After helping Ririna gather the materials she needed from the monsters, the three of us went back to town. Ririna finished making a sample of the magical dirt she needed for her client. The only thing left was to deliver it. Sarasa left as soon as we got to town because she had something else to do. It wasn’t part of the plan, but I agreed to accompany Ririna on her way to her client. The whole thing was a little interesting, and I didn’t have anything else to do. When Ririna asked me if I wanted to keep her company, I said yes so I could spend more time with her.

“Oh, good evening, Ririna. What brings you here?” A well-dressed young man called out to Ririna as soon as we got close. When we entered the town, we went down the street with the inns toward the guilds of the town. We’re now in front of what looks like a merchant’s guild, one of the many around here.

“Good evening. I got the materials needed for the request, and I’ve also prepared a sample for you to see before I start production.” Ririna took out the wrapped sample of dirt she prepared and handed it over to the man. According to Ririna, this young man is named Armand Lech. He’s a fledgling merchant who may or may not have some kind of connection to a house of nobles.

“That is wonderful news! And who is that next to you?” The man said while looking at me.

“This is Iroha. She’s a friend of mine. I asked her for help to gather the materials I needed.” It might have been just my imagination, but Armand’s brows seemed to furrow for a split second. Did he not want me to help Ririna? He’s a merchant, so I’d imagine he’s just being stingy and doesn’t want to pay me. He doesn’t need to worry about that because Ririna has already paid me for helping her.

“That’s perfectly fine. Please, let me take a look at what you brought.” He received the wrapped dirt and closely inspected it. I see why Ririna told me there are rumors about him being some kind of noble. He’s being weirdly formal. “I believe this is it. This looks like the recipe I gave you. Well done, Ririna.”

“Should I start large-scale production? I have already gathered all the materials needed.”

“Please do. Everything seems to be in order, and we need to start the harvest as soon as possible. We’ve been under a lot of pressure lately.” Armand’s face twisted slightly with frustration.

“Did the situation get worse? Either way, I can get all the dirt you need in a few days. You’ll be able to start harvesting before the end of the week, so don’t worry.”

“Thank you. You’ve been a great help to us. Please deliver everything to us as soon as you’re finished.” Looks like they settled everything. After exchanging a couple more words, me and Ririna left Armand and moved back towards the town center.

“Was that guy actually a noble?” His mannerisms left me wondering, so I wanted to know what Ririna thought about it.

“I told you I don’t know. One of the other merchants on the guild told me that everyone suspected him of being a noble, but that’s all I heard.” Ririna shrugged.

“Then you have no clue who he is?”

“That’s right.”

“How can you know if he’s trustworthy? Is it normal for merchants to have alchemy recipes?” I’m not sure why I’m getting so hung up on this. Did seeing Ririna talk to a well-kept young man make me jealous? She wasn’t at all into him, so why would that bother me?

“Being given a recipe by a merchant is a little uncommon, but alchemists receive a lot of custom orders. When you think about it, those two things are not too different from one another. I don’t know whether or not he’s fully trustworthy, but he doesn’t seem like a bad person. The recipe he gave me seemed to work, so I’m happy I have yet another thing to research.” When she puts it like that, I can’t really say anything. Ririna told me how she wanted to discover new things with alchemy. To her, any opportunity to learn more is one she must take.

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“At the end of the day, it’s not up to me to make any kinds of judgments about him. He made a request to the alchemist’s guild. None of the other members wanted to do it, so the job was assigned to me. I still have a lot to learn, so I don’t have much of a say. If I get kicked out of the alchemist’s guild, it’s over for me.” Ririna laughed awkwardly.

“I see… Well, it’s better if you forget what I said then. I’m just being a little paranoid.” I really didn’t want Ririna to suffer because of my stupid jealousy, so I’ve decided not to make any more comments.

“It’s fine. You were worried about me, weren’t you?” I guess you could say that… “Anyway, you’ve heard the conversation, so you already know. I’ve got a lot of work to do, so I’ll be very busy making dirt for the next few days.”

“I guess so. Are you gonna be alright?” I hope Ririna doesn’t overwork herself.

“I’ll be fine! But we’re not gonna be able to see each other until I’m done.” Why does she look so sad? Does she like being with me that much?

“That’s a bummer. At least it’s not gonna take much more than a few days.”

“You’re right. Sarasa and Flanne are still going to be around, so talk to them if you have any problems while I’m away. I still have to repay you for all you’ve done for me.”

