Chapter 5: A Weapon For This Part-time Warrior!

Part 1

I ate dinner with my family, then put on a coat and went out.

"Where are you going, nii-san?"

Kazuto asked, when he saw me putting my shoes on.

"Just gonna go out for a walk."

"Can you buy me some ice cream from the convenience store?"

I was about to ignore him and leave, but…

…If I did something nice for this brat, the family bond rank might go up.

Meaning I might get an increase in my allowance or some other useful reward.

"Sure thing!"

"Eh? Really? I thought you'd refuse for sure…"

Why would he even ask if he thought I'd refuse?

He was probably looking for an excuse to insult me again!

"It's been a while since I treated you~! Look forward to it~!"

"...That's creepy."

Did he want the ice cream or not?

Putting on a fake smile, I closed the door and left the house before Aqua overheard the conversation and asked for ice cream, too.

The real reason I went out was because I wanted to explore the dungeon on my own.

Aqua stole every kill from me last time we went together, while that group outing turned into a complete flop.

After that failure, I decided to do some solo leveling.

When I entered the dungeon, I didn't expect to encounter an enemy right away.

"Kiiii…!"

I attacked the goblin before it could come close to me with [Snipe], after I sensed its presence with [Enemy Detection].

…The breeding cycle of monsters seemed to allow them to repopulate the first floor after a week.

Even if we cleared the monsters last week, there were now new ones lurking around.

The next enemies I sensed was a group of two kobolds.

"[Snipe]!"

I took out the first kobold with a perfectly aimed headshot.

The other kobold saw me and placed a stone in its sling, spinning it around to launch it.

Before it could launch the weapon, I created a mound of dirt in my hand with [Create Earth]...

Then used [Wind Breath] to spray it all over the kobold's face.

"Gack…!"

It coughed and shut its eyes, as fine dirt covered its vision.

I dropped the short bow and brought the spear out from the inventory, stabbing the kobold through the chest with the spear. It was better to save MP, after all.

"Gurk…!"

The second kobold fell to the spear thrust.

You have reached level 4! You gained 1 Skill Point!

You have killed 6 monsters! Quest Reward: Random Loot Box!

Killing those two kobolds allowed me to level up and complete that quest.

As for what I wanted to spend my Skill Points on…

I decided to spend it on [Enemy Detection] again.

Might as well try to max the skill out.

[Enemy Detection] has ranked up!

Detection radius has increased to 25 feet! You can now determine the threat level of enemy creatures!

This skill keeps proving its worth.

Like with the Horned Rabbits, there were monsters that specialized in lowering the guards of those who approached them.

Even the Giant Toads didn't seem like a big threat until we actually faced them.

As for the Random Loot Box, I took the blue gift box out from the inventory and opened it.

I found a piece of paper with a QR code on it.

Service Locator - App Upgrade (Rare)

An Upgrade For This Adventuring App! Use this to find useful services and stores in your city! Sign-up for news about promotions and discounts to relevant stores!

I didn't even know that there were additional features available for the app.

After scanning the QR code, I used the feature.

It gave me a map of the city, as well as indicators to services and stores that were relevant to the dungeon and the app.

'Sunshine Smoothie' was included in the map. There was even a 'Blacksmith' and a 'Magic Item Store'.

"...Why is there a blacksmith and magic item store in the city?"

I took note of the store, especially 'Wiz's Magic Item Store'.

I fiddled around with the new upgrades, when a new notification came up.

Your Quest List has been upgraded!

Play in an official soccer game! Quest Rewards: +2 to all 'Physical stats

Go on a date with Himamori Rin! Quest Rewards: +2 Charisma, +2 Attractiveness

Max out [Enemy Detection] to Rank 5! Quest Rewards: Skill-Up Potion

…Aside from the last one, the difficulty of the quests rose dramatically.

And like I suspected, the experience points rewards from quests were starting to dwindle as I leveled up.

Also, why were most of the quests targeted towards Rin?

Asking for her number… Asking her on a date…

These were less like quests and more like punishment games.

Well, she's been pretty friendly to me. I guess the app has determined she's the only girl I can realistically pursue at the moment.

I didn't mind since she was cute and, most importantly, normal. I had enough with crazies at the moment.

I put my phone away once there were no more new notifications.

Continuing ahead, I took out a few more monsters until I reached the Giant Toad area.

I stared into the black, beady eyes of the toads hopping around in the field.

"Gero…"

"..."

I backed away from them and headed back to the entrance.

…

…

Along with the locations that offered specific services, there were also locations that had quest markers on them.

The quest markers stated that going to these locations would unlock special quests and events.

Among these places was the convenience store and the book store.

Since I didn't want to stay out too long, I settled for going to the convenience store.

I needed to get Kazuto that ice cream anyway.

"Welcome!"

The female staff greeted me when I walked in.

I nodded back and headed to the fridge section and grabbed some ice cream.

300 yen down the drain…

"Thank you for shopping with us!"

The staff bowed again after I bought the ice cream.

While I was wondering what the quest was, my eyes wandered to the 'Now Hiring' sign next to the cash register.

When the staff saw me looking at the sign, she smiled and said,

"Are you interested in some part-time work? We've got night shifts available! We need someone to work Tuesdays and Thursdays."

This is a quest hook if I ever saw one.

"I'm interested…"

I wasn't actually looking forward to having to do work, but I wanted to activate the quest first and see if the rewards were worth it.

