It was already late in the night, and since we would be going to the temple to receive blessings tomorrow, our conversation with Lilia-san and the others was cut short after about half an hour. We each took our baths and got ready for bed.
Just at that moment, I remembered the souvenirs Neun-san had given me and decided to mention it to Lilia-san. Since it was food from my hometown, she told me to share it with the three of us. Taking her up on her offer, I asked Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san to gather in my room.
Although the three of us would be together in the same room, to be honest, it didn’t really matter which room we gathered in. But no matter how temporary it might be, I still wouldn’t feel comfortable intruding on a woman’s room.
[So, Miyama-san, what is it that you wanted to talk about?]
[Ah, actually, I forgot to mention it earlier…I received some souvenirs from Neun-san, the former Japanese I talked about before. I thought I’d talk to both of you about it.]
As Kusunoki-san asked, a faint scent of soap wafting through the air, I briefly answered and took out the Magic Box, explaining its function. Then, I pulled out the main items—onigiri and takuan.
[ [That is!?] ]
Should I say it was to be expected, or was it surprising? Their reactions were quite telling—their eyes were glued to the white rice on the table. Although they weren’t gulping down like I did, I could tell that both of them were looking at the onigiri as though they were divine treasures from heaven.
[M-Mimi—Miyama-senpai!? Th-This is the real thing, right…? This is rice, right!?]
[Y-Yeah. It seems that Neun-san grows it for herself, and she was concerned about us, so she gave us a lot of it. Not only did she give us onigiri, but she also gave us some white rice that was just normally cooked, and she shared some seasonings like miso and soy sauce.]
[W-Would you really mind if we had some?]
When I explained to Yuzuki-san, who had asked for some to eat, Kusunoki-san also looked at the onigiri and asked me.
[That should be obvious. But since they were stored in my Magic Box, you’ll need to tell me when you want to eat them. I’ve got a lot of them, and I’ve already talked to Lilia-san about it, so you can start eating them for breakfast tomorrow if you’d like.]
[Whoa, that’s great! I’m deeply moved!]
[Ahaha, since everyone has their own preferences, I also got a lot of ingredients for the miso soup, but unfortunately, we don’t have any tofu yet. We did get some chives though, so I think we can make quite a few different combinations.]
Yuzuki-san’s excitement was palpable as she spoke, inching closer to me with each word.
Hmm. I know you’re happy, but let’s not get too close when you’re wearing light clothing just after your bath. I won’t say anything specific, but it’s a bit hard to focus with those…bountiful curves swaying.
Then it occurred to me that I had something I could bring out to shift the focus, and maybe it would help divert Kusunoki-san’s gaze, which had been gradually growing colder from earlier—perhaps noticing that my eyes were wandering along with Yuzuki-san’s movements.
[Well, here, drink this and calm down, will you…?]
[That…Could it be?]
[Yep. Green tea…We also got some dango and youkan, but since we’re about to sleep, please make do with this for now.]
Yuzuki-san’s excitement calmed down as she drank the green tea I handed her. She took a sip with a smile that reminded me of a small animal, which was really cute. Seeing her, Kusunoki-san also started drinking her tea. It looks like I won’t end up being scorned after all.
I’d like to clarify here and now that it’s not like I have a preference for anything overly large. If you ask me what I like, I’d say either way is fine, but I do prefer a more slender figure.
However, I don’t know if it’s just the nature of men or the sad fate of the situation…but when Yuzuki-san’s larger-than-average high school figure moved in front of me, I couldn’t help but be tempted to glance at her. I hope you can forgive me for that.
…Who am I even making excuses to?
As I was mentally making excuses for reasons I couldn’t quite understand, Yuzuki-san, who had paused her tea, suddenly turned her glittering eyes toward me for some reason.
[…I think Miyama-senpai is the type of senpai who would deal with something once his heart is set on it!]
[…What?]
[I agree. Honestly, I’ve changed my opinion of you a bit…but you’re definitely someone we can rely on as an elder.]
