kscans

Chapter 166 - The More They Fight

Inside the factory, amidst the hum of machinery, the sharp click, click of nail clippers echoed.

Normally, the sound would have been completely drowned out, but to me, it felt unnervingly loud.

—Mmph…

Well, that's probably because Her Majesty, the Chest, was being pressed firmly against me, heightening the sensitivity in my arm to its absolute maximum.

Ooyama-san sat with her back to me, cradling my forearm in her lap as she trimmed my nails. Being petite, her head was quite low.

It seemed like all I could see was the top of her red head, but I caught a glimpse of her ears, which were faintly flushed.

Her chest was firm, yet soft—a dense, magnificent presence. It was a sensation I still hadn't gotten used to.

"...Don't move."

"R-Right."

My own face felt hot. Her workspace was larger than the last time I was here, yet the air felt strangely thin.

The warmth radiating from Ooyama-san's body against my forearm also seemed a little higher than usual, which only made my heart beat faster. Man, her chest is incredible… Her bicep felt nice too, but the way her breasts were pressed against me with such a powerful BAM! was something else. Their firmness and softness were enough to make my brain short-circuit.

"Alright, all done."

"Ah… yes."

As my arm was released, the cool air brought with it a profound sense of loss.

Farewell, magnificent assets… I eagerly await the day we meet again…

I fought back the tears welling in my eyes and forced the corners of my mouth into a strained, stoic smile.

—THE HELL IT IS! Get a grip, reason! Don't you dare crumble!

My mind had been completely conquered by boobs. My thoughts were originating entirely from my lower half. At this rate, my brain was going to relocate to my balls.

...What does 'relocate to my balls' even mean?!

"Um, I'm not going to start trembling just because you're holding my hand, you know. You really don't need to hold me down anymore…"

"Huh?"

Ooyama-san, her cheeks still a little red, glared at me with those sharp eyes of hers.

She carefully sealed the lid on the jar containing my nail clippings and picked up a comb and a pair of scissors.

"Think about the value of your nails. What would you do if one went missing? Or is this some kind of jab about that spear you lost?"

"No, the spear incident was one hundred percent the culprit's fault, so I'm not worried about it. That's not what I mean. I'm talking about, you know, as a maiden…!"

"That's right. You tell her, Yagawa-kun," Busujima-san said, joining the conversation with a sigh from where she stood leaning against the wall of the workspace.

Erina-san had come with us today too, but she seemed completely absorbed in admiring the lineup of armaments slated for shipment.

"It's fine to aim for greater heights as a craftsman, but doesn't that make you a little too close to the opposite sex? And requesting… that of him? I think a little modesty is in order."

"I have a sense of shame, you know."

As Busujima-san's cheeks colored and her gaze darted away, Ooyama-san crossed her arms beneath her rocket-like chest.

What an imposing sight. Even through her jumpsuit, which was smudged here and there with soot, their sheer size was breathtaking, like something you'd see mounted on a battleship.

It seemed my thoughts were still on a vacation to my nether regions. I struck 'The Thinker' pose, hoping to somehow restore my brain function.

On a side note, isn't it kind of hot how her jumpsuit is slightly open at the chest, revealing a black shirt and a sliver of a white valley? Could she be from a branch family of the Pervert Clan…?

"It's just… fun, you know?"

"Wait, watching Yagawa-kun's sanity get ground to dust is…?"

"Only a little bit."

So you do enjoy it a little?

Please, stop. My willpower might be as strong as orichalcum, but even it has its limits. You should reconsider before I turn into a beast.

"Every time I strike the iron, every time I pour my mana into it, every time I forge a weapon from high-quality materials, I can feel my skills improving. It's like I've grown wings. I just wonder how high I can fly next. It's a feeling that's almost intoxicating."

"...Is that really okay?"

"I get tired of smithing sometimes, so it's not like an addiction or anything. I'm fine."

Ooyama-san let out a small huff.

Well, as long as it's not a state where she loves it so much she can't think of anything else, I guess it's not quite Skill Addiction.

Two years and four months had passed since the Day of Awakening. In that time, people had emerged who had become lost in their own skills.

