Rebecca
“Don’t you agree, Party Leader?”
While fretting over what to do with the bomb maniac sitting right in front of him, the very person in question sought his agreement with a subtle look in her eyes.
Jun was inwardly shocked; he had never expected her to ask for his agreement.
No way. How am I supposed to agree with that screw-loose opinion?
He agreed that explosions made for excellent weapons, but even granting a hundred concessions, he could not agree that they were the ultimate art form.
Any person in their right mind would think the same.
Yet Jun could not bring himself to say it out loud.
If he did, he felt he would wound the dark elf who, for all her cold and haughty face, was wearing the shy expression of a child proudly showing her friends something she loved.
“...What I think doesn’t really matter. If that’s how you see it, Miss Rebecca, then that’s how it is.”
In the end, the answer Jun produced was neither affirmation nor denial—an awkward, noncommittal evasion.
Rebecca’s face fell with deep disappointment, but she soon let out a sigh of relief as if even that much was fortunate.
She seemed determined to take comfort in the simple fact that no outright negative reaction had emerged.
“Th-then, what do you think about explosive bombs?”
True to her nature as a bomb maniac, Rebecca did not leave out questions about bombs.
But why attach the qualifier “explosive bombs” when a bomb was simply a bomb?
Any bomb exploded the same way.
When he pointed this out, he was promptly scolded by Rebecca.
Why on earth?
“Not all bombs are the same. There are explosive bombs that remain faithful to their original purpose and place the emphasis on the explosion itself, and then there are bombs that focus on trivial things like adhesives or poison and neglect the explosion entirely. Personally, I only recognize the former—explosive bombs—as true bombs, yet the world treats those trivial latter ones as bombs as well. It is something I cannot help but lament.”
“...Is that so.”
“Yes. Ah, these days many bombs that make use of magic have also appeared, but as an alchemist and bomb expert, I regard those as heresies that can hardly be called bombs either. Without precisely calculated explosives and mechanical devices—if either one is missing—it is not a bomb.”
Rebecca crossed her arms and nodded “mm-hmm” as though deeply impressed by her own words.
Then, as if determined to pour out every thought she had been accumulating at this opportunity, she began moving her mouth without pause.
Her speech was so rapid and so full of unfamiliar terms that, honestly, he could barely understand half of it.
Thanks to her clear, pure voice it was not grating on the ears, yet the atmosphere was far from pleasant.
Amid the continuing torrent of too-much-talk, Fortuna and Dohwa stared blankly at her.
Both were kind-hearted, so they did not send her looks of displeasure or disgust.
Carol wore a bitter smile as if long accustomed to it; apparently, watching Rebecca go on a rampage was not a first or second occurrence.
Junie, doesn’t that look of hers seem weird to you?
Fortuna, who happened to notice Jun’s calm face, asked him through their link.
In reply, Jun answered while recalling a friend from his past life who had loved 2D so deeply he had tried to hold a wedding ceremony.
Fort. When it comes to the words of an otaku—no, an expert—who’s completely immersed in one field, just let half of it go in one ear and out the other.
Why? That’s not polite.
No. Doing it that way is far better for both our mental health and theirs.
If you listened seriously and then showed a negative reaction, both sides ended up with their mental states shattered.
Just like right now.
“Euk!”
Rebecca, emerging from her self-absorption, belatedly discovered Fortuna and Dohwa staring blankly at her and buried her face deeply.
Her alluring copper skin turned bright red from shame.
If left alone, she looked ready to explode.
Fortuna and Dohwa tried to soothe her with words like “That sounds reasonable” or “It’s nice how clear your convictions are,” but it only backfired.
Jun! What are you doing? Hurry up and comfort her with us.
Hmm. I think it’s better to just leave her alone.
A certain runaway ninja had once declared right before dying that self-destruction was the ultimate explosion.
As a bomb maniac, Rebecca would share a similar view, so at this moment on the verge of dying of embarrassment she would have reached a similar thought and be imagining it.
In that case, wouldn’t leaving her alone so she could continue that imagination be the best way to care for her?
Since it was impossible in reality, she could at least do it to her heart’s content in her imagination.
Don’t say weird things!
You said you hate people who use bombs, so why are you fretting so much?
Fortuna urged Jun again.
While harboring doubts about her behavior, Jun opened his mouth to soothe Rebecca as she wanted.
“Bombs, huh. Setting aside likes and dislikes, I personally think they’re weapons with extremely high potential for development.”
“...Do you really think so?”
The reaction came immediately.
