kscans

Chapter 98 - Creating Eleanor Ocean Was the Right Call

I returned to the living room with Yoshino-san, who was now awake.

Once back in the living room, we sat at the table, and Kaede-chan brought us drinks. Satsuki-san and Kaede-chan still had some beer left, so they were fine, but since I had finished mine, I got a refill. A cup of coffee was placed in front of Yoshino-san.

"I don't really want to drink this..."

Yoshino-san looked at the coffee Kaede-chan had set down, a bitter smile on her face. Well, it was laced with something the last time, after all.

"I wouldn't do something like that, so please don't worry."

Kaede-chan beamed, but her smile was a little frightening.

"Would you have preferred a beer?"

I asked Yoshino-san, seeing her aversion to the coffee.

"No, this is fine. I can't hold my liquor… I fall asleep as soon as I drink."

So you'd fall asleep either way... She seems easy to take home.

"Ahem, anyway, let's get to the main topic. How much do you know?"

"I know that you are Okita-kun."

Man, I wonder if that's really true?

"I am not Okita-kun, you know? And besides, it's rude to identify a woman as a man."

I decided to use Eleanor-san's ultimate deflection. Time to show off my Speechcraft skill.

"No, it's useless to play dumb now, it's too late."

My deflection failed. Well, there's no way to talk my way out of this anymore.

"I see... Why did you think I was Okita-kun?"

"Before that, are you going to stay like that?"

Just shut up. Don't look so weirded out.

"Do you prefer Okita-kun, perhaps? But changing is a bother, so I'll stay like this."

"...I see. No, it's fine. Everyone has their own tastes. Yes."

Just leave it at that...

"So? What's your reason?"

"From the very beginning, I had a feeling that Okita-kun and Eleanor Ocean might be the same person."

"There's the significant difference of gender, you know."

"I thought it might be special effects makeup. But I once dismissed that possibility because of the height difference."

Well, you can't fake your height. If I were faking my height, it would mean Okita-kun wears platform boots. But you can't go on adventures wearing something like that.

"So then, what was the reason you thought I was Okita-kun?"

"Your way of walking was the same. Your behavior and speech are overtly feminine, but you walk exactly like Okita-kun."

My walking style...

"You can tell from something like that?"

"I can. Also, whether you're Okita-kun or Eleanor, you're always wary of what's behind you, ready to counterattack at any moment. Even when you were signing that autograph at the family restaurant, you were on guard against me standing behind you. The only person who does that is Okita-kun."

"Hmm, just based on that..."

"Yes, just that. But as circumstantial evidence, it's more than enough. All I had to do after that was get it out of you... though I never expected to be put to sleep before we could even talk."

She probably came to my place directly because she thought she could handle me one way or another. Putting her to sleep was the right move.

"I see, I see... So? Now that you know, what do you plan to do? And what do you gain from knowing?"

"I wanted to know your true identity. To be honest, I even wondered if Eleanor Ocean was a real witch. I wanted to confirm whether you were a safe person or not. That threat about closing the Gates was particularly frightening."

I just said that in the heat of the moment, a simple retort, but it was incredibly effective.

"Are you relieved? But even if I am Okita-kun, that doesn't prove I can't close the Gates, you know?"

"Can you do it?"

"Of course I can't. I'm at the level of asking what the Gates even are in the first place."

Seriously, what are those things, I wonder.

"What is that power of yours? How do you get so many items?"

Now then...

I shot a quick glance at Satsuki-san.

"Do as you like."

Well, I guess it's fine... Like Satsuki-san said, I can get information from HQ through her, and she is an A-rank adventurer.

"It's a unique skill."

I decided to be honest.

"I had imagined it was a unique skill. I couldn't imagine you were smuggling them from Frontier, after all."

How would I even smuggle them?

"I have a skill called Alchemy."

"I see... So the theory that you were making them was correct."

Yoshino-san seemed to understand just from the word Alchemy. Well, it's not surprising. Alchemy is pretty self-explanatory.

"Amazing, isn't it?"

"It is amazing... So, you are simply creating various items with a skill called Alchemy. And you're just selling them, is that right?"

"That's right. In the first place, I never claimed to be a witch, nor did I say I was from Frontier. You all just started saying that on your own."

"My apologies for that. Actually, I was the one who started calling you a witch. It just sort of spread."

So it was you!

"Could you please not make assumptions and then get scared by them? I am a virtuous adventurer."

"I'll set aside whether you're virtuous or not."

