Chapter 34

Allen was on his way back after being completely stripped bare by the professional in the relaxed interview.

The senior who had been so lively before was now staggering and muttered,

"I'm tired...

I want to go home and sleep right away, but...

I have to report today's events to my family..."

"...I'm sorry, senpai.

I did try to keep my mouth shut, but looking at Satowa's deep wrinkles around her eyes, I couldn't help but want to praise your greatness...

Could it be some kind of mind control magic...?"

I, who had been talking about senpai's greatness so comfortably on the way back, now felt a sense of déjà vu, remembering the time when I had built a mountain of rejections, and asked with unease,

"...I've never heard of such magic...

You're not joking, are you?"

Senpai glared at me resentfully and sighed deeply.

It seems there is no such mind control magic...

"Well, what's done is done.

There will probably be some commotion, but we can't do anything about it now..."

To the gloomy senpai, I tried to sound cheerful and said,

"But Satowa did say she wouldn't talk to anyone except the president, and it's not really the kind of story that would spread so much, is it?"

To summarize what I did today, it was just that I happened to meet senpai, went on a collection trip with him, and was so impressed that I came to register as an explorer.

"...I hope so.

As I said yesterday, Allen, you need to be more aware of your influence.

In other words, you should at least tell the president.

If one person leaks it, it won't take long for the story to spread.

...Well, I'm going to stop by my family's place, so I'll take my leave here."

Senpai stopped at the shared magic car stop and said this.

Although the atmosphere had become awkward, I thought I had to say this, so I bowed deeply to senpai and expressed my gratitude.

"Riad senpai!

Thanks to you, I had a really great time over the past day!

Thank you very much!"

Senpai sighed deeply again, then laughed brightly as if something had been resolved.

"Ahaha.

That bow is really unfair.

It makes me want to forgive all sorts of things.

...I also enjoyed the collection trip for the first time in a long time.

Thanks to you, Allen.

I look forward to our early morning training from tomorrow on?"

"Of course!"

◆

The materials I sold amounted to 5000 reals, which is over 500,000 yen in Japanese currency.

The breakdown is as follows: 2500 reals for the Horned Rabbit's fur, 1500 reals for the glowing mushrooms (Popor mushrooms) that senpai found, and 1000 reals for the rest of the materials combined.

We split this evenly, so each of us earned 2500 reals.

I felt indebted to senpai for accompanying me, but since he strongly insisted on splitting it evenly this morning, I accepted it.

Incidentally, the horn that broke in the middle was apparently not usable as a material, but it might find a buyer among some enthusiasts, so it was temporarily entrusted to someone.

Also, I brought back the meat from the Horned Rabbit's hind legs, but decided to keep it as a souvenir for Sora instead of selling it.

I had suddenly gone on an overnight collection trip, so I had skipped breakfast without permission.

I needed to make up for it somehow...

And so, I became a G-class explorer.

Initially, it was suggested that I break the tradition of royal academy students and register as a C-class explorer from the start, but I argued that it would be better to follow the tradition and register as a D-class, or even a G-class.

If I stood out even more and broke the tradition, who knows what kind of rumors would spread.

When I insisted, Satowa, misunderstanding something, said, "Then I'll try to register you as a B-class explorer," so I declared that I would stop the registration and stood up to leave.

Panicking, Satowa said, "Alright, then D-class!" but in such negotiations, the one who concedes first and feels guilty loses.

I declared that I would only accept G-class and stubbornly refused to listen to any arguments, and eventually obtained my G-class registration certificate.

With the association's evaluation being G, it might help to dampen the rumors that were spreading.

Incidentally, the material of the registration certificate is paper, regardless of the rank, with only the decorative patterns differing.

In the past, the top A-rank was made of mithril, followed by platinum, gold, and so on, with the lowest G-rank being a wooden board, but this was abolished to reduce costs and prevent trouble.

I asked Satowa, "Which is more important, romance or cost?" but she bluntly replied, "Both are important."

She seemed to resent having registered me as a G-class explorer.

Well, I probably won't meet such a high-ranking official again, so it doesn't matter.

Incidentally, there was no special designation for a front-line role.

◆

When I returned to the dormitory, for some reason, the four friends—Faye, Jue, Kate, and Stella—were standing at the entrance to the general dormitory.

I greeted them with a clear "Hello" as if passing by hikers on a mountain path and tried to go straight into the dormitory, but Faye grabbed my wrist with a smile.

"Good morning, Allen?

I heard from the dorm mother that you didn't come back last night?

To skip your club activity without permission and come back in the morning, what's that all about?

Trying to sneak into the dormitory like that is as good as admitting you have something to hide, isn't it?"

Her face was smiling, but it seemed like a "gogogogo" sound effect was playing behind her.

What's with this fake smile?

"It's none of your business!

Let go of my hand... It's so strong?!"

What kind of body enhancement is she using?

I can't shake her off at all.

"...Probably went on an overnight hunt.

The wooden sword hanging from your belt... is that the hind leg of a Horned Rabbit?"

The pink twin-tailed Stella said this with a bored tone.

"You can tell?"

Looking at the "meat" from the hind leg, she immediately identified it as a Horned Rabbit, suggesting she has hunting experience.

I became a little interested in Stella.

"I believed in you, Allen.

I didn't think you would fool around with women.

But Kate said that if you went to the pleasure district with the prestige of being the top student in the royal academy's practical exam, you would be treated like a hero, and older women would take advantage of you, leaving you boneless.

It's only a matter of time before you become a favorite in the pleasure district, so I was a little worried?"

Faye loosened her grip on my hand.

"That's right. Kate said,

'At this age, boys only think about that kind of thing.

Once they get caught up in the skills of older women, they can't escape the swamp of pleasure.

With their endless stamina, it's only natural to end up by a window with the morning sun and birds singing.'

So I was worried about Allen's D and...

I was waiting to hear the details."

Jue giggled and added.

Are you really that kind of character?

Can you stop making fun of my D?

It hurts to bring up old wounds.

I glared at Kate, the glasses-wearing, committee-like girl with purple hair.

"Ahem.

Stella is from the Achilles family, known for their bravery.

She must have a lot of hunting experience.

Allen, you should know, right?"

Kate averted her eyes and changed the subject.

The Achilles family...

In the past, when monsters roamed more freely in the Daley Mountains in the northwest of the kingdom, they were known as the guardians of the Daley Mountains.

While there are many viscount families in this kingdom, the bravery of the Achilles family is well-known.

"The guardians of Daley.

I see, that makes sense."

"...How many people know that old name besides you?

Why do you know so much about it?"

"?

Because I'm interested, of course."

When I looked Stella in the eye and answered, she suddenly turned bright red and panicked.

"W-w-what do you mean by that!"

"Kyaa! So aggressive!!"

Jue and Kate wriggled their bodies and screamed in delight.

"Allen?

Flirting with other girls right in front of me, I can't admire that?"

Faye, who had loosened her grip, now squeezed my hand so hard it felt like my bones would break.

Why does it always end up like this...