Chapter 454: The Elevator and the Escalator.
Chapter 454: The Elevator and the Escalator.
Even though they are wandering around the shopping center, Yumina and the others are still my dependents. If I could use my Godly powers to the fullest, I would know the details of where they were, but now I only know the general direction and distance.
A feeling pops up in me if they are in danger, but with the absence of it, it seems that everyone is not in a critical situation for now. No, they can't really fall into a crisis situation like this.
"We thought it would be okay to go around by ourselves for a while. I'm sorry."
"Well, I'm bad because I took my eyes off of you. Let's find everyone quickly."
There is no danger here, but it could be a hassle if they got into trouble. For the time being, I left the store with Elze. I held her hand so that she wouldn't get lost, and her remaining hand was holding a paper bag containing the clothes she had just bought.
"It looks like they’re not on the first floor …"
By using search magic on each floor of the shopping center, I found out who was where. Even though the center is big, it's the same size as Brynhildr's castle. If I look for the girls thoroughly, I will find them immediately.
However, they were brilliantly divided into many different floors … Yeah, this is going to be a hassle. Let's pick them up in the order from the top. At the end, we’ll be going to the underground grocery store.
By the way, as far as the search results are
concerned, Yae and Lu are in the grocery store. As expected.
"Huh? Aren’t we going to ride the “Esukareitaa"?"
"Because it's on the 5th floor, we can take the elevator all at once. This is it."
I pull Elze's hand and pass by the escalator. I went to the elevator just ahead and I pressed the "△" button.
Elze looks interestedly at the "△" button that has begun to light up. Eventually, the elevator arrived on the first floor, the door opened, and two children with their parents came down.
We go inside and I keep pressing the "Open" button.
"Hey, come in."
"Eh? Ah, yeah."
I beckon Elze, who is chasing the descending parents and child with her eyes. I was a little scared about what she was thinking, but after confirming that Elze got into the elevator, I pressed the "Close" button.
"Wait, it's closed !?"
"Don't worry. It’ll open agian soon."
"Aha !?"
When I press the button to go to the 5th floor, the elevator starts to move, and Elze, who looks anxious, clings to me. Are you surprised at this feeling?
"It's okay. The box we're in is just pulled up. We'll be on the 5th floor soon."
"This is quite surprising even though I know about it. I saw "Erebeetaa" in the movie we watched. I was just surprised by this feeling."
Beside Elze, who shows a strange strength, my gaze is directed to the floor indicators of the elevator above us. I’m waiting for it to light up to the correct number.
The bright light on the 5th floor lights up and the door opens slowly. Perhaps she was surprised to know that it was on a different floor than before, because Elze was looking around.
Su is on the fifth floor. Looking at the information board, it seems that we are in a store in the back of the shopping center.
It was a so-called amusement corner where claw machines, video games, print sticker machines, etc. were all over the place.
"What's this place? It's a little noisy …"
Else frowns, but she searches for Su. Like Elze, Su’s blonde hair stands out so we should be able to find her soon …
Su was looking into a pile of sweets in a small hemispherical claw game, pressing her face against the glass pane. What are you doing …?
"Su."
"Nyhaa~ Elze-san and Touya-kun! This “kikai thing” doesn't work for some reason … It doesn't move at all when I press a button like other people did. I wonder if it hates me … ?"
Su puffs up her chest, and pushes the button with a click. No, you probably didn't put in any money. I haven't given it to everyone, yet because there wasn’t any chance to …
It's the same as paying for things at a store, but aren’t the vending machines that need coins familiar? Don’t you remember Olba-san’s toy capsules?
I put the 100 yen I took out of my wallet into the claw machine where Su was clinging to. Then, when I pressed the button, of course, the arm moved properly, and I thrust it into the pile of sweets.
"Oh! It worked!"
Gugu. The arm scooped up some candy. Most of them fell apart due to the impact of the thrust, but I managed to get three.
"Well, that's how it's used."
"Nyhaa~! Touya-kun, thank you!"
I gave up my spot to Su. It seems that you can do it three times for 100 yen, so she should be able to do it two more times.
While I was looking at Su, who was operating the claw machine while looking really excited, I was tapped on the shoulder from behind. When I turned around, Elze was holding out her right hand with an expectant smile. …… You want to do it, too?
Elze, who received some money, also looked for a free claw machine which had no one already playing on it. In the end, the girls got a few things after spending about 500 yen on their claw machines. Or rather, I got the items for them. I don't care if I've been doing it all the time.
