Chapter 38

Today is also three episodes, but from tomorrow, it will return to two episodes (2/3)

"Yatta!!"

"Great job, Shota!"

"Now we're all together!"

With Maki's recognition as my exclusive, the three of us were celebrating wildly when the branch manager cleared her throat.

"Also, I'll return this to you."

The branch manager said and tried to hand over the 'Swift' skill.

"Huh? But this was for the auction—"

"That was just a pretext to bring it here. While it's true that our association's evaluation would rise if it were auctioned, it would be meaningless if the adventurers don't grow. First, you should use this skill to become stronger yourself, which will lay the groundwork for safely securing the skill orbs. Auctioning it off can come second. In fact, the 'Super Strength' skill you auctioned last time wasn't something to be praised either. You didn't need the money, and you weren't using it yourself. You just auctioned it off to impress the receptionist."

"No, it wasn't to impress—"

"Even if it was a thank you. Do you really think my daughters would be happy to receive a large sum of money unconditionally?"

"Of course not!"

The pressure from the branch manager was even more intense than when Maki scolded me. This fear was beyond that of rare monsters. It was terrifying!

...Now that I think about it, even though it was a thank you, that choice was probably not good.

"...I'm sorry to both of you. Even though I didn't think of it, I shouldn't have given it like that."

"You really scared us. You should reflect on that."

"Right, right. A date invitation would have been better."

"Would you say that when you were being avoided by your sister?"

"Ugh!"

"Hey, hey, no fighting."

I wanted to calm them down, but I couldn't move much with both of my arms being held.

"But, that said, since I did use the savings, I'll make sure to pay it back."

"Okay!"

"Sure."

"That's why, branch manager, it's fine to auction it off as originally planned."

"What? Did you hear what I just said? You need to become stronger first."

"That's not necessary. ...Here, branch manager, it's fine to 'Appraise' it."

"What is this...! 'Super Strength II' and 'Swift II'!? What is this...?"

Seeing the branch manager's surprised reaction, I felt a bit of satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment.

And a bit of doubt.

"Aki, you didn't tell her yet?"

"Of course not. I was planning to auction it off in my name. I made a report, but I was going to send it to headquarters and just kept putting it off because I wanted to complain about Maki's worries."

"That's understandable."

"Right?"

"...Aki, show me that report."

"Sure thing."

Aki seemed to be inputting data into an app and sent it to the branch manager's account, handing it over obediently. The association's app is really convenient. As I thought this, Aki looked up at me as if to say, "Praise me, praise me." So, I decided to pat her head.

"Hehe."

"Nice... Ah, Shota, that was... Hehe."

As I patted Maki's head too, the branch manager seemed to finish reading the report.

"Amachi, you verified the effects of 'Super Strength II'?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Please verify 'Swift II' if possible later. From today, Aki and Maki are your exclusives. So, I'll submit this report in both their names. Of course, I'll approve it, so it should go through smoothly."

"Okay, as long as I'm with Maki!"

Oh, it's nice to see the two of them treated equally.

"Amachi, there's one more thing I need to tell you. Your ability to continuously hunt such rare monsters and obtain skill orbs is impressive, but I won't comment on that. Your jurisdiction is with Aki and Maki, not me. However, the ability to obtain multiple skill orbs in a short time will surely attract attention. Submitting this report along with auctioning the skills will bring risks. Are you prepared for that?"

"Since I'm getting them as my exclusives, I should be able to handle it. Right?"

I said it jokingly.

"Hehe, you're bold. But as a branch manager, I recognize your exclusives, but as a mother, I don't recognize that relationship."

"Hey, Mom, we're free to love who we want!"

"Right, right!"

Aki booed, calling it tyrannical, and Maki joined in, pretending to be angry.

This reaction... They really meant it, didn't they? I'm not mistaken, right? Damn, even though I brought it up, my face is getting hot.

Seeing this, the branch manager returned to her motherly demeanor.

"Indeed, I said something similar in the past. But if it's both of them, it's a different matter! ...It depends on Amachi's ability to make them both see him as a good man."

"No need to tell us!"

"We'll make him even better!"

After hearing her daughters, the branch manager turned her back.

"The conversation is over. If you want to be affectionate, do it outside."

Though I have some thoughts, I bowed to the branch manager, and we left the room.

...By the way, where did the lady who guided us go?

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

"Hana"

"Yes, Miki-san."

The receptionist, Hana, who had guided Shota to the room, appeared from the shadows. She had been hiding so as not to be a bother and had witnessed the scene, her face beaming with a smile.

"Was there any falsehood in Amachi's slaying information?"

"No, in the forest of the second layer where the battle took place, traces of fleeing were found, but the investigation confirmed that he had indeed defeated them there. Also, today, the investigators reported that he did not approach the forest. As a supplement, the dungeon's repair system was active, so the forest should be back to normal by tomorrow."

"Thank you for your hard work. It's good that your instincts are sharp, meaning the risk of being involved in an accident is low. So, his evaluation is correct, right?"

"Yes. His activities in the dungeon and his usual behavior have both been confirmed to be without issue."

"I see. I'll leave the rest to them. Withdraw the personnel assigned to him. With Aki around, there's no need to worry about Maki. Well, let's hear today's schedule."

At that moment, her expression changed from a mother to a branch manager.

"Next, there are exclusive interviews with three adventurers. Two are by request from adventurers, and one is by request from a receptionist. Also, one adventurer has requested Maki specifically..."

"I'll conduct the interviews. If their behavior and abilities are fine, I'll take a survey and see if any of the girls match their requests."

"...Thank you for your hard work. It's rare to have a branch manager who takes such good care of everyone."

"Maybe so. But as long as they are part of this association, all employees are like my daughters. I don't want them to be hurt by bad adventurers."

Hana looked at the branch manager with genuine admiration.

To the readers,

If you found this work interesting and are curious about the next part,

registering a bookmark or giving it a ★★★★★ rating would be a great encouragement.

Thank you!