Chapter 34

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

Shocked by the low-quality room and terrible food.

After the baptism of that lunch, it was only natural that none of us were brave enough to buy dinner here.

As I waited, cleansing my palate with the dried meat, bread, and Dindel fruits I had brought, the sound of a knock echoed through the room late into the night.

When I opened the door, there stood Yuki, and—

“Haru—”

“Yuu!!”

“Natsuki!”

Natsuki, almost pushing Yuki aside, threw herself at Yuu.

Natsuki, still in her human form, looked no different outwardly, but she seemed to have lost more weight than Yuki.

The scene of Natsuki and Yuu hugging was a perfect "touching reunion!" but behind them, Yuki stood frozen, her arms half-open.

Feeling a bit sorry for her, I jokingly spread my arms and said, "Come on!"

“Sho!”

Oh, unexpected.

She jumped into my arms without hesitation.

I thought she was just playing along, but was she... crying...?

A bit at a loss, I glanced at Toya, who nodded, so I gently hugged her and patted her back.

“Uuuu...”

Whether it was good or bad, Yuki clung to me and started crying in earnest.

As a pure Japanese person, I found such physical contact embarrassing, but in this situation, it was understandable, right?

--Or so I thought, but Haruka and Natsuki were looking at me with smiles on their faces.

Weren't you two just shedding tears in a touching reunion?

And Toya, stop grinning!

Feeling sorry for Yuki, I patted her shoulder and pointed out the situation to her tearful face.

Yuki, looking a bit puzzled, followed my gaze and, realizing her actions, quickly pulled away, her face turning red.

“Gah, uhh—Natsuki! Was it really that bad to push me aside like that?”

Perhaps to cover her embarrassment, Yuki pointed at Natsuki and suddenly said this, but I don't think it was that embarrassing.

The two girls were thrown into an unstable world with no foundation, and hugging a friend was within the acceptable range. No laughing.

Especially Toya, you're guilty.

Haruka and Natsuki's smiles were endearing, but Toya's had a mocking tone.

“Well, is that so? Yuki, you've already met Yuu, so it's fine to let her have a turn, right?”

“I couldn't really talk much back then! Yuu, you made me keep quiet?”

Yuki probably wanted a "touching reunion" at that moment, but Haruka preempted her the instant she tried to speak.

Well, if that had happened, it would have led to a lot of trouble, and I couldn't really say Haruka was wrong.

Despite this, Yuki, looking somewhat dissatisfied, complained to Natsuki, but Natsuki's next words left her speechless again.

“Besides, thanks to that, I got to hug Sho, right?”

“What—!?”

“No, that's my responsibility too—”

Even if it was a joke, I did say "Come on!"?

Position-wise, Toya was slightly behind me.

Interrupting my attempt to smooth things over, Yuki abruptly changed the subject.

“W-well, that's not the point—more importantly! Why did you try to cover it up back then, Yuu? You could have jumped at me and hugged me too, you know?”

“Me? I'm not that kind of person.”

Yuki, indignant, shook her clenched fists up and down at Haruka's casual response.

“Even if you're not that kind of person! We're best friends, right!?”

“Well, if it had been Natsuki, it would have been dangerous.”

Haruka wiped her forehead dramatically, as if to say, "Phew."

She was clearly in teasing mode.

“Why!? Do you actually think there's a difference in our friendship levels with Yuu!?”

“No, just that Yuki seems more resilient? Natsuki, you know, willow-like?”

“Gah, you think that about me, Yuu! Now, the shocking truth is revealed! Natsuki is more like a willow in the wind!”

Seeing Yuki clutch her head and say this, we couldn't help but chuckle.

“Yeah, yeah, you seem to be doing well.”

“Yeah. I was worried... but you two look a bit thinner, don't you?”

“Yes. The food just didn't agree with us...”

Natsuki said this a bit wearily, and Toya nodded vigorously.

“Yeah, I get it. I can't handle the food here either.”

“I guess I accidentally succeeded in my diet. In this environment, there's no worry of a rebound, but I can't really be happy about it.”

