Chapter 20: Sharky Doo-Doo-Doo-Doo-Doo
Sharky Doo-Doo-Doo-Doo-Doo
The destination for Bella, the Black Knight, Norn, and Shala was the city of mages—【Stardust】.
More precisely, the central urban district known as the Starlight District.
'Starlight' was the most vibrant and bustling entertainment hub in the city.
Centered around massive shopping malls and commercial streets, hundreds of shops, restaurants, cafes, and performance venues lined the area, alongside various amusement facilities powered by magical engineering.
Magic-powered thrill rides, illusion theaters, magical duel arenas, street performances, and festivals were held daily, drawing students and young mages who crowded the streets from dawn till dusk.
At night, the city shimmered under the glow of magical lights adorning the buildings like starlight, with laughter and music filling the air until late hours.
Incidentally, students from Valentine Garden often visited this place on approved outings during holidays.
It had become something of a cultural tradition—browsing new magic tools, dining with friends, or testing their skills in duel simulators.
VROOOOOOM—!!!
Having been summoned to the heart of Starlight, the four began discussing their plans.
"IT'S SO HUUUUUUUUUGE—!!!"
"Fuckin' massive."
Never mind. Two of them were too busy gawking at the dazzling streets to hold a proper conversation.
"In that case, I'll support you all from afar."
Whoosh.
Shala bowed slightly as she addressed Bella and the Black Knight.
"Huh? Shala, you're not coming with us?!"
"As I said—I'll be supporting you from afar. Hehe."
Shala's relaxed smile made the Black Knight immediately grasp her intent.
"So you're gonna snipe any assassin bastards lurking around."
"Eeeek...!!"
Bella recoiled at his blunt explanation.
"Uuuu~! I wanna play with Shala too~!"
Norn puffed her cheeks in protest, prompting Shala to gently pat her head.
Pat. Pat.
"Don't worry. I'll be watching over you from a distance, so feel free to enjoy yourselves."
"Uuuu. Fine, if you say so."
Whoosh.
Norn turned toward the crowded streets.
"Then follow me, both of you—!!"
At her confident declaration, Bella tilted her head.
"Wait, where are we going?"
"To buy the limited-edition 'Shamek-kun' hat—!!"
Pat. Pat.
Norn lovingly stroked the shark-themed cap she was wearing.
"You know where it is?"
"Fufufu~! I memorized the route from maps countless times just for today—!! Follow me—!!"
___. ___
Five minutes later.
"Uwaaaaaah... Where the hell even is this place...?"
Plop.
Norn collapsed onto a bench, her pupils trembling as she looked at the other two.
"Fucking idiot."
Thud.
The Black Knight sat down beside her, unimpressed.
"Hey... Watch your language in front of a kid."
At Bella's scolding, the Black Knight scoffed.
"This brat looks at least fifteen. She's past the 'kid' stage."
"Thirteen years old."
"What the fuck."
The Black Knight recoiled at Norn's answer.
"Kids these days grow up fast, I hear."
Siv chimed in, prompting Bella to shout.
"Oh right—SIV!! You could've just searched for us—!!"
"Huh. Yeah."
The Black Knight realized they had a high-performance AI all along and hadn't even thought to use it.
"You didn't call for me."
"I'm calling you NOW—!!"
As Bella argued, Siv sighed.
"Sigh. I dislike being used for trivialities, but fine. Searching now."
Beep-beep-beep-beep!
Bella's phone screen flickered rapidly before—
"Found it. There's a pop-up shop 11 kilometers west of here."
"Oooooooh—!! Thank you so much~!"
Norn beamed at Siv gratefully.
"More importantly, stock is displayed too. Only six left."
"EEEEEEEEEEH—!!!"
Norn shrieked at Siv's follow-up report.
"Shouldn't we hurry?"
At Bella's question, Norn flailed in panic.
"W-we need to catch a bus RIGHT NOW—!!"
"Down to two left in stock."
"KYAAAAAAAAAA—!!! PLEASE—!! The limited-edition Shamek-kun hat is in-store purchase ONLY...!! If I miss this, it's over...!!"
"You're loaded, right? Just buy it off someone who got it."
"Oh. That could work."
Bella nodded at the Black Knight's suggestion.
"You don't understand...!! Shamek-kun fans would NEVER sell, even if I offered hundreds of millions...!!"
Norn's eyes burned with an almost fanatical intensity.
Today, she would obtain that hat—no matter what.
