Chapter 607: Preparation for the Trip, and Departure

“Now then, we’re leaving for ‘Japan’ the day after tomorrow, does everyone understand what to watch out for?”

When I asked, the ten children sitting on the sofa answered in unison, “Ye~s!” Their reply is good. Only their reply.

“Steph, red light means?”

“Stop!”

“Correct!”

Applause flew from around Steph who got it right. Steph was also puffing her chest out with a smug look, going muhu~. It seems Yumina and the others’ Japanese education stuck with them to some extent. Besides traffic rules and general common sense, there is also the rule that they must not use magic. Rather than must not use, they actually can’t use it on Earth where magical power is scarce. Still, for example, [Fireball] can produce fire about the size of a lighter, and [Waterball] can produce water about the size of a golf ball. It’s not a big power in this world, but if they were seen using it over there, it would cause a huge uproar. Worst case, the trip is canceled, and we can never go to Earth again. I reminded them of that persistently. Since it’s a world with almost no magical power, Kohaku and the others, of course, Paula, Mecha Paula aka Parla, and the crown Silver and Gold are staying home. There’s no way I can bring talking swords or robots. My wives and I can translate and converse not just in Japanese but languages all over Earth thanks to the power God Almighty enchanted on our wedding rings, but it doesn’t work that way for the children. Therefore, I had to make a translation item to substitute. If I made it, the enchanted magic would disperse on Earth and become useless, so I asked the God of Craft to make a translation tool usable on Earth. I was asked for craft goods from the other world as a souvenir though. I hope there’s something that fits the God of Craft’s taste… I hesitated a bit on what to enchant the translation function on. At first, I tried to ask for smartphone cases, but these kids look like they’d drop them… In the end, we settled on bracelets. With this, the children can also converse over there.

“Is it really okay to take them along…”

I’m getting anxious now after all this time… I showed them some Japanese movies and taught them to some extent what kind of world it is, but…

“It’ll be fine. As long as we each properly look after the child assigned to us.”

Elze brushed off my anxiety like that. Basically, it became a system where we look after the children man-to-man. Naturally, the child’s mother becomes that person in charge, but only Yumina and I are different; Yumina looks after Allis, and I look after Kuon. The reverse would have been fine, but we figured women with women and men with men would be easier to handle in various ways. Since I can’t enter the women’s restroom or women’s bath…

“If you get separated, call immediately. If you can’t call because you lost or dropped your smartphone, move to a place where you won’t be in people’s way and wait for us there. And also…”

“Hey Darling. That’s really too detailed.”

Leen called out to me with an exasperated voice. Hmm, is it too detailed… Or rather, you guys act like you have leeway, but you aren’t that knowledgeable about Earth’s common sense either. Well, it’s at a level where you’d be forgiven with ‘It can’t be helped since they are foreigners’.

“By the way Touya-san. Are you going in a child’s form this time too?”

Linze asked bluntly about the thing I was trying not to think about too much.

“Mmm… I won’t know unless I ask God Almighty, but it’ll probably turn out that way…”

Going in my current form is definitely bad. It’s bad if I meet someone who knows me, or if my picture is taken and I’m recognized. There are probably surveillance cameras all over town too. Last time was a honeymoon so it was whatever, but how about an extremely aged old man form? The setting would be a grandpa and his many grandchildren. Is that too forced?

“Wouldn’t nobody notice if you just took a girl’s form?”

“Leen-san, that is totally a yes!”

“It is totally a no!”

I strongly objected to Linze who was giving a thumbs up towards Leen who was laughing mischievously. Are you stupid! It’d be hell if an acquaintance noticed by any chance! Or rather, like hell I can show such an appearance to Dad and Mom! Let’s go with the child form after all. That’s convenient in various ways. It’ll be easier to move together with Kuon too.

“Come to think of it, can Kuon’s [Mystic Eye] be used over there…?”

“I think it can be used although the effect will be weak. The fatigue after using it will be significant so he probably can’t use it frequently. It was the same during my time.”

