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One day in November, at the military academy.
Hachikyu: Ummm... For Murata, sweet potatoes and tea leaves... deep-steamed stem tea? For Arisaka, yakisoba bread, a yam danish, and his fish’s food, huh?
Hachikyu: ...c’mon, this is a military academy in England, isn’t it!? There ain’t gonna be such a specific kind of tea leaves! No yakisoba bread, and no yam danish, either!!!
Hachikyu: Ah— ...damn it. I’ll just buy some sweet bread and sweet potatoes for now... As for the tea... I’ll have to look for it when I go into town later.
Cashier Guy: For six sweet potatoes, four bread buns, and the goldfish food, that’ll be 3000UC.
Hachikyu: No way...
Hachikyu: (Hahh... Why did I even come to England? I’m Murata’s errand boy, I take care of those goldfish they just had to get, and Arisaka keeps coming into my room outta nowhere... I can’t even relax and play my games.)
Hachikyu: (I’m too scared to defy them, and scared of the consequences if I ignore this shit too... I get paid, though, so I guess it’s fine...)
*scene changes to outside*
Hachikyu: Haahhh, being a living gun is seriously the worst... I wasn’t summoned just to run errands, y’know!?
Hachikyu: Seriously, those two... especially Murata! Sure, he’s my senior, and our combat experience isn’t even comparable, but still... he’s getting kinda cocky, isn’t he?
Hachikyu: ...no, I mean, I’m a former World Empire gun, and I’m damn lucky that I’m not getting tortured...
As Hachikyu was heading back to the dorms while muttering to himself, the smell of sweet bread began to attract some bees.
Hachikyu: Whoah! Hey, knock it off! H-Hey, don’t— get away from me...!
*scene changes to a park*
Chased by the bees, Hachikyu runs around the school grounds, trying to escape—
Hachikyu: Heeh... hahhh... they’re finally gone...
Hachikyu: ...whoooooaaah!
His foot gets caught, and he hits the ground.
Hachikyu: ...ah...! ...owww... damn it...
Hachikyu: This sucks... Today’s luck is seriously the worst... My willpower’s fucking crushed...
As Hachikyu looks around, he sees a pair of cadets, seemingly a happy couple, underneath a tree’s shade.
Male Student: I love you so much, honey.♥
Female Student: I love you too, darling.♥ *smooch*♥
Hachikyu: ......
Hachikyu: Hahhh... ...what the hell am I doing.
Hachikyu: Am I gonna be an errand boy for the rest of my life...? No, no way do I want that kind of life.
Hachikyu: Ah— ...I wish I had five thousand trillion yen. ...or honestly, just thirty million. Even ten million would be enough. With that much, I could live on my own. Yeah.
Hachikyu: I wonder if a few million yen could just fall into my lap... Even better, if it’s tax-free.
*scene changes to a dorm hallway*
Jitte: Hahh...
*flashback begins*
After hearing a rumor that a bonsai market would be held at a shrine in the Asian district on the outskirts of London, Jitte decided to use his day off to attend.
Jitte: Oh... the bonsai market is a much bigger event than I’d expected. There are so many fine bonsai trees here— how wonderful!
Jitte: ...hmm!? This is...!
A certain bonsai tree caught Jitte’s eye, and he ran up to look at it.
Jitte: The wood has a depth to it that gives the impression of years long past, but the bark is still supple... The foliage seems fresh and firm as well, yet still elegantly arranged... it’s truly in a class of its own...!
Exhibitor: Oh... you can tell this one’s quality, can’t you?
Jitte: I most certainly do...! No, just looking at this bonsai, there’s no way anyone couldn’t!
Jitte: Combining majesty, strength, and maturity, this is truly a wonderful bonsai tree...
Jitte: I have no words for how well the arrangement of the pruned branches shows the overflowing vitality of the trunk! And beyond all of that... just looking at this pine conveys the nostalgic view of my homeland!
