There were several coins casually placed on the desk.

Takashi’s gaze went to and fro between the coins and his father multiple times.

「These coins…… I have requested all my acquaintances who deal in old coins to examine these, and yet no one knew it’s value, and I have never heard them say they’ve never seen anything like it before when I bring them coins.」

Well, yeah. thought Takashi.

These coins were brought by Eru, an otherworlder. It doesn’t seem likely that there would be humans from this world that know about these coins.

「Old coins such as antiquated gold and silver coins…… Naturally, including the ones issued by j.a.pan in the past, the value of such old coins are determined by its rarity.」

“How many of old coins were issued in the past?” and “How many of these remain at this point in time?” These largely determine how much an old coin is worth.

For example, a.s.suming you have a 100 yen coin without a single scratch or mark, it’s value is still 100 yen.

Conversely, if you have a copper coin from a thousand years ago, no matter how battered it is, it’s value would be more than 100 yen.

「For that reason, specialists who deal with old coins are well informed about the coins that have been issued up until present times. Of course, not everything is committed to memory but they have some doc.u.ments with information about old coins. Those people…… they are specialists who deal in old coins, and yet they all said that they don’t know about these coins that you brought. If it was only one or two people then it could have just been a coincidence but every single specialist I asked said that they have never seen anything like these coins. Having come this far, there would be no problem concluding this to be an abnormality, wouldn’t you agree?」

The father gazed at his son. The sharpness of that gaze was increasing.

Being exposed to that gaze, Takashi was overpowered completely. Though he is the son who inherited the qualities of a mayor who’s has taken on sly politicians and how many hundreds of voters, he is only a high school student and still doesn’t stand a chance.

Did he see through the turmoil in his son’s mind? The father’s gaze moved from his son to the coins on his desk.

「Next, what largely determines the value of the coin is it’s condition. It’s reasonable that value of something pristine would be worth more than one that is scratched up and rusted…… that is easy to understand, is it not?」

Kouichi picked up a silver coin from the desk and held it against the light.

「These coins are by no means new but, having said that, they aren’t old either. Until just recently, these coins were being spent ordinarily, says the old coin specialists. In other words, they are like the 100 yen coin and 10 yen coin being used in j.a.pan today. And that leads to a question.」

With his thumb, Kouchi flicked the silver coin towards his son.

Takashi caught it easily with one hand, letting his gaze fall onto the silver coin in his hand.

「I had a certain acquaintance of mine a.n.a.lyze the components of the silver and copper coins. The result was…… he was able to ascertain that these coins used silver and copper of high purity with almost no impurities mixed into it. Do you understand what that means?」

Despite asking Takashi a question, Kouichi continued talking without waiting for a reply.

「At present, apart for some, nearly all countries are dependent on the usage of money[1]. You are aware of the dependency on money, right?」

「Y, yeah. Money itself is just a representation and has no actual worth, it’s worth is guaranteed by the government…… is what it was, right?」

For example, everyone knows that the j.a.panese 10,000 yen note is an authentic j.a.panese banknote since the j.a.panese government guarantees that that banknote is worth is worth 10,000 yen.

Not just with notes, coins are also the same. A 500 yen coin is not actually worth five hundred yen, it’s because the j.a.panese government guarantees that it’s worth is 500 yen.

「That’s correct. That is to say, there is no need to use silver with high purity for a silver coin. It was enough for a country to guarantee that those silver coins ーー silver colored coins have some worth. However, these silver coins were different. There’s evidence that in transactions, the value of these gold and silver[2] coins are worth the same as amount of gold and silver that they have on them have. Such coins were used long before the dependence on money became a mainstream for today’s society…… it is a story of the age before modern times. Now, a contradiction arises from this, don’t you think?」

Within Takashi’s hand is a silver coin. It was by no means old and until just recently, was something that was being used day-to-day, say the old coin dealers.
That is why the composition of these coins prove that these are not from modern times. That is why Kouichi pointed out that there is a contradiction.

「Certainly, there are still pure gold and pure silver coins being produced even now. However, much of those cases are used as a commemoration of some sort, not something that would be used on a daily basis. No one amongst the professional coin dealers know why a 『modern』 coin of high purity is being used at modern times which is dependent on money. From those results, I have concluded that these silver and bronze coins are not originally from this world. Of course, this is just my conclusion, there isn’t any kind of evidence. Well then, Takashi」

Kouichi shot a pointed gaze at his son once again.

