Citadel Conquest (3)
After taking down the boss, we regrouped our formation.
◈ Dropped from the boss
◈ High value for selling
"A g-gem...!" Umi's eyes lit up the moment she saw it.
Girls sure love shiny jewels like that.
"Think we could sell it for some cash?" Taiga tossed out a risky comment.
"Nah. Even if we did, it'd get treated like stolen goods. Minors suddenly trying to offload a gem like this? They'd suspect us for sure. Dealing with cops would be a pain." Sassis gave a cool, protagonist-level response.
"Oh... yeah, when you put it like that." Umi nodded right away.
Well, in the game, valuables like this had limited places to sell anyway.
"Then let's hawk it to that Greenbeard guy at the weapon shop." I dropped the model answer without missing a beat.
"Huh. Not a bad idea." Sassis agreed.
The guy's running an illegal weapons racket anyway. He'd buy shady stuff like this no questions asked. That was how you made money in the game.
"Let's head straight there. Leave the haggling to me." I declared with full confidence.
"Eheheh. Gonna get salted again during bargaining?" Umi teased with a grin.
"Kkieek!!" How long are you gonna milk that salt incident?!
"If you get salted more... you'll turn into pickled Shota... ehehehehe!" Taiga burst out laughing too.
"Taiga!! Stop making me laugh... pickled Shota... Shota all wrinkly... ahahaha!!!" Umi couldn't hold it in either.
These girls were treating messing with me like their life's joy.
Anyway, we headed out of the citadel. Shwaaaah! The moment we stepped outside, the citadel dissolved into mist and vanished.
"Guess... that wraps up this one?" Umi said.
"Hope so." Sassis replied.
Well... March's event was done with this. Dungeons popped up once a month, and you had to clear them within the month or it was straight to the bad end route.
Of course, I'd make sure that didn't happen by guiding them right. But I wasn't gonna spill that and raise suspicions.
Phew... Keeping secrets like this felt kinda thrilling in secret.
"Let's head home and crash first!! Sell that gem and we're golden!" I pumped up the mood on purpose.
"Hope it's worth a ton." Umi grinned.
Staring at the gem was stirring up some serious greed.
Weapon shop. I slapped the gem right on the counter.
"Hmm... looks like you took down a mighty foe. I'll give you a good price for this." Greenbeard chuckled.
Yeah, right. Think I'm gonna let my guard down at that?
I was gonna squeeze every yen out of this. In the game, I'd sold it at a loss without haggling, but not anymore.
"100,000 yen." Greenbeard said.
"1- 100,000 yen?!!" My companions looked shell-shocked, not even dreaming of bargaining.
Well... 100,000 yen was a fortune for high school freshmen. Adult-level money.
"Sold!!!" Umi's eyes were gleaming with greed.
"Heh... our kind needs gems like this from monster cores to convert to power. That's why we pay well." Greenbeard laughed.
Yeah, as you guessed, this old guy's from the same clan as Bluebeard in the Soul's Room. They convert monster cores into energy to live—that was the lore. Details were vague, but they were definitely supernatural beings. Residents of the Other Side.
Public servants dispatched to stop the Other Side from eroding reality. That's why they helped us out under that mission.
"150,000 yen." But I had a heart of steel. I jacked up the price right away.
We'd busted our asses for this. Couldn't sell our passion for a measly 100k.
Clatter! Clatter! Greenbeard rummaged under the counter for something.
Heh. Pulling out the salt? But I'd built immunity by now. I'd overcome osmosis itself—that was me.
But what Greenbeard pulled out shattered all common sense. A glass vial filled with some ominous liquid. No idea what it was, but the label had a skull on it. The kinda stuff a quack doctor with a deer mascot like my master would dump in soup.
"Take the 100,000 and scram before I splash this on your face." Greenbeard growled.
"Uh... what is that stuff?" I asked.
"Test it and see." He replied.
"100,000 it is!" I caved instantly.
"Heh. Smart boy." Greenbeard handed over 100,000 in crisp bills—stacks like bricks.
"Wooooah...!" Umi snatched the wad, eyes sparkling.
"........." Sassis played it cool, but he was thrilled too at the sudden windfall.
