Book 8: Chapter 4: Part 2

Here’s the chapter, enjoy~

Part 2

“Yuuya! What are you doing? Let’s go quickly!”

“P-please wait a minute!”

The day after the school day. As promised, I was to go outside the Earth house with Ouma-san in the morning.

Since Ouma-san was finally able to go out, I suggested that we all go out together, including Night and the others, but they decided to stay at home this time so that Ouma-san could enjoy the Earth to his heart’s content.

It seems that Yuti had made a promise to her friend on the school day, and she was going to spend the day with her friend. It’s just as I thought yesterday – I’m glad to see that she’s making friends.

However, Merl-san wanted to observe the Earth again, so the three of us – Ouma-san, Merl-san, and I – decided to go out this time. If the people find out about Ouma-san’s identity, Merl-san would erase their memories and information, so it was very reassuring to have her around.

I hurriedly held back Ouma-san, who was about to run outside immediately, and warned him once again.

“Ouma-san! You can’t talk when we are outside!”

“Hmm? I know. I will just need to do this anyway.”

“Eh?”

Ouma-san suddenly turned his gaze to Merl-san and me and closed his mouth.

But──.

“It’s okay to talk like this, right?”

“Whoa!”

This is… Is this a form of telepathy…?

What a surprise, Ouma-san’s voice resonated directly into my mind!

Ouma-san’s face was full of pride as he looked at us who were surprised.

“Fufun. This way, I could talk without using my mouth, you know?”

“T-that’s right. …By the way, can we also talk to each other through the mind?”

“Yes. This time, I cast a spell on Yuuya and the little girl, so it will not be a problem for us to communicate in our minds while we are outside… But, unlike me, if you spend your time in silence, people will look at you strangely, won’t they?”

“T-that’s true too.”

If we just have conversations in our minds, from the other people’s perspective, we’re just walking in silence. Regardless of whether to talk to Ouma-san or even Merl-san, it will look strange to the people around us if we don’t talk to them either.

For now, I’ll only talk to Ouma-san when I have to, and I’ll try to keep the conversation in through telepathy.

“Well, whatever. The problem is solved now, right? Come on, let’s go!”

“O-Ouma-san!”

As soon as we leave the house, I suddenly notice that the people around are looking at Merl-san again.

…Well, that’s obvious. For all intents and purposes, she’s wearing an advanced outfit that’s far from modern fashion…

“Um… Merl-san. I was wondering about this yesterday… Is it possible to change that outfit?”

(Why is that? This equipment is some of the most advanced available in the universe…)

“N-no, um, I mean, on Earth, you’d look very conspicuous in that outfit…”

(Fumu… From my viewpoint, the Earthling’s appearance is much more primitive and outdated.)

What the hell. From the space perspective, we’re outdated. I don’t know what fashion is in space.

(…Well, I guess that’s fine. Now, I would like to collect a little data on the clothing around here…)

When Merl-san touched the terminal on her arm several times, there was a light electronic sound, and then suddenly, Merl-san’s clothes began to glow!

“Wait… Merl-san!”

(Don’t worry. I will instantly delete the memories of anyone who witnesses this scene.)

“Scary!”

As expected, space technology is scary! I’m afraid of memory manipulation and all that.

…There are no side effects to this, right? I’m getting really scared.

As I was terrified by the alien technology, the glow of Merl-san’s clothes eventually subsided, and she changed into clothes that looked like something a normal woman would wear.

(I guess it’s like this. I’ve gathered information from the Earth’s network, so I don’t think it’s strange looking…)

“Y-yes. I don’t think you’ll have any problem looking like that… I didn’t know space technology could do that.”

(It’s not a problem. This terminal collects information, and the nanomachines will automatically change my clothes to match the information.)

“I-I see. By the way, have you already erased the memories of the person who was watching you transform?”

(Yes. As a reminder, Amel’s memory manipulation technology is very advanced, so manipulating memories and information will not have any negative effects on anything.)

“I-I see.”

Thank goodness! I was wondering what I’d do if she said this had any side effects!

…What can I say? Merl-san and her people’s technology seems to have already stepped into the realm of the gods, and in fact, almost anything that happens in the world could be solved with their technology.

