The Mysterious Child: An Adventure Tale Beginning with Numerology

"It's been a while, Ruruk. Or should I call you 'Nanairo'?"

Right after a lively dinner at our home, which had suddenly gained two new residents.

The person Lilith brought with her was a boyish girl with short chestnut hair.

The last time I met her, she was only seven years old. Although she had grown taller, her face and hairstyle hadn't changed much, leaving a similar impression.

She was Koneru Pancourt, the daughter of a margrave and Lilith's best friend.

Apparently, she had been going by the name "Gin" in the Luney Trading Company.

"It's been a while, Koneru. Just Ruruk is fine, as before. I don't plan on changing it either."

"I see. Then I'll do that."

Koneru looked around the room and then grinned.

Everyone was gathered in this living room. However, Elen, Seori, and Karmarike, who wouldn't understand the conversation, were seated on the sofa by the window, while those of us who were originally from Japan gathered in the center. By the way, Lilith was happily brewing tea with Punisuke.

Koneru looked at Saaya and Nagi beside me and said,

"Those two also look like they already know. So, no need for explanations?"

"We're not completely certain yet. Let's properly introduce ourselves to each other," Saaya said, looking straight at Koneru.

"I'm Saaya Schreine. 'Ichinomiya Azusa'."

"I'm Nagi. 'Onitsuka Tsurugi'."

"I thought so. You guys are easy to figure out, which is helpful," Koneru chuckled.

"I'm Koneru Pancourt, 'Tachibana Moe'. As expected, right?"

"Indeed. I can't imagine anyone else creating such a trading company," Saaya replied.

"Well, that's thanks to Lilith's godly inventions. But you know, I've actually held back quite a bit. This world's legal system and vested interests are too loose, so honestly, I could have done much more as I pleased. But to become an unbeatable standout, I had to build connections in various fields, which took two whole years just to get this far."

"Do you have many enemies?"

"On the surface, there shouldn't be many. I've been buying out the capital sources of business rivals, but I haven't interfered and have continued to maintain employment. Well, I can't say with a straight face that no one holds a grudge against me~"

"...You seem to be enjoying yourself quite a bit. I'm glad."

Saaya looked relieved.

Being someone who got along well with all her classmates, she naturally had interactions with Tachibana as well. Seeing her energetic state seemed to have put Saaya at ease considerably.

"What about you guys?"

"What about us? As you can see, we're happily working as adventurers."

"No, no. How does it feel to fall in love for the first time twice with the same person?"

"Hey! That's a secret! Shh!"

"Saaya, it's no use trying to hide it. Just give up."

As Koneru teased, Saaya turned bright red and shook her head. Though embarrassed, she kept glancing sideways at me while swinging her twin tails.

I remained unresponsive, knowing it would be unwise to react.

"Well, I don't care about your love comedy. More importantly, Ruruk, there's something I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?"

"When you connected with the World Tree using mystic magic, did you get a sense of its location?"

An unexpected question came flying at me.

I had thought we'd talk about old times or immediately discuss the Luney Trading Company.

I shook my head.

"No, I don't know the location. It's just the sensation of being connected to a vast source of information. I'm not even certain that it's the World Tree."

"Hmm, I see."

"Why do you ask?"

"Even Lilith can't connect to the World Tree on her own. She says she doesn't have that sensation."

"No, I mean, why are you asking about this?"

I, who was a loner in class, don't remember at all what kind of person Tachibana Moe was.

But I do know what kind of person Koneru Pancourt is. She's full of curiosity and likes to think, but has weak personal attachments and takes a frivolous attitude towards everything. She gives an impression of being flighty and hard to grasp, seemingly easily bored. She often teases others too.

She was a strange person, but definitely not the scholarly type.

Koneru crossed her arms and said,

"You know how Ruruk's name has been spreading like wildfire recently, right? Because of that, the potential value of mystic arts has been increasing. Of course, the mystic arts research societies are happy about it, but as a merchant, I've been thinking about how to approach realizing this potential value. The ultimate goal is to put a price on spiritual essence."

"...A price on spiritual essence? Not on mystic arts?"

"It's easy to put a price on mystic arts themselves, but that would lead to competitors emerging in just a few years. One of my economic principles is 'grasp profits from the source'. I want to know about the spiritual essence of the products we deal with—in other words, the World Tree, which is its origin."

"So it's all about money, huh."

She hasn't changed in this aspect since the old days.

Come to think of it, there was that time in Muuteran when she chased after some dropped coins and before she knew it, she had gone outside the town and was attacked by monsters. If I hadn't happened to find Koneru on my way back from the church, help might not have arrived in time.

Koneru made a circle with her fingers and said,

"Business is all about how much you earn, right?"

"...Moe is really still Moe."

"Indeed. It's amazing in its own way."

