“So you want me to compete with you for the scavenger hunt event?”

Dianne nodded.

I’d just arrived to class a few moments ago and this was the first thing Dianne asked when she walked up to me.

“Yeah. Would you be fine with that?”

“Eh. Sure.”

“I understand if you’re a bit hesitant, but it’ll be fu…Pardon me, did you just say you’d do it?”

Clearly not understanding my instant agreement, I shrugged.

“I’m cool with it. Not like I got much better to do.”

Dianne’s eyes instantly lit up.

“Really!? Fantastic!”

Seeing her so happy made me feel a bit awkward. I know I’d said that I would wait for her to ask me, but I never would’ve thought she’d be so excited just from me saying yes. Girls are mysterious creatures.

Then again, this might just be a plan she set up to show that commoners and royalty aren’t so different. Who’s to say? Well as I've said before, it didn’t really matter. I’m just here to live through my day-to-day life.

But moving past that, I signed up with Dianne during our first break period and now we were set to compete.

Once we got back to class, Roy, who was in my class, gave me a pat on the back.

“Lucky you Axel! Looks like you’ll get to spend plenty of quality time with the class idol!”

Class idol? Was Dianne really that popular? Well, she was a heroine so I guess it made sense. They wouldn’t exactly be targets for the MC if they didn’t stand out in some way.

Shrugging, I made my way back to my desk with Roy in tow.

“Meh. I just figured it’d be fun. After all, you already know how much Dianne’s been pushing to be friends with me.”

“Hah! I guess you’re right. Still, you never know what things might lead to. You might even find a little spark igniting between you two.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Please. Considering my status as a commoner, I’d be lucky to win over one girl at this school.”

Though, I guess I did unintentionally manipulate Xara to like me.

But I don’t like thinking of her as a girl I won over. And since neither me nor Xara ever told anyone about the confession, no one knows how crazy our relationship currently was.

“Geez. Don’t think so negatively. I’m sure you’ll find a girl one day.”

I sighed.

“I hope you’re right.”

With the bell about to ring, I flipped open my grimoire and looked at what lesson we’d be learning today. After that, I had Nia imprint the lessons into my brain while the teacher explained it to everyone else.

Now for those of you wondering how I get away with reading my grimoire in class, I’ll explain later. But for now, I’m just gonna move on with the rest of my day.

During the next break period, I pulled out a small booklet that I’d received after applying for the scavenger hunt. I know it was called the “Hunter Games” but it was basically a scavenger hunt.

Dianne, who was sitting next to me, went over what we needed to do while competing.

Basically, the game starts early on this world's version of Monday where we have to hunt down a list of given items around the school provided by the teachers.

Since this is a school-wide event, there are hundreds of different items that can be found in all kinds of places around campus.

Also, each day you have to hunt down different things than before.

For example, say you found everything on the list they gave you on Monday. On Tuesday, they’d give you a whole new list of items to hunt for. If you still have items from your Monday list, you’d have to search for those along with the Tuesday list. It’s actually not a terrible idea for a game. It’ll definitely keep me on my toes.

Some of the rules made sense. Such as no trying to obtain the lists for the coming days ahead of time, and don’t search for items anywhere off school grounds. But I found myself surprised when rules like “no working with other teams” weren’t on there.

Then again, it’d be pretty beneficial for the different teams if they could work together.

I’m no game expert, but I could see different teams working together to win.

But moving past that, this game is a lot more detailed than it was when I played the visual novel…I think. With how long ago it was since I was brought here, everything besides the major plot points were a bit fuzzy. So even if I do remember this event, I don’t remember how everything occurred. I just knew this was an event for the MC and Dianne. However, since I’m teaming with Dianne, I guess the MC will have to team with someone else which means the story is already straying from its original path.

Then again, at this point, it doesn’t really matter if the path strays cause the entire story is already on its head thanks to my interactions with Xara and the MC.

Leaving that there, though, I went over the booklet one more time to make sure I got everything only taking a moment to glance up at the clock to see it was almost time for third period.

Thus, I put the booklet in my bag and Dianne followed suit.

