Chisato was the weakest in her party.
Naito joined around the same time, but he had the See Through and Trunk skills, and when combined with Toufu’s guidance in swordsmanship, it meant that he could easily fight orcs.
See Through showed him monsters’ weaknesses, and Trunk meant he could swing his sword as fast as possible without his body wavering.
He was always athletic, and in less than a year, he was ready to fight on the front line.
On the other hand, Chisato had the useful Appraisal skill, but it was not something she could use to fight.
The Hawk Eye skill she received on the twentieth floor had good synergy with her magic gun, but said gun cost money to fire. If she was not careful with how she used it, she would lose money in no time.
Spending money to defeat monsters defeated the purpose.
She carried a short sword to help a little, but it did not work on orcs. At most, she could muster up the strength to take down goblins.
But she was not completely useless. She could stop silent condors quickly, and shoot imps before they could use magic. And she could even shoot down gale weasels when they reached the twenty-ninth floor.
And more importantly, she could use Appraisal to pick medicinal herbs and harvest precious resources, which became an important source of revenue for the party.
She was definitely not useless.
She had her strengths and weaknesses in both fighting and harvesting, but she was a little flustered.
Can I do something too?
What can I do?
What’s my strong suit?
She reached a conclusion.
“Chisato, any excuses?”
Said conclusion led her to sit in a seiza position in front of her brother.
◇ ◇ ◇
She was in charge of managing her party’s money. She did a good job, and all the money they made was open to be checked. Every time money was spent, it was reported in the form of a list.
Servicing equipment, restocking, and items and food used in explorations. Managing that budget became her purpose.
And half of it was gone.
It was clear who the culprit was.
“…Here…”
She looked up and showed a receipt of a few million yen.
His head hurt, but he calmed down and asked her where she used that money.
“I found something nice and bought it. This shield.”
Chisato put a shield in front of her that she was hiding.
She went to stores that sold equipment, cast Appraisal on a shield that was used as decoration, without even a price tag, and saw its high durability and hardening effect.
When she asked how much it was, she was told it was a memento of a seeker, and it would have to be negotiated with the surviving family.
She wanted to see the woman who was a family member of the deceased right away, but she was surprised to see Chisato was also a woman.
Before she asked how much it was, she was asked who would be using it. Chisato showed a picture of Takeshi and her, and the woman said ‘I see, I’m sure this shield will protect your loved ones’, before offering it for half the price.
Chisato looked proud, but Hajime had a vein about to pop on his forehead.
“You idiot.”
The shield might be good, and Takeshi would buy a new one when the one he used was done. However, using party funds without talking to anyone could lead to friction, and even to a party breaking up.
After a long scolding where he told her how bad that was, both apologized to the others.
The others forgave her. Takeshi was happy about the shield and said thanks.
Chisato was relieved, but her rampage would continue.
◇ ◇ ◇
Chisato checked the party’s budget, and if she saw any nice equipment. She would buy it on the spot.
She knew it was dishonest, but she did it thinking it was her way to contribute to the party.
She bought a shield, longsword, staff, twin swords, and magic sword.
All of them were better than the ones they already used, to the point where they easily got through the twenty-sixth floor, where they were struggling.
Changing equipment meant a boost in power. This was the contribution of Chisato and her Appraisal skill, and not something just anyone could do.
There were many types of longsword, and whether they were easy to use varied depending on the person. In a way, the fact that she could pinpoint the right one and buy it was godly.
Once the rest of the party realized it, they were cautious, but did not admonish her strongly because they knew she was doing it for the party.
Hajime would be really pissed sometimes, but those were sibling fights, so no one interfered.
With that, the role of shopper changed.
Toufu and Hajime bought equipment and items, but Chisato was added to the mix.
With her Appraisal, she could get better quality things, but Toufu, Hajime, or Ruri would accompany her to make sure she did not buy anything she should not.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Have you met any good seekers?”
Asked Mayuri.
The four girls met up to have a high school reunion for the first time in a while.
“…Do you think so?”
“Hm, Saki doesn’t have a boyfriend, but apparently she likes someone… Oh? But they met in university, so I guess it’s not the same.”
“Mayuri! Don’t talk nonsense! It’s not like that. He confessed to me, but I turned him down.”
“But you regretted it, right? You were grumbling about not knowing what you’d do if he did it again.”
“Mayuri!?”
It seemed their youth was in full swing in university.
She did not feel not jealous. She thought it was nice, but it seemed Saki was not the only one.
“And good for you two, you have hot boyfriends.”
“Ah, Yamato and Sho? They are, and cool. But both are after Mio.”
“Bufuh!?”
Mio’s name was suddenly brought up, and she spat out her drink when she heard Mayuri talk about people liking her.
“Eh!? Really!? That’s amazing Miss Mio. They’re pretty popular.”
“Cough cough… Thanks Chisato. And Mayuri is misunderstanding. I’d say they like her more. Yamato was even asking what she likes.”
“Eh!?”
She pressed her mouth with the handkerchief Chisato handed her, and once she stopped coughing, she retorted with what she knew. She probably should not have said it, but she blurted it out.
Mayuri’s reaction was obvious, and her face turned red like a maiden in love.
Her high school life was all about club activities, but her heart raced as she thought she could get a boyfriend in university.
“Nice, everyone’s having fun…”
As Chisato listened to them, she wondered if being a seeker was not a waste.
The grass seemed greener on the other side.
She knew she was doing things she could only experience as a seeker, but still, she wanted to be a part of this love talk.
“What about you, Chisato? Anyone cool in your party?”
“Well, they’re cool, but one has a girlfriend, the other is dating another party member, and the other one, nope.”
Naito, Takeshi, and Toufu came to mind one at a time, but none were right.
“People say not to start romances in parties, so if I meet someone, it’s going to be someone unrelated to the dungeon.”
“T-t-that’s an urban legend, right? There’s even a couple in your party. It’s not true. It’s not.”
“Saki.”
“What?”
“Good luck.”
“Shut up!”
Mayuri grabbed her hand to cheer her up, and Saki denied it with her face turning red.
They laughed, but it was true that romance in parties usually did not work out.
Feelings that sprouted during dangerous battles tended to be trust, not love, as depicted in a seeker manga. And many seekers felt the same way.
And it was said that as that trust became stronger, it evolved into camaraderie.
People like Takeshi and Ruri were exceptions, but Takeshi got there because he kept insisting, not because that trust and love became one.
And even though he got together with Ruri, they tried not to fool around too much when they were with the rest of the party.
Chisato learned how to be a seeker and became closer to her friends.
And in the meantime, she turned twenty.
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