"You guys are pretty much the same too. Especially Tsurugi... or is it Nagi now? Pfft, you've stopped growing, just like in your past life."

"Oh? Are you picking a fight with Nagi?"

"See, relying on physical strength like that is the same too. Maybe your small stature reflects the smallness of your character?"

"Alright, you've asked for it. I'll turn you from a money ghost into just a ghost."

"Come on, stop fighting!"

That's right, why are you coming to someone else's house to fight?

Koneru's personality hasn't changed since childhood, so she was probably like this in her past life too.

And Nagi, I feel like she only hung out with Ichinomiya and Kujo in her past life as well. Ichinomiya who got along with everyone, the big sister-like Kujo, and the unfriendly and easily irritated Onitsuka were always called the "Three Goddesses".

Come to think of it, among goddesses, Onitsuka could be classified as an evil deity, right?

If I said that to Nagi, I'd definitely get punched, so I'll keep it to myself.

"So, Moe... I mean Koneru, didn't you have some other business? I heard you had something you wanted to talk about."

"Oh, right, right. I didn't come here just to tease the kids about their past lives. Now that Ruruk has officially become the owner, I thought we should discuss the vested interests of the company."

Saying that, Koneru switched to serious mode and took out several documents.

Lilith, who had finished serving the tea, joined the circle.

"First, let me tell you that things like stocks and credit securities don't exist in this world yet. The owner's rights literally mean the right to own the real assets of the Luney Trading Company. So don't go transferring it if you get tricked by some bad woman, okay?"

"I won't make such a blunder."

"Good. On the flip side, what you don't have is management rights. This refers to the rights related to basic operations, from personnel to auditing. Even if Luney Trading Company's management policy takes an undesirable turn, Ruruk can't interfere. Well, since Lilith wouldn't ignore your opinions anyway, this restriction is pretty much non-existent."

"I wouldn't try to interfere now anyway."

More like, I can't.

I'm a complete amateur who has never even imagined running a company before.

"To begin with, I don't even feel like I'm the owner of Luney Trading Company."

"What are you saying, 'Luney-sama'? If you go to the company tomorrow, you'll feel it whether you like it or not. Anyway, putting your feelings aside. Next, our company has regular executive meetings, and since you're in the top position as the owner, we'd like you to attend."

"Even though I can't interfere with management?"

"Even if you can't interfere with management, it's different for asset utilization. For example—"

She then explained in detail what I could and couldn't do for a while.

To be honest, I didn't really understand. Well, I decided to attend because it seems interesting, as they apparently have showcases of Lilith's new creations and taste-testing of sweets and tea at the executive meetings.

Listening to her talk, I could only think that Koneru really is a management professional.

For about an hour after that, I received explanations about Luney Trading Company.

It seemed like there was still a lot more to talk about, but she wrapped it up at a good point, saying that I probably wouldn't remember if we crammed too much information.

She understands well. I'm already at my limit.

"Well, for now, this is what I want you to remember. I'd like to introduce you to legal advisors and tax accountants too, but..."

"I'm already full, so please stop. I'll leave that to you. I don't really care."

"Alright, alright. Ruruk, you've always been quick with calculations but lacking in curiosity for knowledge. What a waste."

Saying that with a laugh, Koneru then took out a large sheet of paper.

As she spread it out on the table, she beckoned to Elni and the others by the window.

"Now that the serious talk is over, you kids come over here too. Since we're at it, I'll teach you a game from our homeland."

Saying that, Elni, Seori, and Karmarike approached with interest.

I don't know about Karmarike, but Elni and Seori should already know that we have memories of our past lives. In fact, since Nagi joined us, we've been talking about it openly, so it would be strange if they didn't know.

They probably understand that "homeland" refers to the country from our past lives. They look a bit uneasy.

"It's not that scary. Just a bit of a mysterious game."

"...Hey Koneru, this is that, isn't it?"

"Ahaha, you get it? Since we finally met Saaya and Nagi, I thought we could do it again after so long."

What Koneru spread out on the table was "Kokkuri-san" using this world's characters.

"Remember when we used to do this after school? Just us girls gathering?"

"Yeah. But nothing happened, right?"

"Maybe not before, but this time I have expectations. It's a different world, after all."

"Wasn't it supposed to be dangerous if something actually happened?"

"Even if an evil spirit shows up, it's no match for you guys," she said lightly as she took out a gold coin.

Placing it in the center, she said,

"I'll explain for those who don't know. First, everyone put a finger on the gold coin."

As she said this, the girls obediently touched the coin with their fingers.

Somehow, everyone seems to be enjoying it.

Of course, I passed. I moved to the now empty sofa by the window.

I know more than enough stories about Kokkuri-san. Better safe than sorry.

