Chapter 5 If I Don’t Tell Her, She’ll Never Get It, but If I Do, She’ll Probably Hit Me. Families Are Tough.

The fourth day.

The students gathered beneath a clear blue sky.

“Ahem,” Mr. Burly announced. “As I mentioned briefly yesterday, today we have a special school event… A surprise field trip! Let’s all have fun with it!”

“Yaaay! A surprise field trip! Woo-hoo!”

“A surprise field trip! I can’t wait!”

Apparently, there was a field trip today. Always one of school’s greatest pleasures. Wise, Porta, and the other students all cheered.

It was only natural for them to be excited. Not only was the trip itself worth looking forward to, but also they were going to be traveling in style aboard an actual airship.

An airship was, of course, a ship that could fly. As the students clambered aboard the vehicle of their dreams, moored in the school field, they were already far too excited to listen to Mr. Burly, running wild all over the deck.

But there was one student not joining in the fuss. Masato.

“A field trip on an airship… That should be worth looking forward to, but… Sigh…”

Masato stayed away from the crowd, leaning against the railing, sighing to himself. He just couldn’t convince himself to enjoy this.

And the reason for that was Medhi. His concerns about her were weighing him down.

Then he heard a voice.

“Ma-kun! Have fun! And be careful!”

He looked down and saw Mamako waving him off. Shiraaase was next to her, and Medhimama a short distance away.

Only students were going on this trip. No guardians along. As it should be.

Mamako was calling his name happily, oblivious to his mood, which rubbed Masato the wrong way. He waved a hand back and paid her no further attention.

But then…

“Maasatooo!”

Medhi came running over to him excitedly and latched on to his arm. “Eep?!” Masato yelped, all too conscious of the glorious sensation squeezing against him. Pillowy! His arm shrieked with joy.

He would have loved to enjoy this unreservedly, but he just couldn’t. He knew better.

Medhi was acting on Medhimama’s instructions and aggressively trying to steal his heart.

“A field trip, Masato! Let’s enjoy this together! Just you and me! Let’s take this opportunity to get closer!”

“Uh, yeah, sure…”

Medhi pressed up against him, purring in his ear. Sultry expressions, an alluring voice, even her body, using all her feminine wiles to hook him.

Just a hint of desperation.

Everything I was worried about is coming true… How should I handle this?

Unsure of how to respond, Masato just looked confused.

“Hey, Hero Masato! Could you come over here a minute?” Mr. Burly called. Good excuse to get some distance.

“They’re calling my name! See you later!” “Um, oh, Masato…!” Masato wriggled out of Medhi’s arms and beat an emergency retreat to Mr. Burly’s side.

“Sorry for the wait. What’s up? Also, thanks.”

“That’s an odd choice of words, but I suppose you mean I was right to call on you. I got a sense the Cleric Medhi wasn’t behaving like herself.”

“You’re totally right. And the cause is, of course, Medhimama.”

“That woman… She is a doozy.”

“I agree. She’s definitely driving Medhi off the deep end. I don’t think we can let it go on like this.”

“Hmm, I see.” Mr. Burly nodded. “So the hero rises to save families from their problems.”

He gave Masato a hearty slap on the back.

“Very well! I will support your heroic fight from the shadows.”

“From the shadows? Meaning…?”

“I will do what I can to increase the opportunities for you to spend time with the young Cleric! At least allow me that much. Starting with…”

Rather than finish his sentence, he clapped Masato on the back again and walked away. Masato’s back hurt a lot now. There was probably a hand-shaped mark on it.

But it had definitely put some wind in his sails.

“…Guess that was his way of encouraging me. Not that I needed any encouragement…”

Masato looked over the rail at Medhimama, who was glaring fiercely up at them. He looked at Medhi, who was waving, a stiff sort of smile on her face. And then he looked at the sky, so open and free of all worldly concerns.

And he vowed to do something about it all.

Our parents aren’t with us on this trip. I’ve got to take advantage of that!

Forget all their troubles, throw themselves into the event, have as much fun as possible, relieve all that stress. Refresh body and soul. That was what mattered. Only once that was accomplished could he take the next step.

She needed to blow off some steam so she could truly be free.

He knew just what to do. Masato ran back over to Medhi.

“Medhi, thanks for waiting! Let’s have a great time on this trip, okay? Let’s have so much fun we forget about everything else!”

“Y-yes! That’s exactly what I want to do! If I’m with you, Masato, I’m sure I’ll have a great time. This is gonna be the best!”

