Atelier Tanaka

Book 6: Chapter 4 (2)

Academic City (2nd)

I left the center of Academy City with the NEET girl in tow.

Edita Sensei and Goggoru-chan were also with us.

Sensei guided us through the downtown area of Academy City which was laid out in a grid. Kalis is an equally large city, but finding ones way through the labyrinthine streets there is much harder than the well organized streets of Academy City. Having Sensei guide us made this feel like a tour of the city.

Wa-Wait up, how far do you plan on making me walk!?

It had been the better part of an hour since we left the guest room.

The JC started complaining almost immediately after we left the center. Like many hikikomori, she has almost no stamina due to spending all of her time locked in her room. She was breathing hard after only walking a couple of blocks.

I can sympathize with her.

When I first arrived in this world, I was always short of breath due to my severe lack of exercise. I remember when I was walking through the forest to gather herbs, I had to stop every few minutes to catch my breath.

My body gradually became used to it as I travelled all around Kalis and the rest of the Penny Empire, but I still remember how difficult it was at first.

Its not far now. I know I remember it being near this placeah, there it is! Thats the store Im looking for.

My smiling Sensei was pointing at a shop that reminded me of a general store.

The building itself looked quite old, stood two stories, and was made entirely out of stone. It was on the smaller size when compared to the surrounding buildings, maybe around thirty metres square. It was a cute building that looked like a frail old lady might live there.

Whats so special about this place?

This shop has the best stock in all of Academy City.

I see.

I guess this is a shop after all.

A shop that sells potions and ingredients necessary for alchemy.

We can find everything well need here.

After you.

Edita Sensei walked toward the front door of the store.

The JC stood still with a frown on her face, looking as if she had no plans on moving.

You want me to go in that place? It looks so cheap.

She  may have been displeased, but the JC wasnt willing to run away just yet, so she quietly followed after Sensei. I watched them enter before making my way inside as well. The open and close of the door was followed by the ringing of a bell.

After placing one foot inside the store, I noticed that Goggoru-chan was no longer right behind me. I turned around and saw that she was still standing a few feet from the door looking straight at me.

Rocoroco-san?

It made me wonder if maybe she had read something with her ability that made her hesitant.

Goggoru-chan quickly explained her actions,

The shop is small, so Ill wait outside.

I see. Thank you for always being so considerate.

Goggoru-chans ability would cover the entire shop if she entered. With all four of us inside, it will be cramped to the point we can barely move. Imagine a small, crowded shop in Akiba where people need to squeeze past each other to enter and exit. Which is why Goggoru-chan was being thoughtful and considerate of Edita Sensei.

What a good girl.

Well be right back out.

Alright.

After saying my goodbye to the chocololi, this busamen entered the store.

The interior of the shop reminded me of Edita Senseis atelier.

There was a counter setup in the corner of the shop behind which I could see a clerk standing. She appeared to be a woman in her mid-20s, but based on the pointed elf ears that stuck out through her hair, her real age was probably in the hundreds.

She wore loose robes that disguised the curves of her body. Despite this, her breasts were clearly distinguished through the folds in the room. The large bulge that protruded from beneath drew my attention immediately. Her face reminded me of a mature, calm onee-san which suited her curvy body well.

Her light brown hair was tied into two braids, both of which hung down to her beasts.

Sensei was already speaking with her and seemed shocked by some sudden discovery.

You cant possibly be out of roshion.

I apologize, but we really have none left.

That shouldnt be that popular of an herb that youd run out of.

Typically, youd be right, but a professor from the centre recently bought out all of my stock for research.

of course.

One of the ingredients Sensei was searching for is out.

Sensei looked dejected.

He mentioned he needed a large quantity and was going around buying any he could find. Id doubt youd be able to find any at other shops. If youre confident in your own abilities, it may just be faster for you to go find the herb on your own.

I see.

Again, Im sorry.

No, thank you for your help.

I noticed that Sensei wasnt shy around this shopkeeper. She typically remains quiet and only speaks a few words when necessary. This tells me that she must be familiar with this elf. This must also be why she decided to come here in the first place. They may even be from the same elf tribe.

Its going to be a pain, but I guess well need to find them on our own.

Take care of yourself, but, if its you, Im sure youll be fine.

Thanks.

