Chapter 22: Let’s Go to the Hot Springs!

Chapter 22:
Let’s Go to the Hot Springs!

 

THE WIND BLEW GENTLY through the fields and rifled through my hair. I stretched and drank in the fine weather. Luna and I were visiting a small village today, not far from town. We’d taken an adventuring request and, since Emma was off on a trip, it was just the two of us.

The field in front of us was a mess. A monster, which the villagers called the Unruly Bull, had destroyed fences, ploughed up the fields, and even rammed into some of the houses. It had two massive horns and a powerful charge. We’d have to be careful. This thing had done some serious damage around here. If we were going to defeat it, we would have to use our brains.

Which is how I came to be standing in the middle of this field, holding a red cloth, trying to keep away from the deranged bull.

“Come on! Over here.”

I fluttered the cloth and the bull pawed at the ground. It was working! Luna watched on anxiously, ready to take her shot when the moment was right. My job was to tire this thing out first.

“Come and get me, you stupid cow!”

The bull exploded with rage and charged me head-on. I was a little shocked by just how powerful it was. I held the cloth as far away from my body as I could and whipped it out of the way just before the bull
struck it.

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

The bull stomped and gored the earth with its horns, and I fluttered the cloth again, once more enticing it to charge. One wrong step and I’d be smashed to pieces. The monster charged again, and a hundred different horrible deaths flashed through my mind. Before I could fall prey to any of them, Luna took her shot.

Ka-pow!

Her Energy Shot streaked across the field and struck the creature right in the face. Bullseye! And with enough force to strike through into its brain. It was lights out for this monster.

Luna ran over and gave me a high five.

“Nice teamwork!” she said.

“We worked so well together, I think our breathing was even in sync!”

“Yes,” she agreed. “We might even become the strongest duo in Odin, Sir Noir.”

We should probably include Emma and call it a trio.

We dragged the bull’s corpse to the villagers—since that was part of the request—and dumped it in the square. As soon as we stepped back, the villagers all crowded around it.

“Think they’re gonna eat it?” I asked.

“No,” said Luna. “I think…they’re gonna kick it.”

“Kick it?!”

She was right. But, in the end, they didn’t just kick it—they full-on whaled on it. I was shocked, but it explained why the request had asked for delivery of the body. The creature had caused them so much suffering and pain, I guess they wanted to get even.

“It’s a sad world we live in,” said Luna. “The powerless are taken advantage of and trodden on. That’s why I do what I can to ease people’s suffering. Speaking of, someone’s injured over there. Come on.”

“Okay.”

Luna wasn’t here in her role as a cleric, but she still healed the villager with her Healing Shot.

“Do me next, my stomach hurts.”

“Me, too, I cut my hand while cooking.”

“Um, just a second, please.”

Dozens of people crowded around, all begging Luna for help. I tried to stop them, but she was having none of it.

“Watch and learn, Sir Noir. This is my job. It might not be much, but it helps.”

“Luna, I think you’ve done enough today.”

“I’ll be fine,” she said. “All thanks to you.”

I was glad that the Increased Magic Capacity was working.

“I can keep going,” she said. “Look! A Healing Shot for you, and one for you, and one for you—ah.”

The moment she fired that last shot, Luna collapsed. She was frothing at the mouth again.

“See! I knew you were overdoing it!” I shouted, cradling her in my arms.

I took her inside for a while to rest, and after a while we headed home. Luna seemed a little down on our way back, so I tried to cheer her up.

“You looked so cool earlier, taking out that monster.”

“Don’t try to make me feel better, Sir Noir. It just makes it worse. Tell me, do…do I make a weird face when I pass out?”

Well, this was awkward. How could I tell her that her eyes rolled back in her head when she fainted, and she frothed at the mouth? Still, she deserved the truth.

“Haa, I can’t believe I’m still subjecting you to that…” She shook her head, lost in thought for a moment. “Hey, you think you could remove my Fainting Spell skill?!”

“I can try, but are you sure about that, Luna?”

When I had asked before, she’d said something boastful about the need for limitations or something.

Luna bashfully averted her gaze. “I mean, it’s just so embarrassing. I don’t want people to see me like that.”

“I guess it’d be good to know that you won’t faint in combat,” I said. “Leave it to me.”

“Oh, but I don’t want you wasting your LP! I’ll help you save up! With my body!”

That was…kinda weird. I guess she just let her excitement get the better of her. An awkward silence settled over us.

“Oh,” said Luna, realizing what she’d just said. “Um, I didn’t mean it like that. Not like…you know, but something a little milder…mind you, if you really wanted to, Sir Noir, I would…”

“I-It’s fine,” I stammered. “You can just give me the usual hugs and stuff.”

