Chapter 33: The Truth in One's Eyes

“Welcome back!”

“Ah, we’re back.”

“We’re home, Mimi.”

We went back to the Krishna and were greeted by Mimi. It seems she was in the middle of checking something and held her tablet terminal on one hand.

“Are you checking something out right now?”

“Yes. I was trying to see if I can find medical centers that have good reviews.”

“I see. What’s the result?”

“I’m still in the middle of checking the reviews out. It’s not like more expensive facilities are actually better. Considering Hiro-sama’s case, I’m still deciding between a facility specializing in neurotechnology or one specializing in mental care……”

Mimi was pondering about with a serious expression. My purported selective amnesia is simply just a cover story I came up with in order to avoid saying the truth – that truth being me getting thrown into this world from another reality. It sounds absolutely nonsensical after all.

In other words, medically speaking, I’m actually fit as a fiddle. Well, there’s also this possibility that I’m just being made to think that I was from another reality and that I’m really a resident of this one.

In any case, right now, I fully believe that I’m not someone native to this world, but a guy named Satou Takahiro who lives in Japan. In my world, ships like the Krishna only exist in fiction, and humanity has yet to fully explore the sea of stars.

“Amnesia, huh……”

In contrast to Mimi, who was earnestly searching for a way to help me cure my supposed medical condition, Elma was giving me a stare filled with suspicion. Guess my amnesia cover story wouldn’t fly with Elma huh.

If my guess is right, Elma is thinking I’m some socially inept rich young master who ran away from home to have a grand adventure or something.

In this world [normal] meat and vegetables are considered as super luxury items, apparently. In this world, most people normally consume artificially engineered food items made from algae and krill-like organisms which get turned into meat substitutes and such.

However, I ended up asking if they were selling『natural meat and vegetables』when I went out to shop for food with Elma for the first time. In this world, the only people who would mention those kinds of things like it was normal were either rich upstarts or members of the privileged class.

This made Elma believe that I was a rich kid trying to hide his identity by pretending to have amnesia. I guess I’ll also think that way if I were in Elma’s shoes.

But the truth is way different. I’m probably as healthy as an ox and didn’t have problems with my memory either. I still don’t have a clue about how I was transported to this world, but I remember most of the details of my life in Japan before I was sent here. The only things I don’t remember are the events that led me to get transported to this world. It’s truly unfortunate, considering it was one of the most important pieces of info for me.

“You really don’t have to focus on the memory part. It’s enough to find a place where I can get a detailed health check-up. I might also have to get myself vaccinated for infectious diseases and stuff like that as well. Please look for a place where I can get all of that done.”

“I see……”

“I’m all good myself, but I think Mimi should get herself checked up as well. There are things like lethal infectious diseases that only humans can contract after all. I think it’ll be better for her to get vaccinated for all of them, just in case.”

“And you’re fine with not getting shots, Elma?”

“I’ve already had mine done some time ago.”

Even if Elma said so, I firmly shook my head.

“I’ll pay for the medical fees, so it’s better for you to undergo a check-up as well, Elma. It’s one of the Captain’s duties to ensure the health of the crew after all. I’ll pay for Mimi as well, of course.”

“Yes.”

“Really? Well, okay then.”

Mimi and Elma both nodded in agreement. Great. I was able to get them to go as well.

And it’s not like I particularly hate going to the hospital, mind you. It’s just that going by myself feels kinda lonely somehow, right? And I meant it when I said it’s for ensuring the crew’s health. It’ll be well worth the money if doing so would limit the risk of me and the girls getting sick.

“I wonder just how much it’ll cost though.”

“I’m not too sure. But maybe it’ll be around 1,000,000 Enel per head or something.”

“Isn’t that kinda high of an estimate…? Well, it’ll be fine even if it reaches that amount.”

Even if it did cost 1,000,000 Enel per person, my total assets right now amount to more than 10,000,000 Enels anyway. It’s certainly costly, but considering it’s for our health, it can also be said to be cheap in a sense.

But, well, since one Enel is equivalent to a hundred Yen… I’ll end up forking out about a hundred million Yen for each of us, right? If I really end up thinking of this as something cheap, I feel like my sense for money would definitely become distorted.

“Hiro-sama, I think one million Enels is a bit…”

“Hey, it’s no good if you back out because of the cost being one million, you know?”