Once we were done packing up, we made our way toward two separate buildings that acted as locker rooms. The third and final period of the day was PE. And as someone who seems to be cursed with an inability to grow stronger during physical activity, this wasn’t exactly my favorite subject.

Nothing big really happened during PE. However, after I finished and had switched out of my PE clothes, I found Vey walking over.

“Hey, Vey. Did classes end early or something?”

In response to my question, Vey nodded.

“Yeah. On the last day before the weekend, squires are allowed to leave early to serve the person they’re assigned to.”

“I see.”

Interesting. Guess that means I won’t be able to slip away and leave her to her own devices during the weekend.

Come to think of it, tomorrow is this world's version of Saturday. So much has happened this week I almost forgot about it. I wonder what I should do with all my free time.

Walking back to my dorm with Vey in tow, I heard Nia speak into my mind.

“Master. Could I speak to you for a moment?”

“Hm? Sure”

Moving a bit away from Vey, I quietly spoke to Nia.

“What’s up?”

“I’ve been thinking. What are your plans for the future?”

“Plans for the future? Nothing big. Probably graduate from school, maybe go to college, or if I wanted, I could just chill put on my island for the rest of my days.”

“Really? Is that all you wanna do?”

What was with the emphasis on “all?”

“Pretty much. Now that my original plan’s been thrown out the window, I don’t really have any other ideas in mind. Why do you ask?”

“Er…No reason.”

Nia seemed disappointed I had nothing else to say. Well, what was she expecting? It’s not like I wanna risk my life to save the world or something like that. I’m perfectly fine with just getting by without any major problems.

Arriving back at the dorms, I immediately hopped in the shower…well almost immediately. I had to warn Vey not to come in first.

After that, I changed into a set of pajamas and began preparing for bed while Vey got her bath. The room had both a shower and a bath, but I was just so used to showers before being brought to this world that baths just didn’t really stick with me. Though maybe I should try giving them a shot again sometime.

Anyways, walking over to the same chair I’d sat in several times before, I opened up a book and began to read.

A few hours later, I looked over to see Vey out cold on her bed. I couldn’t help but smile seeing how calm and happy she looked while sleeping. She was like an innocent child who didn’t know the dangers of the world.

Sadly, I still can’t seem to remember where I’d met her before.

It might come to me eventually, but I find myself still drawing a blank.

Once I finished the chapter in the book I was reading, I slipped in a bookmark and got up.

Getting into bed, I closed my eyes.

Thinking over this week's events, I realized just how crazy things have gotten since I first came to this world six years ago. Especially since when I started, I had nothing but my expanded thinking and my knowledge of the game.

Funny enough, I don’t really use either nowadays. Well, I use them from time to time, but I find myself using them less than before.

But anyway, as my mind continued drifting, I remembered when Dianne and I signed up for the scavenger hunt event.

Since the event was in just a few weeks, I knew I only had so much time to prepare.

And as much as I hate to admit it, weeks can fly by in the blink of an eye.

With that thought in mind, I closed my eyes and let my mind slip into the world of the unconscious.

Since I didn’t have any plans for the weekend, Vey and I went out to check out the town below the school.

I’ve actually been down here a few times. I once joined Roy down here to have crepes, as well as explored it myself simply cause it interested me. But probably the most awkward experience I’ve had would have to be my date with Xara. With how much of a disaster that was once it was over, I’d rather not think about it again.

Anyway, I know what I said about us just checking out the town, but I actually had some things I needed to take care of down here as well.

Stepping into a shop, I heard a little bell ding as I entered.

“Welcome to Dave’s Diner!”

Vey and I were instantly met by a voice I’d recently grown to know.

“Oh. It’s you Mister Savoncho. What can I get ya today?”

Once inside, we were approached by a young man with short blonde hair. He was a bit taller than me and seemed to be around the age of twenty. While a bit chubby, he wasn’t overweight and had a face that could almost pass for a student.

He was grinning at me with a shine in his teeth.

This man was Dave Yurugi. In the game, he was a kind diner owner who encouraged the MC.

Around two weeks ago, I decided to give his food a taste since I knew he was here. After I was done, I found myself coming back here once or twice a week. The food was surprisingly some of the best food I’ve ever had. Which kinda surprised me since it was such a small establishment. Guess that’s what happens when you’re a restaurant in a dating sim.