I packed the chocolates, candies, and sweets they got into a plastic bag that was attached to a case near the games and handed it to Su. Su has a happy face because she got the sweets. I think we could have bought better sweets for 500 yen, but I don't know if that would be as fun as getting them from a claw machine.
Well, next is the 4th floor.
Three people get on the escalator and go down to the lower floor.
Immediately after I got off, I found Sakura. She was watching a music video of an idol’s song in front of a CD Shop while singing the same song, but quietly. People are gathering around.
The appearance of Sakura stands out due to the color of her hair. Her appearance of singing while watching the idol's music video is also interesting, but it may be a little difficult to approach her for normal people. It seems that no one is calling out.
"Sakura."
"King-sama. This song is really good! I want it."
I heard that while approaching her . Okay, okay, calm down.
I'm sure Grandpa had a CD player, so if we buy it and go home, you can listen to it. Or rather, you can listen to it as soon as you download it, but let's pay for it. It may be a memory for Sakura.
"You really like it."
"Yeah. I already learned the lyrics. Should I sing?"
"Oh no. I'll listen to you when we get home."
If Sakura sang seriously in such a place, it would definitely make a ruckus. There is no special microphone created by the Professor here, and since there are no magic elements in the first place, her singing magic will not be activated, but even without it, Sakura’s songs have the ability to attract attention. We need to be inconspicuous…
We left the shop with Sakura and the CD she bought. There are two more of my wives on the fourth floor, Linze and Leen.
They are both in the same place … they seem to be in a bookstore. Looking at the map, it seems that various books are placed in a fairly large store. There are also some stationery stores near there.
"Nyhaa~ Touya-kun, there's Leen right over there."
"Eh?"
While searching inside the bookstore, Su immediately found Leen. The place is the "Myths and Cultures" section, and several books are piled up in front of her which she probably looked through in her browsing. The books vary from Greek mythology to Norse mythology, Indian mythology, and Japanese mythology.
Perhaps she had noticed that I was approaching due to her [God’s Love] effect, because Leen closed the book she was reading with a smile without showing any signs of surprise to us who had just appeared.
"Darling, I think I want to buy this book."
"That's okay, but … Is it interesting to read these
myths?"
"Yes. There are various stories. It's interesting because there are similar tales in our world."
Oh yeah. The Different World also has many tales that are pretty similar to the tales of Earth, so much that it makes me wonder which ones started first.
According to the World God, both of our worlds are completely different, although they have similar parts here and there. There are many similarities in history, names, and laws. That is why the World God sent me to that world.
Well, I found Leen for the time being, but where is Linze?
"She should have been looking for a novel for herself."
Novel? I mean … which one?
I go through the store, relying on the labels on the shelves that indicate the genres of the books. I cross bookshelves categorized as horror, history, mystery, science fiction, and fantasy, but Linze is not visible near any one of them. I know that I'm really close.
"I think Linze is looking for a romance novel. She said she wanted to read those types of works as well."
When I followed the instructions of her twin sister and went to the romance section, I immediately found Linze, who was absorbed in reading a book.
………… She really was in the romance section.
For some reason, that book that Linze was reading had the cover of a cute blushing boy hugging a cool young man with glasses from behind.
Wow!
Linze didn't seem to notice us, perhaps because she was so absorbed in the novel. She’s snorting and turning pages with great momentum. Hmmm, I don't think it's good to keep exposing this type of her figure to the world … After all she stands out.
I called out because she still wasn't aware of my arrival.
"… Would you like to buy it?"
"Eh? What !? And Touya-san !? Oh, everyone !?"
Linze turns around and closes the book, hiding it behind her. No, it's too late. There is a bookshelf of that genre in the background.
"Buy it and read it at home, because browsing is a nuisance to other customers."
"Oh, that's right, right! I'll do it!"
"Are there any other things you want to buy?"
"Ah, yes. Um, this and this and this … Ah, this too. This series looks a little interesting. And …"
There are so many! Linze takes the books out of the bookshelves and puts them on the ground below them and starts to form a stack. No, you can't buy the entire store’s supply!
We all carried the books, and loaded them onto the cashier’s counter. The woman there was a little surprised, but she finished the checkout without incident. We put the books in paper bags, and left the store.
Next, I will go to the bathroom first before going down to the 3rd floor. It's not that I need to go, but it's because I need to open [Storage] in the privacy of the toilet so that no one can see and store the heavy luggage.
