180-The Eighth Flame of Later Tales

'No.'

Regina's first words after regaining her composure were.

'Going is good, returning is scary. ...... No, it's 'I can't go back, I'm scared.

'I don't understand. ...... So you're an idiot?

'Who says stupid girls are cute?

That was a very positive response. He's positively paranoid, isn't he?

We found Regina and ......, or rather Regina caught us and forced us to change our plans.

She clung to us like a little girl who has found her mother, crying like a baby, and we soothed and quieted her, and said, 'Let's just settle down somewhere and have a drink ...... on Regina's tab.

As soon as we reached the main street, we found a nice parlour and rushed into it, taking a corner of the open terrace to drink some fresh juice under the perfect conditions of warm sunshine and cool breeze. There was no coffee or tea, only liquor or juice.

The atmosphere was like a coffee shop, but the selection was like a bar.

'This is a nice store.

'The streets are so beautiful, it would be nice to have a table outside.

If you are not interested in Regina's story, Ginette and Estella's eyes were shining with the so-called "picturesque" atmosphere of the parlor's store and the bustling boulevard.

The area around the lord's mansion gave the impression of an orderly and beautiful cityscape with a calm atmosphere, but the main street was crowded, chaotic, and lively in a good sense.

Looking at the street from the open terrace, the billboards and modest flowerbeds were interesting accents, adding color to the bustle of the boulevard.

It reminds me of the streets of Paris that I have seen in movies in the past. It has an old-fashioned elegance and grace.

It is like a petit Champs-Élysées.

'......, that's why'.

'Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't listening.'

'Wait!Jibu~n!Please, really. I was talking so much!

It seems that Regina was talking on her own while I was distracted by the atmosphere of the main street. I didn't hear her at all.

'So, why are you in the 35th district?

'That's what I'm talking about!I can't help it. ...... You'd better listen to me this time!

In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find it on the web.

......But that carrot juice ............

'Actually, ......'

'That's a lot of sludge, that juice.'

'Listen to me, I'm talking to you!

'It looks really bad.'

'It's definitely not good, though!I think it's a drink that was developed just to make you think, 'I'm drinking this ......, isn't that wonderful?

'Oh, but... But if my horse has a stomach ache, this might be good for him.

'Who's the horse with the upset stomach?What the hell are you doing with me?It's a fashionable drink for girls of my age!And I don't care about that!

'You're so cheerful.

'Whose fault is it?

If you're asking who's fault it is, it's Estella's fault for interrupting the ...... conversation about an unrelated horse.

'You should apologize, Estella.

'Why is it me?

I've been looking at Regina's tits for a while now.

'What?I'm not looking that hard!

'You're looking at me a little?What are you doing?Have you finally been infected?

Hey, 'infected' by what, Kola?

'No, it's just that ...... is really 'pointy up', isn't it?

'What are you talking about?

'Once again, I realized how great Yashiro is. ......'

'Huh~, that's weird~?I don't know why I don't feel like I'm being praised at all.

'Um, Yashiro-san. Perhaps it's not a compliment at all. ......'

This is a great way to get the most out of your time and money. That's why my belly button bends.

'Huh ......, talking about boobs as soon as you meet ............, the 42nd district may finally be at its end... ...'

I'm not sure what to make of that.

I feel annoyed when she says that.

I mean, why are you looking at me with such pity?It's Estella who's talking about her tits.

'Port town's 35 wards...... woodcutter's 40 wards, hunting's 41 wards...... and boobs' 42 wards......'

'Will you stop doing that impression, Regina!

'No, wait, Estella!............ might be a 'yes'?'

'No, it's not!

'No!

Just because you're in the minority doesn't mean you have to bend over.

You're too old to be bending over backwards!You're not mature!

I'm not sure what to say, but I'm going to say it.

While patting Estella on the shoulder to appease her, Ginette turns her gaze to Regina.

In the meantime, Theron and Wendy are flirting with each other, saying 'this juice is delicious' and 'would you like a sip of this one too? Meanwhile, Theron and Wendy were spreading their lovey-dovey miasma around. Yeah, ignore them!Get out of my sight, you're disgusting!

I turn my attention to Jeannette's story.

'What kind of 'fire sparks' were you talking about earlier?

'Oh, that?Do you want to see it?Do you want to see it?Wait a minute.

Glad to be talked about, Regina began to rummage through her bag.

'What do you mean by 'firecracker'?

'Didn't you really listen to yourself?It was the main part of the story!