Yuki, who wasn't fat to begin with, would just look unhealthy if she lost more weight.

“That food... Well, sit down first—oh, before that, 'Purification'”

Yuu casually used 'Purification' to clean everyone up.

We weren't very dirty since we hadn't fought today, but Yuki and the others looked literally refreshed.

“What? What is this convenient magic!”

Yuki and Natsuki looked at each other, eyes wide with surprise.

“Light Magic Level 2 'Purification.' It's a very useful spell.”

At first, we used this spell one by one, but after using it frequently, we could now cast it on everyone at once, even with the addition of Yuki and Natsuki, making it a total of five people.

Its original purpose is to "purify evil beings," but I doubt it's used for that purpose much among adventurers.

“Who knew there was such a convenient light magic... Why didn't I raise it to Level 2 back then?”

When I asked the dejected Natsuki, it turned out she had Light Magic at Level 1.

“Thanks to that, I didn't have to worry much about minor injuries or lighting, but the bath...”

“Washing clothes was tough too. We only had one set of clothes to change into because we didn't have money.”

The two sighed in unison.

I understood their feelings.

Without Haruka's magic, I might have given up too.

After all, her magic could clean hands sticky from butchering a boar, a body drenched in sweat from intense exercise, and dirty clothes in an instant.

The only downside was the lack of a refreshing feeling, but if I said that, I'd probably be punished.

“Yeah, this world doesn't even sell 3-pack underwear for 1,000 yen, and the clothes are expensive too.”

“Yeah! Seriously, the prices—wait, Chikaya, I don't wear such cheap underwear!?”

“Yuki, what are you saying? Sit down. Have you eaten dinner?”

After Haruka patted Yuki's head and made her sit on the bed, she asked, and the two made awkward faces.

“We did eat, but...”

“The taste was...”

“I thought so. Here, eat this.”

Haruka handed them a bag full of dried meat and a bag of bread.

The dried meat, which serves as emergency rations, is in a considerable amount, but the bread, which we bought at the "Drowsy Bear" and doesn't keep well, is only enough for three people to eat for two days.

Since they had been eating that level of food since they arrived, I wanted to share the bread with them.

“Dried meat? Munch... What, what! This! It's, it's, mmm, so, so delicious!”

“Yuki, that's bad manners. Look at Natsuki.”

“...”

Natsuki was silently gnawing on the dried meat, looking a bit like a hamster and cute.

“No, I can't help but express this excitement! To think there's such delicious food in this world!”

“That's our homemade.”

“Oh, really?”

Yuki, reacting with exaggerated enthusiasm and tears in her eyes, was a bit deflated by Haruka's words.

“But this bread is from our regular inn.”

“Bread...? Munch, munch. It's, it's, ordinary, but, ordinary and delicious...”

The bread from there is easy to eat because it has no strong flavor, but it's not as delicious on its own as the bread from a good bakery in Japan.

It's somewhat bland and dry, but it doesn't interfere with the taste of other dishes, and compared to the hard black bread, it's definitely "delicious."

Natsuki was also eating the bread and dried meat alternately, looking very satisfied.

Looking at Natsuki again, her cheeks seemed a bit thinner.

“Natsuki, are you okay?”

“Yes, thank you, Sho. But to be honest, if I didn't have the skills 'Toughness,' 'Disease Resistance,' and 'Poison Resistance,' it might have been dangerous.”

Natsuki, who smiled a bit wistfully, was a bit frail in the original world.

Even if Haruka's "willow-like" comment was an exaggeration, among the five of us, Natsuki was definitely the weakest in terms of physical constitution.

Perhaps that's why she chose those skills during character creation... but that food, at least, wasn't poisonous, right? It was just terrible.

“Once you're a bit full, we have dessert too.”

“Dessert! To hear such a dreamy word again!”

“...Yuki, what kind of diet were you on—oh, right. Sorry.”

Yuki's eyes were fixed on the Dindel fruit Haruka was peeling.

