第６０２堀：改めてご挨拶と今後の話し合い (Part1)
Chapter 602: Re-introductions and Future Discussions
Side: Yuki
Well then, having brushed off the dust, I headed back to the secret room in the library.
"Allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Sota Kamishiro. In this world's naming convention, where the family name comes last, it would be Sota Kamishiro."
The one bowing deeply as he said this was the resident of the secret room—the ghost of the man himself, one of the three founding families who established the Heiden Magic Academy and contributed to the founding of Heiden.
Like Taiki and myself, he was a Japanese person summoned to this world, Aulito.
"A pleasure to meet you. I am Taizo Motome, Taiki's uncle."
"Ho-ho. So you are Taiki-dono's uncle."
Well, since we are both Japanese, we exchanged greetings with the Weed members in a friendly manner, but...
"It is an honor to meet you. I am Grimoire, the current principal of this Heiden Magic Academy. It is a great honor to meet the legendary figure who built Heiden."
"I am honored to hear you say that. But please, don't be so formal. It is because of people like Principal Grimoire that the academy exists as it does today."
To the people of Heiden, he is a legendary hero, and the principal bowed deeply in greeting, but Sota-san gave a wry smile at the response.
That’s because Principal Grimoire had only recently taken over from his predecessor, and the academy’s recent blunders were quite scandalous. While it wasn't the principal's personal failure, it wasn't exactly something to boast about either.
And then, the descendants of the Kamishiro family...
"I am So, the current head of the Kamishiro family. I am overcome with emotion to be able to meet the First Ancestor, even if it is only a fragment of his spirit. And I offer my deepest apologies for the rudeness my daughters, Kanna and Kagura, showed during your first meeting. We are terribly sorry."
"We are terribly sorry."
Seeing the three of them prostrating themselves in unison, Sota-san gave a grand, weary smile.
Incidentally, Duke Kamishiro—So-san—had insisted on joining us immediately after hearing that we had discovered Sota-san, the First Ancestor, putting his work aside to pay his respects. Upon hearing the circumstances of our meeting, he had turned pale, leading to this current apology.
Of course, it wasn't just Duke Kamishiro who heard the report; the King of Heiden and the Princess, who are planning a conference at this academy, heard it as well, so there will likely be some troublesome meetings in the near future.
Setting that aside, Sota-san could only offer a wry smile at seeing his descendants prostrating themselves when they hadn't actually done anything particularly wrong. Even though they were kin, many generations had passed, and he likely felt it was not his place to interfere with the current Kamishiro family's educational policies.
Or rather, he probably felt uncomfortable being worshipped to such an extent. Most ordinary Japanese people would feel the same.
Noticing Sota-san's confusion, the Water Dragon leapt out in front of the three prostrating figures.
"There is no need to prostrate yourselves like that. If anything, it is this fool's fault."
"Who are you calling a fool? Who?"
"Who else could it be but you, Sota? You fool."
"Well, it seems you and I never did see eye-to-eye, even after death."
"Ha! I should have let that fragment of your spirit just pass on peacefully so I wouldn't have to regret it."
I thought he had come out to lighten the mood, but they started bickering immediately.
"Yes, yes. Calm down, both of you. You're leaving the descendants stunned. Settle this after we deal with the matter at hand."
"Ah, right. I'll deal with this water-logged nuisance later, but don't worry about what happened before."
"Indeed. There is no need to be concerned with this fool. I shall discipline the fool later myself."
" "What was that!?" "
"Y-yes, sir."
Duke Kamishiro could only respond with that. He seemed to be struggling with how to react to the exchange between the ancestor who built his family and the god they had worshipped for generations.
"It's best to leave them be. They don't seem angry at Kanna and Kagura, and being overly apologetic will just make things awkward. If you apologize briefly when you see them later, it should be enough to settle it."
"...I see. Then we shall do that. For now, I am just grateful to have met the First Ancestor."
Duke Kamishiro seemed convinced, so he stopped prostrating and stepped back with his two daughters.
Well, that's settled, but I should stop these two before they start fighting for real.
"Alright, alright. Save the fighting for after we're done talking."
"...Fair enough. You're lucky to have escaped, you know."
"You're the one who's lucky."
What is wrong with you two? Didn't you cooperate to survive after coming to this world? Well, I know they aren't fighting seriously, but they are persistent. I suppose they are the type who don't get along on a daily basis but can cooperate when it counts.
"So, can we get to the main topic now?"
"I don't mind. But as for the 'main topic,' what do you want to ask? I don't know how to return to Japan. If you went to the Kamishiro family first, I assume you already know that."
"Yes, I heard about that in a letter. But the topic I want to discuss is something else."
"Something else?"
"First, I want to talk about the Seven Wonders of the Academy. I want to check if there is anything dangerous."
"Ah, I see."
Exactly. First, we need to ensure the safety of the academy. Even if I wanted to reveal our true purpose, there are others watching, so for now, we'll stick to academy business. A conference is being held here soon, so if there are any ghost stories or wonders that pose a threat to life, we need to eliminate them.
"But, the Seven Wonders? I only created about three of them. I didn't have the magical or spiritual energy to spare for more than that."
"Then they must have been added later."
No matter how much we investigated, it was all hearsay. Since we chose things that were rumored to be old but couldn't be verified, it's natural that some would be duds.
"Well, that's how school mysteries go. As for the ones I created... First, of course, is this library. The secret room. As for the other two, they were both meant to guide people to this library—though I don't know where they are installed now. One is the mystery of the large full-length mirror, and the other is the statue that moves around at night."
"I see, I see. Are either of them harmful?"
"They're just startling. The mirror mystery just borrows the reflection's appearance and speaks in Japanese, and the statue does the same—walking around the grounds while speaking in Japanese."
That's all? Still, people with weak hearts might collapse from the shock, so I should ask if it's okay to remove them.
"Since we've managed to meet like this, Sota-san, would you mind if we removed the wonders you created—the full-length mirror and the statue?"