Chapter 218: Road Trip
Link: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n7583de/
Author: Hirukuma
Translated by Zzonkedd
Edited by Gumihou
Hyurumi, who immediately understood what I wanted to do, wasted no time modifying the cart so that it could be attached to the sports car.
Since I could not fit in the driver’s or passenger’s seat in my default form, the only way for me to ride in the car would be to shove me into the trunk. [1] Even then, they would have to tie me down to keep me from falling out, and there’s no way for them to close the trunk that way.
[1] Sure, I could sit in the driver’s seat in my cardboard form, but I could only maintain that form for four hours max, so someone would have to learn how to drive. Which comes back to the attached cart issue… [1] Considering how we would have to be on the road for a long time, safety and security were paramount. In short, we could not just slap a working solution together and call it a day, which meant staying at an inn for the night.By ‘we’, of course, I meant Hyurumi.
Ramis and the others returned to Clearflow Lake briefly to collect all the necessary tools and parts requested by Hyurumi as she studied the cart and the sports car’s form. Once they returned, however, Hyurumi had shooed them away, stating that it was better for them to go and rest while she worked in peace.
[3] “Once I’m done with this, I’m going to sleep in the cart the whole day,” was her explanation.While the others rested at the inn, I stayed and kept Hyurumi company. After all, it’s not like I needed sleep anyway.
“Hey, Hakkon, can you make it a bit brighter?”
“Welcome”
At Hyurumi’s request, I turned on the brightness a little more. Even with all the torches and magic lights around, Everlasting Floor was pretty dim. [2] For now, I haven’t seen anything that was brighter than a vending machine’s fluorescent lights.
“Thanks, that’s so much better. I can actually see what I’m doing now.”
Hyurumi wiped a bit of sweat from her forehead and kept working, tools clinking as she focused on refining the cart.
I should also mention that she has a tendency to get so caught up in her work that she forgets to eat or drink. So, in addition to providing light and companionship, I was also watching her closely to make sure that she did not forget to take breaks.
[3] After an hour of nonstop work, I waited for a good moment and pressed an ice-cold bottle of mineral water against her cheek.“Hyuaaah! Wh-what the heck, Hakkon?!”
“Dr-ink.”
“O-oh. Yeah, good idea. I’ll take a break.”
She sat down on the ground and leaned back against me, tilting her head up toward the ceiling.
“Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. There was a letter and a little box from the Chairman in the truck bed. Wanna know what it says?”
“Ye-es.”
“Right, I memorised it. ‘When you reach the deepest part of the lowest floor, open this box and use what’s inside. It’s a gift from us old folks.’ That’s what it said.”
Now that sounded interesting. “Deepest part of the lowest floor,” huh? Was that supposed to be a clue?
I really wanted to take a peek inside the box, but… no, I should behave myself.
“Hakkon, you’re not thinking weird thoughts, are you?”
She was getting scarily perceptive lately.
“N-n-no”
“Your pronunciation’s weird. Heh, gotcha.”
She smirked, pressing the back of her head playfully against my body.
This playful and relaxed side of her only came out when it was just the two of us. Beneath that brash, tough exterior was a surprisingly cute side of her.
Not that I disliked her usual bossy attitude, mind you.
“Still, I was quite shocked by that self-moving cart. What do you call it?”
“Ca-ar”
“A ka’ar? That’s pretty cool.”
Close enough.
Once all the necessary modifications were done, I should let her observe my driving. She, of all of my companions, should pick up driving skills the fastest.
“I don’t know how fast this ka’ar can go, but it should really cut down on our travelling time by a lot. Thank you, Hakkon… still, I don’t think I’d mind travelling for years, as long as it’s with you.”
She scratched her cheek, embarrassed by her own words.
“To-ge-ther”
“Fu-n”
“Ye-es”
“Heh, yeah.”
We spent the rest of the night talking and reminiscing about how we first met, working side by side until dawn…
“Whew! Finally done! I’m beat!”
“Thank you”
I wanted to say ‘Thank you for your hard work’, but that was just too many syllables all at once. Still, even if I can’t show my appreciation in words, let’s show it through action. I switched into my [Convenience Store Vending Machine] form and put up two kinds of dessert, along with a slightly more expensive premium royal milk tea.
“Oh, awesome! After cracking my brain this much, I could really use something sweet.”
As she happily stuffed a crepe into her mouth, I spotted Shui creeping up behind her. Shui had a finger to her mouth and a mischievous look in her eyes. [2] I stayed quiet.
“Sure looks tasty.”
Hyurumi nearly choked mid-swallow.
“Huff, cough, gah! Don’t scare me like that, Shui!”
“Sorry, something smells really good that I just can’t help myself.”
“Having fun… Hakkon…”
Pitee’s face suddenly appeared out of the darkness. Startling me. Woah, when did she get so close?!
It was frightening how well she blended into the shadows. The jumpscare reminded me of something out of horror movies and freaky games.
“I’m late!”
