kscans

Chapter 22 - We're Practically Dating! (This is just my personal opinion)

As usual, I was in my shabby room, staring at my smartphone and pondering.

"Hmm, I have to start looking again..."

I had decided to move, but every time I found a room that seemed appropriate for my income, my income would increase. The grade of the rooms I was thinking of renting just kept going up.

"But if I rent a room that's too big, managing it will be a pain."

Honestly, I'm not a neat freak, and I tend to be lazy. I tidied and cleaned when Kaede-chan came over, but I haven't cleaned at all since then.

"And there's no housekeeping service..."

There are services that will clean for you, but I can't trust them. There's a chance they could find out about Eleanor Ocean or Alchemy, and that information could leak.

"I really wish Kaede-chan would just marry me."

Her cooking might be questionable, but she seems to be able to clean. She said it was her strong suit.

"Hmm, no good..."

I put my smartphone on the table and flopped down on the floor. I just can't find a good room.

"Maybe I should wait for the auction results..."

The auction has already started. The results are apparently going to be announced tomorrow evening. So, Kaede-chan is scheduled to come to this room tomorrow evening. We're going to have a super winner's party.

"Ah, I have to clean..."

At this point, I'd rather just do it at Kaede-chan's place. It's definitely cleaner there. What's more, I want to go to a girl's house.

Apparently, I went to Kaede-chan's house during our college days, but I don't remember it. I supposedly got drunk and tried to cut her table with a kitchen knife, but I have no memory of it at all. I must have been really drunk.

Ah, so that's why she won't invite me over...

I reluctantly got up and started cleaning my room.

"Now that Kaede-chan is coming, there are a lot of things I want to buy, but considering I'm moving, it'll be a waste of effort."

For example, it would be nice to have a sofa or something. A bed would make things smoothly... never mind.

But if I'm moving, things like that will go to waste. The room size will be different, and there's the furniture's atmosphere to consider with the room.

"Hah... What a pain."

I reluctantly cleaned and went out shopping in the afternoon.

And then, the next day, at six in the evening, Kaede-chan came to visit.

"Hello. Excuse me."

Kaede-chan was dressed cutely today as well.

"Come on in, come on in."

I invited Kaede-chan in and led her to the room. Though all I have is a kitchen and a room...

"Senpai, are you watching the auction?"

Kaede-chan asked as she sat down in the room.

"Nope, not watching. I thought I'd save it for a surprise."

I was curious and thought about watching it, but with house hunting and other things, I haven't.

"It's getting crazy."

"Crazy? The price is skyrocketing?"

"Yes. The most expensive one, the 100-kilo one, has already surpassed 20 million, and there are still six hours left."

Not 10 million? Already twice the market rate?

"Huh? Seriously?"

"Seriously."

The auction closes at 23:59 today. It seems likely it will go up even more...

"Why is it going up so much? Isn't it 100,000 per kilo?"

"There really aren't many Item Bags that can hold 100 kilos. And I guess there's the buzz around it?"

"The buzz?"

"Try searching your own name online. There's a festival going on about the mysterious witch."

As Kaede-chan suggested, I searched on my smartphone. A considerable number of sites came up.

'This mysterious woman named Eleanor Ocean is putting a 100-kilo Item Bag up for sale!?'

'The Golden Witch has descended upon Japan!'

'Will corporations flock to the 100-kilo Item Bag!?'

'Isn't it unfair that foreigners can't participate in the auction?'

Hmm, there are a lot more.

"I've become a witch..."

"Well, you look like a witch, don't you?"

Hmm, I was aiming for mysterious, but I ended up a witch. Well, a witch is mysterious, I guess.

"But what's with the 'golden' part?"

"There are photos of you circulating online. Isn't it because of your long blonde hair?"

As she said that, I did an image search for 'Eleanor Ocean.' Pictures of myself riding the train and reading magazines at a convenience store came up.

"Geh! These are candid shots."

And my face got exposed so fast!

"That's the world we live in. Personally, I think this photo of you going to a high-end hotel's cake buffet by yourself without inviting me is the best one."

Kaede-chan said as she showed me her smartphone.

On the screen was a blonde woman happily eating a strawberry tart.

"Yeah... Well, it's hard for a guy to go alone, you know. I wanted to try it at least once."

"Oh. That's nice. I wanted to go too."

But you have work.

"Want to go together next time? I can't go alone as a guy, but I can go with you."

In fact, when I went alone, there were women with men, though I don't know if they were couples or married.

"I'll go. There's a place I wanted to go to."

"Let's go, let's go. Oh, want something to drink? I bought a bunch of stuff besides beer today. Like the cassis you like."

"I'll have some. Oh, senpai, this is a souvenir for you."

Kaede-chan said as she took out some side dishes from her favorite pochette that were clearly larger than the pochette itself.

"You're really making good use of that Item Bag."

It was the 100-kilo Item Bag I had made for her as a test before.

"I thought about selling it, but since you gave it to me, senpai..."

"You might be trying to say something nice, but I'm not that happy about it. I just put a rubber band in it."

"Then please present me with something more moving."

How about a ring?

"Eventually."

I said that, then went to the fridge and got a cassis soda and a beer. Then, I returned to the room.

"More importantly, let's go eat crab."

I handed Kaede-chan the cassis and opened my beer as I invited her.

"Ah, right. Hokkaido, huh. I wonder if I can get time off?"

"We don't have to stay for several nights. Let's just go eat crab and come back."

We could even do a day trip if we had to.

"Maybe one night is possible..."

"Your place has no customers, so you can just take a day off whenever you want."

"I told you, didn't I? I'm an appraiser. There are only three of us at my branch, so we have to coordinate our days off."

Oh yeah, that's right.

"Then, I'll give you this."

I took a pair of glasses out of my bag.

"Glasses? Do you like girls with glasses, senpai?"

"No, I'm anti-glasses. Contacts are supreme."

"...I can guess from the flow of the conversation, but what are these?"

"Appraisal Glasses! An item that will steal your job!"

Sorry!

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Name: Okita Hajime
Level: 5
Job: Swordsman
Skills:
≪Swordsmanship Lv5≫
☆≪Alchemy≫
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☆≪Alchemy≫
Can create new items by consuming materials.
Recipes increase as the skill holder's level increases.
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Level 5
Healing Potion Lv1, Gender Reassignment Potion
Sleeping Potion, Pure Water
Translation Potion, Item Bag
Transparency Potion, Appraisal Glasses, Appraisal Contacts
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I can make contacts too. The materials are glasses or contacts and blueberries!

I even made Eleanor-san's colored contacts into Appraisal Contacts!

"Ah, if these get out, my salary is going to drop significantly... This senpai has created the worst kind of item that makes his junior unhappy."

It's okay! I'll take you in when that happens!

"So it's better if I don't sell them?"

"Hmm, it would reduce my workload... but my salary... Senpai, please give this to our Guild Master-san. Let's make her work."

Calling her former party leader and current boss 'her'.

"Then you can have them. They're non-prescription."

"Thank you very much. Now I can take a break! Let's go to Hokkaido!"

Yay!

"Cheers!"

"Cheers! I love you, senpai!"

We clinked our glasses and began our party.