[…]
Yuzuki-san, already giving me a glittering and respectful look, nodded in agreement, while Kusunoki-san sincerely nodded along as well.
Wait a minute, though. Just for bringing them rice—no, not just because of the rice, but for bringing back several Japanese ingredients, my stock price in their eyes has skyrocketed!?
Or rather, I’d like to at least spend an hour questioning how low my evaluation was before this!
[W-Well…Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that you can always tell me if you want to eat. Speaking of which, we ended up talking mostly about me earlier, but how did things go over there? How’s Mitsunaga-kun doing?]
[Yes. As expected from the royal palace, the party was very luxurious, but…we were so overwhelmed by the atmosphere that, though it’s a bit embarrassing to admit, we mostly relied on Lilia-san for conversation and such.]
[As for Seigi…well, he was in perfect shape.]
I finished explaining about the white rice, emphasizing that it wasn’t due to my achievements but because Neun-san was simply concerned about us. Since I had eased up a bit with the two of them, I took the opportunity to ask how things went in the royal capital.
Hmm~ Should I say it’s as I thought? Looking at their expressions, it seems they didn’t really have much time to enjoy themselves. Well, that’s to be expected…they were surrounded by unfamiliar nobles, so it would be impossible for them not to feel out of place at the party.
[I see, so Mitsunaga-kun was treated as a state guest, huh?]
[That’s right~ He was probably treated very well. It felt like he was speaking to me from some high pedestal, and I almost wanted to hit him a couple of times.]
[W-Well, see, it looks like he’s going to be busy going around places, so it’s better than him being down, right?]
[Well, that’s true, but…]
Hmmm, I don’t know Mitsunaga-kun that well, but from the way he looked when we were summoned, he seemed like someone who had read those kinds of light novels. This world is peaceful, so I can understand how someone might get carried away if they were pampered in all sorts of ways.
However, Yuzuki-san seems surprisingly bitter about it? As I recall, she mentioned being childhood friends with Mitsunaga-kun, so maybe they have an open, unreserved relationship.
Fumu, but Mitsunaga-kun seems like someone who would study the humanities. He was Yuzuki-san’s childhood friend and Kusunoki-san’s kouhai, right?
It’s not something I need to overthink, but both Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san are beautiful. They’re close enough to go to and from school together, and Yuzuki-san even had the dreamy status of being his childhood friend. Ah, wait…isn’t he a winner, even in our previous world?
[Well, I’m also relieved to see that my kouhai seems to be doing well. It seems that he’ll be leaving the royal capital soon to travel around the country, so if our timing isn’t right, we might not be able to see him again for a while.]
[I honestly think that idiot could use a beating though.]
[Fumu…Isn’t Mitsunaga-kun your lover, Kusunoki-san or Yuzuki-san?]
[Eh? That’s not possible.]
[He’s just my kouhai, you know?]
I took the opportunity to ask them about something I was curious about, but what I got was a straight-faced NO. It didn’t even seem like their hearts skipped a beat— I don’t know what I was expecting, but I’m sorry, Mitsunaga-kun. I apologize for strangely thinking of you as one of those riajuus who should explode…
As I was thinking this, Yuzuki-san approached me and whispered.
[It’s just between you and me, but the reason Seigi joined our club is because he’s aiming for Aoi-senpai. Look, Aoi-senpai is pretty, has good grades, and is very popular…Well, Aoi-senpai doesn’t seem to have reacted to that just now, though.]
[Ah~ I see.]
[…?]
Kusunoki-san certainly gave off the vibe of someone who would be very popular. She had the aura of a perfect, unreachable flower at the peak of a mountain, seemingly out of reach for any mere mortal.
However, even if Yuzuki-san said that Kusunoki-san was popular, I felt like Yuzuki-san would be just as popular. She’s cheerful, energetic, and seems to get along with everyone easily. Come to think of it, didn’t I mention that she already goes to and from school with a boy? Am I overthinking this, influenced by all the games and stories I’ve read, imagining some sort of complicated relationship between them?
