Chapter 8

After the meal, when we returned to our room, my sister was rummaging through her backpack.

Then she took out a set of Marine Corps camouflage uniform. Moreover, she even pulled out a katana.

"Starting from tomorrow, wear this. And since the season is different, you might not need a jacket... A poncho should be fine."

Following my sister's instructions, I took off my clothes and was left in just a T-shirt. I put on the camouflage pants and fastened the belt. I attached the katana to the equipment belt, crossing it with the Gurkha knife case on my back.

"Sis... Is this a ninja sword?"

"Yes. You wanted it, didn't you? I found it in Grandpa's room and brought it along."

Please don't stick out your tongue and say "Hehe."

It's true that I wanted it. Unlike a curved katana, this one has almost no curve. It's closer to a straight sword, but in actual combat, thrusting is more effective than slashing.

Moreover, the scabbard is made of thin gold... It's wrapped in steel and painted with lacquer. The pommel is made of metal and sharpened at the tip. The scabbard can be used as a weapon.

I took the black-painted handle and drew the sword... The blade was pitch black, about 70 cm long, and a fine weapon.

To make it easier to draw, I adjusted the square tsuba so that it protruded slightly from the shoulder.

I put portable food and utensils in a small bag and wrapped it in the poncho. I secured it to the side using the dedicated belt on the equipment belt.

This way, the M29 would be completely hidden.

I attached the GI canteen to my right hip, put on my GI boots, and wore a camouflage cap... It made me look like I was ready to go to any battlefield.

Finally, my sister handed me fingerless leather gloves, and...

"Sis, this is too much. No matter what, this is too much!"

"You never know what might happen. It's for your safety. Take it!"

To my surprise, it was a pineapple-shaped grenade.

I threaded it through the sling on the right side of my suspenders and secured it firmly with Velcro.

When I was done, I looked at my sister's equipment. Her outfit had only changed to a camouflage pattern, and there didn't seem to be much difference.

However, when she took off her jacket and wore a T-shirt with suspenders, her large chest was even more emphasized. I tried not to look...

Mea-chan hadn't changed much either. The only difference was that she had shortened the belt my sister gave her, attached the bag I made, and rolled up my jacket to use as a poncho.

"Well, we're ready. We'll go to the guild tomorrow to start our hunter work. ...We'll leave the backpacks with the guild except for the necessary items, so make sure to check your equipment carefully."

We took a bath in the wooden tub that had somehow been prepared and went to bed.

Perhaps because it was the first time sleeping in a bed in a while, I didn't have any dreams and woke up when it was light.

The next day, I woke up to Mea-chan's groans.

In the bed next to mine, Mea-chan was writhing under my sister's foot.

I quickly helped her out and woke my sister, who greeted me as if nothing had happened.

I forced the half-asleep sister to change and took her to wash her face at the well in the back.

Breakfast was something like a sandwich with black bread, vegetables, and thinly sliced meat.

After finishing it and drinking tea, the lady brought a paper-wrapped package.

"This is a thank you for the meat, but I heard you're starting as hunters today. ...Listen, the hunter from last night said not to overdo it."

"I'm sorry to worry you. It'll be fine. I won't overdo it."

My sister smiled at the lady. But I wasn't fooled. (She's definitely going to overdo it.) Her face said it all.

The distance from the inn, which was off the main street, to the guild was quite far.

We had prepared our equipment to be able to handle requests on our own, so we brought our backpacks to leave them with the guild temporarily.

Since it was early in the morning, there weren't many people on the main street of the village. When I saw an old lady or old man sweeping in front of their house, I greeted them, but each time they returned the greeting politely, which was tiring. Well, greetings are the beginning of manners, so it's not a bad thing...

"Good morning!"

My sister entered the guild with a lively voice. I followed her without delay.

We walked up to the counter where we met the lady yesterday.

"Good morning. Could you please keep these two backpacks for us? And could you recommend a request for us?"

She said this with a smile. ...Is that okay?

The lady at the counter seemed surprised but then said, "Ah!" and seemed to understand.

In other words, we can't read. We can't understand the content of the request papers on the request board. So, we should just ask.

"That's a problem. ...By the way, do you have any money? Hiring a guide might be a good idea."

"Guide?"

"Yes. People with black cards are temporarily volunteering as guides for hunters. They have experience and can select requests that suit you. Also, the storage fee for your luggage is 5L per item for the duration of the request."

I could see a few question marks floating above my sister's head.

"How much does a guide cost?"

"It varies by level... I think 'Yoi Machi' would be good for a black level beginner. In that case, it would be 20L upfront and 1-2% of the completion reward."

Surprisingly cheap. The price is like a coin locker at a station.

"Please. Can we start today?"

My sister took out money from a cloth bag in her pouch and handed it over.

"Please wait a moment. ...It's fine. I'll call her now."

The lady left the counter and went up the stairs at the back.

After a while, she came down with a lady with cat ears, similar to Mea-chan.

She opened the counter door and came to us.

"This is your guide, Mikelan. She's a black level one, so I think she'll be helpful."

After introducing her, the lady returned to the counter.

"I'm your guide, Mikelan. ...First, I'd like to know everyone's levels."

Looking closely at Mikelan, she was a bit different from Mea-chan.

She had a round face with a few white whiskers sticking out from her cheeks, and her arms, which were exposed from her shirt, were covered in short fur.

However, her well-worn leather armor and the one-handed sword at her waist suited her very well.

"This is my card. Akito and Mea-chan, show yours too!"

Mikelan looked at the cards we showed for a while.

"Based on these, gathering requests might be good."

She said this and returned our cards to us.

"Follow me."

We followed Mikelan to a corner of the request board.

"These are gathering requests that match your levels. Is there anything you want to do?"

"Um... Since it's our first time, something easy and high-paying would be nice."

"Hmm, how about this? Picking Alit mushrooms. They should be in the eastern forest."

"Alit? Mea knows them. They were in the village forest too."

Mikelan patted Mea-chan's head and said, "Clever!"

My sister looked at me and nodded slightly. It seems we'll take the Alit mushroom gathering request.

Well, it's just mushroom hunting... Since Mea-chan knows them, it doesn't seem dangerous.

"Then, we'll take that. What do we do next?"

"Take this to the counter."

Mikelan tore the paper from the request board and took it to the lady at the counter.

"I'll take this."

The lady looked at the paper and said, "Understood." Then she stamped it with a large stamp.

"I've confirmed the acceptance of the request. Alit mushrooms are 6L each. The completion condition is 10 or more. The deadline is 3 days, so be careful."

She handed the paper to my sister.

We decided to set out immediately.

"Let's go!"

We said goodbye to the lady at the counter and left the guild. She waved at us as we left.

"By the way, is there anything we should prepare?"

My sister asked Mikelan, who was walking ahead with Mea-chan's hand, with a slightly envious look. Did she want to hold Mea-chan's hand?

"Maybe a basket would be convenient. And a lunch box."

Following Mikelan's advice, we bought a small basket (which looked big on Mea-chan) and dried meat at a general store on the way.

We turned east at the crossroads in the village and arrived at the gate of the fence surrounding the village.

"Isn't that Mikelan? Gathering herbs today?"

"Today, I'm a guide. We're picking Alit mushrooms in the eastern forest."

It seems Mikelan knows the gatekeeper. We were encouraged with "Be careful!" and started walking on the path leading to the eastern forest.