Yumina answered my question. So it can be used. However, since the [Mystic Eye] activates with pure internal magic power, if he forces its use over there, he might ruin his health and become bedridden. If he uses up the internal magic power, it’s hard to recover on Earth where magic essence is thin. I have to explain that part to Kuon and tell him not to use the [Mystic Eye]. The children also use magic on a daily basis, so they have to try not to use it. It would be terrible if they ran out of magic and collapsed. I think the older group understands well enough so they’re fine, but the younger group… especially Linne, Allis, and Steph, those three use [Body Enhancement] unconsciously. I don’t think there will be opportunities to fight, but I’m worried from now if they’ll get too excited and go out of control… I have to watch them closely.

◇　◇　◇

The next day, while everyone was preparing various things since we leave tomorrow, I realized something very important. Money. Cash. Moolah. I don’t have Earth, or rather, Japanese money. Last time, God Almighty prepared money for me, but I think that was strictly like a wedding celebration gift. It costs money to go anywhere or buy souvenirs. You can’t enjoy a fun trip penniless. Money is absolutely necessary. Now then, what to do. Should I sell gold or silver or gems over there after all? If it’s a small amount it’s not much of a problem… wait, no good! I don’t have ID! I can’t even sell them! I might be able to counterfeit coins if I use [Modeling] but… that’s a bit much. Besides, it’s hard to use just coins. First go to somewhere like Las Vegas, and make a fortune with a little cheating… wait, no no. Why do I look like I’m about to run to crime when I try to earn money… It’s probably because it’s easy. Then just do a normal part-time job… wait, that’s why I said I don’t have ID! As I was holding my head in the office wondering what to do, the smartphone placed in front of me notified me of a call. From God Almighty? Wha, could it be…

“You seem to be in trouble.”

“Were you watching…”

“You don’t need to worry about money. I will handle the exchange here. Several reasonable gems will do.”

As told, I took out several gems that were left in [Storage] onto the table. Should I avoid ones that are too big? Over here, gems the size of marbles are rolling around everywhere… Avoiding big ones, I left about three gems of a size common on Earth. The gems in front of me disappeared with a fuh, and bundles of ten-thousand yen bills fell down with a thud-thud. Whoa… Um, are these one million yen bundles? There are five of them… Five million…? I switched the smartphone to speaker, and when I picked up the bundle of bills in front of me, I felt a solid weight.

“Isn’t this too much…”

“Too much or whatever, I said exchange didn’t I. Originally it is your money.”

No, I wonder… It’s been quite a while since I reached the level called rich in this world, but holding Japanese Yen feels different in weight… The money sense from childhood is hard to get rid of.

“Or rather, is this money okay to use…?”

It’s not some slush fund or money that can’t be shown to the world, right…?

“It is money that can be used properly. Use it on the trip without worry.”

Yeah, I feel like I’ll be troubled if I ask too deeply, so let’s accept it gratefully. I dropped the bundles of bills into [Storage] with a plop. Huh? Thinking about it carefully, should I have asked them to exchange it for me after meeting Dad and the others? We-well, since something might get traced, it’s better to have God Almighty exchange it.

“Also, about your appearance when going to Earth… Since you are actually meeting your parents this time, I thought sticking to the child form is questionable.”

No…! I want to go in the child form there though! I feel like something more than a headbutt will come flying if I go in this form…! As I was trembling alone, a silver bracelet fell in front of me with a clatter. A round crystal-like thing is embedded in the slightly wide bracelet.

“I asked the God of Craft and the Goddess of Space & Time to make a simple transformation tool. If you wear that and flow divine energy into the crystal, you turn into a child’s form. If you flow it again, you return to your original form.”

“Hee…”

Transformation bracelet, huh. It certainly is tiring to be in a child’s form all the time… I slipped it onto my left arm and tried flowing divine energy into it. Pon! Smoke rose, and I turned into a child’s form in an instant just like last time. Whoa, my clothes are sliding down!

“Oops, I forgot to mention, but once you transform, you cannot activate it until a full day has passed.”

“Eh!? Wait, please say that kind of thing first!?”

I tried flowing divine energy into the bracelet once more, but it didn’t respond at all. No way… The bracelet seemed to automatically adjust the size, fitting perfectly even on a child’s arm.

