Epilogue
In a windowless office, Norman faced two women.
Sphere Hamish.
She had the same hair and eye color as Norman, wearing glasses – the chief of the Cartesius Balldlum branch.
Behind her stood Iris Norton, a woman in a black suit with black hair. She was an intelligence officer who mainly scrutinized and collected information on the Unlaws within the city, also serving as Sphere’s secretary.
“Well then, how are you feeling?”
“How am I feeling? That’s a difficult question. A real head-scratcher. I’ve got a stab wound in the chest, a gunshot in the side, a crack in my left arm, and my right ear is split. It was just two weeks ago I fell from the top of that tower. Can’t walk without a cane. And in this condition, I get kicked out of the hospital and summoned here. Yeah, really feeling fantastic.”
“I see, no problems then.”
Norman could only offer meaningless silent protest to his sister’s wry smile.
Completely meaningless, even if he tried.
“Now, foolish brother. There are two matters for which I summoned you.”
“What are they? I already reported about that perverted actor, didn’t I? Not to you sis, but to Iris. You never even came to visit me, and Iris was more interrogating me than visiting. Actually, let me ask you first – what happened to Jim? Did he die properly?”
“Yes, he was taken care of. The details are better left unasked.”
“Ah, right right. Don’t want to know, don’t want to remember.”
“With Jim Adamworth dead and the military use of Unlaws temporarily halted, at the very least there should be no issues for a while. Of course, that includes conscription from this city.”
“Otherwise, there’d be no point in going that far.”
“Indeed, that was my job, but there is one matter concerning you.”
Saying that, Sphere took out a small box from her desk and placed it on the table.
“Here you are.”
“…Thanks.”
With his aching body, he went to retrieve it, sat back in the chair, and opened the box.
Inside was a badge.
A cane, a hat, surrounded by blue, red, yellow, and green patterns. And on the brim of the hat were the words:
[Elementary].
“…What’s this?”
“You’ve been saying you wanted a public-facing job, haven’t you? I’ve prepared this as a result of your recent work. The detective agency [Elementary]. All the necessary paperwork has already been sent to your lodging – you can use that as your office.”
“………………………What a total geek.”
“No, it represents the four elements.”
“Huh? Oh…I see. How about that.”
“It’s great, isn’t it? You worked desperately to solve the case for their sakes and racked up points for Cartesius.”
Norman didn’t react to his sister’s sarcastic smile.
“And the second matter is…”
“Your next job.”
“…Ah, I see. I’m still recovering but I’ll do my best.”
“Very well. That is all.”
Letting out a sigh, Norman stood up.
Leaning on his cane, he opened the door, but then –
“—Hamish.”
The voice wasn’t Sphere’s, but Iris’s, who had remained silent until then.
“Is that detective agency what you really wanted?”
Her words were like cold blades of ice.
“…Well, it’s not quite what I had in mind, but it’s not bad.”
“I see.”
Her eyes pierced straight through Norman.
“—You really haven’t changed at all.”
●
“Which one do you want to sit on?”
“Let’s take this one.”
“Sure.”
At Norman Hamish’s lodging living room.
Cklares and Lonzder had plopped down on the room’s only two sofas like they owned the place.
“Elteel, make us some tea. Put brandy in mine.”
“A royal milk tea for me, please.”
“You two, I am not your servant, you know.”
Elteel responded as she swept the room with a broom.
She had been coming regularly to clean even while he was hospitalized, but was giving it another thorough cleaning now.
“If you’re going to do it, do it yourselves.”
“What do you think, Cklares?”
“Norman will make us some when he gets back, so we might as well wait.”
“Good call.”
Cklares started reading a book laying around, while Lonzder lit up a cigarette.
“Honestly…”
Elteel couldn’t help but sigh at the two of them.
There was no reasoning with those two, so it couldn’t be helped.
“Not a shred of cooperativeness, is there?”
