kscans

Chapter 123 - Communication

Episode 91: Communication

I slowly wrote out the hiragana characters on the wooden board. I wondered when the last time I'd written out the entire syllabary was.

I wrote each character carefully, infusing mana into it through the brush.

The ink was apparently a type of 'magic potion,' and thanks to that, the mana blended into it nicely. With this, the meaning should appear to a spirit's eyes, just like with spoken words.

After finishing the board, I took a breath and looked toward Aira-san.

"It's done. Should I show it to Sana-san right away?"

"Yes. Please do."

Aira-san nodded and placed a vanity mirror on the desk.

It didn't reflect us, but rather the figures of Erina-san and the others.

They were in an E-Rank dungeon. Right now, they were dungeoneering without me.

The reason for this was that Sana couldn't read the dungeon text when it was recorded in regular photos.

Even the ones I had copied by hand were no good. If the writer didn't understand the meaning, the words wouldn't carry the same power as spoken ones.

And so, we'd decided to have her look at it through the Telepathy link.

"Erina-kun, Mia. Is everything alright over there?"

"No problem, Paisen. No enemies in sight!"

"We also have the golems guarding us. At this rank, we can retreat even if a stampede occurs."

"Excellent. Then, let us begin."

I nodded at Aira-san's signal and held up the syllabary board next to the mirror. Then, I placed Sana's birdcage in front of it.

Professor Arisugawa, filming from the side, and Aira-san, maintaining the Telepathy link, watched me with serious expressions.

Sana was the main subject, but since they couldn't see her, their gazes naturally focused on me. I could feel their tension, and I was aware of a thin sheen of sweat forming on my brow.

"Sana-san. Please compare the characters here with the text reflected in the mirror."

At my voice, the spirit inside the birdcage nodded.

"I would like you to translate that text into Japanese using these characters. Is that possible?"

She nodded again in response to my question.

I glanced briefly at Aira-san and the professor, giving them a nod, before focusing back on Sana.

"Then, please begin."

I concentrated all my senses on the movements of her pupils, which were relatively large for her small frame.

Following her gaze, I slowly traced my finger along the syllabary chart.

*

After about thirty minutes, the translation was complete. I let out a sigh, feeling strangely tense.

Just then, a cloth coaster was placed in front of me, with a glass of iced tea on top.

"Good work, Kyou-chan-kun. We only had iced tea, but I hope that's alright."

"Actually, we have hot black tea and green tea as well."

The professor tilted her head at Aira-san's statement. An ice cube clinked against the rim of the glass.

"Baba-sama. That was a joke that the hip, young kids would understand."

"No, I don't think that's for young people, is it? I don't know the original reference, but it sounds pretty old... Oh, thank you."

After a small nod, I sipped the iced tea through the straw. The coldness and faint sweetness seemed to soothe my mind, which was overheated from concentration and tension.

It was almost mid-July. It wasn't hot inside with the air conditioning on, but the iced tea still felt more delicious.

Well, eating or drinking hot things on a hot day can be good in its own way, I suppose.

"Paisen! We're back at the store from the dungeon!"

"Right. Glad you're safe. How was the exploration without Kyou-chan-kun?"

"It's fun with just Senpai and me, but we definitely need Kyou-chan, our crudely powerful, comic relief ninja!"

"What?"

Who's the comic relief? If I had that kind of talent, I wouldn't be a loner in my classroom, would I?

"Now, now. Kyou-chan-kun is hardly the comic relief. If he had that kind of talent, he wouldn't be a loner in his classroom! Hah-hah-hah!"

"I have friends in my grade. Do you?"

"Hmph... age has nothing to do with friendship. As long as I have you all, that's enough for me...!"

"Your voice is trembling."

"Sister..."

"What's wrong, Paisen? Are you cold?"

"Yes. My heart is cold...!"

Aira-san trembled, her lips forming a pout. Why does this person always start fights when she's so easily hurt?

That aside, I took a bit of damage myself. It's one thing to say it about yourself, but it stings when someone else says it...

"..."

Ignoring us, the professor was comparing the translation with the original text.

As an elf, her eyesight should be excellent, but it was probably an old habit. She wore a pair of non-prescription glasses as she stared intently at the paper and tablet in her hands.

"...Wonderful."

"Is the translation accurate, baba-sama?"

"Most likely. I can't be one hundred percent certain without comparing it to other texts, but considering the dungeon's environment and the monsters that appear there, the content seems correct. It appears they were using skeletons to mine for minerals in that dungeon."

If I remember correctly, the translation was something like a work memo.

Other dungeon texts that linguists around the world had partially deciphered seemed to be similar, so maybe dungeons really were someone's 'workplace'?

"Kyouta-kun."

"Ah, yes."

"Are you interested in marrying into the family?"

"Huh?"

"Baba-sama. Calm down."