「Where and how did you get these coins? I do not believe that you stole these coins from somewhere. Yes, I might be a bit biased since I am your father, but that is because I do not remember raising you to be that kind of person. So, right here, won’t you answer me honestly?」

With everything that had been said, deception is no longer viable, Takashi resigned himself. While apologizing to Yasutaka and Eru in his heart, he explained the coin’s origin to his father in detail.

✧

Kouichi’s expression pa.s.sed from one of bewilderment and morphed into one of surprise as he listened to his son’s story.
It was awfully similar to that time when Takashi met Yasutaka unexpectedly and heard about Eru.
And Kouichi’s next reaction was, too.

「MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARVELOUS!!」

With a large thud, Kouichi knocked over his char as he stood up, and pumped both his fists high up.

「A visitor from another world!! A beautiful elf to boot!! Here in Nisshin City!! What is this if not a miracle!?」

「O, oi, Tousan! Calm down first!! It’s already past midnight!」

Admonished by his son, Kouichi returned to his senses, propped up his char and sat down, ashamed.

「M, my, that was inexcusable. I ended up getting too excited.」

He and his son were very much alike in this way.

「So the elf girl that came from another world is now at Yasutaka’s house, correct?」

「Ah? Y, yeah, I guess that’s right? Listen, Tousan. Could you please not get Yasutaka and Eru-chan involved in anything weird?」

「Yes, I understand. I’ve known Yasutaka since you were kids, and I have no intention of doing anything inhumane such as giving our guest from another world to a ridiculous facility that would dissect and experiment on her like some ingredient.」

Despite saying so, the dark smile on his father’s face unintentionally made Takashi back away.

「Now then, Takashi. Could you make an appointment with the elf girl as soon as possible?」

✧

Physical education at the fourth period is quite rough.
It’s the time just before lunch and you’d have to move your body at your hungriest. Even more so for the boys and girls who are still in their growth period.

While trying to pacify her stomach that demanded for something be put in fast, Aoi went to the dressing room to change from her track suit to her school uniform.

At the Prefectural Oritozaka High School they go to, the boys have a dark blue school uniform, and the girls have a blazer uniform of the same color.

Taking off the top of her track suit, Aoi exposed her body whose proportions were rumored to be in the top 5 in school.

Although there were only girls around, no, precisely because there were only girls around, her proportions that stood above the rest were conspicuous.

「Oooh. As always you’ve got some great thiiings.」

「Hyaaaaaaaaaa!!」

Suddenly from behind, somebody cheeky ーー but also polite, slipped her hands past the underwear ーー cupped her abundant b.r.e.a.s.t.s, making Aoi scream unintentionally.

「W, wait, Megumi!! What are you doing all of a sudden!?」

The one moving her fingers weirdly from behind Aoi is her cla.s.smate, Sawamura Megumi. Excluding Yasutaka and Takashi, she is Aoi’s closest friend.
Short black hair that doesn’t reach her shoulders and rimless gla.s.ses are Megumi’s trademark.

「Well, if you keep showing that ample chest of yours, I can’t help but want to ma.s.sage themmm. Could they possibly have grown bigger again?」

Being told so, Aoi guarded herself by wrapping both her arms around her chest. She didn’t notice that her soft flesh was spilling out from her dislodged underwear, making it even more seductive.

By the way, this didn’t mean that Aoi is especially busty. However, her slender physique and excellent natural posture made her figure look all the more pleasing.

While her hands made groping movements like always, Megumi’s eyes shone behind her gla.s.ses.

「…… Could it be…… they got bigger because that guy has been ma.s.saging them recently…… or something like that?」

「T, t-t-t-t-t, that guy, who!?」

One boy’s face popped up in Aoi’s mind.
However, that face easily dispersed when her girl cla.s.smates suddenly made an uproar.
It would seem that the girls were secretly listening in on Aoi and Megumi. Megumi’s suggestive statement popped up, what they were holding in poured out.

「Eeeh!? So Aoi and Hagino-kun really are going out!?」

「Where and how did you get to the conclusion that Takashi and I are going out!?」

It’s true that until now, there have been rumors about Takashi and one thing or another.  Aoi has instructed how the three, Yasutaka included, of them should act numerous times. There were some scenarios where Takashi and her become a couple, and, that having been said, there was also a scenario where it was just Yasutaka and him.

The reason there are no rumors about Yasutaka and her is because Takashi looks far better.

Aoi unintentionally thinking about such a thing caused her cla.s.smates’ misunderstanding that she and Takashi were dating, to increase.

「That’s because some time ago, it was pretty late at night…… around 9 maybe? I saw Aoi and Hagino-kun walking together at that time, and also, on Aoi’s wrist……」

That cla.s.smate pointed at the item that the four bought together at that time, the bracelet that was sparkling on Aoi’s right wrist.