“Yeah! I love it when you talk like this!” Poke, poke.

Maybe he got a bit carried away. He found himself poking her in the cheek.

“Eep! Masato, that tickles! Ah-ha-ha!” Medhi laughed happily, enjoying herself. That was good.

If he could keep her this happy and having this much fun, surely all her troubles would be washed away.

The airship took off and flew away, laughter trailing in its wake.

Shiraaase watched it go, then turned to Mamako and Medhimama.

“Well, we’ve seen the children off safely, so I think it’s high time for a little mom conference. What do you say?”

“Oh! Why, yes, that sounds delightful.”

A mom conference—a meeting designed to allow mothers to talk freely about their children. A horrible event that leaves all children cowering in fear. Mamako jumped on Shiraaase’s suggestion, ready to talk about Masato all night.

Meanwhile, Medhimama seemed far less enthused.

“Not exactly my idea of a good time…but, well… If I consider it a good opportunity to gain information that will ensure my victory, perhaps it wouldn’t be the worst idea. That said, it would be extremely awkward if it was just Mamako and me, so I must insist you join us, Shiraaase. What do you say?”

“I’d be honored. Mamako, would you mind if I join you?”

“No, not at all. You’re always welcome!”

And with that, the mom conference was confirmed.

Medhimama was running the show. Always the first to take charge.

“Then let’s go to the terrace of a café I like. It’s a lovely shop only operating for a limited time. You’ll need to be in contact with me so I can transport us all there.”

“Very well.”

“Pardon me.”

Shiraaase and Mamako put their hands on Medhimama’s shoulders. Medhimama raised her staff…

Mamako’s eyes fixed on it.

Oh, how strange… Something feels…off about that…

The Aperto staff, especially the gem of darkness embedded in the tip of it, gave Mamako a vague feeling of anxiety.

The airship flew at a relaxed pace away from the school, arriving at its first destination nearly an hour later. It settled into the landing area as if it owned the place.

The gangways were soon lowered, and the students ran down, having the time of their lives…well, most of them.

“…Sigh… I’m so worn-out…”

There was one student dragging himself down the ramp, clutching the railing tight. Masato. Already totally exhausted.

Porta was helping him stay upright, and even she was shaking her head. Wise, behind them, looked outright disgusted.

“Ah-ha-ha,” Porta giggled. “You may have gotten a bit too excited.”

“Burning up all your energy mid-trip, then collapsing the second we get here? I know the type. We’ve got a word for those types of people. Idiots.”

Wise spoke the truth. “I…can’t even argue with that…” Masato admitted.

Then Medhi came running down the ramp behind them.

“Look, look, Masato! We’re finally here! Isn’t it exciting? Come on, or I’ll leave you behind! Come on, come on! Chase meee! Ah-ha-ha-ha!”

As Medhi passed Masato, she tapped him on the shoulder. Then she ran off ahead.

“Ohh… What a sweet scent. A delight to the nose! …Man, Medhi was doing everything I was… She sure has endurance…”

Medhi had been extremely excited the whole time. Her childlike, innocent smile was a wonder to behold.

He couldn’t stumble now. Masato summoned all his energy, ready to run off after Medhi.

“First, form a line!” Mr. Burly said. Talk about poor timing. “If you can’t line up properly, you get to stay on the airship!”

The crowd of students quickly formed a line, listening to Mr. Burly’s speech.

“Let me explain why we’re here. First, as training for the full group, all of you are going to be visiting a nearby shrine. Which shrine? Well, take a look at the hill to my right.”

Mr. Burly pointed at a midsize green hill. A road wound up the side, and near the top of the hill was a shrine made of stone pillars.

Not a ruin. Clearly a newly made shrine.

“That’s where you’ll be going. Even from here you can tell how beautiful it is, right? If you’ve got any questions, ask away. I have lots of information!”

Masato raised his hand.

“Then can I ask what makes this shrine so amazing that we need to take a mandatory field trip to it?”

“Hmm, good question. Truth is…at the moment, that shrine has not been given any historical background. I’m sure some writer in operations is desperately working on it right now.”

“Huh? What the…?”

“Listen. I’m not done yet. Um, that shrine will appear as an important ruin in an event they’re planning on implementing later on. War and disaster will destroy it, they’ll apply the effects of time, and place it in an appropriate field.”

“Just like some sort of game… Oh, right, that’s exactly what this is.”