The staff gave me the details of the job and the manager's contact information…

New quest available! Get a part-time job!

Quest Rewards: Starting pay of 3,000 yen per shift! +1 Willpower, +1 Bravery per shift!

Bonus rewards available according to performance during the job!

Aside from the pay, it was also a good way to grind stats increases…

I thanked the staff for the information and headed back home.

Part 2

"Ohh…! Nii-san actually got it for me?!"

Kazuto was surprised when I came back and got ice cream for him.

I tossed the ice cream to him and said,

"Don't ever say I don't treat you well…"

"You usually don't, but thanks!"

He couldn't even accept a gift without some kind of passive-aggressive remark.

Satou Family bond rank has increased to Rank 3!

Your brother thinks better of you and might say a few nice things to his friends about you.

Satou Kazuto can now give you 'Charisma lessons'! These lessons are only available once a week!

…How could my own little brother give me lessons on charisma?

He was just a little brat!

Nonetheless, it didn't hurt to make sure. I sat next to him on the couch and said,

"Ne, Kazuto… how are you when it comes to girls?"

"I have a girlfriend right now."

"You do?!"

I didn't know that my own little brother was such a normie…!

Rather… Isn't it too young for him to date?!

"Heh… Is nii-san curious about my techniques? It's easy for me to seduce girls, yanno?"

"I don't think the word 'seduce' should come out of the mouth of a kid like you…"

"...I'm gonna go to high school soon! Stop treating me like a little kid! Hmph… I guess nii-san doesn't need my advice, huh?"

"Fine, go ahead and tell me. I bet it's useless, anyway."

"Alright… Then, first let's start with your approach. Let's take Aqua-nee for example. What's the first thing nii-san would say to her?"

"Yo. What's up, useless bitch."

"The hell's wrong with you?!"

He stood up in shock when I told him how I normally treat Aqua.

"Listen, nii-san… Aqua-nee is a girl who is leagues beyond you! You shouldn't treat her like that! If anything, you should grovel at her feet!"

"...Hah? Oi, you don't know her as much as I do. She's got an awful personality."

"There's no way a girl as beautiful as Aqua-nee has a bad personality! Listen, the next time you see her, you should say this…"

Kazuto then proceeded to tell me a bunch of corny lines you'd expect to see in a romcom movie or shoujo manga.

…Does this stuff actually work?

Your Charisma has increased by +1!

I guess it does.

Even though I didn't think his advice was that great, it still did raise my stats.

I went up to my room and did my homework when I finished listening to Kazuto.

While I was working, Aqua came into my room without knocking.

"Oi, Kazuma… You went out to the dungeon without me, didn't you?"

"...How did you know?"

"There's no way a NEET like you would go out for that long otherwise!"

"Why does it matter to you? You said that you didn't want to go back to the dungeon again."

"Hah? I can't just let those toad freaks get away with disrespecting me! I want my revenge!"

Even though she was crying so much last time.

"Go on your own time. I can't level up with you stealing all the kills."

"...H-How could you say that to a goddess like me?! Listen, I'm an Arch-Priest, got it?! That means that it's my role to support from the backline, where I'm safe!"

"It's not like I'm a frontliner, either…"

Should someone with an advanced class hide behind someone with the weakest class, anyway?

"You have your God Blow or whatever, and you have healing skills. You can go by yourself."

"No, I can't! I simply can't! Kazuma, as someone who dragged me to this world, you have an obligation to protect me!"

"Fine, fine! Whatever! You can come along!"

"Heh… Too easy…"

Even though she was the one begging me…

"You better hold onto your promise, Kazuma! If you break your promise, lightning will come down from the heavens and strike you down!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

She giggled and sat down on my bed, taking out her phone.

"...What are you doing?"

I said, once I saw that she wasn't going to leave.

"What, I can't stay here to hang out? Don't tell me my beautiful self is distracting you…"

"Not at all. Just shut up and don't bother me."

I ignored her and resumed doing my homework.

When I finally finished, I stood up and stretched.

"Hah… Finally!"

"Good work! Do you wanna play now?"

"...I guess? Do you wanna play games or something?"

"Yeah, sure, why not."

I took out a console and played a fighting game with Aqua.

"...?! Why is Kazuma so good at this?!"

Even though I was using the weakest character in the game, I still beat Aqua in every match.

After losing ten times in a row, Aqua tossed the controller aside in a rage.

"This isn't fair! Of course I'd lose to the HikiNEET who used to play games all day!"

"You're the one who wanted to play games…"

"Isn't there anything here I'm good at?!"

She started rummaging around my room.

"Oi… Don't just go looking around my room like that!"

"Why? Don't tell me you're hiding porn or something?"

She smirked, looking around my room even more.

"As if."

I had all that stuff saved up on my PC and my phone.

"Oh? What's this?"

She took out a chess board stashed away in my closet.

"...My family used to play chess all the time."

I almost forgot about it, even though we used to play a lot.

That was before my parents got too busy with work, and before Kazuto and I started drifting apart.

Kazuto would cry whenever I beat him and my parents would convince me to keep playing another round with him.

"...Kazuma, you have an oddly nostalgic look."

I glanced away, feeling kind of silly reminiscing about my past in front of her.

"It's nothing."

"Oh, come on, you're usually always so chatty, just tell me!"

"I guess chess was a bigger part of my childhood than I thought."

I almost forgot about it.

