Chapter 74

"Hey, Nii-chan, it's almost time, you know?"

Hana puffed out her cheeks as she said this to me, who was confused by the presence of Yui and Rei.

"Sorry. By the way, why are these two here?"

"I tried inviting Yui-senpai yesterday. Since she always asks about you when we talk, I thought it would be nice if we could all be together."

"Hey, Hana, what are you saying!? Don't believe her, Rei-senpai!"

"Got it."

"......Well, it's fine to believe a little, you know?"

Which is it?

Hold on a second.

"By the way, Yui, hasn't the way you call me changed? Didn't you used to call me Rei-san?"

"No, when I asked Hana about Rei-senpai, she said we're from the same high school. I thought it would be better to call you senpai."

"Wow."

It seems Yui really has been asking Hana about me.

She doesn't realize she's digging her own grave, though.

Now that I understand Yui's situation, next—

"Why is Rei here? You weren't acquainted with Hana, right?"

"I heard about today from Yui. She said Rei would be here."

"......O-oh."

I was taken aback by her straightforward answer.

Still, she came because I'm here...

Ha... Maybe my popularity period has finally arrived!

I thought that right before—

"Here's the money, as promised. I worked hard to earn it this week."

Rei said this and handed me an envelope filled with cash.

It had nothing to do with my popularity; it was all about the money.

Hana and Yui widened their eyes when they saw it.

"Nii-chan! You're making a younger girl pay for you!"

"Terrible, Rei-senpai! I'm disappointed!"

"Wait, wait, wait! It's not like that! Don't say such a bad thing!"

I desperately tried to stop the two of them from starting a fuss.

They were about to make a huge misunderstanding.

"Hey, Rei, say something!"

"Got it."

Rei nodded and placed her hands on her chest.

"Rei is very important to me. I'm here today because of Rei. So, giving you this money is something I do out of love, and there's no problem. You don't need to worry. In fact, I'm more concerned that this might not be enough—"

"Wait, Rei, you're making it worse by skipping the important parts."

I can't blame her for not giving details about the dungeon transfer, but the way she said it made it sound like I was deceiving and brainwashing an innocent girl.

"Nii-chan?"

"Rei-senpai!"

Sure enough, the two of them called out angrily, having misunderstood.

In the end, it took nearly five minutes to convince them.

After that, the four of us entered the Shion Dungeon and proceeded to the lower levels.

Hana, walking in the middle, took large steps and spoke up.

"So, in short, when Nii-chan and Rei-senpai met in the dungeon, Nii-chan used a valuable item to help Rei-senpai. Oh, you should have said that sooner!"

"I explained it about ten times, you know."

My complaint fell on deaf ears.

"Rei-senpai, I believed you from the start!"

"Which mouth are you using to say that?"

"Mu, hehe, hehe!"

I lightly pinched her cheek, and Yui pretended to be in great pain.

While doing this, I noticed Rei bowing next to me.

"Sorry, Rei. I should have chosen a better place to return the money."

"It's okay now. By the way, how did you manage to earn so much in such a short time?"

"I spent this week not clearing the dungeon but hunting profitable monsters alone. I also wanted some time to reflect on myself."

"......I see."

Indeed, Rei is now a free agent after losing the title of King of Unique.

It makes sense that she would want time to reflect at this point.

"Good luck, Rei."

"Thanks, Rei."

I genuinely wanted to support her resolve.

Then, I noticed Yui looking at our conversation with a sidelong glance.

"By the way, I've been thinking, Rei-senpai and Rei-chan seem really close, don't you think? Rei-chan is younger, yet she calls you by your first name... Ah! Could you two be a loving couple!?"

"What a déjà vu."

I pointed this out, but upon reflection, Yui was right.

It has been like that since we first met, so I never paid much attention.

I don't mind it, though.

However, that doesn't mean we're a couple.

"Calling by first name isn't a big deal. If you want, Yui, you can do it too."

"Eh... W-well, that might be a bit... I don't want to be misunderstood by others..."

Yui fidgeted, touching her index fingers together.

I recalled Hana saying Yui had a tendency to jump to conclusions.

This was actually kind of fun to watch.

So, I decided to leave it alone for now.

While having this conversation, we reached a place that seemed suitable as our base for the day.

It was refreshing to write such lively interactions between the characters, as I've been focusing solely on leveling up the protagonist and advancing the story.