43. A Situation That Could Be Misunderstood in Many Ways
43. A Situation That Could Be Misunderstood in Many Ways
"...Wait, you gave me the location, so I was wondering where it was.... Boss, isn't this your house?"
"Then where else would we study? It's not like I own any other buildings, and I'm not going to rent a place out."
"......."
"We're just going to study anyway, right? Don't make such a face like you've eaten shit. Come on in."
"......Hah."
It was the weekend, and for some reason... someone other than Noah or Vivian had come to visit.
Aside from the fact that I usually live alone, there was truly no one who would ever come to my house.
It was only natural that it felt awkward.
Although, since that kid Noah has been coming over frequently lately, I had gotten a bit more used to it than before.
"Come in. It's a building provided by the Academy, so it's not a super fancy house, but it's decent enough to spend some time in."
"......."
Anyway, I let the Valerance young lady inside.
Noah would probably arrive before long.
I thought it would be good to explain things and tell her a few things before that happened.
"Actually, that kid Noah, her grades are terrible in everything except swordsmanship. Thankfully she's not failing, but they're seriously low."
"...So?"
"That's why she asked me to tutor her separately, and the reason she doesn't ask you or Iris is... probably because she's embarrassed to show her shortcomings to her peers."
"......Is that so?"
It was a situation that could be misunderstood in many ways, after all.
She might think I have some weird intentions for tutoring Noah, right?
So, I added my own clarification.
"Anyway, that's the deal. If I had any weird intentions from the start, I wouldn't have brought you here, would I? Since I've gone to the trouble of setting up this time with Noah, why don't you try getting closer to her?"
"...Okay."
"And while you're at it, help that kid Noah study a bit too."
"......."
Did she get touched by this adult's consideration, even a little?
In the end, I only told her things that would be helpful.
She was a girl who felt like she was relatively falling behind Iris, and from Katrina's perspective, this would be quite helpful.
-Knock knock.
"Hmm... She's here. Could you go open the door?"
"...Isn't that something the Boss should do instead......."
"What are you going to do if you keep backing down like that every time? If it were Iris, she would've already opened it."
"...Okay."
I left the greeting of Noah to Katrina.
I sat comfortably at the table and waited while preparing another cup of coffee, and I could hear whispering from outside.
She must have been flustered because it wasn't me who opened the door and greeted her for once.
It was a reaction I could fully understand.
After all, I'm the homeowner, and Katrina had suddenly appeared from inside.
"Noona...?"
"Ah, you're here? Both of you, sit down with Katrina."
"......?"
"There's not much time left until the midterm exams, so I thought it would be good to study together."
"Ah... um...."
"Katrina, your class grades are fine, right? I studied 10 years ago, so she might be better at it. Wouldn't that be fine?"
Noah looked a bit flustered, but she had no choice but to nod at my words.
After all, she was helping her study.
It was time dedicated to studying without any other ulterior motives, right?
There was no way she could refuse Katrina joining in.
.
.
.
"...This is a big problem. Noah, how did you avoid failing last semester?"
"...Well, I got lucky with my guesses."
"...You said the Boss already taught you about three times. This is in pretty bad shape...."
"Pfft......."
At first, both of them were a little puzzled.
But as they started studying with Noah, Katrina understood, and Noah understood too.
They had no choice but to.
...That kid Noah was terrible at studying, even to the point where Katrina could see it.
Conversely, Katrina was much better at studying than Noah.
Especially in literature, she was much better.
I did graduate from the Academy, but she was someone who was bound to be much better than me in the field of literature.
"...That part isn't like that......."
"...Ah."
"Do you think you understand now?"
"Oh... that's definitely it. Yeah, thanks."
"......Good if you know."
Usually, I was the one teaching Noah various things.
But today, unlike usual, it was Katrina showing Noah how to do it.
I suppose she was much better at the literature side of things?
Naturally, it was much better for learning to have Katrina teach her than me.
It was more comfortable for me, too.
Actually, teaching was quite annoying.
I had been teaching her out of goodwill, in my own way.
But it was obviously more comfortable to just sit still than to teach.
"Kids, should I bring more snacks?"
"If you give them to us, we'll eat them gratefully."
"...I think I'll eat them if you give them to me too."
So I just pulled my chair back a bit, sat comfortably, and went to the kitchen and back.
