kscans

Chapter 99 - I'm Glad I Became Eleanor-san

Leaving Kaede-chan and Satsuki-san in the living room, I went to my room with Yoshino-san.

"What do you want to talk about in private? Is it something they can't hear?"

I asked Yoshino-san as we entered the room.

"Well, yes. And, I have something I want you to see."

With that, Yoshino-san lifted her shirt up to her chest. She pulled it up so high that I could see something large and white, but my eyes didn't go there.

It was because, beneath Yoshino-san's large chest, there was a painful-looking scar.

"What happened to that?"

"Simply put, I got hit by a monster. It was my mistake. I told you before that I have a sword that costs over a hundred million, right? The truth is, this scar is the result of me being stingy with my sword. It broke, and I got hit."

So that's why she uses such an expensive sword... Now I understood why this cheapskate was using a sword that seemed to have a terrible cost performance.

"Hmm, that must be tough for a woman. Even with such magnificent assets, it might put people off... Do those two know about this?"

"No. The only one who knows is Lin."

So Lin-san knows... Or perhaps it happened when they were adventuring together.

"Can't a Healing Potion Lv2 fix it?"

"This is the result of using a Healing Potion Lv2. The wound healed, but it left a scar."

If this is the result after a Level 2 potion, the wound must have been quite deep.

"I see. So what you want is a Healing Potion Lv3."

"That's right. Do you have any?"

If you're asking if I have any, then yes, I do.

"Do you think I do?"

"I think so. You first sold Healing Potion Lv1, then Lv2. You've been selling things in a way that steadily increases the price, just like with the Item Bag capacities. So the next thing you'll sell will either be Healing Potion Lv3 or an Item Bag of several thousand kilograms."

Correct.

"That's right. Well, I only just became able to make Healing Potion Lv3 today, though."

"Became able to make...? Ah, so it's not that you're following a business sequence, but that your skill has levels or something of the sort."

"Something like that. Well, there's a sequence to it as well. That's why I sold the Item Bags in order."

Well, that's because Satsuki-san told me to.

"I think that's a good strategy."

"Indeed... Well, a girl shouldn't have a scar like that, so I can give you a Healing Potion Lv3..."

Even with how large they are, the scar is so distracting I can't help it.

"While you're at it, it would be a great help if you could sell me Healing Potions on the cheap."

"That's fine too. We are in a party together, after all."

I gave a bunch to Nanapon, and they only cost around a thousand yen anyway.

"That's a great help."

"But still, they really are large..."

Through my sunglasses, I looked at the white mounds above the scar.

"If you want to touch them, you can. It's a small price to pay considering the Healing Potion Lv3."

Yoshino-san made a very tempting offer, but...

"If I touch them, you'll use it to blackmail me, won't you? By threatening to tell Kaede-chan."

"No, that wasn't my intention, but..."

"Either way, I have Kaede-chan. I can't betray her, and I'd be in trouble if she abandoned me."

As Nanapon says, the oasis in the desert would truly become a mirage.

"...Are you, by any chance, codependent?"

"I am. Kaede-chan was the one who healed my wounded heart... Now then, you can lower your shirt. I understand now."

As I said that, Yoshino-san lowered her shirt.

"I couldn't tell where you were looking with those sunglasses, but you were staring intently, weren't you?"

"To be honest, I was mostly looking at the scar. Let's say it was about sixty-forty?"

Sixty for the scar, forty for the breasts. Seriously, that scar is a nuisance.

"I see. Well, whatever..."

"Are these kinds of scars something everyone has, by any chance?"

"It depends on your role. Rearguard jobs probably have fewer. If anyone has them, it's the vanguards."

So getting close to monsters increases the danger.

"What about Lin-san?"

"No, we're women, and we don't really do anything that reckless to begin with. This was just me being clumsy."

Lin-san didn't seem that passionate about adventuring anyway.

"Well, I understand. A Healing Potion Lv3. It's normally sixteen hundred yen, but for you, I'll make it free."

With that, I sat down at the desk I use for Alchemy and took out a plastic bottle and three medicinal herbs from the bag I had placed there.

"Is it all right if I watch? I'd like to see you make it."

Yoshino-san asked from behind me.

"Go ahead. Though I think you'll find it incredibly boring."

I put the medicinal herbs into the plastic bottle I'd taken out and stared at it. The bottle began to glow, and then it transformed into a plastic flask containing a gray liquid.

"That was surprisingly simple."