"I am virtuous."

Virtuous, virtuous. Incredibly virtuous.

"Actually, I didn't say this in front of Kaede, but there's one more reason I suspected Okita-kun and Eleanor Ocean were the same person."

"You don't need to say it."

I have a pretty good idea what it is.

"Yoshino-san, please say it. I have an idea as well."

Kaede-chan prompted Yoshino-san.

"You, you're doing it even now, but stop letting your eyes wander to people's chests."

When she's right in front of me, my eyes just go there on their own.

"I'm just looking at my coffee."

"That's a bit of a stretch..."

I stood up, walked over to the sofa, took out a pair of sunglasses from my bag, and put them on. Then, I returned to my seat.

"Continue."

I urged Yoshino-san on.

"Are you really going that far? Could it be, at the family restaurant the other day, you wore them at first to hide your gaze?"

"That's not the conversation we're continuing. I make items with Alchemy. That's true. So? Is there something wrong with that?"

"N, no... There's nothing wrong with it. But that skill is abnormal."

Yoshino-san seemed to be getting the conversation back on track. Kaede-chan's gaze is a little cold, though...

"But there's no problem, right? I haven't committed any crime."

I just make and sell Healing Potions and Item Bags. I've done nothing wrong.

"Yes, that's right. However, given my position, I must report this."

"To the Head Director?"

"Yes. As I've said before, I am his subordinate. This investigation was also under his orders, so naturally, I will report the results." Well, that's to be expected.

"I see... Feel free to do so. But Eleanor Ocean will never appear again."

"Why is that?"

Yoshino-san asked, her brow furrowing.

"Why do you think I exist?"

"To make money, I assume."

"Correct. But Okita-kun can do that... The other day, you pointed out that I was deliberately trying to stand out, didn't you? You were right. You see, I am a smokescreen. When you make money, both good and bad people flock to you. In fact, some guys from another country showed up just the other day. I don't want a life where I'm targeted by people like that. So the moment my skill is exposed, it's over. Eleanor will disappear. After that, I'll live with Kaede-chan on the money I've earned so far."

I have nearly two billion yen. That's more than enough for the two of us to live on.

"Then Okita-kun will just be targeted instead."

"Is the Head Director going to tell other people?"

"That might happen. At the very least, he would probably tell the government."

"Well then, goodbye Japan. I'll rely on Claire and Harry. I can just sell them some potions or something."

Those two are simple and easy to understand, so I can manage them however I want.

"...You'd abandon Japan?"

"I can't trust it. They'll demand I sell at a cheap price. Or they'll come up with some reason for me to provide them for free."

"I don't think it would come to that..."

"Too bad. I can't trust them anymore. If you want to blame someone, blame Shindo-sensei."

I think he's an extreme case, but if my skill was revealed and they found out Healing Potions could be made with just water and medicinal herbs, they wouldn't pay millions for them.

"I see... So it's better that neither your identity nor your skill is known, is that it?"

"Yes, exactly. Besides, you don't really intend to report it either, do you?"

"I do my job seriously."

"Hehe, you're full of it. If that were the case, why did you come to my home alone? Normally, if you'd gotten information, you would report it to the Head Director before coming to my place. But you didn't do that. You made contact with me first. You came to negotiate with me, didn't you?"

There's no other explanation.

"...You're right. I decided on my own that it would be better not to report this matter. Just as you say, those politicians can't be trusted. They will either leak the information or try to use you."

"It really turns out that way?"

"It's always been that way. They get their hands on information about new items and whatnot as quickly as possible and use it to their advantage. In fact, information about you was leaked to the media. If things go wrong, it might even be leaked to foreign countries. You're worth money with information alone."

Well, I am the Golden Witch.

"I see... So? What is it you want? You don't seem like the type to keep quiet for free, do you?"

"Do I look that evil?"

"You came to a witch's mansion all by yourself, even though you can't report it, just to find out. There must be something you want, right? Is it money, after all?"

"Give me Healing Potions."

Just as Satsuki-san said, it's not money, but Healing Potions...

"You want Healing Potions?"

"Yes, that's right... Sorry, but may I go to your room for a moment? I'd like for Kaede and Satsuki-nee-san to stay here."

After Yoshino-san said that, I looked at Kaede-chan and Satsuki-san. The two of them exchanged glances, then quickly looked back at me and nodded.

"Very well. Then, follow me."

Yoshino-san and I stood up and headed once more to my room.