To think I has having an instance of Proust's Madeleine over a dusty chess board Aqua dug up in my closet.

Aqua shook off the dust from the set and opened it up.

"...What are you doing?"

"Heh… I bet I can beat Kazuma in this! Come on, let's play!"

"Fine…"

While we were setting up the pieces, I was surprised to see that Aqua knew the rules. She said,

"When I was bored, I'd look down from my realm and watch how humans spend their time."

If I had to spend all my time in an empty space like that, I guess I'd get bored, too.

We started playing, and it was clear that I had the advantage in chess, too.

"It's not fair! Kazuma has more experience than me!"

"...Look, it's not like I'm an expert or anything."

I didn't know any chess strategies, or openings aside from the most basic ones. I only knew fundamentals like controlling the center and always having developed pieces protected by one or two more pieces. It was just that Aqua made so many blunders that I ended up winning.

"Wait, you can't take my rook with your pawn! My rook is actually a Crusader! It has high defense stats! And your weak pawn is a pathetic Adventurer! There's no way it can take down my Crusader!"

"...Are you making up rules now?"

I sighed and decided to play along. I took back my pawn and attacked the rook with my bishop instead.

"...What?!"

"The bishop is an Arch-Priest. Are you telling me that Arch-Priests can't take down Crusaders?"

"B-But… Ugh…"

Using her own stupid logic against her, I managed to win again.

"I-I'm coming back for revenge! This isn't the last you've heard of me!"

A crying Aqua said some generic mook lines and ran away.

She plans on playing again, huh?

Your bond with Aqua has deepened! Your bond rank is now Rank 3!

Aqua (Water Goddess), Bond Rank: 3

At Rank 3, Aqua will sometimes act reasonable if you ask her to. She will occasionally listen to your demands if you ask nicely. She sees you as a surprisingly reliable HikiNEET who will do things for her if she bugs you enough. She sees you as someone she can mooch off, so it's unlikely that she'll leave.

Bond Rewards: You learn the skill [Night Vision]

[Night Vision] Skill Rank: 1, Passive Skill

You have a 15-feet radius of night vision.

…Finally a useful skill!

I thought that way until I remembered that the dungeon was already well-lit by torches.

…As expected of a useless goddess.

Even her bond rewards were useless.

Part 3

"Yo, Satou! You gonna come to practice today?"

Mitsurugi, who I just learned was a fellow dungeon explorer, approached me in my classroom before I could make my escape.

My classmates whispered to themselves, since it was an unusual sight to see Mr. Popular talking to me.

"I already gave you Aqua's number, didn't I? What more do you want from me?"

"Y-You think I'm talking to you just because of that?! I thought that we were getting along last time, though…"

This was the mentality of a normie who believed that they could get along with anyone.

I remembered what he said about the soccer club giving a lot of stat increases.

And I did see that the soccer field was a 'place of interest' in the Service Locator.

"Fine, let's go."

I stood up, grabbed my bag, and followed him to the field.

Your 'Attractiveness' has increased by +1!

I noticed female classmates looking at me in a better light just from my association with Mitsurugi.

Hanging out with a handsome guy was enough to raise attractiveness…

No wonder they usually have a bunch of lap dogs following them around.

The coach was all smiles when he saw us walking to practice together.

"What a sight…! Our ace and our wild card have arrived!"

I still didn't understand why he viewed me so highly.

Despite the high praise, all I ended up doing was more practice drills.

This time, I figured out a hack.

"Ah, coach, I'd like to practice my passing…!"

"Oh, good idea! I'll be your passing partner, then!"

Since dribbling and endurance drills required a lot of effort, I pretended like I wanted to work on my passing.

In reality, I just wanted to slack off.

Your 'Dexterity' has increased by +1!

Just like Mitsurugi said, soccer practice was a good way to increase physical stats.

It also looked like targeted and focused practice yielded better results.

When practice ended, it didn't surprise me too much when Mitsurugi chased me before I could leave.

"Hey, Satou, wait up…!"

He had a friendly smile on his face as he ran after me. I said,

"...You know, I've been wondering… Are you trying to spend time with me to increase our bond rank?"

"?! N-Not really?!"

I hit the nail on the head.

Since we both had the app, it wasn't surprising that we both had the 'Bond' feature.

I couldn't think of a reason why a popular guy like him would stick around me so much. The first time, he wanted to find a way to contact Aqua. Now that he had her number, I couldn't think of a reason why he'd want to keep following me around.

"...W-Well… Don't you want the bond reward, too? I mean, from what I've seen, they can provide a lot of useful power-ups…"

"Viewing other human beings as sources of power-ups is kind of scummy…"

Then I remembered that I used my own brother to increase my family's bond rank.

"...You know what, maybe it's not bad to hang out."

"I'm glad you changed your mind, but… What's with that guilty look on your face?"

Compared to him who just wanted to mutually benefit from an acquaintance, I exploited a family member to grind my stats.

We decided to go to a family restaurant. It was the same one that I went to with the girls.

The reason why I chose that place wasn't because I was necessarily impressed with their food--it was decent at best--but because I saw that there was an available quest with the 'Service Locator'.

When I told Mitsurugi about the 'Service Locator', he said,

"Whoa! That sounds super useful! You said you got that from a random loot box? How lucky… I only ever get 'Common' rarity items…"

"What's your luck score?"

"My luck score is 40…"

It seemed that my luck score was quite extraordinary.