“So this is the only time you’ll be able to see it newly built, in perfect condition. A highly valuable opportunity.”

For example. If you could see a Greek shrine at the time it was built, wouldn’t you want to? It’d be worth a look, at least. Same principle.

“Right, one warning before we set off. There’s a powerful monster on the road to the shrine. One so strong all of us could fight it at once without us having any chance of beating it. It’s an insanely strong enemy.”

“Um… Then how are we going to get there?”

“Normally, it would be impossible! However! For the sake of this field trip, there’s a special field effect applied that strengthens all players! With that blessing, you should be able to make swift work of an enemy you could normally never defeat, receive a massive quantity of high-value gems, and if you’re lucky, some rare materials. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”

Before Mr. Burly could even finish…

“Masato, let’s go!” Medhi said, grabbing his arm and pulling him away. “I’ve always wanted to come here! I’ll lead the way! Come on!”

“O-okay…?”

She was holding his arm awfully tight, and he felt a plush sensation enveloping it… His arm was happy again. Unable to resist, Masato let himself be pulled along with Medhi’s whim.

But if they did that, of course the teacher was going to be furious.

“H-hey!” Mr. Burly yelled. “This is a group exercise! You can’t just… Mm?”

All the students were gone. The entire class was following Masato and Medhi, making a beeline toward the shrine.

Mr. Burly was standing all alone in their wake.

“…Ahem! Well, as long as you enjoy yourselves! Bwa-ha-ha!” Mr. Burly said with a generous guffaw. “But it sure would have been nice if one of you had asked me along… Sniff…” Tears started running down his cheeks.

Medhi had started a stampede, and all the other students were in a headlong dash behind her. Like she’d fired the pistol to start a race up the broad marble road to the shrine.

Masato and Medhi were in the lead. It was hard to run with her clinging to his arm, so they’d switched to holding hands, maintaining their position.

“Come on, Masato! Let’s go! Go, go, go!”

“Yeah! Let’s do this, Medhi! Go, go, go, go, go!”

Masato ran with all his might, trying to match her level of enthusiasm. Watching over her, hoping that this would all help free her from her worries.

Wise and Porta were hot on their heels.

“Hahh…hahh… Hey, wait up! You’re…going too fast…”

“Masato! Let us come with you! I want to be with you!”

“Yeah! C’mon! This way, Porta! …Wise, you should maybe lie down somewhere.”

“Like! I! Said! You really need to knock it off with this hot-and-cold routine!”

“And like I said, you brought it on yourself… Uh, whaaa?!”

Mid-bicker, Masato saw something unbelievable.

Wise was running along behind him, panting heavily, and right behind her…was a giant carnivorous dinosaur head.

It had popped its head out of a forest by the side of the shrine road and appeared to be targeting Wise. Uh-oh. Wise was about to be swallowed whole.

“Yo, Wise! Behind you! Look! Look behind you!”

“Huh? Yeah, right! Like I’m gonna fall for that one!”

“No, seriously! …Argh!”

He considered just letting it happen, but…she was technically his friend, so Masato pulled Firmamento and turned to help.

This was a ground foe. Not a great fit for a sword that specialized in flying enemies. He wasn’t sure he could win, but he at least had to get a hit in…

Then…

“I’ll support you! …Spara la magia per mirare… Salire!”

Medhi’s spell activated. A support spell that buffed the power of any attacks. This effect was amplified by the field effect.

Masato’s ATK was increased with the force of a supernova.

“Whoaaaaaaaa! I can feel power welling up within meeeee! I can do this! I’m doing this! …Wise! Duck! Rahhhhh!”

“Huh?! What the?!”

Masato swung his sword horizontally. Wise froze stiff, and it barely missed her head, hitting the hungry dinosaur in the nose.

Splat. Its face split in two. Astonishingly sharp.

Masato defeated the dinosaur!

“Huh? …Huhhhhh?! What the?! What did I even do?!”

Masato himself was more shocked by this than anyone, but he had, indeed, one-shot it.

Its face yawning open, the dinosaur collapsed, replaced by a shower of precious gems. A whole mountain of dice-like objects. “Th-th-that’s a lot!” Porta yelped and hastily scrambled to collect them.

After the results screen, a series of level-up windows appeared. Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations!

Masato wept manly tears.

“This is the moment I’ve always dreamed of! I’m getting emotional!”