That was all I did.
The two of them were studying more seriously than I thought, and Katrina was... in the middle of it too.
...But isn't she here to try and seduce Noah?
Why are they only studying so hard?
There were many frustrating parts, but I didn't bring it up right away and let it slide.
Noah was right in front of us.
I couldn't do anything here.
"Ah, by the way, Noona. We're planning to go on a quest tomorrow. Would something like a Kobold be good, like you mentioned last time?"
"Kobold?"
"Ah. You know, what we talked about last time. You said Kobolds or Ghouls were simple. Since Katrina is here too, I thought it would be good to ask."
"Ah...."
"Hmm...."
While they were studying like that, Noah looked at me and started the conversation.
Actually, I somehow ended up being the advisor for this little party.
I didn't really think much of it.
That was because... just because I said something, it didn't mean they had to listen to it, and it was literally just advice, right?
"If we're talking about a 3-person party, then probably. Even if it's not a place like a cave, they live in ordinary mountains too, so it'll be more comfortable."
"Caves are definitely dangerous."
"Yeah, like Katrina said, caves are very dangerous. Especially if there are ones mixed in that know how to use tools, dark places like caves are even more dangerous. There are traps and stuff."
"Then, as expected, you think a quest to catch a few Kobolds is good, Noona?"
"I don't know your exact skill level, but yes."
I just went with it, even now.
The original plan was for the two of them to spend time together.
But somehow, the conversation drifted this way.
But both of them seemed to have a lot of interest in this area, too.
In Katrina's case, related to her family.
In Noah's case, about her own skills.
They had their own worries.
That might be why they were focusing on what I was saying.
Even if they were teenage girls, it wasn't like they only had romance on their minds, right?
"Kobolds.... Hmm, Noah? Have you ever used a shield?"
"I haven't used a shield that often. Sometimes during Academy classes... three or four times? Most of what my master teaches is just with the sword."
"I see."
I imagined it in my head.
The little adventurer party.
Noah, Katrina, Iris.
What they would look like when they started solving quests in earnest.
Formation.
I thought about things like that.
"Whether you use a two-handed sword or a one-handed sword when fighting, in the end, it's a party composition where you and Katrina stand in the vanguard. I don't know if another person will join later, but for now, that's it, right?"
"Yes."
"But Katrina here uses a spear. You use a sword. There's no problem offensively, and you have good strength, so... you probably won't be completely pushed back against monsters like Kobolds. But in my personal opinion, that kind of thinking is the most dangerous."
The majority of cases where adventurers get hurt or die while clearing quests are due to arrogance.
If there's no arrogance, they don't take quests that don't fit their rank.
If there's no arrogance, they don't make overly adventurous choices, but act practically and safely.
That's why everyone wears armor, right?
On top of that....
"So, it would be good to have at least one shield, no matter what. No matter how small, I think a shield is absolutely essential."
"Is that so?"
"What if there's a monster attacking from a distance? For example, how would you approach if there's a Goblin using a bow or crossbow?"
"Um... by rushing in really fast?"
"And what about Iris behind you when you do that?"
"Ah... um...."
"When you think about things like that, holding out with a shield and having a mage like Iris take care of it is the right way."
"...That's true. I haven't... used a shield separately though."
A shield was quite important.
Of course, in my case, I didn't use such things and solved it by wearing expensive equipment, but?
It wasn't like they had such expensive equipment right now, and using such equipment from the start would only lead to bad habits.
At first, it's better to do it in a well-founded way.
It's better to start with the most basic things.
After doing that and getting used to it, then it's right to start equipping gear in earnest, and using expensive, flashy equipment.
"You can learn how to use a sword and shield from your master."
"Aha."
"Of course, since you're doing it tomorrow. Just do a simple test tomorrow. Talk to Morgan on Monday."
"It was a good thing I asked Noona, right?"
"...Yeah. It's true that it helped."
It was advice I ended up giving by chance, but... well, it was rewarding.
Little adventurer kids who tried their first quest and hadn't even passed a week yet.
Since they were rookie adventurers, bottom-tier adventurers themselves.
It was fun to teach them, and their reactions when I told them things were entertaining.
"Do you have any other questions?"
"Ah, I do."
"Ask away. Katrina, if you have any questions too, feel free to ask."
So, it was somewhat normal for me to end up saying things like this.