I'm in a half-awake state as I sleep while having my [Dormurnal]-skill active. I can hear and smell like usual, yet everything is coming into my mind as if it needs to go through some kind of pillow. Every impression I get is somewhat muffled, yet I can decide to wake up any time. If I don't, then these thoughts are forgotten until I open my eyes.
Next to me is a soft breathing, it's just Kyou-san. That thought escapes my mind. The spitting of fire, we have a campfire, so no need to wake up. Mind blanked. A voice, “Then, I don't know, I feel like... bad.” It's Rine, nothing of importance, mentally pushed aside.
“Why do you feel bad?” Another voice, Ara'ainn. Just conversing during nightwatch, thought goes away.
“I don't know. Kenta said that I should think about it but how can I think about it? I mean, it's a feeling.” My name was mentioned, yet it's nothing that endangers me in any way, it has time until tomorrow.
“I certainly can empathize with this, though it's the reverse for me.”
“The reverse?”
“Yes. Despite having many thoughts, I don't know what I feel.”
“Describe it.”
“I can't. Maybe it's anxiousness, maybe it's unrest, maybe it's just annoyance of not knowing about something important that affects me. I can find many words, yet the feeling would just be... heavy?”
“Ah, I see.”
Nothing of it has to do with me. Conversation log deleted.
“So I have a suggestion. You know how you feel, but can't describe your thoughts. I know how to describe my thoughts but not how I feel. Let's form an alliance to ascertain what both of us seek.”
“Yes, an alliance!”
I wake up, first sitting up while opening my eyes in disbelief. “What!?”
You gain 1 WP. Sleeping next to your wife gives security, even in anxious times.
Suddenly, everything hammers into my brain, the whole conversation. For some reason, Rine decided to ask Ara-san about her feelings and then it turned out that... why did I wake up!?
“Kenta-kun, Katarine-san and I have decided to work together.” OK, now I know why I woke up, because that summary gives me shivers! It's a horror scenario!
“If we work together, we'll be able to figure things out!” Please no, combining two idiots won't produce any smart result! It's like hoping that if you combine hydrochloric acid and nitric acid, you will get a less aggressive product. It won't, it will give you aqua regia instead, capable of dissolving even gold or platinum!
So if we take two people lacking any sort of common sense, the one powerful enough to force herself through any problem, the other one intelligent yet lacking any self-control, it might come to a team that's totally capable of defying reality itself!
While I try my best to form the words to tell them what a bad idea it would be for them to work together, Rine is asking Ara-san carefully: “May I hug you?”
“I would prefer it if you would not. Usually, it ends up with me being smothered by your breasts while your arms press the air out of my lungs.”
“Then we can do what you do with Kenta, putting our hands above each other's heart.”
“We can do that, yet I have doubts how effective it will be, seeing how your heart is hidden behind all that blubber.”
“Let's try it out!”
… … you know what? It was stupid of me to bother about that. It's not like the two of them are that compatible in the first place. Other than Kyou-san, Ara-san isn't the type to console Rine enough that she will stop questioning herself, while Rine is too goodhearted to fall victim to Ara-san's very tempting offers, unlike myself.
“Phew...” I guess it’s about half an hour before we switch nightwatch-shifts. I'm wide awake, so instead of forcing myself to sleep, I decide to leave the half-open tent Kyou-san and I are sleeping in, sit by the fire, and think about stuff while tending to it. One of the few things I learned to enjoy in this world.
My plans for the journey in this world used to be straight-forward. Grind until I get enough levels, then to get the best equipment I could buy, finally taking on the demon king. There was no party involved, no one I needed to rely on. Now everything is different.
...I hate it.
Still, I need to keep going. I look at the ring on my left hand, the well-known lion face stares at me. I know that my thoughts will just cycle again, as I have thought about it much, yet I can't help but ask myself who made this ring and for what purpose. Does it still fulfill its purpose or was it cursed and is now working differently?
