He who Protects the Transforming Heroines from The Shadows - Chapter 26 - Sheldia’s Tokyo Sightseeing (1)

“Then, Reizeroll. I’m going to be away from here for a while. I’ll come back and see you again when I’m free.”

One day, out of the blue, the girl with beautiful blonde hair tied loosely into twin tails—Sheldia—said this.

“…I see. Unfortunately, in my current state, I don’t have the power to stop you. Do as you like. …Still, I should at least ask. Where are you going, Sheldia?”

Somewhere in the world, in a place shrouded in darkness, Reizeroll responded to Sheldia, who wore an excited expression.

“It’s a secret, se-cret. Telling you wouldn’t be any fun, would it?”

Sheldia raised a finger to her lips and winked with one eye. The gesture suited her innocent demeanor perfectly.

“…With all due respect, Sheldia-sama. Could you at least tell us this much? Unlike us, you are unique in many ways. If you wished to, not even Reizeroll-sama could sense your presence. Therefore, I beg you—”

The young man standing at Reizeroll’s side, wearing a monocle—Feliet—addressed her respectfully.

“No. Don’t make me repeat myself, Feliet. I want to be free, and I want to do as I please.”

But Sheldia’s answer remained unchanged.

“…It’s useless, Feliet. Nothing you say can change the mind of that free-spirited woman. You know that well enough.”

Reizeroll let out a small sigh and glanced at Feliet. Feliet, who had been severely weakened after losing a large amount of black bl00d due to Spriggan, had already regained his original strength. Of course, even while weakened, the butler had continued to diligently tend to Reizeroll.

“You understand well, Reizeroll. So, with that, I’ll take my leave. Bye now.”

Leaving those words behind, Sheldia sank into her own shadow and vanished somewhere. A quick decision indeed.

“…Was that wise, milady? Knowing her, she could very well disappear for years.”
“I don’t mind. I can guess where she went.”

Yes. Reizeroll had a fair idea of Sheldia’s destination. She had seemed intrigued by a recent story she’d told her. If that were the case, then there was only one place she could be headed.

The place where that enigma appeared, the one that forced not only Feliet but even herself to retreat.

“…May I ask where?”
“She has likely gone to—Tokyo, the capital of Japan.”

♦

“Hm-hm hmm-hm. It’s been a long time since I’ve been here.”

Just as Reizeroll had predicted, Sheldia was visiting Tokyo. Sheldia was currently in front of the famous dog statue in Shibuya.

“Oh my, it’s changed quite a lot in just a few decades. And there are so many people…”

Sheldia squinted against the glaring sunlight as she looked around at her surroundings. Tall buildings, an overwhelming number of people. Sceneries sure change quickly.

“That’s right! Before I go looking for Spriggan, maybe I should enjoy a bit of sightseeing in Tokyo. It’s been a while.”

Having decided so with a clap of her hands, Sheldia immediately set off to do some sightseeing. Spriggan was on her mind, but right now, she felt like sightseeing.

“Before I visit famous spots, I’ll need something with information on them first.”

It had been decades since she last came here. The landmarks and specialties must have changed since the last time she toured this place.

So Sheldia decided to look for a bookstore. A bookstore should at least have some travel magazines.

“~♪”

Sheldia pulled a parasol from within her own shadow, opened it, and began walking. People who witnessed this strange sight widened their eyes in surprise, but soon convinced themselves it must have been some sort of magic trick and quickly lost interest, returning to whatever they were doing.

She’d walk wherever her feet took her, and if she couldn’t find a bookstore, she could just ask someone nearby. For now, she was simply in the mood to walk.

Sheldia wandered around Shibuya for a while. She didn’t even know this place was called Shibuya. She knew and remembered quite a few place names in Europe, but when it came to other regions, she knew and remembered very little. She remembered the names Japan and Tokyo because she had visited once a few decades ago, but after another hundred years, she might not remember them anymore.