Sitting down at a table, I turned to Dave.

“I’ll have the usual. As for her…does a kid's meal work?”

Vey stared at me, shocked.

“What?”

“Um…I’ll have the same thing he’s having.”

“Coming right up.”

Dave walked away and we waited for our food. In order to pass the time, I decided to chat with Vey.

“Why didn’t you want the kid's meal? I’m sure you would’ve liked it.”

“Please don’t patronize me Sir Savoncho. I’ll have you know I’m officially turning fourteen in another month.”

“Okay. But fourteen is pretty young. You still look like a kid to me.”

Hearing that, Vey glared at me angrily.

Not sure what else to say in this situation, I let out a sigh and rested my hand on my chin while looking up at the ceiling.

A few minutes later, our meals arrived.

“Er…What’s this Sir Savoncho?”

Not hearing Vey’s question, I licked my lips as I stared at the food in front of me.

“Alright! Time to dig in!”

Picking the food up, I immediately took a bite. It tasted heavenly.

After swallowing, I glanced at Vey.

“What?”

“You didn’t answer when I asked this, but what is the thing in front of me?”

I gave her a look of confusion.

“It’s a cheeseburger. Have you never had one before?”

That’s right. The thing I was eating was a delicious cheeseburger.

While there were stalls for burgers around town, none of them tasted as good as the ones at this place.

Now, I don’t know how this fantasy world was able to make things like burgers, but I figured I’d just leave it up to video game logic and moved on.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

In response to my question, Vey shook her head.

I put down my burger.

“These things are delicious. Plus, there doesn’t need to be any table etiquette while eating them, talk about a winning formula!”

“Er…I see.”

I tried to convince Vey it was tasty, but she still looked hesitant.

Sighing, I picked my burger back up and took another bite as Dave put some cups of water on our table.

“Thanks, Dave.”

He smiled and walked away.

I grabbed the cup and chugged down some water before returning to my burger. All the while, Vey just watched me awkwardly. Causing me to let out another sigh.

“Well don’t just sit there. Eat up.”

“Uh…Right.”

With slight hesitation, Vey picked up the burger with her hands and took a bite.

It looked like stars immediately formed in her eyes as she chowed down the rest of the burger almost instantly before drinking her cup of water in one gulp.

After that, she let out a burp and relaxed for a moment. However, once she saw I was watching her, she tensed up before blushing in embarrassment.

“Um…My apologies Sir Savoncho. I just…wasn’t expecting it to taste that good.”

I couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

“It’s cool. Just glad to see you enjoyed it.”

Once I finished up my own burger, I said goodbye to Dave and handed him the money for a meal before leaving with Vey close behind.

We wandered around a bit before stepping into another shop where I picked up some new equipment for class.

As funny as it sounds, this school does require you to bring your own pencils and paper. And since my pencils were pretty much done, I figured it was about time to buy some new ones. Strangely enough, things like pencil sharpeners and erasers exist in this world. Even before coming to this school, I never saw anyone writing with the iconic medieval ink and quill like in most fantasy stories.

Once I was done picking up everything, Vey and I left the store. However, we immediately stopped in our tracks when we saw some people in front of us.

Standing three was none other than Dianne and Xara.

They stared back at us in silence as an awkward mood settled over the four of us. At least, that’s how I viewed it. But not really caring about that, I turned to Xara.

“Hey, Xara. I gotta say, I never expected to see you out here with Dianne.”

Hearing that, Xara spoke up quietly.

“Er…Yeah. Since we were first introduced to each other a while back, we’ve stayed in contact with one another.”

“Really? When did you two meet?”

Dianne gave me a confused look.

“Do you not remember? You introduced us to each other back when our classes had to merge for a period.”

“I did?”

Thinking back on it, I vaguely remember doing that. But I tend to forget about things I deem unimportant. Maybe I should work on that.

While I thought about that, Dianne turned to Vey who was watching us nervously.

“Hm? Pardon my asking, but is that your squire Axel?”

Snapping out of my thoughts, I nodded.

