Chapter 27

Summary of the previous chapter ------------------------------------------------------

Conducting price research at the bookstore. Decided not to buy as it was too heavy to carry.

Upgraded everyone's equipment at the weapon shop. Spent a large sum of money.

--- General store

Once again, Haruka's request.

This store sells not only daily necessities but also accessories for the common people.

If you were a capable man, you would buy Haruka an accessory here, but our wallets are in Haruka's hands, and Toya and I are on an allowance.

Sadly.

Well, even if we don't use it, we still have about 10,000 rea.

We could buy something with that money, but...

Yeah, that's right.

Since she's been taking care of us, it would be nice to give her something.

Haruka is... looking at something on her own.

I approach Toya.

"Hey, I'm thinking of giving Haruka an accessory. She's been taking care of us, right?"

Toya's eyes widen, and he looks shocked.

"That's a good idea, Naoto!?"

"No, is it that surprising?"

"Well, you've never given Haruka a gift outside of her birthday, have you?"

"Yeah, that's true... but isn't that normal?"

"I thought you've been taken care of for a while... but, fine. I'll chip in, so you pick it out and give it to her."

"Eh, you won't help me?"

"I'll count on your taste. Good luck!"

That's the part I'm least confident about.

I have no confidence at all.

Despite my feelings, Toya gives me a thumbs up and quickly backs away.

If I chased after him and argued, Haruka would probably notice, so I sigh and reluctantly start looking at accessories on my own.

The items here are for everyday use by common people, ranging from a few hundred rea to a few thousand rea at most.

They are within our budget.

Rings... no, that seems too heavy.

Earrings... ah, maybe these would be good?

Since coming here, Haruka's eyes have turned blue, and these have a similar-colored stone.

They are small and won't get in the way.

Alright—

"Hey, wouldn't these earrings suit Haruka—"

Haruka glances at the earrings I hold out and looks slightly displeased.

...Did I do something wrong?

"I don't have my ears pierced, you know? Naoto, you know that, right?"

You can't possibly not know, right? She looks up at me.

"---Yes"

Damn, I slipped!

Only now do I notice Toya covering his face behind Haruka.

If you knew, you should have told me!

Well, maybe I should have consulted you after choosing, but still.

"Well, either way, it doesn't matter since our bodies are different. What? Are you going to buy them for me?"

Haruka sighs and then looks at me with a mischievous smile.

"Well, yeah. You've been taking care of us, right?"

Damn, I shouldn't have tried something I'm not used to.

It's so embarrassing!

"Also, To—"

I was about to say "Toya too," but I notice Toya gesturing "shut up!" and keep quiet.

"To?"

"Before we go to the next town, it's fine to buy a little something, right?"

Toya nods in approval from behind.

While the responsibility for the poor choice is mine, you did agree to give her something, right?

"Hmm. Then, maybe I'll choose something. Something I can wear every day, like a necklace?"

"How about a hair clip?"

Currently, Haruka's beautiful blonde hair is tied in a loose braid with a leather cord to avoid getting in the way during battles.

I thought something a bit more decorative would be nice, but...

"Maybe it would get in the way during battles. A ribbon might... but I don't want it to get caught, so maybe not. If we can take more days off, I could buy something for my days off."

Indeed, we don't have a life where we can afford to decorate ourselves.

While we have some money now, maybe giving an accessory as a gift was a mistake.

However, since Haruka seems happy, there's no need to take it back.

From then on, I listened to Haruka's opinions and ended up giving her a necklace with a pendant that had the same stone as the earrings I initially chose.

Toya?

Later, he secretly gave me half the cost.

I asked if he wanted me to tell Haruka it was from both of us, but he said, "No need to say anything extra," so I didn't tell her.

--- Café

This is my request... or rather, everyone's?

The café Diora-san recommended when we asked her about good places to eat.

The prices are a bit high, but it serves not only food but also rare sweet pastries in this world, so we had been planning to come here someday.

The seating area includes tables in a slightly spacious garden, though it's not as fancy as a garden terrace.

There are only grass and a few low shrubs, no flowers, but it still stands out from other eateries that just line up tables in front of the store.

The prices are significantly higher than the "Drowsy Bear" where we usually stay, about three times as much for a meal.

It's delicious, but whether it's worth the price difference is debatable.

Still, the "Drowsy Bear" is of a higher standard than most, so I have no particular complaints.

"Surprisingly, it was quite good."

"Yeah. A bit expensive, though."

"Considering the location and everything, it's about what you'd expect. I wouldn't want to come every day, though."

If the "Drowsy Bear" is a regular diner we'd want to visit every day, this place is more like a restaurant we'd want to visit occasionally.

The taste and price make it suitable for an occasional treat.

After finishing our meal, we ordered additional pastries (equivalent to two regular meals) and relaxed with tea.

The pastries are a rare treat in this world, so we savor them slowly with our tea.

In a regular eatery, we might be rushed to finish and leave, but the high price ensures that doesn't happen.

While we were enjoying ourselves, a loud voice suddenly caught our attention.

"Ah! You're Nagai, right? Then, the elf over there must be Kamizaki and Higashi!"

Turning to the source of the voice, we see a human woman.

She seems to be an employee, as she is clearing dishes.

She looks familiar...

"Are you Umezono-san?"

"Yes."

Ah, she was indeed a classmate.

We didn't interact much, so I only knew her name and had a vague memory of her face, which is why I didn't recognize her until Haruka mentioned it.

"It's been a while. Are you working here?"

"Yes, yes. As a day laborer..."

"Wow. So, you're managing to get by?"

"Just barely!"

While I was talking to Umezono-san, Toya and Haruka exchanged a few words in whispers and nodded to each other.

