第６００堀：おもひでばなし (Part2)
"In that case, the order was reversed. I was actually thinking of suggesting that I go to the Kamishiro family myself, along with this evidence."
Saying this, he produced a boy's manga magazine.
"When I was called here, before reading this week's issue, I was re-reading last week's. There could be no better evidence than this, could there?"
"I suppose you're right."
As Souta-san said, it would be difficult to find more definitive proof of being Japanese. Manga—the culture Japan prides itself on, the supreme form of entertainment. It is a genre that has even birthed a living god, the God of Manga.
"Haha. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I love manga; I used to read it all the time."
"Me too. It’s fun, isn't it?"
"Is that so?! My, I’m so happy to meet a fellow manga-loving Japanese person even after coming to another world. My family runs a shrine, and they are quite rigid. They have this 'manga is scandalous' attitude."
"I was often scolded by my father, but I would sneakily read them at my shrine."
"Strict households are just like that, aren't they?"
"Yes. Ours felt like it was even more so than most."
"I think the main reason was just that Souta was a slacker, though."
We all burst into laughter. My wives looked on with expressions that said, *'It can't be helped,'* while Princess Stasia, Kagura, and Kanna tilted their heads in confusion.
"My apologies, everyone. It seems I’ve gotten carried away with the conversation. Especially you, Princess of Findar. Please forgive my rudeness."
"N-no, not at all. I think it is only natural to let the conversation bloom when talking about one's homeland."
"However, being a Princess of Findar... would you happen to be of the Bowitt lineage?"
Bowitt? Who is that? It was a name I had never heard, but Princess Stasia seemed to recognize it, her expression turning to one of surprise.
"Y-yes, that is correct. Well, to be precise, I, Stasia, am of the bloodline of the second daughter of the Bowitt family, but..."
"Ah, from that child's line. But I thought the eldest son was still alive..."
"No, various things happened after that. A hundred years later, the bloodlines of the eldest son and eldest daughter died out, and we, the descendants of the second daughter—who you could call distant relatives—ended up taking the throne..."
"I see. Well, such is the way of the human world. It happens. Still, even 500 years later, it makes me happy to see my descendants and the descendants of Bowitt joining hands like this."
Souta-san said this with a smile, but upon hearing it, Princess Stasia, Kagura, and Kanna looked away. I suppose they couldn't exactly say, *'We were at war until just recently,'* to someone who was happily talking about how close Haiden and Findar used to be.
Well, I didn't want to risk angering him and turning him into an evil spirit, so I decided to steer the conversation elsewhere.
"Well, I’m sure there’s much more to discuss, but we can save that for another day. Is this space a one-time thing, or something like that?"
"Ah, right. That was a concern, wasn't it? My apologies for not being more thoughtful. This room uses accumulated magical power combined with spiritual energy, so it won't disappear as long as there are people in this academy. If people were to leave, I would feel like I’m starving, and there’s a possibility I might go on a rampage or start pulling people in. But I had planned to vanish quickly before that happened anyway."
"I see. Perhaps Japanese ghost stories are the same way."
"That may be so. Now, regarding this room—it would be a hassle to go through the same path again, so please, take this."
He handed me a small charm. It was inscribed with a prayer for safety.
"Bring this to the same spot on the first floor of the library. If you do, this door will appear."
"I see. And what about the risk of being seen by others?"
"I won't say it's impossible, but if nothing has changed, the place where the door is on the first floor should be a storage room."
Now that I think about it, when I checked, there was an exit that looked like a loading dock for a storage room on the first floor. Well, it’s not exactly a bookstore, so there probably isn't much traffic to begin with.
"Then, if you don't mind, I have people waiting outside, so would it be possible to return for now and come back to talk more later?"
"Yes, that is fine. In fact, I would be delighted. Yuki-san, you must be having a hard time here as well. This is a place prepared for people like you, after all. And I still have plenty more I want to ask you."
And so, aside from the initial awkwardness with Kagura and Kanna, the conversation ended quite peacefully.
"Er, what about the time?"
"Don't worry about that."
"Is that so? Then I shall visit again in about a day."
"Yes, I will be waiting."
With that, we stepped out of the door and...
"Cough. There's so much dust."
"…Ugh."
"Akiten-sama, please use your handkerchief to cover your mouth..."
We were in a dusty storage room. Cleaning this up is going to be the most depressing part.
Souta and the Water Dragon turned out to be much more approachable than expected. Kagura was feeling down, and Kanna was still fuming. Family matters are always hard to interject into, aren't they?