Lost Sword story · Character episode
Lumi Episode
5 scenes, 366 lines
1. Initiation
61 linesThe underground slum of the Duchy of Aurelia: "Gray End." A vigilante group called the "Pink Knight" exists here.
Dressed head to toe in pink clothes and accessories, they're a gang of perverts who shout that cuteness is truth, and justice.
Today, I came to Gray End because Lumi, the leader of the Pink Knight, called for me.
Hey, rookie! Thanks for making time for me even though you're busy.
All right, let's start by putting this ribbon on your head. To celebrate our reunion after so long!
Hey, I came here because you said there was something incredibly important.
If you've got time to put a ribbon on me, then get straight to the point.
Of course it's incredibly important!
We're holding an initiation today to celebrate our rookie joining the Pink Knight.
That doesn't sound important at all.
And I have no intention of joining that bunch of perverts in the first place?!
Huh? But you wore the Pink Knight's pink uniform last time, didn't you?
It suited you so well even your companions burst out laughing! And my underlings were drooling!
...Burn? Oh! Don't tell me getting dressed in clothes like that gets you excited?
Knew it, I've got a great eye for people! You've earned the right to be wrapped in cuteness from head to toe.
I'm leaving. My self-esteem can't take any more of this.
Aw, come on, I was joking! But it's true that I do need our rookie's help today.
Still, even if Gray End is my turf, there are rules you have to follow.
Rules? A lawless slum like this has those?
Because it's lawless, we need them even more!
It takes more than you'd think for a human to live like a human.
Like cotton candy, or cute nicknames, or little cat-paw stamps.
I'd really like to know what your standard for being human is.
Well, maybe the cat-paw stamps are a bit much.
But cotton candy and cute nicknames are a must. And I'm hoping our rookie understands that today.
If you keep messing with me with this nonsense, I'm seriously leaving.
Hey now! At least hear me out with an open mind.
Gray End's public safety is bad enough as it is, so there are plenty of people out there who'd threaten the Pink Knight.
The scary part is that you can't always tell who's an enemy and who's an ally. We're not the only ones who can get pink clothes, after all.
So we give each other nicknames we can use to identify one another. Kind of like code names.
If you want to move freely around Gray End too, you'd be better off picking a real nickname instead of a temporary one.
Oh... when you call it a code name, it actually sounds kind of cool.
Wait, more importantly, I already had a temporary nickname?
Of course! Behold, Eddy 'the Jelly Prince'!
Cancel that "cool" part. I'm leaving.
What? You don't like it?
The Jelly Prince is a character famous for being handsome in <The Cotton Candy Expedition>!
He's only handsome in that fairy-tale world. If you went around like that in real life, you'd just look like a pervert.
Wow, picky much. At this rate, I can't even tell who's the boss and who's the rookie.
Well, you did come here to help me, so I'll give you a special chance.
A special chance? That sounds openly suspicious...
Yep, this time our rookie gets to come up with his own nickname!
You should feel honored, you know? If my people saw this, they'd think I was playing favorites.
I'll think about it.
Nothing comes to mind right away, and if I leave it to you, you'll obviously pick something bizarre.
I need time to think about how to protect my self-respect. I hate jelly, and I hate princes.
Aw, I love that eagerness to learn. At this point, I have no choice but to lend you my first edition of <The Cotton Candy Expedition>!
No need for that.
It's okay! If you just write a 100-page book report, I'll recognize you as a fan of <The Cotton Candy Expedition>.
Don't need it!
You pick it.
I don't even want to think this hard about it, and even if I did, I doubt anything decent would come out...
Just pick one for me. Make it the least embarrassing one you can.
Mm-hmm, that's not a bad choice. Things like this should be left to an expert.
All right, then should we start by taking your measurements?
Huh? What measurements?
I make outfits for my people too. So while we're coming up with a nickname, I'll make you some clothes.
I've thought this for a while now, but I bet frills would look really good on our rookie!
I don't need that crap?! Get away from me, you pervert!
2. Back-Alley Hero
60 linesI was once the Swordbringer of the Holy Sword, one of Britannia's key fighting forces.
A man who fights every day for this world's future, and broods over it besides.
And yet, what I held in my hand today wasn't a sword, but an old broom as worn-out as a dead tree in midwinter.
Ride the cotton candy clouds! Swing your candy sword!
...
Let's go, let's go, over the rainbow! Follow our brave Cotton Candy Knight!
...Hey, Lumi.
Hm? What's wrong, Eddy 'the Cinnamon Puppy'?
I have nothing to do with cinnamon, and I'm not a puppy.
