Arifureta After II   So Close That They Squabbled With Each Other?   First Part

There was a spacious underground room at the underground of Nagumo residence. Of course it was a room that originally didn't exist, but after Hajime returned home from another world, he created it because it was necessary for various kind of his works.

In that personal underground workshop, the aforementioned Hajime was folding his arms while humming「Hm~~m」.

「The stage is created. The basic system is also okay. The fixing of consciousness and also the safety are cleared. What's left is the concrete story and character setting that match with it but……no matter how the idea doesn't really come to me.」

Hajime reconfirmed the situation by speaking to himself while he raised the humming sound of his worry once more. The gaze of such Hajime was fixed at the item that was put on the work stand, something like a mechanical eye mask that was embedded with bluish white crystal.

Its appearance was like an eye mask shaped electronic massager for the area around the eyes, or perhaps like a headset for virtual reality game……or rather, actually the item was exactly that, it was a game device that Hajime created himself. However, the technology and materials used to create it came from the mixture of earth and another world, even age of god magic was applied to make this game of full body experience.

In earth it was still at the level where human finally laid their hand on the tip of the technology of virtual world production, but when it was by the hand of the world's strongest transmutation master this completed product was easily realized.

By the way, by applying soul magic only the user's consciousness would be send to the virtual world, but actually this thing was something that was mostly close to out-of-body experience, in addition the virtual world was formed from something like an illusion that was endlessly close to reality because of the application of regeneration magic, so not only the five senses, the user could even sense other things like magic power or presence.

This item was the painstaking piece of Hajime's work that especially paid close attention to the safety mechanism. Rather, it wasn't even an exaggerated to call it his greatest masterpiece. As a gamer, and then as the son of the president of a game maker company, he made absolutely no compromise in this effort!

Now then, about the impetus of this game device's creation though……

(……Even though I made it painstakingly, but it will be meaningless if Myuu cannot enjoy it. The concept is pretty much "fun training" so it's settled that the game must be RPG……what kind of RPG that a girl will like? For now, I had put in characters noncommittally for checking its operation but……hm~~~m)

Just as could be understood from Hajime's worry, this device was created for Myuu's training use.

With Myuu pleading that she wanted to be strong like Hajime and others as the impetus, Hajime and party (other than the wive~s, the classmates also joined in) educated Myuu about fighting skill.

About the actual training itself, it could be done anywhere if barrier of concealment was laid out beforehand using magic or artifact, so there was no proble. However, from Hajime's thinking that a real combat, and furthermore a real combat against stronger enemy was far better than training, then as expected there would be no place for Myuu to test her strength except if they went to Tortus.

But, crossing worlds every time for training and then preparing opponent that was just at the right level were really troublesome. However, from Hajime's stand point, in this current time when there wasn't any emergency situation, he didn't have the slightest intention to make his beloved daughter going through severe training where "the worst case" could possibly happen, like when he tempered himself in the bottom of abyss against the monstrous opponents there.

――He wanted Myuu to annihilate stronger enemy without rushing and with some elbowroom, so she could have healthy growth.

That was the genuine parental love of a father who had a daughter.

And so, fighting virtual enemy in a virtual world was actually a method that was just right for this.

Now then, like that the creation of the game device was roughly completed, but here Hajime bumped into a wall here. He had progressed with the creation until here based on the concept of "Fighting against stronger enemy. However, doing it while having a blast", but he couldn't think of the "story" that would become the fundamental of the essential part of "having a blast".

After all, till the end this was a virtual practice for testing the result of Myuu's training. And so, for example if a goblin was put as the opening enemy befitting the standard of RPG. However, naturally Myuu would fight by freely using weapon artifacts like Donnerr and so on, it was clear that the goblins would become「Gobuu!?」at the end of their encounter with Myuu.

He didn't want to make Myuu go Ore TUEEEEE. Having said that, he didn't wasn't to see a goblin that could evade railgun by sight. A certain bugged rabbit somewhere was already enough for something like that. (TN: Ore TUEEEEE = an expression in Japan that kinda mean like I'm stronggg. Used when in a net game or fighting game when there is a player that is overwhelmingly strong compared to other players. Or to refer when in manga or LN the MC have transcendental strength)

In other words, the power level of the enemy following the scenario of the usual RPG and Myuu's strength didn't mesh with each other.

