Chapter 26

Since Shouta has maintained the number one position both daily and weekly, as promised, I will post four chapters today (5/4).

This is the fifth chapter. Starting tomorrow, I will return to posting 2 or 3 chapters.

Akki, who had been crying and sulking, had returned to her usual self thanks to dinner and beer.

While fondly thinking of her sister, Maki explained the current situation she had heard from Shouta.

"Wh-what... When did Shouta-kun... Even when he reached level 30, his stats were terrible, and he didn't have any skills at all."

"Sis, you had 'Appraisal Lv4,' right?"

"Y-Yes, the one that can see detailed stats. I wish I had checked back then. When Shouta-kun decided to leave the 'Unlucky Hole,' something must have happened. Otherwise, it's impossible for him to distance himself from the slimes he was so obsessed with, to the point of not taking a single day off. And to have 'Appraisal Inhibition Lv4'... At the same level, the effects cancel each other out, making it impossible to see anything. It's like he was preparing for me, this is ridiculous."

"Hehe, maybe so. But I'm looking forward to the day when Shouta will tell me himself. So, I've decided to wait until then."

"Ugh, Maki, you've become so womanly all of a sudden..."

Comforting her sister, who was about to cry again, Maki told her about the other events that had occurred and what they should do next.

"Wow. A stalker and a test from Mom. Shouta-kun must be having a tough time."

"Exactly!"

"Well, I can kind of guess what happened with the stalker, so let's put that aside."

"Put it aside?"

"The test, though... I feel bad for Shouta-kun, but it's a common thing. Mom was the one who saw Maki's situation up close. She's trying to make the conditions so unreasonable that he'll give up on being exclusive. It's a bit rough, but she won't feel at ease unless he can easily handle such unreasonable demands."

"But those conditions are so difficult! What if he fails this time?"

The conditions presented to Shouta were even heavier than before. And he almost lost his life. That's why Maki can't accept it. She hasn't figured out the reason yet.

But I understand the reason why the difficulty of the conditions suddenly increased.

"Hey, Maki. Do you think someone who misjudges their strength and goes after a rare monster can live long?"

"Um, that's..."

"Right? If he gets killed there, he'll eventually die in the dungeon. The dungeon is a dangerous place that will consume your life if you ask for a reward that doesn't match your strength, no matter how hard you try."

"..."

"Besides, even with some reckless and rash actions, Shouta-kun overcame such adversity and came back. Right?"

"...Yeah!"

But that's just the result.

Mom doesn't know, but the relationship between Shouta and Maki didn't start just yesterday or today. They've been involved for at least two years. Shouta lacks a sense of crisis.

If he had died in today's battle with the rare monster, this girl, who had recovered thanks to Shouta, would have...

"Sis?"

"No, it's nothing. Also, I'll tell you something that neither Shouta nor Maki have noticed: Mom is also wary of a true exclusive relationship. She wants to know the strength of the person her daughter is interested in, right?"

"H-Huh..."

She's blushing so cutely.

However, challenging a rare monster on the second floor with just initial equipment is really lacking in a sense of crisis. Does he even realize how reckless he was? I'm not just worried for Maki, but for myself too.

Since he's been in danger, I hope he reflects on this properly... I want to believe he won't do anything to make Maki sad. He did make a manly promise, after all?

"...So, to avoid dangerous situations in the future, you want to prepare appropriate equipment based on his strength, right?"

"Yep. Shouta has always used iron equipment and never needed to upgrade. So, he doesn't know what kind of performance different equipment has."

"I do think that's a bit questionable for an adventurer, though."

"Originally, it's the sister's job to teach him, right?"

"...Yes."

She couldn't even argue.

But if he had a sense of crisis, he would at least think about getting better equipment! He should have enough money to switch to something better than iron!

"Ahem. So, let's prepare the perfect equipment for Shouta. Of course, there's no budget limit. Mom just contacted me, and it seems the minimum price starts at 35 million."

"That's quite a price. It's been three months since the last auction, so 50 million is reasonable."

"Yep. So, let's work together, sis. For 'my' Shouta."

"Wait, it should be 'our,' right? The auction is about to start, so let's watch the live stream and carefully choose the equipment."

Maki's genuine smile returned.

Now, I just need to do my best to prevent anything from clouding it!

...Still, to think he had such a negative impression of me. I messed up.

Next time I see him, maybe I'll, um, go easy on him a bit.

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