Some were simply intoxicated by their newfound supernatural power, while others came to believe it was all they had. That was Skill Addiction. It was said they could think of nothing but using their skills, forgetting even to eat or sleep as they clung to their power.

It wasn't a direct result of awakening, but rather something rooted in a person's mentality and environment. In a way, it was like being trigger-happy.

There were various ways to deal with it, and it was rumored that many high-rank adventurers suffered from Skill Addiction.

...And there were many addicts among the former members of Turohorse, too.

Generally speaking, it didn't have a very good image. But of course it didn't; it was called an 'addiction,' after all.

"As far as I know, there's no better material than Yagawa. The more I use his body, the more I truly understand what it means to imbue iron with mana."

"...So, you're saying if you found a better material than Yagawa-kun, you'd become obsessed with that instead?"

"Who knows."

After a small shrug, Ooyama-san glanced over at me.

What is it? I'm still dealing with a biological issue here and can't break out of 'The Thinker' pose.

"But… this guy's reckless. If I don't make good equipment for him, who will? I'm not just gonna abandon him."

She made me sound like a kid who'd get lost if you let him go.

The only place I'd ever gotten lost was Tokyo Station. As for the labyrinth of life, well, there are fewer people who haven't gotten lost, so that doesn't count.

"I'm trying to make something interesting right now. You'd better look forward to it."

"Something interesting...?"

"Something fun?!"

Erina-san zipped over to Ooyama-san with a speed that seemed to generate a whirring sound.

Her eyes sparkling, the self-proclaimed ninja was met with a frown from Ooyama-san, who pushed her approaching face away.

"You're noisy. Don't get so close, you're suffocating."

"Ehh? C'mon, just tell me! No, wait! Don't tell me! This kind of thing is more fun as a surprise!"

"Yeah, you do that."

"Um… if it's equipment for me, could you please tell me beforehand? Including the price."

I finally managed to graduate from my 'Thinker' pose and straighten my back.

The memories of battles against formidable enemies I'd summoned in my mind had, for once, proven useful. My thoughts were shifting closer to those of an adventurer.

Seeing me now halfway in work mode, Ooyama-san grinned.

"Nope. I have no intention of telling you about that one."

"Why not…?"

"Try to understand, Yagawa-kun. She can't explain because she's torn between the desire to surprise you and the fear of failure if she announces it beforehand. Such a maiden!"

"Shut it, you anvil…!"

"I'll curse you, shorty."

Ooyama-san glared daggers at Busujima-san, who was smiling, but her eyes weren't.

Watching the scene, Erina-san crossed her arms under her chest and nodded knowingly. "You two are as close as ever! I think you first became friends after a fight, right?"

"Is that true?"

"Yep! At first, you didn't have a chance to talk and just ignored each other, but you had to interact for a class project. You argued then, but as Ā-chan and Shī-chan got to know each other, you started to see eye-to-eye—"

"Erina-saaan?"

"Your blabbering will get you disliked, you know."

"Fweeeh!"

Erina-san's cheek was stretched out by Busujima-san, while Ooyama-san pinched her butt.

The self-proclaimed ninja thrashed about, half in tears, before making her escape.

"That's mean, Ā-chan, Shī-chan!"

"It's meaner to bring up someone's youthful indiscretions without permission."

"We're all still young, though. We're in our glorious teens."

"Don't go blabbing about when we were kids."

"But we're still kids now?"

Erina-san stated the obvious with a straight face, prompting the Ā-chan and Shī-chan duo to slowly close in on her.

Just then, Ooyama-san's mother pushed aside the heavy curtain partitioning the workspace and entered.

"Sorry to keep you. I brought some barley tea."

"Perfect timing, ma'am! You're a candidate for this year's Best Ninja Award!"

Erina-san quickly hid behind the mother, earning a click of the tongue from Ooyama-san.

"You're gonna get it later…!"

"Now, dear. You need to realize that getting angry when you're treated like a child is what makes you a child."

"Yeah, yeah!"

"Shut up. …Hey, Mom. How do you know what we were talking about?"

"...Because I could hear you all the way outside?"

"Liar. How could you hear a normal conversation with all this machinery running?"

"…………"

As her mother subtly averted her gaze, Ooyama-san glared at her.

