Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou (LN) - Volume SS - Chapter SS5

Myu Remodeling Project

 
Hajime was fervently transmuting something while sequestered within one of the rooms in the palace at the depths of the Frost Caverns,
“Hm? What’re you doing, Nagumo-kun?” Shizuku, who happened to be passing by, poked her head into the room and asked that question.
Hajime looked over his shoulder and said, “I’m trying to make an artifact that can alter appearances.”
“Shouldn’t you just turn yourself in instead? I’ll go to the police station with you if you want,” Shizuku replied with a straight face, then continued, “Don’t worry, I’m willing to wait for you until you get discharged from prison.”
“What do you take me for? This isn’t for me, anyway. It’s for Myu.”
Hajime unclenched his fist, showing Shizuku the earring resting in his hand. She cocked her head and asked, “Why for her?”
“Think about it, her ears would stand out back home. Shea’s would too, now that I think about it. If the regulars in Akiba found out what she really looked like, they’d all go crazy.”
“I don’t think Akiba’s quite that bad... but well, I get what you’re trying to say.” Shizuku nodded in understanding. Beastmen wouldn’t be able to live peacefully in Japan unless they had some way to hide their true appearance.
“Yeah, basically. Besides, I want to let Myu go to kindergarten and elementary school in Japan if that’s what she wants. And if Remia’s gonna join us in Japan, I need to make sure she can go out in public without attracting a bunch of attention...”
“Hehehe. Oh Nagumo-kun...” Shizuku chuckled. She thought it was extremely cute that Hajime was willing to go so far for the adopted daughter he’d run into accidentally. In fact, it was this side of Hajime that had made her fall for him in the first place.
“Is there any way I can help? I’ll do anything in my power,” Shizuku asked with a smile. She was willing to do anything for the man she loved.
“Really? In that case, could you be my test subject?”
“Hang on a second.”
“First, I want you to take a look at this silver pen. It’s supposed to erase your memories when it flashes.”
“Hang on a second.”
“Don’t worry, it’ll only erase a few seconds’ worth of memories. And it won’t replace them with fake ones like the memory devices used by agents of a certain alien-fighting agency. But it does have this nifty brainwashing— err, I mean, hypnotic suggestion ability that—”
“Someone, help me! We’ve got a mad scientist on the loose!” Shizuku screamed. She was no longer willing to do anything for the man she loved. In fact, she was quite scared of him. She wanted to run away from him as fast as possible.
“It’s fine, really. Even if something goes wrong, we’ve got restoration magic! I promise it won’t be that bad! I just want to run a few tests! Please, just a few tests!” Hajime said with bloodshot eyes as he slowly stepped toward Shizuku. She took a few steps back, holding her hands protectively in front of her eyes. She’d seen those movies too, so she knew what might happen to her. A few seconds later, Yue and the others dashed into the room.
“Hajime-kun!? What are you trying to do to Shizuku-chan!?” Kaori yelled.
“Just a few memory experiments.”
“He’s become a mad scientist! No, a mad Synergist!”
“Come back to your senses, Hajime! Heavensfall!”
“Should I cast spirit magic on him as well? I only hope that proves sufficient...” Tio asked. Then, her spirit magic illuminated Hajime’s body, which had been crushed into the ground by Yue’s gravity magic. Shizuku ran to Kaori and clung to her for comfort.
“Kaorin, how did you and Shizushizu fall in love with Nagumo-kun in the first place?” Suzu asked in disbelief.
“Seriously, how did that happen!?” Kouki and Ryutarou shouted, nodding in agreement with Suzu.
Some time later, Hajime was sitting on the ground before Yue and the others.
“Have you reflected on your actions, Hajime-kun?” Kaori asked, a hard edge in her voice.
Hajime nodded meekly, then said, “I realize I shouldn’t have tried to use Yaegashi as a test subject.”
“That sounds a bit too much like a rehearsed response for my tastes, but if you’ve really have reflected on—”
“I promise I’ll choose my test subjects more carefully in the future.”
“That’s not the part you’re supposed to be reflecting on!” Kaori shouted exasperatedly. However, Hajime simply ignored her and turned to look at Kouki.
“Hold on, why’re you looking at me!?” Kouki asked as he took a few steps back.
“I was just thinking that of all the people here, you’re the one who might want to have his most recent memories erased.”
“...W-Well you’re wrong.”