Just when I was wondering what the quest was, the waitress came over and said,

"Welcome! We're having a new gimmick… I mean, promotion today! There's a new super spicy curry on our menu! And when I say spicy… You have to sign a waiver to eat it! If you manage to finish the entire curry, you get a reward!"

"...What's the reward?"

"You get a 50% discount on your next meal! Your picture will also go up on our wall!"

What a cheap prize.

Just when I was about to decline…

New quest available! Complete the spicy curry challenge!

Quest Rewards: Learn the skill [Heat Resistance]!

…With a new skill on the line, there was no way I could pass it up.

Mitsurugi's eyes widened as he looked at his phone. He also unlocked the same quest.

We both nodded to each other.

"Alright… The waivers have been signed! Good luck to our first contestants!"

All eyes were on us as they brought out two bowls of curry.

We were both relieved when we saw that they weren't big bowls, but that relief faded away when they placed it in front of us.

"W-Why is it so red…?"

"The smell is so…"

We both went pale.

"Ready…? Start…!"

We nodded to each other and took our spoons.

And dug in…

"...?! Oh… no…"

Mitsurugi whimpered as the first bite entered his mouth. He forced himself to swallow.

I took my own bite.

"..."

"Satou…?! Oi, hang in there…!"

Mitsurugi shook my shoulder just when I felt like I was about to faint. With bleary eyes, I said,

"...I can't do this. This is actual poison. My anus will break if I eat this."

"Do it for the skill, Satou! How many times do you see a quest give out a skill as a reward?! This is a rare chance!"

I knew he was right. I took another spoonful.

My life flashed before my eyes.

"You can do it, Satou! Don't give up!"

"...You keep saying that, but I don't see your spoon moving!"

After the first few bites, it felt like my taste buds died.

That was actually for the best, since that meant that my tongue was too numb to feel the pain.

My lips and tongue felt swollen by the time I shovelled the last bite of curry into my mouth.

Mitsurugi finished soon after.

"Congratulations to our winners! Please smile for the picture!"

Mitsurugi and I smiled with our Mr. Popo lips as the waitress took our pictures.

You have unlocked a new skill!

[Heat Resistance] Skill Rank: 1, Passive Skill

You can endure heat more than the average person can. When up against magical heat, the success rate of this skill is determined by your 'Willpower' (20).

…Since my willpower was so low, didn't this mean that this skill was pretty much useless for me?

"Yes! This skill is so worth it!"

Mitsurugi cheered, pumping his fist when he looked at his app.

At least he got something good out of it.

Part 4

"Well, that was painful, but at least we got a good skill…"

Mitsurugi said, as we walked to the train station.

The meal ended up costing me 850 yen. Not only did they destroy my digestive system, they even made me pay for it.

If I didn't get that 2,000 yen from Mitsurugi before, my funds would have been dangerously low after that.

…Maybe I should actually take that convenience store job.

"That was horrible, but if you find another quest like that again, make sure to tell me. Oh, we should probably exchange numbers, huh?"

"...Why should I exchange numbers with a guy?"

"No offense, but I don't think you're popular enough with girls to say something like that, Satou."

We exchanged contacts.

I gave him a lazy wave as we parted ways.

Your bond with Mitsurugi Kyouya has deepened!

Mitsurugi Kyouya (Soccer Club Ace), Bond Rank: 2

At Rank 2, Mitsurugi Kyouya will view you as an acquaintance that he has endured a harsh trial with. He will gladly do favors for you if you help him get closer with Aqua. He will frequently give you tips when it comes to the dungeon. Staying on the soccer team and working hard in practice will deepen your bond with him.

Bond Rewards: Learn the [Quick-Draw] skill!

[Quick-Draw] Skill Rank: 1, Active Skill (5 mp cost)

When you have a sheathed sword, draw it quickly to catch your opponent off guard. Use your 'Cunning' (72) against the opponent's 'Intuition' score. If the opponent is caught off guard, your attack damage will increase by +1.

I was surprised by how effective his bond reward was.

Since this skill was related to swords, I thought about visiting the blacksmith shop I saw in my map.

However, I doubted that I could actually buy anything useful with just the 2,150 yen I had on me…

Same goes for the magic shop.

Instead, I decided to go to the bookstore, since I promised Rin I would check out some of the books she recommended.

I used to only go to the bookstore if a manga or light novel I wanted was out, and I never really took the chance to read general fiction and other forms of literature.

I tried looking for some books that Rin talked about before, but I couldn't remember all of them.

Taking my phone out, I texted Rin and asked her to remind me.

It was my first text message to her.

"Senpai! You're at the bookstore now? Is it the Kinokuniya close to the train station? I'm actually close by, doing some grocery shopping. I can help you pick out some books now!"

…Is this my insanely high 'Luck' stat at work?

I waited for Rin to come, browsing through some random magazines I found, ending up with a fashion magazine aimed at highschool students.

It was mostly aimed at girls, but there was a segment for guys, too.

I didn't really care much about fashion, but some of the trends seemed kind of weird to me.

For example, it said in the magazine that those baggy parachute pants were popular among guys.

…They looked kind of lame to me.

Your 'Attractiveness' has increased by +1!

Were parachute pants really that attractive?!

"Senpai! Sorry to keep you waiting!"

I set the magazine down and saw Rin behind me, breathing a little heavily.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

She was holding a grocery bag with a green onion sticking out at the side.

"Oh? Are you interested in fashion, senpai?"

