Girl in the Box: Please tell me why I was reincarnated as a mimic monster!

"Ha...that's why I was just telling you not to come here." Ning sighed helplessly. "Go home, it's too quiet at home and not a good place to rest."

"Okay...yes." "Hmm...um."

As it turns out, those two were overthinking things. Incidentally, Ning also successfully obtained Salid's physical data... as for his brain structure... you might not believe it...

This child actually has nothing in his head...

☆, The Demon King and I are destroying humanity!

Prologue

That's right, it's me, Leon!

I'm a legendary adventurer, and my experiences are unimaginable to ordinary people, but this bothers me because nobody believes me.

"Oh! Leon! You're here quite early!"

"Uh! Yeah, yeah! The early bird catches the worm, doesn't it?"

"Haha, that's true."

Ah, yes, that's the guy, the one who led the mockery of me. He rejected my adventure, which I can't tolerate, but since I'm so noble, I'll let him off the hook for now.

"So, what kind of request are you taking today? It's not some request to hunt down an A-rank monster, is it?"

"Huh? How could I possibly take on that kind of request?"

Tsk, this person really looks down on me. I wouldn't even glance at a request like this. The request I'm taking is this one.

Request: Collect 10 Rock Boar Leathers. Reward: 10 Silver Coins.

Ha, that's it, this is the request, the one only I can handle! Hey, don't underestimate this little job, it's part of maintaining the guild's operation.

Moreover, monsters like rock boars can be easily dealt with by setting traps. If you're lucky, you can even get two leathers by taking down one of them.

Ahem...that's not what I meant. You understand me, right?

"Yes, this task suits you perfectly. Do a good job!"

The person nodded, patted my shoulder as if they knew everything, and then turned and left. Why did their words sound so harsh?

Ah, never mind him. What do ordinary people ever understand about what a great adventurer like me does? I'll just take down the quest and go find the pretty receptionist... Wait, where's my quest?

"Your request has been accepted. Please complete it within two days. Here are your adventure cards."

The receptionist returned the four adventure cards, which now contained the "Collect Rock Boar Leather" quest. If they failed to complete the quest within the time limit, it would be considered an automatic abandonment, and a certain amount of credit points and rating points would be deducted.

However, for the four of them, this kind of request was just something they did casually.

"Troublesome." Mo Yueya took the adventure card. "They've given me extra commissions again."

“Do you have any objections?” Celia took back the remaining three cards and handed them to the other two. “We’ve used up the advance payments for the commissions we took back in the kingdom. If we don’t earn some money soon, we won’t be able to make ends meet.”

Not long ago, they were the companions of the brave Xia Que. After successfully helping her, they encountered something strange, which seemed to have touched upon some core secret of the kingdom.

After that, they were hunted by ghosts, which confirmed their suspicions. Now, they have fled to the duchy and are seeking refuge there.

I've basically used up all the money I earned before, and I'm a bit short on cash now, so I have to do some commissions to earn some extra money.

"Ha, thankfully Xia Que's request didn't come back to haunt us." Wu Ke took the adventure card from her hand.

They had once accepted a quest to help a hero defeat an evil dragon, but they left halfway through. The quest was completed, but they didn't receive the remaining reward.

If we were to send them to collect that reward, who knows what awaits them on the other side of the kingdom?

“Speaking of which…” the Black Knight put away his adventure card. “I’m very worried about Summer Sparrow back in the kingdom.”

Although Xia Que is a hero, the strange atmosphere surrounding the kingdom sends chills down their spines, and they are understandably worried about Xia Que's situation.

Although they had only met for a short time, they were deeply impressed by Xia Que. If Hao Er hadn't helped her, she probably would have lost control.

After all, he was a very insecure child who needed to be taken care of.

"Let's get going faster than that," Seria urged them, and quickly left the guild hall.

"You're really in a hurry." After Mo Yueya walked out of the guild gate, a black crow landed.

"How can you not be anxious?" Seria glared at him. "This might be a crime, you know? Is it really okay not to save her?"