「I, I saw Hagino-kun had a bracelet of the same design, it was a different color but……」

I see. It seems my sharp-eyed cla.s.smate saw the bracelets without me noticing.

Aoi knew that Takashi also wears the bracelet to school. It seems that the diligent Yasutaka doesn’t when he comes, and that disappointed Aoi a bit.

「Takashi isn’t the only one who has the same bracelet, you know? Yasutaka has it too, and one more, a girl I became friends with recently has it too. Also, the night Takashi and I were walking together, maybe that was the day we went home after partying at Yasutaka’s house? That was the time we were walking together after leaving Yasutaka’s house, Takashi’s was on the way so he saw me off at my house.」

「That’s it? The three of you were together as usual?」

Megumi muttered, looking bored.

Aoi, Yasutaka, Takashi’s group of three is plenty famous. However, people’s eyes tend to be drawn to Aoi and Takashi who look good no matter how you look at them, and Yasutaka would occasionally get overlooked.

「Come to think of it, are you talking about Akatsuka-kun?」

Suddenly, another cla.s.smate who thought of something started talking.

「Recently, at the supermarket near the Sakae Minami intersection, I saw him buying groceries with this suuuuuuuuuuuuuper cute foreign girl but…… who was that?」

「Hou. That Akatsuka who doesn’t interact with girls apart from Aoi, was together with a beautiful foreign girl? Now this is really very interesting.」

Megumi who had a very interested look in her eye turned to Aoi.

「Aoi. You know anything about that?」

「Yeah. The one together with Yasutaka is Eru, she’s a homestay[3] at Yasutaka’s house right now. I don’t know the exact details but he said that it was a request from his relatives. By the way, the girl I said I became recently became friends with, is her.」

Aoi explained to Megumi while showing her bracelet. And she added that in commemoration of becoming friends with Eru, the four of them bought bracelets of the same design.

「Hou, a homestay, huh. Well, I don’t know much about homestay in and of itself, but what her purpose is for coming to a near rural town?」

「Who knows? I don’t know that much and it’s not good to get too involved.」

The truth is that she knew very well why Eru was in this town but there was no way she could talk about that much.
So, even though she knew to a certain extent by hearing it from Yasutaka, she took the stance of not knowing very much. By doing just this much, it wouldn’t look suspicious.

Afterwards, having finished changing their clothes peacefully, Aoi and Megumi left the dressing room together.
Even girls look forward to lunch, after all.

This Oritozaka High School Yasutaka and his friends go to, is public school so it doesn’t have anything like a school cafeteria. The school store sells bread but the variety and quant.i.ty are limited. Therefore, the majority of students bring their own bento.

After returning to the cla.s.sroom, Aoi planned to have lunch together with Megumi and the other girls. She usually does many things with Yasutaka and Takashi but that didn’t mean that they were always together.

However, she noticed that her two childhood friends were at a corner of the cla.s.sroom, and they look like they’re discussing something in hushed voices.
The two having serious looks bothered Aoi, so she excused herself from eating with Megumi and the others, got her bento and carried it with her as she headed towards Yasutaka and Takashi.

「What happened?」

Calling out to them, Yasutaka and Takashi shook from surprise for an instant, then they turned towards Aoi in a hurry.

「W, what, it’s just Aoi…… fuu. I thought someone heard us.」

「What? Were you conspiring something that would trouble you if heard?」

「It’s not like that. In some ways, it might be worse than a conspiracy.」

Since Yasutaka’s expression was surprisingly serious, Aoi borrowed a vacant chair near them and sat down in order to compose herself.

「The truth is,…… it seems that Takashi’s father found out about Eru.」

「Eh?」

This is definitely a serious problem.

Footnotes:

Author’s Note:

『Elf-san』 update.
The mayor is finally involved in the story.
Will the story now progress? I hope it does (lol)
By the way, the 『Oritozaka High School』 that Yasutaka and the others go to is an original. The truth is, I thought of using 「Aichi ○ High School[4]」 but after various inquires, the traditions of「○ Kenritsu Togo Ｈigh School」 did not suit the image in my work so it turned into an original.
However, the place where 「Oritozaka High School」 and the existing 「 Aichi ○ High School」 stand are one and the same (lol)
Well then, I look forward to your continued support on 『Elf-san』.

Translator’s Note:

Thank you for reading! hope the explanations were easy to understand here. If someone doesn’t understand it then I might expound on it further if I can put together the jumbled explanation I have in my head. If I made a mistake somewhere, please do point it out. I’ll see you next chapter~