“Yeah. I guess you haven’t met her yet.”

Moving Dianne and Vey in front of each other, I introduced them.

“Vey, this is my classmate Dianne Riosha. She’s actually quite a nice person so you don’t have to be nervous around her.”

Dianne gave me a pouting look.

“I’m not just your classmate. I’m your friend. Don’t act like I’m just some stranger you’re acquainted with.”

“Er…Yeah. You’re right.”

I forgot how serious she was about this whole friend thing.

“Well moving past that, this is Vey. As you guessed, she’s the squire assigned to me.”

Vey quickly bowed to Dianne.

“Um…My name’s Vey Riyon! It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance!”

Dianne seemed taken aback for a moment by how loudly Vey introduced herself before chuckling lightly.

“The pleasures all mine Miss Riyon.”

The two then proceeded to talk with one another while I moved off to the side and stood next to Xara.

“Uh…Soooo…How’ve you been?”

Not exactly sure how to speak with her, I just looked at the sky while using the best conversation starter I could think of.

“I’ve been doing fine.”

“Really? Well, that’s good to hear.”

Having that conversation end so quickly, we found ourselves entering an uncomfortable silence.

“Geez. Would you two just talk already!? Seeing you two fumble is so boring!”

Hearing Nia’s voice in my ear, I really wanted to give her a chop to the head for saying that. I’ll save it as a mental note for later.

“Y’know, it’s actually kind of funny.”

“Hm?”

Hearing that, I turned to Xara with a look of confusion.

“It’s just…I feel like we keep ending up in scenarios like this. Where despite not intending to, we keep meeting up with one another. It’s like something keeps drawing us towards the other.”

Knowing this was a world based off a game, I figured it was probably due to the luck of the game. Meaning that since she interacted with me so much, we somehow constantly ended up hanging around one another. Stuff like this happened all the time to the MC when I was playing through the game after all. But I'd rather not think of it like that.

“That is strange. Guess it's best to just blame it on coincidence.”

“I guess.”

The two of us went back to standing there awkwardly before Dianne turned to us.

“Say, since we’re already together, why don’t you and Miss Riyon tag along?”

Xara glanced over at me with an uncertain look in her eye.

She seemed unsure about the whole idea, but I figured it couldn’t hurt, so I nodded my head.

“If you don't mind. Sure.”

Xara went wide-eyed at my response. Ignoring her surprise, I turned to Vey.

“That good with you?”

Vey nodded.

“I’ll follow you wherever you go Sir Savoncho.”

Having her confirmation, we officially joined up as a group.

While we were walking through town, Xara gave me an uncomfortable glare. Almost as if saying “Why did you say yes!?”

Personally, I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. Especially since I knew that me and her needed to break the ice eventually. Besides, I was pretty much done with what I needed to do today so I had plenty of free time.

Weirdly enough, Dianne seemed to be getting along with Vey quite well. The two were chatting ahead of us and didn’t even take notice of the holes Xara was drilling into my head with her eyes.

“Would you stop staring at me like that? It’s getting kind of annoying.”

Hearing that, Xara quickly averted her eyes toward the ground.

“Why’d you have to say that in such a mean way?”

“Because you wouldn’t have done so otherwise. Even if we’ve only known each other for a couple of months, I know how stubborn of a person you can be.”

After hearing that, I saw Xara blush in embarrassment.

We continued walking in silence until Dianne and Vey stopped in front of us.

“We’re here,” Dianne said as she turned around and looked at us with a smile.

Looking in front of us, I saw that we appeared to be standing in front of some sort of museum. It looked familiar for some reason.

“Say, isn’t that the place you and me went during that da-?”

“Well if we’re here, we might as well go inside!”

Not letting me finish my question, Xara dashed past me.

I’d finally remembered why this place looked familiar. This was the museum, Xara and I went to during our date in town.

She probably realized that too, which was why she wanted to move things along.

If that was the case, I guess I should respect her choice.

So, without much thought, the rest of us followed Xara inside.

“So why did you guys decide to go to the museum?” I asked Dianne.

“Well you see, I wanted to check something out. It actually has something to do with that book you’re always reading.”

“Really?”