"Right? That's why it's boring. The ingredients are cheap, and I can mass-produce them. It's a gold mine."

"Eleanor... don't you want information from HQ and the government?"

Yoshino-san placed a hand on my shoulder and whispered in my ear. Something soft was pressing against my back.

Here it comes. This money-grubber. The reason she wanted to be alone with me wasn't just that she didn't want the scar seen, it was that she thought she could easily win me over if it was just me.

"Could you please not press your chest against me? How much do you want?"

It's not like I gave in to her chest. I expected this would happen from the start, and Satsuki-san even told me to get information out of Yoshino-san. So I did not give in to her chest.

"Oh, just a little will do. A mere twenty percent is fine."

"Are you out of your mind?"

There's no way I'm giving you twenty percent. Ten percent is my limit.

"Then how much?"

"Five percent."

"You really are terrible at negotiating... Well, I'll go along with it for now. Ten percent will do."

How does she know my upper limit?

"Tell me your unique skill."

She said at first that she knew about me and Eleanor-san because of her unique skill, but I wonder what it is.

"My unique skill is nothing special. It's Perfect Memory."

"What's that?"

"It's very difficult to explain, but I can save anything I've seen or heard and recall it at any time. For example, if I want to remember my conversation with you, the visuals I saw at that time and the content of our conversation will replay in my mind. It's like watching a recorded video."

"That's amazing. You can cheat more legitimately than Nanaka-san's Clairvoyance."

All she has to do is look at a textbook once.

"I'm not a student anymore, so I almost never use it for cheating. At most, I can re-watch movies or manga I've seen before when I'm bored. It's also useful in situations like this. I replayed your walking style and noticed it by comparing Okita-kun and Eleanor Ocean."

Ah, so that's why she was staring at me on Mireille Road in the evening. She was superimposing Okita-kun and Eleanor-san.

"Hmm, it doesn't seem very useful for adventuring."

"That's not entirely true. Being able to recall information at any time is a strong asset. I don't need to look at a map, and I know the characteristics of monsters."

That's true...

"Convenient."

"Yes, however, it doesn't improve my combat abilities, and it's difficult to make money with it. I wish I had Alchemy too."

Well, of course. It's a skill that directly brings in money.

"Well, very well. I'll pay you ten percent. But first, you need to apologize to Nanaka-san and Satsuki-san. We can't cooperate if there's any lingering resentment."

To Nanapon, for investigating her. And to Satsuki-san, for transferring guilds.

"I'll apologize to Yokokawa. I was planning to anyway... but Satsuki-nee-san..."

Yoshino-san made an awkward face and averted her eyes.

"You're incredibly bothered by it, aren't you? Then you should just apologize sincerely."

"Do you think she'll forgive me?"

Yoshino-san asked anxiously.

"To be blunt, she didn't seem to care that much. She was more focused on making money now than anything else."

"I see... Sorry, Eleanor, may I borrow this room?"

"Go ahead. Should I call Satsuki-san?"

"Please."

It's a pain, but I guess I have no choice.

"I'll go get her. Oh, you can have this. Hurry up and heal that scar."

I stood up and pointed to the Healing Potion Lv3 on the desk.

"Yes, thank you. Want to see it after it's healed?"

"It's useless to try and tempt me. I have Kaede-chan."

"I could be your mistress."

Does she want money that badly...

"I have a feeling if I slept with you, I'd wake up in the morning to find everything gone, so no thanks. Stop saying stupid things and wait there."

I feel like I'd lose both my money and Kaede-chan...

Leaving Yoshino-san behind, I left the room and returned to the living room.

"Ah, Senpai."

"Hm? What happened to Yoshino?"

When I returned to the living room, the two of them, who were drinking beer at the table, looked at me.

"Satsuki-san, sorry, but could you go to my room? Yoshino-san says she wants to talk."

"Yoshino does? All right."

Satsuki-san nodded and left the living room.

"Is your talk over?"

Kaede-chan asked as I sat down next to her.

"It's over. Bought her off for ten percent."

"Well, I guess that's about right? Nanaka-chan is also at ten percent. What did she want to talk to Satsuki-san about?"

"She's going to apologize for transferring. Bet she's groveling on the floor right now."

She did ask for them to be alone, after all.

"Ah... she might be."

"It's a family matter, so let's not get involved."

With that, I reached for the beer on the table, only to find it empty.

"You're right. Oh, would you like another? I'll go get it."

As I watched Kaede-chan stand up and head to the kitchen, I felt a strong resolve not to give in to temptation.