Chapter 45

As I walked the path that the dragon's owner had shown me, I soon found myself on a main street. A few minutes ago, with Luluka's guidance, I had arrived at the magic item shop. Now, I was browsing the magic items on display.

Luluka, who had apparently not been lying when she said she wanted to come to this magic item shop, seemed to be enjoying herself as she looked at the magic items. After a while, it seemed she had found something she was looking for, and she came over with what looked like a magic item.

"Shiki, look! This magic item is amazing! Just pour in your magic power, and a magical toilet appears!"

"A magical toilet?"

What’s a magical toilet? I wondered for a moment, but when Luluka infused it with magic power, a makeshift toilet, the kind you might see at a construction site, appeared before my eyes.

"The price is... wow, 500,000 zeni. But, even though it's quite expensive, Shiki can afford it! It would be really useful for dungeon exploration, wouldn't it? Come on, why don't you buy it?"

A toilet for 500,000 zeni? What kind of price is that? It looks like a regular toilet to me.

When I tried opening the door, I found a small space with a squat toilet inside. I wondered what made it a magical toilet. Maybe it had a bidet or something?

"Ah, maybe the inside of the toilet is a safe zone or something?"

If that were the case, the high price might make sense, and it could be quite useful. But, even so, I wasn't sure if I wanted to be stuck in a toilet with Yuel during dungeon exploration breaks. I'd rather avoid that.

"No, it's not like that. Ah, Shiki, make sure you don't step wrong. If you fall into the toilet, you'll disappear."

That sounded ominous.

"This toilet makes anything that falls into it disappear using magic. That's its only effect, but in a dungeon, you can't flush things with water, so it's really convenient!"

"Put it back."

It was indeed convenient, but 500,000 zeni was ridiculous. However, it seemed Luluka wasn't serious about buying it, as she reluctantly put the magic item back in its place.

Well, I shouldn't be distracted by such magic items right now. What I'm looking for is a single magic item that increases magic power. I'd also like to find a magic item for clairvoyance or千里眼 (千里眼 means "千里 eye," which is a term for clairvoyance or the ability to see things far away), but I can't tell anyone the purpose.

As I thought about this and continued browsing the magic items, I finally found it.

"It would be really useful to have... Hey, Shiki, what are you looking at?"

What I was looking at was the magic item that increases magic power, which I had been searching for. I was staring at the price tag, which had a series of zeros: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. I counted them again, and it seemed I hadn't made a mistake.

The price tag read... 10,000,000 zeni. In Japanese yen, that's 100,000,000 yen.

And the contents of my wallet were about 2,500,000 zeni. Even after receiving a large reward at the lord's mansion, I didn't have half the price of this magic item.

...Isn't this magic item a bit too expensive? To put it in perspective, it's enough to buy several houses. I tried looking for a cheaper magic item with a similar effect, but it seemed that 10,000,000 zeni was the minimum price for a magic item that increases magic power.

It's too expensive.

"Wow, Shiki, you wanted this magic ring? 10,000,000 zeni... That's impossible, isn't it? You should probably give up."

You're right, I should probably give up. But if I give up, I won't be able to solve Elise's problem. Besides, I can't think of any other way to improve her healing magic without any negative consequences.

I might be in a bind.

But why is it so expensive? It just increases magic power, yet it costs 10,000,000 zeni...

...No, it's actually quite simple.

This magic item might allow a healer who can only use Heal to use High Heal. Considering that the cost of a Heal is about 400 zeni, while a High Heal costs 50,000 zeni per use, the income of a healer who can use High Heal would skyrocket. This effect would continue throughout their life. If Elise, a healer, were to obtain this magic item, her annual income would increase dramatically.

It's a simple matter. Many people like me, who want to boost their healing magic, would be willing to pay for it.

"Shiki, you have a lot of magic power, so you don't need this! Instead, how about this magic item? It's a bracelet that can slightly reduce the power of fatal attacks."

"Ah, no, I'm not looking for myself this time. I'm looking for a magic item for Elise..."

"Elise...?"

I said it almost reflexively, then I realized. This... I shouldn't have said that.

Moreover, the bracelet Luluka had brought over seemed to be the same one that Yuel and I had previously owned. As I looked at it, the bracelet slipped from Luluka's hand and made a loud clattering sound.

