Chapter 74

"Hey, why did you suddenly start walking so fast?"

"S-Sorry. Rather, is there anywhere you want to go?"

Estel's words made me feel embarrassed, so I quickened my pace a bit and waited for the heat in my face to subside. The heat quickly dissipated, so I slowed down my pace, but Estel, who had been following me in a hurry, caught up and grabbed the hem of my shirt, pouting in anger.

I felt bad for making her, who had been so happy just a moment ago, upset.

When she says such kind words, I feel happy but also embarrassed.

"Hmm, well... How about going to a clothing store?"

"Sure, no problem."

"Hehe, thank you. Hey, big brother, since we're here, how about having something to eat?"

"Huh? Yeah... I'm getting a bit hungry too, so it's perfect."

When I asked where we should go, she put her hand on her cheek and thought for a moment before answering. When I agreed, she pointed in a certain direction and suggested we eat there.

Looking in the direction she pointed, I saw a store selling round, wheat-colored pastries with fruit on top. From the look of it, it seemed to be a pie.

"Here, be careful when you hold it."

"Thank you. The money..."

"Don't worry about it. Actually, the money I have is a common fund for everyone."

We immediately went to the store, bought a pie, and handed it to Estel. It wasn't a whole round pie but was cut into several pieces and wrapped in paper. This size would be easy to eat while walking.

When I handed it to her, Estel seemed to be concerned about the money, but it wasn't a significant amount.

Moreover, the money I had was earned by everyone, so in a sense, it was also Estel's money.

I felt a bit awkward being thanked.

"Let's eat, then."

But before I could, Estel held out the pie to me and waited.

What... Is she asking me to eat it? No... That's a bit too much...

"Okay... I understand."

Giving in to Estel, who showed no signs of moving, I took a bite of the pie she offered. The still warm crust made a slight crunching sound, and a sweet and tangy flavor spread in my mouth. It tasted like an apple pie or a similar fruit.

"How is it? Is it delicious?"

"Mmm... Yeah, it's really good."

When I said it was delicious, Estel had a satisfied smile. Is she really that happy?

The pie tasted good. No, it wasn't just good; it was delicious. Compared to the sweets from the gacha, it was less sweet, but it was still delicious.

Noll might be happy if he tried this... No, he might have already eaten it.

As I was impressed by the taste of the pie, Estel was still looking at me with a smile.

Ah, really? Since she did it for me, I should do it for her, right?

"Here..."

"Mmm... Yeah, it's delicious."

This time, I offered the pie I was holding to Estel. She took a bite and chewed with her hand over her mouth.

After swallowing, she said it was delicious. It seems that even to Estel, the pie was delicious.

After this exchange, we finally started walking towards the clothing store.

We've never done something like feeding each other before. It feels a bit embarrassing. My face is getting hot again.

Actually, today has been full of embarrassing moments. What's going on?

More importantly... What should I do now? I made Estel eat the pie in a rush, but if I eat it now... No, I'm not that young anymore!

I wondered if Estel was also thinking about it and looked at her.

Estel was eating the pie with both hands, showing no signs of concern.

Was I the only one who was thinking about it?

"What's wrong, big brother? Aren't you going to eat? It'll get cold."

"Eh... Ah, y-yeah, I'll eat."

When Estel noticed I was looking at her, she tilted her head in confusion.

Damn, right. If I panic over this, I'll be teased by Sis Ha again.

I made up my mind and put the pie in my mouth boldly.

●

After finishing the pie, we walked a bit and arrived at our destination, the clothing store...

"Hmm, do you think this one suits me better? Ah, but this one is nice too."

"Hey, it's good to come to a clothing store, but weren't you supposed to look at your clothes, Estel?"

"Oh, I never said I was going to look at my clothes."

Since we entered the clothing store, I had been trying on clothes like a doll.

I had assumed we were going to look at her clothes, but she hadn't said a word about it.

"Big brother, you don't have many clothes, do you? Since it's a good opportunity, let's choose some together?"

"Hmm... Yeah, sure. Since we're here, I'll let Estel choose for me."

"Sure, leave it to me."

Estel was right; I only had about five sets of clothes, including my everyday wear and pajamas.

In my original world, I didn't really care much about clothes, so I thought I might as well buy some now.

"Hehe, then let's go to the general store next."

"I didn't expect to end up buying my own clothes..."