And I don't think sweeping like this is the kind of "important job" that needs me.
Oh, you really nailed the point!
Just cleaning the streets like this probably won't change anything. All it'll do is make things feel a little fresher.
But you know, if you want to make cookies, you have to start with the dough!
Get to the conclusion before I finish all this sweeping.
Our rookie sure is impatient. Though that just makes you even cuter.
If I had to give you the simplest description possible... Tell me, have you ever thrown trash next to a wall where lots of people pass by?
I'd like to say no, but I feel like I probably have at least once.
I like how honest you are. Then you can imagine what happens to that wall afterward, right?
It'd turn into a mess in no time. Because other people would start dumping trash there too.
Exactly. But if the wall had been clean from the start, the problem never would've happened.
Now, our rookie's smart, so that much description should be enough, right?
I get that even something small like cleaning matters.
But I still don't see how that explains why you called me.
Oh dear... our rookie still doesn't know his own worth?
...Which is why I'm saying, enough with the airy nonsense and get to the point...
H-Hello! Are you the Swordbringer by any chance?
The one who's been active in Britannia...!
Uh... well... yeah, that's me?
...Woooah!
Thank you, Lumi! I can die happy now!
You can't die, kid! One day you're going to become someone even more heroic than this friend right here!
What are you doing, rookie? At least give the kid who made you his idol an autograph.
Uh... um... an autograph? You want an autograph?
Yes! Right here, please!
What the boy held out was an old wooden board and a piece of charcoal wrapped in cloth.
Still dazed, I scribbled my name on the board, then even shook the boy's hand.
Thank you! Someday, I'm gonna become someone just as heroic as you, Swordbringer!
Aw, come on! A young man ought to dream bigger than that!
Now, repeat after me. I will work hard every day and become someone even more heroic than the Swordbringer!
Ah... y-yes! Every day... w-work hard... surpass you!
After that awkward, bewildering fan meeting finally came to an end,
Lumi turned back to me with a teasing grin.
So? Pretty important work that only our rookie could do, right?
...Ahem. I had no idea I was famous here too.
Well, I get the point. Kids need something better than cotton candy to inspire them.
The cotton candy I make may taste good, but it can never be cooler than a hero from a story.
Who knows? Maybe meeting you today will help raise tomorrow's heroic figure.
You seem more heroic.
To those kids, you're the one who's truly heroic.
I'm probably just more like a storybook knight.
...
...A storybook knight?! Then our rookie really does need a nickname like Eddy 'the Candy Knight'!
That's not what I meant-!!
I still have a long way to go.
People may praise me as the Swordbringer, call me a hero and all... but honestly, I still have a long way to go.
There've been times I couldn't protect my companions, and plenty of times I nearly broke under the feeling of helplessness.
...
...Oh, our rookie's gloomy side is pretty cute too.
Want big sis to pat your head? Or do you want to touch my boobs?
No way-!!!
3. Storybook Hero
57 linesGray End, the slum district, was never a pleasant place to live.
Dim, damp, filthy, and foul-smelling.
A gray underground world where shadows clung to every place and every person.
Against that gloomy backdrop, Lumi raised her broom and shouted.
All right, follow me, rookie!
This time, our enemy is the evil trash army occupying the eastern back alleys!
Our Pink Knight fought them for half a day and managed to defeat most of them, but in the end we had to retreat, leaving their remnants behind.
Everyone shouted that they could still keep going, that we couldn't fall back now, but...!
As leader, I had to make the cruel decision.
You just stopped because it was time to eat before the cleaning was done.
It was pudding day for snack time, and you were the first one to throw down your broom and run.
Wh-What...?! How do you know our organization's secret...!
Because you told me at the start!
Oh, correct, rookie! So you really were listening to your leader.
Even in <The Cotton Candy Expedition>, the war stops on pudding days. As if everyone's agreed to it!
What a vibe. Though it'd be kind of ridiculous if that happened in real life.
By the way, how did you become a fan of <The Cotton Candy Expedition> in the first place?
Honestly, it doesn't seem like something that fits a slum like this.
...
...Well, you could say it's a story I miss. I had a childhood too, after all.
Say, rookie. Do you know where the kids around here like to play most?
Hmm... a plaza where they can run around? Or maybe somewhere like this, where we're cleaning?
Wrong! The answer is that sewer entrance over there.
It's one of the only places that's at least somewhat safe for kids to play, and sometimes valuable things drift down from the upper district.
So that's where you first found <The Cotton Candy Expedition>.
It was soaked through, so I couldn't even salvage half of it.
