kscans

Chapter 111 - The Absolute Superiority of Unique Skills

We continued walking down the road, passed a few people, and then stopped where no one was around.

"Now then, Nanaka-san, I will announce today's theme."

I declared to Nanapon with my hands on my hips.

"Theme? Isn't it leveling up?"

Nanapon invited me here because she wanted to level up.

"That's for later. First, we're going to look for Sparkling Grass and Silken Grass."

"Ah, the ingredients for the buff potions. What do they look like?"

"I don't know!"

"Ehh… And you expect to find them?"

Nanapon looked at the surrounding grassland with a displeased expression.

"It's alright. Today, I have a present for you."

"A present?"

"That's right… Ta-da, sunglasses!"

I took a pair of sunglasses out of my bag.

"Oh, thank you. But I already have a pair."

Well, she has them, or rather, she's already wearing them.

"These are no ordinary sunglasses. These are Appraisal Sunglasses."

"Ah, come to think of it, you could make something like that."

"Also, these sunglasses cost 100,000 yen."

"…Eleanor-san, I understand you're having trouble figuring out how to spend your money, but you're definitely going off track."

I bought them along with my own pair, but when I saw the price, I thought they looked cool, so I bought them.

"Just take them."

"No, I have no complaints. Thank you."

Nanapon said, accepting them. She took off the sunglasses she was wearing and put on the pair I gave her.

"How do they look? Do they suit me?"

Nanapon asked happily, but she looked exactly the same as before.

"The 100,000 yen really makes a difference."

Yes, yes. They're starting to look cool to me now.

"You think so? My sunglasses cost 80,000 yen, though."

Is she an idiot? She's one to talk.

"Are you squandering your money again?"

"I thought it wouldn't be good to look cheap. In any case, these sunglasses are amazing."

Nanapon said, looking at her own staff. She was probably appraising it.

"Right? We're going to use these to find the Sparkling Grass and Silken Grass."

"I see. Are you wearing sunglasses too, Eleanor-san?"

"No, these colored contacts of mine are Appraisal Contacts."

"I just noticed, but you wear colored contacts, Eleanor-san."

Does this girl really respect Eleanor-san at all?

"I'm a mysterious, beautiful young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes."

"I can agree with everything except the 'young' part."

I guess you can't be a girl at twenty-six… I'll start calling myself a mysterious, beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Do you want colored contacts, too? You could become a genuine mysterious, beautiful young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes."

"Beautiful young girl… No, I'm good. Contacts scare me."

Nanapon-san sure is scared of a lot of things.

"Then stick with the sunglasses. Let's start looking."

"Okay."

We started picking up and examining the grass growing on the side of the road and in the meadows.

"How do you think we look to other people?"

Nanapon asked while crouching down to look at the grass.

"A witch and her bodyguard looking for a four-leaf clover."

I answered while on all fours, examining the grass in the meadow.

"I'll stand up if someone comes."

"You should lay out a sheet. It'll look like we're taking a break."

"Okay."

Nanapon laid out a sheet, put down her backpack, and resumed her search for the grass.

"Eleanor-san."

"What is it?"

"A suit is not suited for this kind of work."

"It's better than my robe, so rest assured."

Not only is the design loose, but the skirt is also extremely obstructive. It's clearly not designed for work that involves crouching down.

"…Should we stop?"

"These buff potions are for you, you know."

I'm thinking of Nanapon's safety.

"Really? Do I, a mage, really need attack power and speed?"

Well, maybe not…

"…Don't you want to see the Zantetsuken?"

"…You just want it for yourself, don't you."

Well, no one ever says my sword skills are amazing. All I ever hear is that I'm scary…

"You'll need them too, Nanaka-san."

"Alright, I get it…"

Though exasperated, Nanapon continued to search for the grass.

"I found some Sluggish Grass."

"Close! Next!"

"I found some Shiny Grass."

"Nope! Oh, Fluffy Grass… So this stuff is here."

Well, it's an ingredient for Buff Potion (Defense), so I might as well gather it.

"Eleanor-san, this is boring. I'm tired of it."

Young people these days have no patience.

"It's only been thirty minutes. Keep at it."

"Let's just put in a request. Once we level up and can make better items, it'll be fine, right?"

This is no good. She's turned into a selfish Nanapon…

"I suppose you're right… I'll try asking Lin-san, and if she knows, I'll put in a request."