“Since you depart tomorrow anyway, there is no issue, right? Listen, absolutely do not wander outside in your original form. Spend the whole day having a family get-together with your parents inside the house.”

Ah, if I return to the original form, I can’t return to the child form until a full day passes this time. Since it doesn’t seem like I’ll revert due to time limit, I only need to be in my original form when meeting Dad and the others. Other than that, let’s stay in the child form. I think Mom’s anger will subside if it’s the appearance of her cute son in his cute period. Or rather, please subside…

“Huh? Come to think of it, do Mom and the others know that we are returning?”

“No, they don’t know. I didn’t tell them this time… It’s scary to tell them.”

God Almighty leaked his true thoughts at the end with a small voice. Nuu. Does that mean we have to go meet them directly? No, maybe calling and having them come to Grandpa’s house is enough but…

“My heart is heavy…”

No, it’s not like I don’t want to meet them, you know? It’s just that it coming as a set with a lecture is somehow…

“How should I put it… If your mother was born in this world, I think she definitely would have become a type of heroine or great woman…”

That’s true. She is that daring Grandpa’s daughter after all… Anyway, she has no mercy. If she decides to do it, she does it thoroughly. There is not a speck of compromise or consideration there. I heard from Dad that long ago, when she was working at a company, she socially obliterated a boss without mercy who kept sexually harassing a female coworker. When I heard the details, I was slightly put off thinking ‘Would you go that far…?’. Dad told me with a bitter smile, ‘Touya-kun is exactly like Tsuzuri-san’. Where?

“So I have to call myself and report that I’m here with my wives and children… It doesn’t make sense, right…”

Even I think it’s some kind of joke to have nine children about a year after the honeymoon. Whether I can explain and get them to understand. Well, both of them are a manga artist and a picture book author, so I think they will accept that part flexibly.

“Well, go enjoy a leisurely family trip.”

“I think it’ll be fun once we break through the first barrier though…”

I hung up the phone with God and changed into children’s clothes from [Storage]. Good thing I kept them… The room feels wide when my viewpoint becomes low after a long time.

“Yo, to.”

I reached out, pulled the doorknob, and opened the door. It really is inconvenient being small. When I went out to the hallway, I ran into Steph who was taking Gold along.

“Hey, Steph. Are you done preparing for the trip?”

“…Who?”

Steph looks at me with a suspicious face. Shoot. I’m in a child’s form right now…

“Ah, um, it’s Father.”

“Otto-san?”

“No. It’s Tousama. Yours. From when he was a child.”

“Eh!? Tousama!?”

Steph ran up to me while making a surprised face. While circling around me, Steph looked me up and down happily. She looks full of curiosity.

“Is this [Mirage]?”

“No, not an illusion, I actually transformed. I’ll be like this for a day,”

As soon as I said that, Steph pulled my hand and started running. Fast, too fast! You must not use [Accel] in the hallway!

“Everyone~! Tousama turned into a child~!”

Being dragged by Steph who was sprinting down the hallway, I was taken into the living room. In the living room, mothers and children were assembled to prepare for tomorrow’s trip. The children opened their eyes wide in surprise, and the mothers also had similar surprised faces, though not as much.

“Eh? You’re already in child form? Isn’t that a bit early?”

“Rather than early, it was a slight mistake… Well, since I’m going to be in this form anyway, it’s no problem being a day early.”

“Eeh~… I wanted to see the gender-bend pattern…”

When I said excuse-like words to Elze who seemed exasperated, a disappointed voice was fired from the twin younger sister. That won’t happen okay!? That kind of pattern! I showed the bracelet I got from God Almighty and explained that I can return to normal after a day.

“I can’t go outside even if I return though…”

“How about wearing a [Mirage] using divine energy and changing into a different person?”

“No, thinking about the chance that divine energy runs out in the middle and I return to normal… well. I don’t want to cross a dangerous bridge. Even though God Almighty made it so we can visit home once a year.”

“That is also true… If you return to the child form after reuniting with your parents, you can move freely… there’s no need to dare risk it.”

I thought about Leen’s suggestion a bit too, but it’s probably safer to stop. I just have to stay inside the house for a day, so it’s not that difficult. I feel sorry for the children who have to keep me company though.

