Chapter 97: A Small Party – Part 2: The Demon King and the Things I Want to Protect
For now, it seems everyone now has a good idea of what snake fireworks are
Kirara lit her own and exclaimed in surprise,
“The squirmy motion is incredible! Mine’s amazing!”
Mimi must have lit hers really well—it was rising straight up like a tower.
“It’s all puffy and huge!”
I was glad to see that Mimi seemed to be having a lot of fun.
When Jude carefully lit his firework, for some reason it immediately broke into pieces and didn’t form into a snake shape very well.
The was way more smoke than I remembered. The whole area became engulfed in smoke with that distinctive gunpowder smell hanging in the air.
The last one I lit started to grow sideways and wriggled like a real snake.
Really, that’s all there is to it—but for some reason, it’s ridiculously fun.
We ended up competing to see whose snake firework would grow the longest.
Another firework I loved that you could buy for 10 yen was the smoke bomb.
These fireworks look like small, colorful bombs, and when you light them up, wow!
They just emit colored smoke. That’s it.
Now that I think of it, I vaguely remember a card that made smoke come out when you put medicine on your finger. Kids really do love smoke.
When I was little, I used to think smoke turned into clouds. So when I saw smoke billowing from a nearby factory, I’d think, “Oh no, it’s going to rain tomorrow.”
The smoke from the snake fireworks alone was impressive, but since we’d come this far, we might as well go all out.
So we each lit one smoke ball.
Puffs of colored smoke—five different colors—filled the air. Why is something so simple so much fun?
…But wait a minute. This is more fire than I thought.
“It looks like it could be useful as a distraction.”
Jude-san said, thoughtfully.
Now that you mention it, smoke bombs are often used in games to increase escape chances. Maybe they could really be used that way here.
Or maybe to communicate using colors like a signal fire? Although, the smoke from a smoke bomb doesn’t rise up, but rather drifts in the wind and fills the area, so I don’t think it’s possible to use it that way… but still.
“If you think they’re useful, do you want to keep some? Also… this is totally just my personal preference…”
I handed him one and asked quietly.
“Like this?”
Jude-san said as he held a smoke bomb between his fingers—he’s surprisingly into this.
I guess long fingers really do look good. There are magic tricks that use small balls like this, but if your hands are small, it’s really hard to hold them properly.
“Big bro, I don’t know what’s going on, but that looked so cool!”
Luna was impressed. Mimi stared at her own hands intensely. Hmm, I don’t think she could do it if she was as big as me. But Mimi’s hands aren’t that small. Wait—does that mean she might have big feet too? Maybe she’s one of those kids who have growth spurts out of nowhere in middle school.
Next up: parachute fireworks.
This is the quintessential daytime firework.
I remember when we set these off near the ocean as a kid, and almost all of them ended up falling into the sea. Sad memory.
Why did we do them there? Perhaps they thought it would be a good place for fireworks because it was a water area.
I set up the launching tube.
If it were nighttime, the fireworks are more visible…
“This one makes a ‘pop!’ sound and then something floats down. And you pick it up.”
“‘Pop’?”
“‘Float’??”
“What are we supposed to catch?”
My explanation clearly wasn’t landing.
“Well… you’ll understand when you see it.”
Its easier to give birth than to worry about it. That doesn’t quite feel right.
I asked Jude-san to do the lighting while the three of us would try to catch the descending items.
“Alright then.”
We look at Jude with expectant eyes as he begins to light the fuse.
With a sharp shuu-paan, the firework shot into the air and split into three with a crisp bang in the sky!
Three little red parachutes floated down gently.
It must be instinct—Luna, Kirara, and Mimi immediately dashed toward the falling parachutes.
Luna’s actually pretty fast.
“Don’t touch the launch tube! It’s hot!”
I called out as I chased after them.
Looks like each of them successfully grabbed one.
A parachute made of paper. There was a burnt smell coming from the cartridge case. The ones that hit the ground looked pretty worn out.
When I tried to collect them, the three of them shook their heads. You’re keeping them?
With a bright smile,
“I’m gonna hang mine on my tree!”
Kirara declared. Is it like tying a fortune slip?
I imagined the parachutes swaying in the wind and smiled.
“That’s a great idea.”
It’s a very nice decoration.
After playing with fireworks, our stomachs had a little room again.
I think I can get in now.
For dessert, I served some chilled oriental melon I had cut and prepped earlier.
