Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf!, Volume 3, page 22
“Wow, you put a person-sized hole in the wall. Maybe the more you charge it, the stronger... or, rather, the faster it gets.”
“Hm, you will be unable to move while charging. Your specialty lies in overwhelming the opponent with quick, successive hits. This ability may not be well suited to you. Not to mention, it drains you of your vitality.”
“That’s the thing. I’m glad it doesn’t need magic to use, but I’m an amateur when it comes to manipulating energy.”
We continued discussing the trial run of Astroblade’s ability. It really helped to have users of spirit magic and sorcery with me as I tried to figure things out. When the dragon whelps waddled over to spectate, the dim caves grew somewhat lively. I’d gotten used to it by now, but I realized it wasn’t very normal to be hanging out in the Arkdragon’s den. Marie turned her pale purple eyes toward me, then parted her lips.
“Speaking of manipulating energy, monks would be the specialists in that department. It can even be used to heal, right?”
“Apparently, but I’m still a complete novice at it. I only know what someone taught me some time ago.” Monks tended to be solid in build, with a penchant for showing off their muscles. My impression was that they were kind of weird, and they liked teaching things, even though no one would ask. Maybe if they used this sword... No, they had precepts that prohibited the use of bladed weapons. Wridra had been watching the entire time, but her sudden comment threw me off guard.
“That hot pot and sake were simply incredible...”
I thought she was putting serious thought into the issue at hand, but her mind was off in Aomori. But from the perspective of someone who had mastered magic, I understood how hot pots could’ve been more interesting than the Astroblade... Well, not really.
“It really was amazing. Who knew fish could have such a complex flavor?”
“Oh, are hot pots more important to you too, Marie?” She denied that they were, then went right back to excitedly talking about the trip with Wridra. How delicious the food was, how nice it felt to be there, how fast the bullet train was, and the distinct atmosphere of old Japanese houses... The topics were never-ending. Having been stuck in the cat form without a way to speak, Wridra talked as if she was making up for lost time. I was starting to grow bored, so I felt the urge to fuel the flames a bit.
“You know, there are hot springs within walking distance over there. They have a custom called touji, which is healing your mind and body in the hot springs. Apparently, a lot of people visit from afar to partake in the culture.”
““Ooohhh!””
Ah! Their heads trembled vigorously. I mean, it was only our first day there, so we didn’t have much time to go. The girls were so intent on exploring that they ended up just sitting under the kotatsu afterward anyway, but these women had a tendency to forget things that were inconvenient to them, so there was no point in mentioning it. Wridra turned away from me, turning her nose into the air.
“B-But... hot springs are expensive, aren’t they? I’m worried about your budget.”
“Heheh, don’t underestimate the rural country. It’s only 300 yen there. The yellow-green waters are nice to soak in. Would you like to try it when we go back?”
They agreed enthusiastically, but would a cat have even been able to enter the hot springs? We were still on a long vacation, even in the dream world, so I was mostly here to help Marie. That is, a rare structure spell was said to be contained in the ruins, and Marie hoped to upgrade her spirit magic by learning it. Though, I thought her magic was strong enough, even without an upgrade. That was why I wouldn’t have been bothered at all if her research didn’t end up bearing any fruit. I decided to go fishing at a nearby river or something while Marie worked hard...
“Fool, you intend to play around even in your dreams? Now, it is time to train your swordsmanship before you grow fat from eating all that food. You can practice with the new weapon you found.”
It was naive of me to think there was a possibility that this wouldn’t happen. Wridra was a cute little cat in the other world, but this was what I had to deal with as soon as we came back. And so, Marie enjoyed her studying while I sweated like a tightly wrung rag... Wait, it wasn’t supposed to be like this... In any case, we went back to Aomori afterward. The dream world was starting to feel more frantic than reality. Even I was looking forward to going back to Japan.
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I slid the shutters open, greeted by the pleasant, sunny weather. I let out a big yawn, then turned around to find Marie and the cat doing the same thing. The bedding and tatami under the bright sun felt nice every once in a while.
