The Funny Show of the Circus (5)
I straightened my back and gave a proper greeting.
“Yes. Hello. I’m Norde, a Bronze Class adventurer.”
To be precise, I was actually Bronze Class (True), but it was all the same anyway. At my confident introduction, Miss Alexandra smiled gently.
“So you’re an adventurer. Interested in the circus?”
“Not really.”
These people must be starving for talent. It seemed that offering a scout right after saying hello was standard procedure in their industry.
“Hehe. What a shame. You look like you have real talent.”
“Right? Right? I think so too!”
─Boing!
Larilura, who had been crouching like a frog, suddenly leaped up and spread both arms wide. It was a pose that perfectly mimicked the hands of a clock pointing to nine o’clock.
“That’s why I’m teaching him juggling! Who knows, he might fall completely in love with the charm of the circus and join our troupe!”
“To think you were hiding such a rotten ulterior motive. I’m shocked.”
“Eek?! Did I say that out loud? Then cancel that☆”
“Words that leave your mouth once don’t get refunds. Tough luck.”
“That’s what he said, Director! Regrettably, it seems you’ll have to give up?!”
Oh, she got it right again. This place was pretty good at comedy routines. Better than the old Korean gag shows.
Miss Alexandra grabbed Larilura’s cheek and pulled. The makeup stretched out like rubber.
“Luri, how many times do I have to tell you? I’ve said it until my mouth went numb—there have been bad things happening lately, so stop doing things that could cause misunderstandings. Did I or did I not?”
“I diiid! I diiid! Buh ih hurds! My makeup’s gonna come ooooff! Bueeeeee!”
“And knowing that, you’re teaching juggling to the neighborhood kids?”
The charismatic ace of the circus troupe had apparently gone off to who-knows-where. I pondered that profound topic for about ten seconds before my thoughts naturally shifted to wondering why Franc’s breasts were so incredibly soft.
“I’m truly sorry. This is all my fault as her guardian. If you’re angry, please direct it at me instead.”
Miss Alexandra bowed her head. From the way she spoke about being a guardian, it seemed she was Larilura’s parent. I shrugged.
“Don’t worry about it. I asked her to teach me because I wanted to learn, so a little light teasing like this is fine.”
It was actually pretty fun, too.
“Thank you. If this child acts rudely, feel free to scold her properly. Please don’t hold back.”
With a graceful smile, Miss Alexandra gave me the familiar user manual for handling Larilura. She bowed elegantly once more and returned to the inn. The abandoned Larilura clutched her stinging cheek and cried. She didn’t even dare touch it, apparently afraid her makeup would smear.
“Uuuuuiiiiiiing… You always only hate me…”
“That’s because you—”
“What did I ever do?!”
I was about to answer but gave up because it was too much of a hassle. A person’s natural personality wasn’t something that changed easily. Larilura grumbled like she was sulking.
“Isn’t getting teased by such a lovely beauty something you should be happy about instead? I can’t understand why you’d get angry.”
“The only reason you’re still alive is thanks to Britannia’s legal system.”
“What? That’s too mean. I mean, sure~? I might cross the line just a teensy bit sometimes~? But if it’s me, you can just take it as cute aegyo, right♡?”
“Anyway, it doesn’t seem to be my fault.”
─Whoosh!
I decided to play along moderately and went back to practicing juggling. I could manage four balls, but from five onward, it felt like the computational power of my big head (IQ 98) had reached its limit.
─Thwack!
A poorly thrown ball fell and smacked me right in the face. The dusty ball touched my lips, and the feeling was incredibly disgusting.
“Fucking hell.”
“Ugh, ptoo ptoo ptoo. Tastes like bean paste.”
─Ptoo! Ptoo!
I was spitting like a horse and wiping my mouth from the unpleasant sensation when Larilura, who had been watching, covered her mouth and burst into laughter as if she’d just had a brilliant idea.
“Hey, hey? How does it feel to be completely outclassed by girls who are way smaller than you while you’re stuck in place♡?”
“What?”
This bitch was crossing the line now. Larilura pointed at Franc and Erika while giggling and provoking me.
─Swish swish swish swish!
An incredible number of balls were moving continuously in Franc’s hands. While I had been distracted for just a moment, Franc had already succeeded in juggling more than ten balls. When compared like this, the difference in ability was ridiculously huge. If my dexterity was 1, Franc’s was probably around 20. Roughly twenty Nordes. In monetary terms, hands worth about forty silver.
“Aren’t you frustrated from failing so much~? If you call me ‘Seon-bae,’ I could kindly coach you from the side, you know~♥?”
Larilura cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone. A vein popped slightly on my forehead.
“Senior my ass. I’ll figure it out myself, so just watch quietly.”
“It’s good to have pride, but~ I think it’s also wise to know when to compromise at the right moment. I could give you some good tips, you knooow?!”
─Poke!
Since she kept messing around, I jabbed her in the side. At my surprise attack, Larilura twisted her body in exaggerated delight. Since the director auntie had given permission for violence, there would be no more mercy in my attacks. Larilura clutched her waist with wide eyes and protested.
