“Oh, I guess I converted again.”

“Wait, what does that mean? Hold on, weren’t your eyes brown just a moment ago? Am I missing something?”

Looks like Issei wasn’t familiar with how Iros worked, which is weird in and of itself. I mean, everyone has eyes, no matter what world they’re from, right? So that means Iros are a constant, no?

“Are you not familiar with Iros?”

“That being?”

“Iros are a physical manifestation of a person’s mental state, belief or philosophy. Each color of Iro represents what you believe in most, and everyone has one. I did used to have a Brown Iro, but I guess hearing you say how you can help me manufacture my inventions really hyped me up. I got so hyped, in fact, that I converted to a Blue Iro.”

“Whoa… Cool! So what’s my Iro?”

As if coming to a doctor’s appointment, Issei pointed to his wide-open eye and asked me about what Iro he Beheld. I thought nothing of it, if he didn’t know this before, then at least I can teach him something new about himself, I thought, but it didn’t even take a quick peek to realize something was amiss.

“E-Err, eheh…” I chuckled nervously, “H-Hold on, you’ve got quite the dark color of eyes… It’s kind of hard to distinguish. Let me just…”

“Yeowch! Maid-san, help! Get Lune off of me! He’s gonna pop my eyes out!”

At his cry for help, it didn’t even take Marina a moment to pop back into the room (now fully clothed) and smack me across the back of my head. This in turn brought me back to my senses, but the anxiety and sudden fear of Issei was still prevalent in my heart.

“Alright alright, I’m sorry! But Marina, do you know what’s up with Issei’s Iro?”

“Yeah, Maid-san, what does a Black eye color mean?”

At these words, Marina finally understood the complicated feeling I felt just moments ago, as she too gave Issei a slightly frightened look. From her face, I could immediately tell she was thinking something like Did he say… Black eye color!?

If you’re wondering why this is such a scary topic, well, it’s kinda hard to explain. Thing is, a Black Iro Beholder doesn’t exist, per se, but there have been many stories written about all sorts of different non-existent colors of Iro being present at least once throughout human history. It ranged from Black, to Orange, or even Pink, and each one of them had their different meanings.

Say for example, Orange meant you were sly or something, or Pink meant you really loved others, but Black was almost always depicted as a sort of cursed eye color. Don’t know why that is exactly, but I have heard people say it’s caused a social imbalance between those of fairer skin and those with a more tanned complexion. As we all know, this is what is known as racism, and its roots stem quite far into our history. Even still, I can’t say for certain if racism started because of these Black Iro Stories, but I know for a fact that said stories are nothing more than fiction. At least, that’s how it should’ve been, but looking at Isssei…

“You sure it’s not something like a really dark grey?”

“Grey? What do I look like to you, a blind person? No, my natural eye color is black.”

Looks like he didn’t understand what I meant. That, or maybe he’s never seen a Grey Iro before. It’s entirely possible, given that he’s never even heard of Iros up until now.

“So you went from Green to Black?” Marina asked.

“Eh, first Grey now Green? Are you hearing yourself? My mom had blue eyes since she’s American, but I still inherited my dad’s Black eye color since birth.”

A-American? Never mind. More importantly, did he say he was born with a Black Iro? That’s impossible, surely someone lied to him! Everyone is born with a Green Iro…

While I was wracking my brain over what was truly going on, Issei just went ahead and sighed, “Haah, who cares anyway? Let’s just forget about it for now. I’m from another world, one with different rules as yours, remember? Of course you’d notice something about me that doesn’t match up with your world’s logic.”

“I guess… But I’m still worried, so I’ll have you answer a few questions just in case!”

Issei certainly didn’t give off any sort of threatening aura around him, so there was really no doubt about him accepting my somewhat paranoid suggestion of a pop-quiz. We had Marina stay at home, since the evening was quite chilly outside as a storm was brewing close by, and she just finished washing her hair. After that, we put on coats (I gave him my spare) and went for a bit of a walk.

***

“So Issei,” I started off the questioning, “Have you ever had thoughts on destroying the world?”

“What? No!”

He got really offended at my first question. Weird, and definitely suspicious. I mean, if I was dead set on destroying the world, I definitely wouldn’t want to just out myself like that, so he could be lying. I’ll just write down his answers in this handy-dandy clipboard I brought out with me.

“Hmm, interesting… And have you ever committed a serious crime?”

“…Define serious.”

Yep, definitely suspicious.

“Hey! I was only joking! Don’t write that down!”

“Jokes aren’t tolerated here, you know? You might be dangerous, and I wanna know if I can trust you.”

“Is it really that bad to be born with a black eye color?”

“Well, it’s not bad, it’s just kind of unheard of. I explained it before, but there are eight Iros that one can be born with here, and Black certainly isn’t one of them. Each Iro represents a person’s philosophy, so I guess you could say I don’t know what you’re capable of.”

