Chapter 187: The Shellfish & The Vending Machine
Link: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n7583de/
Author: Hirukuma
Translated by Zzonkedd
Edited by Gumihou
The battle with the Thousand-Arm Demon came to an abrupt end.
There were no titillating scenes with busty women being captured by tentacles, nor were there any of the usual scenes of horrors where boats were destroyed and comrades thrown into the sea, separated for years until they were one day united in the future…
For a fantasy world, reality tended to be rather mundane. Well, to be honest, if any of the above happened, things would have been rather difficult. So, it was probably best that none of my wild fantasies actually came true.
Speaking of mundane reality, Pitee was eventually pulled back to the deck of the ship. After that ordeal, she behaved oddly for a while. She was not quite wary, but she was still trying to reconcile that she had been thrown at a sea monster as a weapon.
Even though it had been an emergency, we had done something bad to her. So, to compensate, I carefully selected a few desserts I thought she would enjoy and was prepared to let her eat as much as she liked.
“Is this the right direction?”
“Yes… home… I want to go home… outside is, scary…”
Her introverted tendencies appeared to have worsened, and she now only came out of the shield for meals and bathroom breaks.
Also, Scorching Sand Director still could not help but try to engage with her, “Oi, oi, it’s a waste of the day to stay inside your shell all day. Some sunshine will fix you right up! You know what? Let’s go for a swim!”
“Please… just… leave me alone…”
Perhaps he was sincerely persuading her, but to Pitee, his jovial actions were more of a nuisance. Although a forceful personality could be the catalyst for improving the atmosphere, things could also get worse if their characters don’t mix well.
It’s about time someone put a stop to this.
“Di-rec-tor”
“What is it, Hakkon?”
“I ta-lk”
“Y-ou go”
“Ou, you want me out of the way, eh? Sure, sure, I’ll leave it to you! Let’s see, I’m going to try my hand at fishing! Yeah!”
Fortunately, he accepted my suggestion right away and ran off to the stern side of the boat. Well, he certainly seems like a good person, but he’s just a little thoughtless.
That said, while I did say that I would talk to her, how do I do that with my minimum-syllable way of speaking?
Shall we start with the dessert treatment?
“Pi-tee”
[1] “Wh-what is it… Hakkon… right?” [1] Well, at least she answered me. Her voice was as dull as ever, and, well, this may be my imagination, but she certainly did not sound much different from before.“Des-sert”
“For y-ou”
She had seemed to enjoy the éclairs last time, so let’s try giving her some premium cream puffs. Oh, and here’s a pudding too.
I floated the desserts over and lined them up by the bivalve shield. It cracked open just a bit. A hand reached out from the gap to take one of the cream puffs. Nice, let’s prepare a drink too, in case she gets thirsty from all those sweets.
“It’s good… thank you… Hakkon…”
“Welcome”
“Thank you very much”
“Ufufu…how interesting… a magical artefact…? A person…? Hakkon is…?”
Although the sight of a giant clam and a vending machine conversing might look kind of freaky to outsiders, I’m glad that I was able to elicit a light chuckle from her.
“I’ve troubled… everyone… If only… I could be more… reliable…”
Well. Looks like Pitee was able to talk to me since I was box-shaped and didn’t look at all human-like.
“I know that person… deceived me, but… I- I still can’t give up. I understand it in my head, but my heart…”
“Ye-es” I said for the lack of anything meaningful to say.
“I am… terrible… selfish… that is why… everyone hates… me…”
Was the reason why she clung to that no-good lover due to a lack of self-confidence? Well, I can understand falling in love with the first person who was sort of nice to you…
Back in my student days, I nearly fell for a friendly girl who happened to stop and talk to me. I had not been the type that was popular with women. Because of that, I understood how easy it was to fall in love just because someone was decent to me.
Perhaps Pitee should have some confidence in herself, but what can I say that would help? I’ve had no romantic relationships and was basically a vending machine maniac…
Still, I want her to understand that she was not hated by the people here.
