No matter how good your skills are, they can’t make up for a lack of genuine combat experience. Tamaki, despite having engaged in battle after battle over the past five days, simply lacked the judgment that comes from decades of experience. So, I thought, as I watched the skeleton vanish, it’s not entirely her fault that she accidentally defeated it.
She looked on the verge of tears, and I offered her a forgiving smile. “Don’t sweat it. There are still enemy groups out there; just make it right next time.”
“Yes, I’ll try harder,” Tamaki resolved, her fist clenched. It’s kind of cute how clumsy she is, I thought.
“Clumsy mama…”
“Wait, Kayla! Some thoughts are best kept inside. Don’t say them out loud.”
“Huh? What’d I miss?” Tamaki asked.
Good, she hadn’t heard. Safe, safe, safe.
“You all seem close,” Wan observed with a smile.
Shiki sighed, hands on her hips. “Sorry for the lack of tension. They’re always like this.”
“I can see you’re not being careless. If anything, you’re all on edge. It’s just that your bodies are moving a bit too much.”
Too much movement, then? Could this be a drawback of our skills?
“With time, you’ll learn to moderate your actions. You have good intuition,” Mr. Wan complimented us.
“Thank you,” I managed to say, somewhat awkwardly.
Arisu, for sure, but Tamaki? No, he’s right—Tamaki’s reflexes are exceptionally sharp.
The two of them were just too straightforward. Without a certain aptitude for battle and conflict, surviving thus far would have been challenging. But Tamaki possessed a resilience that didn’t falter even in defeat. This was something we all understood well.
“Anyway, we need to eliminate all the enemies… Mr. Wan, where should we head next?”
Each skeleton dropped two blue gems, indicating they were around Level 10. After collecting the tokens, we followed Mr. Wan’s directions. He was busily pointing here and there while glaring at his phone screen… which was displaying Google Maps.
Of course, I thought with an internal sigh. Relying on Google’s technology would be more effective than any mystical method of divination. There’s really no need… no need to be disillusioned.
✦ ✦ ✦
The next group consisted of six skeletons, none in robes. It seemed like an easy victory until…
“Here I go!”
“Wait, Tamaki, hold on!”
Forgetting the previous incident, Tamaki charged toward the skeleton squad ten meters ahead. Arisu hurried after her. Kayla peeked around the corner, providing cover with her slingshot and pulverizing the head of one skeleton… but then, one of the sword-bearing skeletons began to chant a spell.
Oh no, I haven’t cast any magic that could see through illusions.
“Take that one down first! It’s probably a mage in disguise!”
“Right! Golden Kaiser Ultra Fire!”
“Wait, no, that’s not—”
As Tamaki swung her black sword, she unleashed a golden beam.
It was indeed an “ultra golden” beam, but the “kaiser” and “fire” parts were baffling. Perhaps due to being overly charged, the unusually thick beam engulfed the narrow alley. In the process of wiping out the skeletons, it also gouged out about half of a utility pole and struck directly into a building across the street. A cloud of dust rose… and when it settled, the building was left with a large hole in it.
✦ ✦ ✦
Shortly afterward, we found ourselves back in the White Room, all silently staring at Tamaki, who stood with her back to us, quivering like a rusty door as she turned around.
“Mama Tamaki, the spacey one!”
“Hey, Tamaki, gonna work off the damage?”
“I can’t cover for that one…”
Kayla, Shiki, and Arisu each shook their heads in their unique way.
“I’m so sorry!”
“It’s a pity, Tamaki. If apologies were enough, we wouldn’t need the police…”
Shiki lightly placed her hand on Tamaki’s shoulder, shaking her head and then offering a smile to the pale-faced Tamaki. “I wonder how much that building will cost. I doubt a hundred or two hundred million would cover it.”
“Eeeeek!”
“Just kidding. It’ll be fine; Mr. Wan and his team will handle it. Let’s just say it was necessary.”
“That’s right. Given that we didn’t know what kind of magic the mage might use, acting fast was a good idea,” Rushia added.