“You don’t have to repay me for anything!” I said as I waved my hands in front of me. “We’re f- friends, so I’m happy to help out!” If you really wanted to repay me for anything, the first thing we should do is become more than just friends. “I also have some stuff on my own to sort out, so don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

“Is that so? I wish you luck then.” That’s right. I spent all my free time these past two days in this world, and I’ve ended up neglecting the real world. I haven’t checked up on Katja and the others, and… Well… Has it really just been two days? I feel like so much has changed and that I’ve grown so much. Katja’s gonna freak out next time we train together. “Well then, Iroha. I need to head back to my laboratory and start making some preparations. I guess I’ll see you soon.”

I said goodbye to Ririna, and we waved to each other as she ran towards the fast.travel station. We haven’t known each other for very long, but I feel like we’ve become good friends. And close friends at that. I can’t believe how easy it was for her to give me that massage. I don’t think I’m gonna forget that moment for the rest of my life. I’ve never had anyone touch me like that before. Ahhh! Why am I getting carried away? It was just medical treatment. It’s not like that means anything, right?

I shook my head and went home. And by home, I mean to the portal in the forest. I don’t think I’m going straight home just yet. I wanna stop by the House on the way and see if there’s anyone there first.

I enter the dorm and see Hecate and Katja sitting next to each other. Katja is gently polishing her sword, and that fills the room with a soothing atmosphere. Why am I feeling like this? Am I getting nostalgic? It hasn’t even been that long.

“Good evening…” I hope I’m not interrupting anything. I’m getting nervous for some reason.

“Is that you, Iroha? Welcome back!” Katja looks my way and waves for me to get closer, which I do. “What were you up to? Were you out training by yourself?”

I take a seat across from the two of them. “Uhmm… Yeah, pretty much.” Katja looks really pretty polishing her sword. Just looking at her makes me feel relaxed.

“Did fate allow you to encounter any foul beasts?” Hecate was the complete opposite. Her imposing goth loli dress combined with her amber eye put me immediately on edge, but in a way that I really enjoy. Hecate rested her head on her hand as she asked me whether or not I had run into any monsters.

“Yes, I did manage to find some monsters today, actually.” Sitting across from the two of them feels like I’m being interviewed or something… Maybe it’s more like an interrogation.

“Really? Lucky for you.” Katja says. “How did it go? I want to know the results of your training.”

“It went well. I didn’t really run into any trouble. All the monsters were pretty weak.” Except for that big one that almost ended me. “I think I’m getting stronger.”

“So training on your own was effective. That’s good to know.” Katja crossed her arms and pondered to herself.

“What are you gonna do now, Iroha?” Hecate asked me, but I’m not exactly sure.

“I’ll probably just keep training. I may have gotten a little stronger, but it’s nowhere near enough.” Even though it looked like I was close to defeating that level 40 enemy, I ended up not actually being able to finish it. If I’m being honest, I’m not sure its level was actually that high. The monster I remember seeing in the game may have had that level. But not everything is exactly the same as it was in the game. “I’m still really weak.”

“That may not be true. It’s harder to accurately gauge one’s strength than someone else’s.” Katja interjected with a piece of advice. I don’t know whether she’s true or not, but I agree with her. “And with that being said, how about we train together for a little bit? That way, I’d be able to see how much you’ve improved. No. Sorry, maybe tomorrow’s better. You’re probably tired right now.”

“Actually, I’m fine with it. I’m not feeling tired at all.” Which is weird. I know I have Stamina Boost right now, but at level 1, it shouldn’t be giving me this much energy. After all, I was really exhausted after all the fighting today. Was it because of Ririna’s ointment? Now that I think about it, all my fatigue was gone afterwards. That makes sense! It probably restored my stamina along with my health. That must have been it! It’s definitely not the massage that raised my spirits so much that now I can’t calm down. Definitely not…

“Let’s go to the dojo then.” Katja got up and cleaned her maintenance kit. “But if you notice that you’re getting tired, just tell me. I don’t want you collapsing again.” Don’t tempt me. Going from Ririna’s hands into Katja’s arms is the kind of dream scenario that makes me do stupid shit. I gotta control myself. I’m afraid that Ririna and Sarasa may be thinking that I’m weird after how I reacted today. I gotta limit the weirdo vibes for the day.

Me and Katja left the dorm after saying goodbye to Hecate and moved to the dojo. I missed this comfortable kind of training with no stakes and where my life isn’t at risk. Maybe what happened in the other world took a bigger toll on my mind than I initially thought.