Chapter 32
Um… could it really be today—the “public auction”?
I’d heard it would be sometime this month, but since the older sister hadn’t mentioned it at all, I thought maybe it had been pushed to next month… No, maybe it’s my fault for not following the news.
“Ah, it’s today. Hey, older sister, can we watch this auction?”
“That’s fine. I’m curious too. If I recall… these are magic stones harvested from the super-large Tenshou-class monster that appeared during the Odaiba incident. Their value might be the highest since dungeons first appeared.”
“Wow, such big magic stones have that much value… And only famous companies are participating in the auction. I wonder what they’ll use them for?”
The older sister forgot too? Meanwhile, my heart is racing knowing suddenly how much money could come in.
“Kasumi, you don’t know how magic stones are used, do you? Magic stones constantly emit magic power into their surroundings. So, if you don’t carry them in a special case or a dimension space, they lose magic outside the dungeon and just become ordinary stones. That makes sense, right?”
The older sister began her lecture on magic stones.
We do learn some basics at school, but in reality, we don’t really know how they’re applied.
I do know that they are “necessary for developing products that handle magic energy” and “being researched for use as a power source.”
“First, armor that generates a magical field—obviously it uses magic stones. But humanity doesn’t yet fully understand the best configuration for the field. You need a lot of magic stones to experiment. Next, ‘high concentrations of magic interfere with electronics and complex machinery.’ To prevent that, products need to be protected in a field. Now, companies are beginning to adopt this mechanism for all products, so magic stones are needed for that research too.”
“I see… so even to prevent existing products from going haywire from magic, you still need more magic…”
“And this is the most important. As research progresses, used magic seeps into the land and air, turning it into a ‘place where magic is normal.’ The residual magic remains, naturally regenerates, and returns to usable magic. In other words, it becomes a ‘place where new laws have emerged, a land that has evolved.’ Somehow, this differs by continent. In that sense, Japan, being an island, can be considered advanced magically.”
I can sort of understand that. I know foreign devices sometimes don’t work properly in Japan—magic seems to be seeping more into the land here than elsewhere.
This magic stone will likely accelerate that process even further.
“Whoever researches the auctioned magic stone, the country’s overall magical density will rise. And the chance of product malfunctions will increase. Companies with abundant magic and magic stones will have the advantage. This auction will surely get intense.”
“I see… I’m more curious about the actual money changing hands in front of me.”
“Yes… these magic stones carry such significance that when companies compete for them, amounts of money we rarely see in daily life will move. Broadcasting this live… the government is bold.”
…Actually, it seems the older sister somehow orchestrated this so that the government would act like this.
Ah, her expression says, “This magic stone is actually mine!”
“Nee-san, do you want more rice?”
“Eh? Hmm… I want to start drinking soon, so no more rice.”
“Got it, I’ll bring it over.”
I distract her and quietly watch the broadcast while she sips beer from both hands.
“Anyone else? Then, at 760 million—”
“800 million!”
“Bidding of 800 million from Shinozaki Heavy Industries!”
“900 million!”
“Bid of 900 million from Labyris Corporation!”
…What do I do? My heart hurts. These are hundreds of millions, and the bids keep rising by hundreds of millions.
Kasumi and Misaki can cheer as casual spectators, but I’m already terrified at how much money could be involved…
“Akira, how much do you think this will go for? Not just enough to live luxuriously for life, but even if you live fairly extravagantly, it would still be more than enough, right?”
“…Sorry, I can’t even imagine.”
“In my view, this is probably just the start. Companies are testing how serious others are with small bids, gauging the competition.”
“Wow, Misaki seems pretty knowledgeable. Why do you think that?”
“The highest past magic stone sale was 1.2 billion yen. That was a smaller Tenshou-class monster than this one. Companies that haven’t bid yet are likely waiting for the later stage to jump in aggressively. Once these small bids settle, they’ll probably flood in.”
Misaki’s analysis was correct.
In the latter half of the auction, the bids skyrocketed:
“Japan government offers 2.7 billion—”
“8 billion!”
Suddenly, massive bids shocked the venue into silence.
“Ah… 8 billion from Akimiya Company—”
“9 billion!”
“9 billion from USH Heavy Industries—”
“12 billion!”
“12 billion from Ishizaki Bank—”
My head is spinning. I should probably stop watching.
The other three are enjoying it, but I just want to quietly eat… Oh, sweet-and-sour pork is delicious…
After the auction, I only heard that USH Heavy Industries, a major domestic heavy machinery and shipbuilding company, won. I didn’t ask the final price.
Older sister… I’ll leave the rest to you.
“Phew… too bad Misaki’s still 19. If she were 20, we could have drunk together…”
“Ahaha, I’ll turn 20 at Christmas. Then we could, maybe.”
“Wow! So Misaki gets double cake—birthday and Christmas? Lucky!”
It was time for Misaki and Kasumi to head home. I offered to walk them to the station, but Kasumi said, “We’re fine,” so we just saw them off at the house.
…Well, with Misaki there, our safety was pretty much guaranteed.
“Only one cake per year, and only one present. You’re at a loss, you know?”
“How pitiful… okay, older sister will celebrate for you this year, double!”
“No, that’s too much. I’m old enough not to ask for presents or cake anymore.”
Ah, the older sister has frozen. I get it—she was totally expecting to be celebrated, totally expecting to receive presents.
…Maybe I should prepare a Christmas present for her.
After seeing the two off, I tidied up the living room.
It had been a lively day, but days like this are nice. They give life a sense of rhythm, and having memories like this makes you appreciate the everyday, the calm, the ordinary.
“Akira—being celebrated by three beautiful women at once? That’s not something that happens often in life, you know? Make sure you remember today properly!”
“You said something similar not too long ago at McDonald’s, didn’t you?”
“Did I? …But well, it was fun being celebrated like this, wasn’t it? And you’re getting a massive amount of money in your pocket too. In a way, it’s the perfect birthday present.”
“Older sister… I won’t ask about the actual amount, but I get that it’s an enormous sum. What are you planning to do with it?”
“Hmm… I think living here with you would be fine, but this is just a normal house for a normal family. Once we really start operating, I want to have the clan officially recognized by the government and set up an office. So, the goal is to build a base that serves as both office and home—comfortable, sturdy, and fully equipped.”
“I see… I’m honestly impressed that you don’t plan to waste it.”
“Of course! …Together with you, Akira, we’re finally going to aim for the farthest reaches of the dungeon. I won’t spare any effort for that. Can I leave money management and preparing the base to you? Of course, I’ll pay your allowance properly. That core belongs to both you and me, so we’ll split the proceeds evenly.”
“Allowance system, please… I feel like I’d morally decay otherwise…”
“All right! I’ll pay a fixed amount every month, so make sure you manage it properly!”
With this money coming in, I could finally put the Odaiba incident fully behind me.
All that remains now is to wait for next month, when the results of the explorer exam will be announced, and to start moving seriously toward advancing my studies.
Autumn ends. Winter comes.
My period of moratorium—the time where I could remain a child—was steadily drawing to a close. That’s how it felt.
“By the way… who are you going to go out with—Misaki or Kasumi girl? I don’t think having a harem is ethically okay, you know?”
“Why does it always come to that kind of question!? I’m not going out with either of them!”
“Eh… what, Akira, are you aiming for the older sister then?”
“No comment.”