“A-ll”
“Fri-end”
“He-re”
There, that’s the best I could do. I wonder if she got the message.
For a moment, there was no reaction from the shell. No, there was a response. The slight gap that had opened up for her to grab the desserts had closed. Well, looks like I said the wrong thing.
“Am I… truly not… hated?”
Ah, an answer. Hopefully, my words could reach her heart.
“Ye-es”
“Am I not… bothersome…?”
“Ye-es”
My replies were limited, but no matter what, I must be careful not to give an answer that would lead her down to a negative mindset.
“I wonder… can I be… useful?”
I thought she hated being around people? The way she reacted really made me believe that she came along with us reluctantly, but maybe there’s more to it.
For one thing, her defensive technique was truly impressive and deserving of praise. She should take pride in this skill if nothing else.
“To… rely on… someone like me is… wonderful but… scary… I don’t want to… disappoint everyone… and be… cast aside… So, it’s better to… just not… do anything…”
Is that the true reason behind her tendency to avoid people? She feared disappointing them and being abandoned? Could Hevoy be right, and that her dramatic enactment of her obsession over her ‘lover’ is a cover to not interacting with others?
“I can only… defend… am I truly… useful?”
“Ye-es”
“Be-li-ve”
“Yo-u”
I would really like to make an inspiring speech now, but my awkward way of speaking gets in the way.
“Believe me… do you… mean it…?”
“Ye-es ye-es”
[2] Well, it’s not like I was expecting anything from her. However, I believe you can do whatever you set your mind to. While it would be great if you could join our party as an active member, I don’t believe in forcing people. [2] In short, I believe you with no strings attached. It’s just a belief that you can do it. Whatever ‘it’ may be. [2] Ahh, why can’t I say all this properly? It’s so annoying.“If… I’m unreliable, you… won’t get angry…?”
What can I say to that except, ‘Ye-es’
“You won’t scold me for… being pathetic?”
[2] Can I even scold you?“Ye-es”
“Then… I’ll try a bit harder…”
“Thank you”
[2] Seriously, thank you very much for trying. I guess she opened up to me since I’m basically giving her permission to be sad and pathetic without consequences. [2] Some people may even call this kind of attitude as ‘coddling’ and insist that all she needed was a swift kick in the pants to get her act together.Well, it certainly felt like she grew up in that kind of environment.
Shui did say that she came from a long line of adventurers who specialised in defensive techniques for generations. That kind of lineage guaranteed a strict upbringing with rigorous training from a young age. Considering how timid she was, verbal abuse was probably liberally applied in the name of ‘training’ and ‘educating’.
After growing up in that kind of environment, and considering her personality, she was ripe pickings for conmen.
She was not a bad person at heart, so I hope that she will gradually improve…
“This dessert… I’d like to… share with… him…”
Well, in the first place, let’s try and help her get over that scum.
At times like this, it would be great if she could fall for some other reliable person. Hevoy was not a bad candidate at all, aside from the shoe thing. Can’t forget the shoe thing.
Or, would she get along better with Mishael, who also had a slightly introverted personality? Then again, Pitee may become more depressed associating with such a good-looking guy.
Hmm, it looked like I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head… No, no, I should think calmly and consider every candidate. Erm, let’s go through my male acquaintances one by one.
Director Bear is out, due to being a different species.
The same goes for the Big Eater party members.
Grandpa Shimerai has Grandma Yumite, so even if the age difference is closer, I would be reduced to scrap metal.
Karios has a girlfriend, but what about Gors? From what I gather, he seemed indifferent to love.
The young merchant and the money changer both have someone they love. Ah, there was really no one that I could recommend.
Well, until someone suitable appears, I can at least be your conversational partner for now.
[Gumihou: Hakkon, did you even have a girlfriend in your previous life?] [1] Realistic dialogues and thoughts from Pitiful Pitee [2] Realistic thoughts from Hakkon
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