“Nah, don’t worry. It’s already a done deal no matter the price.”

“That’s fine then.”

But it’s true that we don’t have any idea about the actual costs. I’ll check our finances again and make sure we have enough later on.

We spent our time relaxing around when we got back to the ship. We ate a delicious meal prepared by our high-performance auto-cooker『Tetsujin Mk. V』and relaxed in the bath afterward. We did our daily training as well and went to bed after we were done.

“Ho-hum…”

“How sleazy……”

“I don’t want to hear that from you, seeing that you’re lounging around on the bed with me here.”

I was lying face up lazily on the bed as Elma leaned against my chest while fiddling with her data terminal. We’re the shining example of a lazy couple, aren’t we?

“I guess so. Lazing around like this isn’t so bad once in a while.”

“Yeah.”

Lazing around with Elma like this does have its charms. But it kinda felt like I was cuddling with an obedient puppy sometimes. We either laid about like this, gave each other lap pillows, or gazed up at the ceiling together in a daze. There was a lot of skinship between us ever since we got together.

These times somehow felt comfortably peaceful and was her favored way of relaxing and de-stressing herself. Since Elma liked it, I found myself enjoying it as well.

“Hm, it looks like Mimi found a buyer for the loot already.”

“Oh? Sounds great. How much did they offer?”

“Excluding the handling fees, she sold it for a total of 4500 Enels. Together with the bounty rewards, our total earnings this time is 19,500 Enels, I guess.”

“Uh, you’ll get 3% so… your share is 585 Enels, huh.”

“Mimi’s share is 98 Enels.”

“It’s quite small huh.”

“That’s just how it normally is. Rather, earning more than 8,000,000 Enels after a single major mission is the one that’s out of the norm. Your share is 18,817 Enels by the way.”

“Gotcha. It’s not like I’m rushing you with the repayment.”

“……The normal thing would be demanding the debtor to hurry up with the payment you know?”

Elma gazed down at me with an exasperated look on her pretty face.

“Well, I just want to spend as much time as I can with Elma.”

That’s my true feelings by the way. Elma owes me a three million Enel debt, and she was working as a crew member on the Krishna in order to repay me. Once Elma earns enough to pay the debt and acquires enough capital to re-start mercenary work independently, she won’t have a reason to stay with us as a crewmember anymore.

Elma was quite a skilled crew member, and we’ve been relying on her more and more lately. Plus, she’s a beauty. And we’re already in『that』kind of a relationship as well. And she’s also built up a great working and private relationship with Mimi as well.

Thus, it’s only natural for me to wish to be with her for as long as possible.

“You don’t have to worry so much, dolt. I’m staying with you for the long haul. Even if I pay back the debt, I still need to earn money to buy a new ship after all.”

After saying that, Elma plopped her head on top of my exposed stomach. Fufufu, I’ve been training myself ever since coming to this world, so I got all my bases covered. Get a load of them! These wonderfully built six-pack abs!

“What the heck are you grinning for? They’re too stiff so they’re hard to sleep on.”

“Uh, sorry.”

“Mmhm. That’s better. Good boy.”

It looks like Elma-san doesn’t prefer rock-hard abs. She made herself comfortable by rubbing her cheeks on top of my stomach. It kinda tickles.

“Hey…”

“Hm?”

“You really don’t have any amnesia, don’t you?”

“I’m not lying, y’know.”

“It’s not like you have to hide it.”

Elma’s head, which was on top of my stomach, shook. It seems like she was giggling.

“Well, I don’t really plan on pressing you for answers anyway. Would it be bad if I found out?”

“Mm… Well, not really. I’m just afraid you won’t believe me if I told you.”

“What the heck are you saying, you dolt?”

It’s not like I can’t tell her. It’s just that I don’t know what Elma’s reaction will be if I ever revealed that I’m someone from a different dimension. She’ll most likely think I was crazy or something. Or maybe I’ll be taken to some sort of research facility to serve as a guinea pig.

“I could tell you if you want. But I think you’ll just say I’m crazy though.”

“If you say it like that, it makes me quite nervous… but let’s hear it anyway.”

“I see. Hm, okay. Where should I start… Are you familiar with parallel worlds or different dimensions?”

“I have a general idea. But I have no idea if something like that’s really possible.”

Elma shrugged her shoulders while keeping her head on top of my stomach and using it as her pillow.