In the end, it does what it does very inefficiently. It has wed me to three girls, it has a wonky system that occasionally adds something without updating or fixing the rest. It just feels so incomplete. Like too many RPGs nowadays, it's like they bring out a half-finished product, let the fanbase beta-test their crap and then they'll fix it via patches! Hey game-makers, we want to buy games, not test-versions!
“...phew...” Not that I'm in a position to complain anymore. I need to get through this fantasy world first. I really, really have the urge to play a game. I feel like starving! Also, I will feel nothing but regret when I'm back home, as I'm sure that I'll have forgotten basically everything about the game I was playing. I had passed the three-quarter mark of its story, I think. It's just inhuman to have kidnapped me into this world for—what, half a year already?
By the way, the new alliance is trying to ascertain Rine's feelings. “Then it feels like my heart is dropping a bit while sending some hot and cold waves through my chest that stops at my navel.”
“Worry? Anxiousness? Envy? Happiness? Sexual desire? A heart disease?” Ara-san is just wildly guessing... this is stupid.
“That's not really it. How can I describe it? Kenta, how would you describe that?”
“Hey, why is it that, whenever you talk about something stupid, you always include me!?”
“Hn?” Rine cocks her head, she's away from her sullen mood again, acting like always. Then it hammers into her that I asked her to figure out what I would like to want. “Ah, so you don't want to?”
“Obviously?”
“Kenta-kun,” Ara-san says in her usual calm demeanor which belies everything that might go on in her mind, “as I believe that you are feeling irritated, could you describe that feeling in words?”
...she's enjoying it! She's so enjoying it!
“Phew...” Breathe in, breathe out. This is why I had that bad feeling about their 'alliance', because subconsciously I already knew that I would be the one who suffers. “Ara-san, even if you knew how I feel, I believe that humans and alfar feel emotions differently in the first place.” Actually, seeing how Ara-san acts, I have the feeling that she usually feels less than the rest of us, though she has some extremes here and there. Like fun and curiosity. “Rine, do I come across as someone who likes to talk about crap like that?”
Suddenly, Rine jumps on her feet: Erm, did I say something wrong? She looks angry. “My feelings aren't crap!” She has tears in the corners of her eyes and she looks really hurt.
...OK, now I feel bad. “I- sorry. I didn't mean that.” I really didn't. Dammit, this is the Rine-effect, since meeting her, I somehow feel more... upright? Nah, bad word. More like... less... OK, now I totally get how difficult it can be to describe feelings. It's like a fist is wandering up my throat while I feel uneasy at my chest with the head cold. It's different from guilt, yet very similar.
Despite my remorse, Rine looks like she's fuming. I glance at Ara-san who looks me into the eyes. I try to send her a message 'Do something!'
She stares back with an empty look, then her ears twitch slightly. “Katarine-san, are you angry?” She doesn't understand anything! She's totally oblivious!
“Yes! I'm furious!”
Ara-san's ears are lowering, a sign of approval: “Then we have at least one of your emotions named.” This doesn't help at all!
This is one of the moments I realize that having Kyou-san in this party is a blessing, she's always able to calm Rine down! Yet she's still sleeping in the tent. At this point some noise won't wake her up as it's always kinda noisy.
Usually, I would try to somehow please Rine, yet this rubs me wrong here. Especially considering that my long-term goal is to release her from her hidden selfishness. Still, I can't help but remember around a hundred ways she already hurt me before.
Rine goes inside her own tent and sits down, drinking some water from her skin. Then she stares at me with her angry eyes, they're always blazing though now they look like they want to incinerate me.
“Phew...” I rub my head, trying to figure out what to say. I have to be honest, I'm also pretty selfish, so I can't relate well to other people. Yet there is a difference between Rine and myself. Rine believes in her world-view and assumes that people do the roles she has chosen for them. I'm just not interested in other people. There is exactly one friend I have in this world and it's Ara-san... why do I feel so much self-pity right now?
The person in question rotates her ears once, yawns, and then asks: “Katarine-san, do you want to sleep?” Ah, because while we're similar in many ways, she's wasting her intellect on being an alfr. Well, I shouldn't be that hard on her...