If he was going to create a content that could clear up this problem well, where Myuu could have fun advancing the story while she could constantly fight enemy whose strength was always a bit above hers……

「――No good. I cannot think of anything at all. Worst case, I can only set up goblin that can dodge railgun but……before that, perhaps I should try consulting Tou-san first.」

Hajime who frowned imagining a goblin that was leaving behind a line of afterimages behind when it move roughly scratched his head that had reached the limit, he then sighed while standing up from his chair.

He exited the underground workshop, climbed the stair and entered the living room. Today was a holiday, but there was no one in the room except Shia. Shuu and Sumire were working, but he didn't know about what the other members were doing.

「Eh? Shia, what about Yue and others?」

「Fuwaa. Ah, Hajime-san. Is your work over?」

It seemed Shia was napping on the living room's sofa while pleasantly getting showered by the shining in sunlight. She asked back with a slovenly absentminded expression. She looked a bit like she was half-awake.

Hajime prepared to go outside while answering Shia even when he was writhing slightly seeing the figure of "droopy Shia" with her rabbit ears laying down limply.

「No, I reached the limit already. So I'm going to Tou-san's place. I'll bring him some supply and also try to ask him between his works whether I can receive some kind of hint.」

「Howaa, is that sooo. Have a safe trip desuu. Ah, right right, about Yue-san and others, Kaori-san will come to play so Yue-san just now is waiting in ambus――cough-, is going to pick her uppp. Tio-san and Remia-san went out shipping for Myuu-chan's clothees」

「I see. And Shizuku?」

「It looks like a self proclaimed rival of Yaegashi family was coming with declaration of challenge, so she accompanied her family even though she was really reluctant to deal with the challenger desuu. And so, she said that today she cannot come desuu」

「……That girl is really a busybody huh.」

Imagining Shizuku who went along with her hustling family with a tired expression, Hajime looked at far away with a really speechless expression. She shouldn't be so reserved anymore after everything so far, so he guessed that her situation wasn't that serious if she didn't contact them for reinforcement.

「Well, got it. Then, Shia. I'm going out for a bit, so tell Yue and others for me.」

「Yhee~~s, leave it to mee~~desuu~~」

Shia who was burying her face again into the soft cushion sleepily waved around her rabbit ears as reply while she switched over into "droopy Shia mode" once more. She seemed to be in a really dreamy state of mind.

"Droopy Shia" who was bathing in sunlight while her panty was in full view, her rabbit tail shaking *furin~furin~* was terribly adorable. Hajime was driven with an impulse to give her lap pillow and loved her with all his might, but with an effort he endured in order to fulfill his duty as a papa and he exited the house.

A while after that, while the sound of sleeper's breathing *suya~* of a happy rabbit was resounding in the Nagumo residence's living room, there was the sound *clack* of the entrance door opening.

「Geez-, Yue you idiot! Pervert! You rascal!」

「……What abusive language against someone who went to pick you up. Stupid Kaori.」

「Something like that cannot be said as "picking up" you know? That's called ambushing! Furthermore you even use illusion magic to the street, you are really idiot-」

「……Kaori screamed 'Hyaaa~~~-'. You screamed 'Hyaaa~~~-'. Pufuh」

「Yueee~~~」

Such noisy quarrel could be heard.

It seemed Kaori was ambushed by Yue when she was in the middle of going to Nagumo residence. It seemed Yue even used illusion magic to shock Kaori. Recalling back Kaori's reaction of that time caused Yue to make a smile that looked really joyful.

Whether in the past or in the future, surely there would be no one other than Kaori for whom Yue would purposefully go out of the house just to make her shocked.

In her own way, Kaori as someone in the position who received Yue's mischievousness with her body was angry, even so she didn't look like that she hated it at all. Even now her hands were reaching toward the hair of Yue who was taking off her shoes, she used a hair styling product that she took out from somewhere and fought strenuously to tailor Yue's hair into Mohican style.

Yue walked toward the living room without even paying any mind that her fluffy and soft blonde hair was fumbled around and turned into a strange shape like the trees of the witch's forest by Kaori. She then caught sight of Shia who was napping with a loose expression that looked extremely careless. She was in the same state like before Yue went out.

「Ah, Shia, she is in the middle of nap. Then, we have to be quiet.」

「……Nn」

It was as though their quarrel just now was nonexistent. The two stopped their dispute completely and went quiet. They approached slo~wly toward Shia and they stared gently at Shia who was mumbling 'munya munya'.