“Y-you surprised me and made me let out a weird sound! What are you doing to your heavenly senior?!”
“Ah. You don’t know? This is called Vector-True Education.”
I answered. Vector-True Education was Earth’s hero’s ultimate technique for raising cheeky brats into proper youths. It could be called a skill befitting the heroes of children.
“Behold the realm beyond the heavens.”
Slightly pissed off by Larilura’s provocation, I raised both hands into spear-hand form.
“「Vector-True Education」.”
“Kyaaah?!”
─Poke poke poke poke poke poke!
My spear-hand strikes stabbed rapidly into both sides of her waist! The technique I had learned back when I was a 0th dan in Taekwondo—before I sprained my finger and quit the dojang—had its seal broken here in this other world!!
“Yah─! Yah─! Yah─! Yah─! Yah─!”
“W-wait, wait a second?! Kyahut! S-stop, stop it for real!”
─Flip!
Larilura escaped my Vector-True Education with a back roll. A true clown’s white-dumpling tumbling evasion! She was a genuine master!
“Just because I teased you a little, you go this far?! Apologize right now!”
Larilura clutched both sides of her waist and protested furiously. Well, I had stabbed her plenty and my mood had improved, so apologizing wasn’t hard.
“Ugh… I was wrong.”
“Good. This kind-hearted me will forgive you☆!”
Fuck, she actually bought that. The circus troupe ace’s gang tax was ridiculously cheap.
“Ah, by the way, about that tip I mentioned earlier. Want me to teach you? I’ll show you if you try it.”
“What is it?”
Curious, I asked. It probably wasn’t a method with only advantages. Since it wasn’t normal, she must have been reluctant to teach it.
“It’s more of a cheat than a tip! Simply put, you use mana while practicing juggling!”
Larilura made an X with her fingers.
“It’s a method only people who can use mana can attempt. You might pick up some bad habits, but if you do it well, it’s possible to settle the senses gained from handling mana into your bare body as well☆!”
“Bad habits?”
“You can’t adapt to the difference in sensation depending on whether mana is present or not. A lot of people get stuck at high-level acrobatics because of that. If you want to give up, I’ll understand!”
“Whether I give up or not, I’ll know after trying.”
This was the kind of training you saw in martial arts novels—like ‘standing on bamboo’ or something. It wouldn’t ruin me if I failed, but it still felt annoying and frustrating.
“Hehe. How motivated☆! Then you’ll try it, right?”
“Of course. ──「Transformation」.”
It had been a while since I struck a pose and activated Beast Regression.
─Whoosh!
Careful with my strength control, I attempted juggling five balls. No, since I had Beast Regression on, calling it an ‘attempt’ felt embarrassing.
─Swish swish!
Fuck, these little shits were moving so well. Why didn’t they do this when I was the one juggling?
“Is it because of you, my body?”
Did that mean that without mana, Norde was just a muscle-brained idiot? Irritated, I turned off Beast Regression. Immediately, the sensation in my hands and feet dulled and controlling my strength became difficult.
“……Hmm?”
─Thud thud!
The balls slipped from my grasp and fell. Larilura smiled brightly beside me. She must have thought she’d get poked again if she kept acting up, because she stayed quiet. But I was more focused on the difference in my own senses. When mana was active, I had a faint grasp of the proper way to throw and catch the balls.
I picked up the fallen balls and pondered the reason.
‘Ah. Beast Regression is normally different from regular mana reinforcement.’
The Beast Regression magic, which could be turned on and off without chanting, activated and deactivated much faster than my clumsy mana control. That was why, unlike others, I could feel the difference in sensation between using mana and not using it more quickly and accurately.
‘This…… might actually work?’
The reason this was considered a bad cheat was probably because the presence or absence of mana created confusion in sensory differences. But that wasn’t a problem for me. If I got confused, I could instantly activate Beast Regression without chanting to restore the sensation. For me, the downside of this cheat basically didn’t exist.
“Kiyoooooooot!”
I got back into the stance of the Heavenly Demon and challenged juggling once more. One, two, three… The more I repeated it, the better I got!! At the speed of my improvement, Larilura’s face gradually stiffened as she watched my juggling.
“──So slow. Even the falling is sluggish.”
Papapa-pat─!
About ten minutes after starting practice? My body was gradually acquiring sensitive and perfectly precise movements even without using mana. It was the same as a sports athlete repeating something thousands or tens of thousands of times to barely obtain the ‘correct form’—except I was acquiring it in cheat mode!
Aah── I had forgotten.
My talent wasn’t in handling mana or physical techniques.
──It was the potential of this Beast Regression.
“I roughly understand your level now.”
Pat!
I stood firmly on one foot. Juggling five balls had already become so boring I wanted to die.
“Larilura. Give me five more.”
“Eh? What?? A-are you using mana right now?”
“HELL NO.”
Mana was now nothing more than a luxury. I spoke in a solemn, lowered voice.
“Throw them, Larilura. Accept your fate.”
“I-I don’t really understand what you’re saying… but I’ll really throw them, okay?”
“No, um, throw them moderately. Moderately.”
I quickly corrected myself because I got a bit scared. I wasn’t confident I could catch them if they came flying too fast.