In a sense, we're all sad people in this party. At least looking from an outside perspective. I don't mind being a loner, after all, but being put into that all-girl party is grinding my nerves, my self-control, and my sanity.
Of course, hearing Ara-san's question made Rine pout even more. Guess I have to use everything I know about consoling. Won't take long. I go up to Rine and repeat what I said before: “Sorry Rine, I didn't mean to say that your feelings are crap. It's just... well---you know... erm... I'm really bad at that, but I was just...” Why didn't I pay attention when I-messages were discussed? “I'm not good with the emotion-department, so I felt kinda out of place the moment you asked me.” OK, now I feel embarrassed.
Yet this seems to improve her mood, she has a knowing smile. I guess she remembers our talk about me being not as great as she thinks. “Kenta!” I see how she's about to hug me, most likely with enough force to break a rib or two. Yet I let it happen, I guess this is my punishment. “Apology acce-” “Hrrgh!” “Kenta!?”
In a fraction of a moment I had three very different emotions: First, relief as receiving this punishment has cleared away my embarrassment and guilt. Second, the agonizing pain and discomfort from being trapped by a girl who is really, really rough. Third, her two mounts that press through her leather armor, I feel almost nothing but the springiness and the hard part of the armor, yet it gives me a good idea of what lies below.
This combination makes me groan, this causes Rine to let me go.
You gain 1 WP. A heartfelt hug after reconciling with each other deepens your relationship and will give you joy and energy to face the next day.
Except that I feel pain and mental strain. I touch my rib-cage, making sure that nothing is broken while Rine has that complicated look on her face. “I- I'm sorry, Kenta.”
Awkward. “Phew... don't mind.” It's not like I did any attempt to avoid this, I also deserved a little pain. Not that I'll tell her that. “I'm awake anyway, so Rine, Ara-san, you can go to sleep.” These few minutes before the usual change won't make any difference.
“Thanks, Kenta.”
“You have my gratitude.”
“I'll wake Kyou-san.” Following my own words, I go to Kyou-san and just start donning my armor. Doing this so close to her is often good enough to wake her up, as there is a difference between noise and noise right beside you. She opens her eyes, yawns once and looks at the two other girls, Rine who is about to undress parts of her armor and Ara-san who is staring at her bedding besides the fire before just dropping on it as if she has lost consciousness. “Good night, Rine-chan, Arako.”
I can already hear Ara-san's heavy breathing, she really can fall asleep anytime she wants. With her [Rest anywhere]-skill she doesn't even need to bother about the place, as everything feels like a comfortable place to sleep for her. Even cold, hard stone.
On the other side, Rine moves her bedding, trying to find the perfect spot. She sighs three times before giving up, she's also usually fast asleep.
Both tents are close to each other and the fire in-between. With Kyou-san's [Weather Forecast] it's easy to decide whether we need to make preparations against rain or we can just leave the tarps in our [Inventory].
Random thought about [Inventories]. Imagine if you had to eat, sleep, and take dumps in a game, your [Inventory] would be full of stuff that you'll need, like food, bedding, minor furnishings, cooking utensils, firewood, and wipers. Ours isn't infinite either, we don't have that much space left as we have gone hunting monsters in the Spirit Swamps and tried to gather some of their parts that we deemed valuable. Selling them will be a haggling challenge, as I don't believe that they even have a market price, because there is no one hunting these things and no one who knows exactly what to do with their parts.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
After donning my armor, I go around the tent, first to see if there are tracks, second to give the girls the time to change clothes. Kyou-san still is in her new pajamas, one Rine made with her [Tailor]-class. The maker herself may have a pajama as well, but doesn't bother with it. She only made it as she thought that I'd let her sleep next to me, like Kyou-san and Ara-san. It's not like the dress-code was the problem. It's her sleep-killing-spree!
“You can come.” I return to the fire, Kyou-san also leaves the tent, still binding her scarf. “Ouch.” Kyou-san moves her shoulders while walking. “My joints hurt.”
I sit down next to the sleeping Ara-san to farm that 'wife sleeps next to me WP' as well. “It's not like the furs will soften stone that much.”
