I kept focusing exclusively on the crocodiles on the ground, smacking them one after another with my hammer. Before long, however, a new problem arose.
“I think I’ll take a quick break. Harrumph!” I grunted as I sat down on a nearby stump. “Ah! What a convenient seat—this stump’s the perfect height.”
“Miss Azusa, please keep hitting them until our time’s up! This isn’t the sort of exercise that tires you out quickly, and we both know it! Plus, we’ve only just started!” Eno wailed.
Apparently, she was really in this to win it. I wasn’t too surprised by that, considering how some people got really heated over this sort of game. I had one in my family, even—Halkara was the same way. Flatorte was a pretty sore loser as well, but that was a little different.
“I know I shouldn’t be tired yet, but my body just really wants a rest,” I replied.
“Did the spell that got cast on you impact your endurance, too? It didn’t sound like it from what you said before!”
“Like I said, it’s not that I’m actually worn out! I just feel like I need to rest. If I see a nice place to sit down, my first instinct’s to use it. Oh, a croc!”
A crocodile happened to appear right in front of me, so I whacked it with my hammer without even standing up.
“Oh, there’s another one!”
Another croc manifested at point-blank range, and I whacked it as well. My hammering speed, at least, was as fast as could be.
“Now that you’re sitting down, the area you can cover’s even smaller than before!” Eno groused.
Well, yeah, seeing as I won’t be hitting anything that’s out of reach. Any crocodiles that do come within arm’s reach are getting pulverized, though!
“I’m enjoying myself doing it this way, so what’s the problem? It’s just a game for a social event,” I said. I didn’t have a problem with her enthusiasm for the game, but it didn’t seem like something worth going really all-in on to me.
“Argh! I thought teaming up with you would mean an easy win for sure… I didn’t think this through…”
“Hey! This is the first I’m hearing of that little scheme!”
“Well, I had to try! They’ve done raffles and stuff at these events in the past, and the prizes tend to actually be really nice! I’ve won a few of them in the past! I figure the top prize for this croc-whacking game’s probably going to be a good one, too!”
Social gatherings with weirdly lavish prizes were something I’d experienced as well. When you were throwing a gathering for a large enough group, giving out something lackluster had a way of putting a damper on the whole event, so it was understandable, in a sense. I’d seen game consoles, home appliances, and vacation packages worth tens of thousands of yen get given out in my past life.
“Okay, but still—you invited me along just to get at the prizes? That really gets my goat, frankly! Hup, hup, hup!” I grumbled as I exterminated all the crocodiles that happened to be close at hand. Oh, and slipped into old-timey speak on accident again as well.
“It’s true I didn’t have anyone else to pair up with, though! I just thought it’d be a nice stroke of luck if I happened to get a prize out of it!” protested Eno.
I didn’t think she was lying about that. She hadn’t been attending these gatherings for long herself, and I could understand why she’d hesitate to join in on a team event unless she had someone to be on a team with.
“Okay, but I’m still not moving,” I said. “Standing up feels like more trouble than it’s worth… And right now, that means it’s an insurmountable obstacle…”
“Miss Azusa, you’re really starting to think like an old lady now.”
Yeah, that’d be because I’ve been living in an old lady’s body for almost a week!
✦ ✦ ✦
For some reason, I was feeling an irresistible urge to munch on some vinegar-flavored seaweed snacks. Unfortunately, I couldn’t imagine anyone carrying any of those around for me to help myself to.
Even if I can’t get my hands on seaweed, though…
“Hey, Eno, do you have any candy on hand? I have the weirdest craving right now. My instincts are telling me I could really use some.”
“Huh? Is candy really something you crave that intensely? I’ve always thought of it as the sort of thing you snack on because it’s there.”
“I’m usually the same way, but I just have this really strong urge right now. There’s something nice about candy—it’s not heavy or oily, and you don’t even have to chew to eat it!”
Eno sighed heavily. “I guess this is another effect of your current body, isn’t it?” she asked.
Judging by her reaction, I figured she did not, in fact, have any candy on hand. No surprise there—not very many people made a point of carrying it around with them. But much to my surprise, she pulled out a little bag a moment later.
“I do have some herbal cough drops I brought along as samples. You can have one of them, if you’d like.”
“That’s perfect!”
What a lucky break—Eno really is the sort of witch who carries candy around!
I accepted one of her cough drops and popped it into my mouth. It didn’t exactly fill me with brimming reserves of energy or anything like that, but it did certainly give my motivation a significant boost.
“Harrrump!” I grunted as I slowly stood up from the stump.
“I’m happy you’re standing up and all, but don’t you think your hunch is getting a little too extreme?” said Eno.
Yeah, I know. Trust me, I’m well aware. It’s not that my back hurts if I stand up straight, though!
“Actually, Eno, I’m more efficient when I work this way,” I said as I brought my hammer down in front of me, pummeling a crocodile the instant it appeared. Then I took out a second one that showed up to the left without wasting a moment!
“Whoa, that was fast! It’s like you’re already swinging for them the instant they appear! You’d think croc-whacking was deeply ingrained in your muscle memory, the way you’re moving!”
“You get it now, right? Beating every single crocodile that shows up on the ground like this is my most efficient option. All right, let’s get moving!”
“Moving? Where to?”
“If we go somewhere that’s a little easier to walk around, we’ll be able to rack up points quicker. Take care of the ones that come out of the trees, okay? We’re going all-out starting now!”
“A-all right, I will!”
At long last, I was starting to get motivated. Before we could set off, however…
“Ah! Actually, wait just a moment,” I said.
“What is it? Did you realize hunching over like that is bad for your back after all?”
“Could you pass me the candy bag? I have a feeling I’m going to lose my motivation to keep moving otherwise.”
Better to head that risk off at the pass, I figured. In the end, Eno gave me three whole bags of her candies to keep me going.