kscans

Chapter 100 - Aren't You Cold Waiting in the Hallway?

As Kaede-chan and I were sitting next to each other drinking beer, Satsuki-san and Yoshino-san returned to the living room.

"Is it over?"

I asked Satsuki-san, who had sat down at the table and started drinking the rest of her beer.

"It's over. I was wondering what she was going to say, but it was nothing important."

"Did she grovel?"

"No, nothing like that. But she did give me this incredibly fawning look. Yoshino has a dirty side like that, so be careful."

"I will."

What a wicked woman! She probably flaunted her cleavage or something! It won't work on me!

"I'd appreciate it if you'd have conversations like that when I'm not around..."

Yoshino-san said awkwardly as she drank her coffee.

"In any case, is that everything?"

Satsuki-san asked.

"I think so... Yoshino-san, is there anything else?"

I checked with Yoshino-san to see if there was anything more.

"If possible, I'd like you to sell the Healing Potion Lv2 to HQ soon. My superiors are pressuring me, and the government officials are getting anxious."

We did part on bad terms... And after that, I made contact with Claire and Harry.

"All right. I'll call Claire tomorrow. Let's get the contract sorted out quickly and sell them to the Head Director."

"I'll probably be the intermediary this time, so let me know. How much do you plan to sell the Healing Potion Lv2 for?"

"How many are they willing to buy?"

"You were selling about a hundred to Claire, right? Then a hundred for us is fine too. We really only need fifty, but it's a matter of saving face, so we have to buy at least the same number as Claire, or more."

Saving face seems silly, but as long as I can sell a lot, I'm fine with it.

"How much will it be?"

"How much are you selling them to Claire for?"

"Four million yen."

"Four million... could you make it three point five million?"

So stingy. Or maybe HQ is short on cash...

"Hmm, well, I guess that's fine..."

Even Claire had said she would buy them for 3.2 million at first. It became four million after I included a 100-kilogram Item Bag for storage.

"Then let's go with that. I'll talk to the Head Director. Are you not selling the Healing Potion Lv3?"

"That one will be at auction."

"Auction, huh... I'll probably get harassed by the Head Director again."

She gets harassed by the Head Director? Yoshino-san has it tough too.

"First, I want to set the price at auction. I'll start selling them after that."

For items that aren't in circulation, you have to establish a market price first. The reason I sold the 1000-kilogram Item Bag to Claire for a billion yen was because it fetched that price at auction.

"Hmm... well, I understand."

"That's the basic plan. Other than that, I'll go adventuring and level up in my free time."

Preparations for the auction and all that are Kaede-chan's and Satsuki-san's jobs, so I have nothing to do. I guess I'll go adventuring with Nanapon in the meantime.

"Your recipes and such increase when you level up, right? I could join you, what do you think?"

"It's better if we're not seen hanging out together. Let's keep things as they are."

"Well, that's true... Then it'll be Okita-kun. What about Yokokawa?"

"That girl dislikes Okita-kun, so that's no good. As before, Nanaka-san will go with me, and Okita-kun will go with you."

That would be for the best. I hear Nanapon has a mild fear of men, but she's just shy before that.

"Got it. Well, contact me when you want to go. Lin prioritizes her husband, so I don't know about her, but I'm free."

She sounded a little like Satsuki-san just now.

"Then let's do that."

"Yeah. Also, sorry, but could you give me Yokokawa's contact information? I want to apologize for getting her involved."

"Okay. I'll send it to you later."

"Thanks... Well, I'll be heading home now. Sorry for keeping you so late."

It got late because I drugged her with a sleeping potion, but I won't say that.

"Guess I'll head home too... Hey, Yoshino, give me a ride. You drove, right?"

"I did."

Since Satsuki-san and Yoshino-san stood up, Kaede-chan and I also stood up to see them off at the entrance.

"Well, we're heading out. Kaede, you have tomorrow off, right?"

Satsuki-san asked Kaede-chan as she put on her shoes at the entrance.