We spent quite a bit of time in the clothing store and ended up buying about ten sets of clothes, including white shirts and black suit-like outfits.

Did I really need that many? Well, since Estel said they were good, I bought them. I'll put them in my bag just in case.

"Welcome! Hey, isn't it you from the other day? So, you're back in Brunne?"

"Ah, thanks. I'm glad you remembered me."

"Of course. You brought a lot of Black Oak meat, so I couldn't forget you."

After leaving the clothing store, we went to the general store.

It had been a while since I came to Brunne, so it felt quite nostalgic.

The shopkeeper, as always, greeted us. I was happy that he remembered me.

"I heard you went to the capital. Why did you come back?"

"Actually, I bought a house in Brunne."

"Oh, that's great. Should we celebrate?"

"No, no, it's fine."

When I left Brunne, I only told Mana and a few others, but it seems to have been a topic of conversation.

When I said I bought a house in this town, the shopkeeper laughed and suggested a celebration.

I was happy, but I didn't want to trouble him too much.

"So, did you go to the capital's dungeon? Did you find anything rare?"

"Ah, no, actually, I didn't hunt in the dungeon at all."

"Really... I was hoping you might have something to sell."

I went there because I heard you could find various items in the dungeon, but I prioritized advancing deeper over collecting drop items, so I didn't do much hunting.

Well, since I get various items from the gacha, there's no need to search the dungeon... Maybe I'll spend some time killing slimes next time I go.

"Ah, but I do have some boots dropped by slimes."

"Slimes... Slimes!? I heard slimes appear in the lower levels of the dungeon... I'm interested in the boots, but do you still have the slime cores?"

"Ah, yes... I don't have many, but I kept them without selling."

When I mentioned slimes, the shopkeeper asked excitedly if I still had the cores.

The slime cores were stored at the bottom of my bag, so I took them out and placed them on the table one by one.

I had collected various slime cores, but they all looked white and indistinguishable. Only the Steel Slime core was a silver ball, making it easy to identify.

After taking them all out, I had 23 cores. I really hadn't done much hunting.

"Wow... So many slime cores... And this one is a Steel Slime core, right?"

"Yes."

"Please! Can you sell all of them for 420,000G?"

Whoa!? 420,000G for these?

It's not a surprising amount, but it's still a lot for just these.

I didn't think slime cores would be worth anything.

"Sure... Is the price really that high for this number?"

"Yes, slime cores are useful. Each regular slime core is 10,000G, and the Steel Slime core is 200,000G. Is that okay?"

Wow, 10,000G for regular slimes and 200,000G for Steel Slimes. That's a pretty good buyback price.

It might be worth hunting Steel Slimes... No, that's too dangerous. I don't want to face those bullet-like slimes again.

"What are slime cores used for?"

"Well, if you put them in water, the water turns into a sticky liquid with various uses. The Steel Slime core, when applied, makes the surface as hard as iron, so it has many uses. In the capital, they're easier to get, but they rarely come to Brunne."

"Wow, slime cores have such properties..."

A sticky liquid from slime cores... I don't really want to use it.

It could be used as glue and might be quite useful.

The Steel Slime core sounds pretty amazing. If you apply it to a wooden stick, it becomes like iron? Is it like a coating?

This world is full of amazing things.

"What about the boots?"

"Hmm, I'm interested in them too... If they're regular boots, they're not rare. I think it's better to take them to a proper equipment store."

He seemed willing to buy anything, but he suggested taking the boots to an equipment store. He's a good person for suggesting it.

Indeed, they seem rare, so I'll ask Gantz at his equipment store next time.

"Sorry, I kept you talking while your friend was waiting."

"Ah... S-Sorry, Estel!"

"Ugh, you ignored me while talking, even though I came with you. That's so mean."

After giving me the money for the slimes, the shopkeeper pointed behind me, looking apologetic.

Turning around, I saw Estel with puffed cheeks, looking angry that I had finally noticed her.

Damn... I got so caught up in the conversation that I kept her waiting...

"Well, it's fine. Hey, mister, what's this?"

"Hmm? That's a recently acquired Magic Light Stone."

"Magic stone!? You said magic stone, right!?"

"Calm down, big brother, it's a Magic Light Stone. How did you hear it as a magic stone?"

Estel pointed to a necklace with a transparent gemstone about 1 cm in size, displayed on the counter.