年末スペシャル その２ 自由な３人 (Part1)
**Year-End Special Part 2: The Three Free Spirits**
"So, how did you guys get here?"
"Come on, you saw it. Through the door."
"Yeah. Definitely the door."
"It’s a door."
"I know that!! I mean, *which* door?! It wasn't the door to Shin's room! That’s what I’m talking about!"
"…Torino. Are these guys just the default setting for you now? Appearing out of any door they please?"
"Well, they’re that kind of creature. These four. You’ve been dragged into their mess before, haven't you?"
"No, that time I was just tossed around, and my battlefield ended up disappearing. I thought, 'Hey, this is a good chance to go to Japan,' but that’s not the point here..."
"Uh, where were we?"
"Pretty sure it was one of Nadeshiko's villas, wasn't it?"
"That should be it."
"Why are you forgetting about Nadeshiko's villa?! Shin, she’s your girlfriend, isn't she!"
"Well, she asked me to investigate because something strange was happening there, so I didn't really pay much attention."
"That happens a lot with them."
"True."
"…Come on, that’s right. Nadeshiko was pushing me to investigate some weird property under her Yamato Group. And yet, she’s so annoying about making sure I keep Shin safe."
"Can't help it. Nadeshiko loves Shin. She’s probably just providing a playground to keep an eye on his location."
"True. Well, it’s useless anyway, since we move through doors so often."
"So, what’s the place like?"
"Oh, there was a hidden room, and it had torture devices scattered around."
"And, of course, there were bloodstains too!"
"It’s pretty old, so it’s not recent."
"Stop talking about shocking facts so casually!! Go back and report it already!! And besides, there’s probably some monster or freak of that sort in that mansion, right?!"
"But we came here, and since 'Ya-no-ji' is here, we might as well relax."
"Yeah. It’s not like there’s anyone in the mansion anyway."
"Worst case, we can just blow the whole mansion to bits."
"Fix that way of thinking of yours!!"
"Now, now, calm down, Ya-no-ji. The fact that we came here means those three already know the whole situation, right?"
"Wait a minute… does that mean—"
"““Yo. You lolicon pervert.””"
"Gyaaa!? Don't say that out loud!!"
"Why are you being shy?"
"Yeah, you should be proud of being a pervert."
"It’s not like you have anything to feel guilty about."
"You guys have already messed with me, so it’s pointless now!! Tanaka!!"
"No, I’m in agreement with the three of them on this."
"Ya-no-ji, there’s no turning back now. As your best friend, I’m happy for you."
"Yeah, you’ve become a fine pervert."
"Don't worry. I’ll be sure to tell your family."
"Shin, stop it!! You know my family is just a normal household!! If you say stuff like that, I’ll be disowned!!"
"Calm down, they’ll accept you as an extension of an otaku."
"Don't worry, the worst that happens is you get arrested once. I’ll get you released immediately."
"You’re assuming I’m going to get arrested!!"
"Well, well, it happens all the time."
"Yeah, we’ve been thrown in jail plenty of times after going to other worlds."
"That we have."
"Shut up!! I escaped the moment I got bored of that!! That’s different from getting arrested in Japan!!"
"Well, leave it at that. It’s fruitless. This is supposed to be a story about the *Winning Dungeon*, right? It’s a year-end special, after all."
"I know, I know. So, why did we come here?"
"Yeah. You knew this would happen if we showed up, right?"
"Give us the reason."
"…Are you guys just going to ignore me after messing with me so much?"
"Torino, calm down. It’s better to just move the story along."
"Simply put, I intend to properly write the story of you four next year. It won't have anything to do with the main *Winning Dungeon* plot, but I want to write about how Yuki—that 'Ya-no-ji'—came to be."
"Ah, I see. A story about why Ya-no-ji became so twisted."
"That’s it. The readers must have been wondering about the extent of his twisted nature."
"I never thought he’d grow up to be this kind of Ya-no-ji."
"I was never raised by you guys!!"
"But it’s a separate story. The protagonists are still the four of you on your strange journey."
