Chapter 21 - We Got to Know Each Other a Little Better

It’s already late in the night, and since we will be going to the temple to receive blessings tomorrow, our conversation with Lilia-san and the others is cut short after about half an hour, and each one of us took our baths and got ready for bed.

Just at that moment though, I remembered about the souvenirs Neun-san gave me and talked to Lilia-san about it…… Since it’s food from my hometown, she just told me to share it with the three of us. And so, I decided to take her up in her offer, so I asked Kusunoki–san and Yuzuki-san to gather in my room.

The three of us would be together in that room, so to be honest, it doesn’t really make any difference which room we get together in, but no matter how temporary it may be, I still wouldn’t feel comfortable intruding upon a woman’s room.

[So, Miyama-san. What is it that you want to talk about?]

[Ah, actually, I forgot about it earlier…… I got received some souvenirs from the former Japanese, Neun-san, that I’ve talked about earlier. I thought about talking to the both of you about it.]

As Kusunoki-san asked me, the faint scent of soap wafting in the air, I briefly answered, took out the magic box, and briefly explained its function. Then, I took out the main items, onigiri and takuan.

[ [ That is!? ] ]

Should I say that it’s to be expected or their reactions were quite surprising, their eyes were glued to the white rice on the table, and although they weren’t gulping as I did earlier, I’m sure the two of them are looking at these Onigiris as though they are divine treasures from heaven.

[Mi- Mimi— Miyama-senpai!? This— This is the real thing, right……? This is rice, right!?]

[Y- Yeah. It seems that Neun-san grows it for herself, and she was concerned about us, so she gave us a lot of it. Not only did she give us onigiri, but she also gave us some white rice that was just normally cooked, and she also shared some seasonings like miso and soy sauce.]

[W- Would you really mind if we have some?]

When I explained to Yuzuki-san, who asked some for her to eat, Kusunoki-san also asked me while staring at the onigiri.

[That’s should be obvious. But because they were stored in my magic box, you’ll have to tell me when you want to eat them. I’ve really got a lot of them, and I’ve already talked to Lilia-san about it, so you can start eating for breakfast tomorrow if you want.]

[Whhoooaa, great. I’m deeply moved!]

[Ahaha, because everyone has their own preferences, I also got a lot of ingredients for the miso soup, but unfortunately, we don’t have any tofu yet. We did get some chives though, so I think we can make quite a few different combinations.]

Yuzuki-san’s tension is rising as she spoke, and she coming closer and closer to me as if in proportion to that.

Unnn. I know you’re happy, but let’s not do that kind of move when you’re wearing light clothing just after you took a bath. I won’t say what is, but it’s hard to look at it because those bountiful fruits are shaking greatly.

Then, it occurred to me that I had something I could take out right now for them, and there’s also so that I could divert Kusunoki-san’s gaze that has been gradually turning colder from earlier, perhaps because she noticed that my eyes are swimming along with Yuzuki-san’s movements.

[Well, here, drink this and calm down, will you…..]

[That… Could it be?]

[Unn. Green tea…… We also got some dango and youkan, but we’re about to sleep, so please endure it with this for now.]

Yuzuki-san’s excitement died down thanks to the green tea I handed to her. She then started drinking her tea with a cute smile on her face that kind of reminds me of a small animal.

It seems that Kusunoki-san, seeing Yuzuki-san’s condition, also began to drink her tea. It seems like it won’t end up with me being scorned or anything like that huh.

I’d like to do the honors to say it here and now, but it’s not like I like them big or anything like that. If you’re asking me what I like though, I would say either way is fine, but I like it if they have a slender figure.

However, I don’t know if it’s because of the sad fate or it’s because of men’s nature…… But if Yuzuki-san’s larger than average high school girl’s breast’s moved in front of me, it would be an irresistible instinct for me to be tempted and turned my eyes towards them, so I hope you will forgive me for that.

……Who the heck am I making excuses for anyway?

As I was laying out such excuses in my head for a reason I don’t understand, Yuzuki-san, who had taken a break from drinking tea, turns her glittering eyes to me for some reason.

[……I think Miyama-senpai is the type of senpai who’d deal with something when his heart is set upon something!]

[……What?]

