Tsukaishi ③ – Awakening Water.
Four days after that.
Fighting the Minos Dolls has become a daily routine.
But it’s not for the sake of a Relic.
Actually, Munieca-san already told me.
At this stage, the Relic [ Silent Auto-Move (Half) ] probably won’t evolve.
She said this outcome was unexpected, and it would likely be impossible without some other external factor.
But the reason I’m still fighting the Minos Dolls is to gain practical combat experience.
I’m lacking in many areas. What I lack most is real combat experience.
The Minos Dolls. Their strength ranges from a standard Minos Unit to a Minos Guardian.
They aren’t particularly strong.
However, they possess the combat techniques of Munieca-san, a Tier I Seeker.
That’s more valuable than going into a Dungeon and fighting Monsters.
So, I’m continuing my lectures with the Minos Dolls.
However, I told Munieca-san about Shardina, and she stopped appearing. She’s banned.
But… no, no, it must be my imagination.
Whenever the other Minos Dolls appear, I’ve started sensing a resentful presence from somewhere.
It’s probably just my imagination, but I think I’ll give Hayyarn a piece of my mind next time.
Now, for the main topic.
The morning after… that late night. The Witch was still the Witch.
But still, she seemed somewhat awkward, smiling to cover it up.
Well, I felt somewhat the same way.
More importantly, there’s Chive-san.
She became bold from drinking and was so incredibly cute that I ended up going too far.
She fainted, so I carried her to the adjacent sofa and cleaned up afterward.
As soon as she woke up, she kicked Shiro-san out and shut herself in the nap room.
Because of that, I almost got into a fight with Shiro-san, and Munieca-san was staring intently at me.
Hmm. It seems Munieca-san has noticed various things.
Given the situation, it’s understandable, but I braced myself for being avoided.
After the lecture, when I went to the bath to wash off the sweat, Chive-san was lying in wait.
Naked, of course. But she didn’t say anything even when I spoke to her, so I also remained silent.
It was like that, but by evening, she was back to normal.
However, I feel like our relationship will never truly go back to the way it was.
From that day on, Chive-san stopped sleeping on the sofa next to me.
She actually tidied up one of the guest rooms and started sleeping there.
I thought I was being avoided, but she talks to me in her usual lighthearted manner.
Also, sometimes she directs a feverish gaze at me from a distance.
When our eyes meet, she looks away. What’s that about?
However.
Somehow, even though we haven’t crossed any lines at all, it feels like we have.
I really need to reflect on my actions.
And then, tonight.
Before dinner, the Witch returned.
She placed a rather fancy bottle on the table.
“Fufu, fufu, fufufu, fufufu, finally, finally, it’s done!”
She looks happy, but somehow her energy is higher than usual.
Munieca-san sighed.
“You’re noisy. What is it?”
“Hmm?”
“What is it?”
“Witch. What is that?”
“Excellent, excellent. Everyone, you asked! This is the Awakening Water!”
What’s with that suspicious-sounding liquid?
The contents… I can’t tell because of the amber-colored bottle.
“Eeeeehhhhh—!? Awakening Water, you mean that—!?”
Chive-san, who had seemed uninterested, was astonished.
“What is it? You’re loud.”
“You’re noisy.”
“Ehh—, Munieca, Shiro, you don’t know—!? Awakening Water is a legendary elixir that makes you awaken and become super strong instantly—!”
“S-Such a thing exists!?”
“I vaguely recall hearing about it somewhere. It was called the Superhuman Drug.”
“Yes—that’s it!”
“Shiro doesn’t know about it.”
“Fufu, fufu, even for Kon, making it took quite a long time.”
“So, Witch, you were out so much until now because you were Compounding this?”
“Well, well, that’s right. Procuring the Compounding ingredients was difficult.”
So that’s how it was.
“Wait, wait—, not only that, the Compounding method for the Awakening Water was supposed to be unknown—how did you find out—?”
“Ah, the Lab!”
I said it reflexively. Chive-san clapped her hands.
“Ahh—so that’s how—!”
The Lab’s database probably has the recipe.
“I see. So that’s what happened.”
“Clever thinking.”
The two of them understood.
“My, my, with Hayyarn’s cooperation, I somehow managed to make it.”
“Hmm. That Lab. It might be more—insane—than I imagined—”
“Well, well, I understand your concerns. I’ve thought about various things regarding that. Now then, Wof-boy. Please have the Awakening Potion.”
“Y-Yes. T-Thank you for this.”
Taking the rather fancy bottle in hand, I drank.
Nn. This is—!? This taste! My memories from my past life clearly indicate it.
This is cola! Flat cola!
Surprised, yet feeling strangely nostalgic, I drank it all.
Instantly, thump, my body and mind trembled slightly.
“—————!?”
What. What. What. What.
What. What. What. What.
My body… —no, my mind… —my soul— is going somewhere. Where?