“You’re probably overthinking it.” Mo Yueya ignored her and teased the crow on her shoulder. “It’s in the suburbs, at those people’s stronghold.”

Ah, you may have forgotten what they were planning to do. They intended to rescue the lost little girl Xiao from Rin and Ning... well, that's what they thought.

Mo Yueya had previously released Mo Ya to track them, but was blocked by an unknown magic. However, through his efforts, he still managed to obtain a lot of information about them.

"I never expected that the other party would have connections with that big business guild," Wu Ke said, scratching his shiny head. "The world is really going to the dogs."

"Ha...it's too early to draw conclusions, isn't it?" The Black Knight said rationally. "Nobody knows exactly what's going on, right?"

“Ah.” Mo Yueya nodded. “Instead of going through all this trouble, it would be faster to just confront them directly.”

“That will absolutely not work,” Celia rejected the suggestion. “What if they become wary after just one contact?”

"Tsk, woman."

"I heard it."

Well, as for the truth, we'll just have to wait and see for themselves (laughs)...

Compared to that, something interesting seems to have happened in Akihabara.

Chapter 1 Let's return to the Duchy...

"Yan, wake up! It's morning."

"Pfft?!"

The blanket wrapped around Salid was suddenly ripped off, and he, who had been wrapped up like a caterpillar, spun around in the air several times before crashing into the bed. It was so nice to have a spring mattress.

"Hmm...?" Salid sat up groggily in bed. "Ah... Negi?"

"Yes! It's 'black'!"

The culprit, Negi, patted her somewhat flat chest and announced her name; she looked much more energetic than Salid.

"Look, it's already daylight outside."

Negi, the "Black Dragon King," opened the window. Unfortunately, no light came in, but she could see the blue sky outside, and the twin moons were still the same.

"Really... It's dawn." Salid scratched his head. "You didn't sleep all night, did you?"

"Haha, how could I just leave so many 'treasures' unattended and sleep on the side?"

Negi's eyes were slightly dark; Li probably wouldn't have guessed that she'd been working on something in the shop all night. However, staying up all night was already commonplace for Negi.

“Actually, it’s already quite late.” Negi looked outside. “It looks like it’s already noon.”

The "treasures" of goods neatly arranged in the store caught Negi's attention. She stayed up all night to tinker with them, and ended up getting so engrossed in them that she lost herself in the process.

Guh~~~~

“...I’m hungry,” Salid frankly admitted.

“That’s right, then let’s go to ‘Time’.”

Negi licked her lips; she couldn't wait to go and find out what was going on. Salid, on the other hand, was anticipating something else entirely.

They walked to the second-floor corridor, opened the door leading to the roof, and a silver magic circle unfolded, turning their vision into pure white. They arrived at the Li family's warehouse, and the two of them eagerly left the warehouse to head to their destination.

"Yo ho, you guys are here."

Negi, the Black Dragon King, and Salid, the Flame Dragon King, walked in from outside the door.

"Oh, what a delightful shop!" Negi stretched. "What are you two talking about, 'Time'?"

"Ah, good morning, Negi." Li greeted the two of them. "We're talking about that war now. Well... if you hadn't told me, I wouldn't know about it now."

It has to be said that their lives have become too comfortable, causing them to overlook some potential crises. For example, she only learned about the Demon King's expedition yesterday.

Then she spent a whole night investigating the matter, and of course, thanks to Li (the treasure chest monster) for her hard work.

"How dare you say that?!"

Let's just ignore the roar echoing in my head. Right now, I feel the pressure. I guess things aren't going too well for Ri (the mimic).

The current intelligence is as follows:

The kingdom adopted a passive approach, but suffered no effective attacks and no actual losses. Morale was low.

The Demon King's side, led by the Demon King himself, marched out with great momentum and high morale.

Wow, the contrast is stark! Can humanity win?

Although there are heroes on the kingdom's side, what's unexpected is that the Demon King on the demon side is actually a hero, which means that there are two heroes in this world.