When I entered the men's toilet, the man who was washing his hands was surprised to see me. Wouldn't it be a little surprising if a child holding a number of large paper bags entered a private room?
I go inside, lock the door, wait until the man goes out, and store Elze's clothes, Su's sweets, Sakura’s CDs, and Leen and Linze's books in a [Storage] cast by using Divinity. This seems better. Hmm, now there isn’t as much weight to carry around.
Going back to this world, I realize that magic is very useful, once again. Though, it's hard not to be seen.
I went to meet everyone who was waiting outside.
This time, everyone is there. I made sure they didn't move around all over the place.
"Who is on the 3rd floor?"
"Um … Hilda. We need to go right after we get off."
I look at the information board next to the escalator while answering Linze's question. It was written as "↑ 5th floor ■ Amusement ■ Cafe ■ 100 Yen Clothes ■ Interior ■ General Bedding" and "↓ 3rd floor ■ Children's clothing ■ Sports equipment ■ Kimonos ■ Baby Products ■ Toys".
Hilda was found as soon as we went down to the third floor on the escalator. Not far from the entrance of the store, she picks up the product and has a difficult expression on her face.
"Mumumu……"
"……What are you doing?"
"Ah, Touya-sama. No, this is a knight in full-body armor, but when you see the various dolls and imitated weapons sold like this, is he quite famous here?"
"Yeah, well … I wonder if it's famous …"
But that's not full-body armor… because it is a costume for Halloween and such.
I am a little confused on how to explain that concept to the princess-knight Hilda.
The toy department is packed with goods to transform into imaginary heroes. Belts, swords, guns, and more.
"If you like it so much, do you want to buy it?"
"That's right. If this person was such a famous person, one should commemorate him."
Well, unfortunately that will be replaced by a new guy next year.
"Oh, things like Paula are also on sale."
"Oh, that's true. Darling, let's buy one of them, too. It's a good souvenir for Paula."
No, why do you want to give Paula a teddy bear as a souvenir? Do you want it to become Paula's wife? If you apply [Program], it may become like Paula … Oh no, is Paula a male? Or is it a female?
"There are even small Ether vehicles lined up around here. "
"Hey … That’s a huge number, Nee-san."
The twins are surprised to see the miniature cars, but there are only a few of the many different types of cars for kids here on display.
"King-sama. This is interesting. I want it."
When I turned my gaze toward Sakura, there was a girl with a magic wand in her hand, looking like a magical girl. No, you can use magic without using a wand …
If we stay in this place for too long, we may end up buying various things. I have to escape quickly.
We brought a costume, a teddy bear, and a magic wand to the cashier and finished the checkout quickly. The female cashier must think that it was I who wanted to buy these toys. That’s wrong.
Hilda was found quickly so we decided to go downstairs. There should be Yumina on the 2nd floor. The only people left are Yae and Lu who are in the bottom floor.
"Um … this one."
The second floor was mainly for women, holding items such as handbags, cosmetics, and women's miscellaneous goods. I don't feel like I’m out of place here. I don't care because I'm a kid now.
Yumina was quickly found in an accessory store not far from the escalator. She’s looking at a brooch that was on display in the store.
"Oh, Touya-sama. Everyone else, too."
Leen looked into Yumina's hand when Yumina noticed us. A brooch with a rabbit and a clock was held there. Was it themed after “Alice in Wonderland”?
"Oh, that's a pretty good brooch."
"Isn't it cute? It's a shame that the structure is a little too badly created."
Yumina… the clerk can hear you, so don't say it's badly created or not so loudly.
Apparently, this is not a luxury accessory store, but a store where you can buy things at a reasonable price. Well, I think that it doesn't have anything that catches the princess's eyes …
"Oh, this pendant is also cute, isn't it?"
"Nyhaa~ I would like to have this hair clip."
It seems that Su and Linze also took advantage of Yumina being in this place and found what they wanted. The two girls rush into the store.
Oh, shopping time again … You should’ve heard my voice saying that we’re going to pick up Yae and Lu after this, so can you please be quick?
Since they aren’t here, I also buy accessories for Yae and Lu. I bought Yae a hair clip that can keep her hair in place, which she really needs, and bought Lu a bracelet decorated with light green glass beads. I hope they like it.
We leave the store after paying the money for everything we bought. Now we can finally shop for dinner, which was my original purpose.
The girls and I take the escalator down to the lower level at once. It's supposed to be a common food department, but for some reason it's a little noisy. I wonder what? Did something happen!??