I’m still ignoring the sisters’ attempts to talk me down, so we agree to eat while reporting.
Maki’s lunch is made around things I told her I like yesterday. I’m impressed by her cooking skills, because she got all of that in one day. But that also means that I’m too focused on the food to respond to anything they ask with more than vague answers.
“I made that.”
Says Aki, as I’m about to pick up a side dish.
“Eh, this!?”
“I took it out of the bag and put it in the microwave. Simple, right?”
“…Give me back my excitement.”
“But Maki cooked most of it, so be sure to savor it.”
“That goes without saying.”
As I eat what’s in the box, side dishes come to me here and there.
Maki keeps trying to feed me, and Aki too, while teasing me.
What is this, heaven?
“Fufu, be sure to eat a lot.”
“With a flower in each hand, you lucky dog.”
I agree, so I have nothing to say.
Is this the power of Luck too? Or is it that Luck was just what kicked things off, and this is a display of their devotion?
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
After having a nice meal, I’m back at the start.
Apparently they’ve been calling me Magic Stone Hunter, so they were pretty shocked when I only brought those two medium ones. I mean, the only reason why I picked the others was because I had no other way to make money.
“So Shouta, you defeated four hobgoblins?”
“Yes.”
“I’m assuming that since you aren’t delivering any Super Strength orbs, that they didn’t drop any. Or…”
“Don’t worry Maki, that’s not true. And I learned the skill.”
“Thank goodness!”
Maki wants me to become stronger, so she’s happy that I got a strong skill.
“So you finally got duds, despite your Luck? Well, just the fact that you beat so many is impressive.”
“I-I’m happier about you coming back safe than getting items.”
“H-hold on! That’s not fair! I think so too!”
I’m smiling at their back and forth, but I have to correct them.
“Aki and Maki, don’t underestimate my Luck.”
“Eh? But…”
“Y-you’re not telling me…”
“All of them dropped it.”
“Eh!? But then what about the other three…”
“Maki, we forgot about his lack of common sense. He did the number one thing an adventurer shouldn’t do!”
“D-did he use multiple…”
“I did. All of them.”
““Ahh…””
Both drop their shoulders like their strength is leaving them.
So someone did try this in the past. And the disappointment that came when nothing happened made it so no one else tried it again.
“But still, not just one, but three…!? Geez Shouta, you idiot.”
“B-but I’m sure he can get more.”
“I guess…”
But of course, no one has tried to do it three times.
“Fufufu.”
“Shouta?”
“Eh, what? Did you go crazy from overdoing it?”
“What are you two worried about? If I really did waste them, would I have come back with a smile?”
“Y-you have a point!”
“No, you always come back with a smile anyway, so we really can’t rely on that…”
Aki says something, but I ignore it.
“As a result of using Super Strength three more times, it became Super Strength II!”
“Wawa, that’s amazing!”
Maki claps, but Aki just looks exasperated.
“Aki?”
“It doesn’t look like you’re joking, but how am I supposed to believe something so weird so easily? Maki just blindly accepts anything from you, but I have a cool head.”
“But it actually…”
“How are you going to prove it?”
“…Ah.”
“You have Appraisal Obstruction level four, right? Who can verify it?”
Yes, someone would have to check if I really do have that skill. But Appraisal Obstruction gets in the way of that… Dammit, I was too naive…!
“Shouta, it always feels like your defenses are lacking somehow.”
“Ugu… Ah, then how about you use four Super Strength orbs, Aki?”
“Doeh!? W-where did that idea come from!?”
“Despite everything, you’re still a branch manager. You have some authority, so that would be the quickest way.”
“But a receptionist using a combat skill four times is way too much of a waste. Do you know how much those go for? The market price would be a hundred and twenty million!”
“But if I have half a day…”
“Even so…!”
“But if I do that with anyone else with that authority, my secret…”
“Uu…!!”
Maki, who seemed to be thinking about something, then raises her hand.
“Hold on you two, I think we might be able to solve this!”
““Eh?””
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Thanks for the treat.