Aki wailed and sulked, but the power of her beer as she had dinner brought her back to life.
And as Maki looked at her sister and thought she was adorable, she started telling her what she heard from Shouta.
“Eeh… When did little Shouta… His stats were dreadful when he hit level thirty, and he didn’t have a single skill.”
“Your Appraisal is at level four, right?”
“Yes, I can see stats in detail. Oh man, I should’ve checked them back then. Something must’ve happened when he decided to leave Unlucky Hall. Why else would he decide to leave, when he was so obsessed that he went there every day without a break?
And he even got himself Appraisal Obstruction level four… It’s the same level as mine, so they cancel each other. It’s almost like a deliberate measure against me.”
“Fufu, maybe it is. But I’m looking forward to the day when he tells me, so I decided to wait until then.”
“Uguh, When did your face become so feminine…”
And while consoling her sister as she was about to cry, Maki told her what else happened and what they should do going forward.
“Uhe. Stalkers, and a test from mom? That poor Shouta.”
“Right!?”
“Well, I can guess how it ended with the stalkers, so let’s skip that.”
“S-sure.”
“As for the test, sorry Shouta, but it’s how it always is. Mom saw closer than anyone else how you were back then. She’s purposefully giving them ridiculous demands to get them to give up on you being their exclusive. It’s a rough way of doing it, but she’s not going to rest easy unless it’s someone who can easily overcome that sort of ridiculous thing.”
“But it’s so difficult! What if it doesn’t go well and he fails?”
The condition asked of Shouta was harsher than any other. And almost proved to be fatal.
That was why Maki could not accept it. And because she was not aware of why it was like that.
But Aki knew why the condition was so over the top.
“Maki, do you think someone who misjudges the strength of rare monsters and goes after them will live long?”
“W-well…”
“Right? And if he gets knocked down there, sooner or later, he’s going to die in a dungeon. No matter how much you struggle, dungeons are dangerous places that will gulp your life if you seek something beyond your real power.”
“…”
“But even if he was a little reckless and crazy, Shouta overcame that, and came back. Right?”
“…Yes!”
But that was speaking from hindsight.
Their mother was unaware of it, but Shouta and Aki’s relationship did not start that day, or the previous day. It could be tracked at least as far back as two years. And Shouta lacked a sense of danger.
If he just happened to die fighting that rare monster, the girl who got back on her feet because of him would…
“Aki?”
“No, it’s nothing. Also, you two might not have realized it, but mom is wary of a ‘real exclusivity’. Don’t you think she also wants to know how strong the first guy her daughter is interested in really is?”
“Ah, ahuu…”
Aki thought Maki’s face was cute as it turned red.
But also that Shouta really did lack a sense of danger, if he challenged a rare monster on the second floor with beginner equipment. Did he not know how reckless that was? Aki thought he should take responsibility for worrying her, not just Maki.
After coming across such danger, he should really reflect on that, thought Aki. But she also wanted to believe he would not do anything to worry Maki, based on his manly promise.
“…So, you want him to get equipment that fits his strength, to avoid dangers like this time?”
“Yes. He’s been wearing iron equipment all this time, and he never needed to upgrade. That’s why he doesn’t know what each equipment is like either.”
“I really don’t think that’s good for an adventurer.”
“Wasn’t it your job to teach him in the first place?”
“…Yes.”
Aki did not argue.
But if he had a sense of danger, he should have at least thought to get better equipment.
Aki was sure he had the money to get something better than iron, at the very least.
“Ahem. So let’s get him equipment that’s perfect for him. And we’re not going to be concerned with money either. I got a call from mom earlier, saying that the auction will start from thirty-five million.”
“That’s quite the price tag. There hasn’t been one put up in one of our auctions in a while, so five thousand is pretty…”
“Yes, so help me. For ‘my’ Shouta’s sake.”
“Tch, you mean ‘ours’, right? The auction will be starting soon, so let’s discuss the equipment while we watch it live.”
A smile had returned to Aki’s sister’s heart, and she wanted to do her best for it not to be clouded.
…Still, Shouta thought she was hard to deal with. What a failure.
She figured next time she should rein it back a little.
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Thabk you for the chapter! Really liking this one so far
Good thing polygamy is allowed in this alternate world