Shizuku, working in the corner of the room, remarked with sarcasm.
“That’s rich, coming from you Shizuku. You’ve quite the intimidating display over there.”
“I’m not the only one learning self-defense from Norman.”
“Chuckle, quite the self-defense tools indeed.”
Following Cklares’s amused gaze was Shizuku, barehanded as she gripped a rifle she was maintaining.
Unfazed, she wiped down the dull parts with gun oil as she maintained the components.
“Why don’t you come join us, Shizuku? We’re seniors and juniors, after all.”
“I’ve already dropped out though, senior.”
“Come on over, detective. Let’s all get along.”
“…No thank you. Do we need to get along?”
“Good question. We probably should, considering what’s to come.”
“The detective agency, was it? It’s wonderful that Norman will become the lord of his own castle.”
“Elementary, I’d laugh if I could.”
The four of them had already heard about the detective agency’s establishment from Sphere, which is why they had gathered to welcome Norman back from the hospital.
Otherwise, they would have no reason to gather.
These four together for a tea party would probably devolve into a bloodbath – “You’re in the way” or “This looks fun” being enough of an excuse for it to head that direction.
Fundamentally.
The reason they had remained inviolable to each other until now was because they knew Norman was trying to protect all four of them.
“…Do we even need an agency?”
Setting aside the parts she had finished polishing, Shizuku muttered as she deftly reassembled the gun.
“For a year and a half, we’ve all been doing our own thing, haven’t we?”
Though a self-directed musing, there were now people present to pick it up.
“Need it or not, it’s not necessary.”
As always, the fairy gave a smile as she picked up the tear that the flower had shed.
“But this time, the four of us came together to save Sensei, didn’t we? A little miracle. Though I suppose it was Sensei, always staying by our side despite how we are, who made that miracle happen. Don’t you want to show him more of those miracles? I bet Sensei would be delighted to see us having tea together.”
‘ ……………… ’
For a moment, Shizuku’s hand stopped.
Lonzder cheerfully puffed on his cigarette as Elteel also lent an ear to Cklares’s words.
“You don’t mind spending time with the four of us?”
“…Not to that extent. …Well, I don’t really care either way.”
“Then there’s no issue with us gathering.”
A crisp click rang out as Shizuku spun the revolver she had just reassembled. Not immediately answering, she wiped her hands on a cloth, removed just the barrel again, and gently placed it in a violin case beside her.
“…If it would make Norman happy, then I suppose it’s fine.”
Shizuku reluctantly remained, not leaving.
Taking out a violin from a case different than the one she had put her gun away in, she began idly plucking the strings with her fingers.
“You have a clever mouth.”
“Indeed. What do you think, Detective?”
“What do I think? How about you, Elteel?”
“If it pleases Norman sama, then I have no objections.”
Her answer was immediate. As she swept up the gathered trash with a dustpan and threw it into the garbage can, she showed no hesitation, as if what she said was simply a matter of course. Like a loyal dog, wishing only for her master’s happiness. That was her own happiness.
“As expected. Well, I mostly agree. Plus the detective agency isn’t bad either.”
“Hehe, the four of us really lack a sense of self.”
“—Well, we are Elementaries after all.”
“?”
Cklares frowned slightly at Lonzder’s words.
Shizuku and Elteel also turned their eyes towards her, wondering what she was getting at.
Lonzder accepted their gazes with a smile.
“The four elements theory. The idea that four elements make up the world. Isn’t it fitting for us?”
It wasn’t said with the strong conviction of a detective revealing the truth.
More like a soft prayer intermingled with a wry smile.
Earth, water, fire, wind. The four elements. One world.
Shizuku – Teardrop
Elteel – Sirius Flame
Lonzder – Enhance Diah
Cklares – Airy Step
The four of them together — become one world.
Norman-Hamish’s world.
“—Elementary.”