Tears gushed forth. A hot flood of tears streamed down his cheeks. Yes. This was what Masato had always wanted. A true power trip.

“Masato, you’re amazing! That was so cool!”

“Huh? Whoa!”

Medhi jumped on his back, pressing up against him. He could feel everything! His back screamed with joy.

But a mere second later, a hand reached out from the side, grabbed a handful of his shirt, and pulled him away, forcibly separating Masato and Medhi.

The culprit was none other than Wise. She looked pissed.

“Wh-what?”

“Nothing… I mean, I’d love to slap you, but you did just save me, so I’ll overlook it this time.”

“Well… Thanks, I guess?”

He wasn’t sure if gratitude was the right response, but the way Wise was glaring at him was a little different from her usual thing, and that made him cautious.

She glared at him a while longer, then sighed. “Whatever,” she said, apparently getting over it. She turned to Medhi. “Hey, Medhi, thanks for helping our stupid hero out. I guess you saved me, too. So thanks. I mean it.”

“Oh, sure. You’re welcome. I’m always glad to help.”

“Mm, thanks… So let’s move along. I’m coming, too.”

Wise took the lead, walking ahead and waving for them to follow her.

But Medhi stopped her.

“Oh, Wise. Could you wait a second? I’d like to cast a support skill on you as well. If your magic attack is buffed, I’m sure you’ll be able to fight in style, too.”

“Oh, that sounds good. I’m in the mood for showing off a little. Hit me!”

“Okay. Then… Conforto Staff! Unleash your power!”

Medhi raised her staff, and the hidden function inside activated. As a result…

Wise fell asleep. “…Zzz…zzzz…” She just face-planted right where she was and was snoring in seconds.

Medhi smiled as if she’d accomplished something important.

“Good, that’s settled.”

“Uh, no it’s not! Wait, Medhi! What are you doing?!”

“Oh, sorry. I meant to buff Wise’s magic attack, but instead I seem to have activated a sleep effect. Whatever effect gets activated is totally random, so I can’t control it. It can’t be helped.”

“Yeah, it can!! I mean, for starters, you could just cast the spell normally instead of using the staff…”

“Oh, good point! You’re right, Masato. How careless of me. I just thought how nice it would be to spend time alone with you, and then…”

“Uh…”

She wanted to be alone with him. That was her motivation?

A girl as beautiful as Medhi saying something like that was enough to make any guy go…

“W-well, I guess there is nothing we can do! Ah-ha-ha-ha!”

It was important to jump on these things. Also, the only victim here was Wise, which made it allowable.

Medhi pulled his hand forcibly.

“Come on, Masato! The two of us should be the first to reach the shrine! Let’s go!”

“Right, I’m in! Oh, wait… We can’t just leave Porta…”

Porta was sitting by the mountain of gems, focused entirely on collecting them. Both hands furiously moving, stuffing them into her bag.

It was adorable, like a bunny digging a hole.

“Oh, Masato!” she said, glancing their way. “I’m not done gathering gems yet! I’d like to come, but this is my role! You go on ahead!”

Cool.

“Porta’s such a lovely, dedicated girl… And she really knows how to take a hint! Such a helpful girl! Let’s go, Masato! Yeah!”

“Y-yeah…”

The phrasing “take a hint” made all this seem uncomfortably calculated, but oh well.

Medhi’s grip on his hand tightened, and she dragged Masato after her, allowing no argument.

And so Masato and Medhi reached the shrine. Well ahead of the rest of their class.

The shrine at the hilltop was magnificent, overwhelmingly so. Elaborately carved Corinthian columns in rows all around, so impressive that even someone with no interest in architecture at all would be awed…

Not that Masato was given time to be impressed.

“What a nice shrine! Shrines are places that house a god. What sort of god comes to your mind, Masato? I’m thinking a goddess of destiny… Yes, our destiny. The two of us visiting, the hand of fate guiding us. We were destined to be together, you know? …Eh-heh-heh! Maybe I’m getting carried away.”

“Uh, yeah… Kinda…”

“Oh, look! There’s a sign! There’s a limited-time shrine café open now! Let’s go in! …Oh, but…if we share some tea together, everyone will think we’re a couple… Oh my, what am I saying? Eep, how embarrassing!”

“Um, well, yeah… I mean…”

Everything Medhi said to him felt specifically designed to capture his heart. She seemed to be really going for the whole “snare Masato” plan.

He’d hoped getting all worked up with her would make her forget all her troubles, but Medhimama’s fetters were clearly too tight to shake off. This was frustrating.

