CH 42

[Eh, No Way]

“It’s cold, it’s cold, it’s so cold!!!” (Iris)

“Okay! It was my bad, alright! Sorry that I was late meeting up with you, okay! Don’t cling to me, you are a real pain in the neck!!” (Sakurai)

“You called me a pain in the neeeeeck!!” (Iris)

“You can do whatever you want now, so please stop crying!” (Sakurai)

“Ya~y.” (Iris)

Dammit, the time we were separated was too long making her infant regression progressed at an accelerated rate due to the relapse of her trauma, what a total pain! It’s extremely tiresome dealing with her, I’m not good with children, you know!

I’m carrying Iris on my back, giving her a piggyback ride so to speak, on the way home. The destination is the log house, which is Iris’s new home.

In the original story, the majority of the heroines are students of the academy, so they live in the dormitory, but she, who is an additional heroine, cannot enter the dormitory unless she enrolls into the school.

That’s why in the original story, in case she follows you and comes to the real world, her residence would be at the grove of mixed trees behind the dormitory. Iris would be living in a log house that is suddenly built there.

By the way, this log house was built behind the men’s dormitory for some reason. I didn’t care if it was in the game world, but now that it has become the real world, wouldn’t she need some kind of crime prevention measures?

“That’s why Higaki. Please move to Iris’s log house.” (Sakurai)

“It would be easier if Iris could come to the to the girls’ dormitory, but she’s not a student after all, right… For the time being, I have to go and stay with her, huh.” (Higaki)

I suggest to Higaki walking next to me, and she agrees.

It’s Iris who is sensitive to cold we’re talking about here; if we leave her alone, she may trespass into my room in the men’s dormitory, so it would be safer to have the same-gender Higaki – who has comparable ‘heat’ to me – stays with her.

Speaking of which, my ‘heat’ raises by leveling, but Higaki’s ‘heat’ raises uncontrollably whenever she sees the stories or pictures of Uncle appears on screen.

Although looking from the side, she seems to be an otaku who is indulged in delusions seeing the pictures of her idol, the fact that her face that is not only good but also delicate still looks as pretty as a picture is unfair.

“That is right, isn’t iit? I can rest assured if I am with Higaki-san who is also a woman, moreover there are not many opponents that the two of us together cannot handle.” (Iris)

“Right. You can’t be assured if it’s a man like me, right? That’s why Higaki should be the one carrying you, right?” (Sakurai)

“Just quietly do your duty as a man, Sakurai.” (Higaki)

“The gain in experience points is bad carrying in this way… Can I carry you like a rice sack, Iris?” (Sakurai)

“Please stop. You are not an aid-worker, you know?” (Iris)

That’s right, I’m not an aid-worker, but a primary nursing care giver, right?

Or rather, I won’t be able to settle down until I start leveling in earnest, so I’m afraid that if she doesn’t get off, I might start swinging Iris around as we walk, though.

“It can’t be helped… I will bear with it for now. Please warm me up again later, okay?” (Iris)

After saying so and getting off my back, Iris says, “I will go ahead and prepare for dinner!” and run away.

I pull out my sword while seeing her off, and start walking while swinging my sword around to stretch my shoulders.

The experience points displayed in my field of vision is very small, only 5-6, but as expected, my heart feel at ease when I see the experience points acquisition log flowing down.

However, it is also depressing to have to think about the treatment cost. If I don’t do something about it, I get the feeling that it will spoil the pleasure in my daily leveling.

“……Haa~h. 60 million, no, 63 million, huh. What should I do, I wonder.” (Sakurai)

“Um, erm, I will also make money through dungeons and quests with you, to lighten your burden a little.” (Higaki)

“When I need it, I’ll have you help me even if you don’t want to, so stop acting hesitant like that, that’s really weird of you. Still, dungeon and quest, huh… hmm, it’s a pity that I’m still a lower-class student at the academy.” (Sakurai)

You probably don’t need detailed explanation of the concept of quest if you have been playing games to some extent. Well, it’s a kind of work that you can complete while making progress in the game.

However, just as adventurers have ranks, students are also roughly divided into three ranks, ‘lower-class students’, ‘intermediate-class students’, ‘upper-class students’ according to their abilities and achievements; the quests that you can accept depend on that rank.

The rewards for lower-class students’ quests are low, especially in the early stage of the game. The average reward is around 500-600 gold, with the highest amount is 2000 gold for the promotion certification quest.

When I think that I have to clear tens of thousands of quests to reach the target amount, as expected, I have to think about another way.

“You have the ability to compete with me, so I can recommend you to be promoted to upper-class student. In addition, if you get Teacher setting the table, you should be able to ignore the exam for intermediate-class student.”

“It’s not a fundamental solution, but well, I should take whatever I can, huh.” (Sakurai)

Even if I become an upper-class student, I still have to complete nearly a thousand quests, and with the increase in difficulty level of each quest, it might take me a few years to pay off all of my debt.

Even if I were to make money in the dungeon, that would mean I have to keep wicked thought, that is making money, in mind while leveling; just imagining it stresses me.

Choosing this is my last resort in case there really is no other way. Ideally, I’d like to pay back everything within a month, so I’d like to find another way.

Ah~, I wonder if there is an oil magnate who can give me money infinitely somewhere out there.

“…Also, um, erm.” (Higaki)

“Hm?” (Sakurai)

I move my gaze to Higaki who suddenly starts stuttering. She has an embarrassed expression and is muttering something, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly.

I wonder, is she trying to make me laugh? Or is she exercising her facial muscles? Can’t she do something like that at home, I wonder?

I don’t know what she is doing, so I try to leave her alone, but she grabs my shoulders vigorously.

As I thought, something’s up, but I’m starting to feel annoyed at Higaki who seems to really want to say something but not saying a word; feeling my gaze, Higaki’s face turns bright red and she mutters bit by bit with a voice that sounds about to vanish.

“Um… also, erm. I’m really grateful for your help with Teacher. So, what I’m trying to say is I want you to have me do anything I can too.” (Higaki)

“I said I’ll call when I need you, okay?” (Sakurai)

“You are lacking in spirit right now! You don’t have energy! If it’s the usual you, you would have start training no matter how brief the time is, you should have start practice-swinging while walking since the beginning!” (Higaki)

“Yeah, well, now that you mention it, that’s right. But now I’m confused by your strange tension, though.” (Sakurai)

The voice of Higaki who seems to be completely at her wits end echoes in the grove.

When I turn my gaze as I wonder what she wanted to say, she resolves herself and screams as her already bright red face become even redder.

“That’s why, have sex with me!” (Higaki)

“No, what are you talking about?” (Sakurai)

“Having sex with me will make you feel better, right!? Come on, have sex with me!!” (Higaki)

“Eh, no way…” (Sakurai)

At my reflex rejection, Higaki, after stiffening for a few seconds, realizes that she has failed big time and sits down on the spot while covering her face with her hands.