Ch.200Madoka Quest (1)

That day, I spent a wonderful time with Umi at a love hotel. I decided to take a break from monster hunting for the day. I needed rest too.

The next day, Umi and I woke up at a rather precarious time.

9:30 AM. Check-out was at 10 AM.

“Aaaahh!!! Hurry!! We need to get dressed quickly!!”

“Umi!! Calm down!!!”

“Don’t they charge extra if we’re even a minute late?!!”

Umi frantically started showering. I hurriedly washed myself beside her.

9:58 AM.

We left the motel just in the nick of time.

We went straight home.

“Ah. You’re back.”

Eri opened the door and welcomed us.

“Everyone just woke up. Let’s eat together.”

Eri smiled and kissed me.

I guess they were all lounging around since it was Sunday morning.

“And… we have a guest.”

Eri said.

“Is it… Kirtan by any chance?”

I asked Eri.

“Yeah, that’s right. She said she’s an alien… but she looks pretty much like a human? Except for the horns. I decided to just call her ‘Big Sis Kirtan’ comfortably.”

Eri said.

Amazing social skills!! That’s a gyaru for you!!

“Um… Eri. Are you not upset or anything?”

I asked Eri, feeling a bit guilty.

“Well, honestly, I didn’t expect another person to join so quickly… but I don’t think it’s bad. She’s friendly about the harem too.”

Eri said.

“In the end… the enemies you’re facing are bad aliens, right?”

Eri asked.

“Ah. That’s right.”

Bad aliens… a simple but not inaccurate description.

“We need someone who knows about space too. Kirtan seems knowledgeable about the universe and can cover areas I can’t. So… I decided to accept her.”

Eri said with a bright smile.

“Eri…!!”

I immediately threw myself into Eri’s arms.

Truly… Eri’s emotional intelligence was the best in the world!!!

——–

Anyway, enough with the emotional display at the entrance. I headed straight to the dining table where everyone was already seated.

Even if we did things separately, we had agreed to always eat meals together.

Kirtan was there. She was still wearing her distinctive outfit—a highly revealing bikini-like garment with a pirate hat. I’d need to get her to change into more normal clothes when going out. There were plenty of girlfriends in the house anyway. We could just lend her some clothes.

“Really!! It took so long to find this place!”

Kirtan looked around the house.

“But… you live more ordinarily than I expected.”

Kirtan said.

“What were you expecting?”

I asked Kirtan.

“Well… I thought a hero of your caliber would live in a palace.”

Kirtan said.

“Sorry to disappoint. I’m not a king.”

I replied.

“I see. The world doesn’t recognize your greatness!!”

Kirtan immediately misunderstood.

“No… there’s no misunderstanding. I’m just at this level.”

I said.

“Hmph. So modest.”

Kirtan said with a smile.

“Here you go, Big Sis Kirtan. It’s human food… I wonder if it’ll suit your taste?”

Eri said with a smile.

“If you don’t like the temple, the monk should leave.”

Taiga said in a blunt tone. But she seemed concerned about Kirtan’s reaction. Since Taiga had helped with the cooking, she would honestly feel a bit dejected if someone said the food wasn’t good. Taiga was secretly quite sensitive.

“Earth cuisine!! I’ve never tried it before, but I’ll enjoy it!!”

Kirtan immediately started eating.

Nom nom-!

She ate with great gusto.

Then Kirtan’s eyes widened.

“No way!! This is so delicious!!!!!”

Kirtan let out a roar.

“A-are Eri and Taiga like royal chefs or something?!!”

Kirtan looked at Eri and Taiga.

“Uhahaha! This girl’s reactions are over the top!!”

Taiga laughed loudly.

“She’s kind of like Shota…”

Umi muttered, looking at Kirtan.

“No!! It’s really delicious!!”

Kirtan devoured the food with tears in her eyes. She was practically a vacuum cleaner.

Well… anyway, everyone enjoyed the meal happily.

During the meal, Kirtan spoke up.

“By the way, Shota. When are you going to fire the Star Breaker? I’ve done the maintenance.”

Kirtan said.

“Oh, you did the maintenance? But… can we use it forever?”

I asked about that point.

If we could infinitely use a weapon powerful enough to destroy stars, that would be seriously overpowered. We could easily take care of Pink Beard and reach a happy ending in no time.

“It is a semi-permanent weapon. However… there’s a problem.”

Kirtan said.

“Yeah, there would be a problem…”

Right. Life doesn’t solve itself that easily.

“After firing once, it needs to be recharged.”

Kirtan said.

“Ah… a cooldown?”

Yeah, that seemed likely.

“Since it’s a weapon with such high output, the charging time is long too. Our ship’s technician said it takes about 500 years.”

Kirtan said.

“500 years?!!!”

Damn. That’s an incredibly long time—enough for an entire dynasty to rise and fall!!

“Yes. Considering human lifespans… you can only use it once in your lifetime.”

Kirtan said.

“So I need to use that one shot wisely…”

I needed to think carefully about which planet to destroy that would anger Pink Beard the most.

“Anyway!! If you come up to the ship, you can fire it right away… want to?”

