Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: It Was Fun
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It was fun.
After finishing afternoon classes, Cecilia and I stood in front of a small doll workshop tucked away in a corner of Neville.
Through the glass window, the display shelves held a variety of dolls—stuffed toys, plushies, wooden figures, and more.
“…What’s this? Neville has a place like this? How have I never seen it before?”
“I only found out about it recently myself.”
“Hmm… How’d you come across it?”
While marathon shopping through stores.
As we opened the door and stepped inside, a tinkling bell greeted us.
The plump shopkeeper, who had been dozing behind the counter, jolted awake.
“Welcome. This is Flo’s Doll Workshop.”
I headed straight for the plushie display and picked up a pink bunny doll.
[Fleur Bunny Limited Edition]
It was the gift Luna favored in the original story.
“Luna Grace likes stuff like this?”
“Probably?”
“How would you even know that?”
Luna had a setting where she collected this plushie series. Her room was filled with hundreds of Fleur Bunny figures.
A limited edition that even she struggled to obtain, and by pure chance, it was here.
If I bought this doll and gave it to Luna, she’d leap out of her seat in joy.
“I heard about it during the entrance exam.”
“Oh… So while I was getting grilled by my sister, you two were chatting about that?”
Was that my fault?
Cecilia shot me a suspicious look, but unless she asked Luna herself, she’d never know.
As I naturally paid for the doll and turned to leave the workshop, the bell rang again as the door opened.
I glanced back absentmindedly, and my eyes met those of a man standing in the doorway.
He wore shabby clothes, had long hair, and sported a monocle.
Assuming he was just a customer, I moved to pass by, but the man, who had been staring straight at me, suddenly let out an exclamation.
“Ah!”
Then, as if delighted, he blocked my path.
“Could you be… Sir Haribal?”
“…That’s me.”
“Aaah!! I knew it! You look different from the newspaper photos, so I wasn’t sure…!”
The man’s eyes sparkled as he grabbed my hand.
“Sir Haribal! The famous hero himself, right?! I’ve wanted to meet you so badly!”
“No need for that. I was just lucky.”
“Lucky?! You’re too humble!!”
The man kept bowing repeatedly in greeting, and even the shopkeeper looked at me in surprise.
Hero. I’d heard the word tossed around before, but hearing it so directly for the first time felt incredibly awkward.
The man quickly pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil from his bag and held them out to me.
“If it’s not too much trouble… could I get an autograph?!”
He stood there with a beaming smile.
I refused outright.
“Sorry.”
An autograph? No thanks.
I didn’t want to get complacent over something like that.
I’d only conquered one Demon God’s Dungeon so far—no need to pop the champagne early.
At my words, the man’s face fell instantly.
But he soon forced a smile and said,
“Ah… I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable.”
“Not at all.”
With a quick greeting, I brushed past him and left.
But then a voice called out from behind.
“Then… if it’s okay, could I at least tell my acquaintances that I met Sir Haribal?!”
Persistent guy.
It wasn’t an autograph, and it wasn’t something I could really stop anyway.
I nodded lightly, and he grinned widely, showering me with thanks.
For some reason, his gaze seemed to linger on my back long after I’d left the workshop.
‘Who was that guy…? He looks familiar.’
Along with an inexplicable unease.
As we emerged from the alley, Cecilia spoke up.
“Hero Sir Haribal doesn’t like the attention, huh?”
Cut it out.
I grimaced, and she leaned in close with a playful whisper.
“Hero Sir Haribal hates attention. Confirmed.”
“Please stop.”
⁎⁎⁎
“…You don’t know what Senia likes?”
“Did I say I did?”
Did you trick me again?
You were so confident about going, so I assumed you knew.
“There are people my sister likes, and that’s all I know. I don’t really know what objects she favors.”
So you’re saying I have to wrap you up and hand you over or something?
“Doesn’t anything come to mind? You’re sisters, after all.”
“Maybe that time we stopped by a jewelry store. She stared at some gem on the display for a while.”
Rejected.
What gem?
Playable characters’ preferred gifts were mostly in affordable price ranges.
Giving jewelry between students? Ridiculous.
And above all, I was broke.
“Then why’d you even suggest going?”
“Just to check out the parts of Neville we missed yesterday together.”
“…What?”
“What do you mean ‘what’? We had a deal. Half the month is mine. You dragged me to the dungeon, so this time I dragged you around downtown Neville. That settles it, right?”
Fair enough.
“So quit complaining and follow me. We might stumble on a gift that suits my sister while we’re at it.”
Watching Cecilia hum ahead, I sighed inwardly.
‘Fine. You win.’
I had to swing by downtown Neville eventually anyway.
Might as well think positive since we were already here.
I’d planned to do a store marathon regardless.
To stock up on preferred gifts for the other playable characters ahead of time.
Seeing Senia and Luna this morning made me realize conflicts between characters could spark anytime, anywhere.
Running back and forth to Neville every time would be too inefficient.
If I prepped gifts and handed them out at the right moments to build favor, nothing could be better.
I’d meant to set aside a full day for it since it’d take so long.
But Cecilia had brought me out first—perfect.
Brace yourself.
I’m about to clean out every store in Neville.
And so, Cecilia and I roamed Neville, kicking off serious gift farming.
From the hardware store: Elier’s [Shard Ingot].
Grocery store: Eugene’s [Coffee Caramel].
Bookstore: Alicia’s [Collection of Love Fables].
General store: Lan’s [Ball-Jointed Doll].
Flower shop: Mine’s [Blue Rose Seeds].
“…Why are you scooping up all this junk?”
