Boo-hoo.

‘Why on earth am I here?’

It was the thought that had been occurring to me most frequently lately.

Originally, after the first semester ended, I was planning to do some preview for the next semester, and invest the remaining time in personal training.

Even if there was a school festival afterwards, I was someone who had to inherit the family.

I shouldn’t be distracted by other things until I had the appropriate qualifications for that.

Having made that judgment, I tried to focus on my studies even at the lodgings, but.

“I will teach you how to play.”

Another being belonging to the infirmary attendance group was pestering me, interfering as I was about to take out textbooks from the luggage I had brought.

“You will teach me how to play, human.”

“…Are you talking to me?”

“Yes.”

The doll girl in maid uniform, Deus Ex Machina, immediately nodded and answered.

Beans responded in a sharp voice, turning her gaze away at the blunt affirmation of the girl named Maki for short.

“My name is Beans. Beans Zegret.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. It’s rude to others to call them ‘human’ too, so if you have business, address people properly by their names.”

From what I’ve heard, this being is said to be an ancient mechanical device with self-awareness that was excavated.

It’s natural that it lacks social skills. So if there are parts it doesn’t know, rather than getting annoyed, it would be better to correct the wrong parts.

“I see, if I know the name, I call by the name. I remembered.”

Fortunately, according to the person who took in this girl, she’s not completely devoid of learning ability.

Soon, Maki nodded while resting her chin on her hand, as if agreeing, and said to Beans:

“Then from now on, I will call you Bean-Bean. Human Bean-Bean will play with me from now on.”

“Bean…!”

For a moment, Beans stopped rummaging through her luggage, flaring up.

Immediately after, her gaze turned even sharper than before.

“Didn’t I just say my name is Beans?”

“I understood. That’s why Bean-Bean.”

Maki tilted her head as if not understanding that anger.

There was no malice at all visible in her actions.

“I called you Bean-Bean because of Beans (bean’s). Is there a problem?”

“…A lot. Tremendously so.”

While wordplay mixing the continent’s common language and original language is common, shouldn’t it not be applied to people’s names?

To think that being ignorant of human relationships could be this rude.

It was a moment when I freshly realized how much learning is required to be a civilized person.

“I’m sorry. I’m not familiar with human relationships, so it seems I’ve been rude.”

“…It’s good that you understand that point.”

Beans clicked her tongue and withdrew her gaze from her.

Afterwards, she tried to take out textbooks one by one and spread them on the desk, but even during that, the gaze fixed on her showed no sign of wavering.

“…Why are you standing there blankly?”

“Because you haven’t taught me what problem I’ve committed yet. So Bean-Bean will teach me that now. And play with me.”

“Even if I teach you, why should I play with you?”

“The reason is because my master, the fish, wants me to learn many things.”

It’s not fish, but teacher.

“I serve her as my master, so I must follow her words. So just as she gave me teachings, I intend to request teachings from the people I meet.”

“…So you’ve chosen me, who happens to be indebted to that person, as the target, is that it?”

“That’s right. Of course, I heard that learning comes with a price, but I was told that friends don’t count such things as compensation. And friends play together.”

Friends, she says.

Beans’ brow furrowed sharply at the word she hadn’t considered at all.

“Bean-Bean is a person under the fish, just like me. Therefore, friend.”

Nevertheless, Maki, not noticing the error in her words, just prattled on again.

“Is my understanding wrong?”

“Yes, you’ve completely misunderstood.”

Beans clicked her tongue and refuted.

“I’ve only temporarily requested protection from that person. As I’m scheduled to leave someday, I have no intention of forming long-lasting connections with you or others.”

“Then until you leave, friends…”

“I have no intention of becoming friends, so don’t interfere with what I’m trying to do.”

It was out from the start, chattering about Bean-Bean and whatnot from our first meeting.

Of course, that could be taught too, but from the way she speaks, she doesn’t seem to have good enough learning ability to understand with just a word or two.

We’re just meeting briefly before parting, so wouldn’t I want to refrain from allocating time to such a being unnecessarily?