“You wavered for a second there, Kouki,” Ryutarou pointed out, which made Kouki awkwardly avert his gaze. “So, why did you make something like that?” Yue asked, curious.
“To help me deal with government officials back in Japan. If you guys want to live in Japanese society, you’ll need to have birth certificates and the like.”
Documents like those were necessary to get health insurance, obtain driver’s licenses and IDs, enroll at a school, and pretty much anything else someone might want to do.
“We’re going to have to forge a lot of data, and I’m an amateur at that kind of stuff, so it’ll be better to make a pro do it and erase their memories afterward.”
“Th-That’s why you made a brainwashing and memory altering device?”
Shizuku wasn’t the only one who looked horrified by that realization. Everyone else did, too. Hajime didn’t seem concerned at all though, and he replied happily, “Yep. And just in case someone tries to kidnap Myu, I’ve made a few weapons for her.”
Hajime pulled out a miniature revolver, a small rocket launcher, a sword, a hammer, a whip, steel threads, a few cross bits, a personalized warp gate, the list went on.
“Are you planning on sending Myu-chan to war!?”
A young girl doesn’t need all that to live peacefully in our society! In fact, giving her all that will make peace impossible! I need to get Myu-chan away from Nagumo-kun before he raises her into a monster! Shizuku thought to herself.
“You don’t get it! A cute girl like Myu’s gonna be targeted all the time! I can’t let her get hurt!” Hajime argued hotly.
At that, everyone, even Yue, gave Hajime a disgusted look. Wondering why they couldn’t understand something so simple, Hajime shrugged his shoulders and added, “Look. We already know for a fact there’s at least one organization that’ll be out to get Myu.”
There’s no way that’s true... Yue thought to herself.
“The Soul Sisters.”
Shizuku, Kaori, Suzu, Kouki, and Ryutarou all stiffened up upon hearing that name. The sad thing was, they knew Hajime was right. Yue, Shea, and the Tortus crew only knew of the Soul Sisters that existed in Heiligh, so they were all confused by Hajime’s proclamation. They couldn’t fathom what that Soul Sisters had to do with Myu.
“Those bastards don’t let any men approach Yaegashi, but they also won’t allow any one person to act like her younger sister. They believe Yaegashi belongs to everyone, which makes her everyone’s older sister.”
“Hajime... I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Hajime ignored Yue’s question, keeping his gaze focused on Shizuku.
“Yaegashi. Do you really think you’d be able to treat Myu like any other kid when she calls you Shizuku-oneechan?”
Shizuku bit her lip. Not only was she a sucker for cute things, but Myu was also Hajime’s adopted daughter. She knew she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from giving Myu special treatment.
“Who knows what those fanatics might do once they get jealous... I’m not willing to risk an incident happening.”
Hajime’s argument was starting to win the girls over. But just in case, he flashed his silver pen while their attention was all on him.
A second later, Yue and the others exchanged glances and muttered, “You have a point...”
“Plus, what if someone discovers she’s a dagon? Who knows what government organizations will go after her if that happens. Aren’t you scared of what they might do? Don’t you care about Myu at all!?” Hajime shouted.
This time, he shot a flash of red light out of his pen. Yue and the others’ eyes glazed over this time.
“We do care about her!” they shouted in unison.
Firing off one last flash of light, Hajime finished by asking, “Then shouldn’t you all help teach Myu how to defend herself too!?”
“Mmm... I’ll think of a way to make it possible for Myu to use magic!”
“I’ll teach her hand-to-hand combat!”
“I’ll show her how to dual wield swords!”
“I’ll teach her the Yaegashi style!”
“And I shall teach her how to turn pain into power!”
“Maybe I can teach her barrier magic!”
“Let’s write all this down, guys!”
“Leave it to me, Ryutarou! I’ll record it all!”
Yue and the others’ eyes were spinning now. Hajime, however, simply nodded in approval and muttered, “Hmm, there’s still room for improvement, but this is definitely usable.”
No one could stop mad Synergist Hajime now. By the time Kouki was done writing down everyone’s ideas, he had nearly a phone book’s worth of pages. When Myu-chan reached earth, she would be a force to be reckoned with.