Once we returned to the kingdom where our school was located, I presented my findings to a merchant who specialized in selling jewelry.
Like the MC had said, the Froya crystals sold for quite a bit and I managed to make enough money to last me at least five or six years if I used it wisely.
Add that on to the compensation money I received from the Acantha family to make up for their daughter's actions against me and this makes me probably the richest I’ve ever been.
As Xara and the MC gave over their own crystals, the merchant was clearly surprised by how much we had found.
However, none of that compared to when I showed him that stone we found at the end of the dungeon.
His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as he examined the stone before offering me a hundred Platnm for it. To Quickly explain it, a single Platnm is equivalent to a thousand U.S. dollars. If you do the math, this man had just offered to buy this stone off me for around a hundred thousand dollars. The most anyone's ever offered for something I was selling.
Not giving him time to reconsider, I agreed to the price and he handed me the Platnm coins before taking the stone and putting it away with the crystals.
Thanking us for doing business with him, the man began walking off with a spring in his step as he guided the horse that was drawing his carriage, as well as the crystals and that stone, off into the distance.
Once everything was said and done, the three of us went to my island.
“Welcome back Master,” said a floating cube as it approached me.
“Thanks, Sirin. If you could, please open up the vault for me, I got some money I need to put in there.”
“Right away Sir.”
I don’t think I need to mention this, but Sirin was the computer AI that ran my island.
I don’t know how such high-tech machinery found its way into what’s supposed to be a medieval world, but as long as she helped me maintain this island, I didn’t care.
Keeping hold of their own earnings, Xara and the MC began making their way toward my mansion while I went to drop off my money in the vault I previously mentioned.
As I was doing that, a person appeared next to me out of thin air.
“Greetings Master,” said Nia with a smile.
“Finally able to talk again huh? Are you still not gonna explain to me why you suddenly go silent whenever we go into dungeons?”
“I’m…afraid I still can’t answer that.”
“Figures.”
Having finished putting the money in my vault, I began making my way to my mansion while Nia, the previously mentioned spirit in the grimoire in her human form, walked next to me with a smile on her face.
“You seem happy.”
“I’m always happy when I’m with you Master.”
“I see.”
I don’t know why, but Nia’s been quite friendly with me for a while. Weird considering the weird interactions we had when we first met.
But moving past that, right before the house came into view, Nia vanished back into the grimoire and I used wind magic to fly the rest of the way back since my legs were getting tired.
As I flew back, I thought about everything I’d been through over the last few years.
“I wonder how the past me would react if he saw me now,” I pondered to myself.
“Was your past self different Master?” Nia asked me telepathically.
“Completely. He came to that school dreaming of nothing but being a harem king. The old me was a total idiot.”
“Sounds like you really don’t like your old self.”
I let out a laugh.
“Yeah. I really don’t.”
When I’d made it back to the mansion, I gave the MC and Xara some tea when Xara decided to start up a conversation.
“Say, isn’t school starting up again soon?”
“Yeah. It’s kinda crazy. It only feels like yesterday when the break started," I responded.
That’s right. The break was almost over. And pretty soon, all three of us would be second years.
“Speaking of which, have you two already got your new uniforms?” I asked.
Xara and the MC nodded.
“Yep. Although to be honest, I still can’t believe the break is already over,” said Xara.
“I know what you mean.”
The summer really has been quite eventful. At least when it came to small things. Nothing major happened, but several small things occurred that kept this break interesting.
Like the time Xara and I had to fight a robot who went crazy, or when Dianne invited me out to the entertainment empire, as well as other things as well. But again, they weren’t that big. Nothing worth writing home about.
Trying to take another sip of her tea, Xara lost her grip on the cup handle.
“Wah!”
The tea spilled over her clothes.
“Are you okay Xara!?” shouted the MC in a concerned tone.
“Yeah. Just got a little stain on my clothes is all.”
Not moving from my seat, I whispered some orders to Sirin who I could hear flying off to complete what I’d asked.
“Even if it’s a little stain, you should change clothes. We don’t need your parents getting angry at me for letting you walk around with stained clothes,” I said. To which Xara let out an awkward chuckle.
“You might be right. Alright then, I’ll be back in a bit.”
Getting up from her seat, Xara left the MC and me to ourselves.
“I still hate you,” said the MC.
“Geez. Blunt much.”
Sipping on my tea, I struggled to come up with anything to talk about with this guy.
“Even so, you’re Xara’s current boyfriend. If I’m gonna try to win her back, I’ll need to make sure you don’t try anything by keeping an eye on you. Even if I hate it.”
I sighed.
“What kind of bullshit are you sputtering?”
“You’ve already ruined all my plans with both Xara and Dianne. So even if it takes the entire time I’m at that school, I’ll win back over Xara no matter what it takes.”
“Since when did I ruin your plans with Dianne?”
Wasn’t she still into him? Or did something happen?
“And besides that, aren’t there still three other girls to choose from?”
That’s right. Even if you exclude Xara and Dianne, there was still Talia, Haiko, and Kimichi.