“Otoo-sama, you’re tiny! It’s like I have a little brother!”

“No, Kuon is here right…”

Arcia is frolicking looking at me. Mumumu, I’m losing in height… I might certainly look like a younger brother. Is my height about the same as Kuon? The only one I’m beating is Steph? Fumu, Yakumo asks while looking at me.

“Are we going to pretend to be siblings over there?”

“No, Allis is here too, so just normal friends is fine right?”

Honestly, calling my own children ‘Onii-chan’ or ‘Onee-chan’ is quite tough… My glass heart will shatter from shame. Besides if Mom and the others find out about that, they will definitely tease me. I want to be spared from that.

“Is everyone ready?”

“Yes. Since we cannot use [Storage], we put the minimum necessities for emergencies in the backpacks.”

Hilda looks at the nine backpacks lined up on the sofa. It’s spectacular when lined up in a row. Including Allis’s portion which isn’t here, the backpacks each have different colors, so there shouldn’t be mistakes. It would be fine if I held them in [Storage], but in the unlikely event we get separated, the children have to manage by themselves for a while. The contents are water bottles, simple emergency rations, lighting equipment, raincoats, change of clothes, etc., the contents aren’t much different from a disaster prevention backpack. It would have been easy if I could enchant [Storage] on this backpack. No, I can do that itself, but the effect apparently disappears the moment I take it to Earth with little magic essence, and the items put in the alternate dimension seem to all vanish.

“Well then, since tomorrow is early, let’s eat dinner, take a bath, and sleep early.”

“Ye~s!”

The children answer energetically. A two-week family trip starting tomorrow. I hope it ends without incident. I want to make fun memories and have the children return to the future. I thought that while watching the children leaving the living room in a group. …Well, a lecture is waiting for me first though. With this appearance, there is a possibility of a one-chance lecture exemption. I’ll bet on that and just pray to God. No… praying to God is probably useless this time…

◇　◇　◇

The next morning. The sky is clear and serene, a blue sky without a single cloud. Well, the weather here is unrelated to the trip, but the mood is good. Along with Allis, Ende and Melle, Ney and Lycee also came to see us off. Everyone from the castle also came to see us off. Glancing at Allis running up to Kuon, Ende took me into the shadows and said,

“Absolutely, absolutely do not take your eyes off Allis! If the savages over there try to do anything to cute Allis, you can cut them down!”

“Don’t say such dangerous things.”

Japan has something called the Firearm and Sword Possession Control Law. Or rather, stop treating Earthlings as savages. Let’s depart quickly before the worrier father tangles with me any further.

“Alri~ght, everyone gather up~.”

The children carrying their different colored backpacks and my wives who are empty-handed gather around me. A total of twenty people. Rather than a family trip, it feels like a company trip. Everyone has changed into plain clothes to match over there. We won’t be looked at strangely with this. The destination is Grandpa’s house. I still have the key from last time, and I plan to use it as a base this time too. Just like before, God Almighty has made it so electricity, water, and gas are usable. Since it’s a large house, twenty people should be manageable somehow. I spread divine energy thinly around. With this, even if there is someone at the destination during transfer, they shouldn’t notice. Alright, let’s go!

“[Inter-dimensional Transfer]”

With a hyuo, I felt like I was floating in the air for just a moment, and landed on the ground immediately. The scenery changed completely, and an old brick Western-style house appeared in front of my eyes. Grandpa’s house. Nostalgic. It’s only been about a year though.

“Is this Earth?”

“Magical power really is scarce.”

“Is that house Tousama’s Ojiisama’s house?”

The children are lively and noisy at their first Earth. My wives are also looking at the Western-style house nostalgically. For the time being, let’s go inside and take a rest. We haven’t done anything yet, but [Inter-dimensional Transfer] uses a decent amount of magic and divine power. I want to rest once…

“Touya-san, that…”

“Hm?”

“There is a paper posted on the entrance…”

As Yumina said, there was a paper posted on the door of the house’s entrance. In bold brush strokes, it was written:

“Contact us immediately when you arrive, stupid son.”

Uee, my moves are completely read… Phone is a bit scary, so maybe an email is fine…