“Yeah, Maki. I think it’d be better to stop here since Beans is having trouble.”

Perhaps concerned about Maki lingering without leaving?

A boy staying at the same lodgings approached Maki and started to restrain her actions.

Dale Enberton.

A boy who came to rely on the infirmary before her.

The one who essentially crossed an irreversible river due to the opportunity she created…

“Ugh!”

She turned her gaze away lest their eyes meet, but fortunately, Dale didn’t pay attention to her.

No matter how gentle he is, he’s not completely oblivious.

Understanding that Beans is uncomfortable with him, he wanted to refrain from doing anything that might harm that aspect.

“If you need help, I’ll do it. Okay?”

After turning his attention away from Beans like that, Dale smiled at Maki.

As his attitude was the exact opposite of hers, it would be right to turn to him if seeking cooperation.

But…….

“…I don’t like you.”

In fact, Maki just rejected that goodwill and stepped back.

Dale’s eyes widened in surprise at that action.

“Wh-Why?”

“Don’t come closer. Your hand. If it touches me, I disappear.”

A trembling body.

Her expression was still blunt, but with her head turned away, anyone could see she was terrified.

“Vision turns black and thought stops. I don’t want to experience that again. Dale Enberton is a much scarier existence than the fish.”

It’s not fish, but teacher.

That aside, scary, she says.

Does she mean that tiny boy who is more harmless than even a squirrel?

“Y-You don’t have to be scared. Back then, I didn’t know and just held your hand…”

“Uwaaa, he’s trying to break me.”

Maki hid behind Beans in panic, lest Dale’s hand touch her.

As the weight of her iron body was added to the tugging on Beans’ clothes, Beans’ body started to tilt backwards.

“Wh-What are you doing!!”

“Scared, that human is scary. Bean-Bean will fight for me.”

“I have no intention of fighting, so stop pulling! This… Waah!?”

The struggle was about to intensify, but only for a moment.

Soon, a large hand extended from behind grabbed the bodies of the two and started to lift them off the ground.

Not only Beans, who was about to resist using mana, but also Maki, who weighed several times more.

“Maki.”

Just one word.

But considerable sense of crisis was felt in that blunt voice.

“Beans is having trouble. Stop it.”

Ratel Lo Den.

A boy of barbarian origin with a build much larger than most adults.

“…Danger.”

Perhaps because she couldn’t overlook the threat emanating from that boy?

Just as electricity was about to spark at the tips of Maki’s fingers, whose eye color had changed.

“St-Stop! Both of you, calm down!”

Feeling the seriousness from that atmosphere, Dale started to desperately restrain Ratel and Maki.

“Ratel. Maki doesn’t have any ill intentions either. She’s just doing it because she doesn’t know… And Maki, you don’t need to feel particularly threatened either. Ratel is just worried about Beans, that’s all.”

“……”

“We should all get along well, okay?”

Dale showed goodwill towards the two while smiling nervously.

Exchanging glances at that atmosphere, Maki and Ratel calmed their ferocity and nodded.

“For now, I’ll calm down.”

“…Hmm.”

The moment the friction between them finally subsided.

But whatever it was, it wasn’t good for Beans who just wanted to have time alone.

“…If you’ve calmed down, could you both leave me alone?”

“Understood.”

“I apologize, Bean-Bean. I don’t know what the problem is, but…”

If only the last words hadn’t been said, it would have been really good.

No, now she doesn’t care about me anymore, so it doesn’t matter either way.

As Beans opened her book to prepare for self-study after the two retreated, Dale, who had restrained the two, carefully approached her.

“I’m sorry, Beans. I should have stopped the two of them sooner.”

Dale fidgeted nervously with both hands on his chest. His actions clearly showed consideration towards her.

Which was extremely annoying to her.

“…Why are you apologizing?”

It’s not like you did it in the first place.

When you don’t even have an obligation to control them.

“What did you just say?”

“I said it’s fine, so just don’t interfere.”

