Chapter 60

The next day, I met Rei at a cafe not far from my house.

It seems that I only found out yesterday, but apparently, Rei lives fairly close to my place.

Well, let's put that aside for now. When I entered the cafe where we were supposed to meet, Rei was already there.

"Ah, Rin, over here."

"Sorry, did I keep you waiting?"

"No, I just got here too."

I see, this is the model answer, I thought to myself, recalling the time I met Yui here before, and I was impressed.

"Sorry for contacting you suddenly. Were you busy?"

"No, that's fine. Besides, I was actually hoping to see you too."

"R-Really? That's good then."

"?"

Is she feeling a bit under the weather? Rei's cheeks were slightly flushed.

If not, the only thing I could think of was that she was overwhelmed by my overflowing good looks.

No, that's not it. Yeah, I know, so don't look at me with such a cold stare.

While I was having this internal monologue, Rei suddenly said,

"Right away, here, take this."

"Huh? What is it..."

Rei handed me an envelope.

When I picked it up, it felt quite thick.

Could this be...

"Rei, could this be..."

"Yeah, cash. Fifty thousand for now."

"Fifty... Wait, wait, wait, why are you suddenly giving me this!? This is scary!?"

I hurriedly placed the envelope in front of Rei.

But she slid it back to me.

"Listen first. The day you gave me that drink, it was a high-grade health potion. It should have cost at least a million yen. I'm just returning the favor. I only have this much on hand right now, but I'll return the rest soon."

After hearing that, I finally understood what was going on.

But I still couldn't accept it.

"No, I can't take this. I've caused you a lot of trouble too."

"Trouble? What are you talking about?"

I looked around to make sure the other customers couldn't hear and whispered,

"About going along with my lie. Because of the lie, it's been reported that Kazeumi and the others defeated the Orc General, and they're getting a lot of positive feedback. But the opinions about you are getting harsh, right?"

However, Rei shook her head.

"You don't need to worry about that. It's my fault for not stopping Kazeumi and going along with it. Besides, you saved my life, and you've given me something else too."

"You gave me something?"

Was there something?

As I tilted my head, Rei continued,

"About the reward for defeating the final boss. I didn't deal any damage to the Orc General, so I didn't gain any experience points, but I did receive the reward. I felt really bad because I just stood there and gained 150 levels."

"I see, that's what you mean. Well, technically, it did make me a bit of a parasite, but I don't mind. The situation was what it was, and it didn't reduce my share anyway."

"I thought you'd say that, but I can't accept it. Just returning the money isn't enough."

Hmm, it seems Rei is quite determined.

But even if I take the money from her in this situation, it doesn't feel right... Ah, I know!

"Then, at least let me treat you today. I seem to have forgotten my wallet."

"It's right there on the table."

"Ah, crap."

I hurriedly put my wallet back in my back pocket.

Rei smiled slightly at this.

"Just kidding. Of course, that's fine. Is there anything else?"

"Um... Well, if you could continue to be friends with me, I'd be really happy. Not to brag, but I don't have many friends."

"...That would be really great for me too."

Um, I mean, it's great that you want to be friends, right?

It's not that you're happy I don't have many friends, right?

As I had this thought, Rei's expression darkened.

"But, this doesn't feel like enough of a repayment. I don't think it's enough just to make me happy—"

"You don't need to repay anything."

"..."

Rei looked at me in surprise, and I told her,

"In the end, both of us survived. Even if there were some issues in the process, it's something to be happy about. So, there's no need to feel inferior about it."

"...You're right. That's fine."

Since she seemed to understand, I handed the envelope back to her.

"So, I'll return this money. It would be bad to take all the money from a younger girl. If you really insist, bring it when you have more financial stability."

"...Okay. If you say so, I'll do that. But I'll try to pay it back soon."

"Sure, I'll wait for it."

With that, we finished our business and enjoyed some casual conversation.

About 30 minutes later, we decided to part ways.

Just before we left, Rei said with a slightly nervous look,

"Hey, Rin. If you're okay with it, I'd like to go to the dungeon with you again sometime. This time, properly."

"...Yeah, that sounds fun."

I think it won't be a proper dungeon run because of our level difference, but I don't think that's a bad thing.

With that, we parted ways.

"See you, Rei."

"Yep. See you, Rin."

We turned our backs to each other and walked in opposite directions.

It might be a while before our paths cross again.

Well, a few days from now, I'll start dungeon exploration again.

Let's do our best!