“Well, I’ve never gotten into a fight before, and even though we’re around the same age, you’re a lot more toned than me. If I can’t win against you, then how could I ever win against the world?” He reasoned.

“Hmm, fair point.”

“Anyways, thanks for the spare coat. It’s pretty cool!”

He’s changing topics… Eh, I don’t care anymore. I haven’t talked to a person who’s not Marina since who knows how long. I should probably just enjoy his company.

“Really? I thought so too, but it’s quite banged up. That’s why I bought this new one that I’m wearing.”

As you can probably guess, the spare coat that I’m referring to is indeed the one I wore back when Marina and I were in Sibirus. This red coat has seen some shit, I’ll tell you that much. When we finally got to an inn back in Boreal, I tried all sorts of ways to repair it (without going to a tailor, since I couldn’t afford one), but this was the best I could do on my own. I think it’s still usable, but you’d have to be kind of brave to wear it around, since you’ll be facing the harsh gazes of many onlookers around you.

“Nonsense!” Issei spoke up, “It just shows how much fun you had with it! Each loose thread and patch is like a scar that symbolizes the amazing adventures you’ve gone on whilst wearing it!”

“Fun? Heh, I certainly didn’t think of it that way. A lot of people died in the party Marina and I were in back when I wore that coat. The two of us were the sole survivors.”

“So that’s why you’re so close? Whoa, that’s some serious suspension bridge effect type stuff…”

Oh? Another phrase I’m unfamiliar with, I must inspect it!

“Suspension bridge effect?”

“Oh, it’s that thing, y’know? The thing where if you and a girl make it through a dangerous and scary predicament, you’ll grow closer romantically. Trust me, many RomComs go for this trope so the readers can see some action prematurely.”

“…?” I turned my head at his explanation, “Marina and I aren’t like that. I’ve told her explicitly that I already have a wife and a kid who I need to get back to. We are in a strictly platonic relationship.”

At these words Issei was shocked in disbelief, “You have a wife and a kid at 17 years old?!”

“W-Well, kind of. It’s not really anything official, but I treat them both as such. So please don’t go making such jokes around Marina, I don’t want her getting any ideas.”

Ugh, what am I even saying after groping her tits in the middle of the night that one time? I’m in no position to be saying what I said with such a chivalrous face, but I’m still acting like I did nothing wrong. All I can hope for is that I remain dedicated to Cecily and Nelly, and that I will someday, somehow be forgiven for stepping out of line that one time…

“So then why not just start a harem?” Issei asked.

“I said no jokes!”

“I’m not joking though. Think about it, it’d solve all your problems. You could have both girls for yourself, a big happy family where everyone is happy.”

This guy really is sleazy! That’s a really out there way of thinking, not to mention it’s against Prylos’ teachings! Polygamy is a disgusting act, since you’re just embracing the fact that you’re cheating on one of your wives on a daily basis!

“Is this something that’s normal in your world? Because that’s the only way I can forgive you if you’re being serious right now.”

“Well, it’s certainly a thing that exists, but not in any countries that I know of off the top of my head. Even still, it’s really popular in Light Novels, so I can imagine that it’d work similarly as well in this world.”

“And why’s that?”

“Well, when you’ve got adventurer’s guilds, eyes that dictate how a person behaves, add to that the fact that you’re stuck in the Steampunk Middle Ages, having multiple wives doesn’t really sound that hard to believe, no?”

“I can’t believe y- Wait… no no, that’s ridicul- or wait, is it? I just, hold on, you’re confusing me with these weird words! Is it really that simple?”

“I’m telling you man.” Issei whispered in my ear, “Imagine having both of them in your bed at the same time~”

The very moment his words left his mouth, a fittingly timed thunderclap struck. It was glorious, magnificent even! His logic was out of this world, literally! But it’d only make sense! Cecily might need some time getting used to it, but I’m pretty sure Marina would be all for it! And Nelly could have two moms, which means twice the fun, and Cecily’s workload would be halved! She’s at a young age, which means if she grew up with us as such, she wouldn’t even see the problem in it herself! Genius, this guy’s a genius!

“Ugh, the storm got us.” Issei complained right as I was about to thank him for clearing my worries up, “Did you happen to bring an umbrella? It might be weird sharing one with another guy, but could you just bear with me for the moment?”

“Um…brella?”

“Ah, you don’t have that in this world, figures… Then could you call a taxi over or something? I didn’t really see any cars around safe from those carriage looking things driving around.”

“Taxi? Cars? Hold on, do you mean the transport wagons?”

“Oh God…”

As such, he explained to me the wondrous world of automotive vehicles. Apparently, a ‘car’ is something like a transport wagon, but way faster and easier to steer, using something called benzene as fuel instead of mechanical force (like with transport wagons). But that sounds really hard to believe, like, how would a couple liters of this mysterious fuel make the engine go without any winding up? Oh, but then again he is from another world…

“Wait, you’re an inventor, right? Couldn’t you just make a scooter or something for now? I’ll help explain the gist of how it works, but I’m not an expert on it, so it might take some trial and error.”

