Hidden Vending Machine
With the settlement’s reconstruction in full swing, Director Bear suddenly came to me with a request.
“Boxxo. I have heard you can use mimicry to blend in with your surroundings. Is this true?”
“Welcome.”
I didn’t know what he was up to, but there was no need to lie, so I answered truthfully. My words alone might not have convinced him, so despite being in my usual spot in front of the Hunters Association, I tried changing my colors to match the walls of the association headquarters.
The wall was behind me, but one of my features is Omnidirectional Vision, so I could see back there without a problem. Thanks to that, I should have been precisely replicating the wall, right down to its stains.
“Ho! Splendid. One would need to get pretty close to spot you. Boxxo, I have a request to make of you and that ability.”
Director Bear’s request was that they hide me in an area that has been seeing an outbreak of crimes due to all the people flowing in. I would then pick out the people committing them.
In order to investigate how good my mimicry ability is, he wants me to spend a day in front of the ruined wall of an abandoned house next to the Hunters Association headquarters without letting anyone find me.
I gave a friendly agreement. Director Bear went to Lammis and told her only that the association wanted to borrow me for the day, and he appeared to get her reluctant approval.
Then, in the middle of the night, they quietly carried me to a part of the wall they cut out beforehand and fit me into the hole. After that, I changed my body’s colors to match the wall, which brings me to my current situation.
I have a good view of the headquarters from here. Just a change in angle from what I’m used to seeing makes the early morning feel incredibly fresh to me.
The normal morning group of four came around like they usually do, but, unable to find me, they left. Forgive me—I’m on a special mission today. It may not be much of an apology, but I’ll change the slot probabilities for you next time.
Lammis would normally come outside and say good morning after they’ve left, but she already knows I won’t be around today, so I guess she won’t.
At least, I thought she wouldn’t, but the door flies open with a bang, and Lammis appears in her pajamas. She’s wearing a long-sleeved shirt so big it goes down to her knees; the mismatched size means the neck is too big, and it’s loose over one shoulder, exposing it.
She has fur slippers on, and she’s carrying a pillow under her arm and rubbing her bleary eyes. Lammis is borrowing a room in the Hunters Association HQ until they repair the inn, so I know why she’s here, but why is she in her pajamas?
“Boxxo, where are you?” she drones, staring with lazy, half-open eyes at the spot I’m usually in.
She’s literally still half-asleep. Did she forget I won’t be around today?
“Boxxo, where aaare youuu?”
Oh, come on, don’t wander around when you’re half-asleep. You’ll trip and fall. And don’t go outside with your slippers on. You mustn’t go out in such defenseless clothing. Go get changed. Siiigh. Just looking at how unsteady she is makes me anxious.
“Hey, Lammis, where are you going? The director said he was borrowing Boxxo today, didn’t he?”
Munami, the inn’s poster girl, has already changed into her apron, and she grabs Lammis by the collar, trying to stop her. But there’s no stopping the girl with incredible Might. Munami just gets dragged along.
“Fwah? Oh, Munami, morning…”
“Don’t morning me. Go wash your face and wake yourself up.”
“Okaaay. I’ll be right back…”
She holds her pillow up in the air, waves it around, and disappears into the building. Munami, watching, gives a dry grin and waves back.
“I swear, seriously…just when I thought that sense of tension was gone, now she’s too slack. But it’s still a lot better than before. This must be thanks to Boxxo, too,” she says to herself, withdrawing back to her room.
She said something interesting there. My impression of Lammis is that she’s a girl who is always smiling and full of energy, but was she different before she met me? Come to think of it, she was depressed when we first met.
But after the king-frog-fiend hunt, she seemed to regain her confidence, and she’s been enjoying the reconstruction work and her training ever since. I don’t know what she was like before, but if she’s happy now, that’s all that matters.
“I’m back! I’m awake! Good morning.”
The usual plate-fitted boots and low-rise shorts. With her leather armor on, which she almost never removes, even inside the settlement, Lammis appears energetically at the entrance.
Her sleepy demeanor wasn’t bad, but her energetic personality suits her far better. I can say for certain that her biggest charm is that smile.
“Yes, yes, good morning. What are you doing today, Lammis? Would you mind helping with the inn’s reconstruction like you always do?”
