Interlude – The Sailor Cat and the Furless Man
When I first met a man named Tonbo Kawashima, my initial thought was, “What a waste.”
He was a man with incredible power, yet completely unaware of his own abilities. Moreover, he appeared inherently good-natured but lacked confidence in himself. Watching him, with his clinging gaze and being called “Mars” a cat he claimed was once his family, stirred within me a feeling stronger than mere gratitude—it was a sense of obligation to help him.
Humility suited a man. However, it doesn’t necessarily lead to happiness when a powerful man remains humble. Extraordinary power is bestowed upon those who need it. Coming from the depths of this untamed land, possessing the formidable ability to access markets directly from the Galactic Trade Organization’s jurisdiction, he would undoubtedly face trials testing that power.
It wasn’t evident whether Tonbo, as he was now, could withstand such a rite of passage. So, when I proposed, “Let’s do business together,” it was partly for practical gain and partly out of concern.
“Do I really have to write in this ledger every day?”
“Keeping the ledger is fundamental. Organizations that can’t grasp their own size quickly reach a plateau.”
“I don’t even plan on expanding… and managing people seems like too much hassle.”
While teaching him the basics of investigation, planning, assessment, and exploration—the ABCs of business—we lazily conducted a business buying goods cheaply on the surface and selling them at a higher price below. Then, unexpectedly, Tonbo’s fortunes changed. Someone, somewhere, exchanged a mysterious game console at the junkyard, a place seemingly connected to him. Indeed, strong power exerts a gravitational pull. Some unknown connection seemed to intertwine with the power of the junkyard.
From the day he acquired the game console, he seemed different. He spoke of experiencing a stronger version of his life in his dreams, or something like that. Regardless, it seemed he now had a clear goal to strive for. He became more proactive in business, assertive, and steadfast.
When he went to help underground customers and fought a dragon, it was nerve-wracking. But business isn’t just about profit and loss. If you consider risking your life as an investment in experience and reputation, it’s not wasted on Tonbo’s future or the future of the business.
Well, that’s about as far as I could guide him.
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The problem arose from there. Things took a drastic turn after Tonbo accidentally acquired someone’s brainshell. While it provided him with more clues connecting to his homeland, which might have been somewhat gratifying for him… whether it was good for Tonbo, I couldn’t say.
For someone like him, who readily takes on anything without much forethought, the Wedson princess, the content of the brainshell, was undoubtedly dramatic. For a young man, merely being of the same race as her would be dramatic enough, but she radiated from her soul—noble, competent, fragile, and fiercely dependent on Tonbo.
After I leave, it will surely become the graveyard of life… It seems like a fitting phrase for marriage in this country. Yes, undoubtedly, that’s where it will lead. The current relationship, akin to roommates, only continues because there’s Tonbo who doesn’t understand the intricacies of romantic relationships, a princess with too much pride, and myself, the intrusive one.
Well, I don’t know what the Tonbo thinks, but those two should probably get together soon. It’s because anyone other than a princess wouldn’t be able to keep up with the Tonbo, an extraordinary individual apparently entangled in major troubles like the kanatōryū Trading Company.
“Tonbo, what are you reading?”
“This? It’s feedback from Kawashima General Trading’s clients. Abukuma-san gave it to me.”
“On paper, not email?”
“No, they printed it out and showed it to me when I went there during the day…”
“You brought it back?”
As I said that, leaning against the Tonbo’s back, the princess peered over his shoulder at the copy paper in his hands. The princess could probably access the original data files directly without doing something like that… I thought as I bit into a seedless grape, skin and all.
The sweet and sour juice spread in my mouth. Despite this planet being more primitive than any countryside I’ve visited, the taste of sweet food is truly wonderful. If I return to my hometown, maybe I’ll buy a ship and start importing fruits to this planet. Oranges, in particular, would probably sell like crazy back home.
“So, what does it say?”
“Um, it says, ‘My life was saved by a rescue service. When I was stranded in the pitch-dark bottom of a valley after falling off a cliff, I thought it was all over, but when I sent out a distress signal, a drone came to see me right away, and I was really relieved, you know.'”
“Was the family photo sent by the person they saved?”
“Probably.”
Glancing at the Tonbo with a bit of interest, he showed me the photo. I see, a man with his legs hanging off in what seemed like a hospital room, laughing with a little girl and a woman. Adventuring is indeed similar to being a sailor. It’s profitable, but darkness is always just around the corner.
If we can alleviate the worries of adventurers through Kawashima’s work, then it’s worth having put so much thought into establishing a rescue service.
“Also, it says, ‘Our family loves using furikake together,’ and ‘My electrician relative loves using a recharge-free headlamp.'”
“That’s great.”
“It’s kind of embarrassing, but… when I see stuff like this, I think running the company was a good idea. Most of it is thanks to Mars and the princess, though.”
“If it weren’t for you, both the princess and I wouldn’t be here, so it’s not entirely like that, right?”
As I said that, the Tonbo smiled shyly.
…He’s still very immature. Just being tossed around by strong forces, lacking not only the ability to wield them but also the confidence and self-awareness that come with it.
If he were to stand on his own from myself and the princess as he is now, he’d just be manipulated by guys like kanatōryū. Perhaps the princess doesn’t have any intention of letting him go, but even in this country, there’s a saying about the fickleness of a woman’s heart.
Of course, I also want to go home soon with a spaceship or a transmission device in hand. But right now, I feel like I want to watch over the growth of this furless friend just as much.
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