"Well, you know, I was worried you might do something rash in front of your 'beloved hero.' If you're going to do it, you should choose the time and place—"

"Shut up, you old hag!"

Her face turning beet red in an instant, Ooyama-san pushed her mother out of the workspace.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I'll leave the tea here, so come return the cups later!"

"I heard you, now get out of here! And tell Dad not to come over here either!"

"Don't you worry about that. Right now, the factory is split between those who are rooting for you and those who think it's still too soon, and the former is winning! They're too busy with their sabotage schemes and betting pools to be rubbernecking!"

"What are those idiots doing?!"

Ooyama-san, hammer in hand, vanished behind the curtain as the sounds of screams and laughter echoed from the factory.

After watching her go, I tilted my head.

"Um… I don't suppose…"

"Yes. She was talking about you, Yagawa-kun. The 'hero' part," Busujima-san said with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"To both me and Shizuku-san, you're a 'strange person,' for better or for worse."

"Isn't there a difference between a hero and a strange person…?"

Was I being praised or mocked?

I couldn't help but stare blankly. What was so funny about that? Busujima-san just giggled.

"I'm sorry. It's just that the gap is always so incredible."

"Gap?"

"Yes. When I first met you through Erina-san's introduction, I just thought you were a normal boy."

"Well, yeah."

Back then, I was a nervous wreck and only managed to hold a conversation by switching to my work mode after a little while. I'm still a bit nervous now, but I think I've gotten much better.

"But the next time I saw you, in the dungeon, you were an incredibly dependable senior adventurer. At the same time, you were so strong it was a little scary."

"…"

I could no longer say that I only seemed strong because of the level difference.

I was a 'B-Rank Candidate,' after all. As an Awakened Person, I prided myself on having considerable talent. It wasn't about excessive humility; you couldn't survive as an adventurer without that kind of self-awareness.

"And that overwhelmingly strong person was, outside the dungeon, just a normal boy… one who was very interested in girls but didn't know how to act around them. The difference was so confusing, I almost didn't know what to think. It was like, what is this strange creature?"

"Strange creature."

Mia-san had described me that way before, too.

My gaze instinctively drifted to Erina-san, who had her head poked through the curtain, yelling taunts into the factory. Doesn't she seem more like a strange creature…?

"And then, the sports festival. I was even a little jealous that your chest was bigger than mine."

"Hey, that was padding, you know?"

"Then the monsters descended from the sky."

Excuse me, could you please not drop a serious bomb right after I make a joke? I can't keep up with the commentary.

"Honestly, I was in too much of a state of confusion to even feel despair. Me, Shizuku-san… all the other students were panicking. Then, I saw you start to run."

"That was…"

"I still remember it now: the way your maid dress skirt fluttered, revealing those enviably beautiful legs."

"Could you forget?"

And please stop dropping jokes like you're taking a breath. I need a comedy interval. Also, when it comes to beautiful legs, I think you're number one. Seriously.

"From there, it was a masterpiece."

It was a memory that, for me, was dreadful in many ways, but Busujima-san spoke of her feelings from that time as if gazing at something far away.

"Effortless victory. The monsters we wouldn't have stood a chance against even in a hundred battles were reduced to mere pebbles before you. With every swing of your sword, a demon was cut down, and people were saved. It was like watching a myth unfold."

Her unfocused eyes finally turned toward me. This time our gazes met, and I could see the emotion in her pupils. All I could tell was that it was a positive emotion, but I felt a pleasant flow of mana.

"But still, you were human. You tried to protect everyone from the demon's bombardment and fell from the sky. You were buried under the rubble, unconscious."

"…It wasn't 'everyone.' I just protected my parents, and my friends as an afterthought. I'm not a hero."

She was overestimating me by a long shot. That kind of admiration was, frankly, a nuisance.

But it seemed there was more to it. I continued to listen to her.

"You're right. You weren't an invincible being. Even so, you got back up and fought for us. You could have escaped if it was just you, or even just you and your family."

"Well, that's…"

"Even if you're not invincible, you are a hero. At least, to us."

Busujima-san's quiet smile made me feel embarrassed.

I couldn't accept the content of her words, but she was just so beautiful. A pretty face really is an advantage. Her smile was so lovely that all I could do was swallow my rebuttal and look away.

