CHAPTER 2

New Powers and a Friendly Gathering

Part I: Translucent Wings

We made our way to Ceres and Steiner’s rented workshop and began to discuss how to use the materials we had collected.

“Madoka, could you first bring out the monster resources?” I asked.

“Sure, I’ll put them on this counter,” she replied. According to Madoka’s license, her Unpack Goods skill allowed her to access items not only in the storage container but, apparently, materials in the storehouse as well. When I mentioned this to the group, Ceres pulled out a short pointing stick—perhaps she used it to cast magic?—and began to lecture us in a professorial tone.

“The explanations that appear on one’s license are not absolute, you see. They cannot properly describe any phenomena the Guild has not observed for themselves. Some skills or armament effects may also warrant a more expansive interpretation of what is recorded. Furthermore, your license cannot reflect any hidden powers that have not been completely evaluated.”

“Professor Ceres! I think I only kinda caught that, but as long as Arihito gets it, we’re all good!” said Misaki.

“I don’t know if that was worth raising your hand to say… Misaki, what’s gotten into you?” asked Elitia. “You’re bouncing off the walls.”

“I know we’re gonna take a break after we finish up work, so it kinda feels like we’re going on summer vacation… Arihito, do you wanna have a beach volleyball showdown? Or should we go with capture the flag?”

“I wonder if the health resort has a beach… We were just at one, but it would probably feel a lot more like a resort without monsters,” added Igarashi.

After I discussed with the party the honorary title Kozelka offered us, we’d decided to accept. Since that title also granted us the rights to use the Guild’s health resort, we didn’t even have to think about where we’d go on our break. The idea alone of a resort seemed to put everyone in high spirits. All the sports Misaki was proposing were sure to leave us with sore muscles the next day, though maybe Louisa could help out with a shiatsu massage. But I guess she was taking a day off, too, so I shouldn’t ask too much of her.

Now it was time for the main issue at hand: the monster resources. The sharp blades on the counter had been removed so cleanly I had a hard time believing they were once part of the praying mantis.

“Sickle Blades can be used to strengthen weapons or added to gauntlets to give them slicing attacks. They can also enhance or even double attacks on insects,” explained Steiner. Even with their metal gauntlets on, they were carefully avoiding any contact with the blades’ edges. Those blades had an almost ghostly air about them…but maybe that was an exaggeration.

“…Master, your instincts are correct,” came Murakumo’s voice.

I had removed Murakumo from its usual spot on my back and rested it on the weapons stand from where I alone could hear its voice coming clear as day. It appeared to be speaking directly to me.

By correct, do you mean the Sickle Blades aren’t normal materials?

“Power resides within those Sickle Blades. You called it a ‘ghostly air,’ but to me it is more of a ‘swordly spirit.’ I could obtain new abilities without need for forging if I were to absorb that power.”

Murakumo was a Hidden God part, so it couldn’t be strengthened through ordinary means. It was plenty strong already, but boosting that strength further might make it an even more powerful trump card, I thought. I debated whether to reveal Murakumo’s secret to Ceres and Steiner and ultimately decided I could trust them with it.

“Ceres, Steiner, it looks like my sword might be able to absorb the power of these Sickle Blades.”

“What?” said Steiner. “…Does that mean yours is an ethereal weapon?”

Ceres looked unsurprised, but this had clearly shaken Steiner. They asked my permission and then took the sheathed Murakumo into their hands.

“I had thought there was more to this sword than met the eye, but I had no idea it was an ethereal weapon…that it housed a spiritual being. Arihito, did that being tell you about this directly?” asked Ceres.

“Y-yes. But, Ceres, what does ethereal mean…?

“In this country, we call any item that is a vehicle for an invisible power ethereal,” she explained. “They are extraordinarily rare artifacts—some say they are remnants of the gods’ divine intervention in the world.”

I could only barely grasp the general gist of what Ceres was saying. Igarashi and Suzuna were listening very intently as well, though the others may as well have had question marks hanging over their heads. Elitia looked over to the Scarlet Emperor she’d also left on the stand.

“…Do ethereal weapons have minds of their own?” she asked.

“This is my first time seeing one… I only realized that’s what it was because Mr. Atobe said so. It can be impossible to tell just by looking at it,” said Steiner.

“I see… Thank you, Steiner. I’m sorry I interrupted… Arihito, are you going to give the Sickle Blades to Murakumo?”

“Yeah, apparently it only needs one to obtain the Sickle Blades’ powers. Steiner, what do you think we could use the other one for?”

“You could make a dagger out of it or use it to strengthen your existing weapons. You could even simply add a handle and use it as a sickle,” they replied.

I figured I should decide what to do with this Sickle Blade first, though it was hard to picture how it could strengthen the armaments we had at the moment. Even if it did make them more effective against insect-type monsters, there was no guarantee we’d come across something like that. It was probably better to stick with something that would increase overall attack power.

“While you mull that over, why don’t we have a look at what else you’ve got for us?” said Ceres.

“Of course. These are the Translucent Wings… Ah…!”

The key to the storage container in her hand, Madoka was trying to pull out the next items with her Unpack Goods, though it seemed like that was using up a lot of magic. I looked at my license and saw her blue magic indicator bar had decreased by about a third. She must have gotten dizzy after using so much in one go.

“Madoka, you’ve used a lot of magic. We’d better restore some of it,” I said.

“R-right… But I’m just fine, really. I shouldn’t get so tired this quickly…”

“I can help you with my Recovery Support, so don’t push yourself too hard. It’s best to have a bit of a cushion.” I got up from my seat, walked behind Madoka, placed my hand on her back, and activated Charge Assist.

♦Current Status♦

“Oh my… I’ve seen people with such support skills before, but I didn’t realize you had them, too, Arihito,” marveled Ceres.

“Ms. Madoka’s maximum magic level is still relatively low, so this does not appear to task Mr. Atobe too harshly.”

Steiner was right; my magic bar was still nearly full. My maximum magical potential had increased ever since I’d eaten the Apple of Wit. Usually, you’d find the total by multiplying my level 6 by ten, but the apple had put me around seventy or eighty magic points. It was also possible my job allowed for a greater increase in magic potential per level than most.

“Now that you mention it, I’ve heard a Silk Spider Hat is supposed to increase your maximum magic potential…”

“Oh! That’s right, Arihito, I have a message for you from Mr. William at the Monster Ranch,” said Madoka. “He told me the Arachnomage had been making a few spiders’ nests, and when William warned it to not overdo it, the creature cleaned them up into something like a ball of string.”

“That must be why we found those black net tights in the dropped loot when we ran into the arachnophilia,” Elitia said, looking at her license. All the party members were really good about checking our results and things after battles. Misaki and Melissa looked like they’d just realized something.

“Oh… Arihito, haven’t you been waiting, like, forever for something to fix those black spider tights with…?”

“I thought you might say that… I’m just curious what would happen with a complete set of armor of one property. It’d be nice if it was useful,” I responded.

“I wonder if wearing the silk hat and tights would give some kind of added benefit…?” asked Kyouka. “It should be worth trying anyway.”

“I think those tights would look suuuper good on you, Kyouka! It’s like you’re bursting at the seams with womanly charm. Black tights are sooo you!”

“…I—I don’t wear fishnets…but I imagine they’d go really well with your dice and cards to complete your Gambler look, Misaki.” The two pushed the tights on each other tit for tat, but Misaki looked like she might be more open to them than she let on.

“If you found part of that set around here, you might find the rest while you’re in the seventh district. Otherwise, it could get more difficult to complete a set,” explained Ceres.

“In that case, I’ll use that silk to mend the tights. Believe it or not, I’m actually rather nimble with my hands.”

“That would be great, Steiner. Thanks,” I said.

With that settled, Madoka used Unpack Goods to pull out four large see-through, glass-like clumps; these turned out to be the Ocean Mantis’s Translucent Wings, though they looked much less like wings than I’d imagined.

“This kind of glass material can’t be used for weapons, can it?” I asked.

“Hmph, you’d think so. However, this is actually quite popular for battle gear,” replied Ceres, motioning for Steiner to come over. Steiner pushed against one of the thick, roughly six-feet-tall wings, which bent with surprising elasticity at their touch.

“It may look like glass, but this material can withstand strong impacts and remain intact. It should be able to deflect a Cotton Ball attack without a scratch. After all, it came from a level-six monster, so whatever defensive items you use it on will have equally substantial strength.”

“Amazing… It looks just like crystal, but it’s so flexible… How mysterious…,” marveled Suzuna as she admired the four wings set leaning against the wall.

“Ocean Mantises are sea creatures, so their wings also possess water attributes. For your own purposes, you could say they’re waterproof,” continued Ceres.

“Is that something you can add to any armament?” asked Elitia in a show of interest. Any chance to strengthen armor must be vital to someone at such a high level.

“…I don’t really like see-through things,” said Melissa.

“What? …D-does it have to be see-through?” asked Misaki. “I know the glass itself is, but…”

“Rest assured, we can use different materials where it counts or simply tack something on the back. Of course, I may tweak the design with my own aesthetic tastes in mind.” Ceres seemed to be enjoying this. I decided I’d have them use these Translucent Wings on whatever they could for the time being.