“I know.” Kyou-san furrows her brows while making some aerobic-like movements. “How is it that you are fine?”
“I'm not.” I just endure it. It's not like I can do something about it as not sleeping isn't an option. I believe that the only one who will be fine is Ara-san.
“Sigh, I can't believe you. I'm not in the mood to make medicine yet, so fix your seating.” The indirect way to say that she wants to farm WP. As she has chosen to sit on my lap first, I guess she wants a chair. We do have stools, you know?
Well, a WP is a WP and if we can do it early today, I won't need to do it later with her. I mean, I have enough on my schedule. Each of the girls are sitting on my lap, holding hands with me, and giving me a lap-pillow, while I give one to each of them in return. We also call each other on first name/nickname-basis. These five ways to earn WP I share with everyone. Kyou-san, Ara-san, and I also sleep next to each other. Individually, I eat the meals Kyou-san makes for us, pretty harmless. Then Ara-san and I put our hands above each other's hearts, a way for alfar to convey closeness, somewhere between holding hands and hugging in terms of closeness I guess. This would be dangerous if Ara-san had breasts. She has not, she's an alfr after all, so it's just almost dangerous. Finally, Rine links arms with me and gives me the first bite of breakfast, it's still annoying but I just force myself through it.
21 WP per day, after weeks of traveling I'm somewhat used to the grinding process. In a sense, it's scary how the lines I drew in the sand have been overtaken and are barely there anymore. I was so vehement at first, now I just feel resignation. So this is why adults are just empty husks, because they've given in to a life full of compromises, lured by the promise of improvement. I'm the same, the more WP we have, the more we can buy from the WP-store, the easier it'll get to the point to break the curse, the earlier I can return to grinding to—What am I, a corporate slave!?
“Phew...”
“What are you worrying about?” Kyou-san asks, still sounding unwell.
“The vanity of life.”
“What?”
“I guess I'm an adult now.”
“OK Ken, now explain to me in simple words what you mean.”
“It's just a stupid chain of thoughts.”
“It's not like we have something else to do.”
“You can continue knitting.”
“I don't want to.”
“Phew...” It's not like I can't relate, like I said, entertainment sucks in this world, especially if you have only the light of a campfire. “Kyou-san, if the curse is broken, what will you do?”
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“Whether you're capable of pissing me off enough that I'll kill you.”
“You're welcome to try.” While she catches up to me level-wise, there is no doubt that I'll always be well above her in combat prowess... yet she might start overplaying her annoyance while slowly poisoning me... the scary part is that this girl is totally capable, and most likely willing, of doing so.
“Well, jokes aside-” That was a joke? I don't think so. “-things are looking bad, even without the curse. We still have the misunderstanding with Teruko and the rest, then the Feuerberg-kingdom still thinks that we have kidnapped Rine-chan, we have to do something about Correo, there is a lot going on. If there is a way for me to rejoin my friends, I think that's what I would like to do.” Figures, of course she will rather join that fake Inoue rather than staying with us. Heck, I would also choose to leave this party right now if the curse wouldn't kill me.
“What if there won't be a way to join them?”
“I don't know... I guess depending on what breaking the curse does...” She sighs heavily, most likely in thoughts. Then she looks at the ring on her finger and starts touching it. “Ken, I-” Then she stops again.
Ah, there we are again. She's about to ask me again what I see under the influence of Luuto, what I saw when he made me see him as the person I love most in my mind. Frankly, I don't even want to think about it. “Just stop already.”
“Huh?”
“Trying to question me. I'm tired of it.” It's strange, in a sense I want Rine to know more about me, but I hate the thought of having Kyou-san know too much. “It's a private matter and it doesn't concern you.”
“...no need to yell at me.”
“I'm not yelling!”
“You are! My ears are ringing!”
“Then stop yelling back!”
She looks over her shoulder, giving me a look like I've just eaten something that I barfed out before. “You're always like that! You're always acting like I'm your worst enemy.”
“In a sense, you are.”