"That… um…"

"I'm sorry, this must be embarrassing for you. Actually, it is for me, too."

Busujima-san also blushed, brushing her long hair back slightly.

An indescribable atmosphere hung between us for a few seconds of silence.

Then I remembered Erina-san, who was standing there with her hands on her hips, nodding silently.

"Oh, Erina-san was amazing too, of course! Yes, a hero. No, a heroine!"

"That's right! A ninja!"

"Aren't ninjas and heroes different things?"

"?!"

Even if you give me that shocked look…

Just as the atmosphere had been successfully muddled, Ooyama-san returned, stomping back with her shoulders squared in anger.

"Damn it…! Those loafers…!"

Her face still slightly red, she gently placed the hammer on a nearby desk before snatching a glass of barley tea and chugging it down in one go.

Then, she shot a sharp glare in my direction.

"You guys go home for today. Erina, you're done with your claw maintenance, right?"

"Yup! Oh, by the way, Shī-chan."

"What?"

"Based on what your mom said, does that mean at home you're—"

"Right, I'm killing you."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa."

"Tch."

Ooyama-san, who had been about to pick up her hammer again, lowered her hand with a loud click of her tongue.

"I'm about to fire up the furnace, so seriously, get out. You're in the way."

Her gaze shifted to a long, rectangular object connected to a gas cylinder. It seemed to be made of clay from the Dungeon of Utuq, and I could clearly feel its mana.

Knowing Erina-san, she probably established a sales route out of friendship, but I doubt she'd sell it at a friend's discount. How did Ooyama-san afford it? It seemed the entire factory was now focused on the equipment she was making. I guess that meant they were making good money.

Various media outlets had been reporting that the demand for mana-infused weapons was steadily increasing.

Should I be happy for my friend's success, or lament this dangerous world?

"And Yagawa."

"Ah, yes?"

Ooyama-san approached me, glaring up from below.

But there was no pressure. Instead, the pressure from her approaching chest made my heart pound.

"My mom said a lot of things… but forget them. Got it? And as for what I'm making right now, just look forward to it. Don't ask."

"Got it. …But please, at least tell me the price beforehand… right?"

"If I feel like it."

Ooyama-san smiled like a mischievous child, and I could only offer a wry smile in return.

With the rising demand, the prices of equipment made from drop items were also soaring. I could only pray it would be within a range I could afford.

"Understood. I'll look forward to it. I know I can entrust my life to your equipment."

I didn't use it personally, but all of Byakuren's equipment was handmade by Ooyama-san. During the demon incident, during the minotaur fight… if it weren't for her creations, I might have died.

There was no room to doubt her skill, and if she was making something for me, it was an honor.

I was worried about the price, but it was equipment I wanted so badly I could taste it.

As I nodded to myself, I suddenly felt a light punch in my stomach. Why?

"You…!"

"Kyou-chan's easy to read, you know!"

"Eh?"

Wait. Does that mean all my thoughts about her chest were written all over my face? My mind is practically being read?! This is bad!

"Ugh… I'm so happy to see Shizuku-san becoming more maidenly…!"

"Why are you crying?"

No, Ooyama-san. I think you should cherish your friends, seriously.

I gave a small nod to the blacksmith girl, who was giving a dubious look to Busujima-san as she dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. Modesty is important.

"Oh, and one more thing."

Ooyama-san pulled a piece of paper from her jumpsuit pocket.

Hmm. Is this… a coupon?

"You can use this at the convenience store nearby. Use it to buy some condo—"

"Maiden Power Injection!"

"Mwoh?!"

Busujima-san, dressed in a summery white dress with a loose belt, delivered a Thai kick right to Ooyama-san's rear end. A clean smack echoed through the room.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"Get your sense of shame back! As a person, let alone a maiden!"

"I'm not going to buy it with my own hands because it's embarrassing, alright?!"

"Please remember that what you're doing is plain sexual harassment! It still counts even when it's a woman to a man!"

As the two of them started squabbling, Erina-san turned her palms up and shook her head as if to say, "Good grief."

"They're almost too close, aren't they, Kyou-chan?"

"Ah, yeah. I guess so."

I decided to just leave it at that.