An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

Hajime ignored Yue's words, becoming even more confused, and ignited his passion for the romance that no boy could compromise. After the magic power flowed through the prosthetic hand, its fist burned bright red! The bright and brilliant light was a testament to his passion. Yes, that was the second weapon of romance—

"This is the Super Hot Fist."

This was the second time today that Shi showed a smug expression, and his left hand, which was blazing brightly, also brightened Shi's expression.

however--

"...Uh...what's next?"

For some reason, Yue asked to watch the sequel. She scratched her cheek and looked at Hajime with a bewildered expression. From her expression, it seemed her soul hadn't wavered even a micron.

Hajime's smug expression twitched.

"...Listen up, Yue. With this super-heated fist, I can melt any opponent and send them flying. Don't you think that's amazing?"

"...Why does it have to melt?"

This question is perfectly reasonable. If it were Hajime's fist, using only gadgets or skills would crush most objects, eliminating the need for melting. Or rather, if it were purely about power, using a railgun or a kinetic energy system would be sufficient. Therefore, Hajime's focus in developing new equipment should be on factors beyond power—their anticipation for various situations.

However, he went astray somewhere, which inspired the romantic Hajime, who faced Yue (reality) with an indomitable fighting spirit.

"Tsuki, think about this carefully. For example, suppose you encounter an enemy with exceptionally high physical resistance in the future? In that case, you can just grab them and deal damage, right? And if you're trapped in a maze, you can melt the walls and escape, right?"

"……Uh-huh."

Hajime released his Super Heat Fist, placed his hands on Yue's slender shoulders, and passionately persuaded her from a very close distance. Yue's eyes wandered, thinking to herself, "So, I think it would be better to use vibration crush, thunder wrapping, or refinement?" But she didn't say it out loud, because she vaguely sensed that this was the boy's admiration.

So, Yue, who liked Hajime the most, smiled in a troubled manner and said in cooperation with Hajime:

“…I, I feel great.”

"..."

Hajime removed his left hand and threw it away, saying, "I don't want any sympathy!"

Undeterred, Hajime once again retrieved his left hand from the 'treasure vault' and attached it. Facing Yue with a look that seemed to ask, "How about this!", he transformed his prosthetic hand into a spiral cone.

"Yue, this is my true ability. This is just the beginning. Come, open your eyes and see clearly! Be swallowed by the vortex of emotion!"

Hajime unconsciously uttered a line full of chuunibyou, and once again, the magic power flowed in and activated the third romantic weapon—

"This is the transformed 'Drill'!"

Hajime showed his most smug expression of the day, holding up the drill that was spinning happily, thinking that she must be touched by giving it this month. But when he looked over, he saw her——

"...Yeah, I think it's pretty cool, no problem."

"..."

Hajime thought, “What do you mean by ‘no problem’…?” Yue’s eyes were very gentle.

As for Yue, she still had doubts about its practicality. Even so, no one knew what life would bring, so even if it was something completely useless on a daily basis, one day, yes, one day, it would become useful. Or rather, "For Hajime, that day must come soon." Yue held such a gentle feeling.

However, that gentleness turned into a railgun, piercing through Hajime. His indomitable heart began to crack, and his expression became a little self-conscious, "Am I about to fall into 'that side (the chuuni world)?'"

But just as the greatsword cannot be stopped once swung, the romance Hajime sparked cannot be stopped immediately. Half-desperately, he pulled out "Left hand transforms into a dragon!" or "Water jets spurt from fingertips," and finally, even something unrelated to guns and prosthetic arms, "※K0d's combined sword!", holding his own personal romance market. But each time, Yue smiled gently. (Editor's note: This refers to Cloud Strife in the game "Final Fantasy VII")

Finally, after throwing away all those things and before the dejected Hajime returned to normal, Yue kept a gentle smile on his face, stroking Hajime's head as if praising a child and comforting him, "It's okay, it's okay."

What exactly is a problem? ... Hajime decided to try his best not to think about it.

In the middle of the night, in a secret room behind a cabinet in the workshop, there was a silent and stealthy figure.

“…Done.”