She said, noticing me putting the fashion magazine back in the rack.

"Not really. I was just occupying my time."

"Even so, don't you think it's good to read a bunch of different things you normally wouldn't? It expands your horizons and viewpoints, doesn't it?"

"I guess you have a lot of desire to learn."

"...Not really. I mean, in terms of learning… My grades aren't that high. I guess I just like experiencing things, more than actually studying and learning, if that makes sense."

I reached for her grocery bag and took it. She blinked in surprise, then giggled.

"My, senpai. You're such a gentleman."

Your 'Cunning' has increased by +1!

Why did 'Cunning' increase?!

Shouldn't it be 'Charisma'?!

I put my phone back in my pocket and said,

"So… Where are those books you wanted to show me?"

"They're over here!"

She led me to the 'Fantasy' section, hopping around excitedly. Her ponytail bobbed along behind her.

"...Unlike the fairy-tale stories I gave senpai before, these stories fall more under the classification of dark fantasy… Is senpai fine with extreme subjects?"

"Yeah, I'm fine with it."

She started handing me a bunch of books, but I was worried about my budget.

In the end, I ended up buying two books that cost me about 1,000 yen each. Rin let me use her Kinokuniya membership card for a discount.

"Here, a gift for senpai!"

She placed another book on the counter.

"Um… I don't think I can afford that…"

I only had 150 yen left in my wallet.

"Don't worry! I have some credits saved up! This one's on me."

"I can't let you do that…"

"Trust me, senpai. I've been waiting so long for someone to talk about my favorite books with! You're actually doing me a huge favor here!"

Showing me a beaming smile, I couldn't argue with her.

We walked out of the bookstore once we finished the purchase.

"Do you live close by, senpai?"

Rin asked, as we stood around in front of the bookstore.

"I have to take a train home. I live in a more rural area."

"I see… I live pretty close to the train station. It's convenient, right?"

"If you want, I can walk you home. Your groceries are a bit heavy, anyway."

I said, lifting the bag of groceries she had.

"Ah, sorry about that…! There was a sale… I don't usually eat that much!"

She didn't need to clarify that, considering how slim her figure was.

"As for senpai walking me home… I think I'll take you up on the offer."

As we walked to her place, Rin talked about the books she recommended to me, doing her best not to spoil too much of the story.

"Alright, we're here! Thanks for walking me home, senpai! You really are a gentleman, you know that?"

"...Some would disagree."

"Eh?! Who would say that?!"

Those who actually knew me well.

"Thanks a lot, senpai! It was fun, we should do it again!"

"Yeah, we should. I'll text you later to tell you what I think about the books."

"I'm looking forward to it!"

I handed her the groceries. She smiled at me again and waved as she headed to her apartment.

Your bond with Hinamori Rin has deepened!

Hinamori Rin (Librarian on Duty), Bond Rank: 3

At Rank 3, Hinamori Rin will see you as a dependable senpai who she can share her passion for books with! At this stage in your relationship, she won't mind even if you constantly text and call her. If you flirt with her, she might flirt back. Have fun getting flirty with her!

Bond Rewards: You learn the skill [Enemy Reading]!

[Enemy Reading] Skill Rank: 1, Passive Skill

When facing an enemy you have encountered before, you will see their basic combat stats (Armor Score, Health Points). This information will hover above the enemy.

…So far, I'd say that Rin had the most useful bond rank-up rewards.

Perhaps that was why there were a lot of quests aimed towards getting closer with her.

Also, I didn't even realize it, but the relationship had progressed to a flirtatious point…

…Did that mean that I actually had a chance with her?

I, Satou Kazuma, will never follow the cliche of spineless protagonists in light novels and manga.

If an opportunity comes for me to hook up with a girl, there's no reason for me to waste it.

Perhaps if I made up an excuse to come over to her place, I could get even closer with Rin…

Warning: Pushing boundaries with bond partners might cause the bond to dissolve and you'll lose rank-up rewards until the relationship is fixed!

I headed straight home.

Part 5

Since I survived most of the week at school, my parents gave me my allowance.

I was grateful for the extra 1,000 yen, since I spent most of my money on those books.

Speaking of those books, I finished one of them last night and gained +1 in creativity.

I also talked with Rin for an hour before she had to go to bed.

Before, I couldn't keep up with all her book talk, but I actually found myself responding easily now that I read a bunch of books that she recommended to me.

"...Oi, Satou!"

While I was on my way to school, Mitsurugi came jogging after me.

…My bond rewards must have been damn good if this guy kept chasing after me.

Well, not like I could deny that I wanted his bond rewards as well.

"Oh? Senpai…!"

While I was walking with Mitsurugi, Rin saw me and ran after me.

She looked at Mitsurugi and blinked.

"...I figured senpai was more of a bookworm type like me… Could it be that senpai is actually the athletic type?"

Mitsurugi chuckled and said,

"Well… He is on the soccer team… Wait, Satou is a bookworm?"

Having two people I had different bond ranks with meeting each other… How awkward.

I didn't even realize it but there was a big difference in how I treated Rin compared to the others.

I was a lot nicer, for instance.

Thankfully, they didn't talk about how I acted differently when I was alone with them. The conversation drifted to small talk.

Unlike me, they had a lot more social awareness, huh?

Once Rin separated from us to go to the first-year wing, Mitsurugi said,

"Sorry, Satou… I didn't mean to hijack the walk to school with your girlfriend..."

