Chapter 78

I thought it would be nice to have a conversation like this, where we just chat leisurely.

"By the way, how exactly do you use your weapon, Cule?"

At Yūri's sudden question, Cule looked bewildered. With a bewildered expression, he was holding a cookie Yūri had made, which made him look rather silly. Everyone had completely forgotten about his good looks, probably due to his behavior. It was a waste. A great waste.

"My weapon?"

"Yeah. Come to think of it, I've never seen you fight properly."

"I think I explained it before. The knife is mainly for self-defense, and I throw chemicals."

"What kind of chemicals?"

Knowing Yūri's innocent curiosity, Cule rolled the vials of chemicals he was carrying onto the table. The vials, which looked like thin test tubes, were filled with various colored liquids. Even when not armed, Cule carried the vials in his belt or pockets because he felt uneasy without them. The reason was that he wasn't very good at hand-to-hand combat, as he had analyzed himself.

Yūri picked up the vials and examined their contents. ...The results were rather alarming.

"Hey, Cule."

"Yeah?"

"The results show that they're potent drugs, strong poisons, and paralyzing toxins. Also, they're flammable."

"Well, they are weapons, after all."

Hearing Cule's casual response, Yūri thought adventurers were indeed dangerous. His life, spent idly every day, was in a completely different dimension. Well, if Yūri, who was a househusband, and Cule, who was a treasure hunter trainee, were in the same dimension, it would be strange in its own way.

Rolling the vials on the table, Yūri suddenly thought of something and spoke up.

"Cule, do they have to be liquids?"

"No, not necessarily... But liquids are easier to throw directly."

"Right, I remember when I tried powder, the wind blew it back and caused a misfire, and I got a lot of scolding."

"Scolding?"

"I accidentally got an Iron Claw from Alie, who was downwind."

"Wow..."

Cule looked into the distance with a wistful expression, and Yūri did the same. Alie's Iron Claw was quite painful. Once grabbed by her large hand, there was no escape. Yūri, who had been scolded many times with Iron Claws, nodded in agreement. ...Incidentally, the Iron Claw Yūri received and the one Cule received were different, with Cule's being much stronger. After all, Cule was an adventurer.

"Got it. If powder works, I thought maybe we could use a dust explosion."

"Dust explosion? What's that?"

"Like, if you scatter flour and throw a spark, it explodes with a big bang?"

"Huh!?"

"What!?"

Yūri explained with gestures, and Cule and Lerei were surprised. They were amazed that something as harmless as flour could cause an explosion. Indeed, it was surprising, but that's what a dust explosion is. When dust, an ignition source, and oxygen are present, it can cause a big explosion. Flour is scary.

Surprised, Lerei squeezed Luke, the slime she was holding. Hearing the slime's squeaks, Yūri and Cule hurriedly tapped Lerei's shoulder.

"Lerei, Lerei, you're crushing him!"

"Lerei, Luke doesn't like it!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Luke!"

Luke, who probably didn't feel pain but didn't like being squished, escaped from Lerei's arms and jumped onto Yūri's lap, where he sat comfortably. It seemed he preferred Yūri, who gently petted him, over Lerei, who unintentionally squeezed him with her strength. In terms of safety, the latter was definitely better.

"By the way, does flour really explode?"

"It only explodes under certain conditions, so it's safe in daily life. But if a spark hits a place where flour is suspended, it can explode."

"Flour, really...?"

"By the way, Yūri, how do you know this?"

"Huh? Trivia?"

"‘The level of trivia is scary.’”

In response to Lerei's simple question, Yūri answered casually. He wasn't wrong. It was just trivia he had picked up from TV or the internet. In a country like Japan, where subculture is abundant, it's common for people to accumulate knowledge that is completely useless in daily life. Yūri wasn't particularly studying such things. If he were, he would probably be researching how to make cute accessories.

Cule and Lerei, on the other hand, thought, "No wonder, in a foreign country where people go to school and then work, it's different." The correction, "It's not a foreign country but a different world," didn't come up. In their world, students are nobles learning manners, and it's considered amazing that all minors attend school for the sake of learning. Indeed, it is amazing.