“Good morning. Nice weather again today.”
“Hehe, it’s our second day in Aomori. Hot springs, hot springs!”
The cat raised a paw in triumph, but... cats probably weren’t going to be allowed in. Now, it was somewhat confusing, but this black cat was a familiar, and at the same time, it was an entity that was severed from the dream world. So, it couldn’t return into dreams even if it slept with me, and it had to be resummoned with the Magic Tool on its collar. I had no idea how it worked, though.
“This kitty has a spell weaved into its core. That’s why it can’t be separated from the Magic Tool. Wridra disables the spell when we go to sleep, like putting out a candle.”
“Oh, I get it. Then we need to be careful not to lose it.”
Just then, my grandpa called us over for breakfast. Ahh... So this was what it was like to have someone else taking care of everything. I could spend my time in comfort, but I felt a bit guilty... As I dwelled on it, I was offered a Japanese-style breakfast of sunny side up eggs, rice, seaweed, and miso soup. I experienced a moment of nostalgia as I tasted the flavor of miso soup from the rural country. Oh, and Ms. Elf was adorable, sitting at the dining table, full of curiosity and wearing an expression that said, “I love seaweed!”
“See you later! Be safe now.”
“Okay!” We waved back, a bag containing a towel and a change of clothes in hand.
We were on our way to the local hot springs. It was nice being out in the country for my vacation. The fact that I was able to completely forget about work while just going out nearby was a huge benefit.
“Oh? I thought you forgot about work while in the dream world.”
“Hm, is that what it looks like? I’m not the type to bring work even into my dreams, of course.”
The cat interjected with a meow, as if to say, “So you do forget about it...”
There was someone else we had to give our morning greetings to. A white and brown calf came over from behind the wooden fence.
“Oh, Hana!” Hana flicked her ears, her pure, black eyes looking at us. Hana was far bigger than a human girl, but there was a youthfulness to her big, cute eyes. She moved her recently grown horns closer from between the fences as if to show them off, and Marie rubbed calf’s head around the horns. The sound Hana made when she let out puffs of breath sounded like laughter, and her ears flapped around as if she was loving it. “Sooo cute! Aren’t you a little sweetheart? If only you could come to the hot springs with us.”
“She’ll be happy enough with head pats. Calves love being rubbed around the ears and behind the neck.” I began helping her rub Hana’s head, and the calf’s expression was that of pure bliss. Her eyes drooped, tongue moving sluggishly, and she tilted her head to move closer.
“Oh, my, gosh, so cuuute!”
Apparently, the calf was nothing like what her big body suggested. It seemed Marie was absolutely loving this, and shuddered as the cow let out an “Oof.” As for me, I was having fun watching Marie’s reactions.
Hana waved her tail reluctantly, and we started walking again. We enjoyed a night walk last night, but the path looked completely different out in the sun. Bright greenery, and farmland as far as the eye could see. The lack of anything obstructing my view gave me a strange sense of freedom. We proceeded along the asphalt, the girl and cat stretching leisurely as we walked on.
“I’m surprised by how different the colors are between night and day. It’s just like in anime!”
“I’m glad you seem to like it.”
It really did make me happy to see that they seemed to be enjoying themselves. We slowly continued walking toward the snow-peaked Mount Iwaki. The hot springs spot had a 170 year history, so its building was quite old. But Marie was a bit different from the average person, and she had started learning the Japanese concept of “wabi-sabi,” so she actually had a gleeful expression as she opened the rustic door.
“Oh, I can smell the hot springs already!”
“Huh, you must have a good sense of smell. Maybe it’s because the building is small. I’ll go take care of the payment first.”
