Leave a comment

It was Monday, and Mika and I had gone straight to the circus. We obviously brought the lifetime pass. It was a weekday, so there weren’t as many people as last time.

“We ended up coming here again so soon.”
“Not like we have a choice. This is the quickest way to meet with Mr. Mitsuo.”
“True.”

After standing in line for a while, we arrived at the booth where you showed your tickets. We presented the woman at the counter with our pass.

“Can we use this?”
“Huh… oh, of course! This is valid! Please come over here.”

We apparently were to leave the line and go somewhere else. We were led behind the counter, where the receptionist entrusted us to another troupe member.

“I assume you’re the special guests the troupe leader informed us about. We welcome you. Regrettably, he is currently on stage…”
“Oh, I see.”
“We came here today to speak with Mr. Mitsuo,” Mika explained.
“In that case, please visit him after the next show ends,” the troupe member replied politely. “I shall inform him that you’re here… Since you queued up in line, do you wish to watch the performance? From the VIP seats, that is.”
“Yes, we’d love to see it!”
“You can talk to him afterwards, then.”
“Yes.”

It sounded like this troupe member would arrange our meeting. That was good to hear, since we had lots of questions. There was usually a 30-to-40-minute break between shows, so I had no idea if this was long enough for our talk, but it should suffice for the most important questions.

During the pause between shows, as guests entered and left the tent, we were led to the VIP seats. We were then given the menu for drinks and snacks. For now, we ordered two melon sodas topped with ice cream.

“Back at the circus… should we have brought Sakura and Kanata, too?” Mika wondered.
“Well, the reason we came here was to confirm new information and I don’t want to drag them into this affair. Kanata would probably dive in head first and Sakura would follow him.”
“That’s true.”

Indeed, Kanata’s brain was better than any computer, so he was reliable, but he tended to overdo it. And then he’d freeze up.
Hang on, when did I start to see him like some machine? He’s human and my younger brother.

“Oh, it’s starting! We’ve been here just a short time ago, but it still feels exciting, doesn’t it?”
“It does!”

We took the drinks that had been brought to us and watched the show, only pausing to order French fries from the menu. Well, the performances obviously were the same as last time.

________
______
___

“Hah, that was fun!”
“It sure was.”

Even if it were the same performances, seeing them was still exciting. This time we were a bit more used to the VIP treatment and might have ordered a bit too much. We hopefully didn’t come over as ill-mannered guests.

“Hey there, you two! I see you’re back! Are you going to the troupe leader’s office?”

It was the same troupe member who’d shown me to Mr. Mitsuo the other day.

“Yes, could you bring us there?”
“Of course, please follow me!”

We did as asked. Before long, following the same route as last time, we arrived in front of the same office.

“That’s it for me.”
“Thank you so much for bringing them here,” Mr. Mitsuo told the man and then turned to us. “It’s good to see the both of you. You didn’t bring your younger siblings and friends today?”
“Yes, it’s just us.”
“I see. It seems you have things to discuss. Did something happen?”

There shouldn’t have been anything for the man to feel guilty about, but he still seemed strangely nervous.
Well, whatever, I better get the ball rolling.

“No, we wanted to talk about something curious regarding Anazumu.”
“Oh, really?”
“Uhm, we learned that you were made the Guide of the Bufura Kingdom, around 100 years ago, Mr. Mitsuo. There was a record left behind in that country.”

The clown seemed confused.

“Around a hundred years ago… was it? Did you personally confirm that?”
“Yes, we did.”
“Well… it pains me to say this, but I have no memories of the time before I was reborn to lead the demons…
“I see…”

So, that’s all he remembers…? I mean, it was more than a hundred years ago, so I guess it makes sense.

“S-Still, I am positive there was something strange about my status screen!” he continued hurriedly, possibly noticing my dejection. “That was likely the reason my skills worked on you, even with your higher level and stats.”
“Thinking about it this way, it makes sense…”

Back then, I had already been quite powerful and thought it strange that his Forced Contract worked without any issues.

“That is all I know. My apologies, I don’t remember much.”
“No worries, that was more than a hundred years ago, so it makes sense! I’d like to ask something else, are you still good on time?”

Mr. Mitsuo looked at the clock and then nodded.

“In that case… uhm, do you know about a vajra named Indra?”
“A vajra…?”
“Indeed, it is apparently the weapon used by the Guide to seal the evil god…”
“Huh, I see. No, I’ve never heard of it.”

Mika and I looked at each other. It didn’t seem as if the man knew anything in particular.

“Thank you for your time, even though we suddenly showed up to ask strange questions.”
“It’s fine, I should be the one to apologize since I was of no help.”
“That was all we came here for today.”
“Alright, please visit as often as you want while we’re in this city.”

Mika and I left the troupe leader’s office while bowing our heads to the man. From outside, we could hear him stand up and take out something.

Support Us

Unlock Early Access ------- Select Project ------- Project Gender Bender Project Necro ∴ Support your favorite series and unlock chapters before the public release.