Chapter 4

The next day, they woke up early. John himself didn’t want to wake up. He spent until late last night studying this world. Even then, barely any information came through. He would love to sleep until late, but Leyla’s unending pestering forced him up. He could imagine how much of a drag living with her would be. In a way, maybe he should gather the chairs quickly. That way, he could get rid of her as fast as possible.

John tapped on the necklace. The necklace floated, pointing toward the beach. They traveled there. There were a lot of people already there, having fun. This world also has schools and holidays, and they happen to arrive during vacation time, hence why there were a lot of people there. John didn't come here to play, though, and he went straight to his destination. He arrived in front of what looked to be a kind of beach hut. Inside, round tables were arranged tidily with wooden chairs surrounding them.

“Is this… some kind of restaurant?”

“Welcome, Master!” greeted a sweet voice. He was surprised to hear the greeting.

The waitress wore a black swimsuit with white frills, a white headband, a black tie, and an apron. It was a maid cafe, but on the beach.

“H- Huh!?”

Why… why would a chair be here!? He thought, despite looking at the many regular chairs scattered throughout the hut. Yes, he must look at the chairs. What they wore wasn't too revealing. Maybe because it’s a business, so the swimsuit covered more skin than usual, but for a young man, even that was too much. Staring at them wasn’t just rude; it distracted him from his goal as well.

He could feel Leyla’s cold stare drilling into his back, judging him. He didn’t have the money to spend, so it’s best if he could get out of here as fast as possible.

“Do- Do you know about a… umm… magic chair?”

The girl tilted her head. “A magical chair…? Well, we have a lot of regular chairs here.” She glanced at the tables behind her, each of them with four chairs. But the necklace wasn’t pointing at those chairs. It was pointing at the one behind the cashier. The girl sitting there must have heard what he said, as she stood up and looked underneath her.

John went in to check it out. The chair there was different from the other chairs. Instead of the brown color that the other chairs had, this one was pink. Other than that, it did look similar.

The necklace kept pointing toward it, confirming that this was, indeed, the chair they were looking for.

Now… how do I get it?

He probably should have checked the price of chairs on the way here, but Leyla kept pestering him to continue.

Should I buy it? Should I return tonight?

He thought about stealing it. He needed the money, after all. But, in a way, stealing something so cheap felt pathetic. It would be different if he were going against some corrupt noble or cheating merchant, but the girls did nothing wrong. It didn’t feel right to steal their stuff.

Hold on, why am I thinking that far in the first place?

He should at least ask for the price.

“Umm… this chair… How much for it?” he asked. Before the girl could answer, Leyla walked over and pulled his bag from him. She pulled the zipper and pulled out a smaller pouch filled with their coins.

“Would this be enough?” she asked, giving the pouch to the cashier.

The cashier opened the bag and looked inside. “Uhh… Wow… I mean, yeah. Yes, this is enough.”

The girl who greeted them took a peek, gasping. “That’s a lot.”

You idiot!

John glared at Leyla. They could probably get it for much less.

“Umm… you can take it now…?” the cashier said. She looked confused. John wasn’t surprised, as why would anyone pay that much money for a simple chair?

John sighed, but he was curious about the chair’s effects, so he sat down.

“... This is a regular chair,” he murmured, realizing he just wasted his money, but…

“Si- Sir, I mean, Master! Would you like to order?”

“Ah, Master, you’re so handsome…”

“Huh? What?”

The girls were acting weird all of a sudden. They looked at him with captivated gazes.

“Master, here, you can have your money back!” The cashier thrust the pouch back at him.

“Wa- Wait, but I bought the chair?”

“It’s alright, Master! Please, take it!”

“Thank you.” Leyla took it from her. Her surprise leaked through her flat expression.

“Master, here’s some drinks!”

“Master, do you want fried rice?”

“Master, I recommend the fried chicken! I promise they’re delicious!”

More and more girls gathered around him. He knew things would take a turn for the worse, so he took the chair and ran.

“Thank you for your hospitality, but I need to go!”

“Master!”

He ran as fast as he could, like a thief stealing a chair, drawing confused stares as he sprinted for his life.

•••

“Phew…” John wiped a sweat off his forehead. The girls didn't try to chase him, but he still tried to get as far as he could.

“What was that?”

“It’s the chair.” Leyla pointed at the chair John held.

“This chair?” John set the chair down in front of him. He couldn’t believe these regular-looking chairs had such powerful magical properties.

“Now you understand why they need to be recovered.”

A chair that could make the people around it blind to love. It’s crazy to think about.

“I… I can’t believe it…”

“The effects fade away immediately, but the memory remains. If you go back, they'll probably look at you, confused.”

Imagining the scenario of so many girls going crazy over him made him shudder. He liked anime, but he wasn’t interested in being a harem protagonist. “Yeah, no thanks.”

He lifted up the key, then held it tight. Since they returned to their inn room, they didn’t need to fear people seeing Kei appear. The space in front of him warped, and Kei appeared. She gave him a bright smile.

“Wow, that’s quick. Thank you. Have you enjoyed yourself?”

“Umm… not really.”

If anything, it was scary. Being under the gaze of so many women…

Just imagining it sent shivers down John’s spine.

“I'm surprised. I expected someone lonely like you would enjoy the extra attention.” Leyla spat, looking at him as if he were a disgusting bug.

“I am not lonely.”

“Guess this isn’t the chair for you, then?”

John nodded. Recalling the effects of the other chairs, they looked much more intriguing.

“Still, I can’t believe the chairs can change people like that.”

“Yes, that’s why we must make sure the chairs don’t fall into the wrong hands.”

John nodded. He understood completely how the chair could be used to do evil if the person sitting on it desires so.

“Well, good luck with the rest of the chairs.” Kei bid her farewell and disappeared with the chair in tow. Silence returned to the room.

John glanced at Leyla, who sat on a chair, the normal chair that came with the room. This one didn’t have any magical properties. John tried sitting there before, and nothing happened.

“... Why aren’t you affected?”

Leyla scoffed. “Why? You want me to call you Master? Well, sorry, Master. I don’t offer those services.”

“Stop putting words in my mouth. I’m just curious, that’s all.”

“Well, lucky for me, I’m a laikaat. I'm not human.”

“A laikaat…”

John had forgotten about that. Sure, she could use magic, but he already saw magic in action. Last night, he saw the library staff turning on the torches with fire magic. Humans using magic wasn’t a surprise anymore.

“Come on, let’s continue,” Leyla said, standing up.

“Continue what?”

Previously, John expected to spend more time in this city. He didn’t think the chair recovery process would go this well. Thus, he already paid for an extra night. Thinking about it, it was a stupid decision, but he didn’t want to risk sleeping out in the streets in a world he was unfamiliar with.

“What? You really want to go back to the place? Pervert.”

“I do not! You saw me pay for two nights, yet you didn't stop me.”

“I wasn't expecting it to go this well, either.”

He had enough of women for now. He wanted to find a place where he could rest in peace.

“Guess I’ll return to the library.”

“Suit yourself.”

John left the room.