[Rather than that, I thought Mitsunaga-kun and Hina-chan were lovers.]
[Please stop, Aoi-senpai. I’m really getting goosebumps here…]
[Y-You really dislike being called lovers that much?]
Apparently, it’s not that she’s embarrassed about it, but she just really dislikes being called that. It seems like things didn’t turn out like the stories in games, as I initially thought.
Ah, but…speaking of games, I remember there was a quest in an online game set in a high school. It had a storyline where the guy, a childhood friend, had romantic feelings for the girl, but the girl didn’t feel anything for him. If I recall correctly, the quest involved helping the guy—who didn’t realize it himself—figure out how to approach the girl.
In the end, the guy’s feelings were unrequited, and he ended up running around like a hamster on a wheel. Still, I remember the dialogue from the NPCs and other interactions during the quest being really unique and interesting…If I recall correctly…
[ [Even though you’re just childhood friends, it’s like you’re trying to anticipate something far ahead of—Eh?] ]
[Yeah?]
Arehh? I feel like something strange just happened.
Ah, yes, I remembered the development from an internet game I used to be addicted to, and that line that had been stuck in my head just popped out of my mouth…But for some reason, I ended up syncing up with the girl who seemed to have no connection to such things.
Kusunoki-san, who had been about to say something identical—or rather, the exact same line I was about to say—looked at me, her eyes widening in disbelief.
After a few seconds of silence in front of Yuzuki-san, who couldn’t follow the situation and was just tilting her head, Kusunoki-san hesitantly opened her mouth.
[…Miyama-san. Can I ask you one question?]
[Y-Yeah. Go ahead.]
[A newbie is looking for a new place to hunt. Slime, Goblin, Orc…What would you recommend?]
[…Buy some equipment from a store in town and go with Orc.]
[ […] ]
Kusunoki-san mentioned some very famous monsters that often appear in many games. Many people might assume that slimes would be the weakest of all if they were just listed by name, but I responded with Orcs.
In the internet game I used to play, slimes are monsters that appear in fields or dungeons near the sea, and not only do you need to be a good player to even reach their habitat, but they’re also intermediate-level monsters with fairly high stats. Goblins, on the other hand, have lower stats than orcs individually, but the Goblin King boss monster appears in the same field, and the large number of goblins makes it easy to be surrounded. This makes it an area that’s not ideal for newbies.
In comparison, Orcs can be defeated with equipment easily purchased from NPC stores in the city, and their fields are close enough to the city that players can quickly replenish their stock and recover health. This makes Orcs a much more accessible monster for newbies to hunt.
There is a separate field where High Orcs appear, and the Orc King boss monster also appears there, but bosses do not spawn in the regular Orc fields. So, for newbies, buying store-bought equipment and hunting Orcs until they reach level 20 is essentially the go-to training method in the internet game I used to play—it’s an ironclad strategy.
[…Can I ask something as well?]
[Of course, go ahead.]
[I’ve put together a party to hunt the Earth Dragon. What’s the easiest formation to use?]
[A Thief as the tank, a Monk with the Barrier skill, and a Mage with Fire Magic.]
[ […] ]
By the way, the Earth Dragon is a high-level monster with incredibly high attack power, but it only performs physical attacks at close range and is extremely vulnerable to magic.
Because of this, it’s more effective to use a combination of a Thief, who has a certain chance of evading physical attacks, and a Monk with the Barrier skill, which can block a certain number of melee attacks, rather than relying on high-defense classes like Knights. This combination is popular for hunting the Earth Dragon, and it’s a monster that can be hunted by a party of at least three people, making it a good source of easy experience points.
Hmm, that confirms what I was thinking. Kusunoki-san was also playing the same internet game I was into back in high school. In fact, she was probably a pretty advanced player.
It’s funny how you can find common topics like that, and as Kusunoki-san and I exchanged glances, we both smiled.
Dear Mom, Dad—Thanks to the white rice, and regarding the children from the same world—we got to know each other a little better.