And in the morning.
　I woke up as usual on my way to school.
　There's a lot of noise in the shopping district.
　I saw a butcher's man in the crowd and called out to him.

"Uncle, what's wrong?
"Hello, Ranga. And Amira... ...No, it seems that a demon has invaded the city.

　A demon invasion is a terrible thing.
　There's a huge warding around the city.
　That's why weak demons can't get close to it.
　Despite the fact that there are even gatekeepers,......, something must have happened.

Oh, my God, that's terrible!
Oh, I don't know what the hell the gatekeepers are doing. ...... Oh! I'm not referring to Ranga's father, though!

　I'm not talking about Ranga-kun's father!" He shook his head at the hurriedly mending uncle.

I'm not talking about Ranga's father. I've got school.
Have a good day.

　After saying goodbye to the uncle, Amira and I headed off to school.

I can't believe there's a demon in town.
Have the wards been broken?
No, if that's the case, there should be more demons approaching and there should be a big commotion. The gatekeepers are running around the city, so it must have gotten in from somewhere.

　However, most of the demon scouts and very powerful demons that seem to be getting inside don't show any signs of doing so.
　Perhaps they got in through a crack in the wards. It's nothing to be concerned about.

　Oh!

"Hey, Ranga!　Amira!　Are you at school now?　It's my day off.

　We ran into Renton coming back from school.
　Renton showed us a piece of paper that he must have gotten at school.
　It said that the school was closed today because of a demon.

"So, why don't we go catch some fish in the river?

　Renton said with a wink.
　I let out a sigh in reply.

"It says here that students are to stay home and study on their own. ......
What are you, an honor student? You're an honor student! I'm implying that you should play with caution!

　You can't sense that from this text, but ...... Renton will come at you regardless.

I'm sure you're aware of that. The Seine. The fish there are big and delicious!
"Oh, fish?

　The fish are big and delicious!

I've been having trouble with the high price of fish in this town. If you can get it for free, that's great. Let's catch a lot of them and keep them in the fish tank.
"Oh! That's a good idea, Amira! That's a good idea!
Really? Then let's keep the fish in your house. I'll build you an aquarium.
Oh! Nice idea, Amira! That's a great idea!

　No, are you listening to me, Renton?
　Your house is about to be remodeled without your permission.
　What are you going to do without parental permission?

I'll take yes for an answer. Renton, you're quite a sight. One day soon, I'll appoint you First Officer of my unit.
I don't know what it is, but I'm honored to be Amira's first!

　Renton continues to agree without really understanding.
　The conversation between the two of them is absolutely mind-boggling.
　We arrived at the Seine, having decided to catch some fish.
　We arrived at the Seine River, where there was no sign of the usual guards.

"Whoo-hoo!

　Renton grabbed a net and a bucket and jumped into the river.
　After enjoying the cold water, he fills the bucket and hands it to me.

Ranga, take this one!　I'll get you a bucket full in no time!
Good luck!
I'm on it!　Whoo-hoo-hoo!

　Renton swings the net around.
　But there's no way you can catch fish with such a crude method, and the net only drains the water.

"Mugugug ...... d*mn it!

　Renton is screaming in frustration.

"We'll never catch it, even if we try until nightfall.
Moving your feet in the water will strengthen your hips. Moving your legs in the water will strengthen your back and give you a better sense of where to aim, even if you don't catch any fish.
I told you not to turn everything into training. ......

　But it's no fun to come all the way here and not get anything.
　I'll give you a little help.
　I picked up a pebble that had fallen at my feet and put some magic into it.


　I threw them into the river.
　A few pebbles fell into the river, one upstream and one downstream, and began to emit a faint light as they sank into the water, creating ripples.

"Master Ranga, what was that stone ......?
It's a stone that has been maliciously infused with magic. It's ...... light, though. But small animals are sensitive to hostility. I'm not going near that stone. ......

　As I had planned, the fish would not approach the stone I threw at them at all.
　That means I've given them nowhere to run.
　Naturally, the fish have no choice but to migrate around Renton.

"Ooooooh! I don't know what it is, but a lot of fish are coming!

　I don't know what it is, but a lot of fish are coming!
　It seems that the fish have no way to escape in a small area, and after a while the bucket is full of fish.

"Hey, how about it, Amira! Marry me and I'll feed you a bowl of fish every day!
"Well, Renton's wife will be lucky to have you.

　I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.
　I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out, Amira.
　Renton doesn't seem to mind, and proudly shows her the contents of the bucket.
　As I was watching them smiling at each other, I felt a presence from across the river.

"!　Ranga-sama!
"......, did you feel it too?

　I'm not sure if I'll be able to do that.

What?　What?　What's the matter with you?

　Renton, who can't sense magic, is puzzled by our reaction, but there's no time to explain.
　In the meantime, a presence crawls along the bottom of the water and approaches us.
　A single Zell emerges from the rising water.
　This is the monster ...... that invaded the city, but its size and magical power are far from that of a mere zel.
　I'm not sure if this is the same one that Amira blew up,.......
　I'm not sure what to make of it.

I'm sorry about that. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it's a good idea.
　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out.
　He must have absorbed the fish and other living things in the area and recovered.

...... Well, what's done is done. It's my fault for not checking to see if it's gone. Anyway, let's get this over with.
"But Renton is ......

　I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one.

I'm sure you're not the only one.

　I'm not sure what to do.
　It's easy to defeat Zell, even though he's been enhanced, but if he sees it, all hell will break loose.

"Shall I stun him?　You can charm him, but once he's been charmed, it's hard to charm him again.
Right.
Oh, my God!　What are you talking about?　Let's get out of here!

　I'm not sure what to say, but I'm sure you'll understand.

"Whoa!　It's a demon!

　He heard the voices of the guards in the distance.
　It was the ...... father who appeared from the top of a small hill built along the river.