"You’re calling it a 'strange journey'!!"
"What else can you call it? It’s nothing but a comedy. You guys."
"Calm down, Torino. So, that means chronologically, it’s before the *Winning Dungeon* and my story?"
"Exactly. It’s mostly during your student days, so Tanaka, who was a mercenary back then, won't appear much."
"No, I don't need to."
"And I’m thinking of changing the writing style."
"Come to think of it, that story progressed from the perspective of someone unknown."
"Yup. *Winning Dungeon* is from an individual’s perspective, but this time, I want to go with a third-person perspective—a god’s-eye view. Besides, the supporting characters change every time, so it’s going to get confusing, and it’s a pain for me to express each character individually."
"You were pretty blunt there."
"Well, it’s a hobby, after all. My stance hasn't changed. It just happened to become popular. I think it’s fine to try various challenges. My honest hope is that it might become a catalyst for others to start writing, thinking, 'Even something like this is okay.'"
"The manuscript for *Snowman* was a parade of typos and omissions, after all."
"Yup. And it still got published. If you write a proper story, the typos and omissions get filled in automatically, and people will read it. That’s why I want many people to follow suit. Personally, I’m hoping for all sorts of interesting works to pop up."
"Is that just because you want to read them?"
"Obviously. It’s a hobby, and the more interesting stories there are, the better, right?"
"True."
"Yeah."
"That’s a given."
"Well, yeah."
"Though, it’s no good if they’re boring."
"But it won't start if you don't write. You’ll never win the lottery if you don't buy a ticket."
"That’s true."
"I wrote this last time too, but for me, the talk of publication was a bolt from the blue. I was so surprised. You never know what will trigger it, so why not just do it as a hobby?"
"It’s a hobby, so there’s no reason to be complained at even if you’re bad at it, right?"
"Exactly. Sometimes I get comments saying, 'I don't like this story,' but if you say that, it means you have a story you *do* find interesting, right? If you’re saying you don't like it, it means there’s a story out there that you *do* like."
"That’s one way to interpret it."
"So, it leads to the conclusion that you should just write it yourself. That’s where I started, wanting to write the stories I like."
"Well, I get the point, but this is starting to sound like a gripe."
"No, it’s like a year-end party, so isn't it fine?"
"Yeah. Talking about things like this helps you forget this year’s frustrations."
"And then the loop of working again after the new year begins."
"What a miserable story. Oh, by the way, Torino, you were doing a year-end/new year event in Weed, right?"
"Hm? Oh. We did Christmas this year, too."
"What, Ya-no-ji. You’re just as bad as us, messing with that world as you please."
"What’s next? Building giant robots? Pushing back a meteorite?"
"No, wouldn't it be something realistic like a giant railgun?"
"Don't lump me in with you guys!! I’m just providing events for them to get rowdy!! We don't have any miracle weapons like things that push back boulders or intercept missiles!!"
"““Boring.””"
"Well, leaving the three of you aside, it’s still a medieval-level civilization. There’s not much in the way of entertainment. That’s why I’m jealous of Weed."
"Can't you do something about that on Tanaka’s side?"
"No. Here, it’s not country-scale like yours; I’m just one fighting force as a mercenary."
"?" Tanaka, you can do a lot even as a mercenary, right?"
"Shiraki. Don't lump me in with other soldiers."
"Ya-no-ji, that’s where you’re wrong. If you want to do various things, you have a scientist like me."
"As if someone like you is easily found. You keep making miracle weapons before anyone knows it."
"No, I also make pills that explode and have an effect, just like earlier."
"Your direction of inspiration is completely lost, you know!!"
"It’s fine. It’s fun, after all."
"…Shin. You should learn the word 'self-restraint' too."
"It’s okay, lately I haven't been falling down and scraping my knees until they bleed."
"That’s not what I meant!! Whenever you guys move, it usually turns into a huge commotion, doesn't it!!"
"Hahaha, don't worry. They won't know it was us."
"And since there’s no damage, there’s no one to sue."