If she genuinely just liked me, I’d be thrilled, but…

Unfortunately, that did not seem to be the case.

It was time to make her stop. To free her, he had to make things clear.

Regretting the need to part, he quietly removed his arm from its luxury bed in the valley between her breasts, moved around in front of Medhi, and looked her in the eye.

“Medhi, we need to talk. The truth is, I’m onto you.”

“Huh? O-onto…?”

“I know this is just a strategy Medhimama ordered you to use.” He spoke slowly, staring into her eyes the whole time. “You want to make me fall in love with you so you can gain an advantage over me. It’s a dumb plan. She’d punished me, so I died, but I could still hear everything…so you don’t need to try. You don’t need to force yourself to act this way. Okay?”

Medhi received his message loud and clear and hung her head. She suddenly seemed really depressed.

“O-oh… You know all about it, huh…?”

“Yeah. Sorry to have eavesdropped, but…”

“No, don’t worry about that. I’m the one being rude here. You’ve got no interest, but here I am forcing myself on you…embarrassing myself, like a total idiot… Ugh… What am I even doing…?”

“…Medhi?”

“This is all my mother’s fault. She gives me all these crazy orders, uses that weird staff’s power… Yes, I blame that staff… I didn’t really want to do this, but here I am doing it… She said some nonsense about granting me ‘release power,’ whatever that means. That’s why I’m acting like this! Argghh, that toxic bitch!”

“Stop! Stop! You’re releasing all that dark power again! Let’s just calm down first, okay?”

She was freaking Masato out a little.

Then…

“Medhi! What are you screaming about? For shame!”

A harsh snarl echoed around them. Masato had heard more than enough of that voice to recognize it instantly. It was Medhimama.

Dressed head to toe in golden robes that could certainly be described as divine, she was walking slowly out from the shadow of the shrine’s pillars. Mamako and Shiraaase were trailing after her, looking concerned.

“Medhimama? And…Mom, Shiraaase…? What’s going on?”

“We elected to hold a mom conference, so I brought us to the café here. I’ve been here a number of times, so a simple transfer spell. That hardly matters.”

“N-no, it’s pretty important…”

“It isn’t. And you can hold your tongue, Masato. I am talking to Medhi.”

Medhimama paid Masato no further attention, her eyes fixed firmly on Medhi.

The look in her eyes was so severe, you would never think this was a mother looking at her daughter. Medhi cowered before her.

“Medhi, what did you just say?”

“I…I…”

“I could swear I heard you express dissatisfaction toward me. I must have been hearing things. You’re a good girl who always does exactly what I say. Right?”

“Y-yes… I…do whatever you say, Mother. You know what’s best for me. You work so hard for me. I believe…you do.”

Medhi’s hands were balled up tight, like she was desperately trying to contain an explosion. She’d said similar things before, and she said them again, as if trying to convince herself, as if forcing herself to believe them. Her eyes squeezed shut, nodding.

Medhimama saw this and sighed.

“You’ll do what I say? Then do it. Right now. What is it you should be doing?”

“I…I’ll continue my date with Masato! Excuse me!”

Medhi bowed to Medhimama, grabbed Masato’s arm, and broke into a run.

From the side, he caught a glimpse of a desperate smile. Tears streaming from the corners of her eyes despite the smile on her face.

“Masato, let’s go! Let’s do another loop of the road to the shrine! Go, go!”

“…Yeah, okay.”

Masato didn’t fight her on it. Her grip on his arm was so strong it hurt. He ran with her down the shrine road.

He was painfully aware of just how strong her shackles were, unable to find a way to save her.

Once the visit to the shrine was over, the students clambered back aboard the airship and soared across the evening sky toward their quarters for the night.

They were scheduled to stay in a tower built on high ground, looming over the entire world.

“This tower was built by man in an attempt to reach the realm of the gods! According to design documentation. It’s currently a hotel. It’s scheduled to be destroyed in an upcoming event, so you’re all lucky to get to stay here before it gets babeled. That word is, of course, a verb derived from the Tower of Babel, and it means ‘the fruit of years of labor turned instantly into a pile of rubble.’”

Conjugated, you get babel, babels, babeled, babeling.

Mr. Burly continued his lecture, but no one was really listening. The second the ship was moored on the tower roof, and when the ramp lowered, the students started running down it.

But one student trailed behind them, his feet heavy: Masato.