The interior looked quite plain and didn’t strike me as a hot spring house at first glance. The elf and cat glanced around at all the aged objects around us. They looked at the homely chairs, lanterns, and the old beer vending machine with great interest. I thought to myself that this place was still in the Showa era as I headed toward the reception area. I began to negotiate with the middle-aged receptionist lady, and I was surprised to find she agreed. She looked at the well-behaved cat, then said it could enjoy the hot springs as long as it was from inside a wooden bucket. It was probably because there weren’t many people around at this time of day, but maybe she wanted to welcome the cute foreigner with this gesture. Or maybe she just liked cats. And so...
I stepped into the yellow-green water, gradually submerging my body into its warmth. The land of healing hot springs smelled of iron, and when I sat down, I felt a grainy texture under my butt. The water was mild and just the right temperature, and I let out a sigh of content. It overflowed onto the tiles, and I sank my body deeper below. The interior was stained and old looking, but there was an air about it that seemed to welcome me to stay as long as I wanted. I looked out the window with such thoughts, then noticed a tree with colorful flowers outside.
Ah, cherry blossoms... Marie must have been looking at them too. Boy, I was completely fooled by the timeworn exterior. With the water coming directly from the hot spring without added heat or water, it couldn’t get any better than this. I submerged myself deeper into the water. Ahh, this is bliss. Who could’ve guessed I would take such a liking to hot springs just from spending time with a half-fairy elf? I had been enjoying the fantasy world, and before I knew it, I was immersing myself in Japanese culture. It was an odd feeling, like I had been bewitched by a fox. The deep breath I exhaled echoed and dissolved into the steam.
Once I left the bathing room, I put on some clothes and stepped outside to find middle-aged ladies chatting and walking by. “So cute,” I heard them say in a Tohoku dialect, with satisfied smiles on their faces.
Apparently, they had taken a huge liking to Marie and the black cat. The women had touched and petted the well-behaved cat as it floated in the wooden bucket with its stomach poking out of the water, narrowing its eyes happily as they did so. Add the fairy-like girl to the mix, and the level of excitement in the bathing room was like that of a festival. Marie told me all about it as we walked around after the bath.
“Hehe, they taught me some words in their dialect. They also told me to go visit them.”
“I’m glad you two seemed to have fun. You can make a lot of connections at the hot springs here, so maybe you could become a resident of the prefecture if you spend time here for a while.”
Seeing the elf and black cat in such a good mood made me smile, too. Yeah, maybe she was a bit of an oddball. Just as I found myself immersed in Japanese culture without realizing it, it was possible that I would end up traveling around Japan in search of different hot springs. I opened a can of juice, the carbonation hissing as I pulled the tab. Now, it was time to show the guests around the tourist attractions of my hometown.
A mini truck slowly moved along the road under the bright sun. The slower pace was due to me not being used to manual transmission, and the fact that there were no cars in front of or behind us. I realized I liked driving at a leisurely pace. Wind blew in from the partially open window and stroked Marie’s lustrous hair. Speaking of Marie, she was having a staring contest with the black cat... which was playing with a stick of chocolate. The cat was glaring at the snack with a serious expression, then swiftly struck at it with a swipe of its paw, but ended up swinging at nothing. If it missed, it would try again, and if it connected, it would get a bite. By the time I realized the game they were playing, we had already arrived at the city streets. The girl looked up to find vivid colors outside of the window. The cat took the opportunity to take a bite, and the girl let out a surprised voice at the same time.
“Oh, wow... Cherry blossoms!”
“We made it just in time. It’s rare for them to bloom at this time of year.”
The blooming season this year was estimated to be much later than the last. Kaoruko, the woman who lived in the same complex as me, told me as much. Now that I thought about it, she had given me the advice to keep it a secret until we got here to maximize the excitement. Thanks to her being so preoccupied with the cat, it ended up being a surprise without me planning for it. The girl stared with lips parted, her twinkling amethyst eyes almost as colorful as the cherry blossoms. Perhaps they had managed to stay bloomed until this day just so they could greet the elven guest from a fantasy world. The car in front of us scattered some petals, which flew over and enveloped our mini truck. Marie’s eyes widened as they followed the petals, and the sight made me wonder if my earlier thought had been right. The black cat, too, stared with its mouth agape.
