Mushoku Tensei — Chapter 70 - The Daily Life That Stopped

"Rudeus, have you been troubled by something lately?"

Nanahoshi asked out of nowhere, right in the middle of the lab.

Troubled by something? Hmm...

"I wouldn't exactly call it trouble."

"Then it's definitely trouble. Come on, tell me~"

It had been over 2 months since the collaboration with Nanahoshi started. Without realizing it, the two of us had drifted into something that could genuinely be called close friends.

During experiments, we'd end up talking about our past lives more often than not. And I could feel it, her obsession with going back ran deep.

"Come on, tell me already. Why so quiet?"

"Like I said, it's not exactly trouble... Let me ask you something first."

"Mm, go ahead."

"What would you think if your boyfriend, after falling for you, went and fell for another woman — and he wanted both of you to become his wives?"

"Break up, obviously. I'd call him a piece of scum first, then break up."

Right... That's the mindset a modern person is supposed to have...

Without even noticing, I'd somehow started thinking that having two wives wasn't such a big deal.

"Rudeus. Do you want to marry two wives in this world?"

"Maybe."

"I'll kill you. You have a girl as wonderful as Sylphiette and you're still not satisfied? She comes to the lab all the time to bring us food. If you make her sad and I stop getting to eat her cooking, I won't forgive you."

"Yeah... But I think... I don't want to make either of them sad."

Nanahoshi set down the blueprints in her hands. She finally lifted her head and looked at me.

Her eyes held real shock. She stared for a long moment before she spoke.

"You're serious? There's actually another woman you love?"

Come to think of it, you didn't believe a word of what I said earlier, did you...

I nodded.

"Mm."

Nanahoshi went quiet. She thought it over for a while before she opened her mouth again.

"What I said earlier might have been off. Let me revise it."

"Mm? Go ahead."

"Rudeus, you and I are different. You've lived in this world for seventeen years already, right? Your growth here is real. So you don't actually need to cling to the rules from your previous life. You're someone who lives in this world."

"Ha... Even though you just said you'd kill me?"

"Yeah, but I thought about it. You're someone who can't go back, Rudeus. Why let the rules of your previous life tie you down? Besides, isn't a harem every man's dream? In this world, you can actually make it happen."

"Maybe so."

No need to be tied down by the values of my previous life, huh...

Nanahoshi finished arranging the Magic Circle, and I poured mana into it once more.

"So, honestly — sometimes I envy you."

"Mm?"

"You were born into this world. You have somewhere you belong, you have family, you have people you love. But when I came here, I was like a ghost. Nobody remembers me. Nobody cares."

The teleportation experiment kept running as she spoke.

Her expression was perfectly calm. I didn't know how to respond to that.

If she had been reincarnated instead of transported directly, maybe her need to go back wouldn't cut so deep.

"I'm not saying this to make you feel sorry for me. I just want to say, if you believe your choice will make you happy, then do it."

"Is that so... Thank you. Want to go drinking tonight?"

"Sure. But you're treating."

"Of course. Just don't get too drunk."

"Relax, you still don't know me? Come on, last two Magic Circles, pour in every last bit of mana you've got!"

"Ohhh!"

...

Nanahoshi's drinking habits were still just as bad as ever.

"Rudeus, let me ask you something!"

"Mm?"

"How old were you when you died in your previous life?"

Probably because she was drunk, her words came out loud and careless, like she hadn't spared a thought for my feelings.

"Twenty-four, I think. I've kind of forgotten, but it was right around when I graduated from university."

"Wow~ Then you really had it rough. Your life had barely even started."

"Right? It was supposed to be just the beginning..."

Nanahoshi didn't say anything after that. She just pushed the sake toward me.

"Drink up!"

I downed the cup in one go.

"What about you? How old were you when you got sent over?"

"Sixteen! Sixteen years old! My life hadn't even started yet!"

"I see. We're a lot alike."

I could more or less guess her age, actually. She'd mentioned that her body stopped growing after she arrived here. Judging by how she looked, she was almost certainly under twenty.

A sixteen-year-old girl, dropped into an unfamiliar world. No companions. No family. Not a single person she knew. When she first arrived, she probably couldn't even speak the language.

What kind of loneliness must that have been?

"No! Not alike at all! Rudeus, in your previous life, you were definitely the type that lots of girls would fall for."

"Mm? Why do you say that?"

"Just a feeling... And honestly, it's true now too, isn't it? You're already thinking about marrying two women!"

Nanahoshi said it loud, like some middle-aged man at a bar, slapping her sake cup down on the table.

"Embarrassing to admit, but I never actually dated anyone in my previous life."

"Oh? Why? Was it your looks? Your family?"

"Looks... average, I'd say. Family was just ordinary."

"Mm-hmm? Then how were there no girls who liked you? Your personality seems fine to me."

As she said it, she reached out and smacked me hard on the back. Even more like a middle-aged man now.

"Probably just the environment. In my country... no, in my social circle, you didn't just say 'I like you' out loud. So I never knew who might have liked me, and I never fell for anyone either."

"So your place was even more reserved than Japan?"

"Just the environment. If you went to a rougher school, flash some cash and the schoolgirls would swarm you."

"What the heck — so it's all the same in the end! Hahahaha!"

After we paid the bill, I carried the drunk Nanahoshi on my back and headed home.

When I got there, the one waiting for me was Sylphiette, same as always.

It must have been even later than usual this time, because even Aisha had already gone to bed.

"Why did you drink again?"

"I was talking with Nanahoshi... about the past."

"How was it? Did you have fun?"

"Mm."

"Then there's no problem."

Sylphiette brushed the snow off my coat and turned to go make hangover soup.

That's when Nanahoshi started squirming on my back.

She lifted her head and said, out of nowhere:

"Sylphiette! Congratulations... you're getting married so soon..."

Sleep-talking. She said it and dropped right back off.

Sylphiette and I stared at each other for a beat, the silence between us a little awkward.

"Pfft... Miss Nanahoshi is really cute when she's drunk."

"If it were up to me, I'd prefer she were a bit quieter."

I carried Nanahoshi to the guest room, got her settled, then came back to the living room.

Sylphiette set the soup down in front of me.

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me."

I held the bowl and couldn't find the words.

2 weeks ago, I'd gotten a letter from Eris. She supported my choice.

But honestly, I still didn't know how to tell Sylphiette how I felt.

"How is it? Good?"

"It's very good."

I was just holding onto the status quo. Greedily soaking up Sylphiette's warmth.

Was it really okay to keep doing this, enjoying her kindness without taking any responsibility?

"Oh, that's right, Rudeus. A letter came for you today."

"Mm? From who?"

"I didn't read it, so I don't know."

I took the letter and opened it.

[To Rudeus,

I've found information about Zenith, but we need to clear a labyrinth. Progress is too slow. Come to the Labyrinth City and help me. I'll wait at the Adventurer's Guild.

Paul Greyrat]

So short. Short enough that I could feel Paul's desperation bleeding through every word.

Labyrinth City... it was a fair distance away. And I had no experience clearing labyrinths.

"Rudeus? What's wrong?"

"Ah... nothing. Tomorrow. Once everyone's up, we'll talk about it together."

"Is it something that serious?"

"Yeah..."

Clinging to the status quo, huh.

➤ Next: Preparations for Departure