“Sorry! I don’t know when Boxxo will come back, so I’m going to help out around the Hunters Association.”
“Oh, I guess that’s that, then. Don’t bother Director Bear too much, all right?”
Munami waves her hand a little and heads for the inn site, and Lammis vigorously waves back at her.
She’ll be working around here today? I’ll have to be careful that she doesn’t find me.
“Okay! Time to go ask the director if he has work for me!”
“You needn’t go far.”
“Whoa! Director, when did you get here?!”
Yes, when did you get there? How can he conceal himself so thoroughly in spite of his giant stature? He’s right behind Lammis, but I didn’t notice him, either, until right before he said something.
“Concealing my presence is a boon. Lammis, you should focus on your training.”
“Presence…? Oh, Master said presence was really important.”
I wonder what kind of person this master of hers is that she talks about sometimes. I don’t know their gender, only that they’re a very talented hunter. If she’d trained under that master for a little longer, she’d probably be able to control her Might better, too. A real shame.
“They must have been a good master. Anyway, Lammis, am I correct in thinking you desire work near the Hunters Association today?”
“Yup, yup. I want to make sure I’m here to greet Boxxo whenever he comes back.”
What a good kid. I can say for certain that meeting her is the greatest stroke of fortune I’ve had since coming to this world. If not for our meeting, I’d probably be nothing more than a metal box on a lakeside with no points to speak of.
“Hmm. Boxxo is a lucky fellow. Or rather, a lucky box.”
Director Bear is right. I’m the luckiest vending machine in the world.
“Let’s see. In a little while, the belongings of the association HQ residents are scheduled to arrive. Could you help us carry them?”
“You can leave the physical labor to me!”
She gives him a thumbs-up and a big smile.
Lammis isn’t good at the more delicate work, but when it comes to physical labor, she’s second to none. When she was working at the inn, she managed the amazing feat of breaking dozens of plates all at one time, but transporting foodstuffs and other large goods is right up her alley.
“Do a good job.”
Director Bear pulls back inside. Lammis sits next to the door and sways left and right. It looks like she’s just going to wait like this, but every once in a while, she shoots a glance somewhere else with a tinge of loneliness on her face.
She’s looking at the spot I’m usually in, after all… Suddenly, I can’t help wondering why she’s so attached to me.
I met her on the lakeside. Near starvation, she bought something from me and survived. She interpreted that as a life debt, and she takes care of me in all kinds of ways. I’m thankful for it, but at the moment, I still don’t know why she’s excessively attentive to me.
“Ah, this should be good. Young lady, we brought the cargo—could you call a worker for us?”
A horned boar—a buar—is carrying a cart full of baggage. The buar is a heavy eater, but with its durability and might, it’s prized in the same way a cart-pulling horse might be.
When I first saw one, it was a little scary, but recently, I’ve started to think of them as cute.
“Wait here a moment, mister. I’ll go call a worker!”
Lammis bursts into the headquarters and bursts right back out. Carrying a female worker under her arm.
“U-um, would you mind letting me down?”
“Sorry, sorry.”
She seems to have a surplus of excitement today. She’s normally a little calmer than this.
She releases the worker, who then talks to the coachman about something. Lammis hangs out nearby.
“Lammis, could you bring the things in this cart up to the second floor and put them in front of the room to the left at the end?”
“Okay, leave it to me!”
She pounds her chest, and did I just see it bounce even though she has leather armor on? The armor’s material—is it soft? I’m only a little curious.
The coachman watches as Lammis easily lifts, with one hand, a rather large chest of drawers from the pile on the cart, his eyes going so wide with surprise that they look like they’ll fall out.
“Maybe I’ll take this bed up, too.”
With a chest of drawers on her left shoulder and a bed on her right, Lammis disappears into the open entrance to the association headquarters. The association’s doors are all double doors and giant, so she got through without a problem. I was on pins and needles, expecting her to run into something.
“Shoot! That young lady is a lot stronger than she looks.”
“Yes. I believe she might be the strongest one in Clearflow Lake. The director has mentioned her being a promising newcomer.”
Just listening to the worker and the coachman talking is making me all warm and fluffy. I’m as happy about Lammis being praised as if it were me.