“Yeah, well, I’m probably from that kind of world though. Me along with Krishna, I mean. In my head, I think of that as an absolute fact.”

Elma turned silent as if digesting my words.

“Do you remember the guild uncle saying I didn’t have any personal data recorded anywhere when I first registered? Of course, I didn’t. The first place I found myself in when I was sent to this dimension was Termaine Prime after all.”

“Now that you mention it, he did say something like that back then. But, that’s just… No, maybe it is possible for parallel worlds to exist, I think?”

“Basing on my ship’s weapons and tech?”

”Yup. If you really did come from a completely different dimension, your Krishna’s equipment and technology being similar to the ones used in this world is something weird in itself. We can’t rule out the possibility that the technological development of both worlds is roughly similar. This ship is the only one of its kind as far as I know. I haven’t managed to encounter anything like it. But… it still feels off. Judging from your performance thus far, you’re definitely an experienced and skilled mercenary. Your skills aren’t something attainable by some run-off-the-mill merc. However, you severely lack common sense. So you come from a world sporting the same tech and has the presence of mercenaries, but with the prevalent customs and common sense different from this one? Isn’t that really weird?”

“Well… I think you’ll be more confused after this, but… in the first place, I’m no mercenary. I’m just an employee; a salaryman so to speak. I just have gaming as my hobby.”

“There shouldn’t be a normal salary who knows how to fight like you do, you know! You’re quite skilled with firearms as well, right? Didn’t you say you won that gun of yours in a tournament or something?”

The gun Elma was referring to was my personal laser gun. It seems it was an ultra-rare item made by a famous gun-making studio called the Mandas Workshop.

I had great skills as a merc, piloted a starship like a decorated veteran, and sported a rare laser gun. There certainly isn’t any persuasive power when I claim that I’m just your average salaryman. I understand that point well.

It was as absurd as the idea of a self-proclaimed salaryman who can overwhelm cyborg soldiers and nanomachine weaponry with his bare hands.

“You’re right. But I got all that from playing a game.”

Elma let out an uneasy ‘Hm!?’ when she heard me.

“In other words, you want to say that you’ve been sent to a world similar to the game you’ve been playing?”

“That’s right. And in the dimension I’m from, humanity hasn’t developed technology sufficient to advance further into space. Things like owning starships that zip through the cosmos or interstellar travel are only encountered in fiction or video games.”

“That sounds like something from a planet housing a primitive civilization, doesn’t it…? It does seem too far fetched and would be enough for you to be thought of as crazy. Something like being thrown into a game world sounds like a generic plot from a teen novel.”

“Doesn’t it? Honesty, I think it would be more believable if I said I got my memories overwritten due to some sort of conspiracy and was made to believe I was from another dimension for some reason.”

“But, at least, you think everything you revealed to me earlier is true, correct?”

“It’s just my personal view of things though. We can’t really be sure until I have the insides of my head investigated thoroughly or something.”

“I guess. It’s not like there’s no way to do that… but you don’t really have to stress yourself over it, I think.”

“Really?”

“I understand why you’d be bothered, but it’s not like you’re troubled by your current situation, right?”

“Well, I don’t think so, yeah.”

It’s not like I don’t want to find out the reason for my current predicament, but it’s not like I feel like I absolutely need to find out either. I don’t have any pressing reason to come back to my previous world after all.

“So it’s fine. Let’s just leave it up to fate or something.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Yep.”

“I see…… But is that it? Don’t you have anything else you want to ask?”

“I don’t. No matter how you see yourself, it won’t change how I think of you. You’re a very skilled yet somewhat silly guy. Or maybe someone who’s still in the middle of a phase middle school kids often go through until now.”

“Please, just stop. That’s kinda embarrassing y’know……”

Elma entered into a fit of giggles after hearing me complain.

“You really are a great woman.”

“Well, of course, I am. Who do you think you’re talking to?”

“Elma, the disappointing elf.”

“You’re on, you bastard.”

“Oi, stop that idiot.”

Elma started tickling my sides with her delicate fingers, and we started wrestling with each other on top of the bed. Fufufu. Don’t think you can win against my well-trained body with those dainty arms of yours—

“Guwaaah!? The heck!? A cross armbar!?”

I didn’t manage to win against Elma-san in the end… She unleashed a barrage of fancy wrestling moves on me. I wanted a little gentler form of skinship though. No, I insist.