"What should we do with it?" Taiga voiced the practical question.
"Buy gear or stock up on potions, probably." Sassis said.
Right on. If we didn't save the world, it'd end anyway. RPG golden rule: blow money on spec-ups ASAP.
"Overruled." Umi said in a stern, solemn tone.
"This is like our club finally getting some funds!!! Let's use it to go have fun!!" Umi's eyes sparkled as she yelled.
"Oh yeah, Golden Week starts next week. Let's do it then." Taiga, ever the play expert, jumped on Golden Week.
Golden Week. Japan's unique holiday cluster around mid-April—about a week of national holidays kids called Golden Week. The best tradition ever.
Why did Korea suck up trash like full-school assemblies and sports day drills from the colonial era but grit its teeth at awesome stuff like Golden Week? Made me that salty.
"Hmm... I was planning nonstop kendo training that week." I said.
A whole week off? Perfect for grinding specs. Plus, holidays were prime time for web novel updates. I'd chain chapters during Golden Week to boost views.
"For real!! Don't waste your youth!! A chance to hang with cute girls like us? Get hyped already?" Umi prodded.
"I'm thrilled just being near you, Umi. It's my default state—no need to say it out loud."
"Ehehehehe!! What a simp!!" Umi laughed, but ruffled my hair with wild enthusiasm anyway.
She pretended to hate flattery, but her body's honest. Kinda weird phrasing, though.
"What about me? How's being around me?" Taiga chimed in then.
"Scary. Feels like you'll mug me for cash." I said straight.
"You little shit!!!" Taiga went to punish me right away.
See?! That's why it's scary!! Fists first!!!
"Hey. Monsters don't take Golden Week off..." Sassis tried pointing out.
Yes!! Sassis!! Drop the cool guy act and back me up!!
"Golden Week!! Golden Week!!!!" But Umi wasn't listening.
"Kiryu... hear me out..."
"Golden Weeek!!!! Kyeaaak!!" Umi threw a perfect tantrum, shutting down all talk.
This girl... surprisingly childish. Wasn't she supposed to be the haughty type?
"......They say if you like someone, you start resembling them... guess it's true." Sassis muttered under his breath.
Who resembles who? I wasn't that much of a pain.
Just... righteous outrage. Er... was I? Thinking back, I was pretty bratty too.
"Fine. Let's go." Sassis sighed wearily.
Already giving up?
"Yesss!!!!" Umi jumped for joy.
Well... her bouncy pose made those massive tits jiggle like crazy. My elite dynamic vision had no choice but to track the motion.
Click! I snapped a mental camera shutter. Had to cherish this forever.
"Where to?" Taiga asked in a suddenly sulky tone.
She had mood swings too, huh.
"Hey, I opposed this to the end. The planner, Umi, picks." Sassis deflected.
Fair point.
"Then..." Umi grinned and dropped it.
"Amusement park. 'Kay?"
"Amusement park? Solid, safe pick." I muttered.
Fine for minors, too. And Emoshita City had one. In the game, you could date heroines there once relations leveled up.
Yeah. Hang out as a group, wrap up with goodbyes—perfect. Wholesome as hell. If she'd suggested hot springs, I'd have shot it down.
"But any leftover cash goes straight to savings for club funds." Sassis tried asserting leader authority.
"Sassis, you're like a nagging mom." Umi snickered.
"Who're you calling naggy?!!" Sassis raged, cool guy image shattered.
Anyway, our first dungeon clear wrapped up smoothly.
Back home fiddling with my phone, a chime hit.
The special operations club group chat I'd made somehow was already buzzing. Amusement park was Golden Week opening day. Day trip, party till night.
'Well... clear the first day for it.'
Then another chime!! From Eri.
No clash with the park, so I said sure.
Chime! Another one.
Taiga. Short and sweet. Felt like refusing wasn't an option, so I replied with shaky fingers.
Chime!! Like a hidden cam, perfect bad timing—another text.
Gonzaemon—no, the real boss Asuna—says so? No choice. I said yes.
Suddenly my Golden Week was packed solid. This... was gonna be intense.
I desperately started plotting my writing schedule in my head.