“Hmm, is this it?”

Having found something that looked like a bookstore, Sheldia folded her parasol and stepped inside.

Books were lined up everywhere, so this had to be a bookstore. However, there was a problem: there were too many books, so Sheldia couldn’t tell where the travel magazines she wanted were located.

“Excuse me.”
“Yes? How can I help you?”

Unable to find it herself, Sheldia decided to ask a clerk.

(Wow, she’s like a doll…)

The female clerk, seeing Sheldia, had that impression in her mind.

It wasn’t just Sheldia’s looks but also the elaborate gothic dress she wore that gave her that impression.

“Could you tell me where the travel magazines for this city are? If you don’t mind.”
“Travel magazines for Tokyo? I’ll show you the way.”
“Oh, thank you.”

Sheldia smiled at the clerk’s words. Though her smile was girlish, it also carried an air of allure.

“Travel magazines are around here. We have about five issues about Tokyo.”

The female clerk guided Sheldia to the travel magazine section and showed her the books.

“Thank you. Hmm, which one should I choose? It’s hard to decide.”

Sheldia put a finger to her cheek, looking thoughtful as she stared at the five books. She couldn’t tell which one would be best.

“Which one would you recommend? I don’t really know, so I’ll take whichever one you choose.”
“Eh? My recommendation…?”

The sudden request left the female clerk internally flustered.

She was only a part-timer. She had no idea which of these five near-identical magazines was the best.

But the girl was staring intently at her. She was clearly waiting for her decision.

“Uh… then, this one, I guess.”

After some painful deliberation, the clerk picked up the second magazine from the right in the stack. The reason was simple: the cover had “Latest Tokyo Travel” printed in large letters. If someone said, “That’s not a good enough reason for a bookstore employee,” well, she was only a part-timer. She couldn’t help it.

“Then I’ll take that one. Thank you.”

The girl was smiling. If she was happy, that was enough.

“You’re welcome. …Are you sightseeing in Tokyo by yourself?”

Intrigued by the doll-like beauty of the girl, the clerk asked out of curiosity. Ordinarily, one would assume the girl was a child visiting Japan with her parents, but no parents were in sight, so she asked.

“Yes. It’s been a long time since I last came to Tokyo, so I thought the tourist spots might have changed. That’s why I was looking for a travel magazine.”
“Ah, I-I see…”

The unexpected reply left the female clerk with a mixed look of surprise and confusion. Perhaps this girl was actually much older than she looked. There was a word for that—Yes, “legal loli.”

Completely unaware of the clerk’s thoughts, Sheldia accompanied her to the counter. Luckily, no one was in line, so she was able to pay immediately.

“That’ll be 1,078 yen.”

As she read the price aloud, the clerk idly wondered why travel magazines were always slightly expensive.

“Oh, money. Let’s see, do I have any yen?”

Making sure the clerk couldn’t see, Sheldia took out a small, antique-looking wallet from her shadow and searched through it. Inside were various coins and bills from all over the world, but no Japanese yen.

“None. I’ll use my card then.”
“Ah, okay. I’ll take the—eh!?”

Hearing that Sheldia had a credit card confirmed for the clerk that she must indeed be a “legal loli,” but when she saw the card, her eyes flew wide open.

“What’s wrong?”
“N-no, excuse me! Would you like to pay in one installment…?”
“Of course.”

The clerk nervously took the card. Its color was black, unstained by any other color.

(I-it’s my first time seeing one… So this is that Black Card!!)

It was an ultra-exclusive, rare card. Something most people would never even see once in their lives. Only the chosen few could possess it.

(Who is this girl—no, this person…!?)

As she processed the card, her mind was consumed by that question. This “legal loli” was clearly someone far beyond what she’d imagined.

“Th-thank you very much…”

Taking the magazine and card from the stunned clerk, Sheldia waved and left the bookstore.