─Swish swish!
I caught the incoming balls well and continued juggling. Ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds… Even after that, not a single ball fell. I had succeeded in ten-ball juggling.
“Pathetic.”
My realm had already reached complete maturity. I lowered both arms and caught all the rubber balls.
“But I like it.”
─Shashashack!
I set down the rubber balls that filled both my arms. Larilura, whose mouth had fallen open, finally moved her lips and spoke.
“Hey. Are you really not interested in the circus?”
“Hehe. Sorry, but I have a different dream I want to pursue.”
“Haa. That’s too bad.”
Even as Larilura drooped her shoulders, her eyes sparkled with interest.
“Alright. Then shall we move on to the next? You can keep up, right☆?”
What a pointless question. I grinned and spread both arms wide.
“Bring it on!”
─Ding! Diiing!
That was when I was repeating high-level juggling practice with Larilura. I was attempting the third stage—‘juggling with sticks’—when the clock tower suddenly began to ring.
What now? I looked over and saw the clock on the tower pointing to twelve. Did that mean it was time to eat?
“Ah, it’s lunchtime☆!”
─Boing boing!
Larilura, who had been coaching my juggling, hopped over to Franc like a little kid. I followed after her with a stick tucked under my arm.
“Big sis Franc and Mr. Norde, what are you going to do for lunch~?”
“Hmm. I’m not sure? Nord, what do you want? I’m not really hungry yet.”
Franc, who had been organizing the balls, asked. Lunch, huh. Other than dealing with the stray cats, I hadn’t done much today, so I wasn’t particularly hungry either.
“Let’s just eat at some nearby shop. Larilura? It’s fine if I come back later to keep learning, right?”
“Yes☆! From the afternoon onward I’ll be busy with rehearsal and checking the show plans, so please come tomorrow morning! Ah, Erika? It’s lunchtime for you too, so you have to go back, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then take this!”
When the quiet girl nodded, Larilura smiled and pulled out a small paper-wrapped item.
“Ta-da! This is a present from me to Erika☆!”
“Eh……?”
“Ah, don’t feel too burdened, okay? It’s just a sandwich that’s good for lunch!”
Flustered by the surprised reaction, Larilura placed the sandwich in Erika’s hands.
“I’d like to see you off, but people from the circus troupe tend to be disliked by the older, stricter adults at the orphanage☆ I might get scolded by the director too, so I’ll give up this time♡”
“Ah……”
“Eat this secretly on the way! You can’t be late, and if I give you too much the director might get suspicious and throw it away☆!”
At the cheerful tone, Erika widened her eyes. Franc thought for a moment before asking.
“Um, then Erika? Would you like us to take you back instead?”
“Yeah. That might look suspicious, but if it’s just nearby it should be fine.”
I agreed with Franc’s suggestion. It was daytime so it was safe, but you never knew. Besides, meeting like this was fate. I’d ask the cats to watch over her so nothing bad happened. Orphans were especially easy targets for kidnappers.
Erika glanced at us hesitantly before speaking.
“T-then, Big Sis Franc. Could I ask you to take me just nearby?”
“Sure! And you don’t have to be so polite with me.”
The two of them spoke comfortably. It seemed they had gotten closer while juggling during the time I was giving Larilura Vector-True Education. I also said goodbye to Larilura.
“Take care, Larilura. See you next time.”
“Yeees~☆!”
We parted ways with the circus girl who never dropped her high energy and headed toward the orphanage.
“Nom……”
Erika ate the sandwich as she walked. Seeing her devour it like she was possessed, it looked like she didn’t usually get to eat well. When she finished her meal, I asked.
“Erika. Did you sneak out of the orphanage without the director knowing?”
─Flinch!
Erika trembled at my question. Franc must have been thinking the same thing because she gave a bitter smile.
“The fact that you have to be back before lunchtime means you need to return before the director gets back, right?”
“N-no, that’s… um……”
“I’m not planning to tell the director, so relax.”
I comforted Erika with those words. Sneaking out without a guardian’s knowledge to go play was a common act of rebellion for kids that age, so I understood it well. It was probably similar to jumping the school fence at lunch to go to the snack shop. At least there weren’t any kidnappers near the middle school snack shop.
When I waited for her answer, Erika flinched and said,
“I also… wanted to become someone who can show off cool performances like Big Sis Larilura……”
“…What did Larilura say?”
“I haven’t… asked her yet……”
“Haa……. I see.”
I let out a deep sigh. Seeing how well she juggled at such a young age, she probably had talent, but making a living with it was an entirely different matter. And Miss Alexandra didn’t seem like she’d allow it at all.
“Alright. I won’t meddle or butt in. Still, don’t wander around at night. During the day, avoid the back alleys too.”
“Yes.”
I wasn’t sure how much weight my words carried, but we saw Erika off as she returned to the orphanage. I attached three cats to her and asked them to come to the inn where I was staying if anything happened.
“Nya-nya─! (Okay─!)”
“Meoooow! (Got it!)”
The three cats were completely won over by the promise of fish until their bellies burst and began circling the orphanage. I could only hope those furry little CCTV cameras would do their job well.