♦Materials Acquired from Ocean Mantis♦

“Hmm, here’s what we’ll do… The Translucent Wings are quite large as you can see, so two of them should do the trick. Are you sure you don’t want to use what’s left for anything else?” asked Ceres.

“Right… Well, I think I’d like to start with this for now. In any case, Misaki and Melissa don’t seem to want to use anything see-through,” I responded.

“You make it sound like Suzu loves that kind of thing… Oh, you’re sooo easy to read, Suzu! Your face is suuuper red, like a boiled lobster…!”

“…U-um… I think ceremonial attire can be a little see-through, if it needs to be…” Suzuna could be pretty practical about this kind of thing. Besides, I doubted Ceres would come up with anything too revealing.

“Heh-heh… This material is rather nice… Steiner, my dear, this is what I have in mind for the design.”

“Master, I sometimes find it difficult to follow your train of thought when you come up with such bold plans… Maybe it’s to do with your advanced age, however much your looks may belie it.”

“I think I heard something, but I am choosing to ignore it. I am nothing if not tolerant,” Ceres replied sharply, making Steiner flinch. At one hundred and fifteen years old, Ceres referred to herself as a young lady, but she looked like she could be about the same age as Madoka. Either way, it seemed asking a woman’s age really was a sensitive matter.

“Now, about these magic stones,” Ceres continued. “This blade edge stone can give weapons magic-powered slicing attacks, which could possibly inflict damage on enemies that might otherwise be impervious to physical attacks.”

“I see… That’s tricky, since we don’t have too many weapons we can add stones to.”

“We could enhance your slingshot to increase the number of magic stones it can carry. Another option would be to add it to Melissa’s butcher’s knife,” suggested Ceres.

“You also have this manipulation stone, which will let you control anything you hit, living or inanimate, for a very short amount of time,” added Steiner. “Many monsters are immune to its effects, but if all else fails, it can also slightly boost your attack.”

In that case, maybe I should replace that for the confusion stone on my slingshot and see which is more useful. Both allow special attacks that impede your enemy’s movements, so it might not be a bad idea. I should probably add the blade edge stone to Melissa’s weapon and focus on trying to have the widest range of special attacks possible. The only problem is we won’t be able to remove it once it’s combined with Melissa’s knife… This is a hard choice.

“The last thing we need to do is appraise your treasure. You must be very cautious when handling the equipment,” warned Steiner.

Cursed items could sometimes possess you just by touching them during appraisal. Best practice was to avoid direct contact with anything whether you used a scroll or an Appraise skill.

♦Magical Stone Transfer♦

I decided to give Cion the confusion stone. I wanted to do all I could to protect her from being Confused since she was our first line of defense. After that, Madoka carefully took out the items that needed appraisal with Unpack Goods. She neatly lined up the full-body warrior armor made from the Merciless Mourner’s empty husk, which still looked like it could come alive at any second, and the items the sand crabs had dropped on a sheet spread out on the floor.

“…J-just…what kind of monster did you take down to get all this…?” stammered Ceres.

“I feel a certain sense of affinity for these items… Oh, not because I’m cursed or anything,” said Steiner.

Seeing the equipment left behind by the strongest Named Monster we’d faced yet sent a chill down my spine. They definitely looked cursed. However, we had no choice but to appraise all of it if we wanted to get to the parts we could use. I decided I’d ask Madoka to try her Appraise on them first. If that didn’t work, I’d just borrow a Mid-grade Appraisal Scroll and try it myself.

Part II: Sand Crabs and Grains of Sterling Silver

We started with the “Bracelet-like Item” one of the Sand Scissors had dropped. Madoka had no trouble identifying it with her Appraise 1 skill.

♦Desert Rose♦

Now, this was the kind of powerful accessory you didn’t see every day. If only we’d had it back when we fought in the Beach of the Setting Sun…but you can’t have everything. I couldn’t see any downsides to keeping it since we’d probably find ourselves in some kind of desert again eventually.

“Wooow! If you take a closer look, the gem’s kinda like a rose. At first I thought it was just a clump of sand, but if you brush off the dust, it reeeally sparkles,” said Misaki.

“Since it’s called a Desert Rose, I wonder if it’s something that occurs naturally in a desert? If so, that’s really incredible… Maybe someone who can only wear light armor should take this?” suggested Igarashi.

This was a tough call, since anyone could benefit from this item. I was starting to think maybe I could have someone in the vanguard wear it to help reduce damage they take, even if by a little, when—

“……”

“Hmm? What is it, Theresia?” I asked.

“Maybe she wants to touch it? She might have thought of something,” offered Elitia. It felt that way to me also, so I handed the bracelet to Theresia. Just then—

“…T-Theresia’s changing…!”

—Theresia’s Hide and Seek and chameleon boots reacted to the bracelet and changed to a sandy color. Some kind of camouflage, maybe?

“So touching the Desert Rose turns her gear to the color of sand…?” asked Elitia.

“Maybe her equipment is meant to react that way. Or maybe it reacted to Theresia herself… I wonder which it is,” said Suzuna.

Elitia and Suzuna quizzically watched this sudden turn of events unfold. I was reminded of how Theresia blended into her surroundings when using Active Stealth, so it was possible Theresia herself had some inherent camouflage skills. After a little while, Theresia reverted to her normal colors.

“If she has indeed reacted to the gem, it may have affected her in other ways as well. Arihito, why don’t you take a gander at Theresia’s skills?” suggested Ceres.

“S-sure. Let’s see…”

I pulled up Theresia’s page on my license and saw the following:

♦Subordinate Skills Display – Theresia♦

“S-Mode…Transformation?”

“Hmm… Is that true? S-rated skills are especially rare, even among those that are activated in response to equipment,” explained Ceres. “You could search for years and never find one like that.”

If S stood for Special, then “Mode Transformation: Sand Clad” must be a kind of skill. It sounded a little abstract, though, so I guessed we’d have to actually use it in battle to find out what it was capable of. It definitely seemed worth trying.

“In that case, Theresia ought to take it,” said Igarashi.

“Agreed,” I replied. “I’d like her to test it out.” Everyone else was on the same page as well, so we decided to have Theresia use the Desert Rose. She slid it onto her left wrist as if she knew that’s where it was meant to go.

“……”

“Hey, it looks good on you. Let’s try it out next time we’re in battle,” I told her. Theresia stared at me intently, then looked over at the other members. She seemed to be hesitating out of consideration for them.

“Kyouka’s gonna get the samurai armor, so dooon’t you worry about it!” said Misaki.

“…W-well, my armor did break, but I can still use it as long as it can be fixed,” said Igarashi.

No matter how strong the armor might be, it would be useless to us if cursed. Seeing firsthand the Scarlet Emperor’s great power and the risks that came with it made that much glaringly obvious. Still, we wouldn’t have managed to fight our way here if it hadn’t been for the Cursed Blade skills. Maybe even this deeply disquieting suit of armor could prove useful in some way. That said, just looking at it lying motionless there sent chills down my spine and made me break out in a cold sweat.

“Now then…the time has finally come. Arihito, be very careful,” warned Ceres.

Madoka couldn’t even get close to the armor the Merciless Mourner had left behind; she froze from Fear, which I had Igarashi dispel with her Mist of Bravery. I wouldn’t have been able to keep my cool as I approached, either, if it hadn’t been for Igarashi’s help. I took the Mid-grade Appraisal Scroll and held it up over the armor, careful not to touch it, then looked down at my license to see the appraisal results.

♦Demon Crab Suit of Armor♦

Just as I’d expected, we wouldn’t be able to see any detailed information unless someone equipped the armor. But it was far too powerful to leave lying around.

“This could prove more useful than a mangy guard dog…if you were able to lift the curse on it, that is,” said Ceres.

“You’re right… Do you think the rest of the armor is similarly cursed?” I asked.

“We have no way of knowing until you appraise them. Monsters are mysterious creatures, you see. Though I suppose I should say it’s incredibly rare for a Dissector to determine a monster’s whole body can be used as equipment in the first place.” I continued appraising the other items as Ceres suggested, which turned out to be:

♦Deva Kings’ Helmet♦

♦Kottos’s Gauntlets♦

♦Hannya’s Greaves♦

Before I appraised the helmet, I thought all of the equipment would be cursed, but my license didn’t say anything about the arm and leg armor bearing curses.

“Who could have dreamed the Merciless Mourner was covered in starred armor…? No wonder it was so powerful,” Elitia said in awe. If the armor was really behind its strength, we’d have to pay more attention going forward not just to humanoid monsters’ levels but also their equipment.

Hannya’s Greaves strengthen support skills, but they seem like they could really make anyone stronger. It’s gonna be a tough choice.

I already had my boots that did the same thing, so maybe I could have someone with less leg armor use them—or so I thought.

“The gauntlets are appropriate for warrior types and for Melissa. The greaves can only be worn by Elitia, Kyouka, or Arihito,” explained Madoka.

“Then we should probably have Arihito wear them. They look like they were designed for men anyway,” said Elitia. I thought it more prudent to value function over fashion, but the latter seemed to be important to the ladies. Not that I minded, of course.