“…Guess we’d better go, too.”

“Yes! Let’s go! Tonight we’ll make our love nest here… Ah-ha-ha, I don’t mean that, what am I saying? Oh, I can’t believe it!”

Masato and Medhi went down the gangway arm in arm.

Ever since their encounter with Medhimama at the shrine, Medhi had been on a nonstop high-energy rampage. She showed no signs of slacking off on the constant attempt to make herself appealing.

At the same time, her hand gripped his tightly, as if trying to tell him something. It was only getting more insistent.

He knew she needed his help. He knew that, but…

…What am I supposed to do? …What can I do for her?

He didn’t know, and that was frustrating. Agonizing.

Whether they knew how he felt or not…well, probably not…Wise was trailing along behind them, grumbling.

“Get a room.”

“…Really?” he said, giving her a grim look.

“Um… Forget I said that. I was just making a knee-jerk joke, but even I can tell you aren’t in the mood. You’re actually kinda scaring me with how serious you look. I’m sorry.”

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about. Look, if you can find a way to turn this into a farce, please, be my guest. I’d love nothing more.”

“Yeah, I don’t see that working out. Even I can take a hint, too. If I’m gonna do something, it’s gonna need to be something serious. So…Medhi, can I have a minute?”

“S-sure… What is it?”

Wise stepped around in front of them, facing Medhi.

“You need to cut the crap.”

Serious expression, level tones, brutal wording.

“You’re all over Masato right now, but that’s just because Medhimama told you to be. Right?”

“W-well…”

“Yeah, okay. Sure. The hesitation tells me everything. You wanna seduce Masato and get him in your pocket. I figured as much. Ain’t no way Masato would ever be this popular otherwise. Ever.”

“Hey, you jerk, that’s too harsh—”

“Shut up, Masato. I’m talking to Medhi.”

Masato swallowed his anger. This really didn’t seem like something he wanted to interrupt.

“Tell me, Medhi,” Wise began. “Just how far are you willing to go on your mom’s orders? Doesn’t it piss you off at all? Me, I’d totally hate it. I’ve got a mind of my own, y’know? Don’t you?”

“I—I do have a mind of my own. I swear.”

“Then prove it! Say what you really want. We’re the only ones here. See? What do you want? Tell us,” Wise insisted.

Medhi thought for a while, and then she let go of Masato’s arm, as if she’d made up her mind.

“I just want to enjoy myself. Like a normal person. Here we are on a field trip. I just want to have fun with my friends. But…”

“But what?”

“But I don’t have any friends, so I can’t do that,” Medhi whispered.

“That’s not true,” Masato said immediately. He took Medhi’s arm back, making sure his arm and elbow didn’t bump anything inappropriate, and pulled her closer.

He maybe thought that was a little overkill, and he could feel his face burning, but he kept talking.

“You’ve got a friend right here. I’m your friend.”

“Masato… B-but… You must despise me. I mean…”

“I’ll be honest. I hate seeing you do whatever Medhimama says. But that doesn’t mean I hate everything about you. If you’re able to say what you want and act according to your own free will, then I’m ready to enjoy this trip with you as a friend.”

“B-but…it isn’t just me. My mother will…”

“That’s not a problem. I struggle with my own mom sometimes, too. I’ve built up some pretty decent resistance to mom problems. And us both having similar worries just brings us closer together.”

“Th-then…!”

Medhi practically yelped with joy.

“Then let’s add another friend,” Wise added. She stepped up next to Medhi, on the opposite side, and took her other arm.

“Wise? …You’ll be my friend, too? Really?”

“It’d be weird for your only friend to be a guy, right? You’re definitely gonna need someone around to protect you from Masato’s ulterior motives. I’ve got your back there. And I’ve got mom-poison resistance in spades. That won’t be a problem for me, either.”

“Then—then…!”

“Now, Medhi. You gotta say this real loud. Tell us what you wanna do, of your own free will.”

Masato shot her his best cool-guy smile.

Medhi looked from him to Wise.

“Ohhh… Ohhhhhhhh…!”

She let out a wordless squeal. She hopped back and forth a few times, arm in arm with both of them. “Dancing with joy, huh?” “Then there’s nothing left to say.” “But—but!”

Like a small child, Medhi hopped around, shedding tears of joy with a huge smile on her face.

“I want to have loads of fun with my friends! I want to do what I want, not what my mother tells me to do! I want us all to have a great time together!”

