My First Companion and Entrance Exam Preparations
When I returned to the Adventurer’s Guild, the quest completion report had already been filed.
Ragna, who had punched me once before hastily departing, must have taken care of it. I received the 10,000 Jor reward for completing the quest and the handwritten ‘Letter of Recommendation’ from the Adventurer’s Guild’s Branch Manager, which I needed to take the Hero Academy entrance exam, and headed to an inn.
Come to think of it, I’d glossed over it, but the going rate for an Orc settlement annihilation quest is usually around 12,000 Jor.
In that case, it seems Ragna scrupulously divided the reward according to the number of Orcs we each defeated.
…I would have been fine with splitting it evenly, though. Well, chasing after Ragna now to give her money would probably just embarrass her even more, so I’ll try to return it indirectly if I get the chance.
And so, I arrived at an inn run by the Adventurer’s Guild.
Being C-rank, I can stay for less than half the regular price, which is quite reasonable. It’s an astonishing 30 Jor per night (dinner and breakfast included). That’s unbelievably cheap by Japanese standards.
Incidentally, in JRO, the exchange rate when converting real money to JRO’s in-game currency, ‘Jor,’ was about 100 yen = 10,000 Jor.
But, perceptually, 1 Jor feels like it has the value of about 100 yen.
Mulling over such things, I finished a reasonably tasty dinner, took a quick shower, and lay down on the bed.
This world, whether it’s thanks to magic, ‘Alchemists,’ or because JRO was a game made by Japanese people, has a pretty high standard of living.
As I marveled at the wonders of this JRO world, I earnestly contemplated my future.
My ultimate goal is to become the strongest in the world, but before that, I want to restore my engagement with Reina.
To do that, I first need to enroll in the Hero Academy, which Reina will also be attending starting this year, and then I can think about a concrete plan… but for that to happen, I have to pass the entrance exam first, or it’s all pointless.
For now, I have the Branch Manager’s Letter of Recommendation I received today, so I don’t think I’ll be rejected at the document screening stage. And as for the entrance exam, with my exhaustive knowledge of JRO’s game guides, I’m confident I can score at least 90%.
However, from what I’ve heard, the Hero Academy apparently has a system where students are divided into classes based on their entrance exam scores and such.
And Reina, being a princess and exceptionally talented, will surely be placed in the top class.
If possible, I wanted to spend my academy life in the same class as Reina.
In that case, I also have to work hard to get into a top class!
Even if I say I have to work hard, the entrance exam is next month, and there’s almost nothing I can do to prepare from now on.
I should at least reread the JRO strategy guides I wrote down a long time ago so I wouldn’t forget.
…But, I can’t quite fall asleep.
What comes to mind is what happened today. That red kitten… Ragna, blushing as she showed off her removed panties to me.
I’m devoted to Reina, but I’m still a boy of a certain age. After seeing something like that, it’s bound to stick to the back of my eyelids for a while and not disappear.
I… relieved myself, and then went to sleep. …This is a physiological act, so I don’t think it counts as cheating.
◇
“It’s your fault I can’t get married anymore! Take responsibility!!”
In the morning, after having a reasonably tasty breakfast at the inn and stepping outside, Ragna declared this, pointing her index finger sharply at me.
Her red twintails swayed, and her eyes shone gold.
But what flashed through my mind was, again, yesterday’s freshly removed underwear… That was too much stimulation for a virgin like me.
More so than when I first saw it, I feel even more embarrassed now, with a delayed reaction.
“…Even if you tell me to take responsibility. I have a fiancée…?”
“Is that so? But that doesn’t matter!”
“It does matter, doesn’t it…”
Or rather, when she says ‘take responsibility,’ does she really mean that?
As of yesterday, I was pretty sure she hated me…
“I mean, Ragna, do you…”
“Among Beastfolk, strong males usually…”
Our timing was a bit off, and we spoke over each other. For now, I yielded the floor to Ragna.
“Um, among Beastfolk, it’s normal for strong males to have many females attending them! If you’re as strong as you are, you should have the capability to have both your fiancée and me, right?”
“It’s not about capability, but Reina… my fiancée might not like it, for one thing.”
“But, from the way you put it earlier, she’s not exactly your fiancée right now, is she?”
“Well, um… that’s true. But, our engagement is only temporarily dissolved right now, and we plan to restore it later, so she’s practically my fiancée… right?”
Somehow, combined with my stammering, what I was saying felt a bit creepy, but Ragna listened, nodding with “hmm, hmm.”
“So, in other words, she’s not your fiancée now, but you want to marry this Reina person someday. In that case, I can help you out!”
“…In exchange, I have to marry Ragna too?”
“That’s right. You saw my Crotch, after all… Or are you dissatisfied with me becoming your bride?”
“No, it’s not dissatisfaction, it’s more like…”
However, regarding the matter of seeing her Crotch? My ignorance was partly to blame, and because of that guilt, I couldn’t strongly refuse Ragna.
No, that’s not it. To be honest, seeing her panties did make me waver a little.
Besides, Ragna is a beautiful girl in appearance… Her personality is harsh, but she’s starting to show a bit of a ‘dere’ side. …And I do kind of yearn for a harem.
Maybe I can’t refuse Ragna because my heart is weak to desire. If I were strong against temptation, I wouldn’t have been so engrossed in JRO until I died in my previous life.
“Well, it doesn’t really matter… um, your name. What was it again?”
“…Didn’t you say something yesterday about not needing to ask? …W-w-wait, no, no, no! H-Height. My name is Height!”
Don’t just suddenly try to take off your panties!!
Wasn’t showing her removed underwear the most unbearable thing for a Beastfolk woman…?
“I see… Height, is it.”
Please don’t look a little disappointed. Because I’m feeling a little disappointed too.
“Well, if you’re not convinced, Height, that’s fine. I’ll just continue to stay by your side as your bride either way.”
“Well, if that’s the case… But, I won’t be swayed so easily, you know?”
“Fufu, I wonder about that?”
Ragna laughed provocatively.
“So, what was it that you were about to say earlier, Height?”
“Oh, um… Ragna, do you… like me?”
“Hmm? I wonder? But I do like strong males.”
She just called me a strong male, so isn’t that practically saying she likes me?
However, that slightly indirect way of putting it was very Ragna-like, and yet, it had a certain charm that I didn’t dislike.
Reina, I’m sorry. I couldn’t bring myself to reject Ragna. I’ve never had anyone show affection for me in my previous life, so I don’t know how to refuse.
…No, that’s just an excuse, isn’t it?
Still, for now, I swear to myself.
Until my engagement with Reina is restored, I won’t lay a single finger on Ragna. Even if I’m tempted, I’ll endure it somehow through… self-generation.
At the very least, my first time will be with Reina.
I know it’s insincere, but still, so that I don’t end up hating myself, even in my insincerity, I intend to uphold this rule.