Volume 8 Short Story: To realize a man’s romance!

We were at the residential floor of Wiz's Magic Tool Shop.

"Uh, Lady Aqua… It's difficult for me to work if you keep hugging me…"

Aqua was tightly hugging Wiz from behind as Wiz worked at a small table.

"But you're nice and cool and comfortable to hug. And it's not like there's any customers anyways, so it doesn't matter if you're not at the shop, right? You should stay in my room for this entire summer."

"E-Even if you tell me…"

It might not have been swelteringly hot, but the current heat wave was still unbearable.

Aqua had no intention of leaving Wiz's cold lich body while it was going on.

"Won't Wiz be purified if you keep touching her? Don't get in the way of her work, let her go."

"Don't worry, I'm suppressing my divine aura. As long as I keep thinking about despicable things, the purification's power will naturally be weakened."

"…What're you thinking about in the middle of the day you slut?"

"…Oh, just the things you're usually thinking about."

As Aqua and I traded insults, the hard-at-work Wiz raised her head.

"It's completed!"

She showed us the thing in her hands.

"You know, I've been wondering for a while, what have you been making?"

Hearing my question, Wiz's happy expression seemed to be answering, "Good question!".

"This is my latest magic item! It's a bit embarrassing to praise myself, but this is a flawless and convenient item! It may have limited uses, but it'll allow anyone to easily use healing magic…"

Aqua, who had been sticking to Wiz's back, suddenly interrupted her and smashed the magic item with her fist.

"Ah!? What're you doing, Aqua-sama? I spent so much effort to make this!"

Wiz cried out. Continuing her silent protest, Aqua went back to hugging Wiz's back.

It seemed she didn't like the thought of everyone being able to use healing magic.

As Wiz cried over the ruined magic item in her hands, I told her:

"Sorry, Wiz. I'll make her pay you back, so… Hey, don't just suddenly pretend you're sleep!"

Hearing something about paying, Aqua quickly closed her eyes and tightly buried her face in Wiz's back.

"I-I guess I won't make a loss, at least. I can probably make it through the month…"

Wiz looked relieved. I looked at the ruined magic item and said:

"But you know, aren't you a famous wizard? Can't you create something easier to sell? I don't think normal mages would be able to make something like you can, right?"

"That's right, creating magic items requires a lot of mana. For something like this, I think only the Crimson Demon magic artisans could make it."

True to the rumors, Wiz really was amazing.

Suddenly thinking of something, I experimentally asked:

"Hey, hypothetically, could you make a doll that runs on mana? Not those weird things Vanir uses for attacking, mind you, just a doll shaped like a pretty girl."

"I suppose it's possible. I should be able to make something that looks like a regular human and be capable of simple housework."

...

"Sell that!!"

"Huh!? Ah, no, it'd be possible to make, but it'd be very, very expensive."

"That's not a problem, it'll sell! It'll definitely sell! At the very least, people with weird names like mine would definitely buy it!"

I couldn't suppress my excitement at the thought that Wiz was capable of making an android.

"Will it really? Um, I think it'd be cheaper to make a golem or just hire maids…"

Leaving maids aside, every man dreamed of owning a pretty robot girl.

There must be many Japanese people who thought the same way.

"It would be perfect if it could speak too, but being able to do housework is enough. It'll sell, I'm sure it'll rake in the cash!"

"Well, I think speaking simple words would be possible too…"

"Perfect!"

I shouted uncontrollably.

Shocked by my shout, Wiz said apologetically:

"No, I really do mean simple responses…! At the most, it'd be something like, 'Yes, master', or , 'Welcome back, master'…"

"I'd buy it without a single bit of hesitation. Please, start working on this right away. Listen, Wiz, trust me. This will change the world."

"O-Okay! I'll work hard. Now I'm kind of excited, too!"

"That's the way! And I'll help you with whatever I can!"

On the verge of tears, Wiz looked at me warmly—

"Then, I have something I'd like Kazuma-san to help with right now…"

—And said something deeply meaningful.

… By the way, was Wiz's back glowing?

"For some time now, my back has been feeling very hot. If this goes on, I'll be incinerated so… Please think of a way to make Aqua-sama… Ow! Aqua-sama, that's hot! Please get off quickly, Aqua-sama!"

"Hey, Aqua, get up! You idiot, why're you glowing!? Wiz's going to do something incredible, so wake up already!!"

—By the way, the beautiful personal female android that I'd so anticipated ended up being a useless thing that ran out of power after moving around for half a day and needed as much mana as an Explosion spell to recharge.