Director Bear seems to have held Lammis in high esteem for quite some time, but the other hunters’ opinions of her are subpar at best. Her Might is too much for her, and it’s apparently caused her to make frequent errors in the past.
Now, lugging me around gives her the perfect amount of weight, and she’s been happy about her movements feeling more natural than before. You never know when things will take a turn for the better.
While reflecting with deep emotion on her growth, I hear a loud crash and a familiar cry from inside the headquarters: “Huh? Ahhhhh!”
I sigh as I watch the female worker run inside. “Too bad.”
Oops. Nobody heard that, right? I’ve just been casually watching things like some gawker in an audience and I let my reaction slip accidentally. I glance around, but nobody is nearby, so I exhale in relief. Carefully this time, so my voice doesn’t come out.
After that, I watch the association entrance for a while, but Lammis and the female worker haven’t come out yet. Other than several people from the settlement clearly looking for the vending machine before leaving in disappointment, nothing has changed.
Though my absence is a bit inconsiderate to my customers, seeing as they couldn’t buy anything, they really make me feel like I’m needed, which makes me want to grin. Whoops, better make sure the cool items don’t warm up.
“Aaaahhh, there I go again…”
Lammis heaves a sigh and trudges out of the entrance, shoulders drooping.
The sound before must have been Lammis, like I thought. Her Might gets in the way of her daily life, and she ends up breaking things a lot.
I believe she owns cooking utensils, but they’re apparently special ones made of an alloy harder than iron. The fine articles were courtesy of her friend Hulemy, and Lammis has bragged before about them being her precious treasures.
At the time, her sincere, carefree, happy smile as she clutched the cooking equipment left an impression on me. For her, it’s not only the specially made equipment—her friend Hulemy holds a lot of weight for her, too.
She says we’ll be able to meet her one day, which I’m looking forward to. I wonder what kind of person she is. She’s well suited for Lammis, so maybe she has a similar personality.
How about an older character, one a little taller and more urbane, with an air of acceptance and a perfect body? That’s not to say I’m projecting my own desires here.
“They don’t want me carrying their things, so now what…? I guess I’m better off clearing rubble after all.”
Yep, you are. Personally, I find her ditzy nature to be cute, but her incredible strength is no joke. Pitted against someone without near-magical restorative abilities or toughness, it could sometimes lead to significant injuries.
Oh—is that why she can act so innocently when I’m with her? A vending machine is incomparably tougher than a human body, and I can repair myself if I’m damaged. Maybe I’m the ideal partner for her.
“I’ll go ask the director where would be good to clear debris.”
She slaps herself in the cheeks with her palms to get herself going, then rushes into the building to find Director Bear.
“Okay, I’ll go get rid of the rubble over there!”
The doors slam open and Lammis bursts back out. She gets started removing the rubble from a home that was crushed by the double serpent in front of the Hunters Association headquarters.
She tugs out a remaining pillar from the demolished house like she’s yanking out a weed. Then she reaches under the foundation and tears it from the ground all too easily.
Her Might amazes me like always. Thanks to that power, I am able to fully enjoy my life in this other world. I have nothing but gratitude for the divine Blessing that gave her this ability.
Like a fish back in water, Lammis quickly amasses a pile of rubble in the handcart, and once she has a nice heap, she runs off with it in tow toward the debris dump site.
Her efforts would make heavy equipment pale in the face. Considering her personality, it’s ironic that her forte is destruction.
“Oh, is Boxxo not here?”
A new visitor? It’s Shirley, walking with her hips swaying as if to show off her generous curves. The lady running the night business.
Behaving sexily as usual, I see. I mean, if a lady with a smoking-hot figure walked by in a dress with a front slit down to her waist that almost fully exposes her breasts, you’d look, too.
The men in the settlement are looking at her from a distance. Several also pass behind her, clearly pretending to be simply passing by but getting a nice, close look at her down their noses.
“Uwooooaahhhhh… Huh? Hi, Shirley!”
The object approaching with dust in its wake—pushing a handcart and roaring toward us—must be Lammis.
“Oh, hello, Lammis. It’s been a while.”
“You’re pretty as usual, Shirley. I want to grow up and look more like an adult soon.”