「Munya munya……ehehe, more than this is impossible――I cannot beat you to death more than this you knoww~~」

「「……」」

「Nnyaa. ……Kufuu~~, then, just a bit moreee~~」

「「……」」

It was slightly off from the template.

This rabbit-san was making a happy expression, with a leisurely atmosphere, looking like she was feeling really pleasant, while going to beat up to death someone a bit more. Run awaaay! That someone inside the dream! Super run awaaay!

「……Let's leave her quietly.」

「……Nn. That's better.」

Yue and Kaori slo~wly slo~wly backed away. They also took distance of heart.

「Err, and, where is Hajime-kun? I heard that Myuu-chan and others aren't here, but Hajime-kun is here right?」

「……Nn. He is shutting himself inside the workshop since last night. It's troubling that he will forget the time right away when he got absorbed.」

「He would also forget his meal and sleep when he was like that. Then, let's go call him. Are we also going to make him rest while we are at it?」

「……He haven't taken lunch yet too, so it's just right.」

They nodded at each other and headed toward the underground workshop.

By the way, the main path to head toward the underground workshop was through the stair in the corridor, but actually the sofa in the living room could also be used to go there. The sofa would be overturned backward when someone was sitting on it, and then that person would be dropped into the underground corridor.

There was really no meaning to purposefully get dropped like that, so everyone used the stair to head there, but limited to the people of Yaegashi family who sometimes visited (excluding Shizuku) and Myuu, the instead had never used the stair even once until now. They liked getting flipped and dropped down.

「……Nn? Hajime, not here?」

「Eh? It's true.」

The two who entered the workshop tilted their head seeing that the place's owner wasn't there.

Did he leave the house? In that case did he not leave behind any notification memo? Thinking that the two walked deeper into the room.

It seemed there wasn't any memo, but in exchange a headset that was obviously in the middle of manufacturing entered their sight.

「……That's the artifact that Hajime is currently getting absorbed in developing.」

「Is that so. Somehow it looks similar with a headset used for seeing 3D movie isn't it?」

「……Nn. That's not necessarily wrong.」

Yue began to talk about the specific of its function in respond of Kaori's question. Kaori was listening in admiration and she was staring at the headset shaped artifact game device for some reason.

Yue spoke a sentence toward such Kaori.

「……Kaori you silent lecher.」

「Why!?」

Kaori was startled at the sudden insult. Yue answered that retort which was mixed with question.

「……The reason you are staring hard like that is only one. I saw through that you were having delusion that you would be able to experience flirting with Hajime anytime in your home if you have that. Just what in the world you are planning to do to Hajime in the virtual world? This silent lecher.」

「I'm not a silent lecher! I wasn't having any delusion like that! Or rather, it's Yue who is the silent lecher by the time you come to that conclusion!」

「……What stupid statement. Even without having delusion, I'm always flirting with Hajime!」

「Certainly!」

There was no room for argument there. But, Kaori wished that Yue would stop already with her attempt of planting the impression of "Kaori is a silent lecher" at every available opportunity.

Kaori was able to assert. That she was leading a wholesome life! Even if she had a bit of daydreaming habit, even if she was conscious toward any kind of things that had just gotten used by Hajime, but it was beyond doubt that she was a wholesome girl! There was no room for suspicion there! Should be!

And so, here she firmly objected at Yue.

But, Yue-sama tried to utterly destroy the objection of such Kaori head-on.

As the result, at the end it connected to the usual cat fight.

Nyaah――!! Nyaah――!! Mui-mui-! Mukiiiiih!!

Both of them pinched at each other's cheeks and rolled around on the floor of the workshop for a few minutes. The situation only looked like they were frolicking around with each other if seen from the side, however, the two who were seriously quarrelling with each other became engrossed with it against their better judgment and they completely forgot to pay attention to the surrounding.

Yes, they were at the workshop of a transmutation master where Hajime's hand-made artifacts, the artifacts created from Hajime's interest working in full throttle where there were understandable things until incomprehensible things scattered out everywhere.

*GON-* A nice sound rang out, coming from Yue who was going to stand out banging the back of her head strongly at the desk above her.

Yue reflexively raised a strange scream「Nmii!?」while Kaori was childishly making merry「Ya~i, ya~i」at such Yue, but the next moment, the headset and other minerals fell from the desk and hit the crown of her head and Kaori raised a matching scream「Nmii!?」.