"...A 10,000,000 zeni ring for Elise? So, does that mean... you and Elise are..."

Luluka's face turned pale as she whispered. This is bad.

"Hey, Luluka...?"

"...That cheating partner... So, it was really like that, wasn't it?"

I felt completely misunderstood. Luluka took a step back, then another. She bit her lower lip in frustration, her body trembling as she looked at me. Her reaction was clearly not normal.

"..."

Then, as our eyes met, Luluka ran out of the shop like she was escaping.

It's a misunderstanding. It's a misunderstanding.

It's not an engagement ring. I just wanted to solve Elise's problem with her healing magic. But Luluka was already outside the shop.

I have to chase after her.

It might be better to clear up the misunderstanding the next time we meet, but I don't know where Luluka usually is. If I wait for her to make a move, we might never meet again.

Moreover, her reaction just now seemed to be a sign of affection. Even I could tell.

I can't let her go.

As I stepped outside, I saw Luluka running down a narrow alley from the main street. Just before she turned the corner, she glanced back at me. She seemed to have noticed that I was chasing her.

Chasing a girl who's running away... it feels like a scene from a青春 (youth) story. Well, the words alone might sound criminal, but this time it feels like a青春 (youth) story.

As I continued chasing Luluka, I caught up with her in no time. Maybe she wanted me to catch up, so she was running slowly or waiting for me in the shadows.

...No.

That's not it.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't ask."

The alley led to a dead end, and there was Luluka. However, all I could see was her lower half hanging out of a small window of an abandoned house.

I could imagine the situation.

Luluka, who was trying to escape, found herself at a dead end. She must have tried to escape by entering the abandoned house through the open small window and then leaving through another exit. But her waist got stuck in the window frame, and she couldn't move.

The window frame was a bit high, and every time Luluka tried to pull herself out, her legs dangled in the air, which made me want to laugh.

"...Why are you stuck?"

"Don't say anything."

Probably, in her haste to escape, she misjudged the size of the window frame. Luluka's waist was firmly stuck, and she couldn't move.

"...Well, since you can't move, it's convenient. Just listen. It's a misunderstanding with Elise. I'm not engaged to anyone right now, and that was just Elise's misunderstanding."

"Stop it! Don't explain in this situation! You should... you know, face-to-face..."

Well, I can only see your butt right now.

Maybe I should have done things in a different order. First, I should rescue Luluka.

"Alright, just wait a moment."

I tried pulling her legs.

"It hurts, it hurts, Shiki! Don't pull! ...Wait, push! I think I can get inside if you push a little more!"

You just said to push, right? Is that okay? To push someone whose waist is stuck in a window frame, I need to push their waist. That means pushing their butt.

"Is it okay?"

"Huh? What do you mean...? Ah!"

I pushed with both hands without hesitation. I didn't want to do this, but Luluka told me to push, so I had no choice.

"Shiki... Ah... Stop... No! Don't push! Step back!"

But as soon as I pushed a little, Luluka said this and kicked me with her feet. Too bad.

However, the feeling of pushing was soft yet firm... No, that's not the point. Her waist was completely stuck in the window frame. Pushing or pulling wouldn't help. It might take several people to pull her out, but Luluka would probably give up from the pain first. I needed to do something about the window frame.

"No, I can't do this. I'll go get some help."

I needed some tools, and I couldn't do it alone. As I was about to leave,

"Wait, wait, Shiki! Please don't leave me here in this alley where I can't move! ...If a man passes by when I'm alone, he might... do whatever he wants..."

I heard Luluka's desperate voice trying to stop me. The serious atmosphere from when she ran out of the shop was gone. Now, I could only see her talking butt.

"Should I pull... No, but... ...I know, the clothes! Try pulling the clothes!"

Luluka wanted to get out, but she didn't want to be touched on her butt. Pulling her clothes would be better than touching her.

"I guess so."

But which part of her clothes should I pull? There's only one option. Her upper body was on the other side of the wall, and she was only wearing short pants on her lower body. I should pull the short pants. I grabbed Luluka's short pants.

"Don't touch more than necessary."

I was about to grab her waist and pull, but Luluka warned me.

"Alright."

So, I grabbed the pocket of her short pants and pulled hard.

