Chapter 40

"15 million yen for one Substitute Bracelet... 12 of them would be 180 million yen..."

Ayame is deflating.

"I had high hopes, but this exceeds my imagination. Could it be that the high Luck value really does affect the contents?"

It might be. Come to think of it, I don't gamble, but I used to win a lot in the candy store's lottery. I won so often that the candy store lady suspected me of cheating and stopped selling me the winning candies after that.

If that's the case, maybe it's better to hunt and get items ourselves rather than buying D-cans at auctions.

"Taiyoshi, is it okay to sell some of these to the government? Of course, we'll distribute the profits fairly."

"Sure. We can't use them all anyway."

"That's a relief. This will help us gain some respect."

"Respect?"

"Our EPO corporation is small, with only three of us, and we don't have much of a track record. I've told you that we get a lot of criticism from various sides, right? But if we can regularly supply the government with Substitute Bracelets, we'll gain their trust. More than that, if they revoke our license, we won't be able to get Substitute Bracelets anymore. That's a risk we can't take."

Apparently, according to Hime, the Japanese government currently only has two Substitute Bracelets. They might have more in secret, but the number of people who can use them is limited.

The Prime Minister can wear one, but what about the former Prime Minister? The one before that? The Foreign Minister? The Defense Minister? The Bank of Japan Governor?

Japan is a safe country, but it's becoming less and less secure.

The reputation of our EPO corporation, huh? I never thought about that.

Maybe the reason we're researching and publishing information about taming monsters is to report our EPO corporation's activities?

"You're leaving everything to Hime, aren't you?"

"Not at all. I have proper staff handling the back office, so what I do is just minor stuff."

"By the way, what's the name of our EPO corporation?"

Ayame asks.

Right, EPO corporations have names too.

"Supreme. EPO Corporation Supreme. We plan to be the best, so of course, we chose a fitting name."

I'm surprised they approved such a name.

It's not that unusual for a guild name, though.

It's a phrase you hear in games sometimes.

But with "EPO" at the beginning, it sounds like a crazy company.

Was there no adult to stop this?

We also got some good items besides the Substitute Bracelets.

Experience potions and magic recovery potions, for example.

Milk will use these.

Experience potions are very expensive, but the prices have dropped recently.

Someone is regularly putting them up for auction.

It's definitely because of the items I've been giving Hime.

Next, pearls.

Treasure Box T also contained a lot of gems, including quite a few pearls.

As I mentioned before, gems are often undervalued, but pearls are different.

Perfectly spherical pearls fetch high prices.

Hime will use her connections with the Oshino Group to sell these.

We'll keep the necessary amount of high potions and other recovery items and auction the rest.

Hime said that even without the Substitute Bracelets, the total value is around 14 million yen.

It's less than one Substitute Bracelet, but it's an incredible amount to earn in a day.

"It's good to distribute the money, but I want to buy Taiyoshi's sword for about 30 million yen."

"Sword? Is the current one not good enough?"

"The edge is too dull. And you don't have a spare, do you?"

That's true, but 30 million yen is a bit much, isn't it?

But the weapons you can bring into the dungeon are limited.

Even a crossbow costs 5 million yen. A practical sword is bound to be expensive.

"Can't you lend me one from your collection?"

"We don't have everything, you know. Besides, Supreme and the Oshino Group are separate companies, so I can't just use the Oshino Group's money. Mam would be angry if I did that."

"What about the contract money you were going to pay us? Isn't 10 million dollars the company's money?"

"That's money I saved up and increased through investments."

It's her personal fortune.

To make 10 million dollars from pocket money through investments, she must be very talented.

But considering my Luck value, it seems I could save up 10 million dollars quickly, and Hime's judgment in offering the contract was probably spot on.

Or maybe rich people have that much pocket money?

"How much does Milk have saved?"

"…Why are you asking that?"

"Just curious about rich people's finances."

"I have about 3 million yen, in yen, of course."

"I give my money to Mom, so I don't know how much I have saved. But I save all the salary I get from Hime."

Everyone is so diligent about saving.

I used to spend all my pocket money and New Year's money, so I had zero savings until I started earning in the dungeon (I have a few 100-yen coins in a bear piggy bank, but that doesn't count).

Hime calls the staff on the conference room phone.

The staff arrives, takes photos of the items to be sold, and transfers them to Hime's smartphone.

Then they collect the items and leave.

Very efficient.

"Shall we go to the bath now?"

"Sure. A nice soak in the hot spring—"

"What are you talking about? I reserved the family bath, remember?"

...Oh, right.

Of course, there's no concept of separate changing rooms for men and women in the family bath.

I'll change first and wait inside.

I'll quickly change into my swimsuit before the others come in.

It's nice that they even provided a rash guard.

I'll just wear shorts and a rash guard.

It's almost like regular clothes.

They probably have various types of women's swimsuits, so they won't come in weird outfits.

The family bath is an outdoor hinoki bath. It's made of local Kishu Kumano hinoki wood.

It's spacious enough for about ten people.

There's a roof, so you can use it even on rainy days.

The floor is a bit slippery, so be careful.

There's a sign warning about the slippery floor, so it should be fine.

The water is a bit cooler than the large bath, probably considering that children might use it.

The clear, colorless water has a slight sulfur smell, and it makes your skin smooth.

It looks like we can soak for a long time.

If I were alone, that is.

I can already sense the presence of the three in the changing room with my Aura Perception.

This skill works outside the dungeon too.

It would make me unbeatable in hide-and-seek.

The first one comes in.

It's Milk.

We used to bathe together when we were in kindergarten.

She's the least tense among the three.

It's good that she came first.

"Taiyoshi, sorry to keep you waiting."

"I wasn't waiting... (ba—)"

I quickly look away.

Milk isn't the type to look slimmer in clothes.

I knew she had curves even when she was wearing clothes.

But in a swimsuit, the impact is much greater.

A black tankini, which looks plain but, because it's tight, clearly shows her figure.

"What's wrong, Taiyoshi?"

"Nothing."

"Look at me."

"The stars are beautiful."

"It's cloudy, though?"

It was cloudy.

Where did the clear May sky go?

Q: Why do you include scenes like the bath?

A: So that if the book is ever published, the editor doesn't have to think about what to use for the frontispiece (the color illustration at the beginning of the text).