“All my upper-body armor is more valkyrie-esque, so it’d clash with a pair of greaves a samurai like Minamoto no Yoshitsune could’ve worn in the Warring States period. I’d generally prefer to have everything match,” said Igarashi.

“I see… I think I might be testing new waters wearing greaves with a suit, but I guess I don’t have any other choice if I want to get stronger in battle,” I replied.

“I believe you have something called ‘shin guards’ in your world to protect yourself in fierce hand-to-hand combat. We could adapt the greaves into something like those, too. That way, they could also complement the boots you already have,” suggested Ceres.

“If you have more than one piece of armor with the same effects, you can sometimes amplify those effects if you combine them,” explained Steiner. “However, there is a limit; otherwise everyone would just use that trick to make themselves invincible. For example, if you have two pieces that increase the damage you can inflict, the weaker one would slightly add to the stronger piece of armor’s effects.”

That meant there were limits on the possible combinations we could make; you couldn’t put absolutely anything and everything together. Steiner’s level had fallen since their peak as an active Seeker, but because you can choose which skills you give up when you level down, they had chosen to keep the Synthesize Equipment 2 skill they acquired at level 5.

“Then would you please combine these greaves and my boots?” I asked.

“Oh, that’s right. We’re out of the metal we’d need for that, so I need to stock up…but it’s rather hard to come by,” replied Steiner.

“There’s no guarantee, but it’s possible you could find some if you melt down those rusted metal ingots. Arihito, would you mind if I tried my hand at it? I don’t imagine you have any other use for these,” said Ceres.

“Yes, that would be great.”

Inside the rented workshop was a small kiln-like oven that Steiner had apparently brought with them. It looked like a magical tool, which meant they probably wouldn’t need to spend too much time preparing to purify the ingots. We all watched, transfixed.

“All right, here we go. O mighty forge set aflame by the gods of the labyrinth, I, Ceres Mistral, beseech thee to hear my prayer…” Ceres chanted as if calling out to the kiln as she added the ingots to its flames. Her brow broke out in sweat from the effort; this must have required quite a lot of magic. Steiner wiped her perspiration away and stood watch faithfully by her side, ready to assist.

Ceres added one ingot to the kiln and then another, and still the desired metal did not appear. Elmina iron probably had its uses, but it wasn’t what we were looking for at the moment.

“Argh… This isn’t turning out the way I wanted, is it…? Steiner, hand me the last one…”

“Yes, Master. Let’s all join her in prayer, that even one piece comes out…”

Ceres added the last ingot to the flame and chanted over it. The rest of my party had joined her in prayer, so I closed my eyes, too, and hoped we would draw a winner. Just then—

♦Extracted Metals♦

“Phew… I had half a mind to sign myself up for a magic cleansing ritual if not even one of those six had panned out,” said Ceres.

“Ceres, is this grain of sterling silver what you’ll use to combine equipment?” I asked.

“Well, it is called a grain, but in reality, it’s a cluster of infinitesimally fine particles. It helps create an attraction between the powers within each piece of equipment when applied to the combining process,” she replied.

We’d acquired these rusted metal ingots from the Sand Scissors using Theresia’s Triple Steal, and I wondered what our chances of obtaining them would have been without that skill. Considerations like that made me want to make sure we used Theresia’s Morale Discharge whenever we defeated such a powerful enemy.

“You can use this glowing gold to enhance equipment with Light Attack 1 or Light Resistance 1, or you can use it to mend Kyouka’s circlet should it break. It might not be a bad idea to hold on to it for the time being,” continued Ceres.

“That’s a good point… I’d like to think about how to use it after we see if there’s anything we can apply to our equipment in the resources we harvested from the giant crabs. If this grain of sterling silver is as rare as you say, I get the feeling it might be a waste to use it now…”

“I understand your point, but I don’t think leaving Hannya’s Greaves in your storage is a wise option,” said Ceres. “They’re perfect for you, given you already have skills to strengthen your allies’ powers. Personally, I’d suggest you leave them in my hands.”

“Atobe, I don’t know exactly what this Yoshitsune’s Leap can do, but it would be great if it helped you move more nimbly. What do you all think?” asked Igarashi, hoping to hear how the others felt. They all agreed. Misaki raised her hand a little shyly.

“We get stronger whenever Arihito stands behind us, right? If this thing will boost that effect, then, um…doesn’t that mean we’ll get even more, like, excited every time…?”

“…Th-that’s…that’s probably because he gives us strength, which makes our Trust Levels go up more easily, no?”

“Among party members, it’s easiest for Trust Levels to increase for people like healers and those in the vanguard who stop enemies’ blows. They are the ones using their skills to protect their friends in the most direct way, after all,” explained Ceres. “It’s quite likely that your Trust Levels increase even more easily, since it looks like Arihito both directs and supports you all.”

“……”

Theresia looked at me as if in agreement with Ceres. As a rearguard, I would be completely powerless without my friends. I thought our Trust Levels went up easily for that reason, but maybe our situation was unique even when compared to others with similar support-type jobs.

“Trust Levels measure, in a word, affection,” Ceres continued. “I mean no offense in pointing this out, but obviously the greater affection you have for someone, the more you can trust them. It’s precisely this trust that can help you scrape through some sticky situations, so I would say it’s best to deepen your trust in one another as much as possible.”

“Oh, I didn’t think you’d take it so seriously,” said Misaki. “That makes it sound like I’m the only one with my head in the gutter, y’knooow. The feeling you get when Arihito stands behind you is reeeally amazing! Even when I’m sleeping, once I start to think about him, I instantly wake up.”

“…M-Misaki, if you’re having such trouble staying asleep, shall I keep you company? Sleep deprivation is your skin’s worst enemy, you know,” offered Igarashi.

“…Arihito, I’m sorry, it sounds like we’re all keeping a big secret from you…,” said Suzuna. “But we all want you to keep getting a good sleep so you can recover from all the work you do…”

“Th-thanks, but I’ve been sleeping fine. What’s wrong, everyone? Your faces are all red.” Ceres had lit a fire to purify the metal, but it hadn’t heated up the room that much. Theresia wasn’t as flushed, though she couldn’t hold my gaze for long and would quickly look away.

Have my skills started activating again while I’m sleeping…? No, I’m pretty sure nothing’s happened recently. Maybe I’m just sleeping too deeply… Wait, don’t tell me…

Even Melissa and Madoka avoided my glances, so I couldn’t help but be curious about what was going on. Ceres smirked as she watched the lot of us and then turned to Steiner, something occurring to her.

“Before we return to District Eight, we might do well to book some accommodation. The cot I have in the workshop is hard on these old bones, so I’m well ready to rest my head on something a little softer.”

“Excellent point, Master. Would that be all right with you? We’ll do our best to ensure we don’t cause any trouble for you,” asked Steiner.

“Of course, that’s no problem. All right, everyone, what do you say we have some free time?”

“““Okay!”””

“Okaaay!”

“……”

Everyone answered in their own way and stood up to leave. Theresia looked like she wanted to come along with me at first. But she walked off with the others toward the apartment in the end. She must have gotten self-conscious about spending so much time apart from everyone.

“…She sure is admirable, that Theresia. And you, you could do with loosening up a little and simply letting her stay by your side, don’t you think?” asked Ceres.

“We go everywhere together, all day, every day, you know. I think it’s important for her to also have her own time every once in a while.”

“There may be some truth to that, but don’t you think that young lady feels most at ease when she’s with you?”

“I believe she’s holding back, much like the others. I can just picture them all fighting over you on your days off.”

I didn’t think it was that bad, but Melissa and Madoka both waved at me as I left the workshop, and I realized I couldn’t say anything for sure.

“This party’s future rests on your integrity, Arihito. But I guess it’d be kinda mean of me to pick on you too much about that, huh? All right, Steiner, shall we get to it?”

“Yes, Master.”

…Is it just me, or did Ceres sound a little different for a second there…? Is this all an act? Does she only speak that way to sound more dignified?

Steiner also seemed like they were trying to build up this reputation as a mysterious suit of armor. If my suspicions were correct, those two really were a match made in heaven. I said good-bye and left the workshop to venture off on my own for the first time in a while. I decided I’d try to get my errands in without wandering about too much.

Part III: The Clothing Shop and the Dressing Room / White Subterfuge

I left the workshop and headed for Boutique Corleone, which looked as bustling as usual. There were two members of staff in the store: a young man who stood behind the cash register and a young lady who looked like she had just finished helping a customer.

“Excuse me, I’m here to see the owner, Luca. Is he available?” I asked.

“Oh! We’ve been expecting you. You must be Mr. Atobe, here for your order-made suit, correct? Mr. Corleone has been spending every spare moment making the suit at a workshop nearby, but I could take a message if you’d like?”

In that case, it could be difficult to entice him to come out and see me—though maybe he’d reconsider if I asked him to join us for dinner.

“My, what a lucky coincidence, Arihito deary. I just popped by to check in on the store, and here you are!”