I may have met the three of them, but I’ve barely interacted with any of the three. Not to mention I’m not on very good terms with Tailia after our first meeting. Even if the two of us hung out more, I highly doubt we’d get close enough for anything. And since I don’t plan to interact with the other two either, it should be easy for the MC to win any of them over without issue…as long as he thinks of them as more than just love interests.
“But I’ve…barely interacted with them…” responded the MC.
“Hm?”
Did I hear that right?
“What did you just say?”
“I’ve…barely talked with them at all.”
Deciding to add some drama to my reaction, I took a sip from my tea before spitting it out.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me!? If you’ve actually been following the same story as the MC, you should’ve met and hung out with them plenty of times!”
The MC glared at me.
“You think I haven’t been following everything to a T!? You’re the one who’s been throwing the whole story out of balance! Had you never interfered, things would’ve played out as they were meant to!”
“Oh, so it’s my fault!?”
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
“Of course, it’s your fault!”
Rubbing my eyes, I let out a frustrated sigh.
The MC’s love life didn’t bother me that much, but if this world followed the same concepts as the game, then the girl's stories were all playing out simultaneously.
If that’s the case, then the MC had to at least hang out with them enough that he could alter their stories. If what he just said was true, then that means things are probably gonna go even more off-script than it already had.
“So…you said you’ve barely interacted with them. Does that mean you’ve at least met them?”
The MC nodded.
“I met Kimichi during the trip event like normal, but thanks to the stuff with Xara, I never had the time to go to her other events. And even though Talia met me at the same spot as she did in the original game, she didn’t have the same thought process as she did before.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve played the games right?”
“Yeah. The first one.”
“Well, you know how when you first meet Talia and she’s surprised by your rather girly face?”
“Yeah,” I said with a nod.
It’s one of the only reasons she interacts with the MC. As shallow as it is, that’s probably the only excuse the writers could come up with.
“Normally, when she sees your girly face, she thinks of you a lot more kindly than the other guys and even considers becoming friends with you. However, this time, she just looked at me with disgust. Even after she saw my face.”
“That so?”
Strange. The MC’s face still looked quite girly and I highly doubt the dude who reincarnated into the MC’s body made any massive changes that would alter her perception of him. So it’s weird that she doesn’t like him that much.
“What about Haiko?”
The MC tried thinking back for a moment.
“Well when I met her for the first time, it was the day right before the end of the break when she asked me a weird question.”
“You mean you didn’t meet her during the Hunter Games event?”
The MC shook his head.
“Thanks to you taking my spot in class, I wasn’t able to follow the same path as before.”
“Why not?”
“You said you played, right? Then you should remember that Dianne was the reason you even met Haiko in the first place as she had an item you were looking for on your list.”
Oh yeah. Honestly, it’s been kinda hard to remember how the whole game played out with how long it’s been since I last played. I was bound to forget something here or there.
“So you met her at a different time?”
“Yes. As I mentioned before, I met her the day before the break started when she asked me a strange question.”
“What was the question?”
“Hmm…I don’t really remember. I think it had something to do with puppies and rain.”
Puppies and rain? That sounded familiar for some reason.
But moving past that for now, I got up from my seat and was about to leave when the MC glanced down at my waist.
“Say, isn’t that my grimiore?”
I glared at him.
“What do you mean your grimoire?’”
“I mean exactly what I say. That grimoire’s supposed to belong to me.”
Annoyed by his words, I sighed before beginning to leave.
“Hey! Don’t start ignoring me!”
Not letting him get in another word, I shot a ball of water under his chair which caused it to flip and he slammed into the ground.
Letting out a groan of pain, he rubbed his head as I vanished from his sight.
On the roof of the mansion, I looked out at the dark sky. I hadn’t even noticed how late it’d gotten.
Appearing next to me, Nia gave me a concerned look.
“Say, is what that guy said, true Master?”
“Hm?”
“It’s just, back when I was sealed away, I was told the one who’d retrieve me would be a boy that looked quite similar to the way that Riko guy looked.”
Thinking it over for a second, I shrugged and then petted Nia’s head to ease her concerns.
“Even if that’s what you were told, as things are now, you belong to me. I took the grimoire into my possession, and I fully intend to hold onto it for the rest of my life. And you along with it.”
“So you aren’t considering giving me over to that other guy?”
“Not even a little bit.”
For some reason, that made Nia smile.
Honestly, there had been a time I’d actually considered it.
But after everything that’s happened, I knew it’d be impossible for me to live a life in this world without Nia and my grimoire.
And considering how much I hate the MC, there’s no way in hell I’d hand Nia over to him at this point.
Nia and I continued talking for a few minutes before she vanished back into the grimiore just in time to avoid being spotted by Xara who flew up next to me.
“So this is where you were. Once I got back from changing, Riko was lying on the ground and you were nowhere to be seen. What happened?”
“Nothing really. He just said something that pissed me off.”
“That…sounds like something Riko would do.”
Considering she knew him better than most, that was really saying something.
The two of us laid down on our backs as we looked out at the star-filled sky in silence.
“Say, remember the time we had our first night together?”
That’s a weird thing to bring up.