And judging by her conviction, other fans likely shared the same fervor, making her desperation somewhat understandable...
"Understandable my ass. Anyone would sell for that much cash."
Just roll with it. For narrative purposes, just accept it.
"Next bus arrives in twenty minutes."
"Even by magic taxi, it's a thirty-minute trip."
"Uwaaaaaah... This... This can't be...!!"
Norn slumped in despair.
"............."
The Black Knight stared down at her for a moment before...
"Hey."
He called Bella.
"Yeah?"
"Didn't you have some spatial movement magic or something?"
"Yeah, but long-distance teleportation only works to pre-marked locations. Otherwise, it's limited to a few meters at most."
"That's enough."
Whoosh.
"Eh? What are you—?!"
The Black Knight scooped Norn up into a princess carry.
"W-w-w-what are you DOING?! That's a princess carry!!"
Bella's face flushed red as she gawked at the Black Knight's actions.
"Quit whining. You're piggybacking."
"Huh?"
___. ___
WHOOOOOOSH—!!!
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!!!"
This was the sky above Starlight.
Fwoosh—!!
A blue holographic magic circle hovered midair.
Fwoosh—!!
From it emerged the Black Knight carrying Norn, with Bella clinging to his back.
WHOOOOOOSH—!!!
And they were moving at insane speeds.
"HEYHEYHEYHEYHEY—!!! THIS ISN'T WHAT I MEANT—!!!"
Bella's face contorted from the wind pressure as she yelled at the Black Knight.
"Fast, right?"
Thud.
WHOOSH—!!!
The Black Knight landed atop a building before leaping back into the sky.
Hum.
Then, Bella's magic circle enveloped them and—
Fwoosh—!!
Teleported them several meters forward.
"Such splendid magic coordination~!"
Norn marveled at their teamwork.
The Black Knight dashed across rooftops at breakneck speed while Bella's spatial jumps shortened the distance.
In the end, they covered the 11-kilometer trip in just two minutes.
___. ___
Thud.
"BLAAAAAAAAAAARGH—!!!"
Bella immediately hurled into a trash can.
"Ugh... What's wrong with her...?"
"She's pretty, but why...?"
Passersby recoiled at Bella's display.
Creak.
When Norn emerged from the pop-up shop, the Black Knight asked:
"Any left?"
"S-sold out..."
At her despondent expression, the Black Knight clicked his tongue.
"All that bullshit for nothing. Pisses me off."
Clank. Clank. Clank.
As he strode into the store, Norn blinked in confusion.
"W-what are you doing?!"
"Shaking 'em down."
"EEEEEEEEH—!!!"
Three minutes later...
Creak.
"Uh... uhhh...!!"
The Black Knight stepped out, holding a plastic-wrapped black shark hat.
"UUUUUUUUH—!!!"
Pitter-patter-patter—!!
Norn sprinted toward him, eyes sparkling.
Glomp—!!
And hugged him with her tiny arms.
"Th-thank yooooou...!! I wanted this so baaaaad...!!!"
"Chill. Here."
Plop.
He placed the packaged hat atop her head.
___. ___
Three minutes earlier...
"Heard you're sold out."
"Yes, sir. Apologies, but perhaps another product—"
The clerk was mid-apology when the Black Knight cut in.
"I came here on 'Row Manis' recommendation."
"!!!!!!!!!!"
The clerk stiffened at the name.
"Th-that person is interested in our merchandise...?!"
Flick.
The Black Knight flashed a golden card from his wallet.
"Eeeek...!!"
The clerk stumbled back in terror.
"Charge it under 'Touka.' And yeah, it's for that limited shark thing."
Long ago, his old friend Row had given him this card.
Row was the heir to the megacorporation 【Manis Industry】—until his rebellious phase hit, and he handed succession to his older brother to become a teacher instead.
Before leaving, he gave this ultra-VIP card to his delinquent friend, usable for all sorts of perks at select stores.
The Black Knight had mostly used it for groceries, but now...
Even in death, he found a use for it.
(Though using it under his own name would cause chaos, so he borrowed Touka's instead.)
___. ___
"Hehehe~! Does it suit me?!"
Norn grinned brightly, now wearing the black shark hat.
"Guess so."
The Black Knight's half-hearted reply didn't dampen her smile.
"I knew it~~!!"
"BLAAAAAAAAAARGH—!!!"
"How long is this idiot gonna keep puking?!"
The Black Knight glared at Bella, who had filled the trash can to the brim.