“What!?”
“I mean, look at this from my point of view. I have to share every kill with you. You may have been a bit useful as of late, but you have started off as a leech and now you're still not lifting your weight in combat.” I said these words before I could reign them in, like they're flowing out of months of frustration.
“It's not like I chose to be cursed!”
“Well, you certainly don't hate it as much as you say, right!? I mean, rejoining your group after the curse is broken!? After all this time of leeching of us, you're finally at a level that you can go back, be useful, after they have left you! Without me, you would most likely work as a laborer, whore or something, hoping to earn enough to pay rent!”
“Without me, you would be dead three times over! You would have died when fighting the ss'rak in Heißquellen! I mean, you attacked them after we were spotted, without me you would have landed in the chasm and died in no time! After that? I carried you when you were [Worn Out], I have nursed you back to health! The Crusaders would have hunted you down and killed you without me interfering!”
You gain 1 WP. Sometimes a domestic quarrel can be a good way to ascertain your feelings and learn how your partner feels, yet your lap might be not the best position.
At this time!? Well, I don't think the curse cares. Kyou-san stands up and stares down at me, so I stand up as well, glaring down at her. “I have saved your life several times too! You wouldn't survive a single fight without me!”
“Without you, I wouldn't be there! You're also getting your ass saved by Rine-chan several times.”
“At least I can fight! I wouldn't pick fights like that without Rine anyway!”
“QUIET!” This new voice in this argument belongs to Rine who we may have woken up due to our loud voices. On another note, Ara-san who sleeps right next to us and has the far superior hearing is still sound asleep... just what does it take to wake her up!?
Well, the real problem is Rine who is in the undergarment of her armor and stomping towards us. She looks angry and now I know exactly why Kyou-san and I stopped arguing as much in the first place, as this blonde girl is scary when she's angry! Knowing that she can easily break my limbs only empowers this fear.
Even under normal circumstances, Rine's eyes look like the heart of a fire, yet when she's angry, it's like sparks and embers are coming out of them. “Why are you fighting!?” Her voice shows how infuriated she is.
I look at Kyou-san, communicating with looks only: 'Take care of that.'
'Oh, now you're relying on me, you cowardly jerk.'
'I, rely on you!?' OK, this time it won't end well. Nonetheless, where I usually put pragmatism and safety first, there is now stubbornness and it irritates me that I'm so unwilling to yield. Still, somehow it feels important.
“Kyou, Kenta!” Rine begins as neither Kyou-san nor I answered her call: “I'm trying to sleep! What is going on!?”
Kyou-san and I point at each other: ““She/He started it.””
For a moment, Rine looks at the both of us, her anger still making her beautiful face... well, not less beautiful, but rather hard to look at. Then slowly the anger turns into confusion, then to wonder, and finally, she cocks her head in her usual manner, unsure what to make out of our reaction: “Why are you even fighting in the first place?”
Well, dear princess, actually Kyou-san and I fight often though we try to avoid doing so in front of you as you scare the shit out of us. Not that I will say it. “She's trying to pry into my matters again.”
“I'm not!” Kyou-san retorts. “Again, you understand nothing. Nothing!” Then she pants with rage again and takes her herbalism tools out of her backpack.
“Kenta,” Rine asks, a bit concerned: “Are you alright?”
“Oh, I'm alright, sure. If she stops trying to ask me stuff, then I'll be fine.”
“You sound hurt.” Rine's words are neither accusing nor teasing, it's a sober statement of her perception. That's why it hits so hard.
“Rine... go to sleep.” My throat feels constricted, I'm barely able to speak.
“OK. But if you need someone...” Rine returns to her tent, yet I don't hear her sleeping noises. I guess that just made her think again, I put another burden on her mind unintentionally...
I sit by the fire, stare into it. My thoughts are wandering, wandering into the best and worst times of my life even though I try to avoid this train of thought, trying to think of games instead. Yet my mouth tastes like shit.
“Hey,” Kyou-san finally says while she grinds the herbs into a medicine.
I ignore her.
“Hey!”