What is she talking about? I froze, my mouth hanging half-open.

Marrying into the family? Who? Where?

...Wait, what?!

"P-Professor, no! Th-The age difference between you and me is...! Ah, but it's not that I dislike you, it's just, well...!"

"Kyou-chan-kun."

"Y-Yes!"

"You calm down too."

"Yes, ma'am."

I calmed down immediately.

"My apologies. I was trying to make a joke myself, but it seems it didn't land well. This would be what you call 'bombing,' I believe."

"It's rare for you to make a joke, baba-sama. You must be quite excited."

"You're one to talk. There's a smile playing on your lips as well."

To an outsider, they looked like beautiful sisters. In reality, they were grandmother and granddaughter, but the smiles they wore now were so similar you'd think they were twins.

Being able to read the dungeon's text was certainly a historic discovery, but I couldn't share their level of joy.

If it had been a more dramatic record, like 'Emperor So-and-so rests here,' or 'The So-and-so War began in year XX,' then I think my excitement would have been on par with theirs.

I just don't get how scholars think.

"If we continue to gather data like this, it seems we might be able to decipher it on our own."

"This has all but confirmed that those texts have proper meaning. As long as there's a pattern, the rest will fall into place...!"

"In that case, having 'that thing' would certainly make things more efficient."

With those words, Professor Arisugawa turned her gaze to me.

It must be a habit. She gave the non-prescription glasses a slight push with her finger and smiled.

"Kyouta-kun. Could I ask you for it?"

"Yes. Here you go."

I placed my glass on the coaster and took a single string from a zip-lock bag in my backpack.

This was made from my own hair.

...Thinking about it calmly, it was a pretty creepy item, but there was a good reason for it.

A proper reason that would allow people other than Sana and me to communicate.

Having me read Sana's gaze every time was inefficient. Or rather, it would hinder the research. It's not like I could really stay at the Arisugawa residence 24/7.

So, we tried to have Sana hold an object to communicate with Aira-san and the others... but everything just passed right through her.

Apparently, she couldn't grasp an object unless it was imbued with mana.

There were two solutions that came to mind to solve this problem.

The first was to give her a golem body. The second was to use an object imbued with mana.

However, the first option presented an unexpected problem. Sana didn't know how to move a 'humanoid' form.

Just to test it, I created a headless golem body and connected the birdcage to it, but it couldn't even stand on its own. When we tried to make it hold something, its fingers bent backward and the joints broke.

This was completely unexpected. Our knowledge of spirits didn't cover anything like this. We had only considered the risk of two wills causing conflicting actions if we put her in a human body or an 'occupied' golem.

It was proof that my understanding of the knowledge from the 'Book of Arcane Gear' and my skills was still too shallow. Honestly, this felt like it was more in the Alchemy Enthusiasts Club's territory.

But asking for their cooperation was a last resort. Besides them being a group of perverts, we didn't know who else they were connected to besides the Walkers.

The professor and Aira-san were reluctant, concerned that some country might forcibly take Sana away.

Hence, the second method. This time, as a quick fix, I used my own hair.

Using it as a material for a magic tool would require a complicated process. But simply maintaining a mana-imbued state was easy.

With a few treatments, it could maintain its mana for years, if not forever. It was too weak to be used as a weapon, but it should be sufficient as a communication tool.

I stood in front of the birdcage and offered the string through the bars.

"Sana-san. Could you hold one end of this?"

As I said that, the spirit obediently grasped the string. As expected, it didn't pass through her; she held it firmly.

The eyes of Aira-san and the others, who were watching from the side, widened. To them, it probably looked like one end of the string was floating in mid-air.

"Alright, Aira-san can take the other end."

"Right!"

"...Um, do you want to wear gloves or something?"

"Hmm? Is there some danger?"

"No, not particularly..."

"Then I won't need them. I want to communicate with a spirit directly!"

Aira-san said enthusiastically, pinching the string made of my hair. For some reason, I felt a little awkward.

In any case, the string wasn't very long, but it seemed to be fine for them to hold while sitting in their chairs.

"Okay, Sana-san. Please give the string a light tug."

—Nod.

After a small nod, Sana pulled the string. At that moment, a huge grin spread across Aira-san's face.

"Wonderful! So the spirit really did exist! It wasn't just your delusion, Kyou-chan-kun!"

"I'm going to knock you out, you disappointment of a college student."

Seriously, maybe I should just give her a chop to the head for once.

"Just kidding, just kidding. But wow, so this is a spirit..."

Aira-san's eyes sparkled, as did the professor's, who had moved closer without me noticing.

"With this, we can ask questions on a regular basis."

"Yes. I was holding back because I didn't want to tie you up too much, Kyou-chan-kun, but with this, I can interrogate her for 24 hours straight!"

...You say you don't want to tie me up, but do you remember your usual behavior?