“Yeah, I’ll think of something. Like, you know, that pretty girl rice ball thing. I know, let’s make it a promise.”

Luna held out her pinky finger, and we swore on it. I was both excited and a little scared to find out what she would come up with.

***

 

And, just like that, it was time for the grand opening of Stardian Rarities. The whole family had spent the last few days preparing for this moment. I’d also asked Luna and Lola to help purchase rare items from their acquaintances, and even given Emma some money to pick up any unusual items she saw while she was away. And thus, without much effort, I had a wide assortment of merchandise to sell. The shop was all painted and finished, too, so we were all restless. As usual, my father was the worst.

“Oh nooo, Noir! Noir! Noir! What are we gonna do?! There are customers lined up outside!”

“That’s because we worked hard to advertise the grand opening,” I told him. “Though Tigerson is probably helping.”

Tigerson sat outside the door with a sign around his neck. After all, there was no way people wouldn’t notice a giant black lion with a flower growing out of his head.

“Calm down, father. We’ll just have to do what we can with what we have.”

“Y-you’re right. We can do this. We have to. I mean, I already I quit my job. If this goes poorly…”

He trembled with fear and my mother patted him on the back. She seemed to have confidence to spare.

“All right, everyone huddle up!”

“Yes, let’s!”

We gathered together and put our arms around each other.

“We can do this! This will be the best store in the neighborhood!” father cried.

Silence. Not even a single cheer. Alice shifted awkwardly.

“Only the neighborhood? Father, don’t you think you’re setting your sights a little too low?”

“T-too low? I was trying to be realistic…”

“Brother, if you would.”

“Me? Okay, then.” I cleared my throat. “Let’s make this the best shop in town!”

“……”

“Huh?”

That still wasn’t much of a reaction. Alice shot a glance at our mother.

“Please?”

“We’re going to sell more than any shop in the world! With a twofold lead over our nearest rival!”

“Yeaaaaah!”

Their energy was truly incredible. Father and I were left squarely in the dust.

“Uhh…”

A twofold lead over second place—wasn’t that a little ambitious? I guess we needed a little initiative if we were going to do this.

With that, we opened the shop.

“Stardian Rarities is now open for business!” I shouted.

Almost before I could finish, an avalanche of people flooded in.

<If you buy something, you can play with me even more!>

Tigerson’s sales tactic worked on the young and old alike. Thank you, Tigerson!

I was happy that the store filled up so quickly, even if it did make me worry that the space might be too small. There were plenty run-of-the-mill patrons about, but some looked more like mages or nobles. There may even have been some material suppliers here on business. And why wouldn’t they be?! After all, I had plenty of things that might appeal to them. We were even offering free samples of golden slime jelly.

“We only have limited quantities, but here, have a taste. It’s delicious.”

“It’s…so sweet?!”

“It sure is! Almost everyone falls in love with it after a single taste.”

“Don’t tell me this is from a golden slime,” said the customer. “Where did you find it?”

“Oh, now that’s our little secret.”

I wasn’t about to tell them about the hidden dungeon, after all.

In the end, we had to close the shop early. We’d completely sold out! We showed out the last customer and shut the doors. My whole family was grinning with glee. My father pumped his fist in the air.

“Guys, we did such a good job today! Starting tomorrow, your mother and I can handle things here.”

“I know you can handle it, father. I’ll do my best to bring in top-shelf materials.”

“I have high hopes, my dear boy.”

From tomorrow, it’d be him buying things to make up any shortfall in our stocks. He had a pretty good eye for these things, so he wouldn’t get anything too weird. Probably. Maybe I was just fooled by his enthusiasm.

“All right, Noir,” said Emma. “I think we should get ready.”

“Yeah, we really should.”

After all, tomorrow was the start of our trip to the hot springs, and there were a few things we needed to pick up in town. We headed out ahead of the others to get what we needed for the trip.

Afterwards, I went home and slept like a log. Before I knew it, it was time to go. Emma and I met up and headed to the outskirts of town to join the rest of S-Class. We were ten minutes early, but everyone else was already there. Clearly, everybody was really excited.

“I see you two are joined at the hip as always,” said Ms. Elena. “You’re the last to arrive.”

“Good morning! I guess everyone got here early.”

“Yeah, I’d say everyone’s got the right attitude, but…you boys need to shape up.”

Ms. Elena scowled at them, and I couldn’t blame her. I didn’t like the looks in their eyes. They kept ogling the girls and giggling impishly.

“Ah! I’m so excited! I love hot springs!”

A lot of them stared brazenly at Emma as she chatted with her friends. I couldn’t blame them for it, necessarily, but most of the boys in the class were staring at her. This was ridiculous. It was time for me to play the part of my best friend’s bodyguard.