"By the way, Yūri, I've been wondering, Lerei, don't you use weapons?"

"Huh? My weapon is my fist. I sometimes use my feet, too."

"Yeah, I know. But there are weapons you can wear on your fists, right?"

"Oh, you mean knuckles?"

"Yeah."

In response to Yūri's question, Lerei showed her fist. She usually wore a glove with holes and punched monsters directly. Her father was a cat beast, so she had higher physical abilities than a normal human. She looked like an ordinary girl, but her strength and stamina far exceeded Cule's. She could even carry Cule princess-style if she wanted to, but pointing this out would make Cule feel bad, so they didn't. Being a man is tough.

Still, Yūri knew Lerei was strong, but in his mind, fighters wore knuckles or similar equipment to protect their hands. When he expressed this, Lerei looked away.

"Lerei?"

"I'm not allowed to use weapons until I can control my strength properly."

"Who said that?"

"The instructors."

"Rejected by everyone, huh."

Yūri looked at Lerei with a "Wow." Lerei frowned and pouted, as if to say, "It's not my fault." ...It was strange. Lerei was the oldest of the three, but she didn't seem like it. Yūri, at 17, looked young and innocent, and Lerei, at 19, seemed immature. Her actions were driven by emotion, which made her seem less mature. But that was Lerei's charm, so it couldn't be helped. ...Let's just say it can't be helped.

"Yūri, can I explain?"

"You don't need to explain to me, but go ahead."

"I'm stronger than normal humans, so I accidentally break human weapons."

"Got it."

Even though Yūri said he didn't need an explanation, he listened attentively. Cule, with a "Yeah, yeah" expression, petted Luke on Yūri's lap. Luke, who didn't seem to mind Cule's petting, stretched out parts of his body and poked Cule. ...They were good friends. Luke seemed to trust Cule, who was Yūri's best friend.

"Besides, beastman weapons don't quite fit me."

"Got it."

"So, I'm trying to figure out how strong a weapon I can use and have it custom-made."

"Got it."

"...So, I'm fighting without weapons for now."

"Got it. I understand. Lerei is trying hard."

Yūri smiled and praised Lerei, who was looking at him with a hopeful gaze. Indeed, Lerei was trying hard. She was already quite strong, as she could crush monsters with her bare hands. As a treasure hunter, she still had a lot to learn, but her combat skills were above average. ...However, having high combat skills alone doesn't guarantee survival in the world of adventurers.

Cule, who often worked with her, sighed and spoke, expressing his earnest opinion.

"You're trying hard, but please don't just finish everything with a single punch."

"Cule, you're annoying."

"I'm not being annoying. You're supposed to collect materials, but you're beating them up, Yūri. What do you think?"

"Is it bad to beat them up?"

"The value of the materials goes down, and the purchase price drops. As a result, the reward decreases."

"Lerei, that's not good. You need to use your head and adapt to the situation."

"I am! But when I see a monster, I just want to take it down!"

"That's why, the other day, you broke the horn of the silver one-horned rabbit we spent hours finding, right?"

"Ugh!"

Cule, with a glare, reminded Lerei of her recent mistake. One-horned rabbits were common, but the silver and gold variants were rare. They had spent hours finding the silver one-horned rabbit, and just as they were about to collect the horn, Lerei's punch accidentally broke it. They managed to get the reward by collecting the broken pieces, but the price was lower. Cule, who had been with her, had every right to be frustrated. Frau, who had been supervising, had held her head in her hands, realizing there was still much to teach. Being an instructor was tough.

"Being an adventurer is tough."

"Yūri, can you teach this one to use her head a bit?"

"Cule!"

"No, I'm not good at teaching others, and Lerei's personality makes it impossible, right?"

"You're also being mean, Yūri!"

Ignoring Lerei's protest, the two nodded in agreement.

These three, being close in age, often spent time together.

A trio of friends.

And Lerei is a bit of a musclehead. It's a shame.

I look forward to your comments and feedback.