Kuzu Inou【Ondo wo Kaeru Mono】 no Ore ga Musou suru made Chapter 55

55 Fox in the hill

I give up…I completely lose sight of her.

After that, the blushing Kirishima-san raised her speed without even looking back, and when I realized it, she has already disappear from my vision.

You can say that I can use my secret move 『Ignition』 to gain momentum and chase after her, but as expected, if I drop this battery……when I think about it, I don't dare to use it.
In addition, there's the side effect which is that strong wind pressure. If I use it around Kirishima-san…………her cloth will surely be lifted. If such thing happen, then, it would be a fatal damage for me. Ignition, Instant, Death.

Thinking that, I chase after her desperately………

When I realized it, familiar bushes, and familiar trees.
I feel like I have seen those before, and it also feels like something unfamiliar.

This is that……the one called stranded.
I'm completely lost in the hill.

Well, in the worst case, I can fly up high in the sky, and go back home like that.

But…the problem is Kirishima-san.

She for sure, in the situation where she advanced to the destination rapidly, and when she realized it, she was alone.
For now, because she has the map and the military GPS device, I want to think that she will reach the destination safely.

However, I give up.
I have no idea where to go.

Thinking that, I'm at a loss, but I feel like I saw a small shadow at a distance.

Is it Kirishima-san?

Thinking that, I approach the shadow while pushing my way through the plants……and the shadow gradually becomes clear…………
I understand that that is not Kirishima-san right away.

Someone I don't know……no, a child. A girl?
Wearing a kimono……I feel like I have seen that appearance before.
No, I don't know her at all, but……that appearance feels like a deja vu.

It looks like the kid noticed me as she's staring at me.

I approach the girl just like that……close enough to speak softly.
Judging from her physique, about a middle school student, I guess. She's slightly shorter than Kirishima-san.
We're already close to each other.

But……I couldn't talk to the girl.
I'm slightly hesitating on how to talk to her.

It's too odd to meet such a little girl deep in the hill.
A very weird appearance. But she looks familiar.

The appearance……fox ears growing from her head, the short skirt kimono, and the wooden clogs. Golden long hair, and young looks. In addition, the several tails growing from her butt, shake as if a different creature.

I have seen this kind of thing many times. That's right, her appearance is exactly the figure that can be seen in games and animes, 「Nojyaloli fox」.

For now, I said what I thought.

「…………What an impressive quality of cosplay」
「It's not」

………The kid denies.
No, no matter how I look at it……

「Cosplay, right?」
「No. Mutation-jya」

Mutation…………mutation, huh…………

…………Well……fine.
It's no use objecting this kind of hobby (disease) directly.

「What is it called? I mean, your character」
「Name? What's that?」

Name, what's that? So you reply like that, huh……
A very hardcore roleplay.
Though the setting is over-sized.
Understand the word "cosplay", but not the "name"……

「I see, I see…you don't know your name, huh…」

On this occasion, I'll go with it.

「You see, it's the thing that's used by humans to call other humans. I'm Atsushi, and…other people have different names」
「The way of calling……a person……?」

Nojyaloli fox's ears rose up.

……Amazing. I wonder how does it work.
This kind of thing, seriously a pointless use of technology in delusion…

「Then, do you want me to give you a name?」

Well, in this kind of flow, it's this kind of roleplay, right?
Thinking that, I stare at Nojyaloli's face for the sake of confirming, and she smiles sweetly…

「I see… Then, I'll give you the best one 「Shiro」」

I said what I thought instantly.
After all, it's a roleplay on this spot only.

This person is under a disease of cosplaying in this quality in this kind of hill.
After all, I can't finish talking about it………………as there are many original settings.
It's a doubt whether there's a need for me to intervene the dark history or not, but well, it's the thoughts of an experienced person. Probably a play including this kind of conversation.

As an evidence, she's still staring in a daze, and repeating the name that I said randomly.

「………Shiro……………Shiro……………………Shiro?」

This acting ability……is she a pro? That's amazing.

「It's the color. The top of your head and the tip of your tails. They are whit, aren't they?」

I tell her the reason as it is.

Well, to be not tired even in this place might be the reason of the high-quality cosplay.
Really looks real. Like the thick fur.
I can feel the craftsman's soul……Don't tell me it's using real fur? No, this kind of thing might be liable.

「Somehow…………it's good」

She brushes the top of her head and tails…

「Shiro, huh. I like it!」

She shows her joy by raising her ears.
Seriously, how does it move?

「I'm glad that you liked it. By the way……I'm lost…」

For now, I leave aside the question on the mechanism, and I explain the problem that must be solved immediately.

「What, only that. Follow me. I know very well here. There's a human living at the shrine on the summit. You're saying about that person, isn't it?」

As I thought, a local girl.
This place seems to be off-limits, but……well, not for a local girl, I guess.
Even I have the experience of playing in such place.
But I'll advice her just in case.

「Come to think of it, this place seems to be off-limits, you know? If you play too much in here, you will get scolded and it would be a trouble if you get stranded, you know?」

It's not something I can say, though. Then, she answers like this.

「What are you saying……I'm born and raised in this hill-nojya. In the first place, this hill is my residence-jya. You don't have to worry about such thing」

Ah, the daughter of the landlord of this place, huh. Then, I can't be satisfied with many things.
No, it might be just a character setting.

However, what the hell are her parents doing, leaving such a child in here?
Well, maybe her parents gave up on her because she's like this.

Surely, it's considerably dark……Let's not get into it deeply.


「So how does those ears work? It's amazing」
「You mean this? It moves when I want it to move-nojya」
「Hee. Can I touch it?」
「No. That place is sensitive-nojya」
「I know, I know. I know such setting」


While repeating such exchanges, walking about 10 minutes…
We reached the shrine near the summit.

「Thanks. If I'm alone, I might have been stranded」

Just like that, I thank her, and……

「It's fine, Atsushi……」

The kid shows the same smile like before,

「Thanks for the nice name」

Saying that…
Suddenly, she becomes a fox, and starts to run…

And disappeared into the deep forest.

---

Character File 046

NAME: Shiro (Fox in the hill)  3 years old

CLASS: 【Mutator】S-LEVEL ? Not appraised
　　　【Communicator】S-LEVEL ? Not appraised

A fox living in the hill behind the school. A 「Talent Beast」 which has Talents. A biholder which possess 【Communicator】 which makes it capable of communicating and 【Mutator】 which allows it to change into the appearance it images. In order to live in the nature, it even used its Talent to transform into trees and birds…
At one point, it read the thoughts of a severe otaku (working on derivative works) who stopped by at the shrine near its habitat, and at that time, it took in the image of what the man was thinking strongly which is 「being step with a wooden clog by a Nojyaloli fox」. As a result, it transformed into a relatively template, 「Nojyaloli fox」. It is learning human language through image.

By the way, it is a male.

///

DATA:

【Communicator】 is directly appointed as 「Special Protection Target (Focused Monitoring and Protecting Target)」.
The surface reason is that they fear that the confidential matters were read and spread, but what's more scarier is that the possibility of 「reading Talent Information (Talent Image), and make other people to write it down」.
This became clear by the secret research 『Talent User Production Project』 during the war (rather than that, it was decided when the Talent User Production Project found this), but it became a secret information of the top class of the country's higher ups.

---

Previous | TOC | Next