I'm meeting Lin-san tomorrow, so I'll ask her then. She knew about the Fluffy Grass, so she might know more.

"Let's do that. This is the time to use people and money."

Hmm, Nanapon has the mindset of a millionaire. She might become a big shot someday.

"Alright. I guess we'll start leveling up then."

"Yes! I want to reach level ten!"

Well, I can understand wanting to reach level ten. I'm also at level nine like Nanapon, so I have the desire to reach that milestone.

"I know what you mean. So, is it okay if we do it like last time, you take the Great Eagles and I take the High Wolves?"

"That's fine, but they say the Great Eagles give more experience points. Are you okay with me reaching level ten first?"

Wow… Nanapon is being considerate of me… She's not even calling me a small-minded man anymore.

"I don't mind at all. We're companions. There's no superiority or inferiority between us."

"No, I am your disciple, and there's a seven-year age difference, so there is a sense of superiority and inferiority."

Well, yeah. A student and a working adult.

"It's fine. I'm going with Yoshino-san tomorrow anyway, so I'll probably surpass you naturally soon enough."

"Ah, I see. So that's why you're letting me have them. I thought something was strange."

This is bad. In Nanapon's mind, I'm completely a small-minded man. A comeback… seems unlikely.

Resigned, I decided to take Nanapon off the road and search for monsters.

◆◇◆

Some time had passed since Nanapon and I started leveling up. As I had initially proposed, I was defeating the High Wolves while Nanapon took care of the Great Eagles, and since it was our second time, we were defeating them smoothly. Occasionally, monsters like Goblins would appear, but they were no match for us, and as long as we kept an eye on the sky, there were no problems.

"This place is easy, but it's impossible to do alone."

I murmured as I watched Nanapon incinerate a Great Eagle with her fire magic.

"That's right. While you're fighting, you inevitably become careless about what's above you. You definitely need a lookout, or a rogue."

Kaede-chan mentioned it before, but while you don't need a rogue in beginner areas, the higher you go, the more you need a rogue who can scout.

"This place is a flat plain and wide open, so anyone can be a lookout, but in a forest or somewhere similar, you'd probably need a specialized rogue."

"I think so."

Well, since Nanapon has Clairvoyance, I can just leave it to her. She's a very convenient girl.

"How's your level?"

I asked Nanapon, who was trying to catch the fluttering feathers of a falling Great Eagle.

"Just a moment."

The clumsy Nanapon ultimately failed to catch the feathers in the air and instead picked them up off the ground before taking her Status Card out of her pocket. For the record, I had also checked my own Status Card a little while ago, and my level was still nine.

"Ooh! I've finally reached the big ten!"

Nanapon exclaimed happily after looking at her Status Card.

"That's great."

It's a little frustrating, but I'll probably level up soon, too.

"Yes! Hmm?"

Nanapon tilted her head as she looked at her Status Card.

"What's wrong?"

"Um, just a moment…"

Nanapon said, then stared intently at my waist area.

"What? Are you using your Clairvoyance on me? You're such a closet pervert."

And where are you even looking? There's nothing attached there right now.

"That's not it. Well, I am using my Clairvoyance on you, so that part is right…"

So she is looking. You lecher! Give me those eyes!

"Then what are you looking at?"

"Your bag… Okita-san, that paper is gone… scary."

The paper in my bag, could it be the marriage registration form I'm holding onto so dearly? Did she see it?

"Can you see inside an Item Bag?"

Okita-kun's bag has some dirty magazines in it. I can't let her see those. I should hide them in the closet.

"No, I couldn't see inside until just now, but I can now. My Clairvoyance has leveled up."

"So your Clairvoyance has levels… I wonder when it went up?"

"I wonder. Maybe because I reached level ten?"

That's possible. My Alchemy doesn't have levels, but my recipes increase when my own level goes up.

"Being able to see inside an Item Bag is amazing. Your stalker level has gone up, too."

"I'm not a stalker or a closet pervert. And more importantly… I can also see the Status Card inside Eleanor-san's bag. Your level is still nine."

It's true that my level is still nine.

"That's right… You're correct."

…So this girl can now see the Status Cards of people who keep them in their Item Bags.

"I think I can probably see A-rank people's, too."

Being able to peek at a Status Card means she can confirm who has a unique skill…

"Leveling up is canceled for today. I want you to walk up and down the road and peek at other adventurers' Status Cards. We're going to check if they have unique skills."

"Understood."

Nanapon's Clairvoyance is insane.