While the both of them were holding their head while trembling, suddenly an ominous sound *pachi pachi* struck their ears.

「……Ah, err, Yue? This, by any chance, is this actually bad?」

「……This is bad degozaru.」

Cold sweats trickled down. If there was only broken item, then the two could just harmoniously prostrate dogeza in front of Hajime and apologized. But, the headset in front of them that was fiercely sparking and further flickering with magic power light and overflowing with immense magic power that made their skin tingled only gave off ominous feeling.

Yue's speech spontaneously became strange but her thinking was calm. No matter what happened, there was no way any phenomenon that happened here could leak outside from this workshop that boasted the strongest endurance in the world. Therefore, Yue would use the ultimate skill of instant teleportation "Divine Existence" and escaped together with Kaori.

Yue who decided that in an instant leaped toward Kaori, and then they escaped right――

*Flash-* Light exploded.

There was no sound or shockwave. There was only light that painted over the workshop for a beat.

Inside the workshop that recovered its former color, there were only Yue who was hanging over Kaori as though she had pushed her down, and Kaori who was tightly hugging such Yue left behind. It seemed that the two were unconscious.

「-, Yue!? Are you okay!?」

Kaori who was aware that her consciousness had flew away for a moment raised her body in a flash at the same time when her consciousness returned and she confirmed Yue's safety. But, she didn't hear that voice that was so pleasant to hear it was odious that usually would respond after a beat later.

She had confirmed that a moment before her consciousness was cut off, Yue was jumping toward her to cover her. That was why Kaori completely thought that Yue was on her bosom, but she didn't feel her weight there, and even when she looked around restlessly she didn't find her anywhere.

Or rather,

「Wha, what is thiss~~~~」

Kaori was in chaos!

The reason was even though before this she should be inside the workshop wearing her personal clothes, when she noticed she was inside a room that was surrounded with coarsely made wood and she was waking up above a bed. When she looked more carefully, the clothes she was wearing was also changed into something coarse that looked like it came from the period of Europe's Middle Age. It was a one piece and loose, yes, if this was in a movie or drama then this would be the clothing of a villager girl.

Kaori was looking down on herself dumbfounded for a while, next she rushed out in hurry. She opened the thin wooden door so hard the door could come off from its hinge, ignored an aging male that was talking about something smilingly inside what seemed to be a living room, and without pause she forcefully opened the entrance door and leaped out.

「Ju, just where, is this?」

Blue sky stretched without end. Numerous houses that looked like hovel. Foreign people working busily wearing simple clothes. This place was obviously not Japan.

Still in chaos, Kaori called out to a young man who happened to pass by.

「E, excuse me. I have a bit of question……」

「Heey, this is the village of beginning "AAAAAAAA".」

「The name is too noncommittal! Or rather I'm not asking that!」

Kaori was in chaos! The young man tilted his head「Oh?」at such Kaori.

「What's this, just when I thought who is it because I was called so suddenly――」

「Eh, eh? What is it?」

Seeing the young man suddenly stopped his sentence was also surprising, but the transparent floating projection display that manifested in front of Kaori's eyes right after that also made Kaori's body trembled from feeling startled.

Above the display, there was a line "Please decide your name", and below it there was a frame with blank space, and even further below was an unfamiliar keyboard.

「This is……could it be this place is……」

'Could it be I'm inside that game device that is in the middle of development?' Kaori reached that fact. The present condition where she suddenly arrived in an unfamiliar world, the young man that was spewing out stereotyped line, and also the display that appeared midair, they were all completely like an RPG world. Kaori's appearance must be also the setting where she likely started as a villager girl in the beginning.

「So that's how it is? Yue said that the artifact used soul magic, so the instant it was broken only my soul was sent flying inside the game, is that it? ……It doesn't feel like I'm only soul at all though……h~m, let's worry later. For now, I have to search Yue.」

Kaori who switched over her thinking looked forward at the young man who was smiling and waiting for her, she decided for now she would obey the rule of the game and at least decided her name before searching for Yue.

「Eerr, I'll use my name, Ka-o-ri.」

She typed in her name and clicked the enter key. A confirmation screen came out so she also pressed OK at it. And then the display vanished automatically.

「――but isn't this the deplorable daughter of the village chief Kaori.」

「Who are you calling deplorable!?」

She was suddenly insulted.