“Oh, Luca…perfect timing. I’m sorry to have sent you straight to the workshop after leaving the labyrinth.”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head about it; it’s a labor of love. Raulo, the customer over there appears to be looking for something. Lend him a hand, would you?”

“Yes, sir!”

I took a closer look at the young man and saw he shared many facial features with Luca, who now held his cheek in his hand and looked slightly embarrassed. “That’s my little brother, see. He’ll be my spitting image when he gets older, the poor thing. Time truly is a cruel mistress.”

“I wouldn’t say that. I can tell he admires you just by looking at him.”

“You think? Well, it is a blessing he’s healthy and growing at all, especially when you think of the state he was in when we first reincarnated here… But look at me, skipping down memory lane so early in the day.”

How long ago did they come here, and what could have caused them both to reincarnate together? I wondered if I’d ever get the chance to ask.

“Suzanna, so sorry to leave everything to you, hon. Are the new arrivals selling well?” asked Luca.

“Yes, the tunics flew right off the shelves. I’d like to make a few more once I finish up here…,” said Suzanna.

“All in good time my dear, or you’ll work yourself to death. It’s precisely when we’re doing our best work that we need to make sure we sleep well.”

“Thank you, Mr. Bernardi.”

Raulo came back over while they were speaking and let Luca know the customer had decided to make a purchase. Luca went to thank the customer and asked Suzanna to ring him up. Raulo followed to shadow her, looking dead serious, as if determined to learn all he could.

“So anyhoo, Arihito. It’ll still be a little while until your suit is ready, but is that all you came by for? If you meant to say thanks for earlier, please think nothing of it. I had an absolute ball.”

“I was hoping to ask if you’d like to come to dinner with us this evening. But of course, I wouldn’t want to cause any rifts by stealing you from a family dinner,” I said.

“Luca, we’ll be fine. We’ll take care of everything, so go and have fun,” said Raulo. Apparently, Luca lived not just with his younger brother but all the other staff members as well. Picturing a happy Corleone family made them seem even more like some Western film.

“Well, if you insist, maybe I will. What time are we meeting up?”

“Um, I was thinking around seven PM. Do you have a craving for any restaurant in particular?” I asked.

“Let’s see… Knowing you, you’ll probably invite a whole ragtag group of folks apart from your party members. There’s a Belgian place nearby; have you been there?”

“No, I haven’t gotten the chance yet.”

“They have lots of dishes the ladies are sure to die for, so why don’t we go there? I’m a bit of a habitué, so I’ll pop in and make a rezzy for us all on my way back to the workshop. Would a room for twenty people be enough? That’s the only space they have for groups bigger than ten.”

“That would be great, thank you.”

The residents of District Seven really did know their restaurants. I pulled up the district map on my license and saved the location Luca showed me. We agreed to make the reservation for seven on the dot, though some might arrive a bit before or after that, and I left the store.

Next, I headed into a back alley and paid a visit to Shichimuan. “Welcome… Oh, Mr. Atobe, how kind of you to stop by. I hope the others are well?” Shiori asked in greeting.

“Yes, they’re doing fine… I wanted to thank you and Takuma for all your help in the Beach of the Setting Sun.”

“I barely did anything at all, though I was pleased to see Takuma could be of some assistance. He’s been his usual self ever since we got home, but… I’d never seen him express his own desires so clearly like that before.” Had he sensed we were in danger? Maybe that was a special kind of intuition demi-humans had. I wasn’t sure, but I did know Takuma had without a doubt been an enormous help in defeating the praying mantises.

“……”

“Takuma says welcome to you, too. You must remember Mr. Atobe brought you back your ring, don’t you?”

“I’m just glad I could find it. It must have been destiny.”

Shiori smiled behind her folding fan, then seemed to remember something and fished another fan out of her sleeve. “I know it’s not much, but I wanted to prepare a gift for when you eventually move up to District Six. You have a Shrine Maiden in your party, don’t you?”

“You must mean Suzuna.”

“Yes. Shrine Maidens should be able to learn ceremonial dancing skills. When she does, she’ll be able to enhance those moves with this fan. If you don’t mind, would you take this for her?”

“Of course, I’ll give it to her. Thank you very much, Shiori.” She had remembered Suzuna’s job and had clearly put a lot of thought into what might be a useful gift. Suzuna would surely be happy to hear it.

“When you run a pawn shop, you often get customers who want you to take whatever they’ve got as is. It’s not every day we get items one might find in a Black Box, but I imagine we may come across a few that could prove useful to you.”

“I would certainly like to see those… That’s right, one of my party’s members, Madoka, is a Merchant. If you’re also part of the Merchants Guild, I believe we should be able to keep in touch through that.”

“So you’d like me to let little Madoka know whenever I get something good? All right. We can also ship items to different districts if we go through the Merchants Guild… Otherwise, we’d have to sign a special contract to allow me to send you notice we’ve gotten new merchandise, and that could be a bit troublesome for you…”

“Oh… That’s right, I’d forgotten about that option. If we could sign a special contract with your store as well, it’d be a great help,” I said.

At this rate, we’d be signing special contracts with every store that helped us out—not that it’d pose any real problems. I had only a limited number of slots for these contracts on my license, so I could at some point theoretically run out of them and not be able to enter into a contract with a store even if I wanted to. But I’d cross that bridge when I got to it.

“…I thought you looked like a novice at first, but you’re quite a player, aren’t you?” commented Shiori.

“N-no… I just don’t like the idea of cutting off ties with a store that’s helped us because we’ve moved on to another district. I was really happy to find out the special contracts existed,” I replied.

“Hee-hee… Sorry, I am pleased myself, but I just can’t help teasing you. No wonder even my little brother worries about me ending up alone. He doesn’t actually say anything of course, but I can tell.”

“……”

Takuma stood as still as a statue. Shiori smiled wryly, readjusted the lapel of her kimono, and looked at me again.

“…Mr. Atobe, may I ask how old you are? I had thought perhaps I was older than you.”

“I’m twenty-nine. I wouldn’t blame Misaki and the girls around her age if they called me an old man.”

“Hee-hee… I think you may still be a bit young for that.”

Her saying so did bring some relief, but I still felt I was at an age where people expected you to start settling down in a lot of ways. Even if they didn’t call me an old man, I’d like to be someone they’d call a stand-up adult.

“Still, who would’ve thought you were older than me… Ms. Falma was sure she had a few years on you… I’ll have to break the news to her later.” I knew Falma saw me as a younger brother to the point where she’d basically said she’d feel comfortable washing my back. Would her opinion of me change once she found out I was older than her? There was little chance Falma would actually come stay with us, but if the time ever came, I’d have to explain the situation. I didn’t really know at that moment if that would be for better or for worse.

Shiori and Takuma agreed to join us for dinner later on, so I gave them the info on time and place and left the shop.

“Hey there. Arihito, was it? The hotshot leader of Ellie’s party.”

A voice called out to me as I left the alley and made my way for the main road. I turned to see a woman in a white cape leaning against the wall.

“You’re… Shirone, right? What are you doing here?”

“Just checking in on Ellie. But it’d be such a bore to go straight home. Care to chat?”

Looking her over again now, she seemed a bit older than Misaki and Suzuna but not quite an adult. She was fixing me with a mischievous, childlike stare. Visible beneath the hood of her jacket were her long, white hair and golden eyes. Yet, buried within those same eyes, I glimpsed an abyss so unfathomable it unnerved me. It felt like she was trying to coerce me into something, no doubt thanks to the two small swords she wore around her waist. She realized what I was thinking, patted their sheaths, and grinned.

“Don’t worry, I’m not here to threaten you. I’d hate for my karma to go up… Anyway, are you up to talking with me or not?”

“I wouldn’t know what to talk about. And I don’t have much time to waste.”

“Are you still mad? I mean I get it, all that stuff I told you a little while back must’ve left a pretty bad taste in your mouth.” Shirone belonged to the same White Night Brigade Elitia had once been a part of, and she was the one who’d abandoned Elitia’s friend Rury within the labyrinth. She’d tried to explain away her actions by saying Rury had known what she’d signed up for, but I couldn’t deny her story had left me unconvinced and with a fair amount of ill will toward her.

“But what else was I gonna do? I had to tell Ellie the truth. Her head is always in the clouds, and one day that’s gonna get her killed. I wish I could stop her. I realize that’s probably impossible, though,” she continued. I’d thought maybe she’d try to apologize, but her words were dripping with malice. She said it all with a smile, too, and I decided I really couldn’t let Elitia see her so easily after all.

“…I understand your position. However, we will under no circumstances let Elitia die. Plus, we all share the same goals.”

“Ellie’s lightened up quite a bit, thanks to you. She never did really find her place in the Brigade, even with other members around our age. Then our leader handed her a sealed weapon, even though she was so low level, and of course she failed to master it. Doesn’t help she’s been called the Death Sword ever since.”

“This leader of yours… Aren’t they Elitia’s family?”

“Yeah, her older brother. Her father’s in the Brigade, too, but they decided to go by the merit system after getting reincarnated, so we follow her brother. That’s just one way this country can screw with families after they come here, you know, if they go and reincarnate all at once.” She said screw with such deeply felt delight; it was clear Elitia was not the only object of her disdain. Once I’d realized that, I felt reacting to her provocation would be rash. Shirone would probably just enjoy riling me up.