You drunkenly rambled at me through Telepathy just last night. For about an hour.

"Wouldn't you consider being able to talk to a beauty like me before bed a reward? You're welcome to have naughty dreams about me, you know?"

"Could you please stop reading my mind so casually? Also, if I could choose the content of my dreams, I'd prefer someone I don't know."

If you have that kind of dream about someone you know, it gets super awkward the next day. I know this for a fact, because it's actually happened with Erina-san and Mia-san.

...I am truly, from the bottom of my heart, sorry!

"More importantly, Kyouta-kun. Could you tell Sana-san to 'pull the string once for YES, and twice for NO' in response to our questions?"

"Ah, yes."

I nodded to Professor Arisugawa and turned my gaze back to Sana.

"Sana-san. In response to these two's questions, please give the string a light pull once for YES, and twice for NO."

—Nod.

Seeing the spirit nod, I gave Aira-san a look. She cleared her throat and turned her gaze to Sana at the other end of the string.

As expected, she couldn't see her, so their eyes didn't meet.

"Alright, Sana-kun. Do you understand my words?"

—Tug.

At that response, Aira-san made a fist pump with her free hand. Next to her, Professor Arisugawa also clenched her hands in front of her chest and smiled.

She seemed to notice my gaze right away, because she hid her hands behind her back, her cheeks flushing faintly.

...Is she a maiden? This seventy-something elf who looks like she's in her twenties.

"Then, in the future, if I use the syllabary chart from before, will you translate for me?"

—Tug.

"We will keep this string, but when we need it, we will offer one end to you. At that time, will you hold it like this?"

—Tug.

Apparently, there was no problem.

As I watched Aira-san ask questions with the expression of a child who had just received a Christmas present, Professor Arisugawa tapped me on the shoulder.

When I turned around, she was smiling brightly, but I felt a strange 'pressure.'

"Kyouta-kun. Won't you reconsider marrying into the family?"

"Haha. I appreciate the thought."

Thinking it was the same joke as before, I laughed it off this time.

I may have made a fool of myself the first time, but not the second. I can grow too.

"Oh, that's a shame. My granddaughters are all beautiful, brilliant, and their personalities are... their personalities are... well, they're not bad people, you know?"

"You could at least lie and say 'they have good personalities' for their sake..."

"...They have good personalities."

I gave a wry smile to the professor, who averted her gaze as she spoke.

Now then. That aside, the grip on my shoulder feels unusually strong. Is it just my imagination?

"But you don't dislike them, do you?"

"Well, no, of course not. I don't dislike them; if anything, I quite like them."

After replying, I hastily shook my head.

"Ah, I mean, as people! I'm not looking at your granddaughters in a weird way, or anything like that...!"

Oh no, I got carried away. I might have sounded like I was looking down on my sponsor's granddaughters, who are also my work colleagues.

I tried to turn to the professor and bow my head, but the hand on my shoulder prevented me.

Wait, is she angry...?!

"There's no need to apologize. Please continue to look after them from now on."

However, my worries seemed to be unfounded. The professor removed her hand from my shoulder and offered it for a handshake.

As expected of an elf, her hand was smooth, and I felt my heart beat a little faster. She really didn't look like a grandmother of three. She seemed more like a beautiful older sister.

That aside, even with my [Spirit Eye], I couldn't see any negative emotions. It seemed she really wasn't angry. Convinced of this, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Y-Yeah. Likewise, I look forward to working with you...?"

"We're planning a family trip to the beach soon, so please come with us then."

"Uh, um, well, that's..."

"Do you have other plans?"

"...I'm freeee."

"Then, Aira will give you the detailed schedule later."

I can't refuse...! I can't refuse my sponsor...!

More importantly, my worldly desires are screaming 'Go! Goooooo!'...!

I want to frolic with beautiful women in swimsuits...!

"Oh, my. Have a good time, Kyou-chan-kun. I'll stay home and keep Sana-kun company. Try not to get too carried away and create any more embarrassing memories for yourself~"

Aira-san grinned as she continued to communicate with Sana. But then, the professor's face turned toward her.

"What are you talking about, Aira?"

"Hyo?"

"You're going too, of course. And we'll bring Sana-san as well, just in case."

"Bweh?!"

Aira-san let out a sound a beautiful woman shouldn't make and froze. The string slipped from her hand.

"W-Wait, baba-sama? Weren't Erina-kun's friends supposed to come along too?"

"Yes. And what's the problem with that?"

"B-But, you see. If a cool and beautiful adult woman like myself is there, they'll surely get so nervous they'll throw up and tremble in a corner of the room."

"Aira."

"Ai."

"Get ready."

"'kay..."

The self-proclaimed cool beauty nodded, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzzing.

So the professor really is the strongest in the Arisugawa family...!

Misery loves company. I think those are wonderful words. You're coming with me...!

Let's experience the awkwardness at the beach together!