One week later.
The so-called โChildrenโs Allianceโ gathered once again, each with a subtle expression on their face as they headed to the pickle shop where the holy sword was said to be.
It was on the outskirts of Neon City, with fewer tall buildings and more natural greenery.
Furthermore, there was a residential area where ordinary people lived, giving the illusion of stepping into a completely different city, even though it was inside Neon City.
The members of the โChildrenโs Alliance,โ having been raised in the city, found the frequent presence of nature in the city streets quite novel and eye-catching.
The parks in the city were well-maintained, with hardly any fallen leaves.
However, the trees here seemed to grow wildly, with fallen leaves scattered about.
Clare screamed as she accidentally stuck her face into a gathering of small insectsโฆ
โI want to go homeโฆโ
โNo, I was surprised too, but itโs too early to say those words.โ
โEven I, who am usually unflappable, was taken aback by those insectsโฆโ
โWell, basically, you donโt see insects flying around like that in the city center.โ
โThatโs right. Insects and mice have all moved elsewhere due to strange radio waves, or theyโre dead. Itโs rather surprising to see so many alive here.โ
โI want to go homeโฆโ
โHey Stella, youโre supposed to be the oldest among us. Pull yourself together.โ
โIf you consider the years since I was born, Iโm actually the youngest. Iโm a baby.โ
โNo, youโre notโฆโ
โBa-bu ba-bu.โ
Nein casually dealt with Stella, who was slumping over. Then, looking at the map, he muttered, โThat way, huh?โ and sighed.
โNo, but whatโs with a pickle shop? Are they pickling cucumbers as well as eggplants and radishes?โ
โIt seems they donโt sell โHoly Sword Eggplant.โโ
โThatโs not what Iโm talking about. How do you use a holy sword to make something like a โHoly Sword Cucumberโโฆ?โ
โAnd speaking of which, are radishes suitable for bran pickling?โ
โI donโt know.โ
Muttering to themselves, they walked for a few minutes.
Then, the pickle shop โCraft,โ their destination, appeared before them.
โฆFrom the outside, it looked like an ordinary store.
It was a fairly large building from the outside, but were they pickling inside?
The banners outside, two of them, read โHoly Sword Cucumber for Sale,โ confirming that this was indeed the destination.
Neinโs mood dropped.
โฆ
And then, outside the store, there was a small white-haired girl in traditional Japanese clothing, sweeping up fallen leaves that seemed to have come from the trees.
The girl quickly noticed the presence of the โChildrenโs Allianceโ and tilted her head with a โhmm?โ
Then she made a thoughtful face and went back inside the store.
โWelcome.โ
A man appeared immediately.
He wore blue vinyl gloves and a pure white hat that covered all his hair.
His belly was slightly protruding, and his face looked young, but not his age.
His expression was very gentle, seemingly kind, but Nein couldnโt help but be wary of the place.
โโฆWho are you?โ
โWelcome, did you come to buy pickles?โ
At the word โpickles,โ Nein felt dizzy, Stella gave a wry smile, Kevin was silent, not knowing how to react, and Clare said, โYes, I want to eat the Holy Sword Cucumber!โ
โAh, the Holy Sword Cucumberโฆ Sorry, weโve stopped selling it for now.โ
โStopped selling?โ
Kevin tilted his head, and the man bowed apologetically.
โWell, since youโve come all the way here, why donโt you have some tea?โ
The โChildrenโs Allianceโ looked at each other and then nodded in agreement, saying, โUnderstood.โ
โฆ
Then, sitting in the rest area inside the store, the โChildrenโs Allianceโ members.
The girl who had gone back inside the store earlier appeared with tea.
โPlease, itโs just simple tea.โ
โSimple tea.โ
โNo, what were you expecting? Itโs not the kind of tea we usually drink.โ
Stella took a sip of the tea and her face lit up with delight.
โItโs delicious!โ
โThatโs good to hear.โ
The white-haired girl smiled softly in response.
โItโs always a pleasure to be told by the young that itโs delicious.โ
โYou have a unique way of speaking.โ
โHmmโฆ Well, Iโm aware itโs not modern. But itโs something thatโs ingrained in me, so itโs hard to change.โ
โAre you not as young as you look?โ
At Clareโs question, the girl nodded, โIndeed.โ
โI am, in fact, a spirit of pickles.โ
โIs that so?โ
โThat explains it.โ
โI had a feeling.โ
โNo way.โ
Nein retorted.
โNo, but youโre a spirit of the holy sword, right?โ
โโฆNo? Iโm just a spirit of pickles.โ
โThen whatโs with the current situation?โ
โDifferent. Iโm now just a spirit of pickles!โ
โSee, Nein. She says sheโs a spirit of pickles.โ
โNo, she admitted sheโs a spirit of the holy swordโฆโ
The girl looked dejected, and the man came to her rescue, saying, โDonโt be too hard on her.โ
โSheโs a bit sensitive right now.โ
โSensitive?โ
โDoes that have to do with why the Holy Sword Cucumber isnโt for sale?โ
At Kevinโs words, the girl shuddered and then admitted, โActually, thatโs the case.โ
โRecently, the Holy Sword Cucumber received a long negative review. It hurt me deeply.โ
โโฆโ
โโฆโ
โI just donโt feel like pickling Holy Sword Cucumbers right now.โ
โโฆIs that all?โ
โThatโs not all. That lengthy negative review really hurt me!โ
โYou didnโt have to read it.โ
โโฆWell, thatโs true. But I couldnโt contain my curiosity.โ
Kevin thought it was self-inflicted, but he refrained from saying so, not wanting to hurt her further.
โBut why are you telling us this?โ
โNo, you guys. You came here for something, right?โ
โBut the answer is no,โ she said, cutting them off.
โAs I said earlier, I am now a spirit of pickles. I have no intention of joining the fight.โ
โWhy do you think weโre going to fightโฆ?โ
โI can sense the same aura from your bodies as mine. Especially you, Kevin, was it? I can feel a strong power from you.โ
โโฆโ
โYou will undoubtedly find yourself in the midst of a battle that will engulf this entire cityโฆ If it were a few years ago, I might have been on your side, but Iโm sorry.โ
She bowed her head, glanced at the man, and then smiled happily.
โI have a man Iโve decided on in my heartโฆ Iโm sorry, but I donโt want to let go of this happy moment Iโve finally found.โ
I am a spirit of pickles, after all.
The โChildrenโs Allianceโ fell silent at the girlโs response.
Well, Clare said, โThatโs right!โ cheerfully, but the other three were silent.
More precisely, Kevin pondered the nature of the power that seemed to be hidden within him, while Stella and Nein considered what to do about the spirit of the holy sword before them and the holy sword itself.
โฆThe holy sword was already thinking of withdrawing from the battle.
Of course, the โChildrenโs Allianceโ had intended to use the holy sword as a bargaining tool and only as a last resort in battle.
So even if there was no intention to fight, they could surely handle it as a mere tool.
But stillโฆ
โฆ
It was clear that there was a strong bond between the man and his spirit.
Was there anything to be gained by severing that bond?
Anyway, Nein was about to declare the plan to obtain the holy sword temporarily suspended when he noticed a presence approaching the store.
It was a presence with immense power.
And before he could warn everyone, that power stepped into the store.
โฆ
โWhy are there children here?โ
It was a man dressed entirely in black.
โChildren should play in parks or theme parks.โ
If you want, Iโll give you a discount ticket to Penguin Land.
The man said so.