Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: The Request and the Cookie -1-
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Three people sat in the reception room without the receptionist who usually handled greetings and arrangements.
In the awkward atmosphere, I opened my mouth with the lightest, most playful tone and gestures I could muster.
"Here, have a drink each. It'd be unfair to give them only to the receptionist. Discrimination in treats is the real crime."
I pretended to rummage through my belongings while connecting to my inventory and pulling out two potions.
The potions were a dark green color—not exactly appetizing.
But the glass vials containing the liquid were so exquisitely crafted they rivaled ornate sculptures, impossible to look away from.
Essence of Animus
▷ Consuming it once increases mental resistance.
▷ Effect disappears if impurities are mixed in.
"W-Wait a second! This is super expensive!"
Since it was an identified item, Seria and Rike could see the status window too.
Seria understood just how precious it was.
The value that made even a regeneration potion seem trivial.
Something she might never afford even if she saved her whole life.
"You not gonna drink it?"
"····"
The two just stared at each other's dumbfounded faces.
"Grabbing opportunities when they come is skill too... Whatever if you don't want it."
"W-Wait!! I'll drink it! Instructor—don't go back on your word later! Rike, you drink too, quick!"
Seria opened one vial and handed it to Rike first, then glanced at me warily before downing the essence in one gulp.
It wasn't something you'd call tasty even politely, but the women noticed the positive changes in their bodies after emptying the vials.
Before they could say anything burdensome, I cut it off at the root.
"Don't ever say thanks. This is all just whims of mine. Think of it as my hobby to see shocked faces."
"As expected... People at the top of their field really are beyond normal understanding..."
Seria looked at me with moved eyes, as if she understood, which left me flustered instead.
'What the hell?'
The real reason I did this was to counter Robert.
Not knowing how the main story would unfold, this was the first priority.
No matter how handsome the protagonist was, his actions sometimes made you question if he was human or a monkey, doubting his intelligence.
If he came off as a selfish thief bastard, would the heroines even stick around?
Even good looks have limits.
But he pulls it off. How?
Homme Fatale - D
▷ Women easily take a liking to your actions.
▷ Women don't easily get disappointed by your actions.
This was it.
It defied logic.
A passive skill that was the root of all evil to outsiders.
This was why the women around him, at cadet level, were swooning helplessly.
It drastically lowered early-game difficulty, but the fatal flaw was its D rank.
Since it affected the mind, raising the heroines' mental resistance nullified it.
Suddenly, the protagonist's affection-building difficulty skyrocketed.
I figured the odds were low, but I gave it to Rike hoping she wouldn't fall for Robert.
Seria was just along for the ride.
"...Still, just letting this slide..."
The two seemed flustered by the sudden stroke of fortune.
To lighten the mood, I steered the conversation to business.
"That's the end of that! Pretend it never happened. Talk more, and no requests or consultations."
At my somewhat forced words, they nodded heavily.
"For starters, I've already talked with the Lofty Academy dean, but the moment I leave the academy, I'm an adventurer. No need to call me instructor."
"...Understood."
Seria kept her mouth shut like her gratitude was sealed, so Rike answered instead.
"Now, let's hear the request details. Adventurers have a basic contract not to disclose reception room talks without permission, so no worries."
"Just to be sure... Do you take non-combat requests too?"
I could guess what she might say, but at this point, even that wasn't certain.
I scratched my head at the faint headache and frustration rising.
"Can't say for sure. Let's hear it."
"...I see. How do fees work basically?"
"No fixed rate. I decide after knowing the request."
Rike slowly caressed the scar on her face with sunken eyes.
"Could I summarize the details and visit again separately?"
I nodded, and Rike stood up.
Seria hurriedly rose when she did.
Rike finished her slow greeting, paused a beat, then spoke.
"Then... we'll be going."
"Yeah~ Take care."
Rike grabbed the reception room door handle but didn't move, gripping it tightly.
"What? More questions?"
"Instructor... no, Adventurer. Am I beautiful from your perspective?"
"...!"
Why was Seria next to me more shocked than me?
I grew interested in her actions, which didn't exist in the game.