That’s why, the agency where these four can gather,
Here,
They don’t need to tremble in a corner. They don’t need to hide their true selves. They don’t need to hesitate about what they should do. They don’t need to be bored.
It’s what he dreamed of, the promised place, the miracle he created.
The four of them thought the same thing – that would be wonderful.
●
Norman returned to his boarding house, put his hand on the doorknob, and
“……..”
The door was unlocked. After a brief pause, he casually opened it.
“—Hey, I’m home.”
Just as he expected, the four of them were in the living room on the other side of the door.
Looking back, he felt like he might have said some incredible things during the Balldlum Tower incident, but oh well.
He didn’t feel like himself, but it wasn’t a lie.
“Welcome back.”
Shizuku was sitting cross-legged in the corner of the room. Next to her were two violin cases. Her hood was still on, but she had taken off her gloves. She plucked the violin strings with her fingers, a slight smile on her lips.
“Welcome back, sir. I’ve prepared some tea.”
Elteel had just come out of the living room, carrying a tea set for five people in both hands.
“You’re late, that shadowy bastard got you wrapped up in some trouble again, didn’t she? Hopefully it was an interesting case.”
Lonzder was sitting on one of the only two sofas in the room, brazenly putting her feet up on the small table next to it.
She was in a good mood, puffing on a cigarette.
“Indeed, I would welcome an enjoyable job as well. Welcome back, Sensei Norman.”
Cklares was sitting properly on the sofa opposite Lonzder.
Her ever-unchanging smile, but it was clear to see that it wasn’t fake.
“—Ah.”
This must be another “why” for Norman-Hamish.
Just as he couldn’t stand them being rejected,
He wanted them to have a place to belong.
Someday, he had made that promise to them.
If they could have a scene like this, where the four of them could have tea together.
What he had thought was just a pipe dream was right before his eyes.
A small miracle.
This latest incident had been an incredible struggle, but
If this scene existed, and could continue to exist from now on,
It would surely be the most precious thing of all.
The struggle was worth it.
“Well then, I have something to discuss with everyone while we have some tea.”
He looked around slowly at the:
Tear flower.
Hellhound.
Jewel.
Fairy.
The four precious ones.
“It’s a shoddy story, but—the next case.”
In the walled city.
The city where the wind doesn’t blow.
The story of humans and monsters continues.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
Afterword
When I started writing this intending to write a romantic comedy, I set [Comedy] aside for the moment and seriously considered what [Love] meant. I think there could be many answers, but for this story I settled on [Loving something while unable to fully understand it]. Unable to understand something is scary, and we reject it. But even so… that’s the point where Norman became the protagonist of this story, I think.
…Well, now that you’ve kindly read the afterword, I tried writing something that sounds like one, but how is it? It feels like [Comedy] got left behind somewhere. Oh well, I was able to pack in plenty of [Love], and pour out what I wanted to say.
Anyway, I’m Ryunosuke Yanagi. I hope we can have a long relationship going forward.
And I’d like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to many people.
To the readers who bought this book in this entertainment-flooded era – I hope you felt it was worth buying and that you want to read more.
To the editorial department, selection committee, and everyone at Kakuyomu who made entry possible – thank you for giving me the chance to make my dream of publishing a book come true.
To the readers who have followed me from the web for so long – thank you, and I look forward to more going forward.
To my editor – thank you for teaching me so many things as a complete novice, not just about this book but in general. I feel like we’re totally on the same wavelength as fellow otaku.
To the illustrator Gesoking – every illustration you drew is wonderful, and I love gazing at them. They perfectly match my tastes, so I’m really glad you were the illustrator. I hope we can be a long-running duo.
And to everyone else involved, thank you.
The biggest thing I felt in going from reader to author was the sheer number of people involved.
Finally, this book told the story of Norman and his heroines. If there’s a sequel, I’d be glad to bring you the story of the heroines together, or Norman and all of the girls.
I hope we can meet again somewhere.
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
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