[I agree. I’ve honestly changed my opinion of you for a bit…… but you’re indeed an elder that we can rely on.]

[………….]

Yuzuki-san, who is already giving me a glittering and respectful look, nodded her head in agreement with Kusunoki-san sincerely nodding along.

I want everyone to wait for a moment though. Just for bringing them rice—– No, not just because of the rice, but just because I brought back several Japanese ingredients, my stock price in their eyes tremendously rose!?

Or rather, I’d like it if were could at least spend an hour or so questioning how low my evaluation is in your eyes!!!

[W- Well…… Anyway, what I’m saying is that you can always tell me if you want to eat. Speaking of which, we ended up just talking about me earlier, but how did it go over there? How is Mitsunaga-kun doing?]

[Yes. As expected of the royal palace, they have a very luxurious party but…… we were so withered from the atmosphere, that even though it’s embarrassing to say, but we mostly relied on Lilia-san for conversation and such.]

[As for Seigi…… Well, he was in perfect shape.]

I finished explaining about the white rice, saying that it’s not because of my achievements, but because Neun-san was just being concerned about us, but since I’ve eased up a bit with the two of them, I took the opportunity to ask them about what happened in the royal capital.

Hmmm~ Should I say it’s as I thought or something like that, but looking at their expressions, I guess they didn’t seem to have much time to enjoy themselves huh? No, well, that should be obvious…… they were only surrounded by unknown noble strangers, so it would be impossible for them not to be withered from the party.

[I see, so Mitsunaga-kun was treated as a state guest huh?]

[That’s right~ He’s probably treated very well. It was like he was talking to me from above some kind of pedestal that I thought about hitting him a couple of times.]

[W- Well, see, it looks like he’s going to be busy going around places, so it’s better than him being down, right?]

[Well, that’s true but……]

Hmmm, I don’t know Mitsunaga-kun that much but…… From the way he looked when we were summoned, he looked like he’s someone who had read that kind of light novel, but this world is already peaceful, so it wouldn’t be hard for me to understand why people would get carried away if they were pampered in all sorts of ways.

However, Yuzuki-san looks surprisingly bitter about it? As I recall, she said she was childhood friends with Mitsunaga-kun, so maybe they have an unreserved relationship.

Fumu, but Mitsunaga-kun looked like he’s someone who’d be studying in humanities…… He was Yuzuki-san’s childhood friend and Kusunoki-san’s kouhai, wasn’t he?

It’s not necessary to think about it again, but both Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san are beautiful girls. They are close enough to each other to go to and from school together, and Yuzuki-san also had a dreamy attribute of being his childhood friend—- Arehh? In the end, isn’t he a winner even back in our previous world?

[Well, I’m also relieved to see that my kouhai seems to be doing well. It seems that he will be leaving the royal capital soon to travel around the country, so if our timing isn’t right, we won’t be able to see him again for the time being.]

[I honestly think that idiot should get some beating though.]

[Fumu…… Isn’t Mitsunaga-kun Kusunoki-san or Yuzuki-san’s lover?]

[Eh? That’s not possible.]

[He’s just my kouhai, you know?]

I took the opportunity to ask them about the thing I was curious about, but what I got was a straight-faced NO. It didn’t even seem like their hearts skipped a beat—— I don’t know for what exactly, but I’m sorry, Mitsunaga-kun. I’m sorry that I strangely thought of you as one of those riajuus who should explode……

As I was thinking about this, Yuzuki-san approached me and whispered.

[It’s just between you and me, but the reason Seigi joined our club is that he’s aiming for Aoi-senpai. Look, Aoi-senpai is pretty, has good grades and is very popular…… Well, Aoi-senpai doesn’t look like she felt anything just now though.]

[Ah~ I see.]

[……?]

Kusunoki-san certainly looked like someone who’d be very popular. She also looked like the role model of a flower from the highest peak, unreachable for a mere mortal’s hands.

However, even if she said that Kusunoki-san is popular, Yuzuki-san seemed like she would be popular too. She’s cheerful, energetic and seems to get along with everybody easily…… As, come to think of it, didn’t I mention that she’s already going to and from school with a boy? Am I that influenced by the games and all the stuff I’ve read that I’ve imagined some kind of complex quadrilateral relationship between them?