That alone made dismissing the receptionist worth it.
"Asking my tastes?"
"Yes."
Her purple eyes faintly glimmered.
I wasn't sure if Rike intended it, but it was the first skill use since entering.
The question seemed like showing affection, but
She had no reason to now.
"By my standards, yes. That answer your question?"
"...Thank you. Including other things..."
Rike returned to the Adventurer's Guild the day before the second Practical Combat 1 class.
Seria wasn't with her today.
I didn't go straight to the reception room but stood with her at the guild entrance.
"No chance of leaks here, but if you don't want more ears hearing the request, somewhere other than the guild is fine."
Some hated even receptionists overhearing, due to personal traumas or confessions of faults.
It was common; I could take private requests, process them anonymously, and report to the guild without contract issues.
"...Then where should we go?"
I debated a shop that popped into my head.
'Is it okay to go there now?'
I hadn't thought that deeply before.
Deciding to go, I led the way, and she followed with quick steps.
"Here. Let's go in."
"...?"
No sign to call it a cafe.
Alchemy tools and reagents cluttered the tables; no place to sit.
Two identical-looking men sat at the counter,
Apparently sharing senses, both dozed off while seated.
"You open for business?"
-Crash!
Startled by my voice, they knocked over their precariously stacked books.
"S-Sip—come on in!"
Wiping drool with sleepy, dazed eyes, they didn't look cut out for shopkeeping.
No helping it.
Developer canon: a shop made for Rike's affection and events.
No real bond yet, so no affection gain for me,
But seeing her so down made me want to do something.
One twin an alchemist, the other a theory-focused mage.
They burned out in their fields, retired, then pooled knowledge to earn big and live easy in old age.
The result:
Memory Cookie
▷ Special process means no expiration.
▷ Recreates 'that flavor from back then.'
-The familiar is the scariest!
I didn't know the recipe, but it manifested the taste the eater craved most.
Dirty expensive ingredients, zero interior sense—no customers.
Top mystery: they didn't notice the stolen sign.
Side quest to find it, but no time now.
I checked the full cookie jar on the counter.
"What'll you have? Probably got everything."
Maybe.
"Milk for me..."
"Hot?"
"Yes."
"Put that money aside and sit. Hey! Clear a table please."
One man burst out, wringing a rag.
No customers for days probably.
Any who saw the prices just passed by.
"Sorry!! Just a moment!!"
He shoved alchemy stuff and reagents to a corner, then scrubbed the table vigorously.
"One hot milk, iced coffee, and... all the memory cookies you have."
"A-All of them?!"
"Not selling?"
"Of course we are!!"
Seeing opportunity, he shook off the daze, pulling out every tin of memory cookies.
"Don't tell me the price—settle with this. Prep a few to eat now, pack the rest."
I pulled a gold-filled pouch from my pocket and set it on the counter.
Angle hid it from Rike behind me.
The counter guy glanced at her, winked, and thumbs-upped me in understanding.
'Gross...'
Uncle with scruffy beard winking? Insane.
"Drinks on the house! Little wait!"
Table cleared, Rike sat staring into space.
Normally you'd gawk at a shop like this, but she showed no interest.
"Sorry. Order took a bit."
"Sorry... I'm the client, I should pay..."
"Next time, if there's a chance~"
The man approached shakily with a tray, setting down drinks and cookies.
"E-Enjoy!"
He left a paper bag with a crudely decorated box by me.
"Interior's no sense here."
"Yes..."
Her hesitation-free reply confirmed it.
She noticed.
"But the cookies are killer. Let's talk while eating."
Memory cookies looked unworthy of the name—
No chocolate, nuts; like cut clay squashed in a palm.
But the true value was the effect!
Appearance aside—from scent to taste,
Magical cookies recreating any memory.
Why cookies of all things? But
Perfect event targeting Rike's longing for her mother.
"I ate lightly, so milk's fine..."
Her nose twitched mid-sentence.
Rike's blank face rippled on the verge of crumbling.
"Heard sweets help the brain turn for better talk."
*Churai! Churai!*
I screamed internally, watching her.
In the silence, she picked up a cookie with trembling hand.