Chapter 4

Everyone except me was a girl.

One of them was a girl with short hair.

She looked pretty good.

I think her name was Ishikawa, and she was a central figure in the girls' group in the class.

To be honest, I think she falls into the category of beautiful.

If it were just her looks, she would definitely be a viable romantic interest.

But, this girl has a bad personality.

She's too harsh.

She's strong-willed and always tries to be the leader, doing everything at her own pace.

Remember those bossy kids from when we were young?

She's like a female version of that.

She grew up without any of the delicate, girlish feelings, and just became a big, bossy girl.

How does someone end up like this?

The girls look up to her like an older sister, but she's especially harsh towards boys.

I remember she was that kind of annoying girl.

I start my self-introduction, trying to make a good impression, and lower my voice.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Takayama. My job is Merchant, nice to meet you."

The girl with short hair glared at me after hearing my greeting.

Did I say something wrong?

I didn't say anything, did I?

She has a beautiful and cute face, but those harsh eyes don't suit her.

The girl looks at the necklace around my neck as if trying to snatch it.

Naturally, I'm pulled towards her by the necklace, right in front of her face.

Her face is so close that I can feel her breath, and I get incredibly excited, my face turning bright red.

Of course, I'd get excited with such a beautiful girl just 50 centimeters away from me.

I'm sorry, but my experience with women is pretty low.

I've never even held a girl's hand before.

Wait a minute?

I did marry the daughter of the former Demon King, so I've held hands before, even though I've never kissed.

I wish I could have a girl like this as my girlfriend...

But Ishikawa doesn't seem to have any good feelings towards me.

She speaks to me in a harsh tone.

"Are you a merchant?"

"Yeah, but—"

"Merchants aren't useful in battle, are they? Can you fight? Are you just going to be a burden?"

To say that much on first meeting... I'm getting annoyed.

I take back what I said.

I don't want a girl like this as my girlfriend.

Besides, this status is a fake one. The real me is much stronger!

But if I show my true strength here and get selected as a Demon King slayer, I'll be sent to the front lines. If I fight, my true strength will seep out, and I'll be recognized as the true hero, revealing that I'm the cause of this summoning.

I decide to stay low and gradually show my true self to the girls in this group.

I grit my teeth and resolve to act like a useless merchant who can't contribute to the Demon King slaying.

After I greet them, the girls start to introduce themselves.

First, Ishikawa with the short hair holds up her tag and greets us.

"I'm Ishikawa! My job is Priest. Especially you, boy! Don't cause me any trouble!"

She still targets me with her harsh words.

She's probably going to say something like, "Despite being low rank, you're so annoying," and look down on me because I'm E rank, using me like a lackey.

Maybe it's best to avoid her as much as possible.

Ishikawa's tag shows she's a Priest. I secretly check her status.

> Name: Ishikawa Yuna, Job: Priest, Level: 1

> HP: 32/32 (C) MP: 32/32 (C)

> STR: 32 (B) VIT: 16 (C)

> INT: 8 (D) LUK: 16 (C)

> Unique Skill: None

> Skills: [Automatic MP Recovery] Level 1 [Interpretation] Level 5

Ishikawa's status has a high STR, which is confusing, and a low INT, which is a bit concerning. But as a Priest, she won't use many offensive spells, so it's within acceptable limits.

Her skills include only [Automatic MP Recovery], which is a good combination for a Priest.

Her skills are almost D rank but very close to C rank.

*

Next is Nagano, the girl with the wavy hair.

She has a calm and mature aura but also exudes cuteness and kindness.

She's very different from the aggressive Ishikawa.

"I'm Nagano, a Priest. Nice to meet you."

Nagano is a harmless, ordinary girl.

In class, she was hardly noticeable and had no particular standout features.

In a drama, she'd be the extra eating in the background at a café. In an anime, she'd be the non-speaking background character.

But she's tall, slender, and has a beautiful face with a well-endowed figure.

Her personality isn't harsh, making her a viable romantic interest.

Out of these three, she's the one I'd most like to date.

Her ordinariness is incredibly appealing to me, who seeks a peaceful life.

Her tag shows she's also a Priest.

Her skills are the same as Ishikawa's, with only [Automatic MP Recovery].

Her skills are identical to Ishikawa's, making them seem like sisters.

*

Next is Kagawa, the girl with the blonde twin-tails.

"I'm Kagawa. I'm a Priest. Nice to meet you."

This is Kagawa.

If I had to describe Kagawa in one word, it would be "Loli."

Her mannerisms and speech are so deliberate that it seems like she's acting.

She sometimes does mysterious things that are hard to understand.

But it's probably an act.

Even if it is an act, it's not bothersome, and she's cute, so I can forgive it.

Her short stature and flat chest are advantages.

Her skills are similar to Ishikawa's, with only a slightly lower VIT at D rank.

By the way, is it okay for a high school girl to have blonde hair?

*

All the D-rank members were girls and Priests.

There are a lot of Priests, huh.

There's not a single attacker in this group.

A group of only Priests and a Merchant... it feels like a bunch of rejects.

This group is so far from being expected to do anything.

As everyone moves to their rank-specific gathering places, Princess Aura calls out.

"From today, you will be working together with this group. You will live and train together in the same room. Please move to your rooms and rest your tired bodies."

Are you serious?

Did I hear that wrong?

They're not separating the boys and girls into different rooms?

Living in the same room with girls!

Is this a harem already?

Princess Aura, you're doing too well!

Living in the same room with the girls, especially Nagano, is too exciting!

This other world is the best!

The life of an otherworldly hero, which I found so unpleasant, is starting to become a bit fun!

There's no choice but to try my best!