"...Mitsurugi, you're unexpectedly kind."

"Huh? What did I say that was kind?"

Mitsurugi thought that I could get a girlfriend, huh?

Perhaps I'd been treating him too harshly.

After promising Mitsurugi that I'd show up to practice, we split off and headed to our own classes.

While I was in class, I was thinking about my lack of funds.

I thought about going to the convenience store and applying for the job.

I didn't really want to work, but I couldn't advance in the dungeon with the mediocre equipment I had.

I figured that the 'blacksmith' and 'magic store' would have a bunch of useful upgrades that would let me beat even those Giant Toads…

Once class ended, I went over to the soccer field without having Mitsurugi coerce me.

He was surprised to see me come of my own volition.

"I didn't think you'd actually come on your own…"

"Like you said, it's an easy way to grind stats. I'm just taking your advice."

"...Just to clarify, I actually like playing soccer. I'm not just using club activities just to grind stats."

"The fact you need to clarify that makes me suspicious of your real intentions."

"...Believe whatever you want."

He gave me a blank look.

I guess he wasn't easy to tease.

We headed over to the field and I resumed doing my passing training with the coach.

This time, I didn't get a boost to my 'Dexterity'. I suppose I couldn't just spam the same practice over and over.

"...Ah, I'd like to work on my dribbling next."

"Satou-kun… You're truly inspirational!"

If only he knew why I was actually doing this.

But I still didn't get any stat increases.

"Satou-kun… Please don't check your phone so much during practice…"

"I'm using a fitness app to track my activity."

"You're an exemplary member of this club!"

Your 'Cunning' has increased by +1!

Why was it only that stat that increases every time?!

When we took a break, I asked Mitsurugi why my stats weren't increasing.

"...Stats only increase with meaningful practice or the production of meaningful outcomes. If your 'Cunning' score keeps increasing, that must mean that the lie you told has changed things in your favor. But if you're just lazily dribbling around cones, that doesn't count as a meaningful practice or a meaningful outcome."

I kept forgetting that Mitsurugi was more knowledgeable than me when it came to the app.

Not that I'd tell him that.

"Here, let's have some 1v1 practice together."

"...Shouldn't you play with the main squad?"

"It's fine, it's fine. Those guys can handle themselves. A team is only as strong as its weakest link."

I knew he was just telling the truth, but I hated getting called the weakest link.

Mitsurugi kicked the ball over to me. I trapped it under my foot.

"Alright, let's do some real dribbling practice. You won't improve just by going around cones. Try to get past me."

From what I saw, Mitsurugi was a pure striker.

Since he didn't specialize in defense, maybe even a beginner like me had a chance.

I walked towards him, with a lazy look in my eyes.

Then, I suddenly dipped into a more athletic position and sprung forward.

"...Whoa!"

Mitsurugi got caught off guard.

However, he turned just before I passed him completely and snatched the ball away from me.

"Ah…"

I actually thought I got past him.

"That actually wasn't bad, Satou. You knew you couldn't beat me in terms of techniques, so you used that cunning that you're so good at…"

"You know, it's not like I'm proud of having such a high cunning stat…"

"You say that, but I did get some kind of sneaky [Feint Slash] skill from your bond rank-up reward…"

This app viewed me as a despicable character, huh?

"Ah, but it's a really useful skill! A lot of my skills and attacks are really straightforward, so I could use some lessons in subterfuge…"

His idea of praise just pissed me off even more.

We kept practicing. Mitsurugi gave me some pointers on how to tighten my dribble.

I never did get past him, but the practice was certainly more practical and effective than using those cones.

Your 'Dexterity' has improved by +1!

Just like Mitsrugui predicted, it worked.

"Oh…! My 'Intuition' increased after facing your tricky movements, Satou!"

Was I really that much of a trickster type of character?

Part 6

Mitsurugi wanted to hang out after school to increase our bond again.

I rejected the offer, since I wanted to go to the convenience store and apply for the job.

"You're hired."

"Huh…? That easily?"

I said, when the store manager accepted me within 15 minutes of me giving him my resume and doing an interview.

"As a matter of fact, can you start now?"

"...Alright, what kinda shady thing is going on in this store?"

He sighed and rubbed his face.

He was a typical middle aged man with hairy arms. He also wore a shirt that was a size too small for him.

"One of our cashiers was caught stealing a few days ago. A bunch of our other regulars quit because they didn't want to get involved in the mess."

They wanted to avoid the whole 'guilty by association' stigma, huh?

"So that's the only reason why you're hiring?"

"Look, do you want the job or not?"

I wouldn't really get affected by the crime stigma, since I wasn't around when it happened.

In fact, this was a really good situation for me.

I accepted the job.

"Alright, can you start now? Don't worry, I'll pay you right after your shift is over."

"...This sounds really shady."

"Like I said, I'm in a tough spot here!"

I accepted the terms, since I did want to get my money right away.

The manager threw me to the fire without any training whatsoever.

Even if that was the case, the cash register was more or less automated. I was just there to smile and scan products for customers.

It was a straightforward enough job that I didn't really need training for.

However, it was probably a lot more stressful if I did this full-time. The fact that I only had to do it for three hours was what made it seem easy in my eyes.

"Welcome… Ugh…"

"Eh? Kazuma? Kishishishi! What are you doing here?!"

Just when I thought the job was easy, Aqua showed up in casual clothes.

