A 30 Year Old Virgin (One Who Haven’t Even Interacted with Women) Took an Exam to Become a Wizard.

Volume 5- Chapter 01: Makoto Disappeared

I was wondering how to apologize to Makoto. My thoughts were consumed by that. Round and round. I might be able to use magic right now.

I consulted with my dad.

“There’s no choice but to show your sincerity.”

Sincerity, huh? The only thing I could think of was a gift. She likes sweets, so how about some rakugan? Or maybe some uirou? I was wondering about that when Shinri-mama and Sugumi hit me.

“You have no sense, Akira. Are you going to a grave?”

“Garrett or macarons! Are you fighting?”

Ouch. I rubbed my two bumps and wished for a potion, escaping into a fantasy world. The girls in my house are merciless to men. Dad was rubbing his head with a pained expression, but he hadn’t been hit.

“At first I thought an accessory would be good.”

“That’s not a bad idea. It would show your regret.”

“But I don’t know which brand she likes.”

“Brand doesn’t matter.”

“That’s right, brother. It’s the price!”

“Sugumi, you can’t tell your future boyfriend that. Wait until your marriage is confirmed.”

Dad looked pale. It seemed to be Shinri-mama’s usual tactic. For some reason, his gaze turned to the TV, but wasn’t that just an escape from reality?

But Shinri-mama’s words might be true. Her name reflects her character, after all.

The price. In other words, economic power. That’s the one thing I lack the most. To put it bluntly, what’s the going rate? How much will she forgive me for?

“Please teach me. I’d like something reasonable.”

“Akira. Trying to get a discount shows a lack of sincerity.”

“You’re being petty by trying to haggle with a maiden’s lament.”

Grr. These guys. I don’t even know the going rate, so how can I haggle?

“It’s about the heart. If you have the right feelings, whatever you give will be appreciated. Even if it’s only worth tens of thousands of yen.”

“So the minimum is tens of thousands of yen?”

“Of course. We’re not infants who will be happy with shiny plastic. Also, when a man gives a woman jewelry, it’s meaningful. Some women might get the wrong idea though.”

“Is that so? What should I do then?”

“A cake would be more realistic. Even the most expensive cake from a famous store is much cheaper than jewelry, and no woman would dislike it.”

“I see. I hesitate to buy expensive cakes, but they’re cheaper than jewels.”

And cakes have a special aura about them. It’s a double bonus.

“Sugumi. Onii-chan said he is going to buy a cake for you.”

“Yay!”

“I never said I’d buy one for you.”

“That’s the fee for providing information. Getting Makoto-san’s good mood is a bargain.”

I can’t underestimate Shinri-mama. She’s flawless when it comes to these things, even though she usually seems so laid-back.

“And Mua-chan will be coming later, so I need it by five.”

Mua-chan also hates me. I don’t want to feed her, but maybe I should keep her happy. It seems like I’ve been angering women left and right.

“Okay, okay,” I replied, and left in my car.

***

The goddess tends to choose women who are relatively close by. Shinri-mama is my stepmother, who lives with us. I didn’t think Makoto would be chosen as a target, since she seemed happy. But all the other women she’s chosen have been unhappy.

Shigamoto Makoto is a two-year junior at my high school. She’s one of the first-year girls who transferred in when the boys’ school became co-ed. She’s a beautiful idol with an outstanding figure. In the original timeline, we second- and third-year boys could only drool over her, but after the time leap, she started to get close to me.

The beginning of our closeness was when a guy in our class asked me for career advice. He wanted to skip college and go straight into the workforce, but I seriously advised him to go to college, since I knew from my experience in the future that the company he wanted to work for would go bankrupt in two years.

The guy was impressed by my conviction, and he chose to go to college. My sincere response was well-received by everyone around me, and from then on, lots of people started coming to me for advice. Girls who liked fortune-telling started hanging out with me, and that’s when Makoto joined in.

Makoto went to the same university as me. She graduated from idol life at the same time as she graduated from college, and then she joined our company. In one way or another, we’ve been senior and junior for 12 years.

I don’t have any feelings for her, but I can’t help but wonder if she might have feelings for me. But I’ve concluded that it’s just a fantasy. Makoto is too glamorous, and I’m too plain.

***

Makoto sometimes comes to my house, so she’s friendly with my family. On the other hand, I’ve never been to the Shigamoto house. I’ve never heard of Makoto inviting anyone to her house. I know where she lives and we’ve been friends for a long time, but it’s strange.

On the way, I stopped by the best bakery I know. I bought five different cut cakes instead of a whole cake, because a whole cake might be too heavy.

So, about the way to call these sliced cakes. I had always believed that they were all ‘shortcake.’ Whether it was chocolate, Mont Blanc, or cheese, I thought ‘short’ referred to being small.

I never knew until recently that ‘shortcake’ was actually a shortened term for ‘shortening cake.’ What even is shortening?

“Wow, Senpai. I love cake.”

“I believed that you would come this time! I’m breaking off with a Senpai who breaks promises!”

Every time I stopped at a red light, my good and bad feelings alternated.

“I’m sorry I broke the promise. I had a cold and couldn’t even touch my phone.”

“I waited until morning… I don’t even want to see your face.”

My blood pressure rose and fell with every scene change. In the end, Makoto was in a good mood and we were having coffee and cake.

“I hope so.”

The Shigamoto house was surrounded by a wall. The land area was probably four times the size of my house. The building with the strange triangular roof alone was probably twice the size of my house. It was a bourgeois mansion that my dad and I could never hope to match, even if we worked our whole lives.

I parked my car in the guest parking lot outside the wall and walked to the main gate.

“It’s just… the atmosphere is different.”

I could see the concept of the garden through the gaps in the trees. It was a dry landscape garden, which expressed a landscape of mountains and water using stones, sand, plants, and terrain, without using water. The most famous example is Ryounji.

“A real pond and deer scarers?”

Why would there be a deer scarer in a dry landscape garden? I rubbed my eyes, but it was definitely a pond. When I stopped to look more closely, I saw that there were objects in places where stones should be.

There was a one-meter-high five-story pagoda, a Kannon Bosatsu statue. The only Japanese-style object was that. I rubbed my eyes until they turned red, and saw the Statue of Liberty and the Christ the Redeemer statue supporting an Arc de Triomphe.

The triangular roof building was also unusual. The base was…

“Is this Machu Picchu? This is quite a free-spirited house.”