Regina's eyes widen and she accuses me of not listening, but I can't help what I didn't hear.

I think it's good manners to give up and explain again.

'Haha ...... really ...... can't help it ............ ......'

Regina let out a huge sigh and shook her head.

'Well, okay. I'll talk to you one more time.'

She pulls a small cloth bag from her bag and places it on the table. It looks like it's filled with some kind of powder. It's like, 'Shawa......' and gravity is pulling me down.

'Honestly, I didn't want to come this far away from home either. But my favorite peddler,......, who is an outside merchant with a different organization than the peddler's guild,......, told me that if I came to the 35th district to get it, he would give me the fire. I'll give you the firecracker if you come to the 35th district to get it.

'So you came all this way to get it?You're a recluse.'

'Don't talk to me like that!The ships stop in the 35th district, and there are many companies that would be willing to carry it there.

'If we go to Chuo Ward from there, do business, and return by boat, going to ...... 42 Wards would not only be a detour, it would be a complete detour.

'That's right!That's why, if you really want something, you have to come here to get it, even if you have to strain a bit. ...... It's too much trouble. ......'

You can't tell him that he should live in the 35th district .......

If you leave Regina in such a vibrant district, she'll probably melt away in about three days. If there is such a thing as bio-energy, this city and Regina must have the exact opposite properties.

You know. It's like beech mushrooms not growing on a tropical beach.

If not, it's like ......, a date spot lit up on Christmas Eve, where a single man who wanders in accidentally will have his gas guzzling life cut short. The damage rate is so high that it makes a poisonous swamp seem like a luxury resort.

Regina is the kind of creature that can establish her existence only by hugging her knees and talking with dust in a more humid place.

'I pity you.

'What the hell are you doing, you bastard?

'But it's quite a feat just to have arrived here.

'Normally, I'd turn around at the carriage stop. ......'

Regina's words were a little slurred and she looked embarrassed. In her line of sight, there is a small cloth bag on the table.

'So, in short, you were able to get through on the way there because you were excited about the 'firecracker', but on the way back, you lost even that momentum and were at a loss.

'Well, to put it simply, that's how it is.

Regina scratched her head as if to deceive herself.

Immediately after that, Regina stood up, leaned forward, took my hand sitting across from her, and grasped it tightly. Her expression was so serious that it exuded desperation.

'So, please. Take me back to ......!

'What were you going to do if you didn't ...... see us?

'I'd probably be dead.'

What's with this early NES shit?

That's a little too unplanned.

'To be honest, when I saw our faces, I was thanking the spirit gods, who I don't usually believe in that much.

'Do you not believe in ......?

'I'm a foreigner.

'Well, that's true.

'But from today, I'm going to start believing in the spirit gods, I'm going to believe in them so much, I'm going to believe in them so much, I'm going to believe in them so much!

'...... Maybe, but I don't think that's a good idea from the point of view of the 'spirit gods'.

......

In the event that you've got any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Or rather, she seems to be curious about the contents of the firecracker.

Actually, I'm interested in what it is too.

Because it's "fire dust", right?

I just hope it's not just a red powder, and that it doesn't turn out to be, 'I opened the lid and found that it was powdered red pepper' .......

'Do you still care about it?Do I have to?If you want, I'll show you a little bit of it in the 'special' section.

I'm not sure I should have asked .............

I've been waiting for you. Estella frowns at Regina's smug face.

Regina, too, seemed to be eager to show off her hard-earned firecracker to someone.

Well, anyway. I'm sure it's just a trivial thing that Regina wants.

'Oh, there's just one thing to note before I show you.

Hovering her finger over the string that fastens the mouth of the small cloth bag, Regina looks around at us with a serious face.

It's the professional look you get when you talk about handling drugs. This is the kind of thing you'll regret if you don't take it seriously.

'Anyway, everyone, be careful.

With that, Regina untied the small cloth bag.

'You're not explaining very well, are you?

'Um, Regina-san. What should we be careful about?

'Well, well. We'll know when we see it.

'So tell me what to watch out for before I watch it!

'Look, look~, this red powder is 'fire dust'.

'Listen, what are you talking about?

There are no good people who don't listen to what others have to say.

When someone is talking, you should stop thinking and concentrate on what they are saying!If you can say 'I wasn't listening' without hesitation, it's no exaggeration to say that something important is missing in your head!

'It's a beautiful red color.

'The grains are very small. But ...... not too silky, is it?

I'm not sure how you can look into something that Regina told you to be careful with without being alarmed.