However, if Merl-san and her people continue to wage war with the planet Dragonia, it will be terrible if the Earth gets involved in this…

Regardless of that, Merl-san is now dressed in a way that would be appropriate for walking around the Earth. But her hair still emits phosphorescence, so I can’t say that she has completely blended in with the people of Earth…

“Hey, what are you doing? Let’s get moving!”

As we were talking about Merl-san’s clothes, the impatient Ouma-san urged us to hurry. We followed him as he started running.

“──Oh!”

Ouma-san’s eyes lit up at the unfamiliar surroundings.

“This is the world where Yuuya lives, huh… The architecture and clothing are different from that world.”

“Well, yes. Especially since Japan is prone to earthquakes, many of the buildings are designed to be resistant to earthquakes…”

“Earthquake?”

“Hmm? Does it not exist in the other world? It’s like the ground shaking…”

“Mm? Of course, the ground shakes when I walk on it…” ……

“No, it’s not like that… It’s because the plates are overlapping deep underground, and the impact of them shifting causes the ground to shake. It’s a kind of disaster.”

“Oh, so there are natural disasters like that…”

It seems that there are no earthquakes in the other world, and Ouma-san had never heard of it. It was the same for Merl-san, who was listening to the conversation with great interest.

(I see. Is it a disaster unique to this planet?)

“Y-yeah, is that what it is…? Well, I don’t know about other planets, so I can’t say for sure…”

(Right… On our planet, there is a disaster called a “star storm” that occurs periodically.)

“Star storms?”

(Yes. I think it’s the same as a tornado on Earth, but it’s a disaster where asteroids drifting in space pass by in a spiral, spinning at high speed.)

“Scary!”

I think I’m going to be minced just by touching it. Are you okay with that?

The scale of disasters in space is also very different… Of course, earthquakes are also terrifying, but…

As we proceeded with this conversation, Ouma-san reacted to a car running on the road.

“Mm? Yuuya, what the hell is that? I can’t feel any magic in that thing.”

“It’s a car, you know. It’s not powered by magic; it’s powered by a fuel called gasoline.”

“How can it be powered by anything other than magic…?”

(Well, it’s a rather primitive energy source, isn’t it? Nowadays, the mainstream is using starlight as energy or even magic power…)

“Heh.. by the way, Merl-san’s spaceship doesn’t work with that starlight?”

(Yes, unfortunately… I don’t have the parts on hand.)

Apparently, that’s not going to work.

While I was talking with Merl-san and admiring the alien technology, I suddenly realized something and asked Ouma-san in my mind.

“Speaking of which, Ouma-san, aren’t you interested in Merl-san’s planet and the spaceship?”

Yes, Merl-san’s planet is definitely more civilized than Earth’s, and I think it would be much more fun than seeing Earth’s civilization…

Then Ouma-san snorted.

“Hmph. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t bother me, but… It’s boring.”

“B-boring?”

“The little girl’s planet has advanced to a level of civilization that I find hard to imagine. The technology on her planet is close to the realm of the gods.”

(Right. I believe that most things can be done. With our technology, we could extend the lifespan of the people of Earth by a thousand years, and there is no such thing as death by disease on our planet.)

“Eeh?”

T-thousand years, you say…? And there is no such thing as death by disease?

The space is amazing.

“There’s nothing interesting about it anymore. In comparison, this Earth where Yuuya lives is a civilization that my imagination can barely catch up with, and every single thing about it is very interesting.”

“S-so, that’s how it is…”

I don’t know about it, but I guess a TV that can project images at a distance is just within the range of Ouma-san’s imagination. It’s a difficult thing to figure out. From my perspective, all the things on Earth are natural and convenient, but from Merl-san’s perspective, they must all be inefficient and inconvenient. Yet, from Merl-san’s perspective, these inconveniences may be exquisitely interesting. It’s a realm I don’t understand anymore.

So with that in mind, Ouma-san and Merl-san continued to walk happily, reacting to everything they saw, but Ouma-san’s figure seemed to stand out, and people on the street looked at him with wide eyes.

“Whoa? W-what’s that? That pet…”

“Wa… eh? That’s the guy who appeared in the magazine, isn’t it?”

“Eh? Ah, yeah!”

