kscans

Chapter 141 - Stranger

Today is a temporary day off. Well, I have been cooped up at the office for six days straight. The hell is not over yet, so it is just for one day, but the company itself ordered me to rest. It was rough. Genuinely rough. I only ever went home to grab a change of clothes. My bed was either the company nap room or a makeshift one I made by pushing chairs together in the office. It is enough to make a guy cry.

Considering all that, waking up in a woman’s bed, even if it is Takahashi’s, feels like I scored some kind of bonus.

My memory of yesterday is almost gone. I do remember drinking with Takahashi though, so this bed I am lying in must be hers.

Dammit, it smells so good.

I suppose I feel happy but also frustrated. I try sensing for any presence, but it seems I am the only one home. Takahashi must have gone to work. I think she was being considerate by not waking me up.

I must have really been out of it yesterday.

I cannot just ignore her consideration. Since I am here at Takahashi’s place, I thought about rummaging through her room to see what kind of underwear she stocks, but I will let it slide this time. I should clarify that I was not planning to do that for any lewd reason, you know.

It is a gesture of friendship, an attempt to find even a small weakness of hers.

Putting that aside, what should I do now? A sudden holiday. I am happy, but also a little stumped. Should I just go back to sleep in Takahashi’s bed?

Ah, but I am not that sleepy right now.

My eyes are wide open thanks to sleeping like I had been powered off.

I guess I will think while I eat.

If I rummage through the kitchen, there should at least be some instant ramen. It feels a bit wrong to eat her food without asking, but she used to use the bath at my parents’ house without permission all the time back in the day. It is too late to worry about it now. I leave the bedroom and head for the living room. As I am about to cross the living room to get to the kitchen, I notice something.

"You made me breakfast."

On the table was a note and a breakfast covered in plastic wrap. Wow, what should I do. This makes me genuinely happy. It is not anything fancy. It is just a hot dog. But it is the morning, before work. Even if she just made it while making her own breakfast, the fact that she made it for me is what makes me happy.

"Oh my, Takahashi, what do you intend to do, making my heart go doki doki like this."

It makes me happy enough to act a little campy. I gratefully accept your kindness, but first, a drink.

"If I eat a hot dog when my mouth is this dry from waking up, it’ll get even more parched."

I grab some orange juice from the fridge, and my preparations are complete. I put my hands together and say my thanks for the meal. It is good. It is cold, but it is still good. The mustard is a surprisingly high scoring point. When you make hot dogs at home, you usually just have ketchup, right? At least, that is how my mom did it, but Takahashi, she keeps mustard on hand.

"Should I buy some too?"

Things like soy sauce or mayonnaise I can use up if I buy them, but mustard is a different story. Even if I buy a small container, I do not think I can finish it.

"No, I have Suzuki. I can just learn a dish from her that uses mustard."

I finish my meal while pondering these things and take my dishes to the sink. The note said I did not have to wash them, but well, I should at least do this much. I quickly wash the plate. With that, there is nothing left for me to do at Takahashi’s house.

"First, I’ll go home and get changed."

I teleport home, take a shower, and change into my casual clothes. Saku-chan is at school, so of course she is not here. We have not been living together for that long, but feeling lonely when I am by myself might mean I am a pretty lonely guy. Even now, I find myself naturally scrolling through my phone’s contact list, wondering if anyone is free.

"Huh? A call from the Mutual Aid Society."

It is a summons from the Mutual Aid Society. The fact that they did not write a reason suggests it is a fairly important matter. They keep track of my work situation, so they should know that I received a temporary day off today. They must have figured that even though I am exhausted from consecutive days of hard work, I could come right away around this time. I cannot say I am not annoyed to be bothered on my day off, but I have no plans, so I guess it cannot be helped.

"Oh, it’s Satou."

"Hey, Satou."

When I teleport to the headquarters, I run into the Arima siblings, Yuichi and Mao, in the lounge. It is rare for these two, who basically spend their time lazing around and enjoying their other world life, to come to headquarters.

"Don’t tell me you guys got called by the chairman too?"

"You bet. We were just talking about going out to have some fun since I don’t have my part time job today, and then this came out of nowhere."

"Wait, if you’re saying that, does that mean you too, Satou?"

"Yeah."

"I think I’m starting to get the picture."

"Me too."

"Yeah."

It must be related to another world. There have only been two cases, the one with the Arima siblings and the one in Okutama, but to put it another way, there have already been two. If that is the case, it would not be strange for a third or fourth to occur.

"Thank you for coming. This way, please."

As we are talking, a guide appears and beckons to us. We follow their lead to the infirmary. It seems to have been strictly cleared of all personnel.

"I will take my leave here."

So it is just us from this point on. The siblings and I nod to each other and enter. The chairman is there to greet us.

"What’s this about?"

As Mao cuts to the chase, the chairman gives a small nod, walks over to a curtained off bed, and stops.

"I am sure you have already guessed, but it is an other world matter."

According to him, a spatial anomaly was confirmed in the mountains of Okutama, and when they sent people to investigate, they found a person collapsed there. I do not think it is strange that it was Okutama again. It is the place that was overwritten by another world when a large scale spatial anomaly occurred before. It is entirely possible that some distortions still remain in unseen places. Perhaps it has become a place where people and things related to other worlds are more likely to wash up.

"Mao and I were called to check if this person is from our world, right?"

"And Satou is here as the muscle, just in case."

"Yes."

The Arima siblings are powerful enough to hold their own against even well known gods. And they have not even reached their peak yet. They still have room to grow. Well, I suppose that is natural, since they were the strongest fighters of their respective races in their original world. That said, when it comes to phenomena related to other worlds, you never know what might happen. The chairman’s decision to call me just in case was not wrong.

"Is the person from the other world in there?"

"Yes. They were on the verge of death when we found them."

They could have just killed the person there, burying the problem. The fact they did not shows how different the Mutual Aid Society is now.

"We provided medical treatment, but we cannot restore their lost stamina."

"By the way, what’s their gender?"

"It is a woman. Oh, and there will be no happenings like her being naked, just so you know."

I perked up at Yuichi’s question, but he immediately shot me down.

"Well then, are you mentally prepared?"

"We don’t need to prepare for something like that just to confirm something. Right, Mao?"

"Yeah. Let’s get this over with quick. We’ve got plans."

"Understood."

The chairman pulls back the curtain. The moment I see the beautiful, blonde woman sleeping on the bed, I am speechless. Because of her beauty? No, she is beautiful, but more than anything, a certain physical feature caught my eye.

"Whoa, a real life elf… She looks like she came straight out of a light novel! This is awesome!!"

"This is so cool!!"

"Wait a minute, didn’t you guys have elves in your world too?"

I seem to remember you talking about some secret elven medicinal herbs when you were just chatting.

"Oh yeah, we did."

"Right, right."

These guys have been way too assimilated into Japanese culture.