I pulled out my grimoire.

“You’re referring to this, right?”

Dianne nodded.

“Whenever I look at it, the design reminds me of first magic. So I decided to look at some old pictures of circles used for first magic.

“First magic?”

What was that? I’d never heard of it before.

Instead of responding to my look of confusion, Dianne guided me and the others towards a section of the museum labeled as “The World of Magic's Beginning” and dragged me over to a set of photos with strange patterns on them.

“Back when magic was first being developed, there were certain spells that even the first wizard struggled to fully control. Since these spells were so powerful, they were restricted from ever being taught to future generations. Instead, every generation after the first was taught a lesser version of the same spells. Ones with way less power to them.”

“Interesting.”

“Thanks to this, the spells of the past are labeled as ‘first magic’ and are only taught to those with enough magic power to wield them. In short, less than zero point five percent of the world's population.”

“I see. But what do those spells have to do with my grimoire?”

Dianne pointed to one of the pictures. There wasn’t any color, but the pattern was clear as day.

“When I looked at your book, I noticed the patterns seemed kind of familiar. And this is why. It has patterns that are almost completely identical to this magic circle pattern.”

I glanced at the photo and then at my grimoire. Repeating this action a few more times, I realized she was right.

“So what? Do you think they’re connected in some way or something? Maybe the author just liked this pattern and copied it for their book.”

Dianne shook her head.

“Not possible. These designs are so intricate, that the only way someone could possibly copy them is by making sure to put in every little detail. It’s why museums aren't blocked from showing these circles. Even if someone tried to replicate them and use first magic, it’d be impossible without spending several months just trying to match it detail to detail. And even if they did, the spell would just blow up on them since these spells require an enormous amount of magic power.”

“Is that so?”

I looked down at my grimoire before returning my attention to the picture.

“So what spell is that anyway?”

“It’s the spell of growth. Kind of like an evolutionary spell that can affect things such as plant life. Apparently, the spell had so much power, it could literally grow entire forests in a matter of seconds.”

“Holy crap.”

That sounded insane. Did the game always have spells this crazy? I honestly don’t remember.

Finding this to be a rather interesting topic, I continued talking with Dianne about various other spells created using first magic.

While Axel and Dianne were talking, Xara and Vey watched from nearby.

Xara glared at the two of them.

“Those two get along too well.”

“Er…Yes. I suppose they do.”

Not sure how to talk with Xara, Vey stood there awkwardly. She figured there would be a few people in Sir Savoncho’s life, but so far she’d only seen him meet with women. She almost began to question if he was a womanizer or something.

As the two continued standing there and watching, Vey decided to start a conversation.

“I’m curious Miss…um…”

“Oh. I guess we didn’t introduce ourselves to each other. My name’s Xara Femashito.”

“I see. Well Miss Femashito, I was somewhat curious about your relationship with Sir Savoncho. During my conversation with Miss Riosha, you two seemed to be rather uncomfortable around each other.”

When asked about her and Axel’s relationship, Xara couldn’t help but scratch the back of her head.

“Er…Well, it’s…a bit complicated.”

Xara turned away awkwardly.

“Are you perhaps his ex-girlfriend?”

“I wish I’d gotten far enough to at least be close to that...”

“Hm?”

Giving her a look of confusion, Vey could swear she heard Xara mutter “...then that’d mean I’d have at least been his girlfriend at one point.”

“Miss Femashito?”

“Hm? Oh! It’s nothing!”

Xara took a few awkward steps back.

Clearing her throat, Xara took a moment to think.

“Well moving past that, how come you decided to choose Axel as the one you wanted to serve during your days as a squire? I’m sure there were plenty of better options.”

Vey shook her head.

“I wanted it to be him. After all, I owe him my life.”

“Owe him your life?”

Vey nodded before beginning to talk about what happened to her when she was young.

“I see. That makes sense. So that’s why you wanted to be Axel’s squire.”

Vey turned to look at Axel who was still talking with Dianne.

“I know it may sound weird. Especially since he doesn’t even seem to remember saving me, but ever since then, I’ve wanted to return the favor in some way. And since this opportunity was given to me, I figured it’d be best to grab hold of it while I could. Before it slipped away.”

