Maid Extra 24: A Tale From A Pawnshop

The timeline is roughly one chapter before and around chapter 100 (arbitrarily).

This is from George’s perspective. Spoiler alert.

---

Before I knew it, I found myself in an unfamiliar town.

I was just about to leave school, about to walk through the school gates.

Yet, before I realized it, I was in a completely unknown town.

…It looked like a town from a foreign country, with cobblestone streets and unusual buildings continuing on.

Looking into a dim area, it seemed to be an alleyway.

Moreover, my clothes had changed to something weird.

What’s this? It’s in poor taste. What kind of cosplay is this?

…Staying put won’t do any good, I thought, so I started walking aimlessly.

No matter how much I walked, the scenery didn’t change; it all looked the same. It’s natural since I don’t recognize this place.

Well, it’s better to walk around than to just stand still.

By the time I was doing that, it had become night.

…Looks like I’ll have to spend the night outdoors.

“Hey there, young man. What are you doing in a place like this?”

As I was thinking, a man with a friendly aura appeared before me.

“No, I’m just a bit troubled with finding a place to eat and stay for the night… Ah, but it’s none of your concern.”

Of course, in such a nighttime alleyway, there couldn’t possibly be a nice guy around. Well, there might be, but in such a situation, I wouldn’t want to end up in an even more dangerous predicament.

I could make that much judgment.

I discreetly checked behind me to ensure I could escape at any moment.

“Come on, don’t be like that. Why don’t you join me for a drink?”

“No, I’m good.”

See! I knew it was dangerous!

“Come on, don’t be so stiff! Hey!”

In slow motion, I saw the man swing a wooden stick down, and I instinctively jumped to the side.

…My body surprisingly flew well, and I could land properly.

What’s this?

“Black hair and black eyes, plus this physical ability, you must be a otherworlder! Hey! Don’t think you can escape!”

As I was bewildered by the sensation of a body that didn’t seem like my own, people started emerging from hiding places one after another.

…I was surrounded.

“Really, making me go through all this trouble.”

Before I could come up with a plan, a purple mist appeared, and it seems I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I was in a damp and dark place.

Ah, there’s a ceiling. Lucky… No, not really, huh?

There was a grand collar around my neck, and a chain extended from it to the wall where it was fastened.

I was treated with the luxury of handcuffs on my hands and even shackles on my feet. Seriously, this is getting ridiculous.

…Well then.

I have absolutely no idea what’s going on, but one thing I can tell for sure… this place isn’t the world I was in.

Everything is just too strange.

The streets, the people’s appearances, my outfit, my physical abilities, and that weird purple mist.

…Expecting all of this to be a grand prank would be foolish.

I must have fallen asleep while zoning out.

“Hey, are you awake?”

I jumped up at the voice and saw that the guy I had the pleasure of meeting earlier was grinning through the iron bars.

“Typically, otherworlders are pretty tame. But there are lively ones like you, too.”

“Shut it. Where is this place? What are you going to do with me?”

“You know what happens to captured otherworlders, right? …We sell them.”

…Doesn’t seem like he’s talking about selling organs.

So, human trafficking is a common thing here. I’ve learned something new.

“You’ll be taken care of here until a buyer is found. Isn’t that nice? You won’t have to worry about food and shelter anymore.”

Saying that, he slid a container through the bars and left.

…Normally, eating food given by a stranger in an unknown place would be the height of folly.

However, if I am to believe the annoying guy’s words, I’m merchandise, and he wouldn’t harm me.

…Or so one would assume, anyway.

If I don’t eat, I’ll just starve to death.

Better to regain my strength properly and not miss any chance to escape.

Alright.

With that thought, I ate the contents of the container.

…It was surprisingly tasty.

Even after a while, there were no abnormalities in my body. It seems I won the gamble.

…What time is it now?

Has it become night? It’s quiet.

There might be guards, but I don’t feel their presence right now.

…I was reminiscing about the remarkable physical abilities I had shown earlier.

Can I still do that now?

I grabbed the chain extending from the collar and pulled hard.

…The brick wall broke, and the chain was pulled out.

That was easy!

Wait, did anyone notice?

…Peeking on the other side of the bars, nothing seemed to change.

Then, make hay while the sun shines.

If I could remove the shackles, I’d be able to run.

But, the problem is how to remove them…

…Then, for some reason, the idea “I should increase the rust on the shackles to weaken them” came to mind.

And at the same time, the surface area of the rust on the shackles increased.

…I can’t make sense of the situation, but this is an opportunity.

I kept focusing, covering the shackles in rust.

If the insides were filled with rust, the metal would become brittle. With some force applied, they broke.

The second barrier was breached.

…Now, what about this wall?

There were small cracks where the chain had been pulled out.

What if I “increase” these?

As a result, the cracks in the wall “increased,” and I successfully escaped.

However, perhaps as a consequence, my head felt unusually heavy and sluggish.

But getting caught now would be the end of it. I ran as much as I could to escape.

…Fortunately, or unfortunately, the clothes I was wearing remained the same, and they even had a hood.

They thought I was an “otherworlder” because of my “black hair and black eyes.”

So, it would be wise to hide those features as much as possible.

For that reason, despite the worsening headache and sluggishness, I completely destroyed the handcuffs.

Having them on would clearly mark me as an escaped piece of merchandise.

But, given the grand destruction of the wall earlier, there’s no way they haven’t noticed me.

It’s only a matter of time before they catch up, but for now, all I can do is blindly run through the unfamiliar streets.

While running, I collided head-on with someone at a corner.

“Kyah!”

“Oops.”

My body felt heavy, and I foolishly tumbled. Ouch.