My blonde senseis face had a slight tint of red to it as the onee-san wished her well.  The expression reminded me of the one she wore when we first arrived in Academy City. Sensei has a lot of expressions, so even a slight change is noticeable.

The onee-san clerk also took notice.

Is something the matter?

N-No, its nothing! Nothing to worry about!

Really?

Of course!

Well, Id be happy if you stopped by again once youve finished with your business.

Uh, sure. T-Take care.

Ill be waiting.

The elf onee-san showed a beautiful smile.

After the exchange between them was finished, she turned her attention to the two of us standing at the entrance of the shop. Directly behind Sensei, was this soy sauce face and the bullied girl. She glanced toward us and spoke,

Are those two with you?

Y-Yeah, something like that.

Hmm? Now youve got me curious. Are you up to something fun again?

Who knows.

Ara, why are you holding back? Its been so long since weve seen each other.

Her expression showed a hint of doubt, most likely due to the presence of my disturbing yellow face. After all, a mongoloid will stand out amongst a group of humans and everyone will want to know what hes doing.

Sensei didnt seem interested in introducing me, so Im just going to stay silent.

Well, well be leaving then.

Ara, leaving so soon?

If you dont have what Im looking for I dont have any reason to stick around.

You travelled all the way here. Why not take some time to relax so we can catch up.

Ive still got other things to take care of.

Thats too bad.

Bye for now.

The two of them said their goodbyes and Edita Sensei pushed past us as she left the store. The elf onee-san waved goodbye to her from behind the counter as she left. The bullied girl and I followed Edita Sensei out of the shop.

After our first attempt at gathering the necessary materials failed, we left the centre of Academy City behind. We travelled out into the nearby suburbs that surrounded the city and landed in a small clearing in the woods. As the elf onee-san advised us, we were out here to gather the necessary roshion ourselves.

The area we were searching was close to a few dozen kilometres from the centre of Academy City.

We decided to use flight magic to shorten the trip.

Y-Youre not too bad for an old geezer!

The entire flight the JC was constantly commenting on something.

She must feel confident in her flight magic. She was constantly trying to stay ahead of me while simultaneously shooting insults back at me. Still, when we finally did arrive, she was breathing heavily. I guess this must be what its like for a normal person to use flight magic for an extended period of time. Just as the noble mage once told me.

Edita Sensei and myself stayed silent throughout the entire flight. The JCs attitude towards us had changed somewhat now that we were doing something she enjoyed. I was hoping this change would persist, but I knew as soon as we got back to writing her report or making the potion, shed be back to her normal, bratty self.

Over here. Roshion grows best in dark places.

I see.

I took in the sights and sounds of the small wooded area as I followed after Edita Sensei.

Ill be sure to keep that in mind in case I ever need some for myself.

Working with Sensei allows me to learn so much.

Hmph, that cheap weed is always available in abundance at the shops. Who needs to know such useless information?

Cant that JC do something about her attitude? Shes no different than a NEET thats decided everything in the world outside their room is trash not worthy of a second thought. I want to dress her in a cheap sailor uniform designed specifically for adult use and force her to walk through back alleys at night.

Its coming in handy now, isnt it?

J-Just because it came in useful in this one specific case doesnt mean it makes sense to learn every small detail about everything in the world! Maybe for someone long-lived like her or the other elves, but not for us humans with such short lives. Our lives are short so we simply dont have the time to waste on learning such trivial things.

Well, I suppose you have a point, but still.

See, you can see reason if you try!

She beat me to the punch.

Damn it. Shes starting to get on my nerves.

I want to grab her by the black pigtails that she proudly sways back and forth as I face-fuck her. [TN: literal translation here]

Speaking of a waste of life, shouldnt you have something better to do than act as a student at your age?  Even if you have the money now, theres no telling when your parents will run out of gold.

Cant forget how disrespectful she is.

This girl thinks Im just some spoiled rich noble thats allowed to live out his fantasies thanks to his parents wealth.

Everyone is free to learn what they wish to learn. When an opportunity is presented to you to further your knowledge, you shouldnt take it for granted.

Oh, what a cool line from Sensei.

That may be the coolest thing Ive ever heard.

Alchemist is a job for the poor, so you can stop acting like youre some sort of big deal.

But the only way to benefit from the knowledge, is to experience it for yourself firsthand. Dont forget that part, okay?

Youre not my teacher so can you stop lecturing me like you are?

.

The cool line failed to reach the corrupted heart of the NEET.