“Wow. That’s quite a mature way to look at it.”

Xara was amazed at Vey’s determination when it came to repaying what she owed.

“Plus…”

“Hm?”

Despite talking with Xara normally this whole time, the next words that left Vey’s mouth made her sound like she was off in her own small little world.

“...If I could make him rely on me for everything for the rest of his life, I couldn’t be happier.”

“Huh!?”

Xara took a step back when she heard those words as goosebumps started forming on her skin.

Moments later, however, Vey went back to normal.

“But let’s save those thoughts for the future. For now, I’ll just enjoy what I have.”

“I-I see…”

Still not sure what that was, Xara continued chatting with Vey for a few more minutes before Axel called out to them and the group left the museum.

“Say, are you competing in the Hunter Games Miss Femashito?” Vey asked curiously.

“Hm? Yes. I am. I agreed to do it with one of my friends.”

“Really? Who?” I asked.

“I’ll be teaming with Riko.”

“That so? Does that mean you're finally up to talking with him again?”

Xara hesitantly shook her head.

“I’m not entirely ready to deal with him, but I figured since it’s been almost a month since we last spoke properly, this would be a good chance for the two of us to be friends again.”

Hearing that, I thought back to the school trip that happened a little over a month ago.

During the trip, Xara was dealing with a curse that messed with her emotions. Since she was using Riko as a crutch, she wasn’t able to think straight when she saw him hanging out so happily with another girl and she turned into a monster ready to kill. Thankfully, I was able to stop her before that happened.

However, the whole thing created a gap between her and Riko. And if what she just said was true, then they still hadn’t patched things up.

“What about you Dianne? Will you be participating?” Xara asks.

“Yes. Actually, I’ve already signed up with my partner.”

“Really? Who is it?”

Dianne pointed over to me.

“It’s Savoncho.”

“...Huh?”

Xara immediately froze on the spot.

I rubbed my eyes. Crap. This was gonna be awkward.

“Axel…you never said you’d be competing. Tell me, what did you do to make this woman team with you?”

As Xara asked this, there was a dark aura emanating from her body.

“Great. She’s acting like a jealous anime girl. I never would’ve imagined finding myself in one of these situations.” I muttered. More frustrated than scared of the situation.

“Actually, I was the one who asked him to join me,” Dianne clarified.

Maybe it was my imagination since I watched too many harem anime, but I swore I could see flames behind Xara’s back when she heard that. She had quite an intimidating aura about her.

“Really? Is that it? Does that mean you’ll accept requests from any pretty girl who asks? What do you have to say for yourself Ax-Ow!”

I gave Xara a chop to the head.

She took a few steps back with tears in her eyes.

“What’d you do that for!?”

I let out a sigh.

“Just stop it Xara. Acting jealous of someone is only going to hurt you in the long wrong.”

“That doesn’t explain why you hit me!”

“Sometimes it’s best to take in someone's words and process them in a more positive way. Otherwise, you’ll just get yourself hurt.”

“I understand that. But why’d you hit!?”

“So instead, try to process what you heard and-”

“Why did you hit m-!?”

“Because you were being stupid you idiot!”

I massaged my temples.

“You're acting like her being my partner for the hunt means something more than it is. We’re just teaming up. Simple as that. Nothing more and nothing less. Right, Dianne?”

“Um…Yes. That’s correct.”

“See? So before you go all gorilla mode, try to understand those around you and think before jumping to conclusions.”

With that, I figured it was about time to go.

“Thanks for inviting me and Vey to join you guys Dianne. Anyway, I’ve gotta get back now so see you guys later.”

“Uh…Thank you for having us! Goodbye!”

With a bow, Vey followed behind me and we left the other two behind. Dianne waved us goodbye with a smile, while Xara was staring at the ground muttering something to herself about her head hurting.

We arrived back at the dorms right before it got dark.

Once I was done getting a shower, I tucked myself into bed and closed my eyes. As weird as today’s events were, they were the least of my focus. And that was because all my thoughts were being directed toward the upcoming scavenger hunt. After all, as far as it seemed, it would be here before I knew it.