“Whenever we get to the same district as the Brigade, nothing will stop us from doing what we’ve set out to do. That’s all I can say to you right now.”

“Tee-hee! …You’re trying so hard not to lose your temper, aren’t you? I love guys with that kinda pride. I think our leader’s the same.”

“…You think you can just read people’s minds? Not exactly the most wholesome idea of fun.”

“My bad, my bad. I’d kind of decided to give up on you if I couldn’t get anything out of you there. But you passed, Arihito.”

Passed what? …Is she trying to get me to join the White Night Brigade?

“Guys like you don’t jump ship from other parties too quick, you know. But we’ve gotten a few to make the leap. We were thirty strong at our peak, but now that Ellie and two others have run off, we’re at twenty-seven. That’s why we really want three people, you see… Two vanguards, one rearguard. I’m not saying I know who the other two would be this minute, but I’m sure you’d be a starter right away…”

“Sorry, but I’m not going to leave my party. Go ask someone else.”

Shirone laughed so heavily her shoulders shook, as if she’d predicted exactly what I’d say. And then—

“I’ll give you until the next time we meet to think it over. If you have a change of heart, come find me anytime.”

—she came right up to me and whispered in my ear the instant she passed me by. She hadn’t given up at all. I had to wonder why she was so fixated on me. I’d only met her twice, but I could tell from the look in her eyes that she was very blatantly trying to tempt me. Not that I would take any of it seriously, of course. I turned around, but she had already disappeared. I realized then I was holding on to a scrap of paper she must have slipped to me at some point.

When did she…? What did she just do…?

She’d written what looked like her hotel’s address and building name on it. I had no idea when she’d slipped it to me; I checked my license but found no traces she’d used a skill. What if she’d use some kind of Conceal skill like Gray had? Or maybe the difference in our levels was so great I couldn’t even register what she’d done.

“Oh… Arihito! Look, Ryouko, it’s Arihito!” shouted Kaede.

“Teacher…! I didn’t know you were here. We thought we’d come check Shichimuan out, too, after what you’d said in the labyrinth,” added Ibuki.

The two walked my way from the same direction Shirone had headed, Ryouko and Anna coming up behind them.

“Hey, guys, what a coincidence… Thanks for your help earlier.”

“Maaan, we got there after you’d taken care of all the good stuff. Talk about a letdown,” said Kaede.

“They caught Gray, right? That’s such a relief… Guys that hung around him were always calling out to us whenever we’d walk around town. It was kind of a problem,” explained Ibuki. “Ryouko’s a bit of a pushover, so I couldn’t take my eyes off her for a second without worrying.”

“Th-that’s not true… I am an adult, you know. I wouldn’t just go off with anyone who tries to order me around,” protested Ryouko.

“…Arihito, are you all right? You look like you’re feeling a little unwell…,” Anna said as she peered up at me. She placed her cool hand on my forehead to check my temperature.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine… By the way, did you happen to pass a young lady in a white cape?”

“Yep, just back there… She a friend of yours? Looked like she was smilin’ or something. Maybe I shoulda said hello,” said Kaede.

“No, you’re all right. I don’t really know her… To be totally honest, we’re not exactly on good terms,” I replied. I could’ve warned them not to get close to Shirone, but she hadn’t even done anything yet, and I didn’t want to worry them for nothing.

Still, I got the feeling saying nothing would put them at greater risk. I changed my mind and decided to pick my words very carefully.

“That woman you saw used to be in the same seeking group with Elitia. But they had a falling out… Personally, I don’t really want her getting close to Elitia now,” I explained. The first thing Shirone had done after reuniting with Elitia was provoke her and rub salt in her wounds.

Elitia must be furious with her, to say the least. At the same time, if we just kept avoiding her because she was dangerous, we’d only kick this can farther down the road. I knew we’d have to find a way to resolve this issue at some point, but we needed to think carefully about how.

“If you say so, Arihito. We’ll keep an eye out for her,” said Kaede.

“It could be pretty difficult to make up right away if they got in a fight…,” said Ibuki.

“…Is there no way they might be able to repair their relationship?” asked Anna. “Of course, it’s perfectly reasonable to choose not to spend time with someone with whom you don’t see eye to eye.”

I still knew very little about Elitia’s relationship with the Brigade. I figured I shouldn’t pry and instead wait until she brought it up on her own. But we couldn’t just wait around like sitting ducks when it came to Shirone. Her attitude made it very clear she had something up her sleeve—there must be a reason she was still sticking around in this district.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you… On another note—Ryouko, do you have any plans this evening?”

“…P-plans? I’d thought I’d pick up some groceries with these three and do a bit of cooking at home, but if you have something else in mind…”

“Ryouko, you’re not getting it. If anythin’, I think he’s tryin’ to ask us all out,” piped in Kaede.

“G-good point. What a relief, I thought Ryouko was gonna go on a date without us,” said Ibuki.

“…Arihito, Ryouko doesn’t have much experience with such matters, so I’d appreciate if you could keep that in mind,” added Anna.

“W-wait, that’s not what I meant…,” I stammered, then managed to explain how I’d asked Ceres and the others to join us for dinner. With that set straight, I extended the invitation to the four ladies as well, and they eagerly accepted.

Part IV: A Lively Banquet

When I returned to our suite, I found some members had retired to their rooms to rest. I myself took a short nap and a dip in the bath, got changed, and prepared to go out. Night had fallen, and lights illuminated the streets by the time we left the apartment. We made it to the Belgian restaurant, A Taste of Leuven, and saw a line of people waiting to get in that spilled out into the streets. It seemed most people in the Labyrinth Country preferred to eat out and nearly filled the restaurants to capacity every day.

Our large group included our party, the Four Seasons ladies, and our support team of Ceres, Steiner, Luca, Shiori, Takuma, and Louisa: nineteen people in total. The room had three tables with eight seats each. We picked seats randomly to start, knowing we’d probably get up and move around at some point. Theresia had been standing behind me so I had her sit next to me. Luca sat down on my other side and winked at me for some reason, but I decided to take it as just one of his jokes.

“Ahem… You may be wondering why I’m giving the toast, but as the eldest person in the room, I’ll take the lead this time. Without further ado, cheers!” said Ceres.

“““Cheers!”””

“Ruff!”

Cion had been allowed to join us this time, so we ordered her some dishes specially made for guard dogs. The first to come out was a bone covered with meat and was already set down in front of her. Igarashi had commanded Cion to wait, but the toast lifted that order, and she dug in.

“Cheers, Arihito deary. I’m honestly thrilled we could have this little get-together and share a few drinks,” said Luca.

“Me too, Luca. You’ve really helped us out so much,” I replied. The beer filling our glasses had a rich, dark color; apparently in the Labyrinth Country, the darker the beer, the higher the alcohol content. Since it was my first drink and came with Luca’s recommendation, I ordered one to try. Even Shiori, who didn’t normally drink beer, was sipping a dark amber-brown ale across the table from me. We’d heard this ale was popular with the ladies, so a few others had ordered it as well.

“Gulp… Hah! I don’t often like beer, but I must say, this is rather good,” commented Ceres.

“That’s because you’re always drinking the medicinal liqueurs, Master. She says she can’t feel anything if it’s not strong,” added Steiner.

“And you can’t even drink anything aside from tea or juice, Steiner. I’ve been waiting for the day we could share a drink, but I’ll let it slide since you whippersnappers invited us out.” Shiori, who was sitting next to Ceres, refilled her glass. Ceres’s cheeks started to flush, making her look the picture of satisfaction. Seeing such a young-looking lady get drunk made my law-abiding spirit ring half-hearted alarm bells, but she was undoubtedly a grown woman, and I had a feeling she’d give me an earful if I said anything.

“Atobe, great work as usual. This place has a really nice atmosphere, and the food looks delicious,” said Kyouka. We’d ordered meat pâté hors d’oeuvres that burst with flavor when spread on the crisply toasted rye bread and paired well with the beer, too. We’d also gotten some crunchy, beautifully textured fries that were a far cry from those that had garnished our meals in other restaurants. I couldn’t wait for the Belgian-style croquettes we’d ordered to come out.

“Kyouka, you aaalways run off to Arihito’s side straight off the bat. You promised you’d play the French fry game with us, remember?” protested Misaki.

“Th-they’re pretty hot still, so it’s probably best to hold off, don’t you think? Plus, I’ve never even heard of the French fry game,” replied Kyouka.

“We could make it the sausage game if you want? Oh, I know it kinda sounds like I’m drunk, but I’m toootally sober, so don’t worry!”

“R-right… Misaki, try not to get too rowdy,” I said.

Even though the Labyrinth Country didn’t have a legal drinking age, Suzuna and Misaki seemed a bit timid about trying alcohol, so they’d ordered juice instead. Melissa, who was born in the Labyrinth Country, was having a beer like the rest of us; Madoka sat next to her drinking apple juice.

“……”

Strong alcohol would send Theresia’s body temperature soaring, so she’d ordered a white beer like Melissa. Even so, she was already starting to blush red, so maybe she just didn’t have a high tolerance for alcohol. I made a mental note to keep an eye her.