“Right, I was meaning to ask you. Since you know so much interesting stuff from your homeworld, could I perhaps have you give me ideas and help me make the things from your world so that I can afford to come back home? I’ll split the pay equally between us, and if you don’t have anywhere to stay, you’re always welcome to buy a house nearby ours.”

“Whoa, that’s quite the offer, then who am I to refuse! We’ll be scooter brothers! Come on, Scooter Brother, let’s go! SCOOTER BROTHERRRS!!!”

“I-I appreciate the enthusiasm, but why are you screaming it out loud like that?”

“It’s a reference, the readers will understand! Don’t worry about it and join me! SCOOTERRR…”

“Sc-scooterr…”

“BROTHERSSSS!!”

“BROTHERSSSS!!!!”

After coming back home from our delightfully insightful little escapade, Marina scolded us for roaming around in the middle of a storm and told us to just get in the bath. Keep it together, Lune, just remember what Issei told you…

***

“So Lune,” Issei asked, “what will we be making today?”

“I dunno, Issei, what will we be making today?”

It’s been about a month since Issei moved in with us, and the days couldn’t be happier! While Marina works at the Grys Estate, we busy ourselves with creating and selling patents to traveling merchants! Thanks to Issei’s incredible ideas, we’ve amassed a somewhat sizeable fortune, but it’s still not nearly enough for us to go back home with. If I were to approximate it in percentages, I’d say we’re about 10% of the way there. We’ve still got a lot of money to make, since the living expenses take a lot out of the monthly revenue.

If things don’t start to pick up soon, that means we’ll need almost an entire year before we make it back home, and that won’t do! I need to convince Cecily about ‘The Plan’ as soon as possible! The longer I dawdle, the less inclined she’ll be to hear me out!

“Well, today’s agenda calls for that pistol you have on you. As I said previously, it’s quite the scary weapon, but it’s attached rather flimsily, and the most glaring issue – it doesn’t have an easy way to light the fuse!”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, from what I’ve gathered, you prime the pistol by lighting the fuse at the back, but then that’d require you to have a fire source nearby at all times. That’s really bad, since you can’t create fire out of thin air. Magic doesn’t exist in this world sadl-”

“You mean this?” I flicked my right pinkie and ring finger towards the sky, casting Spark at that very moment, “I wouldn’t necessarily call it ‘Magic’, but that’s how I’m able to prime the gun at a moment’s notice.”

“I-… don’t even know what to say to that. Is that something everyone can do?”

“Nah, as far as I know I haven’t met a single other person who could do that. I have heard of one, but I’ve never met her.”

Issei just kept his eyes wide open at my remark. Looks like spewing fire and sparks out of your fingers is something that even he’s never heard of. Goes to show just how abnormal I actually am, I guess.

“I see. Well then, if you’re the only person who can use this, we can’t really sell it, so we’re gonna need to add a lighter to it or something in addition to the previously mentioned upgrades.”

“A lighter?”

“Yep. It’s like a little container that houses a highly flammable oil in it. Striking a piece of flint activates it, and the fire stays on for as long as you have the oil in the lighter.”

“That sounds pretty ‘lit’ (did I use that word correctly?)”

“Haha, now you’re really starting to sound like you’re from my world! Crappy puns included! Actually, it’s kind of unnerving, so please don’t use the phrases I use anymore…”

“Alright…”

Sad as it was, Issei didn’t allow me to use these foreign slang words as often as he did. I really wanted to learn more about them, but he refuses to even teach me their meaning! He says it’s because I don’t look like someone who’d use such terms, which in my opinion is ‘the shit’!

“Even still, a lighter you say? I’d say that sounds incredible, but after a month of inventing the things you’ve told me about, I’m pretty confident in my understanding of these otherworldly inventions. I mean, how does someone even think of a Spork, for Gods’ sakes!”

“Well then, if you’re so confident, then I’d like to see you try!”

After that, we spent the entire afternoon trying out all sorts of things with making it until we finally settled for a design both of us were happy with. It took a lot of brainstorming, but I was ultimately glad to have him with me, since having someone pulling at their hair with you is way better than doing so alone.

“Aaaaand… done!” Issei yelled out, “Now all we need to do is attach it to the gun and call it a day!”

“Oh, about that.” I asked, “Could we perhaps sell the lighter as a standalone product? I mean, it seems quite useful for everyday things. Like, it basically allows everyone to use a stronger form of Spark, no?”

“Well, sure. Actually, it might be even more profitable than the gun. Ah, who am I kidding, everyone’s gonna flock to the weapons anyway, so we might as well just sell ‘em both.”

I didn’t quite understand what he meant by that, but he seemed to know what he was talking about, so I didn’t really bother with questioning it. Right now, Issei is a really dear friend, so I’d like to at least give him my trust. It’s the least I could do after he helped me out of my slump.