"Yes. I'm going to take it easy tomorrow."

"I have the day off too. I'll be taking it easy with Kaede-chan."

Let's just relax.

"I don't really care, but how long are you going to wear those sunglasses?"

"Shut up. Just go home already."

I'll take them off after Yoshino-san leaves.

"Yeah, yeah. See ya."

"Good night."

With that, Satsuki-san and Yoshino-san left. Kaede-chan and I returned to the living room, grabbed the beers from the table, and went to sit on the sofa.

"We managed to sort things out, huh."

Kaede-chan took a sip of her beer.

"Yeah."

"What did you talk about in your room, Senpai?"

There's a hint of jealousy or suspicion in that question...

"We talked about various things. First off, the reason she wants a Healing Potion Lv3 seems to be a scar."

"A scar?"

"She had a mark on her stomach. She probably doesn't want anyone to see it."

I will never say it was under her chest.

"But it's okay for you to see it, Senpai?"

"No, I think it would have been fine if it were you too, Kaede-chan. I think she didn't want Satsuki-san to know. They're family, so she didn't want to make her worry."

"I see... But it's true that some people get injuries like that."

"You too, Kaede-chan?"

If she has a scar, she should heal it with a Healing Potion Lv3.

"No, I was a rogue, and I always hid behind Satsuki-san, so I don't have any scars like that. But working at the reception desk, you see people like that. Both men and women. It's not a pleasant sight."

There are casualties every year. It's a dangerous job.

"So it really does happen... I'll probably only do this for a few years. Yoshino-san and Lin-san, who are the same age as me, seem to be thinking about retiring."

"I think so. It gets really dangerous after your thirties. Do you remember when I first explained things to you, I said that the group with the most casualties are people like you who quit their office jobs?"

She did say that. Though she said it was people like me who got fired.

"I remember."

"Young people in their teens get support. But adults don't. And they push themselves too hard out of anxiety and impatience."

I get that, I really do. I was incredibly anxious and impatient myself.

"I'll make my money quick and drop out."

"Please do. To be frank, I want you to retire already."

She probably means both as an adventurer and as Eleanor-san.

"Is two billion enough?"

"It should be more than enough to live on."

Well, yeah. It should be plenty.

"I know. But I'll keep going a little longer. I have Nanapon, I have no intention of overdoing it, and I've stopped trying to act tough."

"As long as you understand, it's fine. Just be careful about when to quit."

"Yeah."

I replied and drank my beer.

"Just asking, but was that all you two talked about alone?"

She's still suspicious.

"I asked about her unique skill."

"Yoshino-san's? What was it?"

"She said it's Perfect Memory. She used that skill to compare Okita-kun's and Eleanor-san's walking styles."

"Unique skills are really amazing, aren't they..."

It's not for combat, but it's certainly amazing.

"Yeah. It makes a huge difference whether you have one or not."

Maybe it's essential for reaching the top ranks as an adventurer.

"I suppose so... Anything else?"

"No, that's about it. The rest was about money and potions. Really, that's all."

I didn't fall for her seduction attempt, so I'm in the clear.

"Hmm, well, all right."

"More importantly, we have tomorrow off. Let's drink today."

We're already drinking, though.

"Yes. Should we play a game or something?"

"Let's play the King's Game."

"But there are only two of us... Anyway, please take off your sunglasses. They don't suit you, Eleanor-san, about as much as they don't suit Nanaka-chan."

Do they really look that bad on me...

"Well then, I guess I'll take them off..."

I removed the sunglasses and placed them on the coffee table in front of me.

"Also, please go back to being Okita-senpai. I like Okita-senpai better."

"You've got a point."

Since Kaede-chan and I had a moment to breathe, we decided to take a bath and then have some more drinks. Of course, I waited in the hallway while Kaede-chan was in the bath again today, but when she came out of the changing area, she was already in her pajamas.

What a shame. Well, her sidelong glance was cute too.