"Now I'll ask questions, and we'll wait for Kokkuri-san's answer. Don't lift your finger after the question is asked until the movement stops, or you'll be cursed."

"C-cursed...?"

"It's just a superstition. Let's have fun."

Saaya gently encouraged Seori, who was on the verge of tears.

Smiling amusedly at their reactions, Koneru briefly lifted her finger before asking the question.

"Kokkuri-san, Kokkuri-san. Who does Ruruk like?"

"....."

First came a moment of silence.

Immediately after, the coin moved to the letter "E".

The next moment, the direction forcibly changed towards the letter "Sa".

However, before reaching it, it stopped due to intense resistance, and then it started wavering between "Se", "Na", "Ka", and "Ri".

It seems to want to object to the question... but it's surprising. So Kokkuri-san exists in this world too...

Due to Kokkuri-san's muscle power, everyone's fingertips are trembling. I can't see it, but it's probably a muscular spirit.

"Is someone putting in extra force?"

"Huh~ I didn't notice."

"Cheating is not allowed."

"How sneaky."

"Grrr."

"Everyone, shall we stop turning a blind eye to the truth?"

Hasn't the atmosphere gotten really bad?

No, that must be the influence of Kokkuri-san's spiritual energy. Kokkuri-san is indeed a scary game.

"Well~ This is fun. Teasing people, I mean."

While the girls were glaring at each other with trembling fingertips, Koneru sat down next to me.

I honestly say,

"I've always thought this, but Koneru, you're quite the brat, aren't you?"

"Not as much as Ruruk. You're the complete opposite of the angelic Lilith."

"I'll admit that. Lilith is an angel."

This is a shared belief between Koneru and me since we were young.

"So, did you need something from me? Sorry, but I don't have any memories of Tachibana from the previous life."

"Same here. I have one more thing I want to ask you, Ruruk."

I wonder what it could be.

As I braced myself a little, Koneru asked seriously,

"For example, what would you do if you could return to the previous world? Or if you were forcibly sent back?"

"After dying and being reincarnated? That's more like a transfer story, isn't it?"

"It's just an example. If you could go back to that day before you died, what would you do?"

There's no need to even think about that.

"I wouldn't go back. Nanairo Gaku died, and now I'm living as Ruruk. If I were to be forcibly sent back, I'd resist with all my might."

"...I see. That's good then."

"What about you, Koneru? Do you want to go back?"

"No way."

Koneru shrugged, snorting.

"Honestly, life in Japan wasn't fun. I received gifted education from a young age, got involved in the company since childhood... but no matter how successful I was, nothing was enjoyable. Did you know that the Earth's economy hasn't grown for years? I'm talking about the overall picture, not just individual countries."

"I've never even thought about it."

"Earth was too small for humanity. Limited resources just spin idly, capital inflates until virtual values burst, and the future of many people is determined by investors' mindsets. Wars are manipulated for business, and money games ruled the world. Even if I succeeded in a small community like the Japanese economy, it wasn't fun at all."

She had an expression that was somehow both nostalgic and lonely.

I don't quite understand Koneru's feelings. I had always lived reading books. What I saw was Earth's past.

But she had always been looking at the future. The future of Earth's economy.

"But this world is different. Even primary industries aren't fully developed, there's no paper money or virtual currency. There are far fewer wars for economic reasons, and business opportunities are scattered everywhere! There are so many things I want to do, I don't even know where to start. The possibilities are endless!"

Koneru laughed joyfully.

Her eyes were shining like a child's.

"There are invisible elements like magic essence and spirit essence overflowing. Here, the possibilities are limitless. Working with Lilith to establish the trading company and getting involved in various areas, I realized something. This world is full of hope. This world is wonderful! There are cities I want to develop more, ideas I want to spread, people I want to make smile! That's why I absolutely don't want to go back to the original world. Because this world is just so much fun!"

Koneru shouted her true feelings with an innocent face.

She's a reincarnator. But she's choosing the present over her boring previous life. She's seeking it.

I nodded.

"I feel the same way. Plus, I have Lilith and my comrades here now. I already consider myself a person of this world."

"Then Ruruk, promise me. Even if you meet classmates from now on who try to persuade you to return to Earth... promise you won't go back. That's what I'm worried about."

"Huh? Would you be lonely if I disappeared?"

"Are you stupid? Of course Lilith would be sad if you left. That's my only concern."

"I see."

I know that Koneru has cared deeply for Lilith since childhood.

I feel the same way.

"I promise. I'm already a person of this world now. I won't return to Earth if it means making Lilith and my comrades sad. Even if a god tries to force me back, I'll punch that god to stop them."

"...It's a promise, okay?"

"Yeah."

Hearing that, Koneru sank into the sofa, looking satisfied.

...Wanting to go back, huh.

I found myself thinking a little about the classmates I haven't met yet.