According to the world's setting, only one hero can appear in an era at a time, which means there is one true hero and one fake hero.

So, who is it?

In addition, a third "Holy Sword" appeared. Although it cannot be confirmed, judging from the demons' behavior, it is likely the real thing.

An alternate world, two heroes, three holy swords—this world must be in complete chaos. Being a hero in this era is truly difficult; it's a truly arduous adventure.

"To sum up all this information, it's quite a mess."

"Negi smiled as if it were none of her business. "Two heroes and three holy swords have appeared at the same time? This world has fallen into chaos."

“I’m sorry, I don’t quite understand those mysterious things you’re talking about…” Li said, resting his chin on his hand in frustration. “But, we’re about to get caught up in the war here too, aren’t we?”

I heard from Olitzo not long ago that the Duchy had begun to recruit soldiers and actively stockpile military equipment. It seems that the Duchy's king had anticipated this situation long ago.

It seems the demons are also preparing to attack the duchy's border.

"What are you planning to do?" Ning asked the two guests.

"What should we do?" Negi put her hands behind her head. "Even if you ask me that, I'm not really sure. After all, I don't have a place to settle down. I'm just constantly traveling the world. If something happens here, I'll just go somewhere else."

For Negi, who was traveling around, this didn't seem to be a big problem. Nothing could hold her back, and nothing could make her stay for long.

“I want to stay here,” Salid said, surprisingly. “I don’t have anything to do over there at the volcano.”

“That’s how it is. So, I’ll be borrowing your shop for a few more days.” Negi chuckled.

“That’s not a problem,” Li said, pressing his head. “I’m more worried that you might run into some strange people.”

"Hakoniwa" is a shop located in Akihabara, where the surreal is a daily occurrence, including all sorts of eccentric characters. For example, Kana…

"Oh, you mean the weirdo?" Negi remembered something. "I didn't see the weirdo, but I did see someone guarding the shop entrance."

Li suddenly had a bad feeling: "Hey... the person you're talking about, could it be... the girl with blue hair?"

“Yeah, that’s right.” Neki raised her hand to show the person’s height. “A girl this tall, wearing a white coat, was asleep at the shop entrance.”

"Ugh... my head hurts." Li rubbed her head uncomfortably. "Ning, it seems like we've done something terrible."

"Hmm...maybe?" Ning tilted her head, pretending to be clueless.

"Weren't you going to warn me?! This is extremely dangerous!"

Kana, a genius in Akihabara, is famous for something rather subtle. Lately, it seems like it's because she's been fed potato chips, which has caused her to become unusually obsessed with them.

The culprit is Li... ah, Ning is an accomplice, after all, she's the one who made those potato chips.

I think I lied back then, telling her I'd come back in a few days, without considering what might happen later. Maybe she's been waiting at the shop door these past few days!

Judging by her thought process, she'd probably be watching over him every second! Please don't do that! Something bad will happen!

"Huh? What's wrong? Do you know that person?" Negi asked curiously.

"We know each other, but we're not that close." Rin turned to Ning and asked, "Shall we go to the Little Garden now? Is there time to make the potato chips?"

"Hmm? It can be made right away," Ning said casually. "These kinds of things can be made anytime, right?"

“Um… well, I have a question,” Salid leaned closer, “what is that thing called ‘shupian’?”

“Ah, I’m curious about what that is too.” Negi raised her hand like a student raising a question.

Chapter 2 Potato Chips: A Heinous Drug

“Potato chips… they’re for eating… ah…” Li suddenly realized she had spoken in Chinese. “How should I put it… let’s talk about it after I’ve shown you the actual product.”

Telling them in Chinese probably wouldn't have made them understand either, and I realized I'd accidentally used Chinese at a time like this; no wonder it felt so out of place.

Click.

The door suddenly opened, and Xia Ling and Xiao walked in. Xiao was helping Xia Ling carry a bag of groceries, which looked very heartwarming.