But I was happy. It was the first time I'd ever seen something called a book.
And... it was the first time I'd ever seen the color pink.
As though she were sinking into a distant past, Lumi's voice dropped by a note.
An old shadow hidden behind her lively smile, a story whose pain had gone dull.
It was the face of a child who'd grown up far too soon.
Maybe you could say my standards shot up in an instant? After that, I started hating reality.
A world this cute, soft, and warm existed... No, it had to exist.
So why was this place only ugly, rough, and cold? Why was everything gray no matter where I looked?
I kept brooding over that all by myself, and in the end, I found my answer in the story.
That nothing changes if you just sit still.
That like the Cotton Candy Knight in the fairy tale, someone has to be the fool who's drunk on dreams.
...
Ugh...! Our rookie's pretty good, huh? To think you'd make me blush.
Well... the applause was a joke, but the admiration was real.
We only met because people suspected you back in the Duchy of Aurelia.
But now I can say it for sure. Lumi, you're the real thing, someone truly heroic, just like the Cotton Candy Knight.
Uh... um... th-thanks?
Especially that line about being a fool drunk on dreams.
It was poetic, and it made your resolve and conviction come through loud and clear.
Hey, rookie...? Even I get embarrassed if you keep saying stuff like that...!?
I-If you're going to praise me, at least do it when other people are around...!
Oh, and one more thing. For someone who acts like you're always just joking around, you're surprisingly thoughtful too...
Aaaah! Stop! I surrender, I surrender!
I lose! So please, stop already! I'm gonna die of embarrassment!
I turned Lumi's face bright red with compliment after compliment,
and kept the first weakness I'd ever learned about her as a secret between the two of us.
4. Cotton Candy Banquet
65 linesAll right, at last, there's only the final task left, the highlight, and the most important part.
Depending on how this mission goes, the future of Gray End may... no!
It might even decide tonight's dessert menu...!
Isn't that ending way too trivial compared to how this started?
Not at all! This time I'm not joking. For the Pink Knight, deciding the dessert menu is serious business.
In the last menu showdown, it escalated into a full-on brawl. The problem was that no one could agree on the cotton candy shape.
I've already got about five question marks floating over my head... ...but I guess I have learned that, appearances aside, your group's actually pretty decent.
I'll stick with you to the end, then. So what do I have to do this time?
Before long, we arrived in front of a mountain of sugar and an enormous cotton candy machine.
Amid a crowd of burly men in pink, Lumi spun out all kinds of cotton candy, one after another,
adding bright colors this gray slum had never seen before.
...But then, in the very next moment, a shadow larger than a tower appeared behind the Cotton Candy Knight...!
Woooaaahhh...!
No way! It was the Honey Butter Hamster, the evil beast of the brown sugar witch!
Lumi! Didn't the hamster become our ally earlier?
Were you asleep? That was General Chewy Mochi Hamster of the Red Bean Paste Kingdom! This hamster is a different one!
The settings were a total mess, and the story had no sense of continuity.
The hamster and knight made of cotton candy had already been eaten by the kids long ago,
but the story kept going. The cotton candy feast led by Lumi felt like a dream with blurry beginnings and endings.
But then...! Another shadow appeared from behind the brown sugar witch...!
In his hand was the great Holy Sword Candycalibur! And the one wielding that sword was the Swordbringer of the Holy Sword!
Come, Swordbringer! Accept this special cotton candy sword, freshly hauled from Maple Syrup Lake.
What? W-Wait! I'm not ready yet...
Wooooaaahhhhh-! It's really the Swordbringer!
Uh... um...! You fiend, brown sugar witch!
In the name of the Holy Sword Exca... no, Candycalibur, I will cut you dow... no, I won't forgive you!
Huhhh!? The Cotton Candy Knight doesn't say cheesy lines like that!
It's a fake, a fake! A fake sent by the brown sugar witch!
Idiot! That mister was never the Cotton Candy Knight in the first place, he's the Swordbringer!
...Mister...
...That's right! That boy is correct! There's no way the Cotton Candy Knight would say such childish, predictable lines!
Ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum, and thus the shocking truth was suddenly revealed!
In truth, this mister was actually General Chewy Mochi Hamster, whose sense of self had been stolen by the brown sugar witch!
Isn't the plot way too sloppy?!
After a desperate battle packed with twist after twist after twist after twist after twist, Mister Chewy Mochi Hamster was finally struck down.
Gwaaahhhh-! I-I can't accept this-!
And with the children's cheers as they clutched their cotton candy, the performance came to an end.
Man, today's show was way more fun thanks to somebody's awful acting.