“Hee-hee. You don’t need to rush it. Lammis, you’ll become such a pretty woman that I won’t even come close. I guarantee it.”
“Really? Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha.”
Shirley watches kindly as Lammis blushes and scratches her head. A lot about Shirley and Lammis are polar opposites, so you’d think they normally wouldn’t match, but that isn’t the case. Both are friendly and aren’t the type to discriminate, so they actually get along quite well.
“I know. Once you get a little older, I’ll teach you a technique that’s sure to soften up even the squarest men.”
“Wait, really?! Any kind of square person? You mean it?!”
Shirley’s eyes slant downward when she sees Lammis approach, breathing heavily. Shirley seems to have noticed something from how Lammis latched on to that more than she thought. Hmm. So Lammis likes serious people… It’s sort of surprising, but it also sort of makes sense.
“Oh my. Is there someone you’re interested in?”
“It’s a secret! But I wonder if sex appeal will work.”
When I see her clasp her hands in front of her chest and go red in the face, I hear a strange echo from within my vending machine body.
Why, Lammis has someone she likes…? Dad will not allow this! If anyone lays a finger on my adorable daughter, I will deliver punishment through hot cola and cold canned ramen.
“But I think being your usual, natural self is a better choice than trying to win him with sex appeal.”
“You…you think so? But I want to be a little calmer when I’m grown-up.”
“Everyone calms down when they get older. I think you should treasure the charm you have now, since you’ll only have it when you’re young. You can bother with love tactics when you’re older. For now, you should do your best to be yourself.”
“Okay. Thanks, Shirley!”
I’ve been listening in out of interest, but unfortunately, Shirley leaves without pursuing the topic of Lammis’s crush any further.
In any case, Shirley’s response was exactly what I’d expect an experienced adult to give. She has unfathomable charm on the inside as well as the outside. I should be embarrassed for having a slanted view of her since she works the night business.
“She’s just so pretty. I wonder if I’ll change if I wear a dress like that, too.”
I try imagining Lammis wearing an evening dress as exposing as that one. Her breasts are no smaller, so it would probably seem natural. The legs coming out the bottom would have a healthy beauty to them, though, rather than sexiness.
To be honest, I think it’s still a little early for her. And if she wore something like that, I’d start to worry.
“Everyone’s coming to see Boxxo… He sure is popular.”
She looks like she’s pouting a little. I wonder why. I think I heard her say something, but her voice was too quiet for me to make out most of it.
Lammis sits on the wall of the former house and swings her legs. She was having a good time removing the debris before, but now, she’s spacing out as though she’s exhausted.
“Oh, the magic box isn’t here. And I came all this way to buy something.”
That impudent-sounding voice— Suori, the little girl with light-brown twin-tails and the pretty outfit that stands out in the settlement. Her eyes are sharp, and she must be unhappy with something, because I only ever see her with her arms folded in irritation.
Well, that was my initial impression of Suori. Recently, she’s been different. She’s still got a bad mouth, but she’s become a bit meeker, and she smiles like a little kid should when she drinks orange juice.
“Mgh! I wanted to drink some urengi juice… Stupid Boxxo! Stupid, stupid!”
As though offended by my impertinence, she starts stomping on the ground. A man and woman in black clothing are keeping an eye on her from a distance. It looks like those two are her escorts today; they’re staying hidden behind a house and on the second floor of the Hunters Association headquarters.
I’ve been thinking—wouldn’t it be less suspicious if they wore the same clothes as the others living here instead of those black outfits? Could it be part of their dress code?
“Hey, Suori, don’t call Boxxo stupid. Hup, ho!”
Lammis leaps from the wall and lands gracefully in front of Suori. They were a good sixteen feet apart—her physical abilities continue to impress.
“Hmph. You were here this whole time, booby monster.”
“I thought I told you before that my name is Lammis.”
Oh, do they not get along? They’re glaring at each other with narrowed eyes. This is the first time I’ve really seen them interact. Do they even know each other?
“By the way, Lammaries, have you given any thought to my proposal?”
“It’s Lammis! And I don’t care how much money you have. I’m not handing over Boxxo.”
“Oh, well. If you just nod your head, you’ll get enough money that it will last three generations and still won’t run out.”
