kscans

Chapter 81 - A Call to Yoshino-san (Okita-kun ver)

"There’s no way that amount was only 10 kilos. There were at least 30 skeleton swords in there."

Kaede-chan, who had been listening to the call, offered her pointed criticism.

"Hmm, well, ten of those were from my solo hunt in the morning, so it was probably only about twenty."

"Either way, she’s going to think it’s at least 20 kilos. Including your other luggage, a round 50 kilos seems about right."

"I’ll just tell her that next time."

I completely forgot about the Item Bag’s capacity. My mistake, my mistake.

"Please be careful tomorrow, too."

"I know, I know."

"Oh, would you like some coffee?"

Kaede-chan asked as she started to get up.

"Yes, yes. You’re so kind, Kaede-chan!"

"I know, right?"

Kaede-chan nodded cheerfully and went to the kitchen, quickly returning with two cups. She came over to the sofa where I was sitting, placed the cups on the low table in front of it, and sat down next to me.

"Is it Okita-senpai’s turn next?"

"Yep, yep."

I took out the TS Potion, chugged it down, and returned to being Okita-kun.

"You can talk this time if you want."

"Well, I don’t want to get in the way, so I’ll stay quiet."

Kaede-chan said while blowing on her coffee to cool it down.

"Alright, I’m calling."

Now that I was Okita-kun again, I took out Okita-kun’s phone and called Yoshino-san. This time, she picked up on the first ring.

"Hello, is this Okita-kun?"

It was Yoshino-san, of course.

"Hello. Thank you for yesterday. It was great working with you."

"Likewise, thanks to you too. Are you still sticking with that persona?"

"My wife told me that respect is important."

As I said that, my wife (to-be) patted me on the shoulder.

"Well, respect is important. So, what can I do for you?"

"Oh, is this a good time to call? Are you at work or anything?"

"I’m off today, so it’s fine."

I know. I just heard that a minute ago.

"It’s about joining the party yesterday. I was thinking it might be okay on a limited basis."

"Limited basis?"

"There’s a part of me that really wants to do things on my own. I’m not very sociable, and I find it daunting to work with high-level, high-rank adventurers."

"Daunting…? You, who scoffed at my Swordsmanship level?"

Once again, Kaede-chan patted my shoulder.

"My sincerest apologies for that… I got carried away for a mere level 7 E-rank."

"You’re so extreme. Anyway, you can join whenever you like. I wasn’t looking for you to join formally in the first place. It’s more like, let’s aim for the pinnacle of swordsmanship together."

…………Calm down, me! This is an invitation! It’s definitely a trap!

"……Let’s do our best!"

"Oh, you resisted. I was sure you were going to scoff and say something like, ‘What’s a mere Swordsmanship level 4 talking about?’"

"Don’t set traps for me."

"But you thought it, didn’t you?"

I did not.

"The sword is a battle with oneself."

I heard that in some manga or anime!

"Well, as long as it makes me money, I don’t really care."

This one will never reach Swordsmanship level 5.

"Good luck with that. So, what’s your schedule like, Yoshino-san? Kaede-chan actually promoted me to D-rank, so I’m thinking of taking the next step."

"Huh? What about the 100 skeletons? Did you defeat 100 yesterday?"

"No, she said it was a cumulative total. Yesterday’s hunt brought me to 100, so I made D-rank."

"Oh, that’s great. So, the next step, huh… I think that’s a good idea. For someone with your skill, the Kunaar Ruins must be boring."

Well, I am getting tired of skeletons, that’s for sure.

"So, do you know any good places?"

"Hmm, I have to consider the fact that you can’t use magic."

"I’m sorry for being so useless…"

I have Nanapon, and I can use Air Hammer, you know!

"Can you drop that persona? It’s past humble and gone straight to self-deprecating. It’s a little…"

Was it annoying…

"Alright, I’ll stop. Got any good spots? I’ve been looking online, but I’m not sure where to go."

"Hmm, how about Mireille Road?"

Mireille Road… I’ve looked it up, so I know about it. It’s just a road and a grassy plain, a rather uninteresting place.

"And your reasoning is?"

"There are no monsters that use magic. The only thing you’d have to watch out for is a bird called a Great Eagle. I can take care of that with my magic."

I see…

"Yoshino-san, hold on a sec………… Kaede-chan, what do you think?"

I put the call on hold and asked for Kaede-chan’s opinion.

"I think it’s a good idea. Actually, I was thinking about it ever since it looked like Eleanor-san and Nanaka-chan wouldn’t be able to go to the Diana Mine. The monsters that appear there are beast-types, like the Great Eagle and High Wolves that Yoshino-san just mentioned."