Kirtan asked.

“No. I’m busy during the day for various reasons. Let’s do it at night. At night.”

I said.

I figured I’d hunt some monsters and then fire the Star Breaker once. That was my plan.

“Right. A relaxed attitude!! Very good! Your composure is befitting of a strong person!”

Kirtan said with a hearty laugh.

This girl would probably say “What a magnificent way to blow your nose!! So cool!” even if I just blew my nose.

“Well, I’ll be staying on Earth for a while anyway, so we can do it anytime.”

Kirtan said.

“So you’re planning to stay on Earth after all…”

Umi muttered.

“Yes!!! My comrades are also interested in Earth. They’re already exploring the human world!!”

Kirtan exclaimed.

“Wait… you’re pirates, so you’re not doing any looting, right?”

I immediately put my hand between Kirtan’s breasts as I spoke. Depending on her answer, I was planning to pinch a sensitive area.

“Ahng?! No!! We… won’t loot!! We’ve decided never to rob Earth!!”

Kirtan shouted loudly.

“Okay. That’s fine then.”

I immediately withdrew my hand from her chest.

“Hmm…”

Kirtan looked at me with strangely regretful eyes.

“I, Arigiri Kirtan, have discovered the treasure of a lifetime in you! I don’t plan to leave Earth until I’ve won both your body and heart.”

Kirtan declared.

“Just stay for a while!!”

Kirtan was calmly announcing her intention to freeload.

“I’ll bear lots of babies as the fruit of our love and enjoy happiness as a woman!! That’s my treasure!”

Kirtan concluded her pirate philosophy in a heartwarming way.

“She’s just a freeloader.”

Taiga said.

“What are you saying? There are few talents as capable as me. Though I hate to say it myself, I’m the captain of the greatest pirate crew in the universe. I have that kind of strength.”

Kirtan stared at me intently.

“From what I can see, Pink Beard is targeting this planet… and you’re planning to fight him.”

Kirtan said.

“Shota. Let me be your sword.”

Kirtan proudly tapped the sword at her waist. Well… she was skilled. The ability of a level 55 elite was nothing to scoff at.

“Alright!! Welcome!! Kirtan!!”

I immediately opened my arms.

“I’ll definitely be helpful!!!”

As if she had been waiting for those words, Kirtan threw herself into my embrace.

And so, Kirtan became a member of our party. Our fighting power had definitely increased.

As for Sasith… let’s tell her later. Yeah.

Being the leader but getting information later than a mere party member… truly a figurehead… Ah, no. I shook my head and stopped such disrespectful thoughts.

———

Anyway, after finishing our meal, we enjoyed a leisurely tea time in the morning.

Kirtan thoroughly enjoyed the coffee and snacks. She was someone who didn’t know how to decline to the point of being boisterous.

“My fantasy about aliens has been shattered…”

Mika, a pure civilian, muttered with a complicated expression.

“They’re surprisingly similar to humans, aren’t they?”

Tina said as she put salt in her coffee. Yes, salt, not sugar. Tina said it was customary in her country to put salt in coffee. She was hipster through and through. At this point, I was genuinely curious about what country she was from.

We had decided to all go there during winter break. Honestly, it was one of the things I was looking forward to most this year. It was like an otherworldly place right here on Earth.

——–

Ding dong-!!

Just then, the doorbell rang.

“Ah…!”

All of us got up to go to the entrance.

“No. I’ll go.”

I said firmly.

“If it happens to be a man… he might just fall for you all at first sight. I’d be jealous.”

I said.

“Kyaa! Shota’s possessiveness!!”

Eri shouted with a blushing face.

“Ehehe. Being the object of jealousy feels quite nice…”

Umi seemed to have awakened to a strange pleasure.

“Ah. I admit. It’s kind of ticklish…”

Taiga formed a bond of sympathy with Umi.

“I’m going!!”

I immediately rushed to the entrance.

The person at the door was a familiar figure. It was Madoka.

“You’re late! Big brother.”

Madoka said.

“Madoka!! You came to visit!”

I shouted loudly.

“Mmm. You know you’re the only one who makes me wait like this?”

Madoka said.

“Um… looks like it.”

I realized through their presence that Madoka was a very important person.

There were bodyguards aiming non-lethal air guns from a distance. It was an incredible concealment technique. Even I had to concentrate to notice them. If I made any inappropriate moves toward Madoka, I’d immediately be showered with bullets.

It made sense for the daughter of a corporate magnate visiting an unfamiliar man’s house.

“Hmm… so this is your house, big brother?”

Madoka peered at the entrance behind me.

“Come in then.”

I said to Madoka.

“…It’s hot.”

Madoka made a comment.

“Commoners like me get hit with massive electricity bills if we turn on the air conditioner…”

I muttered.

For us common folk, the air conditioner was only used in emergencies when the heat became unbearable. The “fan” was what got us through summer.

“Should I… turn on the air conditioner?”

I asked, my hands trembling at the thought of the end-of-month electricity bill.

“No. It’s fine.”

Madoka unexpectedly replied easily.

I let out a sigh of relief and guided Madoka into the house.