Chapter 10
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Translator: Xrecker
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Valendia (10)
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Shasha looked at me with a puzzled expression as I refused her offer.
"Why do you want to enter the academy so badly?"
"Because there is a goal I must achieve."
Shasha tilted her head, crossing her arms.
"What goal is that?"
"I can't tell you that."
Even if I were to tell her that I had to defeat the Demon King of Chaos, who was only known as a legend at the time of the academy entrance, she wouldn't believe me.
"More importantly, take this."
I took out the amulet that I had temporarily put in my inventory while changing and placed it in Shasha's hand.
"Be careful not to lose it again."
"Of course. Absolutely. I'll never lose it again."
Shasha smiled brightly and put the amulet around her neck.
When she put it on, the slightly long chain of the amulet, which was long enough for me to wear, perfectly covered the upper part of Shasha's exposed cleavage.
Perhaps because of the amulet, it had the added effect of naturally drawing one's gaze towards her chest.
"With this, the contract is successfully concluded."
"No! To do it properly, you have to sign a contract~. Shall we go write one up right now?"
I shook my head from side to side at Shasha's words.
"No, let's do that tomorrow."
"Hmm? Are you busy with something?"
"You've found your parents' memento that you've been looking for for so long. Right now, you probably need some time to soak in that feeling rather than a contract."
I already knew that in the Lu-dating Sim, after parting with the player, Shasha would be shown holding the amulet alone, reminiscing about her parents and shedding tears.
Shasha probably needed that time right now.
"...Haha."
Shasha, who had been staring at me blankly, burst out laughing.
"Is that something you should be saying, mister, after you made me angry with the amulet?"
"At that time, I didn't know it was a memento of your parents. Then, I'll come back tomorrow."
"Okay. See you tomorrow, mister."
I said my goodbyes to Shasha and headed to the inn.
***
After parting with Ishihan, Shasha sat in her office at Cat's Commerce Guild and thought about the unusual man she had met today, who had surprised her time and time again.
An eccentric adventurer who had been going out to hunt bandits every day since arriving in Valendia.
Upon hearing the news that this adventurer was walking around wearing the memento of her parents that she had been searching for for so long, Shasha had immediately contacted the man.
At first, he had tried to pass her by, thinking she was a hawker.
She had thought it was understandable since he had just arrived in Valendia, and had lured him to a cafe to start the deal.
Shasha had thought that the deal would be concluded right there and that she would be able to get the amulet back.
But in reality, Shasha had been more or less talked into a corner by Ishihan.
'That wasn't like me. No matter how much I was tested with that amulet... I got too emotional.'
At the mention of removing the gem from the amulet, she had flared up and failed to control her emotions.
It was a truly rare occurrence for Shasha, who had gained experience through many deals as a merchant.
What followed was a story about her past that Shasha herself told, and then a contract based on the concept of investment rather than simple money.
The more they talked, the more Shasha thought that Ishihan was not just a skilled adventurer.
More than anything, his words had power.
The power of words that made people believe.
When she had asked him to prove it, half-joking and half-testing him.
His words, asking her to trust him, had shaken Shasha's heart.
'At that time, I strangely felt that I could trust him.'
She had felt a trustworthiness in his words that seemed to pierce through her doubting heart.
And after arriving at the guild, it was as if Ishihan's unusual nature was being proven, with one surprise after another.
The fact that Ishihan was a subspace special ability user.
The unusual scars on his body.
And the spear skills that Ishihan had shown for a minute.
All three had surprised Shasha.
A subspace ability that far surpassed the performance of a subspace ring.
If Ishihan hadn't asserted that he was going to the academy, she would have continued to persuade him to work for the guild; his ability was that attractive to the guild.
More than anything, the fact that a person named Ishihan possessed that ability was the biggest attraction.
The scar that seemed to split his body diagonally and the several scars on his abdomen that looked as if they had been pierced by something.
Each and every one of those scars was a mark of a life-threatening wound.
'He's been through that many dangerous situations... and he's overcome those crises and is still alive, that's the proof.'
Shasha was convinced that the proof was the fact that Ishihan was still alive and the spear movements he had displayed.
At a glance, it looked like he was just swinging the spear as he pleased.
But in Shasha's eyes, it didn't look like ordinary spear movements.
'It wasn't ordinary movement. It was beautiful... refined... a movement that seemed to say, 'This is how you handle a spear.'
Shasha had also learned martial arts to protect herself.
And as someone who had taken a step into the path of martial arts, the spear movements that Ishihan had displayed were the very model of perfection, without a single flaw.
That was why she could be sure.
This contract would bring a huge profit to the guild.
That Ishihan would surely distinguish himself at the academy, defeat any powerful monster, and bring rare and precious materials to the guild.
Compared to that profit, simply providing him with equipment was such a small investment that it pricked her conscience.
'I'll have to do my best to grant any requests he might have later. To think that such a lucky contract partner would roll in along with the memento.'
Shasha held the amulet around her neck and looked at it.