“I can’t exchange Boxxo for money. Besides, I told you he doesn’t belong to me, right?”
I had no idea Suori wanted to buy me from Lammis. That’s the sort of thing you’d expect would go through me first…but it’s not possible for us to talk, I guess. Besides, in the dungeon, whoever finds a magic item has the right to it. I suppose this is the proper way to go about it.
“Don’t you think you’re restricting Boxxo too much? Instead of constantly being with an undersized, unattractive girl, he would be much happier to spend his time elegantly in my fabulous mansion, wouldn’t he?”
“Undersized, unattractive…?! I don’t want to hear that from you, Suori.”
Lammis folds her arms, purposely accentuating her ample bosom. Suori’s expression goes demonic. I can almost hear the menacing rumble around her as she glares at Lammis’s chest with a bloodcurdling look.
I didn’t expect to see Lammis arguing with such a young kid.
“Grrrrr! You’re so frustrating! But I’m still growing! And you can expect a lot from me in the future, because my mother has bigger ones than yours!” she declares, sticking out her chest. I think height is largely affected by genetics, but what about breast size? I’m a man, so I never cared about things like that.
“How pitiful, Lady Suori…”
Whoa. That startled me. One of the black-suited bodyguards was nearby? He doesn’t seem to have noticed me; he’s wiping his brow with a handkerchief as he watches their exchange.
“She doesn’t know her mother’s prolific mounds are stuffed…”
Oh, okay. I see. There’s always time for mutations and recessive genes, so don’t give up yet.
Still, why does this black-clothed man know that Suori’s mother pads her chest? That seems like the bigger issue.
“W-well, fine then. Lammaries, will you allow me to ask a question?”
“I’ll think about it if you call me my actual name.”
“Ugh, all right…Lammis. I have a question about Boxxo. It isn’t just a magic item, is it? How on earth does it work?”
“Hmm… About that… I don’t know either, really. He understands what I say, and he even answers. I don’t think Boxxo is any different from a person.”
Is that how she’s been thinking of me? She does treat me the same way she treats other people, but I thought she was only doing it because she’s a nice person.
I see… Thanks, Lammis. That might be the nicest thing I’ve heard since coming to this world.
“I suppose you have no intent of telling me. Well, that’s fine. I’ll spare neither time nor money to make you surrender Boxxo. I’ll have to convince you thoroughly of the benefits of being with me. That is my privilege as a wealthy and young person.”
Lammis is young, too, but certainly not as young as Suori. But no matter how much time or money she pours into me, I don’t think my feelings will ever change.
The most relaxing place for me right now is on Lammis’s back, after all. Unless she decides to leave me first, I’ll never give that up.
“Anyway! Boxxo isn’t here today, so go home already.”
“Hmph! I’ll be back another day. I’ll leave Boxxo with you until then, so make sure to polish him up nice and clean. Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho!”
Suori leaves after getting the last word in. Lammis waves after her, too. Despite the previous argument, a smile is on her lips.
Maybe she was just dealing with Suori, and she didn’t hate her or anything.
“Suori sure is fun to tease. She used to be much more curt, but she seems friendlier lately. Maybe it’s the Boxxo effect… Ugh. Isn’t Boxxo back yet?”
It’s evening now, and my promise with Director Bear lasts until midnight. There’s more time left, but it pains my heart to see Lammis hanging her lonesome head like that. It makes me want to give her some warm milk tea right this instant.
“I wonder what Boxxo is up to.”
Gazing at the side of Lammis’s face as she sighs and looks up at the sky, I can’t bear it anymore, and—
“Thank you.”
—I give my usual greeting and turn off my mimicry.
She must have heard the voice, because her face immediately brightens and she looks around, and then upon finding me, she charges, kicking up dust in her wake.
“Boxxo, how long have you been there?!”
She grinds to a halt, her feet digging into the ground, and stops in front of me. Then, she chops me on either side with the bridge of her hands to grab me. You’re making this a crazy reunion, Lammis.
It’s a bit early, but I just couldn’t leave her alone any longer.
“You should have said something sooner. So many things happened today. Do you want to hear, Boxxo?”
Of course. I know everything that happened, but I want to hear it directly from her. I already know my answer.
“Welcome.”