“Wof-boy!? Wof-boy!?”
“Master! Master!”
“What on earth happened!?”
“Woffy—!?”
I heard voices from afar.
‘Where is this?’
It’s a faintly blue space with white lines running through it.
It looks like a ‘verse’, inorganic.
A sphere with a round frame is floating there.
That is 【Vanish】. Somehow, I know.
A transparent sphere. I suddenly wonder. What is this transparent sphere?
If it’s transparent, it shouldn’t be visible, so why is it a sphere?
Why is this framed sphere round?
It doesn’t have to be round. It could be square or triangular.
‘I see.’
The reason it’s round is because it’s used by hand.
If it’s meant to fit in the palm, round is best.
But why is it used by holding it in the hand?
It doesn’t need to be shaped at all, does it?
‘…Was it unnecessary?’
Like this blue, inorganic space of the frame-verse.
I activate 【Vanish】. The framed sphere appears in my palm.
I’ll take this apart.
‘How?’
No, I understand. This is probably the effect of the Awakening Potion.
Understanding everything, I awaken.
The framed sphere left my hand.
Crown’s 【Vanish】 was also a sphere, but it was separate from his hand.
Right. 【Vanish】 was different at first.
But because it was dangerous, because it was risky, I made it round to fit my palm and ensured it wouldn’t leave.
The first time I used it, I made it safe.
‘Let’s return it to how it was.’
I initialized 【Vanish】.
Returning it to the original 【Vanish】.
The framed sphere vanished easily.
This is fine.
Then, the blue space of the frame-verse began to disappear.
I opened my eyes. My vision was blurry.
Gray, reptilian eyes were staring at me up close, and they widened significantly.
“Ooooh! Everyone—Woffy’s awake—!”
Chive-san? Huh, I was—lying on the sofa.
Was she nearby? Everyone rushed over immediately, relieved to see me.
“Wof-boy! Wof-boy! Are you really alright!?”
I could see the Witch’s panicked face.
“Calm down. How are you feeling?”
Shiro-san asked, looking at me with a gentle voice.
“Master. Please drink this.”
Clink. Munieca-san placed a cup on the table.
“I… collapsed, didn’t I?”
I asked as I picked up the cup.
Thank goodness. I was thirsty.
“Geez—geez—, it was crazy—, the Witch and Shiro were panicking and all—”
“You were too, weren’t you?”
“B-But, I never imagined this would happen!”
“I’m appalled you didn’t even test it first.”
“But, but, I confirmed in the Lab that it had no toxicity or side effects!”
“Even so—you never know what might happen, right—?”
“Witch. When it comes to medicine and Compounding, this is unlike you.”
“Ughh, ughh, I have no room to argue.”
The Witch hung her head and groaned.
As I drank the cold Potion, I thought it was an uncharacteristically elementary mistake for the Witch.
Normally, you’d test it several times on guinea pigs or something to confirm there’s no danger.
The Witch also used guinea pigs and testing equipment, especially for new medicines.
Even if the Lab’s credibility is high, the fact is, I collapsed.
The Witch looked at me. Her moist, amber eyes always make my heart skip a beat.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Wof-boy. It’s Kon’s fault. I apologize.”
She bowed her head deeply. I was taken aback, then chuckled softly.
“…Please be more careful next time.”
“Truly, truly, I am sorry.”
The Witch bowed her head again. She seemed to have reflected on it.
I know that the anxiety and loneliness within her made her rush things.
Shiro-san put down her teacup and asked.
“So, how is it? Do you feel stronger?”
“About that,”
I briefly explained the series of events.
“Hmm, hmm. So you were restricting a spatial-type Relic yourself.”
“You unconsciously suppressed a Relic that manifested in your childhood out of consideration for safety?”
“That happens relatively often. But forgetting about it is quite rare.”
“Hmm—so you remembered it and—undid the restriction, right—?”
“Yes. 【Vanish】 has been initialized back to how it was when it first manifested.”
Chive-san hummed thoughtfully.
Shiro-san asked.
“You’re annoying. What is it?”
“Well—it’s just—for a legendary Awakening Potion… it feels kinda underwhelming—”
“Legends are often like that.”
“But, but! The fact that you realized you’d forgotten and were unconsciously restricting it, Wof (boy), and that restriction was lifted, is all thanks to the Awakening Potion, you know!”
The Witch emphasized her achievement. It seemed like gathering the materials must have been quite the ordeal.
Then, Munieca-san asked.
“What is the reset 【Vanish】 like?”
What kind…
The next day. Morning.
I immediately decided to test the initial 【Vanish】.
The Witch and Munieca were there to observe.
A Minos Doll appeared as the opponent, but…
“…Sh-Shardina…”
“What is the meaning of this?”
There was no mistaking who had appeared there.
It was Shardina, who had been banned from entering.