The person muttering to himself was Hajime. Before his sight stood a beautiful silver-haired woman, but it was immediately apparent that she wasn't human. Her ears weren't human ears, but rather rectangular metal antennas.

Furthermore, her texture seemed hard, and her slightly opened eyes were lifeless, lacking any glimmer of will. That was natural, for her true identity was the cleaning doll Oscar had once created.

However, she wasn't completely unlike a human. She wore a dark blue dress, a pure white apron with ruffles, and a white frilly headband. Yes, she was a maid, a maid doll.

"Oscar, your excessive pursuit of realism has led you further away from reality, which is why you failed. However, I have knowledge of two-dimensional characters. Moderate unrealistic shapes... that's the answer."

In the middle of the night, Hajime muttered contentedly to himself, seemingly just an ordinary, miserable man. However, after discovering the maid dolls, numerous maid costumes, and research journals along with this secret room, Hajime learned of Oscar's endless pursuit and ideals for maid dolls, a feeling resonated with Hajime. Hajime, inheriting Oscar's will, painstakingly worked to avoid Yue's detection, and now, finally, he had accomplished his goal. It was inevitable that he would be overwhelmed by such a sense of accomplishment.

Just at this time--

“…I found you, Hajime.”

Suddenly, as light streamed into the room, a familiar voice rang out. Hajime, who had been lost in emotion, admiring the maid doll, suddenly shuddered. Then, like a machine lacking lubrication, he turned around stiffly.

"Yue, Yue...why are you here? Your presence is clearly in the dormitory."

"...I've long noticed that Hajime uses aura concealment every night, and leaves behind a sacred artifact that lingers on his aura before going out. The existence of a secret room was completely unexpected...but on the contrary, as long as I use the sacred artifact, I can search for you freely."

"The artifact has been used against me!" Hajime gritted his teeth in regret for his fatal mistake. And in that moment, Yue's cold and ruthless gaze shifted to the maid doll, and Hajime shuddered again. He looked like a husband caught in an act of extramarital affairs.

“…Hajime, if you like maid outfits, just tell me.”

Yue's eyes blazed with jealousy. It seemed as if she was jealous of the maid doll. But that wasn't the case. It wasn't like that! Hajime spoke to Yue, as if trying to persuade her:

"Yue, listen carefully, I don't like maid outfits, it's romantic."

"……romantic?"

"That's right. Maid and doll (robot), these two elements combined together make a maid doll (robot), and that's how it has to be. Whether it's just a maid or just a doll, although that's fine too, but maid dolls aren't just the sum of two elements; they're an established category. That's every boy's romance."

Hajime then spoke even more passionately about his romance with the maid doll (robot). He spoke for who knows how long, but Yue, who had been listening silently, said, "I see," and nodded. "Do you understand?" Hajime smiled in relief—but then, with a bang, a blazing fireball whizzed past Hajime's cheek.

There was a loud bang afterwards, and Hajime looked behind him in panic. There was the maid doll that had been blown up...

"How could you do this!?"

Hajime fell to his knees, staring blankly at the burning remains of the maid doll. He then quickly walked towards Yue, questioning her in a tone that was a mixture of sadness and anger.

"Yue, why? Why are you doing this?! What is your grudge against her?!"

“… Hajime has been acting a bit strange lately. He needs a little bit of discipline—ahem, a little bit of education.”

Hajime's recent romantic tendencies have been exceeding expectations, and while it's possible this is due to a bottleneck in his forging skills, if we don't pull him back now, he might actually go to "that side (the chuuni world)" and never return. Feeling sad or angry over the maid dolls, and fiercely protesting, at this point, it's already considered the end of his life.

Being told "you are weird" by an important girl in front of him was a huge blow to Hajime. When his mind gradually returned to normal, Yue picked up a piece of women's clothing from the many clothes in the room, turned around gorgeously, then looked at Hajime, licked her lips, and a sexy breath suddenly burst out.

"...I'll make your body understand that a living maid is better than that, Master."

"..."

Shi said nothing, a cold sweat running down his cheek.

After that, needless to say, a cry of "Ah————!" echoed from the bottom of the abyss. And just like that, with his lover's attentive care, Hajime safely returned from the abyss of chuunibyou, which is also self-evident.