...This won't work.

Luluka's short pants came off before she could be pulled out. They were already halfway off. I could keep pulling, but I couldn't leave Luluka in just her underwear. ...Could I?

"Hey, Shiki! They're coming off, they're coming off!"

Luluka seemed to realize her short pants were coming off and started kicking her legs. I couldn't get kicked again, so I stepped back.

"You told me to pull the clothes..."

But it was still difficult to pull Luluka out. Ah, I know. If she doesn't want to be touched directly, I could wrap her waist in a lot of towels and pull her out. I had towels in my item box.

As I was thinking about this—

Luluka, trying to kick me, ended up kicking the wrong place. The momentum caused her short pants, which were already halfway off, to fall completely.

Then, with a soft thud, her short pants hit the ground.

Luluka's kicking stopped abruptly.

"..."

A moment of silence.

Since I couldn't see her face, I couldn't tell what expression she had. Maybe she was angry. In such a situation, should I look away or help her put her short pants back on? Which would be better?

...As I stood there, Luluka's legs started to tremble,

"Ugh... This... This is..."

She started crying.

"Wait, don't cry! Just hold on! I'll get you out right away!"

Crying is unfair. I started feeling sorry for her. It seemed wasteful, but I quickly covered Luluka's waist with a towel from my item box. Then, I pulled with all my strength.

"It hurts! Shiki, it hurts, it hurts!"

But she was completely stuck, and there was no sign of her coming out. If I didn't get her out soon, our relationship would become extremely awkward.

I needed to find something to solve this situation...

I had it. It was in my item box.

I let go of Luluka and took it out. Then, I used a warm water magic item to melt it to the right consistency. What I had was slime jelly, which I turned into slime lotion.

I poured the lotion all over the window frame and Luluka's waist.

"Shiki, what are you doing!? It feels slimy! What are you going to do to me, who can't move!?"

Luluka was shouting from the unexpected sensation, but the effect would be clear once I tried it. I trusted the slime jelly.

After lightly applying the slime jelly to Luluka's waist, I pulled with all my strength. And—

—It came out with a "splat" sound, as if it were nothing.

"Got it! You're out!"

Luluka, looking confused and with tears in her eyes, sat on the ground, not sure what had happened. After a moment, she checked her appearance.

"Good, you're out. You should be grateful for my quick thinking."

Luluka looked at her sticky clothes and the short pants on the ground.

"Yeah, thanks... But I still feel uneasy..."

Luluka's expression was very complex, as if she didn't know whether to be happy or angry. ...Maybe it's because I did what she told me to do, but she can't thank me honestly. Is it because of my usual behavior or the slime jelly?

Then, Luluka stood up. It seemed she had put her short pants back on in the towel.

"Ugh, so sticky..."

"I had no choice. There was no other way."

"I know, but... By the way, what was that slimy stuff? Why do you have something like that?"

Luluka asked.

"Ah, well, I'm not very strong and can't fight much. When I need to escape from monsters, spreading this on the ground can buy me some time."

That's not the only reason, but it's not a lie.

"Wow, that sounds useful. I often need to escape when surrounded. Can you tell me where to buy it?"

"Sure, but let's do that later. For now, let's go back to the shop. We might find something good."

As we walked back the way we came, the misunderstanding was cleared up. I wanted to ask why Luluka had run away, but she seemed unstable today. Since the misunderstanding was cleared up, I'll ask her about it another time.

As we were walking,

"About Elise... You really aren't engaged, right?"

Luluka asked in a soft, almost inaudible voice.

"It's true, but..."

"Okay."

As we walked, Luluka tugged on my sleeve. When I turned around, I saw her looking down deeply.

"I need to change before I can go back to the main street."

That's true. A girl can't go out on the main street covered in slime jelly. But there's a problem with her statement. The problem is the building in front of us.

The place where Luluka was pulling me to stop... In front of us was a bathhouse.

Bathhouses are often used for certain purposes. If a couple enters, there's only one thing they do.

"Right, you're sticky. You need to change."

"...Yeah, I can't go out like this."

What's her intention? No, it's obvious.

But is it okay? It feels too sudden. Besides, I haven't asked why Luluka likes me or other important questions.

Am I wrong? Is it okay