“Okay, roger that! Let’s get this party started! It’s a field trip, after all! Forget all your troubles and laugh it up with your friends!”

“That’s what it’s all about! Let’s get going!”

““Yeah!””

Spirits high, the three of them headed toward the tower, arms linked together.

Wait, only three?

“Mm? Where’s Porta?

Can’t forget her. Porta was vital. Where had the world’s greatest treasure gone off to? Masato looked around…

…and found Porta at the edge of the roof, crouching before the railing, staring over the edge.

“Um, Porta? Something wrong?”

“Oh, yes, um… I was looking at the scenery and thought I saw someone down below… Maybe it was…”

“Maybe it was…?”

“Oh, no, never mind. It was too dark to see, so I can’t say for sure! Sorry!”

Porta bobbed her head.

Then she stood there fiddling her thumbs, staring at them, clearly envious of their locked arms.

“Um, uh, if I could, too…”

““Don’t even bother finishing!””

Masato and Wise both reached out. All arms linked, the four formed a circle.

“Yay! A circle of friends!” “This is gonna make it hard to move, though.” “But it’s so much fun!” “I’m glad I can have fun with you!” Objectively, this was extremely silly. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t fun!

And then Mr. Burly called out to them.

“Hey, Hero Masato and party! Head on into the tower already! You’re the last ones!”

“Oh, yeah! Sorry! We’re coming!”

“Mm. Make sure you do. Oh, Hero Masato…about the room assignments…”

Mr. Burly did not explain further. He simply winked broadly.

Apparently, he was keeping his word on the whole “give Masato and Medhi time together” thing…

They’d been assigned to a room on the top floor of the tower. Fantastic view. The interior was all imposing stonework, giving the room a hard-core fantasy feel.

But it was a room for four. Two beds on either side of the room. Four beds total.

“This is every night for me,” Wise said, “so I’m used to it by now, but are you okay with this, Medhi? If you’re not down sharing with a boy, we could talk to Mr. Burly and try to get him moved.”

“I’m fine with it. I’d rather be with my friends. I think it’s great we’re all together.”

“Okaaay, as a wholesome young man, I think it’s my duty to wholesomely share a bed with Porta!”

“Okay! I’ll sleep with you!” Porta sparkled.

“Gah! That pure gaze blinds me! I genuinely had no illicit motives, yet it burns the heart all the same!”

In the end, each slept in their own bed. Obviously.

Masato and Medhi on the right, Wise and Porta on the left, each picked a place. “Shall we?” “Of course.” “I’m in.” “Me too!” “Right then, on three!” All four of them did a dive and landed flat on their beds.

With everyone here, Masato felt safe. In a mood for smiling for no particular reason, he made a proposal.

“We’ve got time before dinner, so let’s decide how we want to use our free time tomorrow. Assuming, of course, we’re all spending it together. Anyone have any bright ideas?”

Everyone mulled this over.

“Well,” Wise said, “we could start by exploring this tower. I mean, they’re gonna knock the place down eventually. Seems a waste not to check it out while we’re here.”

“Yes! I agree! …Oh, but…it is a very big tower, so I’m scared we’ll get lost.”

“Hmm… Field trips are supposed to be fun, so wearing ourselves out getting lost in a dungeon…maybe not ideal.”

“Yeah, good point…”

It was a good idea, but maybe there was something better. Everyone thought some more.

“I can guide us around the tower,” Medhi said. She seemed fairly confident. “I’ve actually been here before. Mom said she wanted to stay in a room at the top of the world, so we took a pretty good look around.”

“This another side effect of her obsession with superiority? Sure sounds like something she’d do. But let’s not think about that. If Medhi can be our guide…”

Masato glanced at Wise and Porta, and both nodded. That settled it.

Masato stood up on his bed, looking around the room. Like a hero. Like a leader.

“Your attention, please. Tomorrow, we will embark on an adventure. This will be a true adventure. For children, by children, with only children on it. No parents allowed!”

“The more you say that, the more likely they are to just show up,” Wise muttered.

“Whoaaa, Wise! Don’t scare me like that!”

“That won’t happen, will it?!” Medhi yelped. “We’ll be okay, right?!”

They were probably safe, but just in case… “Medhi!” “Yes!” They two of them could cover more ground. They checked outside the room. Clear. Outside the windows. Clear.

No parents? Really no parents? No signs of them. Good. Masato and Medhi each breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down on their beds.

