“The rice fields are so peaceful.”
We had left the town behind and come out into a wide-open area surrounded mostly by rice paddies.
“Yeah.”
The breeze felt nice, too.
“But there isn’t a single person around.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me if a bear showed up instead.”
“Aren’t there no bears in Kyushu?”
Really?
“No idea. Guess I didn’t study enough.”
“Well, we really did end up as middle school graduates.”
That’s… kind of depressing.
“Well, the others are probably—hm?”
“Something just moved over there, didn’t it?”
“You saw it too?”
Something had definitely moved in the small settlement beyond the rice fields.
“I don’t think we imagined it.”
“What was it?”
“A car, maybe?”
Even from this distance, I could make out something brown speeding along.
“Whether it’s humans or demons, should we try getting their attention?”
“Walking all the way there would be a pain.”
Ayaka and I started waving both our arms.
The vehicle driving beyond the rice fields came to a stop.
“I feel like someone’s watching us.”
“They probably are.”
We were still a considerable distance away.
Though with binoculars, they’d have no trouble seeing us.
“Let’s keep waving.”
“Yeah. Hey!”
We continued signaling.
The vehicle started moving again.
After turning onto another road, it headed straight toward us.
“Looks like we got a bite.”
“Now let’s see… human or demon… Actually, it looks like the Self-Defense Forces.”
Looking more closely, the brown vehicle was painted in camouflage.
“Perfect. Yuu, I’ll do the talking.”
“I’m counting on you.”
A woman would probably make a better impression in a situation like this.
We waited as the military vehicle stopped about ten meters in front of us.
A young man and woman in camouflage uniforms stepped out.
Both had submachine guns slung over their shoulders.
“Who are you two?”
“This area is off-limits.”
They didn’t point their guns at us, but their tone was firm.
“Sorry! We’re content creators, but we got lost!”
Ayaka answered in an intentionally airheaded voice.
“…Sigh. Another pair like you.”
“Filming videos around here is prohibited.”
“Huh? Really?”
Ayaka tilted her head with an innocent expression.
“…Sigh. Do you have any identification?”
“Well… I don’t have a driver’s license or anything. Would an old student ID work?”
As Ayaka said that, the female soldier raised one hand toward her partner.
After he nodded, she walked over to us.
“Let me see.”
“Here you go.”
“Oh, mine too.”
I reached into my pocket, secretly pulling my student ID out of my spatial magic, and handed it to her.
“Hmm… A school in Tokyo.”
“We’re classmates,”
Ayaka chirped.
“We’re planning to get married next year… right?”
“Yeah!”
I nodded a little too enthusiastically…
“…Sigh. Marriage is a wonderful thing, but this area is dangerous. You need to go home immediately. Kumamoto City?”
“Yes. But we walked all the way here, so our feet really hurt.”
“I can carry you, you know.”
“No way. Mr. Weakling couldn’t manage it.”
Hey…
I may be a mage, but I’d spent years training in another world. Carrying someone wouldn’t be a problem.
Not that this was the time to say so.
“Alright, alright. We’ll drive you there. Just wait a moment.”
Looking completely exasperated, the female soldier returned to her partner.
After quietly discussing something, they went back to the vehicle, where she began speaking over the radio.
“…Can you hear them?”
Ayaka asked.
I quietly used magic to sharpen my hearing.
Then I caught the woman’s voice, along with the response over the radio.
“…They’re saying they’ve taken two idiotic civilians into protective custody. Orders are to get us back into the city as quickly as possible, then resume patrol.”
“…Looks like it’s working.”
“…Yeah.”
After a short wait, the female soldier returned.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. We’ll take you into Kumamoto City. One question first—are you carrying any weapons?”
I decided to play the role of the dumb boyfriend and flexed my bicep.
Though with my clothes on, nobody could actually see it.
“Wow, Yuu, you’re amazing!”
My equally dumb girlfriend clapped with a big smile.
“…Sigh. Get in.”
Apparently convinced we were just a pair of clueless lovebirds, the female soldier headed back toward the vehicle.
We followed and climbed into the back seat.
The vehicle pulled away almost immediately.
“Hey, have you ever fought a demon?”
Ayaka asked the woman riding in the front passenger seat.
“I have. They’re terrifying monsters. You two should stay as far away from them as possible.”
“I actually wanted to see Mount Aso more than anything.”
That part wasn’t a lie.
“No. Just stay away from the restricted area and spend your time safely in the city.”
“She said no.”
“Guess it can’t be helped. Shouldn’t we chase after the Spear Guy instead? That’d probably get us a lot of views.”
…Nice one, Ayaka.
“Spear Guy?”
Huh?
“Miss, you don’t know about him? I saw it on social media. Apparently, a guy carrying a spear went on a rampage in the entertainment district.”
“Ah, that one. It’s dangerous, so don’t go near the entertainment district either. Ah—wait, you two probably wouldn’t go there anyway.”
Hm?
“Is it really not okay to go there?”
“What? The entertainment district?”
Huh?
“What?”
“Who knows?”
Ayaka and I looked at each other and tilted our heads.
We genuinely had no idea.
“Where do you two usually live?”
Uh…
“In a normal residential area. We don’t really go outside much.”
Ayaka gave a good answer.
“And yet you came all the way out here? Well, whatever. The entertainment district isn’t very safe, and there are a lot of temptations there, so you should avoid going.”
Temptations…
Ah!
Was she talking about that entertainment district in the other world?
The place where, after learning such things existed in that world, the four of us guys spent the entire night at the inn debating whether we should go or not?
In the end, we never made it there…
No, wait.
We chose not to go.
It’s a secret, but…
I actually have someone I like.
“A place with bars and stuff?”
Ayaka asked.
“Probably. We don’t drink, so there’s no reason for us to go there anyway.”
“Yeah, true.”
Ayaka nodded with a skeptical look.
She probably understood what I meant.
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