Ramis came rushing in. She looked dishevelled and half-awake. Since her clothes were already pretty revealing, the sloppy look was too close to dangerous territory…
Luckily, there were only women around, no actual men, [2] because I clearly don’t count. Haha. Still, even though she’s a proper hunter, she’s still a girl, so she takes a little more care with her appearance.
I transformed into a slender vending machine. A [Hair Care Vending Machine] just like the ones found in some hotels that offered hair tonic, dry oil, and different kinds of combs. I dispensed a comb and floated it forward to fix Ramis’ bed hair using [Telekinesis].
“Mmm, thanks, Hakkon.”
Her eyes drifted shut in contentment. She really wasn’t a morning person. Maybe I should help her like this more often.
“Pitee… next…”
She was already standing behind Ramis, her eyes staring right at me, making it difficult to refuse. With how long her hair was, though, it would take quite a while to do her hair.
“Excuse me for interrupting, but could I get some breakfast-su?”
Trust Shui to break the tension in her usual gluttonous way. I swear I saw crumbs next to her mouth but… maybe she did not get enough to eat at the inn.
“Good morning,” said Hevoy. “Everyone’s pretty early today.”
“Oh? Are you all getting your hair combed?” Mishael said as he walked up, looking at Ramis enviously. I feel like… I should ignore his expectant eyes. If I spoiled him too much, things could get awkward.
Once everyone was done eating and getting things ready, there was only one issue left. Who would take the two seats in the sports car?
The driver’s seat was quickly claimed by Hyurumi. No one challenged her since she had worked the hardest to get everything ready since last night. That left the passenger seat. Hevoy had already claimed a seat in the cart, not at all interested in the drama.
The remaining four people were staring each other down.
“I’m the closest to Hyurumi, so I should sit next to her,” was Ramis’ claim.
“Unfair! We’re all good comrades-su!” Shui protested.
“Pitee also… wants to ride… front…”
“Since we have no idea how safe it is yet, as Master’s disciple, I should take the lead and test it out first.”
Clearly, no one wanted to back down.
Well, I can’t blame them. If a mysterious new ride suddenly appeared, I’d want first dibs too.
“Why don’t you guys just take turns?” said Hevoy calmly. “At this rate, we’ll never reach our destination.”
That shut them up. Then, they all started offering to let the others go first, [1] clearly ashamed of their earlier attitude. However, this was also equally problematic.
“Ugh, Hakkon, you decide!” Hyurumi declared. “Who should sit up front?”
“Ra-mis”
Was my prompt reply.
Ramis pumped her fist in triumph.
Honestly, [4] this was the best option. The ones seated up front with the driver should be someone they are most familiar with.
I also wanted my first drive to be with these two. So, it all worked out.
[4] Speaking of which, even though Hyurumi’s in the driver’s seat, I’m still the driver. Since no one else knew how to drive the car, I had Ramis tuck me in the middle of the bucket chairs so that I could easily reach all the controls with my [Telekinesis].“De-part”
I announced in my rather monotonous voice as I started the engine and depressed the accelerator.
Technically, with 6 people plus the cart, the weight capacity was beyond the car’s admittedly high-powered engine. Still, with Pitee’s [Weight Manipulation], the car shot forward smoothly enough.
We drove past a few scattered structures and continued down a long, narrow road stretching into the darkness. It was pitched black past the circle of lights, so I turned on the headlights.
The road was nearly 10 meters wide, so there was no danger of falling off the edge, but I decided to pay extra attention to the road until I got used to the car.
“This is so amazing! So cool!” [2a] Ramis enthused with her head stuck out of the car window like a happy dog.
“What’s its power source? There’s barely any vibration, the ride’s so smooth! I’m totally studying this thing later!” [2] Hyurumi said as she tried to touch everything within reach without actually changing anything.
Behind us, I could hear the others speaking with each other.
“It’s way faster than Unasus!”
“The wind… feels nice…”
“This is pretty exhilarating.”
“As expected of Master Hakkon!”
Looks like everyone seems to like the car. Although the journey ahead would still be quite long, I hope that everyone could still enjoy the ride.
As their vending machine, I’d do whatever it takes to keep them smiling.
[Gumihou: Ugh, car math]
[1] Adjusted descriptions so that it made sense [2] Additional details [2a] Because, of course people would do that when they ride a car for the first time. Especially, when people with golden retriever-like energy. [3] Moved text around for better clarification [4] It’s unclear where Hakkon was seated in that first car ride. Or what the seats are like, whether it’s a manual or automatic, one press start button, foot handbrake etc
Hakkon was supposed to ‘drive’ the car, but it was unclear whether he was seated up front or at the back, in his cardboard form or original form.
His [Telekinesis] power is now at 2 meters long, which is about 6 feet, but a sports car generally ranges about 13 feet (shortest). Even if we deduct the front bit of the car by 25%, that’s still over 6 feet long and now the math is going to haunt Gumi’s dreams.
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