In contrast to the two of them leaning forward on either side of me, I pull back my chair and take a half step.

From a distance, they look like powder beads.

If I put them in a bag and squeezed them, it would feel good. Maybe I'll try it next time.

You'll see.

Ginette and Estella, along with Theron and Wendy, all stood and stared at Regina.

'It's kind of exciting, isn't it?

Ginette, standing next to me, says something like that.

No, it's not exciting,......, but I'm interested.

Regina looked at all of them once and took out a small amount of fire dust from the bag.

She dipped her forefinger in a little bit of the powder and showed it to us, as if she were snacking on sugar.

Regina's index finger, as white as enokidake mushroom, was stained red at the tip.

'If you rub it with ...... pressure like this,............,' she said.

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Boop!

Suddenly, flames shot up from Regina's fingertips.

The force of the fire was so great that it almost made me fall off my chair.

The only reason I didn't fall down was because Ginette and Estella, who were also startled by the sudden flames, clung to me from both sides.

I felt a slight jolt in my right elbow.

On my left elbow, I felt .................. what?That ............ thing?

'Discrimination...... left elbow discrimination...... disparity with the right elbow is terrible......!

I'm sure you'll agree with me.It's just that the right elbow is treated so well!

'Right elbow?...... What?

Estella's comment made Jeannette realize that she had been hit and she jumped back in a panic.

Oh, ...... the right elbow was scuffed after the left ......

'The left and right elbows are both scuffed. ......'

'...... I haven't jumped back yet, have I?

Even if Estella is there, it doesn't change the reality that the place is empty.

It's a sad thing. ......

'How much do you like to talk about boobs when ...... people are showing you something interesting?

'Yashiro is the only one who likes boobs!

'......'Welcome!I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not.

'I'm not going to adopt that kind of catchphrase, okay?

Estella dismissed my nice catchphrase out of hand.

I'm sure the number of tourists will increase.

'But it's a dangerous object, that 'spark of fire'.

It burns up violently with just a light pressure.

Regina has a small cloth bag full of fire dust in her hand. ...... Even though it's small, it's still powder, so there's probably a lot of it. About 500 grams. ......

If it all burns up at once, ...... a little bit of it on your fingertip could wipe out ............ the whole city.

'Are you going to make a weapon of mass destruction?

'Nah. I wouldn't build such a thing. In the first place, these firebombs may look fancy, but they don't have any firepower at all.

'Is that so?

'No. The temperature is at most a few tens of degrees ...... like a futon when you wake up from sleep.'

'Wow, that sounds like a nice warmth.

When Estella heard that there was no danger, she patted her chest and Ginette smiled happily.

It's just a flashy flame. Maybe it's just 'something flame-like'.

'So you can't burn anything with the flames you just saw?

'No, not really. If it's flammable, it will ignite, and if you use the wrong amount, you'll get burned.

It's dangerous after all.

'What the hell is this stuff for?

'You know, if you mix a little bit of this with your medicine, the moment you drink ............, flames will shoot out of your mouth. What are you doing?

'What are you going to do with it?

'What?Was that too spicy? People around you will be surprised, won't they?

'So, what are you going to do?

I'm an idiot. I was an idiot.

Did he force himself to go out of his way for such a small story?

In this city where you might lose your life if you're not careful.

'Well, we've got things to do too, so let's get going. Oh, Regina. Thanks for the food.

'Wait!You can't do that!Don't leave me here!You're not taking me home with you, are you?

'No, I'm sorry ......, our carriage is for eight people ......'

'You can ride it!You can ride it so much!There's still room for more even if you include me!

Today's Regina seems to be in good spirits.

I guess that's how desperate she is.

'Yashiro-san.

Ginette softly looked into my face.

And--

'......, right?

That's the shortest sound I've ever heard.

It's ....... You're trying to control me with just one letter?

That's a very naive way of trying to control me.

It's ......

'...... Just this once.'

'Yes.

d*mn it, ......, you're really upsetting my pace.

You need to take measures to prevent yourself from being swept away. ...... I shouldn't have any weaknesses.

That's right.

It's not because Jeannette told me to.

I'm willing to help people as long as it's for my own good.

As long as I'm paid for it. Or if it's worth something.

'Regina. If you share some of that powder with me, I'll carry it to District 42.'

'Yeah, ...... but you can't turn your back on me, can you ......? I'll share some with you. If we run out, you can just ask for more.'

Okay. We have a deal.

And I shake hands with Regina.

Firecracker.

If we use it right, we can use it to make something for the wedding.