It was good to see not only Shiki but also Rushia backing Tamaki up. Yes, perhaps we’d become a bit too complacent since returning to Earth. If this had been the other world, unleashing our full power in the middle of town without hesitation would have been just another day.
“Well, that’s true. If the mage had used a high-powered spell, that whole area might have turned into a sea of flames.”
“Y-Yeah, Kazu!”
“But let’s try to be more aware of our surroundings in future battles.”
“Uh, okay…”
I patted the dejected Tamaki on the head, and the spirited girl happily snorted in comfort.
“So, we have two more groups of skeletons to discover, right?”
“Yep. Tamaki, next time, please be extra careful…”
“Don’t worry! This time, I’ll do it right for sure!”
Perhaps encouraged by the head pat, Tamaki energetically clenched her fist. I glanced at Arisu, who was giving a hint of a smile next to her. I’ll back her up, she mouthed.
✦ ✦ ✦
For Arisu, who supported her endearingly clumsy partner like one would their spouse, failure wasn’t an option next time. This was a pair I earnestly hoped would stay together.
Hold on, who are the couples here again…? I seem to remember that each of them have had boyfriends…
✦ ✦ ✦
This time, it was Rushia and Kayla who had leveled up. With five skill points accumulated, Rushia upgraded her Fire-Water Composite Magic to Rank 2. Her abilities, or rather her magic spells, Cold Inferno and Water Flare Shield, were naturally enhanced.
✦ ✦ ✦
After leaving the White Room, we had a chat with Mr. Wan about the hole we’d accidentally made in the building wall.
“Don’t worry,” he assured us, “things like this happen all the time. Just focus on defeating the enemies without overdoing it too much.”
Tamaki let out a huge sigh of relief. “I thought I was going to be sold off…” she murmured.
In any case, on to the next one. Fortunately, the skeletons didn’t seem to have much strength, but this meant we had to proceed with extreme caution.
“Let’s head down this alleyway.”
“Using Google Maps again?”
“No, my colleague is guiding us this time.”
Keeping up the conversation with Mr. Wan, we jogged through the city. He may have been older and dressed in a suit, but his movements were agile. I expected no less from Keiko’s master.
“Looks like the next group has about ten; any problems?” Mr. Wan asked. This time, the skeletons were boldly marching down a deserted main street, armed with swords and shields.
“With our forces, we could handle twenty or even thirty.”
I could also summon familiars if it came to it.
We watched the monsters from our perch atop a building roof, using True Sight to check if anything more serious was hiding among the skeletons. Nope, they all seemed to be regular skeletons.
“Kayla, can you snipe one at the waist, make it so it can’t stand?”
“You got it!”
“Good. Tamaki, dive in with Fly and smash the shoulders of whichever one Kayla hits, then pick it up and isolate it on a roof somewhere. Arisu, take out the rest in the meantime. Rushia, keep supporting us with small-scale magic as needed.”
Roles decided, we sprang into action. Kayla’s long-range slingshot sniping took one skeleton down. Immediately, Arisu and Tamaki swooped in from above.
“I won’t fail this time!” Tamaki cried. Her powerful slash hit the downed skeleton’s right shoulder, sending it flying. When it hit the ground, the skeleton crumbled.
“Ah, ah, aaaaah!”
“It’s okay, Tamaki, over here!”
Arisu’s thrust shattered a skeleton’s pelvis. Nice assist. Now, Tamaki, it’s your turn…
“Whoa, if it’s come to this!”
Tamaki dropped her sword and grabbed the fallen skeleton.
“Hey, hey, hey!”
Ignoring our frantic cries, Tamaki gripped the skeleton’s sword-wielding hand tightly…
“Take this!”
She crushed the bony hand. A dull, crunching sound echoed as the monster’s sword fell to the asphalt.
“Take that!”
Tamaki then shattered the skeleton’s shoulder bones with pure brute force. The skeleton was now deprived of its lower body and arms, but it was still trying to bite her…
“Not happening!”
Tamaki firmly grasped the bony neck. She then lifted what was left of the skeleton, just a head and torso, into the air.
“Look, look, Kazu! I did it!”
The powerfully strong girl beamed triumphantly. What a barbaric scene.