“Mr. Atobe, may I fill your cup?” asked Shiori.

“Please, thank you… You can really hold your drink, can’t you, Shiori?”

“I don’t normally have this much, but this is a special occasion… Takuma can’t really drink anymore, but he still likes to have a little, too.” Takuma had his beetle mask on, but unlike Theresia’s lizard mask, it went down past his mouth. His would open whenever he drank to reveal his human mouth beneath. I marveled at the variety in the way each demi-human manifested their unique characteristics.

Just as beetles generally feed on tree sap, Takuma ate a sugary honey for most of his meals. It might not seem like much, but given his brawny frame, it appeared to be giving him all the nutrition he needed. “I’m so happy they serve sweet drinks here. My brother looks really pleased,” said Shiori.

“I’m glad to hear that. Oh, but it looks like the alcohol might’ve already gone to his head a bit,” I replied.

“…He seems to be having more fun than usual. Or maybe I’m just seeing what I want to, as his sister.” Theresia was our first priority, but there might also be a chance Takuma could regain his human form again as well. If so, I wanted to share any information we got about what would need to be done with Shiori once we found out ourselves. We’d probably be able to help in some way, too.

“Well, aren’t you Mr. Popular? Chitchat with you comes at a premium,” Kaede cut in.

“Y-yeah…maybe we should let Ryouko talk with him first; I think she’s been waiting a long time,” said Ibuki.

“Don’t you worry yourselves over me, girls. Just do what feels right to you,” reassured Ryouko.

“Exactly. I’ve personally reached a stage where I feel at ease just being able to watch Mr. Atobe,” concurred Louisa. She and Ryouko grinned in agreement as if to say, Right? I wished they’d just talk to me like normal. No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than this time Anna came over, checked I didn’t need my cup refilled yet, then skewered a French fry with her fork and offered it to me.

“…It appears you have enough to drink, so might I offer you this instead?”

“O-okay. Thanks.”

I felt it’d be rude to turn her down, but Anna gazed at me so intensely I started to feel a little embarrassed. Anna noticed Madoka watching and looked over as if to say, Go ahead. I wondered how long this wave after wave of attacks, this chain of new drinks and force-feeding would last.

“A-Arihito… Would it be okay if I gave you something, too?” asked Madoka, bashful.

“Arihito, our main course with the beer-infused meat has arrived. Why don’t we play a fun little game and guess what kind of meat it is? Every time he gets it wrong, Arihito has to take a sip of absinthe,” said Luca, handing the dish the server had brought over to Madoka so she could feed it to me. It was called beer-infused, but it looked just like stew in color, and I imagined the alcohol content had probably burned off while it cooked. The meat was so tender it gave way to the gentlest prodding with a fork.

“Arihito, say… Aaaah.”

“A-aaah…” I did as Madoka told me, and she placed a piece in my mouth. I knew this flavor. I had tasted it several times and come to recognize the beefy taste.

“Is this Marsh Ox meat?” I asked.

“What a clever boy you are!” said Luca. “You’re exactly on point, love. All the beef you can get in District Seven and below is from Marsh Ox. Some more adventurous types go for Minotaur meat in the higher districts, but I just can’t bring myself to eat a monster that walks around on two legs. It gives me the creeps.”

“Luca, since Arihito guessed it on the first try, shouldn’t you be drinking in his place?” asked Ceres.

“Oops, busted… I can’t get anything past you, Ceres darling. Watch closely, Arihito. This is how I do things.” Luca took the small, golden cup filled with alcohol—probably very strong alcohol—steadied his breath, and then threw it back in one gulp.

“Oooh… I feel like I’m about to burst into flames. The absinthe they serve here is actually a liqueur made with the same medicinal herbs they use to make potions, you know. It can increase your max vitality for a hot minute if you have some when you’re already pretty high in vitality. Of course, it’s bitter and spicy and has got an absolutely fierce kick to it, so it’s basically only used for drinking games.”

“Maximum vitality… When you put it that way, I am a little curious to try.”

“Have you not already recovered all the vitality you lost before raiding the labyrinth, Arihito? And you, Luca, don’t try to take more people down with you,” chided Ceres.

“Now, now, Arihito himself said he’d like to try. Anyone else care to join in another game? This isn’t something you’d drink willingly,” suggested Luca, pouring himself some water from a pitcher and bringing it to his lips. The absinthe must be very bitter—probably best not to approach it too lightly or it’d come back to bite me.

“Heh-heh-heh… It seems my time has come! Arihito, don’t even think you can beat me in a gamble. I challenge you to a game of dice!”

“Misaki, if you lose, you’ll have to drink some really strong alcohol… Are you okay with that?” asked Suzuna, worried.

“Aargh! Suzu, you’re already taking his side!” cried Misaki. “This is the only thing I’m good at, and you won’t even back me up. You really love him more than you love your dearest friend, don’t you?!”

“Th-that’s not what I mean… Just, if you get drunk, it’s going to cause a lot of trouble.”

“We finally have a day off tomorrow, so don’t go wasting it with a hangover,” warned Elitia. Misaki checked the drink in Elitia’s hands only to find that it wasn’t alcohol but a simple juice.

“Wh-what…? I—I don’t like alcohol enough to go out of my way and order it, you know…,” Elitia stammered.

“Why don’t you join us, Ellie? Don’t worry, I’m not gonna cheat or anything. We’re just gonna roll two dice and guess if the total will be even or odd,” explained Misaki.

“Are those old-fashioned gambling games what the little ones are into these days…?” asked Luca.

“I—I mean…we use this in some other games, and the rules are simple enough. But even if I win, you don’t have to force yourself to drink anything all right, Misaki?”

“Hee-hee, don’t you worry about me. I do have a certain amount of pride, you know. If I lose, I’ll get down on my knees and bow to you naked or something. I live my life by the roll of the dice!” Had Misaki always been the type to get fired up over games of chance, as you might expect from someone who chose to be a Gambler? Or was she just extra excited because of the party? Best not to overthink things. It was probably a bit of both.

“…G-get down on your knees naked? …Are you into that kinda punishment, Arihito…?” asked Kaede timidly.

“U-um, Teacher, could you at least let me leave my spandex shorts on if I do something wrong…?”

“I suppose I could live with spandex shorts… Actually, I can avoid the issue simply by refraining from any mischief. Please disregard what I said,” added Anna.

“I can’t imagine Mr. Atobe would do anything so extreme… B-but then again, that must be an important part of bringing your party closer together. All right, I’ll play as well,” said Ryouko.

“I—I would never. Misaki made that up on the spot. Just ignore it,” I cut in.

“…Good. I thought you were doing that before I joined the party,” said Melissa.

“H-how could he…? Arihito would never do that. I believe in him!” added Madoka.

That prospect seemed to have Melissa and Madoka a little worried, but I was relieved to hear they trusted I wouldn’t do that to them. I wanted to win at all costs so I could remind Misaki to show some self-restraint, especially since she was prone to such slips of the tongue. But sadly enough, I didn’t have the slightest shred of hope that I’d beat the Gambler at her own game.

♦Current Status♦

“A-Arihito… Thanks for everything, love… I had a fabulous evening,” said Luca. “Let’s do this again…but maybe next time, we’ll go a little easier on the drinks…”

“Y-yeah… I had fun, too. Hey, Raulo, take care of Luca for me, okay?”

“Of course, I’ll make sure he gets home safely. Oh! Not that way; our home is the other way,” said Raulo, guiding Luca home with the other shop staff members who had also come to pick him up.

Misaki and Ryouko weren’t the only ones who joined in on the dice game; a few others like Shiori and Ceres had gone head-to-head. Ceres lost, but since she regularly drank this kind of liqueur, she lapped up everything in the albeit small cup with a fervor. Misaki, on the other hand, could barely swallow a sip.

“Master, you really do have an affinity for alcohol. Mr. Atobe is going to start calling you a tank if you’re not careful,” teased Steiner.

“I think they call it ‘drinking like a fish’ in his country. I’m quite sure I heard someone say that before. Heh-heh… My, it really has been an age since I’ve been this boozed up. I feel amazing… Whoa!”

“—Careful. Are you all right, Ceres?” I caught her as she lost her footing. She felt incredibly light. Ceres held her arms up in defense, not to protect her body but her tricorn hat.

“…My apologies. I seem to have lost my composure… Can’t set a good example as your elder like that. Steiner, would you be so kind as to carry me home?”

“I had thought you might say that. Oh, it looks like Cion is carrying Ms. Ryouko.”

“…I’m so sorry… I… I always, always make such a fool of myself when I drink…,” moaned Ryouko, swaying unsteadily on Cion’s back. As for me, I was doing what I could to carry Misaki but would probably need to ask someone to take over at some point since I was also drunk. All I wanted was to get us home safely.

“I feel such sympathy for Ms. Natsume… I’m sure I would have ended up in precisely the same state if I had played the game as well,” said Louisa, who had held back and only ordered the one drink all dinner so she could enjoy the upcoming day off, just like Elitia.