“W-Wait, so you mean we came here to...?” I smiled, and responded by turning the handle into the parking lot. And so, the residents of the dream world had arrived at Hirosaki Castle for sightseeing. “Oh, look, look! Mount Iwaki!” When we left the parking lot, we saw the snow-peaked Mount Iwaki and cherry blossoms swirling in the air. I didn’t expect to see such a magnificent sight at a place like this. I just had to take a picture.
“Look over here, you two.”
“Umm, what are you doing?”
I took a picture with a snap. The two came up to me, wondering about the shutter sound, and I turned the screen toward them. They saw an image of an elf and a black cat turning around curiously, and they let out a surprised “Ah!” and “Mew!” respectively.
“Wow, an image projection spell that doesn’t need incantations!”
Not quite. Well, they could capture images like this with magic in their world, so it seemed they weren’t too terribly surprised. Though, their method was mainly used for scouting purposes. Such thoughts crossed my mind, but the two of them continued staring at the screen. They cocked their heads curiously, and then their round eyes turned toward me.
“This is so much more clear and pretty than magic!”
“Yeah, you don’t really need high picture quality for scouting, after all.”
They stared at it again with a fascinated expression, and I got the sense that they may have come to enjoy it after all. Even though it had been a while since I’d gotten my smartphone, this may have been the first time I’d actually used it for taking pictures. Well, I was the indoor type, or rather, the in-dream type.
“In this world, you’re supposed to use this to keep memories of your trips. So, let’s take a bunch of pictures of you two walking around Hirosaki Castle.”
“Yeeeah!”
Maybe it was just the briskness of Spring, but we were in an excited, jovial mood. Marie and I held hands and began walking, careful not to step on the cat that was playfully walking near us. Now, there was a path lined with rows of cherry trees known as the Cherry Blossom Tunnel. We could ride down the tunnel by riding the boat nearby, but with so many petals in the air, we were sure to enjoy ourselves no matter where we walked. The cat looked around curiously in the fine weather, managing to keep up with Marie with some effort. Seeing how busy it looked, I picked the cat up in my arms.
“Right, sorry. This is your first time seeing cherry blossoms, isn’t it, Wridra? I’ll carry you, so you can focus on enjoying the scenery.” The cat looked at me with its round eyes, then rubbed its head against my chin as if in thanks. It felt a little ticklish, and I caught a whiff of the smell of hot springs from earlier. Though, I figured I smelled the same way.
And so, Marie ended up holding on to my shirt, looking around in exactly the same way the cat was as we continued walking. The falling petals filled our view with pink, like some earthly paradise, and the elf’s gait began to grow unsteady. I couldn’t blame her, with the sight before us. Spread out before us was the most beautiful view of the year. The girl parted her colored lips and began speaking with a wistful tone of voice.
“The cherry blossoms in Koto Ward already fell a while ago... I didn’t know they’d be so colorful.”
“The cherry blossom front slowly moves northward. We were riding the shinkansen, so we ended up traveling ahead of it.” The girl nodded with a dreamy expression. I was beginning to feel a little worried. Her eyes were relaxed, almost drowsy looking, and her usually pale skin was a bit flushed. I thought about having her rest somewhere, but then she moved her open hand to her side.
Fwoosh...
The sight made the cat and me both widen our eyes. Colorful petals began swirling around her slender hand. They danced in a spiral, the pink color turning into a fascinatingly deep shade of pink. The cat meowed, and Marie seemed to snap back to her senses. The petals dispersed, and I heard people commenting, “That was pretty,” “Did a whirlwind just pass by?” I let out a sigh of relief and looked at Marie to find the color of her eyes looked much more normal than before.
“Oh no, I’ve touched upon the spirits too much. But... this is the first time they’ve come so close to me. I feel like their thoughts and feelings could overflow.”
That was right. She was a spirit user, which was incredibly rare in this world. It was often said that Spring could play tricks on people, but perhaps that was the work of spirits.