“What’s that animal?”

“I don’t know? It’s like a monitor lizard, maybe?”

“I see… a monitor… lizard, huh…? I didn’t know there were dragon-like reptiles like that…”

“I mean, taking a walk with a lizard like that is rare. Well, a lizard that size probably needs to be taken for a walk.”

They looked at him curiously, but fortunately, they didn’t seem to be disgusted by him, which was a relief. Some people were not fond of reptiles. Well I don’t know if the Genesis Dragon can be classified as a reptile though.

As I was about to reassure myself, one of the people looking at me suddenly opened his mouth in displeasure.

“Don’t bring your pets into the city. You’re disturbing me…”

“Ah?”

At that moment, Ouma-san’s eyes suddenly sharpened, and he tried to put tremendous pressure on the person who had just muttered those words!

I was so panicked that I immediately stopped him in my mind.

“Stop, Ouma-san, stop! You’re supposed to be a lizard right now! And yet, if you go out of control here, you’ll ruin everything!”

“But, Yuuya. That human said I was disturbing…”

“I understand how you feel, but you have to be patient here!”

“Mm… I’m annoyed, but… I’ll leave it at that just this once…”

After one last glare, Ouma-san turned his head away.

Then, it seems that my restraint was just a little too late, and the man who made the remark earlier walked away quickly with a pale face. I’m really sorry…

“Ah! It’s a lizard!”

“Eh?”

“Mmm?”

As we continued our walk, we attracted the attention of the people around us. A group of children from the nursery school, who also seemed to be out on a walk, noticed Ouma-san and raised their voices.

The children approached Ouma-san without fear.

“W-what is it?”

“It’s Lizard-san!”

“Awesome! Cool!”

“It’s so big!”

The nursery school teacher bowed her head apologetically to the bewildered Ouma-san, who was suddenly surrounded by children.

“I-I’m so sorry! The children are…”

“No, no, it’s okay.”

“Hey, hey! Can I touch it?”

“Me, me! I’ll touch it too!”

Then the children shouted to touch Ouma-san, and the teacher looked more and more troubled.

I watched them and talked to Ouma-san in my mind.

“Hey, Ouma-san. The kids want to touch you, is that okay?”

“What? Why should I allow that?”

“But look at the kids. Look at their eyes; they’re so excited…”

“Ugh?”

As I said, the children were itching to touch Ouma-san, and their eyes were shining as they stared at him.

As expected, Ouma-san couldn’t bear the pure gaze of the children and nodded reluctantly.

“Eei, it can’t be helped… However, you must cut it out in moderation! I still want to enjoy the Earth!”

“Thank you.”

I thanked Ouma-san and told the nursery school teacher.

“It’s okay to touch him. But please don’t be too rough.”

“I’m really sorry… Look, everyone. Let’s take turns stroking it gently.”

“””Yes!”””

The children responded cheerfully and took turns touching Ouma-san’s body.

“Whoa! So smooth!”

“So cool! It looks like a dragon!”

“It’s so thick!”

“H-hey, that’s enough, isn’t it? Right?”

“Well, well. Just a little more.”

“No, but… Hey, kid! Don’t grip my tail so hard! Oh, don’t touch my horn so carelessly! You’ll hurt yourself! Hey, don’t get carried away!”

The arrogant and self-righteous Ouma-san faltered in front of the children. After children were satisfied with some touches, they smiled.

“Thank you, Onii-chan!”

“Bye, bye, lizard-san!”

“I’m really sorry… Thank you very much.”

“No, no. I’m glad they enjoyed it too.”

After waving goodbye to the children and the nursery school teachers, who bowed repeatedly, Ouma-san laid down on the spot, looking exhausted.

“T-those children are fearless… I never thought they would be so unreserved with me…”

“But weren’t they cute?”

“…Well, I guess. Unlike those ugly people who have aged unnecessarily, children are pure and good. Well, there’s a certain recklessness that comes with being a child.”

Mmm, wasted age is… not that there aren’t adults like that, but.

A few moments later, Ouma-san got up and began to walk again, regaining his composure.

“Now, we’re still going. Follow me closely!”

“Yes, yes.”

Merl-san and I followed Ouma-san as he continued on his way.