"Anyway, what skills did you guys get? Tell me."

"What, all of a sudden?"

"Come on, we're classmates! Maybe we can help each other out!"

Well, is it normal to ask about skills right away?

Don't you usually talk about how you've been doing first?

I'm not particularly good at socializing, but that seems a bit abrupt.

"Sure, I can tell you, but what about you, Umezono-san?"

Eh, you're going to tell her?

I give Haruka a questioning look, but she signals me to stay quiet.

"Me? I got blacksmithing and appraisal. I thought about producing something to live on, but I couldn't find a place, so it didn't work out."

Umezono-san sighs and shrugs, shaking her head.

She seems to be overacting, like a Westerner.

I don't know her well, but maybe she was always like this?

"Hmm, I see. My skills are—"

She tells us her skills and encourages us to do the same.

Since Haruka said so, I comply.

Toya follows suit, and as soon as he finishes, Umezono-san grins and looks at us mockingly.

"Hahaha, you guys are so naive! Just giving away your skills like that, are you idiots? Well, at least I won't have to do this boring job anymore! I'll thank you for that!"

With that, she throws the tray she was holding onto a nearby table and runs out of the café.

Her quick change of attitude leaves me stunned, and Haruka sighs in exasperation.

"What was that about?"

"In a way, it was expected, but she should have finished her work before leaving."

"I don't know Umezono well, but is she like that?"

"Um, she was a bit self-centered, I guess?"

"Still, to run off as soon as she heard our skills..."

"She has the [Skill Copy] ability, doesn't she?"

"Moreover, she has no other skills."

"Ah, I see."

Haruka and Toya look exasperated, and I nod with a wry smile.

She must have heard our skills, copied them, and then mocked us for being naive before leaving.

"But why only [Skill Copy]? If she didn't have enough points, wouldn't she have taken [Skill Steal] instead?"

Since you can't copy a skill you don't know, taking only [Skill Copy] is risky.

I don't know how familiar she is with games, but given the initial explanation, it seems unlikely she wouldn't know this.

"It's just a guess, but maybe she compared the points and limitations of stealing and copying and thought there was a catch with stealing. Stealing is clearly too advantageous."

"That makes sense. Without additional explanations, someone who doesn't feel comfortable stealing wouldn't take copying."

"Umezono might have thought that, but—judging by her actions, it seems unlikely."

If she had just explained her situation and asked for help, it would have been fine, but her attitude made it clear she wasn't going to.

"To use a copied skill, you need to be taught by the person who has it, right?"

"Yes."

"So, she can't learn the skills we have."

"Haruka, you're ruthless."

"Hey, I'm being kind! I told her what she asked for. I don't know what the result will be."

Haruka has a very good smile.

If she can't learn the skills we have, she'll have a tough time.

Even if she can't get magic, losing access to major weapons will be a big blow.

While we have the disadvantage of her knowing our skills, it's not a problem in this world. It's pointless to try to come up with a skill combination to counter us.

"Well, she can still manage without skills if she works seriously. I don't know if she will, though."

"But what was with her attitude? She could have just talked to us normally."

"Yeah. I don't understand why she was so confrontational. Maybe being in another world made her more confident."

Toya and I exchange glances and shrug, and Haruka tilts her head slightly, looking a bit hesitant.

"Maybe it's my fault? I used to get snide comments from her even back then."

While she didn't specify the content, it seems likely that it was out of jealousy.

Haruka is generally seen as "cute, kind, smart, and popular."

While I don't want to comment on that, it means she had a reason to be envied.

"Being in another world might have given her a chance to outdo Haruka, hence her attitude."

"But Haruka, were you disliked by girls? I thought you got along well with everyone."

"Um, no one else said mean things to me, and I don't think I was disliked... but I can't know what's in their hearts."

She adds, "To be honest, I wouldn't go out of my way to help anyone except Yuki and Natsuki."

Yeah, don't worry about it.

I don't plan to help any of the guys either.

"But wouldn't it be troublesome if she held a grudge?"

"Can she gather enough information to hold a grudge? Would she even ask us, 'Why can't I use the skills I copied?'"

"I wouldn't be able to do that!"

"Anyone with a normal mind wouldn't ask that."

"Right? So, would someone in this town know about the skill traps and be willing to help her?"

"From her reaction, it seems she hasn't met any classmates before. Meeting one who meets the conditions is unlikely."

We've found a few "classmates" through our information gathering, but they might not stay in this town forever.

The chances are already low, and if they leave, finding a classmate will be nearly impossible.

"Umezono is in a bind. Poor thing..."

I fold my hands in prayer.

I sincerely wish her well in the future.

"Do you really mean that?"

"Not really. Her attitude earlier was honestly annoying. By the way, you didn't mention [Help], right?"

I noticed Haruka didn't mention it and kept [Help] a secret.

"No, there's no need to give unnecessary information. Besides, level-less skills can't be copied anyway."

As expected, Haruka is thorough.

"Well, the main reason for that response was to weaken a potential 'enemy.'"

"---Huh?"

"Suddenly trying to trick us like that isn't the act of an 'enemy.' If she's sealed off from our skills, she won't be a threat to us unless she works really hard."

As expected, Haruka is thorough and merciless.

"Well, we don't want someone who sees Haruka as an enemy to get strong. Right?"

"Yeah. Even if she's weak, I don't want to meet someone like that."

"Agreed. It would be troublesome if she came back. Let's go."

We finish the remaining tea and leave the café early.

---

Regarding the earrings, do you need a pierced ear?

Earrings refer to ear decorations.

Specifically, there are clip-on earrings and pierced earrings, so "earrings" can refer to both.

When Haruka glanced and confirmed, she was saying, "That's a piercing."