Her mouth and hands were still moving, but her eyes were glued to the fruit.

After quickly peeling the Dindel, Haruka offered a plate, and the two hastily swallowed what was in their mouths and each took a piece.

“Sweet...”

“Yes, it's sweet...”

“It's ambrosia. This is...”

They were almost in tears.

But I understood their feelings.

I also found it incredibly delicious after that meal.

“...Can I have another one?”

Yuki, hesitantly asking, was answered with a smile by Haruka.

“You can eat as many as you want. We have plenty.”

“Yuu, are you a god!?”

“—Hearing about your diet, I almost want to cry too.”

While saying this, Haruka continued to peel the Dindel and pile it on the plate.

The two ate as much as they could, but after about 2-3 each, they seemed full and stopped.

“Phew~. Thank you, Yuu. I'm glad to be your friend!”

“What a good line, Yuki, in such an awkward moment...”

Yuki said this with a full smile, but Haruka, who was spoken to, smiled awkwardly.

“Yuu, meeting you is the greatest treasure of my life.”

Natsuki, who had been eating quietly and in a somewhat elegant manner, also said this with a good smile.

“Natsuki, you too!”

Haruka patted Natsuki's head and reached for the remaining Dindel.

“Me too. How about you, Chikaya?”

“One piece.”

There were exactly three pieces left, so we each had one.

--Yeah, it's delicious.

It's delicious, but after eating it almost every day recently, I'm starting to want a different fruit.

It's expensive, so we don't buy it.

“Sorry, all three of you. I ate quite a bit... but it's pretty expensive, right? Fruits are a luxury.”

“Yes, at market price, they might be 500 rea each.”

““Five, five hundred!?””

“Wouldn't it be a waste to eat such expensive fruit so casually?”

“No, Natsuki. You've shared fruits more expensive than this with us before.”

“That was a gift. We don't usually buy such things at home.”

Actually, Natsuki's family was quite wealthy, so we benefited from their generosity, sharing desserts and slightly better snacks she brought for lunch.

In such families, many gifts arrive during the gift-giving seasons, making it difficult to consume them all at home.

Most of the gifts are food, which has an expiration date, and they need to send thank-you notes, so for Natsuki's family, it's "not really desirable."

Well, such gifts are unnecessarily expensive, and if you have to return something of the same level, it's like being forced to buy something expensive and unnecessary.

“First, the situation is completely different now. Our initial funds were 1,000 rea, right?”

“Yes. It was tough at first...”

With a far-off look, Haruka made us recall those days.

We couldn't buy extra clothes after buying the necessary sundries, and the only weapon was Toya's wooden sword.

We started with no room for error.

Natsuki and the others must have struggled similarly.

“Well, this Dindel—this fruit. We picked it ourselves, so it's fine. Thank Toya for suggesting it. Oh, Toya is Chikaya.”

“Is that so? Thank you, Chikaya.”

“No, I just suggested it. Naoharu actually picked it. And call me Toya. That's how I registered with the guild.”

“Understood. Thank you, Sho. Is it hard to pick?”

“The tree is about 50 meters tall, and the fruit grows at the top, so it would be quite difficult in our world.”

“50 meters!? There are no such trees in Japan, right?”

“Eh, Sho, did you climb such a tree? Without modern ropes or carabiners?”

Natsuki and Yuki looked at me in surprise.

I would normally think it was dangerous and impossible, so I understand their feelings.

“Yes. Well, Haruka and I are elves, right? Thanks to that, it wasn't too difficult. Right?”

“Yes, it was much easier than the image the word '50 meters' gives.”

“Wow, so race really does make a difference?”

“It seems so. We can sense racial traits.”

For elves, it's balance, and for Toya's beastman, it's a super-sense that can detect things without searching.

The advantages are numerous, which is why you spend points on them during character creation.

Of course, there are strong disadvantages for rare races like vampire half-breeds, but they are a minority.

However, in some regions, there is racial discrimination, so choosing a non-human race isn't always a good idea.