kscans

Chapter 5 - Nice Idea!

I returned to my cheap apartment, placed my shopping bag on the table, and took a short break.

"Haaah… I'm tired."

I picked up my phone to check the time. It was still only three in the afternoon.

"Hm? I have a message."

I unlocked my phone and opened my messaging app.

"Good work today. You were only adventuring for an hour, but going to the Frontier tends to be more tiring, so please get some good rest."

The message was from Asakura-san.

"She's such a nice girl. Still, looking at this message history brings back memories…"

I didn't realize it back then, but we messaged each other quite a bit.

"Seriously nostalgic. I had so much fun back then… Playing mahjong with friends, going to karaoke, drinking… It's been four years since then… It was tough."

Ah… this is hitting me mentally. Looking at this fun message exchange between me and Asakura-san makes me feel so nostalgic for the good old days that I could cry.

"No! Things will get better from now on! I quit that crappy company, and I'm going to become an A-rank Adventurer and make a ton of money! And then I'll have fun!"

You have to look at things positively. Otherwise, I might get depressed…

"Still, looking at my messages with Asakura-san really brings back memories… We were actually pretty close. I mean, towards the end, I was even calling her Kaede-chan."

Was work so tough that I forgot all this? Actually, aren't I already mentally unwell? Quitting that company might have been the right decision after all.

I thought it would be rude to leave her on read, so I immediately replied to Kaede-chan.

"It was great to see you again, Kaede-chan. I'm looking forward to working with you."

I sent the message and put my phone down.

"She's probably still at work, so I guess I'll start my experiment…"

My experiment, of course, being Alchemy.

"Now, which one should I make first?"

The four things I can make are Healing Potion Lv1, Gender Reassignment Potion, Sleeping Potion, and Pure Water.

"The Healing Potion needs Pure Water, so I guess I'll start with that…"

I stood up, went to the kitchen, filled a glass with water, and came back. I placed the glass on the table and started staring at it intently.

"Alright! Pure Water, become Pure Water!"

As I stared at it, the water in the glass flashed for a moment.

"…Is that it?"

The water didn't seem to have changed at all.

"…Even if the water turned into Pure Water, I wouldn't be able to tell. Okay, on to the next one!"

This time, I put the Medicinal Herb I brought back into the water and stared at it.

"Become a Healing Potion!"

This time, it glowed more brightly than before. When the light faded, the water and Medicinal Herb that were in the glass had somehow transformed into a blue liquid inside a flask.

"Whoa?! The glass changed too?!"

I understand that a Medicinal Herb and Pure Water make a Healing Potion, but the glass turning into a flask was unexpected.

"Well, whatever. It was from the 100-yen store… But still, so this is a potion."

I picked up the flask and examined it closely.

"What's this stuff like? Can I sell it?"

I placed the flask on the table and opened my phone. I did a search for Healing Potion.

"Oh! So it drops from monsters, huh."

Though apparently, it's a rare drop. It has levels, too.

It seems there's a skill called Appraisal, and every guild has a staff member with that skill on duty at all times. Those appraisers examine the items brought back.

"I see. How much is it worth… Let's see… Huh?"

I let out a strange sound. Because the buyout price for a Potion Lv1 was 500,000 yen.

"F-Five hundred thousand… for this?"

My gaze shifted from my phone to the flask on the table.

"500,000 yen… A Medicinal Herb dropped by a Slime and some water is worth 500,000 yen… It easily surpasses my highest savings amount ever."

Whoa, whoa, whoa! This is amazing. Something this easy to make is worth 500,000 yen?!

I'm amazing! I've hit the jackpot!

"Yahoo! I made back my investment in a single day!"

Yes, I now think the 150,000 yen training fee was cheap!

"Seriously… this is incredible. Oh, right. I should look up the Alchemy skill and the star mark."

I searched on my phone again for the Alchemy skill and the star mark, but nothing came up.

"Hmm, it's all just game information…"

This is impossible. Searching for alchemy just brings up game strategy sites, and I can't find anything relevant. But considering the price of potions, it's hard to believe that Alchemy is a common skill. Plus, Asaku… Kaede-chan couldn't see it.

"Even if there are other people with this skill, they're probably not reporting it. Well, no one would."

If you don't report it, you can monopolize it, and if you're not careful, the guild might restrict your use of the skill. No fool would throw away this chance to make money.

"The problem is… how many of these to make and sell…"

If I sell ten, that's 5 million. A hundred would be 50 million.

But when I looked up potions, I found that their drop rate is low, and they're truly rare. On top of that, even a Potion Lv1 can apparently close wounds and treat minor illnesses.