Although that part is frustrating, Beans just tried to focus on her own work, turning her attention away from Dale.

Even if there’s some leisure time after the final exams are over, she shouldn’t neglect her studies.

Moreover, didn’t she come in second place again in the written test this time, if not in the practical?

To make up for that, she shouldn’t waste even a little time fooling around.

Especially since the one who surpassed her is wasting time mingling with those two.

“Dale Enberton. I allow you to play with me. However, I recommend staying about 5m away. If you come any closer, I will disappear. In human language, death…”

“U-Um. Okay. I’ll be careful.”

While opening a book in the corner, chatter could be heard from the center of the room.

As Beans tried hard to ignore that sound and opened her textbook, Dale also started to take out various things from his luggage and spread them on the floor.

“Actually, since we came out far today, I brought a lot of things we could play together in the room. Is there any game you’d like to play?”

“Don’t know. First time playing.”

Maki, sitting demurely, tilted her head and continued speaking.

“Fish said friends substitute for learning. And friends are beings who play together. So combining the two, learn through play. That is fish’s teaching.”

“…It’s a bit different, but hmm. That’s right. There are games you can only play after learning them.”

Dale rummaged through his luggage while pondering, and soon took out a deck of cards and spread them in front of him.

“Then would you like to try a card game?”

“Card game?”

“You play cards according to certain rules, reduce your opponent’s points, and win when you reduce all their points. If it’s this, you can learn while playing, so wouldn’t it fit the purpose?”

“Don’t know. So I’ll try it first.”

Thus began the explanation of the card game.

Dale did his best to explain within his capabilities, and also taught how to select and combine appropriate cards from the deck he had.

Fortunately, Maki was ignorant but not unintelligent.

Once explained, she understood most parts, so it didn’t take long for her to become familiar enough for actual play.

“Understood the rules. In other words, use cards to kill the opponent.”

“U-Um. The expression ‘kill’ is a bit brutal. It’s a game, so we should approach it with a lighter mindset.”

“That’s not possible. I heard learning should be serious.”

Afterwards, Maki looked over the cards spread out in front of her one by one as Dale had taught.

Although it was her first time seeing these cards, she had already understood the rules.

Having heard about various strategies, Maki had also perfectly finished conceptualizing how to build a deck with the cards she owned.

“Be serious with friends’ play too. In other words, be serious with card games as well…”

As she gathered the cards one by one to build her deck, her muttering continued.

Those mutterings soon began to converge towards recalling the reason she was first created.

“Seriousness. In other words, struggle. Struggle is war…”

“…Maki?”

“That’s right, this is a battlefield. And I am a warrior standing on the battlefield.”

-Swoosh!

The moment those memories finally elevated her mind, Maki began to skillfully spread the cards she had gathered in both hands.

“Come at me, Dale Enberton. I, Deus Ex Machina, the ancient being that will bring about the end of humanity, will crush you with all my might.”

A gesture that felt powerful despite the unchanging emotion and tone of voice.

At the moment when a spirit that couldn’t be thought of as the stiff attitude shown until now was felt, Dale also tensed up and raised his cards.

“O-Okay! I’ll do my best too!!”

Thus began the great match of a lifetime between the two youngsters.

Beans wondered how they could be so serious about playing, but the participants themselves didn’t care about such worldly gazes.

Because it’s natural to be serious about a card game (duel).

---

Of course, that seriousness is only a matter when both parties can accept it.

“This is cheating.”

“M-Maki. Calm down first.”

“I clearly built an aggro deck specialized in pushing hard in the early game. But getting a winning hand three times in a row in the first hand without even lasting two turns is nonsense. It’s probabilistically impossible, astronomically… More nonsensical than a virgin getting pregnant.”

“W-Well, I didn’t know it would turn out like this either…”

“Dale Enberton deceived me. And according to what I’ve read in books, when people feel betrayed, they cry. So Maki will cry too. Boo-hoo, boo-hooo.”

A dry crying sound without a single tear flowing.

Is it just my imagination that a sense of indignation can be felt despite this?