Exhibitor: Ho, ho, ho. I’m delighted that you’ve taken such an interest in this tree.
Jitte: I feel the same! I’m truly fortunate to have seen such a captivating bonsai! And on that note, since you’re showing it at this market...
Exhibitor: Ah, yes. I’m getting on in years, you see, so I’ve been thinking I should try to find a respectable buyer who would inherit and protect this tree. Jitte: Th-Then, by all means, I would...!
Exhibitor: Hold on, there. It’s for sale, but I won’t sell it to just anyone. This tree is over three-hundred years old, and has been maintained since the Edo period. It’s a masterpiece that’s been passed down in my family without fail, even when my grandfather came here to England.
Exhibitor: The buyer has to be someone who has both the finances and the backbone to protect this one at all times... Yes, it must be someone who’s willing to generously pay the ten million yen fee.
Jitte: Ten...
Jitte: Ten million♪ Ten million♪ Ten—
Jitte: GHAAH!
*flashback ends*
Jitte: Hmm... No matter how I think about it... There’s no way I can scrape together ten million yen.
Hachikyu & Jitte: Hahh...
Jitte: Oh, Hachikyu-kun. What’s behind that mighty sigh?
Hachikyu: Nah, I should be asking you that.
Jitte: Hahh... I have a wish that doesn’t seem to be coming true, you see. When I think about how impossible it is, the sighs just come out...
Hachikyu: Ahh. ...actually, I know what you mean. I want to spend my days off lazing around and totally immersed in my games, but it doesn’t seem to work out that way too often.
Jitte: You always do seem awfully busy, Hachikyu-kun. The end of the year is creeping up on us, and things are going to get awfully hectic. That’ll be hard on you, I imagine.
Hachikyu: Yeah, it sure will...
Hachikyu & Jitte: Hahh....
Hachikyu & Jitte: Money would be nice. Wonder if I’ll end up with any...
Hachikyu & Jitte: ...huh??
Jitte: You need money too, Hachikyu-kun?
Hachikyu: Ah— ...something like that, I guess. Is there something you want to buy?
Jitte: Truth is, there’s a bonsai tree that was love at first sight for me... I was told that I’d have to put out ten million yen for it, though.
Jitte: What about you, Hachikyu-kun? Something you want?
Hachikyu: In my case, rather than something specific... I guess, I just want to prepare something for my future self. The opposite of “poverty dulls the wit”, kinda. Make sense?
Jitte: I see. Indeed, it’s easier to do what you please when you have the means. I would have been able to accept that bonsai on the spot...
Hachikyu: Ah... when you’ve got money, there’s no need to worry about rare equipment that you have to shell out for. You can hire someone else to grind the boring parts while you’re in class, too. More than anything, money won’t betray you.
Jitte: Still, our daily lives are completely problem-free, with all of the necessities of survival guaranteed. Getting a ton of money on top of that just isn’t going to happen.
Hachikyu: You can earn some extra cash with Practical Experience jobs, but that still ain’t much. Being a Musketeer, and stuck at a military academy at that, there are too many rules and regulations to do anything freely.
Hachikyu: I want money, but I don’t even wanna work, anyway. Even if I can give it my all for a little while, I’m bound to get burnt out soon enough. And manual labor is especially out.
Hachikyu: I want it to be like a lottery. Don’t have to put in much effort, and when I least expect it, the money comes pouring out. I’d look at my bank account and be like, “Whoah, there’s tons of cash!”— or something like that, y’know?
Jitte: That really is the dream. I wonder, should I try to buy a lottery ticket...
Hachikyu: Nah, don’t. The odds of that working are mega-low. You can buy a ton of ‘em and spend a ton of money, and still get zilch.
Jitte: Hm... that’s true. In that case, it would be even more depressing to have a bunch of no-good tickets, and nothing else.
Hachikyu: ...ah. Wait, what about this...