Good work, rookie. You can eat as much of the leftover cotton candy as you want.
No... I'm sick of it. I can't eat another bite.
What kind of hamster devours cotton candy by the ton, anyway? And why was I that hamster to begin with?
Were you even watching the show properly? Chewy Mochi Hamster wasn't really a hamster at all. He was a mister who looked like you, rookie.
When did that nonsense setting get added?!
Just now!
Whatever... if you're asking whether it felt worthwhile, I can't exactly say it didn't.
Does your Pink Knight put on events like this every time? For the kids in the slums?
Nope! Today's an event I really splurged on so our rookie could have a role too. Sugar for cotton candy isn't exactly cheap, you know.
Still, it was fun, right? Like it made your whole mood go soft and fluffy.
Kids should grow up like kids. I get why you called me here.
We couldn't do it too often, but... once in a while sounds fine. Might be nice to bring the others along too.
Hahaha! Our rookie really is the biggest sucker around.
I was planning to give you all sorts of rewards too. But if you're already satisfied, maybe you don't need them?
(With a strict, serious, dignified expression) Please, go into detail.
Please, do go into a little more detail, big sis.
This rookie is still starving. Like a Honey Butter Hamster standing before a castle made of sweets.
Heh heh heh, you've finally shown your true colors. Like a Chewy Mochi Hamster when Candycalibur is right in front of him.
I-I'm good!
I'm not falling for it this time. You're just about to pull some weird prank again.
Ghk... just what I'd expect from one of the brown sugar witch's minions. To see through my scheme instantly!
...That would be funny to say, but I should make sure your hard work gets properly rewarded, right?
For all the effort you put in today, I'll pack it full of my feelings and sincerity.
Ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum! And the reward granted to the hero who cleared the final trial is...!
A Pink Knight uniform covered head to toe in frills and ribbons!
My people were insanely jealous, you know? Come on, try it on already!
Knew it. Get away from me, you pervert!
5. Heart Strike!
123 linesIn the Duchy of Aurelia, there's a legendary tale of a certain hero.
Long ago, they crossed over from another world, and shared all sorts of knowledge, laying the groundwork for magitech.
But as with most stories, much of it became distorted as it passed through many mouths and many ages.
Rookie! Let's play baseball, baseball!
That doesn't sound like the first thing you say after dragging someone here out of nowhere.
Huh? Didn't you like it when people got straight to the point, rookie?
That's only when I haven't been dragged somewhere out of nowhere!
Aw, you're so picky. But you're cute, so I'll forgive you!
So why did you suddenly decide you wanted to play baseball?
More importantly, how do you even know about something like baseball?
Aurelia's full of all kinds of tales left behind by that legendary hero.
Baseball is one of them!
As you know, our "Pink Knight" is a wholesome organization that aims for a world as cute as a fairy tale.
But lately we've had too many new members, and fights keep breaking out between them.
Whenever Squishy and I step in, it gets settled right away, but it'd be better if they got along from the start, right?
I don't know what part of a group that starts gang fights counts as wholesome.
Still, I get that you need a sport everyone can enjoy together. And I know the rough rules of baseball.
...But why are you dressed like that?
Hm? Isn't this what you're supposed to wear when you play baseball?
It was clearly written in the records left by that legendary hero! Right down to the skirt and stocking length!
...
...Forget what I just said. That legendary hero was right about every last thing.
I see... that really was someone worthy of being called a hero. Their eye for beauty was impeccable.
Yep, yep! So I'm thinking of making matching uniforms for all my people too.
It's been hard to find the right fabric, so for now I've only managed to make the one I'm wearing.
Hang on. Most of your Pink Knight members are burly men.
Hahaha! I'm joking, I'm joking.
Even the records left by that hero had a warning saying men should never wear it.
Big and bold, with underlines and stars added too. And in red ink, no less!
All hail the legendary hero.
But of all things, there barely were any records about the much more important baseball rules.
Then I happened to hear that our rookie knows a lot about isekai stuff!
I'm not some baseball expert. I just know the basics.
Still, if the goal is team bonding, that should be enough. And with a big group, simpler rules are probably better.
Yep, yep! Of course I even prepared a ball in advance!
Making it tough enough to withstand a hit from our Squishy cost me a fortune.
All right then, let's warm up with a nice home run!
Let's go, Squishy! We're starting with a full swing!
Huh? Hey! W-Wait...!
Clang-!
Before I could finish speaking, Lumi's "Squishy" sent the ball flying,
and it shot past my ear fast enough to cause a sonic boom.
