I thanked everyone for their cooperation and for capturing the tacarabako, and after they left.

　Eri and I were alone with a mountain of tacarabako.

'Well, let's try one first,'

　When I mumbled, Eli gently distanced himself and gave me a small gut-punch, cheering me on.

'Yeah, I'll do my best,'

　He smiles back at Eri and holds his gun up.
　He shoots out one tacarabako that is placed directly on the ground.

　A growth bullet.
　Bullets that increase in power with each hit you shoot.
　It's grown to the point where it can kill 99% of the normal monsters with a single shot.

　It's a very powerful one-hit kill weapon, but compared to the Repetition, it's a bit half-hearted, and for the same reason as the Repetition, you don't want to get a taste for it when you need it.

　I'm shooting for further growth as well, since Takarabako is now restrained and my sights are on that end.

　The shot out Takarabako burst out and dropped what looked like an iron box with a clatter.

''This is an oven ...... or maybe a microwave oven.

　I approach the box and open the vertical door.
　It's a high-functioning type of microwave with no spinning dish.

'......'

　Eli came over to me, tugged on my sleeve and nodded his head.

'Yeah, it's a handy appliance right where I was. It's the most powerful thing you'll ever have with electricity. Here.

　I answer Eli and then look at the range again.

　It's been a while since I've been in this world.
　Emily's superhuman housekeeping skills don't give me much to realize, but I'm reminded that microwaves are actually a great thing.
　With the flick of a switch, it heats up food and can even bring up water if you want it to (although it's dangerous after that).

　You can cook the noodles in a bag without burning them, so it was very useful.

Well, it's just a box now.
......?
You can't use it without electricity. Well, Japan is the only country in the world that has a stable AC power supply.

　Eli's head remains tilted.
　It's not something I'm going to go into and explain, so I stand up, clunking the microwave, which is just a box.

　I looked at the remaining pile of tacarabcos.

'I knew it wouldn't work if I didn't ...... guess.

　A lot of tacarabaco that everyone has been collecting, not a small number, but not enough to be able to "pull it until it comes out" either.
　I'll have to figure out something else to do.

Ask Alice.
...... (giggle)
Hmm?　What's the matter, Eli?

　Eli puffed out his chest.

'You mean you're going to go get Alice?'
...... (nationally)
Okay. Thank you, Eli. Please.

　Eri, with a flourish, ran out happily with a pah-- and jumped into the erythronium dungeon-- the new mansion.

　The sight of her made me a little happy.
　I was happy to see Eri moving to call out to me, even if it was my companions against me.

　As I was soaking up the feeling, Eri soon returned with Alice.

'Wow!　Oh, my God!　What's wrong with this?
Everyone got together for Eli.
For the sake of elaboration.
So, let me ask you something. Alice knows when to drop, right?
Yes.
What does that feel like?

　Alice puts her index finger on her chin and thinks, "Mmmmmm".
　And then, this time, she crossed her arms and began to groan, "Mmmmmmmm.

'Hmmm, I have a box.'
Box?
Well, you know, like there's a few boxes, and then there's just one in there.
Yeah.

　I nodded and tried to imagine the situation Alice was talking about.

'So, you know, when I look at it, it's like the outside of the box has 'around' written on it?
I see.

　It's a feeling I don't quite understand, but I know one thing.

'I can't do that. It is.
I was born in a dungeon, you know.
To begin with, me and Takara Bako are not the best match for each other.
'What?　How?
'My ability is purely that I drop 100% and that my quality goes up. My ability to drop ...... even if they don't really drop,
'Yeah--Oh, I see. Takarabako does drop outside the dungeon, right?
'Yeah, so it's incompatible ...... or it doesn't make sense. There's no advantage to something like Takarabako.
I see. ...... Hmm.

　Alice started to grunt again.
　I look at the pile of tacarabako, close up and stare at the individual items, or away and look at the whole thing.

'...... No!　I don't know. That's what Lyota wants.　I'm looking at them as a reminder that they all look the same.
Well, ...... hmmm.

　I asked for a no-no, but I guess it didn't work.

　I shoot another one through the takarabako to try it out.

　The takarabako that I defeated with a single shot dropped--

Table?
The kotatsu. It's the best thing about winter, but there's no electricity.

　It was still no good.
　I don't feel like I'm going to hit it at all by guessing.

'Is there any other way? I'd like to make a big decision here for Eli's sake.
'Gamba, Lyota!　But it's an awfully high level of concern.
A high level?
'It's not like most people can be bothered with helping spirits instead of helping people.
It doesn't make much difference, though.

　In my mind.

In my case, it was partly because Mela Mela helped me out, but ...... eliery, is there anything I can do to help Lyota with eliery?
I'm trying to help him, so why would I ask him to do that?
What's up, Lyota?
Wait a minute!

　I held up my hand, interrupting Alice's words and desperately fumbling through the memories.
　Now, for a moment, something came to me.

　It flashed.

　I tried desperately to groping for what it was, which flashed, but went by so fast.
　At times like this, I repeat the same action and remember it by association.

　I play the action backwards.
　I look at Alice, then at the dropped kotatsu, then at the pile of takarabako.

　I pull out my gun and stick it out - a growth bullet!

　No, it's a repetition!

　In practical terms, it is almost the upper compatible of growth bullets, Repetition.
　The strongest magic to kill monsters once defeated unconditionally and instantly.

　It's what I gave to Nihonium.
　It's the magic she gave me, guiding me to meet Nihonium, the magic I needed to meet Nihonium.

　The genie, for the genie himself.

'Eli!　Follow me.
......(country)

　Taking Eli's hand, I jumped into the dungeon and warped into Nihonium's room in the transporter room.

　The woman in the clasped sleeve stood in the middle of the room, quietly.

'What's going on?　Mr. Lyota.
Tell me, Nifornium, how did you lead me to the Repetition?
Repetition time?
'Yeah, you needed me to lead you to the repetition for that, didn't you?　How did you do that?
You're doing this for her, aren't you?

　Nihonium looked at Eli.
　The fact that he had brought her with him made it easier for her to understand the situation.

'It's hard to explain. So,

　With that, Nihonium held out his hand, palm upward, to Eli.
　Eli took the hand of his kindred spirit, Nihonium, without any hesitation at all.

　I don't know what's going on, but something is going on, I'm sure of it.
　I waited patiently, and I waited, prepared to wait forever - forever.

"--Yes.
What?

　I heard a voice.
　A voice that wasn't a physical object, a voice that was close to empty ears.

　It's a voice I've heard before.

'This way.'

　As I listened closely, I could hear it clearly.
　It's the voice of Eli - or rather Erislonium - who once called out to me for help.

　Guided by the voice, I run out of the gate, back into the mansion and out into the garden.

'Whoa!'

　Alice, who was still there, is surprised--

'Here it is: ......'

　I saw one of the takarabako.
　I saw a small woman - a small woman standing on top of it, like Eri as an adult.