落とし穴外伝：２０２４年明けスペシャル 大人のお年玉？
Side: Yuki
"Hard to believe it’s already the fifth," I mused.
"The New Year really does fly by, doesn't it?"
"Indeed. The year-end and New Year holidays always seem to pass in a blur."
"They certainly do."
As we chatted, the Japanese contingent huddled around the *kotatsu*, sipping tea. Ah, there’s nothing quite like the warmth of a good cup of tea. Should I have asked for a *manju* to go with it? While I was busy pondering such trivialities...
"In the end, nobody managed to clear SHINOBI, did they?"
"That final stage—the one where you have to climb everything in one go—was just brutal."
"Haha, true. If we didn't have magical healing, we’d all be bedridden right now."
As the three of them noted, the insane athletic challenge known as "SHINOBI" held on the third had ended without a single victor. That said, Luna felt it would be unfair to have everyone participate and receive nothing for their efforts. So, she granted them a year’s access to the athletic course and distributed points based on how far they progressed, which could be exchanged for various items. It was essentially the same as the DP exchange system from *Dig-a-Dog*.
I was grateful that even those who stumbled at the start—like Jessica—and the children who weren't particularly athletic were given a baseline amount of points, ensuring they could still pick out plenty of rewards. It would have been cruel to leave the kids who worked so hard empty-handed.
"Still, it was surprising that both you and I managed to reach the final stage, Yuki-san."
"Well, Luna went easy on us. There were only three stages, including the final one. The real-deal version has three distinct stages, and that third one is a nightmare."
"Ah, the one where you have to move by gripping the ledge with just your fingertips? That’s physically impossible for a normal person."
"I saw it, and the fact that there are people out there who can actually clear it... it makes me realize how far human potential can go."
When we were preparing for SHINOBI, the participants had watched footage of the legendary versions. Naturally, we protested and demanded the removal of the third stage, arguing that moving by fingertips alone was impossible. Luna seemed to agree, so she scrapped the original third stage and made the second one the final.
"Thanks to that, I managed to clear the first and second stages. I suppose all that training since I got here paid off."
"Agreed. If I were still a student back home, it would’ve been impossible. It really shows that even if you have 'levels' here, the physical training you put in actually sticks."
"I felt that too. While the base stat boost from leveling is significant, it doesn't mean your body stops growing if you strip away the magic. In other words, training your foundation is never a waste."
"Exactly. The more muscle you build through sword practice or strength training, the greater the stat increase seems to be when you level up."
"So, we’ve gathered empirical data. Though, an environment where you can completely strip away magic is impossible to create unless you or Luna-dono provide it, so we won't be getting a large sample size anytime soon."
Taizo-san seems to have taken a keen interest in collecting data on the relationship between magic and physical enhancement. Still, comparing environments with and without magic requires raising people from scratch, which isn't exactly easy to pull off.
"Anyway, putting that aside, thanks to the adjustments, I made it to the final stage—but climbing a 20-meter rope in 35 seconds? That was impossible."
"Wasn't the real-deal version 40 seconds?"
"The distance and time limits fluctuate, so it’s hard to say, but there are people who clear it. Still, Taiki-kun and I couldn't do it."
"Yeah. It just goes to show that even Earthlings can blow common sense out of the water."
Even so, the people who conquer that course train specifically for it, so it makes sense.
"So, Yuki-san, what are you going to use your points from Luna-san for?"
"Points, huh? Honestly, I haven't really looked."
As I mentioned, I reached the final stage, so I have plenty of points. That means I have a lot of options, but...
"Whenever Luna says she's giving something away, my guard goes up." I glanced at Taizo-san and Sota-san. "Did you two pick anything?"
Regardless of what others might do, I don't trust the "bonus" items Luna offers.
"Haha, I’d like to think Luna-dono wouldn't pull anything, but after the *Dojigiri* incident, I’m cautious."
"I heard about that. It’s bad for the digestion. Best not to pick anything suspicious. As for me, I chose these nutritional drinks. They’re diluted versions of the sacred sake Luna-san provided, ten to a pack. Apparently, they’re safe even for an undead like me, so I got some for my wife as well."
"Oh, in that case, I’m the same. It’s not very exciting, but I chose the same as Sota-san. I’d be grateful to have the highest-grade secret medicine on hand in case Hifi-san or anyone else gets injured. As for the remainder, I just picked up some snacks."
"I see."
A very sensible choice. Though, the contents themselves are insane. Sacred sake—literally sake offered to the gods—is more than just alcohol here. It’s a miracle cure that surpasses even the highest-grade Elixir, healing not just illnesses and old wounds, but also regrowing lost limbs and curing congenital diseases. When the various nations found out, they went absolutely frantic trying to get their hands on it.
Fortunately, there was enough to distribute a *sho* bottle to each nation, so it didn't cause too much of an uproar. And yet, the two men in front of me are holding that ultra-rare medicine. I doubt they’d make a mistake and let it be discovered, but it’s a testament to how much power has been introduced into this world. If it were leaked, there are people who would burn down nations just to possess it. It’s a catalyst for disaster. No matter how much it saves, it’s also a seed of conflict.
As for the snacks, they’re just a massive assortment of common treats, so no comment there. The children are getting a lot of these snack packs, though the sheer volume has the wives smiling wryly, wondering how to ration them. After all, you just want to keep eating them as long as they’re there.
"Well, did our choices give you any ideas?"
"Yes, thank you. Though, I think we should avoid the suspicious stuff. Like this 'MS'."
"Yeah, that’s definitely a trap. It doesn't mention a maintenance kit, and even if you got a machine without fuel, you couldn't move it or maintain it."
Taiki-kun seemed to share my opinion; he was wary of the "Mobile Suits" on the list. Besides, those run on nuclear fusion reactors. Even if you got one, where would you put it? It’s a walking, radioactive bomb.
"In that case... maybe this?" I pointed to an item on the monitor's list.
Taiki-kun leaned in to look.
"Ah, that’s definitely the safest bet. Who knows what’ll actually show up, but it has no utility as a tool, and while the value depends on the collector, there’s no point in us passing it on to others. I’m going with this too."
He nodded in agreement.
"We don't know what we'll get, but if we decide we don't need it, we can always share it."
"Exactly."
Taiki-kun and I exchanged a look. Taizo-san and Sota-san tilted their heads.
"What are you ordering?"
"Yeah, I can't guess from what you just said."
Well, it would be hard to guess. Since I had no intention of hiding it:
"This. A plastic model 'lucky bag.' Whatever comes out, it’ll be a good item for us. Luckily, I have enough points for 20 bags, so let’s share them among everyone."
"And spend the rest of our time building them."
"I see. That’s true, there’s no trickery in that."
"And it’ll be fun for us, too."
With that, Taiki-kun and I placed our orders for the plastic model lucky bags. Suddenly, a mountain of fairly large bags appeared in the room. 46 bags in total between the two of us. Wow, more than I expected. But...
"I'm getting excited."
"Yeah. I can't make fun of the wives anymore."
"A fine New Year's gift."
"When you put it that way, it really is. It’s like being a kid again."
They aren't the specific models I wanted, but getting them for New Year's? Back in the day, I would’ve been annoyed if it wasn't what I wanted, but now, even the unexpected is a form of entertainment. My, I’ve become an adult in the strangest ways.
"I hope there’s some bootleg stuff in there."
"That’d be great. Rare, you know? Rare."
And so, we began to tear into our lucky bags. When you become an adult, you’re usually the one giving the New Year's money, so you forget the excitement of receiving it, don't you? Do you remember? That feeling of getting your New Year's gift? And what you bought with it?