled in other countries' affairs, and now I'm about to deal with the Demon King.
I've told Seraria and the others that my goal is to save this continent.
But the truth is — I'm trying to save this world.
Sadly, or rather, given the knowledge of this world, to Seraria and the others, this continent is the entire world. They don't even know there are other lands beyond the sea.
"No, the reason Kazuya had to end up saving this continent is because the people living on this land were so incompetent, right?"
Actually, it's probably Luna's or some other god's fault for messing up the magic power adjustment. Or maybe they just happened to peek at this world and liked it, so they decided to maintain it. It was just a hobby to them; there was no sense of duty. To beings like gods, people and worlds are just... things.
It's the same as the scenery around us. The number of people in the world who actually work hard to preserve or maintain a specific landscape is tiny. No matter how much you scream or how hard you try, very little is usually left behind. Even back in my hometown, I never participated in movements for environmental or landscape preservation. So the method they used to send me here is probably the better option.
"That's why, as someone who lives on this land, I want to say this to you, Kazuya. I'm sorry for being so pathetic. And thank you for taking my hand."
"...You're my wife, so don't worry about it."
"Kazuya, aren't you lonely? You can't see your family... I'm sure they must be worried about you."
"...I hope so."
But all memories concerning me have been tampered with; I've been erased as if I never existed. It's a cruelty, a mercy, or perhaps a final blow of sorts. Thanks to that, there's no meaning in me going back.
My residency records, my savings, even my family's memories—all gone. If I returned now, Japan would be hell for me.
I still haven't told Seraria about this... Knowing her, she'd probably fly into a rage and attack Luna. She's straightforward, for better or worse.
"Well, I've got you and the other wives now, Seraria. So I'm not lonely."
"...If you say so, Yuki... then I understand."
Hmm, maybe I should change the subject.
As far as I'm concerned, I've already sorted out my feelings, so there's no need for Seraria to worry about it.
"Anyway, we've been resting for about 10 days now, huh?"
"That's right. The allied army's advance team will capture the Demon King's castle in 4 days. Then 3 days for persuasion and control. Another 3 days for the fortress operation. So we still have 9 more days. Weren't we just talking about how to spend the remaining 9 days?"
"Well, you suddenly started apologizing, so we got sidetracked. Let's think about what to do."
"Hmm, yeah. We should probably stick to things we can do at home, right?"
"That's best. It's not a good idea to go out into the city too much. We're officially supposed to be with the army, after all."
"I still think spending a honeymoon with you is the best option?"
"We did that yesterday."
"I'm not getting tired of it."
"I'm not tired of it either, but it physically drains me."
Because stuff comes out... A lot of stuff.
Ah, maybe I should let her try that.
"Hey, want to try playing a videogame?"
"A videogeym?"
"Yeah. You know, playing using that TV."
"Eh? How do you play with images projected on a screen?"
Wow, that's actually profound. The person who thought up video games might be a genius. Someone who only knows a TV as a device for watching things would naturally think like Seraria. Using it for play isn't an obvious leap.
"Are we going to watch a movie?"
"No, it's more like... experiencing something yourself. Well, not literally, but close."
"Huh?"
Seraria tilts her head.
Well, it's way outside her imagination.
I haven't played games much since coming here. Showing them to Seraria and the others would only cause chaos, so I left them alone. But now that they know what a TV is, it should be fine.
They can understand Japanese thanks to their skills, so it'll work.
"Wait here a second."
Saying that, I head to my room at the deepest part of the dungeon.
I haven't used it much lately, but sitting there is something I'd practically call my partner—my game console.
"What's that? It looks like the machine for watching DVDs?"
"You're not entirely wrong, but this is the console itself."
"Console? 'Itself'? What do you mean?"
"I need to connect it, so wait a moment."
Let's see... plug this in here, and the power cord...
I also inserted a game cartridge.
Obviously, I wasn't going to let her play modern warfare or sci-fi games. I avoided anything with that kind of imagery. That kind of concept would be too much for Seraria right now. So naturally, it had to be an old-school RPG.
I flip the switch, change the input, and boot it up. The title screen for that dark fantasy RPG I was playing when Luna snatched me away appears on the screen.
This should be fine.
The controls are complex, but giving her an old 8-bit game would be a bit much visually. We might appreciate the retro look, but to Seraria, it would just be hard to look at.
"What... is this?"
Seraria is captivated by the dark, atmospheric world spreading across the screen.
"Heh heh heh. This is the world you're going to explore, Seraria."
"Wait, I'm going inside this?!"
"Ah, no. Here, hold this controller."
"Controller?"
While still tilting her head in confusion, she grips the controller I hand her.
"Like this."
I show her the proper grip, and she holds it firmly. Hmm, rather than me showing her how to play, it's probably better to let her do it while I teach her the buttons. She'll get a better feel for it.
"Alright, see where it says 'Start' or 'Load' on the screen?"
"Yes."
"Press 'Start' and..."
* * *
I'll be honest.
I messed up.
"Take this!!"
It is currently 4:30 PM.
I should be starting dinner soon, but since I taught her that game, she has been playing for eight hours straight. At first, she was clumsy because she didn't know the buttons, but now she's a pro—moving around while using items and even swapping out equipment on the fly.
This dark fantasy setting must have hit the bullseye for Seraria. After she learned the basic controls, I gave her a rough explanation of the goal. As a former princess, a game where you can go on a solo adventure seems to have struck a chord. For some reason, she made a male character and is aggressively clearing the map.
"Ah—I got surrounded!? My situational awareness was too careless!?"
No matter how well Seraria can manipulate the controller, you can't just breeze through this game. It's a game famous for "death traps" where you learn by dying. Well, if you check things carefully you won't die that much... except for the bosses.
"This time, I'm breaking through!!"
She was sent back to the start point, but she doesn't give up and starts heading out again.
"Um, Seraria?"
"What? I'm busy right now!!"
"I'm going to go make dinner soon, what do you want to do?"
"Ah, I'm going to keep playing. Call me when the food is ready."
"Sure..."
* * *
Seraria did come for dinner.
However, she ate at full speed and immediately sprinted back to the room.
"...Onii-san. Did something happen with the army's march? For Seraria to eat your food that quickly and not even ask for seconds..."
"...It's strange."
"W-Who knows?"
As if I could tell them.
That she's just hooked on a video game!!
After this, Seraria stayed up for three days straight before sleeping like a log for a full day.
I really should set a time limit for games... Wait, am I her parent now?
...Games are terrifying.