So Kaede-chan was thinking about it for me too. She really is my dedicated support.

"Anything I should be careful about?"

"Just as Yoshino-san said, surprise attacks from the sky by the Great Eagle. Otherwise, it’s an open area, so ambushes are unlikely. For now, you should have Yoshino-san take you there and let you learn what it’s like."

"Got it."

I took the call off hold.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

I un-muted the call and apologized to Yoshino-san for the delay.

"It’s fine. But what was that about?"

"I was consulting with Kaede-chan."

"Ah, right, you live together. So, are you guys off too?"

"That’s right. Kaede-chan is my advisor, so we were discussing my future plans."

"I see. So? What’s the plan?"

Yoshino-san asked if Mireille Road was okay.

"Would you be willing to go there with me once? I’ve done some research and asked Kaede-chan, but I think it’s best to see it for myself."

Since I was the one asking for a favor, I switched back to polite language.

"Sure. Let’s go together. Oh, it’ll be a three-person party with Lin from yesterday, is that okay?"

Lin-san… She seemed like a nice person, so that’s fine.

"Yes. I’d appreciate that."

"When is good for you?"

I know it would be bad if I said tomorrow was no good because I had other plans.

"Are you free sometime this week?"

"Hmm, tomorrow’s no good, and the day after I have a party adventure… How about Friday, at the end of the week?"

Friday… That’s fine for me.

I glanced at Kaede-chan, and she made a circle with her arms above her head. The days Kaede-chan has off from work are my days off too.

"Friday works for me as well, so let’s do that, please."

"Alright. Will we go from the morning, like yesterday?"

Morning? I’m so sleepy… I thought, but the person next to me was nodding vigorously.

"Let’s go from the morning."

"Okay. Then meet at 9 AM in front of the Gate. There will be other adventurers there, and not many monsters appear right by the gate, so don’t worry."

"Understood. Oh, and please say hello to Lin-san for me."

Speaking politely like this reminds me of my office worker days. I think I’ll stop.

"Yeah, yeah. Don’t be late."

"I’ll be there by 8.30, so it’s fine."

"No, you can take your time a little more."

"Kaede-chan starts work at 8.30, so that’s the time I’ll be there. You guys can take your time."

As I said that, Kaede-chan nodded emphatically without a word.

"…………Have you two ever had Satsuki-neesan click her tongue at you?"

"We get a ‘Keh!’ from her quite often."

"Satsuki-neesan can be petty, but I’m going to have to side with her on this."

"You two should get along."

Like us.

"…………Maybe I should get a boyfriend?"

"Oh, is that rumor about you and a certain male actor for real?"

"Ah… that guy. I’ve never even met him. Can I hang up now?"

"Wait, wait. Then is it true you’re dating a girl from a teenage idol group?"

There was a ton of gossip about Yoshino-san. A lot of it was pretty scandalous too.

"I’m so sick of all that… The only one that’s true is that I demanded an outrageous fee for an appearance negotiation."

So that one was true…

"Uh, sorry. You’re like a celebrity, so…"

I’ll refrain from asking about the rumored AV appearance.

"I get that a lot. Well then, see you on Friday."

"Yes, I look forward to it."

"Likewise."

Yoshino-san replied and then hung up the phone.

"Alright! She’s going to take me."

"That’s great."

Kaede-chan nodded with a benevolent smile.

"If it seems okay after I go on Friday, I’ll take Nanapon too."

"Right. Speaking of which, what do you think Nanaka-chan will do for a disguise?"

"Who knows? I’ll laugh if she actually shows up in a Hyottoko or skeleton mask."

I doubt that would happen, though…

"I wonder?"

"Well, we’ll see. Oh, and one more thing. Can you lend me some clothes for tomorrow? I’m meeting Yoshino-san as Eleanor-san, but I don’t have anything to wear."

Yoshino-san told me to stop wearing the black robe, too.

"Hmm, Senpai, this might happen again in the future. Why don’t you buy some clothes just for Eleanor-san?"

"Clothes, huh…"

Well, it’s not right to borrow from Kaede-chan every time, and I’m sure she doesn’t like it either.

"Kaede-chan, could you just pick some out for me? I have no idea what to get."

"Of course. Oh, in that case, let’s go buy them now. Let’s go on a shopping date."

Yay!

"Sounds good. Let’s get ready and head out then."

"Okay."

Well, it may be a shopping trip disguised as a date, but I’m happy.

This is actually our first date.