I still won't answer. I know that she just wants to somehow make a fake reconcile attempt, something that will make her feel better while actually changing nothing about the problem. You know what!? You don't need to. What we have is temporary after all. You're going off with your friends the next time it's possible anyways.
“*Sigh*, as you wish. You massive moron.”
I look at Ara-san who is still sleeping next to me. Somehow, having her beside me feels soothing. Maybe it's the same effect that animals have on some people. Not on me though, I hate animals. I also hate pet characters in games, at least when it's not a game designed around pets, like Pokémon, where it makes sense.
Well, soon enough things will be the same as before. Yet I feel a bit of guilt towards Ara-san, as I asked her about Luuto before, blaming myself for that double standard. I will be extra-sure to not put any pressure on it as long it's not vital for us.
Yes, enough shit is ahead of us, so worrying about her or my past will only distract us. Especially if it's something we can't do anything about.
The campfire burns as I'm here alone with my thoughts. Soon, Kyou-san and I will be back to normal, just like always. Then we'll be back on our way to Zethtrin and break the curse. Then she can go wherever she wants and I'll go back to grinding levels, looking for the best possible equipment, then I'll slay the demon king and return us home.
It's as easy as that.
―○●○―
It's early in the morning, Masahiko and the rest are still sleepy but ready to go. Contrary to them, Correo-san is painfully cheerful: “I have organized breakfast on the run.” He shows them a big basket full of big yet flat dumplings, each of them had a sign cut into them before baking which now brightly contrasts the golden brown color of the rest. “I have brought some for every taste. The ones with a cross are filled with cheese, the ones with a circle have lalask-meat, the ones with a triangle are filled with several vegetables, the spiraled are a mix of horse-meat and zuhak-mush.”
“Thanks Co*yawn*Correo-san.” Like most teenagers, Masahiko is also always tired in the morning and envies the energy of the merchant.
“No problem. Make sure to eat well, you'll need it.”
Masahiko grabs a cheese-dumpling and bites into it. It tastes a bit stale, but in this world spices are expensive, that's why only the wealthy use them regularly. Yet the cheese still has enough taste to somewhat make up for it.
Yoshimura-kun glances at Masahiko but then takes a meat-dumpling. Masahiko is about to speak to him, but the other boy starts talking with Hoshibashi-kun instead.
“It's hard, right?” Correo-san smiles at Masahiko while looking warmly at the teenagers eating their fill.
“Yeah, it's strange. I used to talk to him normally.”
“When I first met him, he was also like someone else. You're all still so young, so adaptable. In my younger days, I started traveling and even my friends couldn't recognize me after only a few months.”
“You're still young and energetic.”
“Hehe, maybe? Traveling is one of my passions, visiting new places, meeting new people, learning new things. This keeps me young.”
“Do you have a family?”
“I used to, but I was never there. A wife, two children almost your age. I divorced my wife after she begged me, the last thing I could do for her.”
“Correo-san... Do you still see them?”
“Sometimes.” The merchant looks sad while saying it. He must really miss them. For Masahiko, it's hard to understand how it could have been so difficult to be there for his family or why they didn't join him on his journeys, but it was most likely complicated.
It's strange, in fiction you'd usually have the protagonist or an important character, who has a father that has left their family, though this ties into the story, like the father being a villain. Now Masahiko feels like he has met the father of said character first, this is totally the reverse.
“Masa?” Eri gives Masahiko a vegetable-dumpling. “Are you alright?” As his childhood friend, Eri always knows when Masahiko is puzzled.
“Yeah, just thinking. How can I get along with Yoshimura-kun?”
“Do you need to get along with him?”
“Of course, we need to work together. We're also classmates.”
“Masa, there will always be people you won't get along with.”
“I don't believe that.” For Masahiko, it's only an excuse to stop trying to get to know somebody. “As long as someone is good at heart, there is no reason to not find some common grounds.”
“You always want the cake and eat it, too.”
“I'm just trying to make the best of everything.”
