CH 71

Sword and Bennyboy seem to have taken a liking to Char. Both are driving Char around every day under the pretext of doing test runs.

Of course, I don’t have any problem with Bennyboy. I mean, it’d be bad if he didn’t learn to drive Char well.

But!

Sword, you got your own Ryoku, don’t you!? What’s the point in you becoming good at driving Char!? After all, Ryoku runs autonomously!

＊

“You cheater!”

Sword blinked at me in surprise when I screamed in his direction. But, after apparently comprehending what I meant, his face screwed up into a very awkward expression with him becoming uneasy.

“It ain’t like I’ve got any issues with my Ryoku. He’s ridin’ with me when we drive Char, isn’t he? …But this and that are different. Char ain’t like Ryoku. Ryoku is a golem who approaches humans and talks with ’em while Char is a golem you ride. …Rather, your simply buildin’ too many golems that tickle a man’s heart. Isn’t it then only natural for me to want to have one of my own!?”

So he wants one for himself, huh?

I sighed, “I’ve planned to build another one as a spare, but since that one’s going to be for transporting stuff as well, I don’t plan to give it to you.”

Upon my answer, shock dyed his face.

“…As long as it’s no smaller transport vehicle, I’ll build one for you. We aren’t hard pressed for transport anyway since we’ve got our Ryokus.”

Sword seemed overjoyed. I’m really too soft on him, am I not?

＊

――And then I got carried away once again.

Ah, it’s properly following Char’s shape, okay? A tiny Char version.

Given that the Ryokus can cover the transport of our luggage, I went with a camping car that would allow the Ryokus to board on top.

Plus.

Still, only that much would be boring, right? I mean, we’ve got the Ryokus, don’t we? Thus, if it doesn’t have a few more gimmicks, it’d make the Ryokus obsolete, no?

Therefore I added wings, enabling it to fly. Kinda like adding ant lion wings to a pill bug.

Plus.

Suddenly I recalled something. My otherworld self rode bikes. She actually favored motorbikes over cars.

And so, I was like, I might as well build a futuristic bike if I’m at it anyway. I’d really love to ride a bike after such a long time.

My otherworld self rode off-road, but she actually yearned for a sport bike, didn’t she? One of those completely cowled ones as they’d appear in manga and anime.

Therefore, I built one! Tehe.

＊

“Argh! You friggin’ did it again and used a shell for the exterior!”

That was Sword’s first comment.

“It’s just the weight is completely different. It’s got functions that only work with a shell.”

“‘kay, so? What kind of outrageous functions are we talkin’ ’bout?”

…Huh?

I was sure he’d be happier about this.

“……It flies.” I said with upturned eyes.

In response, Sword froze.

“……

……

……For real?”

I nodded, “Ah, but you see, it doesn’t fly all the time. Its appearance…is somewhat more insect-like than the one Bennyboy is riding, but everyone has grown accustomed to the Ryokus, right? That’s why I believe it’ll be alright. If you like, I can paint pink heart marks all over its frame to make it look lovelier. I’ll go ahead and just do that, okay?”

I made a heart mark with my hands.

“Give it a rest. It’d totally ruin my reputation.”

Yeah, okay, it makes sense that a guy would hate having their car plastered with heart marks. It’d turn it into a painful car.

“I see. So it flies, huh?”

I nodded, “Ah, the other one is definitely going to be to your liking, you know? If not, I’ll use it myself, though.”

“Huh? There’s still more of ’em?”

I nodded. Since he’s become a bit gentler, it seems like doesn’t dislike the flying part all that much.

“In the other world existed a golem that would automatically run on two tires called ［Motorbike］. I rode one of those back in that world. I remembered it, became nostalgic, and built one that’s more futuristic than the one I rode there. In a certain sense it’s rather original. It feels like riding a horse, but…it can drive across mountain roads, and I made sure that it’s able to go at a fairly high speed. Though it needs fuel. Also, you need to be quite good at driving, and your life might be in danger in the unlikely event of you crashing. But, it’s fun and I like it.”

Apparently that fully drew his interest.

“Both, please.”

I got a 「please」 from him.

＊

Once I showed him the completed versions, he was thrilled.

“So far as it goes, I added offensive abilities to the small transport vehicle, but it’s limited to lightning magic cannons at the front and rear. If the Ryokus get on, they can intercept. As for your exclusive one, it’s the easiest for you to let it run on auto and attack with magic.”

“Heeh. So it can even run by itself, huh?”

“As long as it’s just plain, old, driving.”

It’s that; an insect version of Kn○ht Rider. I think?

That’s why I also added a talking function to it.

“Hmm? Aren’t the buttons somehow different from the ones in Ben’s?”

“This one doesn’t have any modes. Those are safety measures I added because it’s a transport golem and Bennyboy is a normal human.”

“Hey, just a sec, could you not speak of me as if I don’t enter the range of normal humans?”

Well, you aren’t if you’re together with me.

“The interior has gravity control magic applied to it, making things lighter, but weight matters on the exterior. Please think of it as being able to fly if you have one Ryoku on top, but being unable to do so if you carry two or more Ryokus. If you press this button here, the wings will come out. …They’re quite insectoid, but oh well, I think it’ll be okay. If it causes an uproar, play back the recording. By the way, if the frame leaves the ground for more than five seconds, the wings will come automatically as well.”

Sword pulled a face that made it difficult to tell whether he was happy or not.

“Wha-…I’m happy, I’m happy. Just. I realized this will cause a huge outcry if the royal army finds out about it.”

“I’m sorry to say that it’s not suited for military deployment. Given that it has virtually no speed while in flight, it’d be shot down easily, I suspect. Even its driving speed loses out to you and me running seriously, you know?”

“…Now listen closely, ‘kay? Your and my speed are anythin’ but normal. It’s only natural for humans to not be faster than horses.” He said with both his arms placed on my shoulders, as if giving me a sermon.