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Chapter 17
Twst 4koma
by Mochi
Original work: Toboso Yana Manga: Mochi
[Here we have Ruggie, about to cast a spell on the potted plant]
Huh? What's Jack-kun's Cactus doing here?

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So you were practicing growth magic on a plant,
and instead made Jack's cactus huge?
Wasn't it always like this?
Uh, definitely NOT!
Why were you practicing magic like that anyway?
Well, this magic, y'see…
It's directly tied to me never going hungry!
If you're gonna use magic anyway, why not just focus on the one targeting meat? It'd be quicker.
I wanna ask that you don't force survival of the fittest logic unto my precious food making magic!


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He's gonna figure it out if I just swap it with a cactus of a similar size won't he...
You *are* aware of just how much care he's put into that thing? Of course he's gonna figure it out.
You're right about that...
Night after night, when our dorm students are counting sheep to sleep. [One herbivore, two herbivores]
And night after night, when I'm counting madols, [One, two, three]
There's Jack-kun, night after night, counting the number of spines on his cactus...
No he's not. Also, go to bed properly.

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Oh, specialist in plants, more beautiful than any flower, Vil-senpai!
Is there something you can do?
What crude flattery is this.
Just apologize upfront. It's not like you did it on purpose, Jack'll be sure to forgive you.
I don't really care if he gets angry...
It's the compensation that troubles me...
Deplorable.
The thing is.. I mean... If I apologize upfront, he'll get visibly depressed.
Got a feeling he'd hang his head low and stuff.
...Well. Certainly not something you'd really want to see.
Right?

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But you *are* aware of how many sorts of cacti there are right?
Do you know what type of cactus we are talking about?
I dunno but, there's no doubt it's the type you can eat!
What makes you so sure?
It had a lot of spines to defer others from eating it...
Isn't that what any cactus is in a nutshell?
Also... Uhh… It was green and looked ripe for eating.
You're looking at your junior's cactus with gluttony in your eyes?

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I'm fine with helping you but, only under the condition that you go and apologize to Jack first!
Let him know the truth!
Now that I've been told this and that,
Guess I have no choice but to show it to Jack-kun
Jack-kun… The truth is...
Ah!! My cactus!
It's getting better!! This is the difference between me and Ruggie-senpai...! I still got ways to go!
He's getting depressed, but not in the way I imagined... [Better?]

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My cactus started getting discoloured because of insects,
There was nothing I could do but remove the discoloured part.
I was allowed to, so I left it in the well-aired lounge,
and I guess you got to it and made it all better with growth magic, Ruggie-senpai!
I tried it too, but couldn't pull it off. Please teach me more about growth magic, Ruggie-senpai!
Jack-kun, you're happy? You're not angry or depressed?
Of course not! I'm grateful!
Then, I don't gotta compensate you or anythin'!? You promise!?
Of course!
Cross your heart and hope to die stick a spine in your eye!? *god it took this long until I found a semi-fitting way to spin this pun. put a cactus spine instead of needle, but maybe it just works better with needle, I don't know anymore.*
Why are you being so absurd about it!?

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I was all worried for nothin'! Just remember you made a promise!
Uh, yeah...
Speakin' of spines...
I wonder how many it really has?
He's actually counting the spines....