“Whatever.” Eri shrugs her shoulders and thinks about something a moment. “The problem is that Yoshimura-kun wants to lead and you have grown to be our leader, Masa. If two people are leading at the same time, then they're bound to clash.”
“So I was too bossy, after all.” Maybe his tone caused Yoshimura-kun to object to everything Masahiko said in reaction. “Thanks, Eri. I think I know what to do.”
“Masa, I don't like your tone. Are you planning to give Yoshimura-kun leadership?”
Masahiko tilts his head slightly, this was indeed what he thought about. “I don't know yet. First, he and I need to talk about it. Actually, we haven't had a good talk yet. I know next to nothing about them. Like, what are their favorite strategies, what are their strengths, where do they need support, all of that.” Maybe both of them are so untiring that they didn't consider that, aside from Daichi and possibly Masahiko himself, nobody would be able to keep up their pace.
Masahiko approaches Yoshimura-kun and Hoshibashi-kun who silently eat their breakfast. “Yoshimura-kun, Hoshibashi-kun,” then he bows before them: “I'm sorry.”
He feels the looks, Yoshimura-kun then says tauntingly: “What for?”
“That we haven't talked properly yet.” Masahiko lifts his head and looks at the two of them: “We need to know each other to properly work with each other. My party members have all specialized in certain aspects. For example, I have the [Champion] and [Vanguard]-classes.”
Yoshimura-kun seems to wonder: “What do they do?”
“Basically, both of them make me a better melee fighter. With [Vanguard] I fight and support those around me, with [Champion] I just dish out damage.” [Vanguard] also has another good [Ability], but Masahiko promised his mentor and friend Braxas, the dar hero, not to tell outsiders about it.
“So a [Vanguard]... Well, my partner and I had to spread to make it work. So I'm a [Wizard] and a [Warlord]. The latter makes people I lead stronger.”
“[Warlord]? Where did you learn that?”
“I was in an army. What about your friends?” Finally, a conversation happens.
“Daichi is tough and strong, he keeps people and monsters under control. Teruko is also in melee, yet she prizes mobility in combination to power. Katsuo is a [Sharpshooter], his range and bow is dangerous and most likely our deadliest weapon. Eri helps with spells and healing.”
“A healer! This is great! My partner is a powerhouse who can switch between toughness and mobility as a secondary trait, so anything that can keep him going would be perfect.”
“This is a lot of melee we have here,” Masahiko sums up the current composition.
“I guess I'll stick to the rear then, some of my [Warlord]-skills also work from there.
“Ah, that's good. You can also defend if someone breaks through.”
“Exactly! If Kitamura-san is half as good as you believe he is, he will be a valuable asset.”
This wording stops Masahiko's eagerness abruptly. “He's not an asset, he's my friend.”
“That may be the case, but for the battlefield I consider his capabilities, not any sympathy for him.”
This sounds right content-wise, but still... “What do you think, Hoshibashi-kun?”
The one being addressed glares at Masahiko and then snorts. “Thinking and planning isn't my thing. I'm here for smashing and crushing.” He looks at Daichi then, who is silently eating his meal, most likely mentally preparing for meeting with Kyou and Katsuragi-kun. Hoshibashi-kun's eyes are... it's hard to express, Masahiko thinks it's a mixture of concern and anger.
Maybe Hoshibashi-kun is concerned because he and Daichi are fulfilling similar roles? It would make sense, Daichi is bigger and looks stronger overall.
This will be another problem to solve. Yet first Masahiko has to do something about someone else: “Yoshimura-kun? We need to figure out a way for both of our parties to work together.”
“You're right.”
“While I think that we can talk out most things, we need someone who calls the shots in battle, that's something I learned early as a hero. Otherwise we'll be standing in our own way. It may be hard to hear it, but I'm concerned whether you're capable of leading several people and my friends might be thinking the same.”
“Don't worry about that. I've led several squads by now.”
“...OK, let's try it.” If Yoshimura-kun is so self-confident, then Masahiko wants to give him a chance. While Masahiko hopes that meeting Katsuragi-kun won't end in a fight, Correo was right: They should be prepared for one at least.
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