"I work here now."

"Pffft! You look so lame in that outfit! Let me take a picture!"

She took out her phone and started taking pictures of me in the conbini uniform.

Since it was my job, I forced myself to smile while she took pictures.

"...Those pictures will cost 1,000 yen each."

"Hah?! What do you mean by that?! Whatever. Hurry up and scan these already."

She dumped a bunch of snacks and treats in front of me.

"You'll get fat."

"A goddess like me can't get fat! Besides, we're gonna go to the dungeon tonight, anyway!"

"We are?"

"Yeah, I just decided!"

"And who says that you get to decide what I do?"

"On my way here, three guys begged me to go to a tea shop with them, yet you still don't understand my value?! If I wanted to, I could easily become an idol or actress in this country! You should be honored by the fact that I'm willing to go dungeon diving with you!"

"That'll be 3,550 yen."

I ignored her and scanned the items for her.

She brought out the money my parents gave her and handed it over to me.

This freeloader was using my own parents' money to pay for the items she was buying in the store I was working at.

Aqua eventually left after paying for her treats.

I spent the rest of the three hour shift without any trouble.

Once it was done, the manager came over and said that my shift was over.

"Good work, kid. You're a fast learner. Here's your pay."

He handed me 3,000 yen. I gladly accepted it.

You gained +1 Willpower and +1 Bravery from your part-time work!

After changing out of the uniform, I left the store and headed to the blacksmith.

Aqua made me promise to go to the dungeon, but I wasn't in a hurry to entertain her whims.

The so-called 'blacksmith' just ended up being a pawn shop.

"...Seriously?"

I said, looking at the cheap-looking pawn shop.

I double-checked the Service Locator to see if it was in the right place, but there wasn't any mistake.

Deciding to give it a chance, I entered the store.

"...Welcome."

A disinterested looking elderly man gave me a bored greeting.

He had a muscular body, especially for an elderly man. He was reading a magazine and only spared me a quick glance when I entered.

"Sorry, kid, I don't sell porn to minors."

Did I look like that much of a pervert?

"...No, I'm here for blacksmith services."

I decided to take a chance and said 'blacksmith' as if it was a code word.

If the app made some kind of mistake, then I could just brush it off as a joke.

The man looked up from his magazine and squinted at me.

"You an app user?"

I nodded and showed him the app. I said,

"I guess this run-down pawn shop is just a front, huh?"

"Are you trying to pick a fight or something? I'm actually running a pawn shop, asshole!"

"My mistake… So what's the deal with this place?"

"The 'blacksmith' shit is just a side gig. I got that weird app on a phone my daughter gave me for my birthday. At first I thought it was a joke, but I ended up entering that dungeon."

Aqua said that it was usually youth who qualified for the app.

Well, I guess there were exceptions like this guy.

Then again, he didn't even have a combat class. Maybe adults could qualify for trades classes...

"Did you manage to go deep into the dungeon?"

"Not really. Maybe back in the day, I could have explored more of the dungeon, but I'm an old man now."

"I guess those muscles are just for show…"

"Want to see if they're really just for show or not?"

He raised a fist, threatening me with it. When I shook my head, he said,

"...Well, since I got the 'Blacksmith' class, I just focused on gathering materials and making weapons and armor. Figured I could sell them to other app users. Most of them tend to be kids like you, but I've seen some adults. It's very rare, but it happens. A lot of those adults end up making it a business opportunity, like what I'm doing."

It made sense that it wasn't only young people who had the potential to enter the dungeon, despite what Aqua said.

This wasn't some kids anime meant to sell toys, after all.

Rather, the fact that Aqua barely knew the demographic of the app-users really reinforced her stupidity. Not like there were any doubts.

Or maybe she didn't bother giving cheat items to adults who didn't have combat classes. This guy didn't explore much of the dungeon, after all.

"So are you gonna buy something, kid? I've got the [Intermediate Smith] skill, so I can craft gear from monsters in the level 15-30 range. I can even create custom equipment for you."

"...[Intermediate Smith]? Is there a way to improve the standard [Smith] skill?"

"Yeah. Once you've reached the max rank in a skill, there's sometimes more advanced versions of them available that you can unlock after meeting some special requirements. They cost a lot of skill points to rank-up, though."

"How much does it cost to make a custom item?"

"I usually charge 8,000 yen."

"Why is it so damn expensive?!"

"Do you want it or not?!"

I sighed and took out my app, selling the Horn-tipped Spear for 5,000 yen.

Spears were useful in almost every scenario, but I couldn't use it in conjunction with the [Quick Draw] skill.

I also took out 3,000 yen from my own pocket and gave it all to him.

"Thanks for your business. What do you have in mind for the custom item?"

"I have the [Quick Draw] skill and it seems like it's based on Iaido. A katana that's easy to draw from its sheath might be the best bet…"

"Are you sure you're not just thinking that katanas are cool?"

He got me.

"Alright, I get it. Give me a moment."

He stood up, placed the magazine down on the counter, and headed to the back of the store.

I looked at the magazine.

"..."

It was a porno.

I read it while I waited for him.

Part 7

After spending most of my funds, I didn't even bother going to the magic store.

If ordinary gear was that expensive, I couldn't imagine that magical gear was cheaper.

Besides, if I kept Aqua waiting any longer, she'd nag me for hours.

"Kazuma, you're late! You're so late! How dare you make a goddess wait so long!"