Rebecca, who had been waiting only to explode like a single bomb, slightly raised her head and scrutinized Jun.
Her red eyes, muddied by cynicism, frustration, and anger.
Within them, a light of expectation and hope flickered.
Yet the light was so faint and precarious that it seemed ready to go out at any moment.
If darkness named falsehood blocked the way, it would extinguish without even a single act of resistance.
So Jun faced that light squarely so it would not go out and spoke his true feelings.
“Yes, I really do think so. Right now there are various shortcomings, but if they keep developing and developing, I’m certain they’ll produce explosions superior even to magic.”
In this world, the treatment and perception of bombs was by no means good.
There were even quite a few people who regarded bombs as non-recyclable trash.
That was only natural, since this world’s bombs had far too many fatal flaws.
Even if carefully stored, they would frequently cause accidental explosions; at critical moments they would fail to detonate; their power was weaker than magic scrolls; and they were hard to make, so difficult to obtain.
People did not regard bombs as trash for no reason.
But Jun, who possessed memories of his past life, knew well that bombs were not trash. He knew their potential for development and the power they would one day possess.
Naturally, not a single speck of falsehood or deception was contained in his sincere words.
Twitch! Twitch!
“You’re sincere. You’re sincerely thinking that!”
The dark elf’s ears that discerned truth from falsehood twitched nonstop.
Her muddied red eyes shone hazily, making the already dazzling beauty of the dark elf shine even more beautifully.
“How can you be so certain? Embarrassingly, even I who have devoted long years to bombs can’t be that certain!”
“...There’s no particular other reason. I’m just believing in the potential of bombs.”
It was not false modesty; that really was all there was.
In the first place, the reason this world’s bombs were a mess was because the Bright God, concerned about mass slaughter occurring, had twisted the related chemical reactions.
If only that point could be overcome, bombs would develop rapidly with the help of various supernatural powers and this world’s unique technologies.
“Ahh. How noble. So noble I feel like I’ll go blind!”
Even as she said that, Rebecca did not take her eyes off Jun for even a moment.
Her gaze upon him was affectionate, passionate, and blind, like a pure maiden fallen in first love.
“Party Leader. I’ll do anything, anything. Even if you make me do chores, I’ll do them gladly, and even if you denounce me for lacking faith, I’ll accept it without complaint. So please, put me in your party.”
Thud!
Boing-boing!
“...”
Rising from her seat at the same time as slamming the table and bowing her head, Rebecca.
Faced with the hot passion she showed, Jun was left speechless.
It was by no means that he had been stimulated by the “anything” part and lost in lewd fantasies, nor that he had been entranced by the majestic presence of her powerful breasts.
“Ahem ahem. Miss Rebecca, please calm down for now. The meeting isn’t over yet, so feel free to appeal.”
“Ah, I got ahead of myself and made a spectacle. It was because I was so happy, so I hope you don’t feel too bad about it.”
“It’s fine. I rather got a good show out of it.”
There was no man in this world who would feel bad about seeing the flushed face of a dark elf like a pure maiden making a confession and the movement of her massive breasts.
Well, there might not be absolutely none, but they would be a tiny minority, so let’s set them aside as exceptions.
Seeing Jun’s eyes glance at her breasts and realizing what the good show meant, Rebecca blushed slightly and said.
“...So the Party Leader is a man too. Come to think of it, you said you just held your coming-of-age ceremony. It’s the time when sexual desire is at its peak.”
“Ugh! Embarrassingly, yes. I won’t deny it.”
Since he was revealing his inner thoughts anyway, Jun frankly told her that he intended to build a harem party as well.
Rebecca did not seem to know, but almost no one in the guild did not know that Jun was trying to form a harem party.
Since most of the party members he had accepted so far were beautiful women, it was impossible not to know.
“Is that so. Then for me to become the Party Leader’s party member, I would have to become the Party Leader’s woman.”
“If you remain a temporary party member, it doesn’t matter. Becoming my woman is only for when you want to be a permanent party member.”
“Understood. Then for now, please take me as a temporary party member. My desire to be with the Party Leader remains unchanged, but dark elves, like elves, accept only one partner in their lifetime, so I can’t help but be cautious in deciding on a partner.”
“I understand.”
“Thank you. F-for reference, it’s not that I dislike the Party Leader at all! You seem kind-hearted, and like you’ll sincerely understand me, and your voice is really nice to listen to... Euk! What am I saying. P-please forget the things I just said!”
Rebecca raised her voice in a squeak and blushed.
It seemed that the shyly blooming flower before him would roll in with the whole vine even if he did nothing and just left her alone.