“You buy enough, and something’s bound to stick.”
“You’re picking my sister’s gift with that mindset? You’re something else.”
I had the playable characters’ preferred gifts memorized cold.
The issue was people like Adelin, who were NPCs in the original.
They didn’t have preferred gifts.
But now, she was my instructor and mentor, not an NPC, so I wanted to get her something.
By chance, my eye caught a muffler the same color as her hair.
[Sun Muffler]
‘This should do.’
Cecilia chimed in then.
“For Instructor Adelin?”
How’d you know?
“This one would be better.”
She picked up a drab gray muffler.
No matter how I looked, the Sun Muffler seemed superior. It wasn’t a staring contest.
I gave her a dubious look, and Cecilia suddenly sighed.
“…Trust me and go with that one. She’ll definitely like it.”
Then she muttered under her breath.
“…Not sure I wanna do someone else a favor.”
Fine. A woman knows best.
I’d trust her.
Next up: a gift for my benefactor Richard.
I chose a [Cheap Keychain].
This oughta suffice. If he hates it, he can toss it.
Man, buying Richard’s gift with my own money—what a crime. He’d flip if he knew.
No, why is it Richard’s money? It’s mine.
After grabbing Richard’s gift too, a thought struck me.
‘Wait. What about Aren?’
Not just NPCs—the protagonist didn’t have a preferred gift either.
I’d never played from Aren’s perspective, so he never gave me one.
I desperately racked my brain for Aren info.
Aren = swordsman.
Maybe an arena wrist guard.
Or a swordsmanship manual.
‘Nah.’
Then my eyes landed on a display of party ties in the corner.
‘Right. The victory party event.’
After conquering the third Demon God’s Dungeon, the academy holds a victory party.
There, Aren shows up without a tie and catches flak from Richard.
It wasn’t a major event, but as a gift, it felt fitting.
“Please wrap that item too.”
“Yes! Right away!”
With Aren’s gift purchased last, I suddenly had a huge bundle clutched in my arms.
Feeling like Santa Claus, I settled into a nearby restaurant.
I took a big bite of the honey-glazed bread, and across from me, Cecilia asked with a sulky face.
“You didn’t buy gifts for everyone in your unit, did you?”
‘Because of Adelin’s gift?’
Truth was, at this point, I only interacted with a handful of playable characters.
Cecilia and Senia were the closest, followed by Mine and Aren.
Elier even seemed scared of me, and I hadn’t properly talked to Lan or Eugene yet.
So it made sense she’d misunderstand after seeing just Adelin’s gift.
Hey now. It’s all an investment for the future.
“I thought it was all for my sister.”
“You don’t even know what Senia likes. Handing her random stuff would backfire.”
“…And you do?”
“What do you take me for?”
“…Hmph.”
As I sorted the bundle, my fingers brushed a small box.
‘Oh right. I grabbed this too.’
I pulled out the box and handed it to Cecilia.
“…What’s this?”
“Open it.”
Inside the wrapping was a small brooch embedded with a faux blue shard.
“…This is for me?”
“Thought it’d suit you.”
[Forget-Me-Not Brooch]
I couldn’t skip Cecilia while buying for the playable characters.
“It’s a thank-you for spending the whole day with me.”
Cecilia looked surprised as she checked the brooch.
In the original, giving Cecilia the Forget-Me-Not Brooch thawed her icy demeanor a bit.
Of course, the Cecilia in front of me was very different from the original, but she’d probably still like it.
“Wear it, take it to the dorm, whatever. If you’re tossing it, give it back—I can use it.”
She didn’t reply, just pinned the brooch to her hair.
After a brief silence, she said,
“…Thanks.”
Cecilia’s expression as she spoke was one even the original never showed.
A soft, warm smile I’d often seen on others.
‘Hm?’
What’s this.
My stomach felt unsettled, so I glanced at the honey bread in my hand.
Maybe ’cause it’s been a while.
Tastes good.
⁎⁎⁎
After dinner, night had fully fallen.
Trams didn’t run 24 hours, so it was time for Cecilia to head back to the dorms.
I walked her to the station.
Of course, my day wasn’t over when she left—I planned to head straight to the Goblin Dungeon.
Crushing Sword today. Got it.
“Hmm… This should do.”
“Call if anything comes up.”
“If something comes up?”
What, you planning to call nonstop?
We exchanged contacts right there. Now we could talk anytime within Neville.
“By the way, what number am I?”
“What?”
“On the core. What number user am I registered as?”
“Second.”
“First?”
“Saintess.”
Cecilia’s face soured again.
What now?
She chuckled suddenly and said,
“Whatever. I’ll let it slide this time.”
Bipolar much?
She fiddled with the Forget-Me-Not Brooch still in her hair, and the faux blue shard sparkled in the moonlight.
We walked on, and soon we reached a deserted alley.
Just around this corner, and the station’s in sight.
Cecilia stopped and turned to me.
“Today was fun. See you tomorrow.”
‘It was fun…’
I closed my eyes for a moment.
A day spent store-hopping, picking out playable characters’ gifts.
It was necessary, but also my first real taste of something like this in this world.
Before the academy, this time would’ve been filled with training.
So… was I having fun today?
“Me too. It was fun.”
Probably.
I watched Cecilia’s back as she vanished around the alley’s end, then remembered the dorms and dungeon were in opposite directions and turned away.
That’s when it happened.
[Unique Ability - Action Rewind 0 / 3]
[※Unique Ability can only be used in boss fights.]
I bolted toward Cecilia on reflex.
Just before she reached the alley’s end, I grabbed her shoulder.
“Wh-what?!”
No words came out.