It was around 8 pm when I got back.

"Shut up! You're the one who forced this on me!"

I didn't really feel like going to the dungeon, especially since Aqua was going to try and get revenge on the toads again.

Even so, I found myself going to the train station with Aqua. She was humming a happy tune the whole time, as if she had forgotten all the bad experiences she had in the dungeon.

Taking the train at night was a different feeling. The scenery of the city at night was dark and mysterious. The city lights were also quite inspiring.

As always, Aqua got a lot of stares from people. It was a constant reminder that Aqua was supposedly quite a catch, although I couldn't even see her as a girl anymore.

I once took a picture of Aqua sleeping on the couch, with her clothes in a disarray. I tried to jerk off to it later that night, but I couldn't even get hard.

I thought that it was a common guy problem, the inability to jerk off to girls I knew.

But then I tried jerking off to Darkness, and I managed to do it just fine.

Even doing it for Rin, Megumin and Chris ended up as a successful venture.

The only anomaly was Aqua.

"...Why do I feel like Kazuma is having rude thoughts about me?"

Is she psychic?

…

…

A train ride later, we ended up in the dungeon.

"Fufu… I got quite a useful item this time, Kazuma. I got it from a quest!"

She said, as we walked inside, letting the numerous torches on the wall illuminate our path.

"Oh? With your shitty luck, I didn't think you'd manage to get a good item. What is it?"

"It's a perfume that attracts all kinds of monsters to attack the user! This way, we'll get lots of EXP!"

"...Eh?"

I blinked, Aqua's comments just starting to dawn on me.

There was a rumbling in the ground, followed by ominous noises.

"Kiiii…!"

"Skree…!"

"Hissss…!"

My [Enemy Detection] went haywire as it warned me of a bunch of monsters coming out all at once.

"W-What did you do?! Are you actually insane?!"

I said, starting to back away from the monsters.

"Pfft! Are you this much of a coward, Kazuma? Fine, I figured I'd share some kills with you, but I guess I'll take everything! Take my divine fury, you stupid monsters! [God Blow]!"

She charged, her punch connecting with a big rat monster.

"...! I did it, Kazuma! Now to take out the others… Eh? W-Wait… Isn't there a lot of them?!"

Was she nearsighted, or just plain dumb?

Realizing that she couldn't possibly take out all these monsters by punching them, she turned around and started to run away.

"Kashuma-san! Pwease help…?!"

"Skreee…!"

The monsters chased after the retreating Aqua.

"You idiot! Why are you leading them to me?!"

"Pwease do something, Kashuma-saannn!"

There was still a lot of distance we had to run to reach the entrance.

As much as I wanted to abandon Aqua, my family would probably start asking questions if I didn't come back home with her.

I might even get blamed for her disappearance.

I sighed and turned around to face the monsters, letting Aqua run ahead of me.

"[Wind Breath]!"

I exhaled out a gust of wind, aiming it at the torches all along the walls.

The usually well-lit dungeon became dark.

The [Night Vision] skill I got from Aqua, which I once figured was useless, allowed me to see in the dark.

"Skreee!"

The monsters who had night-vision didn't have any problems and charged forward.

Namely, the Giant Bats all flew towards us. There were three of them who approached.

[Enemy Reading] activated and told me that each of them had 5 HP and an armor score of 0.

"[Snipe]!"

I took down two of them before they could reach us.

"Skreee!"

I dropped the bow and in one motion…

"[Quick-Draw]!"

...I drew out my newly purchased katana and sliced the bat in half.

After sheathing my new katana, I picked up the bow again and ran as fast as I could with Aqua.

I heard my phone ring, indicating that there was a new notification from the app, but I didn't have time to go look at it, spending all my efforts in escaping.

For some reason, I felt like I could run way faster than usual.

Eventually, we outran the monsters and reached the entrance. We came spilling out from the door.

I hurriedly closed the door before any monsters could follow us outside.

"You useless goddess! What were you thinking?! Why didn't you mention anything about that monster attracting perfume?!"

"I didn't say anything because I didn't want you to question it! I know how much of a worrywart you are! Besides, I was on a time limit!"

"...Does the perfume have a short time limit?"

"Nope! It actually lasts for several hours!"

"Then what's with the hurry…?"

"Since I'm a goddess of water, I tend to turn a lot of fluids I touch into water! If that perfume stayed on my skin for long enough, it would lose its properties and become water eventually!"

"Instead of a goddess of water, the higher-ups should change your title to the goddess of disappointment."

"Is that really what you think of me?! Anyway, the perfume should wear out in a few minutes. After that, let's go back! Wait… Why are you walking away, Kazuma?!"

"As if I'd go back inside after all that! I'm going home!"

"Wait, Kazuma! I haven't even had revenge on the toads yet!"

I ignored all her begging and complaining as we headed back.

I checked the notification on the app that I missed earlier.

Your cowardly running has unlocked a new skill!

[Escape] Skill Rank: 1, Active Skill (5 mp cost)

Chance to escape hostile enemies increases by +10%. Ability to escape is determined by 'Speed' stat (43).

…Considering how many close calls I had in the dungeon, this skill might be worth investing points into after I max out [Enemy Detection].

The only good thing that came out of this excursion was that I managed to grab some monster parts to sell.

You sold the monster materials for 500 yen!

...I almost died for 500 yen, huh?

As for Aqua, the reason why I almost died, she complained the whole time as we went back home.