“…I’ll rise to the top too, someday”

Seeing off that mysterious customer, the female clerk—Mihara Kanako, 23 years old, part-timer—made that vow, her eyes alight with fierce determination.

♦

Leaving the bookstore, Sheldia carelessly tossed her wallet into her shadow, sat down on a nearby bench, and opened the magazine.

“Ah, I remember now. I went to this Tokyo Tower the last time I came here. I’ll go there later. Skytree? It wasn’t there back then.”

Flipping through the pages, Sheldia checked which places she should visit, and which ones caught her interest. For places she wanted to go, she took out a fountain pen from her shadow and marked them.

“I guess that’s about it.”

When she looked back over it, almost every place was marked, but she didn’t plan to visit them all in a single day, so that didn’t matter. Besides, she could move between locations instantly, so she could just start with whichever caught her interest.

“Fufu. Now then, it’s time for my first Tokyo sightseeing trip in a long while!”

With a clap of her hands, Sheldia’s sightseeing began.

First, Sheldia decided to visit the place she was most curious about: the Skytree, and sank into her shadow. This shadow-based movement allowed Sheldia to teleport to places she had either visited before or seen in photographs. Having seen a photo of the Skytree, Sheldia set it as her destination and teleported there.

In the next instant, Sheldia appeared right in front of the Tokyo Skytree, one of Tokyo’s symbols, towering at a height of 634 meters, located in Sumida, Tokyo.

“Well…quite magnificent”

Seeing the Skytree in person for the first time, Sheldia let out a voice of admiration. How in the world could humans construct something this tall? Having never studied architecture, Sheldia couldn’t help but find it a mystery.

(Humans really are fascinating creatures.)

Thinking that once again, Sheldia walked toward the Skytree.

After purchasing a ticket for the day, Sheldia took the elevator to the Tembo Deck.

“…How beautiful.”

Sheldia’s first stop was the Tembo Deck, 350 meters above ground level.

Looking out over Tokyo from that height, Sheldia murmured those words. Thinking that every single one of the countless buildings in sight was built by humans made her find it almost endearing.

She moved around to take in the view of Tokyo from different angles. After fully enjoying the scenery that seemed similar yet never quite the same, Sheldia turned her gaze to the floor she was currently on. There appeared to be a café and other attractions as well.

“Tembo Galleria…?”

As she walked around the floor, the words “Tembo Galleria Ticket Counter” caught her eye, and she stopped.

“What is this Tembo Galleria?”
“Yes, ma’am. The Tembo Galleria is an area located 100 meters above this Tembo Deck. Along the way, you’ll ascend a sloped walkway, so you can enjoy the feeling of a walk in the sky. The view from SORAKARA Point, the highest point, is breathtaking.”

Hearing the staff member’s explanation, Sheldia’s eyes sparkled. If there was such a wonderful place, she had to go.

“How do I get there!?”
“You can purchase a ticket for the Tembo Galleria here and take the Tembo Shuttle to get there.”

Sheldia immediately bought the ticket with her card and boarded the Tembo Shuttle.

The shuttle arrived at a floor 445 meters above the ground. From there, she would ascend another 5 meters via the sloped walkway to reach the 450-meter-high floor.

“Amazing, amazing! It really feels like I’m walking in the sky!”

Sheldia spun around as she walked along the Tembo Galleria. It was as if she were dancing in the sky.

After ascending the stunning Tembo Galleria, Sheldia arrived at the floor 450 meters above the ground. From SORAKARA Point, at a height of 451.2 meters, she looked out over Tokyo again.

“……”

Sheldia simply took in the scenery. What a truly magnificent sight it was. Underneath the azure sky spread a city built by humans. She had looked over the city from above earlier as well, but even a slight difference in height changed the scenery this much, Sheldia realized.

“…It was the right choice to come here.”

With the sunlight shining through the glass and illuminating her blonde hair, Sheldia stood there for a while, gazing at the view.