“I was hoping Seraphina could join us today, but it’s too bad she couldn’t make it. What should we do about tomorrow, Atobe? Do you want to try asking her if she can come before we head out for the health resort?” asked Igarashi.

“Yes, let’s try that. Now then, shall we head back?”

“My house is in the opposite direction, so I’ll leave you here. Thank you so much, everyone. This was a lot of fun,” said Shiori.

“Let’s do this again sometime. Please be careful on your way home.”

“Definitely. Good night.” Shiori bowed low and started off for Shichimuan with Takuma. Steiner had already started walking down the road with Ceres in tow, so the rest of them followed. Theresia walked directly behind me, pushing up Misaki’s bodyweight in an attempt to help me with my burden.

“Eep! …S-stop pushing my butt…,” protested Misaki.

“……”

“Uughh, Theresia only ever listens to what you say, Arihito. Can you tell her, My butt is a big no-no?”

“I guess you underestimated how good Shiori is at gambling. You wouldn’t be in this situation if you hadn’t picked a fight.”

“Aww, but you were drinking so I wanted to try some, too, you know?”

“…Me too…”

“Seeee? Even Suzu thought the same thing. I wasn’t the only one.”

“…I—I was just…thinking you’re so lucky Arihito’s carrying you…”

“It looks like Suzuna’s a little tipsy, too… I guess it’s all right, as long as you didn’t get drunk on purpose, Misaki,” chided Elitia. Misaki gulped—Elitia must have hit the bull’s-eye.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha… Why would I ever do thaaat? Right, Arihito…? Ack! Please stop pushing me up, it tickles…!”

“I totally see why Theresia’d want to get even. Misaki, you’re so sneaky!” said Kaede.

“Still, Arihito would never do this for her otherwise… Oh! I’d never drink too much on purpose, though,” added Ibuki.

“…You all had so much on your minds. Here I just thought it was a chance to have some delicious food and drinks, but I guess I should have been trying to catch Arihito’s eye,” said Anna.

“Catch his eye… Anna, how would you go about that?” asked Ibuki.

“…I—I haven’t considered it yet. I imagine he only sees me as a child, so it would rather sting if he thought I was trying too hard to look mature.”

A thought hit me as I watched the four ladies chatting congenially: Would the Four Seasons members also be interested in going to the health resort? Louisa had said other parties could get in as well as long as they went as guests. I asked them if they’d like to come, and they happily agreed.

A momentary respite from seeking. If we get to spend the whole day relaxing tomorrow, it’ll feel like a long vacation. But I want to make sure we’re all fully rested and recharged. We have a lot of work ahead of us.

The first thing I wanted to tackle was the trap cube we’d found in the Black Box we picked up when we defeated Silvanus the Enchanter’s Messenger, the one that we could use to set up a teleportation link to a treasure labyrinth. I’d put this on the back burner, but we probably had enough firepower to conquer it if it was equivalent to a three-star labyrinth.

“Sheesh… You’re so easy to read. Atobe, I know this is kind of rich coming from me, but please try to focus on relaxing on your days off, okay?” said Igarashi, interrupting my train of thought.

“R-right… Sorry, was it that obvious?”

“You always look so deep in thought when you have the labyrinths on your mind…,” explained Elitia. “I’ve slowly but surely gotten better at telling what your different expressions mean, too. I wish you’d talk with us about it, though.”

I explained to Igarashi and Elitia what I’d been thinking about. Recovery Support activated as I did, and the members in front of me started to sober up. I made a point to use Outside Assist so that Ryouko could also recover from her Intoxicated status.

Part V: Bargains

Everyone went their own ways after we got home. Some were still in party mode and continued chatting in their rooms while those who were tired took a moment to rest.

“Sorry for kinda crashin’ your place. A-are you sure it’s okay…?” said Kaede. The members of Four Seasons had been reluctant to go home straight away and had dropped by our apartment.

“Ngh… No, don’t bite that… Mr. Atobe, that’s a kickboard…,” murmured Ryouko, apparently in the middle of a rather strange dream. Besides, I wasn’t a kid at a swimming school, and I wouldn’t go biting that kind of thing.

“I’m sorry, Teacher, to intrude on you like this…”

“Ryouko was worried we wouldn’t have the chance to see you again before you moved up to District Six, so she was positively thrilled you extended us the invitation this evening,” explained Anna.

“She talks all high and mighty, but Anna’s pretty darn happy herself, even if she doesn’t show it. That goes for me, too, of course,” said Kaede.

“I had a great time, too. I feel for Ryouko… I also had some of that strong drink, so I feel a little light-headed,” I replied. I knew I tended to get a bit of liquid courage when I drank, so I wanted to make sure I didn’t cross any lines. That said, I was pretty sure almost everyone got that way when they drank.

“Kaede, why don’t you guys let Ryouko sleep in one of our beds? We’re not gonna sleep yet, so they’re aaall open for the taking!” suggested Misaki.

“Are you sure that’s all right? We don’t want to overstay our welcome…,” said Ibuki.

“It’s gonna be a pain in the ass to carry her all the way up to the second floor…and Arihito just gave Misaki a piggyback ride all the way home,” complained Kaede.

“Ha-ha-ha… Yeah, but I’m nearly sober. I’m sure she’ll rest better on a bed than on the sofa, so if you don’t think she’d mind, I can carry her up,” I offered. It looked like Recovery Assist could help heal Intoxicated status with a little time, so I hoped Ryouko was well on the way to sobering up. I was getting a bit tired from using Outside Assist so much but figured I’d be all right after a good night’s sleep.

We had until the end of the day to decide whether to buy the items available through Bargain. The ladies had all washed up before dinner, but some decided they wanted to take another dip and headed off for the baths. Madoka, however, remembered the deadline and came to discuss it with me before she joined them.

“Thank you for everything today, Arihito. Um, about the items I mentioned…,” she started.

“Yeah, I was just gonna ask you about that. Could you show me what’s available?”

“Yes. Um, it looks like the items we’ve requested aren’t in stock yet, but… Oh!”

“What’s wrong? Did someone beat us to the punch? I mean, with a name like Bargain, I could see that happening.”

“N-no… But they just got one of the items I’d asked for. I wanted to give it to you as a present…,” she said, hesitantly showing me her license. She looked embarrassed about something. I figured out exactly why when I saw the item she was showing me.

♦Bargain Inventory List♦

“This necktie… Is this what you were picking out for me?” I asked. Madoka pulled down her turban to try to hide her face…unsuccessfully, of course. Even her ears had flushed bright red.

“…I shouldn’t be shopping for things without asking, should I?”

“N-no… To be honest, I’m really happy you did that for me. A necktie, huh… I would love to wear one if it could help with something when equipped.”

“O-of course. Do you think the fact they have one in stock means there are other people who wear suits, too?” she asked. I wasn’t sure how it had come to be on sale, but this Silk Necktie was better suited for seeking than the one I was using since it could increase defense. It also looked easy enough to wear from the attached photo.

“…Oh! It appears Mr. Luca is the one who put it up for sale. Do you think he did that after dinner?”

“I guess he saw right through me… He really is a first-rate professional when it comes to clothes.” He could’ve easily sold it to me personally, but I suspected he intentionally chose this method out of consideration for Madoka. Either way, the price was right at fifteen gold, so I decided to buy it on the spot. Looking at the product lineup, it seemed it really was pretty rare to find items of a similar caliber to what we could get from a Black Box. Still, there was one starred item; maybe it had some kind of catch?

“How about we go through them one by one? …A leotard? What’s that again?”

♦Light Leather Leotard +3♦

“Uh… Th-this is a pretty risqué design…” Ceres had said it would be difficult to find items to complete a set started in District Seven once we moved up, but maybe this was part of the Magician’s Armor Set.

“U-um… I’m sorry, I just remembered you talking about armor sets that added extra effects when completed, so I put out a request because I thought it might be nice if we were able to find the other pieces. It looks like this one came from a thrift shop in District Seven, but the design is pretty bold, so it never found a buyer.”

A silk hat, leotard, and black tights—no wonder Igarashi isn’t jumping at the chance to wear these. This kind of combination leaves you at a loss for words.

“Misaki’s cape is a part of the set, too, which means she’d have four matching items. Apparently, the set effects start working after you have at least four items of one set,” Madoka explained.

“In that case, maybe we should have Misaki test it out… But no, I think this could be hard to wear, no matter how useful it may be.”

“Arihitooo? Madokaaa?”

“! …M-Misaki, you scared me…!” squealed Madoka as Misaki popped her head out from behind the sofa. We had been pretty deeply engrossed in the Bargain list, but I was still impressed by how Misaki had managed to sneak up behind us so easily.

“You’re gonna make me nervous, gossiping about me while I’m in the baaath… Ooh, are these the Bargain items? Even the name kinda gets you excited, don’t you think? …Hmm. Hmm?” Misaki spotted the leotard on the license and cleared her throat a bit.

“…Isn’t this one of those tummy-tucking suits?” she asked.

“W-well, I don’t think they call them that here. That’s probably not a thing in the Labyrinth Country,” I replied.

