Chapter 8

To be honest, I don’t really understand stocks.

Even the whole idea of throwing yourself in front of a train—it's just something I remember my father saying that day, the day I got sent to the other world, while he was watching TV.

I only remember it because I went over that day again and again in the depths of despair.

There’s no way something like stocks would exist in that hellish other world, so it’s only natural I don’t get it.

But even though I don’t really get it, listening to Shin explain things earlier, I got the general idea that you can make money with it.

And that Shin is actually making money that way.

…I glance around the room.

It’s a spacious 3LDK with expensive-looking furniture.

I had assumed he must come from money if a college student was living alone in such a nice place, but maybe that’s not the case.

…Maybe I should look into it a bit.

The next day, after finishing my chores, I decided to sneak into Shin’s room and investigate.

First, I checked the door for any traps that detect intrusions.

It’s not like he told me not to go in or anything, but what I’m about to do definitely isn’t aboveboard. I’d rather not leave any trace if I can help it.

…Looks like it’s safe.

I’ve used this kind of tech constantly in the other world. I’m used to it by now.

I entered the room without issue and took a quick look around.

…Nothing’s really changed since yesterday.

Well, of course. Not much time has passed.

Staying alert, I moved toward my target.

The room isn’t that big. Just a few steps and I was there.

I stood in front of the target: the computer.

Today’s goal was to check what’s inside.

If stocks are his source of income, then learning about it would definitely be useful going forward.

Information is critical. I learned that on the battlefield.

Without information, you could end up surrounded by the enemy without even realizing it, or run out of water before you know it.

I reached toward the computer—

“…Huh?”

How do you even turn this thing on?

“A button… this one?”

It looks like a TV, and it has buttons.

Maybe I’m supposed to press this?

“…Wait, maybe not…?”

I tried to dig into my faint memories.

A computer… computer…

At home, my father never let me touch his because it was for work.

Other than that… I think I used one back in elementary school during class.

“What was it like again?”

…I can’t remember. It’s just been too long.

“…Guess it’s no good.”

Looks like I can’t handle a computer in my current state.

If I mess with it and break something, I won’t be able to fix it.

So I tried looking for a manual, but I couldn’t find one.

There weren’t any computer books on the shelf either—just novels and books about stocks.

Shin keeps things well-organized, so it’s hard to imagine he’d keep things somewhere unexpected.

Unfortunately, it looks like there aren’t any computer books in this house.

“…Which means, the only option is to ask Shin…”

It feels strange to think about learning how to use a computer from Shin just so I can get information on Shin, but technically, I’d be learning how to use a computer—not learning about Shin.

As long as I don’t say what I plan to use it for, it should be fine.

But there’s still one issue.

“Will he even teach me?”

When I first came to this house, he showed me how to use the furniture, and just yesterday he explained stocks to me, so he probably doesn’t mind teaching people things.

Still, the computer is his business tool—since he uses it for trading.

It only makes sense that he’d want to keep it secret.

In the other world, if you wanted a mage to teach you magic, you’d have to pay a ridiculous amount.

Yesterday, he did explain stocks, but what he taught me was just “what stocks are,” not how to actually make money from them.

To put it in otherworldly terms, he explained what magic is, but not how to use it.

And knowing how to use a computer would be the equivalent of knowing how to use magic.

Come to think of it, in this world too, I’ve seen flyers in newspapers advertising computer classes for tens of thousands of yen.

Thinking about that, I doubt he’d teach me so easily.

Maybe I could brainwash him into it?

…No, that’s not gonna work.

It hasn’t been that long since the last time I used brainwashing.

That spell puts a strain on the brain. If you use it too much, people end up mentally broken.

In the other world, we used that to our advantage—brainwashing spies before sending them out, so if they got captured and brainwashed by the enemy, they’d already be too far gone.

In that world, it wasn’t uncommon to find the broken ones lying around in alleys, but doing that here would be a huge problem.

“Maybe I could brainwash someone else instead…? No, that’d be tough too.”

Brainwashing is delicate magic. Casting it on multiple people is difficult.

“What should I do…”

I can’t think of a good plan.

Maybe I should just give up on using the computer.

…No, that’s no good either.

This isn’t just about stocks.

Giving up on using the computer means giving up on everything stored in it.

And information is important—too important to ignore.

I wracked my brain for a while.

But even when it was time to start making dinner, I still hadn’t come up with anything.

“This is pointless.”

I gave up and headed to the kitchen to start cooking.

…At the very least, I could just try asking Shin if he’d teach me.

I was getting a headache from all this, so even if the chances of success were low, I decided to go with the plan that carried the least risk.

I’d try asking him casually after dinner, once his guard was down.