kscans

Chapter 202 - The Presents

Confronting human malice had peeled back a layer for the kids, allowing them to make a fresh start as people of the Supernatural World. As an adult, I figured it was my duty to throw them a party, both to celebrate their graduation and to encourage them on the path ahead.

The timing was a bit tricky, though. If it had been a little earlier, I would have thrown something together right away, but it was already the middle of November. With just over a month until Christmas, wouldn't it be better to combine the celebrations and make it an even grander event? And so, I asked the kids to keep the twenty-fourth free, making sure to tell them why. I didn't choose the twenty-fifth out of consideration for their Surface World affairs. I was sure they'd want to celebrate Christmas Eve with their families, friends, or lovers.

"Alright, let's get right down to it. What should we do for their graduation gifts?"

So it was the weekend. I had invited Chika-san, Takahashi, Suzuki, and Paisen over to my house to discuss our plans. Paisen already had plans for Christmas Eve, but that was a separate matter. She wanted to celebrate the kids she'd looked after, so I asked her to come.

"Hmm... let's decide on the food first. If we eat out, I'll find a nice restaurant. If we do it at home, I can cook."

"Knowing those kids, a super expensive place would just make them shrink up. Why not just do it on Okutama Island?"

"I agree with Takahashi-kun. Rika would probably shout, Yay! at a restaurant, but the other three are so serious and considerate."

That was true. If it were me, a fancy meal on someone else's dime would be a 'yahoo!' moment and nothing less, but Hikaru-kun, Sarna-chan, and Saku-chan were different. They would feel overwhelmed that we were doing it all for them. I couldn't bear the thought of them feeling so bad that they couldn't even taste their food. What was the point of a celebration if we just made them feel uncomfortable?

"Okay, next up, presents... Paisen, have you thought of anything?"

"I wish you wouldn't use such a lewd nickname... but yes, I have. I was thinking of getting them four matching accessories."

"Oh, that's a great idea."

They're a team, after all. Something like that would make them happy. The safe bet would be something like earrings. There are even types that make it look like you have piercings just for when you wear them, so they wouldn't have to get their ears pierced.

"What about you, Satou-san, and the others?"

"Ah... that's what we're stuck on."

"We never got graduation presents or anything back in our day."

"Our instructor was practically half an enemy, so you could say we had effectively graduated from the very beginning."

"If you're looking for a graduation event, the closest thing we had was probably paying our respects."

"Oh yeah, we snuck into that guy's apartment and did all sorts of stuff."

"The neighbors must have given him the cold shoulder for a while after that... speaking of which, what's he up to now?"

"He kicked the bucket during the coup."

I wasn't the one who did it. He fought with the reformists somewhere I knew nothing about and just died. It was a huge surprise. I was looking through the list of casualties after it was all over, and there he was, dead.

"By the way, Paisen, what about you? Did you get anything to celebrate your graduation?"

"I did. My instructor and I used the same type of weapon. He gave me one of his old ones."

She said it was the perfect balance, something a rookie couldn't afford but not so high-spec either.

"I see... a weapon, huh. Weapons. If I'm going to give them something, I'd like it to be something I used to love, but..."

"You still have your gear from when you were a rookie?"

"Nope."

It was all mass produced stuff I could get easily, and I was constantly upgrading my equipment, so I had no attachment to it. I always traded it in when I upgraded, so I don't have a single piece left.

"Our weapons don't even overlap with theirs, right?"

"Rika uses a Gatling gun, Hikaru-kun uses swords, Sarna-chan uses a great scythe, and Sakuya-kun uses a staff."

"We mostly didn't use weapons either."

"And even if we did, we got rid of that kind of equipment when we returned to the Surface World, so we don't have it anymore."

"Should we all go to the Dark Market sometime and look for something new and nice? Honestly, I'm not familiar with the current Dark Market, but Hiro will be there."

"That's an option, but maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea for me to just custom make them."

Everyone's eyes went wide at my suggestion.

"Since when could you do something like that?"

"I learned how. Here."

I took out the dagger and pistol I currently use as my magic equipment.

"Th, this is... divine-tier? No, it's more than that..."

"............You really can do anything, can't you."

"Well, even if I say custom made, it's not like I'd be making them completely from scratch."

The idea is to have a professional make the outer shell, and then I'd add my own touches to it. Things like replacing the materials used, adding special abilities, and strengthening them.

"If I do make them, I'll need help from everyone except Paisen."

Paisen already had her present sorted out.

"Help? We don't have those kinds of skills."

"I'll handle that part. If Chika-san helps, it'll be equipment specially for Rika-chan."

I'll have her bestow it with her power as the Star Priestess. I'm thinking of making a weapon that functions as an aid to draw out her power, or maybe as an amplifier.

"For me and Suzuki, it's gravity and repulsion, then."

"Yep. You two will basically be for Hikaru-kun and Sarna-chan, the melee fighters."

Sarna-chan has that special ability, the Authority of Death, but it only works on lower-level opponents. She mostly ends up in close-quarters combat with her great scythe.

"For a melee fighter, your powers would be a godsend, even in a weaker form, right?"

"True. You could pull a distant enemy close and slice them up."

"And repulsion could be used for emergency escapes, not just long-range attacks."

"Personality-wise, I suppose Hikaru-kun would get gravity and Sarna-chan would get repulsion?"

"Satou-san, what will you do for Ayase-kun?"

"I'll take care of that."

In Saku-chan's case, something practical like reducing his magic consumption would probably be best, given his current battle style and his personality.

"Yes."

"Yes, Paisen."

"If you're going to make them custom, I think it's better if they can be used for a long time."

"Well, that's true."

"Could you make them like weapons in video games that grow stronger along with the user's level?"

"Something that links to the user's strength... that could work. I can probably do that."

While I'm at it, I kind of want to add a proficiency system, too. Oh man, this is starting to sound fun.

"Why don't we just decide on it then? Paisen gets the accessories, and the four of us will do the weapons."

"I'm fine with that... Takahashi-kun and Suzuki-kun?"

"We don't have a problem with it either."

"Yeah. I'd hate to overthink it and end up trying to be clever, only to have it fall flat."

Exactly. That's so true. In a casual celebration, a flop can be amusing, but when it's for something serious, doing that is beyond awkward.

"It's a bit late to ask, but Satou and Saionji, are you two going to be okay on the day of?"

"You two work at a company. It's the end of the year, so you must be busy, right?"

"Well, you know, I'm the president. If I want, I can even make a special rule to let us leave early on Christmas Eve and Christmas."

Of course, if she doesn't have the leeway for that, she'll just have to pay for it later. It's a choice between being busy now or being ridiculously busy later. Still, judging by Chika-san's demeanor, it seems like she has some room to breathe.

"I'll be fine too. Taking the whole day off would be difficult, but I can manage to leave on time."

"Well, if that's the case... is there anything else to discuss?"

"The menu for the day is important. Satou-kun, you should ask the kids what their favorite foods are."

"Right. Chika-san knows what Rika-chan likes, but it's probably best if I ask the others."

"Oh, I know what they are, Satou-san."

"Seriously? You're the best, Paisen."

It was so much fun, discussing this and that. And I wasn't the only one. Everyone else was, too. I could tell just by looking at their faces. But I alone also felt a faint, indescribable sense of anxiety.

(...I've got a really bad feeling about this.)

The vague unease was growing stronger every day.