I once bought a fixed variety of Japanese gourd for 50 yen. It’s a yellow gourd that has been grown since ancient times. It’s a traditional vegetable. Apparently it was widely cultivated in Nara.
it’s a strong vegetable, so even with minimal care, they grow well. But when you come to pick the fruit, it’s easy to step on the vines, and while they grow vigorously, they wither quickly too. In my house, it’s a summery delicacy that doesn’t last long enough to be used as an offering for Obon.
I once sold them at a local market, and a man in a car with an Osaka license plate exclaimed:
“Makka ya naa!”(It’s so red)
I was confused—*makka* means “bright red”, but the melons were yellow?
It wasn’t until I got home that I realized in Osaka, they probably call “makuwau-ri” just “makka.”
It felt like something out of a comedy sketch. I laughed about it later in bed.
muskmelon has a light, refreshing sweetness. Not as sweet as Oriental melons, but sweeter than cucumbers. Some taste almost like sweet cucumbers.
Rich, sweet melons are great, but I think Oriental melons mild sweetness is uniquely satisfying.
Back when I did farm work, I used to eat Oriental melons during breaks as a substitute for water.
The ones I grew in this world turned out fairly sweet.
The flesh is crisp and crunchy, and a juicy bite…
“It’s delicious.”
Jude-san said, devouring them with gusto.
“Tasty,”
Luna added. Looks like it’s well received in this world too.
Mimi and Kirara, already familiar with the fruit, were munching happily too.
Melons help cool the body from the inside—perfect for summer.
The heavy, clinging summer heat felt just a little bit lighter.
“Take some home as a gift. For Martha-san too. Kirara, can you bring some?”
“Leave it to me!”
She and Mimi went off to get the rest.
The fun time went by in a flash.
I noticed the smell of smoke had clung to our clothes. Whoops.
I asked them to close their eyes and spritzed a bit of fabric disinfectant and deodorizing spray.
Yep, the smell went away nicely.
I handed Jude-san a bag of melons.
“Be careful, sometimes they explode.”
Oh right—I had to warn him.
“Explode?”
Luna looked startled.
“With a big Bang!”
“They burst open,”
Mimi and Kirara, already used to the exploding watermelons, explain.
Oriental melons tend to ferment inside and rupture easily. Once ripened, they crack open naturally—so it can happen suddenly.
“I’ll be careful,”
Jude-san said, adjusting his grip on the bag.
Good. Be careful, seriously.
“See you later, Saki-san.”
“Yeah. See you.”
I saw Luna and Jude-san off with a wave.
Mimi, Kirara, and I quickly cleaned up. Once done, I stretched and sighed.
Ahh…
I really like this kind of peaceful daily life. If possible, I would like to live a relaxed and enjoyable life without being involved in conflicts.
Now that I’ve saved up a bit, if it’s just me, I might be able to get through the Demon King’s impending crisis by just moving to a place that will be less affected each time.
But I’ve gotten to know more and more people in this town. I’ve come to rely on them—and now, this place is important to me.
Not for some grand cause—but for the people here that I care about—I think I can muster a bit of courage. Fortunately, it seems Hakase-san has some connections at the royal castle.
So I’ll support the heroes. No more holding back. If I can use items generated through my 1000 yen repeat purchase affected by the adaptation skill and deliver them to the heroes, it should help seal the Demon Lord, then I should. Probably. Hopefully.
First, I need to make them believe I’m from the same world. What can I give them that would work?
Something high schoolers like… with a long enough shelf life that can withstand transportation to the royal castle… and not suspicious enough to get confiscated…
This is too hard!
Oh well. I’ll think it over with Mimi and Kirara.
“Mimi, Kirara. I’m counting on you.”
“why so serious all of the sudden? Of course you can count on me!”
“I’ll do my best!”
Heh. They’re two people I can really rely on. I’m not alone anymore, and these two aren’t the only ones I want to protect. I want to protect something bigger than my arms can handle. Because even if only I’m okay, I feel guilty, somehow.
Brace yourself, Demon King.
I don’t really understand, but I hope the heroes will quickly seal him away.
Yes, so that I can enjoy life without a shred of guilt!
For now, this concludes Part 2.
The first part is about Saki suddenly being thrown into a different world and finding her place in it.
The second part is about how the bonds between the characters involved grow stronger, and how she begins to want to protect the other world and do something about the Demon King.
In the third part, they finally cooperate with the heroes to solve the problem of the Demon King,
I’d like to take a short break before we begin part three.
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Tl note:
Its easier to give birth than to worry about it – I guess seeing is believing? / Better to do something than to worry about it
makuwau-ri – oriental melon