“Ah, are you okay? I’m sorry, I was in a hurry. Really, I am so sorry.”

The person spoke rapidly, then ran off again. Well, I’m in a hurry too, so no problem.

…But, when we collided, she must have dropped it because a beautiful hair ornament was lying on the ground.

It was finely crafted metalwork. Not cast, but made from many thin metal wires bent and layered together. It resembled silver filigree but seemed more like titanium.

Probably some kind of oxide film. The hair ornament was made of metal with a rainbow luster.

I instinctively picked it up, examined it closely, and then tucked it into a pocket on my clothing.

Just as I did, more people came running around the corner. My pursuers this time? …No, different.

“Hey, you! Did a woman come this way?”

…What an unpleasant way to ask.

“Sorry, haven’t seen anyone.”

Somehow, I ended up protecting the person I bumped into, who happened to be quite beautiful, without any particular reason.

“Is that so? Sorry to bother you.”

…And without any concern, the three of them ran off.

They seemed in quite a hurry… They must be searching for the person I bumped into.

I’d like to return the hair ornament, assuming it belongs to her, but maybe it’s better not to get involved.

But as for escaping, I had no specific destination in mind.

With no other choice, I wandered around until the sun was covered by clouds, and the dim street became even darker.

And somehow, I ended up back where I started.

…I wouldn’t consider myself directionally challenged, but it seems… that might be the case. Yeah.

However, this time, being directionally challenged wasn’t so bad.

“Long time no see.”

The person I bumped into was searching the ground for something in the now completely dark street.

“Ah, you’re the person from earlier. Sorry, did you get hurt?”

She stopped her search to worry about my injuries, which made her seem like a nice person. And she’s beautiful too.

“Miss, by any chance, were you looking for something like this?”

I handed over the hair ornament I had been holding, and her face instantly brightened.

“Yes, that’s it! That’s it! Oh, I’m so relieved…”

The beautiful lady enveloped my hand and the hair ornament in hers, sitting down with a deeply relieved expression.

It must have been something very important to her.

Somehow, I felt good about doing a good deed. Not a bad feeling at all.

“I was really in trouble. Thank you. You’re my savior. Please let me thank you.”

Somehow, it seemed like a stroke of luck.

…A thank you, huh.

…There’s a lot I’d like to ask for, but for starters, this.

“So, I have a bit of an odd question, but where is this place?”

“…Huh?”

Staring blankly isn’t a good look, even for a beauty.

“…I see. Not amnesia, then. Maybe you got caught up in some sort of magic.”

In the end, I found myself receiving a night’s lodging and meal from that woman… Mrs. Rudela.

According to Mrs. Rudela, that hair ornament had a value far beyond what it seemed, so well, I decided to graciously accept her kindness.

…However, after sharing my circumstances with her (I ended up here before I knew it, got captured, and then escaped), the word “magic” slipped out… What should I do about this?

“For now, you can stay here until you find a way to return. In exchange, I might ask you to watch the shop.”

Wow, wait, isn’t this person too kind?

Is it really okay for such a beautiful lady to let an 18-year-old high school boy stay at her home?

I mean, not to boast, but I’m a perfectly healthy boy, you know?

“You are my benefactor, after all. …This hair ornament,”

Mrs. Rudela swung the hair ornament on the table a few times.

…When she swung it, several coins fell out.

“It’s a piggy bank. This hair ornament has the ‘Lost Blessing’ attached to it.”

…Guess I have no choice but to believe in “magic” now.

After that, I learned about the norms of this world while staying with Mrs. Rudela.

Of course, I made an effort not to let on that I was learning anything.

If people found out I came from a world without magic, who knows what would happen, and that wouldn’t change even for Mrs. Rudela, who I owe so much.

Not being able to read was another hurdle, but I managed to learn the script of this world at an astonishing speed, surprising even myself.

Every day was filled with a sense of living on edge.

…Mrs. Rudela was a merchant.

Moreover, she was the type to deal in some rather shady transactions.

One of the reasons I never felt at ease was undoubtedly this!

At least once a day, someone who looked unmistakably like a thug would visit.

…Mrs. Rudela was someone who dealt with those types and made a good profit.

Of course, I got dragged into it too.

…It’s true what they say, if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

In exchange for a place to sleep and meals, I ended up “offering myself” to Mrs. Rudela.

Ah, no, not in a way that a high school boy would be happy about! If it were that, I’d be pleased!

…Here, people with black hair and black eyes are considered “otherworlders” and highly valued.

And why are they valued? Because they possess the “Lost Blessing.”

Basically, an unimaginable level of magic.

It seems everyone with black hair and black eyes has this without exception.

So, I became… collateral.

“Hey, Rudela, you’ve got the money ready, right?”

“Of course. Well, if I can’t prepare it, I have an otherworlder staying at my place.”

…That’s how it went.

…Well, it’s less creepy than being grateful for nothing, I guess.

I was that kind of person, and luckily, so was Mrs. Rudela.

All things considered, we got along pretty well.

…Ah, not in that sense of getting along, okay?

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

…Well, as you might guess, that shop at that time was this place here.

Mrs. Rudela disappeared into thin air about 5 years later, leaving behind a letter.

At that time, I inherited this shop and her connections, that’s how it went.

I didn’t know anything about business, but watching her, I learned quite a bit.

And that’s how I’ve made it to today, that’s the story.

Alright, alright, that’s enough for today.

Go to bed early, you guys. Staying up late just because you’re young won’t do your body any good, right?

…Yeah, but if you say, “I love you, George!” then… ow, ouch!

Hey, Hanamura! I’m sorry! It’s my fault, please stop it, ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch!

Sagara! Don’t just laugh, help me out! Hey!

This isn’t funny!