[Rather than that, I also thought that Mitsunaga-kun and Hina-chan were lovers.]

[Please stop, Aoi-senpai. I’m really getting goosebumps here……]

[Y- You disliked being called lovers that much?]

Apparently, it’s not like she’s being embarrassed about it or something like that, but she just really disliked it. It seems that it didn’t turn into those stories in games as I thought.

Ah, but…… Speaking of games, there was a quest like that in an internet game set in a high school~. I remembered a storyline where they were childhood friends and the guy had romantic feelings for her, but the girl doesn’t feel anything for him at all. If I remember it correctly, wasn’t it about helping that guy who doesn’t realize it at all with various ways to approach the girl, or something like that?

In the end, the guy’s love was fruitless and he ended up just running around like a hamster in his wheel. However, I remembered that the dialogue of other NPCs and other things that came up during the quest was unique and interesting…… If I remember correctly……

(T/N: NPC = Non-player Character)

[ [ Even though you’re just childhood friends, it’s like you’re trying to anticipate something far ahead of—— Eh? ] ]

[Yeah?]

Arehh? I feel like something strange happened just now.

Ah, yes, I remembered the development of the internet game I used to be addicted to, and that line that was stuck in my head just popped out of my mouth…… But for some reason, I synched up with the girl who seemed to have no connection to such things.

Kusunoki-san, who was about to say something identical or rather, the exact same line that I was about to say, looked at me and her eyes widened as if she couldn’t believe it.

And after a few seconds of silence in front of Yuzuki-san, who can’t follow along the situation and is just tilting her head, Kusunoki-san hesitantly opens her mouth.

[……Miyama-san. Can I ask you one question?]

[Y- Yeah. Go on.]

[A newbie is looking for a new place to hunt. Slime, Goblin, Orc…… What would you recommend?]

[……Buy some equipment from a store in town and go with Orc.]

[ [ ……………. ] ]

Kusunoki-san mentioned very famous monsters that would appear in many games. Many people would be under the impression that the slime would be the weakest of all if they were just listed based on their names, but I responded with the Orc.

Because in the internet game I was playing, the slimes are monsters that appear in a field or dungeon by the sea, and not only would you would need to be a good player just to get to its habitat, they are intermediate-level monsters with fairly high status.

The status of a goblin alone is lower than that of an orc, but the Goblin King boss monster appears in the field where the goblins are located, and a large number of goblins themselves makes it easy to be surrounded by them, so it isn’t a place that could be recommended for newbies.

In comparison, Orcs can be defeated with equipment that can be purchased from NPCs in the city, and the fields in which they appear are close enough to the city that they can easily replenish their stock and recover their health, making them a monster that even newbies can easily hunt.

There is a separate field where the High Orcs are found, and the boss monster, the Orc King, appears in that field, so bosses do not appear in the Orc’s field.

So, for newbies, buying store-bought equipment and using orcs to get to level 20 or so is a template for the internet game I used to play, making it an ironclad training course.

[……Can I also ask something?]

[Please do so.]

[I’ve put together a party to hunt the Earth Dragon. What’s the easiest formation to hunt it?]

[A Thief as tank, a Monk with Barrier skill, and a Mage with Fire Magic.]

[ [ …………… ] ]

By the way, the Earth Dragon is a high grade monster with absurdly high attack power, but it only performs physical attacks at close quarters and is extremely vulnerable to magic.

Therefore, rather than bringing high defense and high HP jobs such as Knights and the like, the combination of the skill of a Thief who has a certain chance of avoiding melee physical attacks and a Monk’s Barrier skill, which blocks melee physical attacks up to a certain number of times, was very effective, and it was a popular monster that could be hunted by a party of a minimum of three people, making it a monster with a delicious amount of easy experience points.

Unn, well, that means that it’s pretty much what I think. Kusunoki-san was also playing that internet game I was into in high school. Moreover, she was probably a pretty advanced player.

The world is a strange place where you could find common topics to talk about, and as Kusunoki-san and I looked at each other—- we smiled.

Dear Mom, Dad—– Thanks to the white rice, regarding the children from the same world—– we got to know each other a little better.