「And so what's the matter, village chief's deplorable daughter?」

「There is no meaning typing in my name isn't it!? Or rather this thing about deplorable is the default!?」

There was not even a fragment of ill will that could be seen from the young man who was still making an amiable smile without change. Kaori silently thought 'this is a game, this is a game' to suppress her welling up dissatisfaction and she asked once more.

「Do you know Yue? Ah, I wonder if you know what I mean by Yue. She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl with blond hair……」

「This is the village of beginning "AAAAAAAA".」

「Ah, yes. So you don't know.」

It seemed the person would return to its first line when he was asked something he didn't know. Kaori held the conviction that this place was a virtual reality as expected and she wracked her brain of what to do now.

But, it was at that time that the young man talked at Kaori.

「Come to think of it, village chief's deplorable daughter.」

「……What is it?」

Resignation was crucial in the society.

「You know, it seems this morning priest-san was picking up a sister with a screw loose.」

「That must be Yue!」

If the person in question was here, surely the curtain of great battle Yue VS Kaori of who knows how many times would be opened.

Talking to the villagers, gathered information, and then determined the destination――it was truly the classic flow. Kaori who became convinced of that faithfully expressed her gratitude before she sprinted away.

The church was the tallest building in the village. Because the houses in the village were all one-story house, the tall building with a cross affixed on its top could be seen from anywhere in the village.

「Uuh, my body is heavy……」

Although it was inside the game, in the first place the physical ability of Kaori who had obtained the flesh body of god apostle was in foul play level. Originally she was able to easily display a running in the level that would smash the heart of an Olympic sprinter into pieces.

But, the current Kaori could only display a speed that was at the level of that Olympic sprinter. She was told that this was a game for training use, so perhaps it was possible that a limitation was set up for the initial configuration.

After all, the current her was a villager girl……Kaori was sprinting while conjecturing the reason why her body wouldn't move like she wanted. She pretended as though she couldn't hear the villagers saying things like「Ah, that's the village chief's deplorable daughter!」「Today too she is running like that……what a deplorable girl」while pointing their finger at her.

Like that, Kaori who was dealt with delicate mental damage finally arrived nearby the church's front, it was at that time when she was about to enter inside the church.

*DOGON-* Such terrific explosive sound and fierce vibration shook the village. What's more they happened consecutively.

「Wha wha wha wha, what!? Just what in the world is going on!?」

The bewildered Kaori put her emergency break and immediately took distance from the church.

Right after that, everywhere on the building's walls was blown away one after another, the church that lost its supporting pillars tilted violently. Without pause the building helplessly creaked *gigigigi-* while tilting even more drastically, like that the building collapsed as though it was toppled sideways.

Dust clouds rose up grandly.

Ahead of the gaze of Kaori who was looking at the church's destruction in astonishment, human silhouette swayed inside the dust cloud. The silhouette had small stature. And then, it gave a presence that Kaori was familiar with.

「Yue!」

「……Nn. Kaori, I'm glad you are fine.」

Yue who said that while showing her figure by using wind to sweep away the veil of cloud dust――was a sister-san.

She was wearing a black loose one-piece that reached until her ankle and a wimple covering her head. Different from a pretend sister, her hair was covered properly that it couldn't be seen, so instead Yue's beautiful face became emphasized, matched with her expressionless face, a solemn atmosphere could be felt from her.

She was truly looking like a pious servant of god……

If there was no destroyed church behind her.

Kaori wanted to ask various thing including confirming their present situation, but first thing first,

「Why is the church turned like this?」

「……I flew into rage when I was said that my brain has a screw loose. I have no regret. I can boast that I have done a good work.」

「I, I see.」

Behind Yue, a priest with gentle looking expression was standing in the middle of the wreckage and he spoke with his sooty appearance.

「With heart of valor and kindness, now, go forth. Sister with a screw loose Yue.」

The wind of the sister with a screw loose burst. The priest-san flew to the sky. It was as though he was a leaf that was toyed by the wind.

「This is your home. I will wait for your return at all times.」

The home was gone already. Or rather, that place was a sky.

While the gentle voice of the priest-san that was flying in the sky was resounding, Kaori thought about Yue who was fully exposing her displeasure and about the matter from here on, and she let out a de~~ep sigh.

AN: Thank you very much for reading this every time.

Thank you very much too for the thoughts, opinions, and reports about misspelling and omitted words.

The beginning seems long, but this is a short story.

It's a bit of scene of Yue and Kaori's everyday.

When this is over, I'm thinking that perhaps I should write a long arc of After.