Aw, what a shame. Can't believe that missed by just a hair.
Were you really trying to hit me!?
Of course! Otherwise how are you supposed to get an "out"?
No, you're not! What exactly do you think baseball is?!
It's a game where you win by hitting the other team with the ball three times! If they get stunned, they're out!
If a normal person got hit by that thing just now, they'd die in one shot!
Sigh... just come sit over here for now. And put that bat down.
It's not a bat, it's Squishy!
...Right. Squishy.
After spending about ten minutes explaining the rules of baseball...
Aha! So you don't get points for hitting people with the ball.
And obviously, you can't hit people with the b... Squishy either.
But if you do hit them, can't you neutralize the other team?
This is about the tenth time I've stressed it, but unlike a lawless zone like this, sports have such things as fouls.
Just like you'd get beaten up here for causing trouble, if you cause trouble on the field, the umpire throws you out.
Huh? They do something wrong and you let them leave with all their limbs intact?
Rules exist so no one gets hurt, and because no one gets hurt, sports are different from war.
Come to think of it, you and your Pink Knight are doing something similar, aren't you?
Something... similar?
Making rules in a lawless place.
Oh.
Maybe I was the one who hadn't really understood the rules after all.
To someone who'd spent her whole life in the bottommost slums, sports were bound to feel unfamiliar.
All right, I totally get it now.
So the pitcher throws only the ball, not a person, and the batter hits only the ball, not a person.
You can't hit a person with a ball struck by Squishy, and you can't throw Squishy at a person.
You can't throw a person at a person, and you can't hit Squishy with the ball.
Wait... then is it okay to hit the ball with a person?!
No.
Aww, that sounds like it'd be more fun.
Don't treat people like balls in the first place!
I endured that barrage of questions for quite a while, never sure whether they were jokes or serious.
Question, rookie!
All right, what is it this time?
Why do you keep sneaking glances at my chest?
At least make it a question about baseball!
After a grueling battle that lasted well over an hour, I finally managed to hammer the very concept of sports into her head.
Hmm... I think I mostly get it, but teaching all my people is gonna be rough.
I mean, deciding a winner without anybody breaking a bone. Isn't that weird?
Just so we're clear, don't go adding weird rules later.
Huh? What weird rules?
Like adding one point for making someone's nose bleed, or adding three points for breaking the other team's bones,
Aw, come on. You can't hand out points for just a nosebleed.
Every bone has a different feel to it. And once you've broken a femur, you never forget that sensation.
I'm starting to get why your subordinates were so strong.
Anyway, the last thing you need to know is how to score.
Think of the ball the other team throws as a pursuer chasing you, and you run one lap around the diamond.
You're safe while you're standing on a base, but running to the next base is dangerous.
Got it! So I just have to wipe out everyone on the other team standing on the bases?!
Don't wipe them out! And don't run while carrying the ba... Squishy!
You just run to the next base whenever the pitcher and batter exchange the ball like that.
And at the end, I just go back to where I started, right?! To where you are right now, rookie!
Right, right. If you come back home like that, it's one point...
W-Whoa... w-wait! Don't tell me you...!
...Thud!
Lumi's full-body tackle flipped my view a full 180 degrees,
and by the time I barely managed to open my eyes again, there was a swath of pink fabric straddling me.
Gotcha.
That makes one point, right? I completely incapacitated my opponent.
We'd been running around all over for a while, so naturally we were both drenched in sweat.
Through the thin fabric clinging to us, I could feel the sticky heat of her fevered skin.
It was a dizzying, provocative moment, as if her breath were brushing across my whole body.
I may not look it, but I'm trying pretty hard here. Trying to score as many points as I can against you, rookie.
Feels like the match is just about decided by now... what do you think the score is?
Even her usually playful voice tickled my ear like a whisper.
You... were pretending not to understand the rules on purpose so you could mess with me, weren't you?
Hmm... was it really that obvious?
There's no way someone who's basically the king of this neighborhood is actually stupid.
Though it's still hard to tell your jokes from your serious moments.
Our rookie really is sharp. That side of you is cute too, so 2 more points added!
All right, then. Want to guess again?
What the score between you and me is right now.
...
...I-I don't think it's a tie, at least?
For starters, I'd really appreciate it if you'd get off me...
I mean, this situation is... well, kind of a lot in more ways than one!
Oh, and that blush just now? 5 points added!
Thanks for making this fun, so big sis will give you a reward too. And since we both worked up a good sweat...
...!!
Let's go get some cotton candy together! They've got a special protein cotton candy my people love!
...It seemed today's match had ended in my defeat after all.