“Ahem, so, tomorrow it’ll be just us,” Masato said. “It’ll be great. We’ll have a lot of fun. A great, big, exciting adventure. All of us together. The end!”

A rousing finish. A round of applause.

Next…

“So that covers our plans for free time tomorrow, but there’s still time before dinner, so next…I guess we should talk about what to do now.”

Masato was enjoying this whole party-leader thing. But when he tried to advance the discussion…

Something soft smacked him in the face. A pillow. Flung right at him.

And the culprit…was Medhi.

“A field trip, in your hotel room, time on our hands, friends to have fun with… That calls for one thing! I’ve always wanted to try it, but this is the first chance I’ve had!”

Masato had never seen Medhi’s eyes sparkle quite so brightly. It was obvious how excited she was about this.

Who was he to argue? He was fully ready to live up to her expectations. Masato stole a glance in the other direction and saw Wise and Porta ready with their own pillows.

There was only one thing for him to say.

“Okay! This means war!”

And the pillow fight began. He flung a pillow. “Mmph?!” “Pfft! Serves you… Bwah?!” Someone hit him. “Porta, get ready!” “Mm! I won’t lose!” There were pillows flying everywhere.

It was Wise who brought a shift in the stalemate.

“Riiight, then I summon Porta! I equip her with my pillow and attack Masato with an unavoidable Porta attack!”

“Wh-whaat?! An unavoidable Porta attack?!”

“Ha-ha-ha! Go get him, Porta!”

“Okay! Masato, here I go! Hyah!”

Porta tossed a pillow his way. Her thin little arms did not exactly put a lot of force behind the throw, and her aim was way off…but it was an unmissable attack! “Unh!” Masato grunted, diving to one side so the Porta attack would hit him right in the face. Poof, direct hit. Yay! Getting hit was pure bliss.

But this was a competition.

“Unh! Two against one is hardly fair! This calls for…Medhi!”

“Yes! I’ve got your back, Masato!”

Medhi raised her staff and chanted a spell.

“Here I go! …Spara la magia per mirare… Salire!”

“Rahhhhhhhhh! I can feel the power coursing through meeeee!”

Medhi’s spell strengthened Masato’s attack. Masato threw a pillow with extra force! “Take thaaaat!” “Yeeek!” The pillow hit Wise in the face! She made a strange noise! Hilarious!

“H-hey, using magic is cheating!”

“Huh? How? It’s totally fine… Right, Medhi?”

“Yes. Since the magic spell was not a direct attack, there should be no concerns. This is a pillow fight, and Masato threw a pillow. That is all. Heh-heh-heh.”

“Oh yeah? Then I’ve got a plan of my own… Porta! Let me have that pillow!”

“O-okay! Here!”

Wise took a pillow in each hand, chanting a spell.

“…Spara la magia per mirare… Bomba! And! Bomba!”

Wise’s chain case activated. The two pillows were granted explosive properties.

Two pillow-shaped bombs ready for detonation.

“Whoa, wait! That’s cheating! Outright criminal! Terrorism!”

“Huh? How so? They’re just pillows. Pillows are always okay… Heh. Heh. Heh… Fly, my pillows! After him!”

“Hey, wait! …M-Medhi! Maybe some magic defense…?!”

“Good luck, Masato! Yay!” Barrier.

“Huh?! Medhi, did you just put up a barrier spell around yourself?! While clearly enjoying my inevitable demise?!”

“Don’t worry, Ma-kun! Mommy’s got your back!”

“Oh, that’s a relief! Your two-hit multi-target— Wait… Hey!”

Weird. He felt like he’d heard a voice that had no business being here.

Masato turned his head with an audible creak, checking next to him…and there stood a mom, holding a pillow in each hand, ready for a two-pillow attack. Like she belonged there.

It was Mamako.

“Huh? …Whaaaaat?! Wh-why are you here?!”

“Well, Medhimama wanted to come see how Medhi was doing, so I tagged along…”

No sooner did Mamako explain than an all-too-familiar screech echoed through the room.

“Medhi! Why are you playing games?! What nonsense is this?”

Already at peak rage, Medhimama walked over to where Medhi stood stunned, grabbed her violently by the collar, and dragged her out of the room. “M-Mother! That hurts…!” “What do I care?” Nothing motherly left about her, just pure severity.

As Medhi was forcibly dragged out of the room, Masato was left spluttering, “…Ah, w-wait! Wait!”

He hurried out into the hall after them.