"Is this a gift from you, Mom and Dad?"
Even as she tried to keep smiling at the unexpected windfall while looking at the amulet.
The image of her deceased parents and the overwhelming emotion of finally getting their memento back brought tears to Shasha's eyes.
"Ah, it's true."
Clutching the amulet, Shasha recalled the words Ishihan had said to her.
-Right now, you probably need some time to soak in that feeling rather than a contract.
"Ha, haha... what you said... was really true, mister."
Looking at the recovered amulet in her empty office, the memories of her deceased parents overflowed from Shasha's heart and wouldn't stop.
The longing for the past, the sadness that a time like that would never come again, and yet the joy that the memories of her parents had returned, all mixed together, and tears welled up in Shasha's eyes.
Clutching the amulet tightly, Shasha bowed her head and said.
"Mom... Dad... thank you."
To her parents in heaven, for the belated gift.
***
The next day.
After finishing my meal, I went straight to Cat's Commerce Guild to sign a contract with Shasha.
The place where we signed the contract was Shasha's office.
"Alright~ then please sign here, mister~."
Shasha, with the amulet around her neck and a bright smile, handed me a contract, which I immediately reviewed.
"Hmm..."
After reading the contract, the contents were no different from what I had originally requested from Shasha.
"Come on, it's not even that long of a contract. Do you really need to read it that carefully?"
"Reviewing a contract is more important than anything else."
"That's true."
"There's something I'd like to add."
"What is it?"
"After I enter the academy, I plan to find companions to act with. So, I would like to request equipment support for my companions when they visit."
"Aha! Well, if it's just that! I'd like to say~ but... most of the people who attend the academy are from high-ranking families, aren't they? It would be troublesome if you were to ask us to procure items that we don't have in our guild."
"Don't worry. I plan to pick people who won't make such foolish demands. In the first place, the children of high-ranking nobles will have their equipment provided by their families."
Probably.
Who would send their children empty-handed?
"So, what I'll be providing won't be that outrageous."
"That's true. Then I'll add a clause about that for now~."
Shasha took the contract back and added the new content with a pen.
"Is there anything else you'd like to add?"
"No."
In the first place, most of the cost was for equipment.
I could cover things like food expenses by hunting bandits or monsters and selling their materials.
After adding the additional clause, I signed the contract, and the contract between me and Shasha was established.
"That's it! I'm looking forward to working with you, mister~."
"Yes."
Shasha took my hand and shook it vigorously.
"If you need anything personally, besides what's in the contract, please let me know! It's just between you and me, so I'll grant you pretty much anything~!"
Oh.
That was a very tempting offer, but this was a test.
In a situation like this, it was better to play a little hard to get than to rashly state a wish.
"I don't think we have any special relationship other than the contract, though?"
"Come on. It's sad when you say things like that, mister~. You and I didn't just make a contract, we made a special contract that I've never made with anyone else."
She wasn't wrong.
There probably wasn't anyone else who would confidently propose an exclusive contract to Cat's Commerce Guild, saying they would bring in expensive materials.
It all depended on how you worded it.
"I'll accept your kindness. If I have a separate request, I'll let you know."
"Great! Oh. Did you have breakfast?"
"Yes."
"Then how about a snack? The snacks at our guild are quite delicious, you know?"
There was no need to refuse an offer of food.
"I'll have some."
A little later, an employee of Cat's Commerce Guild brought tea and cookies.
The sweetness of the cookies mitigated the characteristic astringency of the tea.
"It's delicious."
"I know, right~."
Around the time I was eating my second cookie.
The small curiosity that had always been inside me.
The curiosity that most users had while playing Lu-Fan, swelled up.
The contract was successfully concluded, and my relationship with Shasha was good.
All that was left was to set out in time for the academy's entrance exam.
In other words, this was like leisure time.
And so, in a situation where I was leisurely drinking tea and munching on cookies in a relaxed environment after the bleakness of hunting only bandits every day, the idle thoughts and curiosities that had been suppressed until now popped up.
'Since it's Shasha, she'll probably answer this kind of question without any problem.'
Besides, with the persona I was currently playing, I could ask it confidently.
To overcome the harsh situation of having to defeat the ridiculously difficult boss, the Demon King of Chaos.
A small pleasure for mental care was also necessary.
"Come to think of it, there was something I was curious about since I met you."
"Something you were curious about? Oh~ I wonder what you're curious about me? Oh, and if you're asking if I have a boyfriend, I don't!"
I knew that.
In the first place, a character who appeared as a gacha character in a game that sold characters wouldn't have a significant other, would they?
"That's not what I'm curious about."
"Hmm? Then what is it?"
In the game, I could somewhat understand it as a design to make money.
But this was, after all, a place where the characters were living beings, even if it was inside a game.
So.
"Why are you unbuttoning your clothes and revealing your cleavage?"
I could hear the origin of the outfit directly from the person herself.
Even if I could already guess the approximate answer, I could hear it directly from the character.
As a user, I couldn't resist this.