Chapter 32

"Should we take a break today?"

"What's wrong, all of a sudden?"

"Do we not have to go hunting?"

The day after we were promoted to D-rank. After finishing breakfast, I was trying to decide what to do today. That's when I suggested taking a break.

"Hmm? Ah, Noll and the others have been hunting without a break, haven't they? I thought they might want a break soon."

We've been hunting almost non-stop, from the northern cave for the gacha to the Frogman hunt yesterday. It's been a pretty tough schedule. I think they need a break after coming this far with me.

"Sure. If you say it's okay, then it's fine."

"Moo, I'm happy to have a break, but I don't really have anything to do."

Come to think of it, I've been with them all the time and haven't let them do anything personal. Maybe they can't think of what to do if I suddenly suggest a break?

"Since we're finally two girls, why don't we go shopping? Here, take this."

I handed them a bag I had prepared in advance. They tilted their heads in confusion as they took it and opened it to check the contents.

"Five gold coins... 500,000G!?! I, I can't take so much..."

"Brother, are you okay? Do you have a fever?"

I had put five gold coins in the bag. 500,000G should be enough for now. Estelle put her hand on my forehead, thinking I might have a fever. That's rude.

"No, it's money we've all earned together. If it runs out, I'll give you more, but don't waste it. Noll, especially watch out for overeating."

We've been acting together, so we haven't divided the money individually. But since they now have their own bags, I thought it was time to give them some money to use on their own. Noll would probably buy a lot of food if I gave her the money...

"I, I don't overeat! You're being rude, Oohashi. What do you think of me?"

"O, oh..."

She argued back, a bit upset. Yeah, I can't trust her at all. But with Estelle, she probably won't go overboard.

"Then, let's take a break today. Are you coming with us, Brother?"

"If I come, it'll be the same as always."

Sometimes it's good for them to have fun together without me. They seem to get along well.

"Hmm, do you want to be alone, Brother? ...Ah, I see."

"Huh?"

"Hehe, sometimes you want to do something other than taking a bath, right?"

"What are you going to do other than taking a bath?"

Estelle seemed to have figured something out with a smirk, but she's wrong. Spare me. Noll tilted her head, looking puzzled. She probably doesn't understand. I hope Noll stays the same.

"N-no, that's not it! Ah, here, take this. If anything happens, contact me."

I gave them a walkie-talkie just in case. It's pretty big, so I couldn't give it to them when they didn't have bags.

"I've already booked the room for today, so come back whenever you want."

I've already booked the room for today, so they can come back anytime. I told the receptionist to give them the key if they ask.

●

After seeing them off, I returned to my room alone.

"Phew, it's been a while since I've been alone..."

It's been over a month since I came to this world, hasn't it? I've been with Noll since the day I summoned her. I haven't been alone since I came here. Thinking about it, I suddenly felt lonely.

"Alright, let's go."

Yeah, I have something to do today, so I can't just sit around thinking. I took out the item from my bag and put it in a bag. I have a deal with him.

●

"Excuse me."

I went to the adventurer's guild where he's probably at. As I was looking for him, I saw Wijji passing by, so I called out to her.

"Oh, Mr. Oohashi. You're carrying a large item... Could it be another proof of defeat!?"

"Ah, no, it's not that. The party is taking a break today, so I have other business."

"That's right... By the way, I don't see the knight and the mage."

"More importantly, is Deus here today?"

Yes, I had promised to give Deus the Stinger carapaces. I brought 90 of them in three bags. Carrying them, I feel much stronger now.

"Deus is over there. See you, Mr. Oohashi, I hope you get promoted to C-rank soon~"

She pointed to the back and told me, then hurried back to the reception. Her large assets jiggled as she moved.

"Deus, hello."

"Ah, Oohashi... sir."

I went to where she pointed, and Deus was sitting in a chair. When I approached and called out to him, he called me with the same slightly unbearable "sir." It's hard to talk to him like this!

"You don't have to force the 'sir.' Don't you find it annoying? Let's talk more casually."

"Hmm, then I'll go back to normal. How about you use a normal tone too?"

"Is it that strange?"

"To be honest, it's creepy."

"Damn, even here. Then I'll talk normally."

Damn, here we go again. What exactly is wrong with my tone? Ah, is it like what I felt about him just now? If so, I understand.

"Hey, you're alone today. What about Estelle and the others?"

"I gave them a break. I've been taking them hunting every day recently."

He seemed to be looking for Estelle behind me, as usual. He looked a bit disappointed when he realized she wasn't there.

"Still, your equipment has changed a lot. I mean, it looks even more suspicious."

"Don't say things I'm worried about..."

I upgraded my holy shroud, but it hurts to hear my concerns.

"So, is that the item we talked about?"

"Yeah, 90 pieces, right?"

"You brought all of this by yourself..."

"Huh? Yeah, I did."

Deus looked tense when he saw the bags I was carrying. Is something wrong?

"Sorry, can you help me carry this to Gantz's equipment shop? I can't carry this at all."

"Oh, right. Sorry, I didn't think about that."

"You're as abnormal as those two, but it's easy to overlook because of them."

Being with those two messes with my senses. I would have collapsed carrying this much a while ago. Maybe it's because my equipment is better now.

●

"By the way, you've been promoted to D-rank, haven't you? Congratulations."

"Thanks, but it feels creepy coming from you."

I decided to go to Gantz's equipment shop with him. I can carry one bag, and he's carrying the other two. On the way, he noticed my plate and congratulated me on the promotion. It feels weird coming from him.

"Are you aiming for B-rank?"

"Yeah, I plan to. I'm thinking about going up to A-rank."

"Got it... Good luck. We're aiming for it too, but it's a long way off."

"Heh, I can't give Estelle to you, but good luck."

"Exactly, I envy you. Where did you find such two people?"

It feels like I haven't had a casual conversation with a guy in a while. He's a stubborn guy, but he's surprisingly normal when you talk to him. I guess it's natural to wonder where I found those two. I can't tell him they're from the gacha.

"I have a question. You used Sonic Blade in the last battle, right? How did you know how to use it?"

"Hmm? What are you talking about? If you have a skill, you just know how to use it, right?"

I decided to ask about something that had been bothering me. Why did Deus realize he had a skill? But his answer was confusing. He said it as if it was obvious.

●

"We're back, so there!"

"We're back, Brother."

"Hey, did you have fun?"

I had received the payment from Deus for the Stinger carapaces and returned earlier. They came back a while later, looking very excited and having had a lot of fun.

"Yes, we did! Oh, the sweets from that shop were delicious. Here, this is a souvenir for you, Mr. Oohashi."

"Thanks."

I sounded really relaxed. Did they eat something so delicious? They said it was a sweet, so they must like sweet things. I received a biscuit-like item as a souvenir from Noll. It's nice to get a souvenir.

"Thanks to the bag, shopping was easy."

"Indeed. The capital has a variety of clothes."

So they went shopping for clothes. I'm looking forward to seeing what they bought.

"Hey, Brother, what do you think of this?"

"That...!?"

"Estelle is right, you really are reacting...!"

Estelle took out a white apron and black clothes, including a mini skirt. It was a complete maid costume, a kind of cosplay.

What... I didn't know such things existed in this world.

Thinking about the possibility of seeing these two in various outfits, I suddenly felt motivated.