Volume Illustrations

Volume 2, Chapter 1: The boy meets... Sorry Rabbit

The Taiwanese version is from the Kingdom of Light

Image source: kerorokun

Scan image: a8901566

Input: a8901566

Photo editing: saxmax

Proofreading: Bakemonogatari

The cave was shrouded in darkness, without even a trace of light.

In this deadly space, where not even the crawling of insects could be heard, the uneven terrain appeared perfectly natural, with no trace of human intervention. While this was a naturally formed cave, it could only be called natural if one ignored the fact that it was sealed without any entrance or exit, making it extremely strange.

However, it is not impossible that a pore suddenly appeared underground due to natural or accidental circumstances. However, the decisive point that makes this enclosed cave strange is right in the center of the cave.

It was a complex and intricate geometric pattern carved into the ground, surrounded by a circular formation. It was what was known as a "magic circle." Anyone involved in magic in this era would be stunned, perhaps even fainting, upon seeing this magic circle, roughly three meters in diameter. It was such an astonishing magic circle.

Yet, this magnificent magic circle, rightfully a national treasure, now sat covered in dust, even grimy, exuding a melancholy atmosphere. It was clear at a glance that it hadn't been used in a decade or a century, like a legendary sword in a folktale, quietly awaiting the arrival of a worthy warrior.

I don't know what triggered the magic circle, causing it to change. I saw a faint red light running along the grooves of the magic circle, at first it was almost invisible like a firefly, and then the brightness gradually increased.

The next moment——

A burst of light erupted. The bright red magic circle shone, sweeping away the darkness of the cavern and revealing a mysterious and magnificent scene. Anyone witnessing it would undoubtedly shudder and gape, as if some supernatural being were about to appear.

However, when the light dissipated as if melting into the air, revealing two figures on the magic circle, a sound was heard...

"Which A button should I press?"

...This kind of complaints ruin the atmosphere.

Inside the cavern, where the light had completely vanished and returned to darkness, stood a man with a face filled with deep disappointment, unable to help but complain. He was the visitor from the other world of Earth, Nagumo Hajime, who had fallen into the abyss of the Great Labyrinth of Orcus a few months ago at the hands of a classmate.

The Great Labyrinth of Orcus is believed to consist of a hundred floors. However, Hajime arrived at the deepest point, hundreds of floors below, the secret base of Oscar Orcus, the Great Labyrinth's creator. He was a rebel against the gods of the world known as Todas. A magic circle had been set up in this secret base to return him to the surface, and it was from there that Hajime was transported.

Having fought for his life since falling into the abyss, Hajime was overjoyed to finally find a way back to the surface. To be more specific, he had unconditionally believed that the other side of the magic circle was the ground, and he was certain that as soon as he opened his eyes, he would be able to enjoy the baptism of sunlight and natural wind.

But what actually came into view was what he had become tired of seeing over the past few months... the same unchanging rock wall, rock wall, rock wall... No wonder he couldn't help but pretend to be from Kansai, complaining in Kansai accent, saying that there was nothing he could do.

Hajime felt an unusual sense of loss. He felt someone tug at the hem of his shirt. "What's wrong?" Hajime turned his head and looked at the petite girl who only reached below his chest.

She possessed voluminous golden hair and crimson eyes reminiscent of the moon. Her skin was the color of porcelain, her lips were thin and rosy, and her eyes held a hint of sleepiness. She was a beautiful girl, as if the God of Creation had poured all his energy into crafting a porcelain doll. She was Yue, the vampire princess once sealed beneath the abyss. She was also the one who, after being rescued by Hajime, forcibly raised him from boyhood to manhood.

Yue's eyes softened as if to comfort Hajime, and he expressed his own speculation:

"...Secret passages...it's normal to hide them."

"...Yeah, that's right. The passage leading directly to the Liberator's secret base can't be hidden, right?"

He hadn't even thought of such a simple thing. It seemed he was getting too carried away—Hajime couldn't help but scratch his head shyly.

Then, as if to boost his spirits, Hajime channeled his magic power into the "Treasure House," a divine artifact capable of storing objects in subspace, and activated it, before pulling out a flashlight made of green light stone. While both he and Yue's combined skills and magic allowed them to navigate the darkness unimpeded, this was also intended to conceal his own previous misstep.

