Konbini Ossan Volume 2 Chapter 20 – The Old Man’s Pipe Dream
“Stopping a war, huh? You sure aim big, Otogin.”
Shuri-kun grinned playfully as he spoke. Certainly, I was making a bold statement — but it was non-negotiable.
After all, this wasn’t just about me. There are other Japanese people who were summoned to this world — children stripped of the happiness they should’ve had in Japan.
If I can, I want to stop at least one or two wars for their sake. Isn’t that what adults are supposed to do?
…That said, those are just emotional platitudes. In truth, it’s all self-satisfaction. Just an old man’s sentimentality.
Wanting to rescue kids and be a hero — it’s nothing more than the pathetic wish fulfillment of a man well past his prime.
Still, I might actually have the power to realize that wish.
A mountain of useless discarded skills. A handful of mismatched puzzle pieces.
And yet, when combined… maybe they could form something meaningful.
So… why not indulge in a little hero complex?
“Even so,” said Marceline with a cold glare, “Stopping a war is not something you can say so lightly.”
Marceline is a knight — someone who has firsthand knowledge of the battlefield. No doubt my words sounded naive to her.
But I didn’t hesitate.
Because I have those discarded skills. And more importantly, I have Arisa — my biggest puzzle piece.
I can’t help but believe: Maybe… just maybe, I can pull this off.
“I’m not just saying things for the sake of it, you know.”
And with that, I began to speak of the dream inside my head.
“Stopping the war can be achieved if the human military becomes overwhelmingly strong.
…
In short, I’ll create powerful magical tools to strengthen the army. If we win, the war ends. It’s a simple equation.”
“Impossible,” Shuri-kun cut in immediately, grinning as he did.
I was surprised by the unexpected rejection, but Shuri-kun continued unfazed.
“First off, the chances of you creating magical tools strong enough to shift the tide of war are slim.
…
Unless every soldier can fight on par with a summoned hero — which they can’t — there’s no way your tools can surpass the influence of hero summoning.
…
You yourself assumed hero summoning wouldn’t end the war, so your argument contradicts itself.”
As expected of Shuri-kun — the sharpest mind in the room. In an instant, he’d identified the logical flaw in my reasoning.
“And there’s another thing. Even if you could make magical tools more powerful than the heroes, it’s physically impossible to produce enough of them for the entire army.
…
You don’t have the manpower. So no, Otogin, your plan to empower the military and end the war just doesn’t hold water. Two reasons. That’s enough to say it’s impossible.”
That was strike two.
It’s true — just manufacturing enough of my light crystal magic stones is already a huge effort. And even then, they only make nights at the front lines a bit brighter.
There’s no denying it would be impossible for me to singlehandedly bolster the military with magical devices.
But that assumption itself is flawed — a trap of thinking too narrowly.
That’s where they’re mistaken.
“Shuri-kun. May I offer my rebuttal?”
“Sure! I’ll be the judge of how brilliant my disciple really is!”
Shuri-kun smiled, eager to hear what I had to say. Well, I’ll just have to transform that cheerful face into one of pure shock.
“First, let’s correct a major misunderstanding: I don’t need to manufacture the magical tools myself.”
The moment I said that, Shuri-kun frowned.
“Otogin, seriously? Your magic tools work because of the special enchantments created by your unique skills.
…
And those enchantments require a massive amount of mana if anyone else tries to replicate them.
…
If someone besides you were to try making those light stones for the military, the cost of magical stones as mana sources alone would bankrupt the entire kingdom.
…
Are you seriously suggesting someone else should make them?”
“Yes. That’s exactly right.”
I answered calmly, and Shuri-kun let out a deep, exasperated sigh.
“…Otogin. You can’t seriously be planning to supply all that mana using magic stones, can you?”
“Oh, but I am. I fully intend to use magic stones.”
Another deep sigh.
It stung a little. I didn’t think I’d said anything wrong.
“Look… Even if you somehow gathered all the money in the world, it wouldn’t be enough to buy the massive number of magic stones needed.
…
You’d have to control the entire global economy. That much mana? Impossible.”
“Yes, I agree. That’s why I don’t plan on buying them.”
“…Huh?”
Now that got him. Shuri-kun blinked in surprise. Finally. That’s the look I was hoping for.
“You’re not buying them… so what, you’re planning to go out and collect them yourself?”
“No. Not exactly. I mean, technically I am collecting them — but not the way you think.”
“Huh? Whaaaat~?”
Shuri-kun tilted his head in confusion.
Watching him struggle to figure it out was pretty amusing… but I suppose it’s time to give him the answer.
“Heheh. Since Shuri-kun seems to be stumped, how about a hint? I’m sure someone as clever as you can figure it out with just a little push.”
“Y-Yeah! Give me a hint!”
“Alright then. Here it is.”
I made a show of it, pausing dramatically as I picked up a light crystal magic stone and held it up for him to see.
“Hint One: Reconsider how the light crystal works. Think very carefully about its mechanism.”
At my words, Shuri-kun placed a hand on his chin, tilted his head, and began thinking deeply.
Just a few seconds later…
“AHHHHHHHHHHH!! NO FREAKING WAY!! Otogin, you’re a GENIUS!!”
His scream echoed through the store.
——————
E/N:
(3/3) 3rd of consecutive! Did y'all figure it out? It ain't that hard but it's really genius! Except for the synergy between these two g*ylords 🤣
——————
Comments