Chapter 47
Chapter 47
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Friend - [2]
Serika leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed, glancing back and forth between me and Haruna.
A faint smile played on her lips, but her eyes weren't smiling.
Her hair had even fallen down, casting shadows across her face.
They say reality is always harsher than novels or comics? It's true.
I never imagined I'd witness something like that in real life.
"Brother."
Serika's voice dropped low.
"Who is this? A friend?"
"Ah... let me introduce her."
Right now, I was the picture of politeness. My voice might even come out syrupy.
"I told you about her before, right? The one who made my piano. Haruna. She's the workshop owner and an incredible artisan."
"Ah... so you're that 'master artisan'."
I could feel Serika's wariness easing just a bit.
Serika walked gracefully over to Haruna and offered her hand for a shake. She truly looked every bit the noble now.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Serika, Aiman's little sister. I've heard so much about you."
"Uh... hello. I'm Haruna."
Haruna stood awkwardly and took Serika's hand.
Visually, it was like a noble lady and her maid. But... Haruna held her own.
Because Serika's gaze lingered on Haruna's ample bosom.
'That's cheating.'
I admit it. Breasts that size... yeah, they're fraudulent. The kind of power that turns anyone into a breast-obsessed pervert, young or old, male or female.
Serika wiped the defeated look from her face and smiled sweetly once more.
"By the way, I overheard something when I came in... what was that about a 'maid outfit'?"
"Maybe you misheard?"
"Brother."
"...Yes."
I raised the white flag immediately, and Haruna blinked before opening her mouth.
"That was..."
Haruna's expression was pure innocence. Utterly devoid of malice.
"Aiman... asked me for it after we had some drinks."
"You drank?"
"Yeah... just the two of us."
Serika glanced at me, then at Haruna's "main feature" (her bosom).
"Please go on."
"Aiman said his dying wish was for a woman in a maid outfit to give him a lap pillow..."
"Hold on! Haruna!"
I tried to stop her, but Haruna kept going.
"So, I did it for him..."
Haruna even blushed and covered her face with both hands!
"But just lying down wasn't enough for him. He said looking up from below was better... and insisted the buttons had to be undone."
Serika looked at Haruna's bosom, then back at me, alternating once more.
"I... was so embarrassed I teared up while doing it..."
"So that's what you meant by the 'maid outfit'."
Serika seemed to choose her words carefully. Then, after a moment, she spoke coldly.
"In other words, you got her drunk, made her wear a maid outfit, and had her undo her buttons. Brother."
Despite the icy tone, I caught a hint of relief.
"But seeing her be so honest about it, she really is just a friend. Lovers could never say something like that..."
Serika bowed to Haruna once more.
"You've been through a lot. Having a pervert like my brother as a friend. Please take good care of him going forward."
"Huh? Oh. Yes, got it."
Haruna nodded with a utterly baffled expression.
"I'll go hang out more with Rozina. Brother... do some reflecting, pervert. And I can do that much for you too, so no need to beg."
"..."
"Got it?"
"Yeah. Um. Got it. Yeah."
Serika finally told Haruna she didn't need to do things like that.
Slam.
The door shut. Heavy silence filled the room once more.
I slumped onto the sofa. Sighs just kept escaping me.
"Haruna."
I looked up at her with reproachful eyes.
"You... did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"What?"
Haruna wore a completely clueless expression.
"...Never mind."
Yeah, it was my fault anyway... I'm the guilty one here.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ About ten minutes of deep breathing got us back to a serious mood.
I straightened my posture and cleared my throat.
"Haruna. Enough with the jokes—let's talk about something really important. Might as well while you're here."
"Important talk?"
"Yeah. The potion I mentioned earlier."
I took a sip of water from the table and continued.
"Hmm... I went to the Dragon's Nest last time, you know what that is?"
"I know. It's a tourist spot."
"Man, it really is famous... Anyway, I went through some pretty unbelievable stuff there."
I laid out everything that happened at the Dragon's Nest, one by one.
Meeting the ancient dragon's lingering thoughts. The truths of the world and the tale of the Tree of Sephirot he shared.
And crucially, receiving the 'Dragon Heart Fragment' from him.
Haruna just stared blankly as she listened.
"Dragon...? Lingering thoughts...? Heart fragment?"
She seemed to mull over my words, then suddenly turned serious.
She approached and solemnly placed her hand on my forehead.
"You don't have a fever? Or a cold? Even novels have their limits."
"It sounds like a lie, even to me. Feels weird believing my own story."
How to convince her... Maybe show her the Archmage's pendant?
As I pondered, Haruna spoke up.
"Fine. I'll take it as true for now."
"Good. Let's go with that. I have a feeling that witch's potion I mentioned... is connected to my Dragon's Nest experience."
Haruna nodded. Then she tilted her head, sensing something off.
"Wait, but that potion... exactly when did you get it?"
"When..."
"Aiman. Have you ever actually met a witch?"
"No, never."
Haruna looked flustered.
"I don't know when I got it either."
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said. I have no idea when or how I received this potion."
Hmm... Hard to put into words. Just tell the truth.
"I woke up one day, and it was right by my bedside."
"How'd you know it was a potion?"
"Just..."
"Just?"
"Yeah. Just."
Haruna's face twisted in even greater confusion. She was demanding an explanation.
Alright, here goes.
"...It felt as natural as if it'd been in my pocket from the beginning? Like at some point in the past, a 'fact' was forcibly inserted into reality?"
Haruna just stared at me in bewilderment.
"What does that even mean? I don't get it."
"Hard for me to explain too. The dragon said it: 'Those truly great are unbound by timelines.'"
"So you're saying... the outcome of receiving the potion was set, so the past formed around it?"
"Exactly."
Haruna looked up at me. Our eyes met.
"Right. Right. Total nonsense. That's the idea?"
"Well... I buy it."
"Anyway, what's certain... is that it came from the witch. That much feels solid."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Haruna listened to Aiman's absurd tale, then something clicked in her mind.
'Wait...'
A memory flashed through her head: the Imperial Magic Research Lab she'd visited following Anna.
The list of materials for treating the mana curse that she'd seen there.
[Required materials: Dragon Heart Fragment, Witch's Potion, Abyss Magic Stone...]
Haruna looked at Aiman. He shot back a "why that look?" glance.
'He said he got the Dragon Heart Fragment... and now the Witch's Potion too.'
Ingredients straight out of fairy tales. The kind no living creature could possibly obtain.
Yet... they were magnetically drawn to Aiman's footsteps.
Intended or not.
'Not coincidence.'
The moment she intuited that, Haruna realized every word from Aiman was true.
According to him, curing the mana curse would revive the goddess.
And it was actually... unfolding that way.
As Haruna spaced out, Aiman sighed, mirroring her sentiment.
"But. Haruna."
"Yeah. Go ahead."
"That dragon said he saw potential in me to cure the mana curse."
Aiman ruffled his hair in frustration.
"Honestly, I'm just a powerless nobody. No clue what he saw in me. And he didn't even tell me what to do. If it's a main quest, at least say where to go for the next part."
Haruna's eyes wavered slightly.
"Uh..."
She spoke without thinking.
"Doesn't it feel like it's definitely progressing?"
"What're you talking about?"
"Just... that you're insanely lucky, Aiman."
"Still don't get it. Haruna."
"I mean... even the greatest people don't get to experience the impossible multiple times."
Aiman nodded along to Haruna's words.
"Is that really luck?"
"It is."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A short while later, Elise and Anna came looking for me.
Not knowing exactly what power the potion held, I'd told them I had it—and their reactions were priceless.