Can I really sell a hundred of those? They would definitely investigate the source.

"Damn it! Should I just level up and sell one really expensive potion?"

My Alchemy recipes increase as my level goes up. Right now I can only make level 1 potions, but eventually I should be able to make more valuable ones.

"Hmm, but money…"

Money is important. I, who worked at a toxic company, know that all too well. You could even say that money is the measure of happiness.

"Well, for now, I guess I'll just sell this one…"

I'll think about it later. With 500,000 yen and my remaining savings, I can live for three months. I'll also have income as an Adventurer.

"On to the next one…"

I took flour and salt out of my shopping bag and the Sleeping Grass from the paper bag Kaede-chan gave me. I went to the kitchen again, put water in another glass, and placed it on the table.

"I need to buy more glasses… Now, which one should I do first?"

Well, probably the Gender Reassignment Potion. I don't know the effects of the Sleeping Potion, and I might fall asleep. I'll start with the one whose effects are clear.

I poured flour into the glass of water.

"Alright! Time for Hajime-kun to become Hajime-chan!"

I stared at the water and flour in the glass.

"Turn into a Gender Reassignment Potion!"

Once again, the glass started to glow and, in an instant, transformed into a flask filled with a white liquid.

"Seriously amazing. But being white, it just looks like milk…"

Is it white because of the flour?

"Alright, let's drink it…"

When I was looking up Alchemy earlier, I also searched for a Gender Reassignment Potion, but nothing came up. Well, of course. If something like that existed, it would be all over the news.

I picked up the flask, stood up, and opened the cork. Then, I put a hand on my hip and drank it without hesitation.

It might be dangerous, but for some reason, I knew this potion was safe. It's probably an effect of the skill.

"Hmm, no taste! Just water!"

As soon as I finished the potion, my vision suddenly dropped. Not only that. My body felt heavier, and I felt a sense of wrongness all over.

I looked down at my body.

I was wearing a tracksuit, but I could clearly see a bulge that wasn't there before. And when I brought my hand to my crotch, what was supposed to be there was gone.

"Amazing! I really turned into a girl. With this I can peek… I mean, um, what's the point of this?"

Should I go on Ladies' Day? How lame!

I casually touched my hair.

"It's so long! What's going on?!"

My hair is black, but it reaches my waist. I don't often see black hair this long.

"Hmm, what a useless potion. The only people who would buy this are those who want gender reassignment surgery… Oh well. On to the next one."

I began to make the last potion, the Sleeping Potion. The ingredients for the Sleeping Potion are Sleeping Grass and salt. This time, it's not a liquid.

I placed the Sleeping Grass on a tissue and sprinkled salt on it.

"It's like I'm cooking…"

After sprinkling a random amount, I stared at the salt-seasoned Sleeping Grass. It started to glow and transformed into a pill.

"So this is the Sleeping Potion… I guess I'll try it."

I put the pill in my mouth and swallowed it in one gulp. Then, I picked up my phone.

"Let's see, it's four o'clock now—"

◆◇◆

I suddenly woke up.

"Huh? Was I sleeping… What the?!"

What are these slender arms?!

I was surprised by the arms I touched.

"Oh, right, I drank the Gender Reassignment Potion, so I'm still a girl… But it's dark."

I stood up and turned on the lights. Then, I checked the time on my phone.

"It's past ten… so I slept for six hours."

But this Sleeping Potion is amazing. It worked instantly. This has an even more criminal feel to it now.

"Hmm, maybe I can sell it as a substitute for anesthesia… but making money off it might be difficult."

In that case, for now, it's probably the Healing Potion.

"What should I do… Oh well, I need to use the bathroom."

I felt the urge to pee, so I headed to the toilet. I stood in front of the toilet bowl to urinate and pulled down my pants.

"Oh, it's not there. Hilarious."

I had no choice but to sit down to pee.

"What a pain. I should just make another one and change back."

After I finished, I washed my hands at the sink. Then, I casually looked at the mirror in front of me.

"This is me…"

Reflected in the mirror was a beautiful woman with a displeased expression. To be honest, I don't think she resembles me at all.

"Hmm, a different person. I could probably pull some pranks with this… Wait a minute!"

That's it, I'll sell them in this form. That way, the person who sold a large number of potions will be this woman. Not me.

"Wahahaha! I'm a genius!"

"Hey, you're being loud!! Next door!! Next door… huh?"

My loud laughter earned me the usual scolding from my neighbor.

"S-Sorry!"

"…………"

Huh?