“That’s not the poooint! If I wear th-this kind of thing around town, everyone’s gonna think I’m suuuper into myself! Ugh, I’m sooo mad! I’m gonna steal Kyouka’s change of clothes and switch it out with this!” huffed Misaki.

“C-calm down, Misaki. This is part of a set of armor. I’m not gonna force you to do anything, but I think it might be a good idea for someone to wear it if it’s useful.”

“I think you would look really nice in this, Misaki,” offered Madoka. “You already have the cape from this set, and it looks amazing on you…”

“Look who’s talking… Haaah, I can’t get mad at you, Madoka. All right, fine; if you insist, Arihito, I’ll try it on once, just for you.”

“Not if you don’t want to. But I may ask you to put it on if it looks like we might need you to, depending on the situation.”

“I—I mean, if you care that much about it, I won’t totally rule it out, all right?” While Misaki was doing her best to sound all high and mighty, Elitia and Suzuna walked toward us, fresh out of the bath.

“What are you up to, Misaki? …Can’t you see you’re making Arihito uncomfortable?” said Elitia.

“…Misaki, what were you looking at? …Oh…” The leotard seemed to be a bit too much for Suzuna also, who quickly turned red and pulled back. “…I think the important thing is to try to overcome your embarrassment and wear it when you need to.”

“Of course, I’ll wear it if I need to; don’t think I won’t! But you better watch what you say, or they’re gonna use sooo much of that transparent stuff on your Shrine Maiden armor, and it’ll be suuuper see-through.”

“…I’m sure Ceres and Steiner would be more considerate than that… They would, wouldn’t they…?

“Y-yeah, I think so… I don’t think you need to worry too much about that.” Knowing those two, I figured they could probably give us a run for our money, but they wouldn’t actually go so far as to design something impossible to wear. We could definitely put our full trust in them with these matters. “So we’ll test out the complete set effects after this arrives. What’s next…this Silent Bracelet?”

♦Silent Bracelet +1♦

“I feel like this would work well with either Theresia’s or Melissa’s skills… Theresia already has a bracelet, so maybe we should have Melissa take it since she can already use Ambush… Wh-what’s up?” It looked like the phrase Silent Bracelet had both shocked and flustered the four others in the room as soon as I’d mentioned it.

“Y-yes…you should give it to whoever you think would use it most effectively,” said Elitia.

“Y-yeah, truuue, it’s not like we want it or anything, you know?” added Misaki.

“Ellie, Misaki, if you look at it like that, you’re going to make Arihito think…” Suzuna trailed off.

“Is there something wrong with this bracelet?” I asked them.

“Uh, nope, not really, just an inside thing… W-well, good niiight, Arihito!” Misaki said, then went upstairs with Elitia and Suzuna. I glanced at Madoka and saw she was rather flustered, too, but I still had one last item to check out.

♦Scholar’s Ankh♦

It appeared an ankh was a supplementary piece of armor similar to a protective charm in that you could activate its powers just by carrying it with you.

“…Looks like it could be useful,” I said. “I wonder why it was put up for sale?”

“Apparently its previous owner met with failure in a labyrinth and needed money to get back on their feet. As a starred item, it’s pretty valuable, but it’s within our budget and available for us to purchase.” I had asked Madoka to set our maximum budget at two thousand gold, thinking that might give us a greater range of options, regardless of whether we actually bought anything. This ankh cost one thousand five hundred gold—not all that expensive, if you considered what it could do.

If I equip this, I’ll be able to recover magic every time I use Recovery Support. That way, I’ll almost never run on empty magic…

We couldn’t place too much stock in it as it was, since the ability to withstand a lethal attack depended on chance. However, we could guarantee it’d activate if we used Fortune Roll beforehand.

“Okay, let’s go with this one, too. How long will it take to get here after we order?”

“The shop is also in District Seven, so it should be ready by tomorrow. Bargain is set up so that different items appear on the market for each district, and an equal number of Bargain Tickets are distributed among Bargain users. Of course, only Merchants or shop owners can use Bargain, so a limited number of people can actually purchase those items.”

In that case, it looked like we were free to purchase everything we saw on the list if we wanted without a problem. The Merchants Guild had clearly put a lot of thought into this system to prevent inequality and support Seekers. I felt a renewed sense of appreciation for their efforts.

In total, we spent 2,915 gold. We had about 28,000 gold left in the bank, which started to feel like it might not be too much of a safety net in certain situations. We needed to plan out our income methodically, not just work on the assumption we’d find a lot of money in Black Boxes. I pondered this as I looked over the account ledger Madoka handed me. Fortunately, our meals were relatively inexpensive compared to our income, and since the Guild took care of paying for utilities, we didn’t have to be too frugal with our daily expenses.

“……”

“U-uhhh… I guess you’re right, I shouldn’t just go to bed without washing up.” Theresia had looked over at me as if to ask, Are you going to go to sleep like that? I did tend to get a bit heated after drinking, so a nice, refreshing bath would hit the spot.

I headed to the bath with Theresia hot on my trail, determined not to let me get away; I guess she’d noticed I’d been trying to avoid bathing with her. I took off my clothes with my back to her as usual, then made sure she’d gone in first before following her into the bath area. I stepped in and—

“…Hmm?”

—the room was steamier than usual, and some kind of letters were floating up from the floor through the mist. I almost screamed when I noticed a suit of armor sitting on its knees off in the corner, too large to miss even amid all the steam in the big room.

“Master, you’re risking actually angering Mr. Atobe one of these days if you insist on doing things like this, you know…?” Steiner’s voice floated over from the far side of the steam. It sounded different, as if it hadn’t echoed through their armor like normal.

“If he takes baths with Theresia as often as they say, I don’t see the issue. It really had been an age since I activated my powers in the labyrinth… Looks like my bind is coming a little loose.”

“Uh…C-Ceres, I’m sorry, I didn’t think anyone was in here… Theresia, I’m gonna step out for a bit…!” As I tried to head for the door, I heard a whoosh of water fall from across the steam, and a silhouette I didn’t recognize got up from the bath. It should have been Ceres standing there, but this person was much taller. Her voice also sounded deeper, more mature, and not because it was echoing off the walls or anything like that.

“You have nothing to apologize for. This is the power of the runes… But no matter what, do not turn around. Theresia, what do you normally do when you take a bath with Arihito?”

“……”

She’d spoken so bluntly I couldn’t guess the truth with any confidence, but it seemed Ceres had used one of her Runemaker skills to thicken the steam and carefully shown herself in so as not to tip me off.

“…Kyouka and Louisa started to get on edge about something as soon it came around to bath time, so I asked them what was wrong. You’re quite a plucky young man, aren’t you? I never would have pinned you as the type who’d be on such intimate terms with one of your party members.”

“I-I’m not… We’re not doing anything ‘intimate’…,” I stammered in protest.

“And that is why we are here. Steiner had to wash their armor you see. I can prevent it from rusting with a rune, though it gets tricky if they wash it while wearing it.”

“P-please don’t say such things, Master… I refuse to move an inch from this bathtub.”

“Well, well, look who’s getting cold feet now. And you’re the one always blathering on about bravery. Say, Arihito. Wouldn’t you say you’d be better off with a partner who takes the lead?”

“I—I suppose that’s true…” Ceres spoke to me as she washed my back. I could tell she was definitely taller than usual, if perhaps not as tall as an average adult.

“Pay no heed to my appearance; you’re still far too young for it to matter. Of course, you’re free to look if young ladies of this age are what strike your fancy… It won’t cost me anything.” I was probably just a very young man at best from Ceres’s point of view; a twenty-nine-year-old could easily look like a child to a one-hundred-and-fifteen-year-old. Still, I wanted to be seen as a proper adult, meaning it would be wrong to turn around to look at her. I shouldn’t even look directly at her reflection in the mirror.

“…How gallant of you. I can see why those ladies in your party hold you in such esteem. Do you understand what a woman thinks when she sees a man carry himself like you do?” It wasn’t my place to answer that, or even let my imagination wander down that road. I felt it would be breaking the rules.

“Of course, I did ask Kyouka and Louisa for permission. Nobody should much mind if I get to wash your back if they say it’s all right. You did great work out there, Arihito.”

So those two knew she would be here… Maybe they trusted nothing untoward would happen since Theresia would be with us, too.

“……”

“I wonder if steam is good for a lizardman’s skin. Theresia’s is positively glowing… Oh, youth is such thing of envy. Her skin is playing a lovely melody with the water.”

“Master, if you take too much longer, Mr. Atobe will catch a cold.”

“Hoh-hoh… Are you quite sure? Once I’m done here, Arihito is going to join you in that little tub.”

“…Th-that’s… Well, I have a Diving skill, so I’d be all right, but I’m going to end up like a prune if I’m in here much longer,” said Steiner. They apparently subscribed to the prevention is better than cure line of thought and had some kind of skill that would help in case they fell into water in full armor. In the end, the two left to dry off before me, and I caught neither a glimpse of Steiner’s real body, even though we went in the bath together, nor a proper look at Ceres.

“……”

Once it was just me and Theresia in the bath, I started rinsing off Theresia’s back, and the thought hit me: I’m so glad they didn’t see me wash Theresia’s tail.