Too bad.

The mood of our party failed to improve since we started our expedition into the woods. The only good thing about this group so far is that Goggoru-chan is with us, so we dont need to be so cautious of our surroundings.

Shes a considerate person and a great fighter. The chocololi has more use than just her ability and looks.

Speaking of her ability, our formation was set out as follows: the chocololi and myself were in front followed by Edita Sensei and the JC in the rear, standing far enough back that a spear couldnt reach them.

We walked through the woods in this way for some time when Goggoru-chan suddenly stopped.

somethings there.

The rest of our party naturally stopped to look in the direction she was staring. However, there was nothing that stood out against the backdrop of the trees and foliage. Only a slight slope. It was surrounded by smaller plants and shrubs with a small rise in the middle that created a slight overhang.

I was curious to know what Goggoru-chan thought was there.

On the other side.

The other side?

Its mind is weak and thoughts are erratic.

Its something she can read the mind of.

But her reaction makes me think its something different than usual.

Its a person?

Most likely a lower life form.

I see.

Im not exactly sure what she means, but it must be some type of creature.

A creature that is intelligent enough to have thoughts, but those thoughts are most likely basic instincts. Maybe something like a hibernating bear. Its possible. After all, Goggoru-chan said its on the other side where the overhang is.

As I was wondering if this was anything we should concern ourselves with, the JC suddenly shouted from beside me.

Wind Blast!

Wha-!?

She gave me no time to react.

A sudden shockwave shot past me and obliterated the small mound Goggoru-chan was focused on.

As the dirt was blown away and the dust began to settle, a small door became visible where the mound used to be. It was angled up at a thirty degree angle from the rest of the ground. The door was almost concave, most likely due to it buckling from the force of the magic the JC used. It was clearly manmade or perhaps by another intelligent creature. After all, it was made out of metal.

Another surprising discovery.

The thoughts have disappeared.

Goggoru-chan must have read the mind of something that was on the other side of the door. The creature most likely fled once the JC unleashed her attack on it.

Its clear that there is a room or something on the other side.

do you think those are ruins?

I was reminded of the demon ruins I found on the Dark Continent.

In a secluded area of the woods, a strange and unidentifiable door appeared beneath an inconspicuous mound of dirt. If not for Goggoru-chans presence, none of us would have noticed it. It was clearly meant to stay hidden.

Ruins out here?

Edita Sensei asked this as she walked closer to us.

Have you heard about anything similar?

No, nothing that I know of.

I see.

If Sensei, who strangely knows a lot about Academy City, knows nothing, then who would?

I wouldnt be surprised if there were more than a few professors in the city that have need of a secret facility to conduct their strange experiments that the rest of society frowns upon. The clearly hidden entrance makes me think its unlikely that its the entrance to some old ruins. It would probably be dangerous to enter.

However, the JC grew excited by my words and was unaware of any danger.

R-Ruins are so cool!

She seemed to be fixated on the word ruins.

Her twin tails swayed side to side frantically as she bounced around. In complete contrast to a certain alopecia, balding old bastard, her early-teens hair remained youthful and shiny. Ive been around a lot of blonde and brown haired people since coming to this world, so this served as a reminder of the greatness of black hair.

To be honest, I want to see my white cum contrasted in her dark hair.

They are?

Isnt that obvious!? We should go in!

No, Im not sure thats.

It could have a security system or something.

It was located in the suburbs around Academy City in a clearly isolated section of a wooded area. Its obviously owned by someone. There was no grass or plants growing on the mound of dirt, so it must have deliberately been put there to hide the entrance.

However, the adventurous young JC wouldnt be stopped.

Oi, oi, ossan, arent you a little too old to be scared of something like this?

.

Shes trying to goad me and its working.

I dont have much of a choice now.

I have to show her that she has to take a middle-aged man seriously.

Youre right. We should head in to investigate.

Right!? Were finally on the same page, Teach!

She finally called me Sensei. Even if it was in a shortened way, it still counts.

Id pay to have a teenage girl with black twin tails call me sensei.

Im finally starting to get that authentic student-teacher feel.

O-Oi!

I completely forgot about Edita Sensei until she spoke up.

But I cant help but get excited either. Its a ruin after all. A fantasy dungeon. Theres only one thing to do when you encounter one. Man is nothing more than a creature willing to challenge himself at every opportunity presented.