“Yeah. What about it?”
Xara chuckled.
“I was just remembering how serious you were throughout the whole thing. It made me happy to see you so dedicated to it all.
I turned away in embarrassment.
“How could I not? Any guy would who isn't an asshole would want to make his girlfriend happy.”
“That so? And would any guy who saw me naked next to him the next morning grow a tent?”
“Of course!”
This was so embarrassing. I didn’t want to be reminded of it.
“And then there’s what I did afterward.”
Xara licked her lips and I sat up while trying to keep myself in check.
“Could you please explain why you brought this up?”
“Hm? No reason. Just teasing you.”
Feeling my face grow hotter by the minute, I cleared my throat and stood up.
“I…I’m going to bed!”
Jumping off the roof, I was stopped by some wind magic right before hitting the ground and rushed into the building to hide what was starting to perk up. All the while, I could picture Xara giggling to herself. Something about that thought was both irritating and adorable at the same time.
With the school year coming to an end, I resided inside the student council and was currently looking at the papers of two students I’d been keeping my eyes on.
One was Axel Savoncho who I’d heard many amazing feats about and even witnessed some firsthand.
His grades were also quite good despite his teacher constantly reporting how little he actually listened in class.
From what I’ve seen, he always speaks for himself and never lets others mess with him. While not a bad trait, several issues could arise because of such an attitude. Such as creative differences.
I had, at a time, considered him worthy enough to join the student council as its treasurer, but after watching his rematch against Riko Toyazoto, I’ve thought of a much more fitting role for him.
The other student I was keeping my eye on was the previously mentioned Riko Toyazoto.
While he isn’t unique in any aspect, both his physical as well as magical abilities are much stronger than your average student.
He may not outshine others in any regard, but I had a feeling he was someone I should keep around.
Thus, I signed the paperwork necessary for both Savoncho and Toyazoto before handing them off to the student council vice president. And before I knew it, the remainder of the school year was brought to a close. And
On the last day before break, I found Riko Toyazoto walking in the halls and decided to ask him the same question I’d always asked when studying interesting people.
You’re Riko Toyazoto, correct?”
“Hm? Oh. Yes. What is it you need of me President Haiko.”
Apparently, he already knew who I was. Well, considering my position, it wasn't that surprising.
“I was wondering if you would be willing to answer a question for me.”
“A question?”
“Yes.”
“Um…Sure.”
“Thank you. I was just curious. If you saw a puppy lying out in the rain, what would you do?”
“What would I do if I saw a puppy out in the rain?”
“That’s correct.”
Putting his hand to his chin, Toyazoto seemed to be thinking about his answer before finally responding.
“I’d take it in and care for it until I could find someone willing to take it in.”
“Really? And why wouldn’t you just keep it?”
Toyazoto scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.
“Honestly, I’ve never really seen myself as responsible enough to care for animals. I mean, there’s a cat at my dorm, but usually, the other people who live there take care of it. Even if I wanted to take care of an animal, I just couldn’t see myself doing it alone. Because of that, I’d prefer to just care for the animal until someone more qualified comes along rather than trying to raise one myself until the very end. I don’t know if that makes much sense or not.”
How interesting.
“I see. Thank you. I’d best be going now. I appreciate you taking the time to answer my question.”
“Er…Yeah. No problem.”
With that, I left Toyazoto behind.
The next day, right before it was time for me to give my final speech before the break, I spotted Axel Savoncho among the students making his way toward the auditorium where I was meant to be giving my speech and decided to walk up to him and ask him the same question.
“That’s a weird question.”
“Is it? I see. Please still answer it.”
Unlike Toyazoto, Savoncho didn’t seem to think about who I was. I couldn’t tell if it was because he had no idea or if he didn’t care, but he kept a relaxed simple tone.
After thinking about it for a moment, he responded.
“I guess…I’d see if anyone’s willing to take it in.”
Intriguing.
“And if no one does?”
“Then I’d just leave it off somewhere that someone else is bound to find it.”
Really? I wasn’t expecting that answer.
“You wouldn’t take it in yourself?”
“Nah. I’m not softhearted enough to raise an animal.”
Slightly taken aback by his answer, I quickly collected my thoughts.
“I see. Thank you for answering my question.”
“Sure. No problem.”
What a fascinating individual.
To quickly explain, this question was something I came up with that would let me read people both through facial expressions as well as vocal answers.
For example, say you’d be willing to take in the puppy. However, while you’re saying so, you avert your eyes. That tells me you don’t actually mean it.
When discussing the question with Toyazoto, he gave me a sincere look and clearly meant every word.
However, as I heard Savoncho’s response, I struggled to get a read on his expression. He didn’t avert his eyes, but his words sounded like they were both shallow and sincere at the same time. Like he was conflicting with his own thoughts.
Even after I left him in order to make it to the auditorium on time, that expression he made still remained stuck in my head. There was just something about it that I couldn’t get a read on.
Even now, I struggle to get an understanding of it.
Nonetheless, I had made my final decision and was ready to see what would become of it.
Even if it means going against my best friend's wishes, I planned to see this through to the end.