Yue seemed to understand Hajime's feelings perfectly, chuckling softly. It wasn't a mocking smile, but rather a fond smile of something cute. Hajime, his heart in turmoil, ignored her laughter, illuminating the cave with only the light of his flashlight.

"Hmm? That's..."

Through the pale green light, he spotted something strange happening deep within the cave. A wall carved with neat vertical lines appeared, and at Hajime's eye level, a heptagon roughly the size of a palm stood out. Each vertex was painted with a strange pattern, one of which was a motif he had seen frequently over the past few months: the crest of Oscar Orcus.

Hajime approached the wall and took out the ring from his 'treasure vault' that proved he had conquered the 'Great Labyrinth of Orcus'. He aimed it at the pattern and a very atmospheric rumbling sound was heard. The wall opened to the left and right, revealing a passage behind.

Hajime and Yue exchanged a glance, nodded, and stepped onto the passage. Since there were no forks in the road, they continued straight ahead.

Though they encountered several sealed doors and traps along the way, Orcus's ring reacted and disarmed them one by one. The two, initially wary, continued their journey safely, nearly reaching a point of complete despair, when... finally, they saw light.

That was the light coming from outside, the sunlight! It was the light that Shi hadn't seen for months, and Yue had even waited three hundred years to see.

The moment Hajime and Yue saw the light, they involuntarily stopped and stared at each other. Then, unable to suppress their emotions, they both smiled and took steps towards the long-awaited sunlight.

The closer they got to the light, the brighter it became, accompanied by a breeze that carried not the murky air of the abyss but a refreshing, refreshing breeze. Hajime understood the adjective "the air is good" more than ever before, and he and Yue ran towards the light together...

Rushing to the long-awaited ground.

For those on the surface, it's a hellish execution ground. Beneath the cliffs dwell numerous ferocious monsters. While the conditions here make magic nearly impossible, the monsters are powerful enough to overcome such limitations. The canyon averages 1.2 kilometers deep, with a minimum width of 900 meters and a maximum width of 8 kilometers. Known as the Scar of the Earth, it stretches westward to the Gulun Desert and eastward to the Hartrina Sea of ​​Trees, abruptly slicing the land into two halves.

People call this place the "Leisen Grand Canyon".

Hajime and Yue were at the entrance of a cave at the bottom of the Laisen Grand Canyon. Despite being underground, bright, warm sunlight streamed down from above, and the wind, mingled with the scent of the earth, tickled their nostrils.

No matter where this is, the only thing that is certain is that it is on the ground.

Hajime and Yue stared blankly at the sun overhead, then slowly smiled softly. Even Yue, who usually had a blank expression, smiled a smile that anyone could understand.

“…We’re…back…”

"……Um!"

Hajime whispered, his voice filled with all sorts of emotions... truly all sorts of emotions; Yue responded with a powerful echo. Perhaps it was this brief exchange that finally brought back the emotion of returning to the surface. Hajime and Yue finally pulled their gazes away from the sun to look at each other, then, with all their might, hugged each other tightly, shouting from the bottom of their hearts:

“Great! We’re back!!”

"Um--!!"

Hajime hugged the petite Yue tightly and spun around in circles, filling this place known as "Hell" with laughter that was completely out of place. Even though they stumbled over a bump in the ground, the two of them laughed it off, lying sprawled on the ground, laughing at each other with "Hahahaha" and "Hehehehe".

When the two finally stopped laughing...

Already surrounded by monsters.

Amid the howling of monsters coming from all directions, Hajime slowly stood up and complained while sighing:

"Alas, what a bunch of unromantic people! Just let me savor this touching aftertaste a little longer!"

He pulled out Donal & Hulak and tilted his head, saying, "Come to think of it, I remember that magic can't be used here?" Not long after being summoned here, he had studied very diligently, so he remembered the biggest feature of the [Lesin Grand Canyon].

"...The magic power will be decomposed, but don't worry."

The reason why magic cannot be used in [Lesin Grand Canyon] is that after the magic is activated, the magic power contained in it will be decomposed and scattered. Of course, Yue's magic is no exception.