Chapter 75: 【Four-Person POV】Magical Shopping ②
☆★☆【side: Sasarabashi Shiho】☆★☆
『Bigger is better! A 1% chance each night for a little bust-up! Breast-Enhancing Night Bra – 5000P ※Effect has a limit.』
“Hmm…”
Inside the fitting room.
I was looking down at my own flat chest, conflicted.
(Is it really okay to choose this…?)
After Natsume-kun and Tama-chan came back to their senses.
The four of us decided to split up and look for things we wanted to buy.
Therefore, I’m alone now.
Natsume-kun and everyone else aren’t here.
I couldn’t tell anyone, but this was the biggest reason I didn’t want to stream today’s exploration.
(I want to buy that breast-enhancing bra I saw on a Dungeon Hote stream before.)
It’s only natural I wouldn’t want Natsume-kun to see me buying something like this, and broadcasting it nationwide is out of the question.
I know the Dungeon Hote streams are popular, but there was something more important to me.
However…
(A 1% chance of growth each night, huh… It might not have much effect even if I use it for a year… Hmm…)
When it actually comes time to decide, I hesitate.
There aren’t many items that work outside of dungeons.
Moreover, items that have a permanent effect on the user are rare.
To think such a rare item could be obtained for a mere 5000 points is truly an amazing deal.
(But, is it really okay to buy this…? True, it would help with my complex about my “small chest,” but is it okay to choose it for such a reason…?)
My thoughts spun around and around.
(Besides… does Natsume-kun like people with big chests? I’ve heard some people prefer smaller ones…)
“Haaah…”
I don’t know.
I recall something from a little while ago.
――N-Natsume-kun… I’m sorry, I… I might have said something I shouldn’t have…
――I understand. I’ll do something about it.
That day, when I called him crying, Natsume-kun gave me a reassuring answer.
Since that call, the number of times I’ve thought about Natsume-kun has increased.
Furthermore, while it was the strength of all of us, Natsume-kun also achieved his goal of becoming an A-Rank Party.
(He’s amazing…)
Natsume-kun keeps moving forward.
Taking all of us with him.
“…Maybe I should also buy an item that helps me move forward.”
I’m just guessing, but Natsume-kun probably doesn’t care much about chest size.
Knowing kind Natsume-kun, I have a feeling that’s the case.
In that case, rather than resolving my own trivial complex, it would be better to choose an item that helps us move towards the future…
“…I’ll reconsider.”
I changed back into the clothes I came in and decided to leave the fitting room.
☆★☆【side: Omogawa Tamaki】☆★☆
『When you can’t muster the courage… Confession Dress (White) – 5000P ※Success depends on the other person’s feelings. Item Effect: Grants 【Bravery】 skill while equipped (effective outside dungeons), increases charm.』
“Haaah…”
I sighed in front of the lovely dress.
I remembered when I accidentally activated the 【Red Thread】 skill on the 18th floor.
(Ugh… I really have to tell Ko-chan I like him again, don’t I…)
The biggest emotion inside me isn’t “embarrassment” or “anxiety,” but “fear.”
It was still okay back when we had just reunited.
Just experiencing Ko-chan’s kindness, unchanged from the old days, was enough for me to look back on the day feeling very fulfilled that night.
I was happy just to see Ko-chan, and since it was a love I had half given up on anyway, I could be quite aggressive.
But…
Now that Ko-chan and I have gotten closer and are in the same party, the situation is different.
(I’m scared of this relationship breaking… But Ko-chan has become so popular that unfamiliar girls ask him for handshakes, so I have to tell him my feelings soon… Uuuugh~)
I know it’s a middle-schooler-like worry for someone my age, but I don’t have the wisdom to solve it.
Because this is the continuation of my long, long first love.
(If this were my second love, I wonder if I wouldn’t have these worries…)
I couldn’t show myself hesitating like this on a stream.
I’m glad I listened to Shi-chan and decided not to stream.
…Shi-chan is so smart.
She was probably thinking about this shopping trip too.
(Uuugh~. Compared to Shi-chan, I’m clumsy and not very smart… I feel like crying…)
I’ve suddenly lost my confidence.
(What are my good points, I wonder…?)
Thinking that, I suddenly remembered the past.
――Those childhood days when I ran around the mountains with Ko-chan.
And the beginning of my first love.
(That’s right… My weapon is the accumulation of time I’ve enjoyed with Ko-chan…)
I’ve enjoyed all sorts of things with Ko-chan.
When we were little.
And now, too.
(I want to be with Ko-chan from now on too… Forever and ever…)
For that to happen.
(I have to move forward at the same speed as Ko-chan. I have to become someone who can be with Ko-chan.)
This isn’t the time to be saying I don’t have the courage to confess.
Ko-chan has already surpassed me in Explorer levels.
I want to continue being Ko-chan’s partner.
(…Then, I have to get stronger.)
I turned my back on the white dress and decided to look at a different section.
☆★☆【side: Moonbow Hermit (Miyanohara Manami)】☆★☆
『Magic Attack Power Greatly Increased! Sorcerer’s Staff – 5000P』
“Hoh…”
I desire an item to enhance my magic.
If I can increase the output of my 【Light Magic】 and 【Dark Magic】, I can obtain even greater power.
What I desire is decided.
However…
My partner, my main body, Miyanohara Manami, says in my mind.
(Something that’ll be popular online! Or something valuable! If things go well, I want to live a life of leisure!)
“M-muu…”
I cannot go against Miyanohara Manami’s strong intentions.
I unsteadily head towards the ore corner.
“I do not need such things… I do not need them, and yet…”
I was made to pick up a mountain of unwanted goods…
☆★☆【side: Natsume Kouichi】☆★☆
『Cut what cannot be cut with an invisible blade! Phantom Knife – 4800P ※Cannot cut physical objects.』
『Go, Custom! Combat Support Drone – Victory Custom – 5500P』
『Effects: Relaxation, fatigue recovery, resolution of worries/doubts, increased efficiency for study/special training – Soothing Wind Chime – 5000P』
“Hmm…”
After agonizing over the three options, what I chose was…
“…I’ll go with this.”
It was the “Soothing Wind Chime,” which conditions the body and mind of those who hear its tone.
If I set it up in the “Home” of my Private Dungeon, I can create a healing space.
I thought it would be nice to have a place where we can relax when we’re worried or tired.
I also wanted the drone that looked like something out of a hobby manga I read as a kid, but it was over budget in the first place.
“…Alright, shall I go to the register?”
The registers are on the third floor of Dungeon Hote.
Apparently, beyond that, there’s a down escalator leading to the 21st floor.
It’s an interesting layout.
“Am I late, I wonder…”
When I arrived in front of the registers on the third floor.
“Ah, Natsume-kun.”
“Ko-chan!”
“Ununu…”
“Oh, have you all finished choosing too?”
My childhood friends were all just gathering there.
Only Hermit-sama had a complicated expression, but the other two looked cheerful.
“Ko-chan, did you choose the wind chime?”
“Yeah. I was thinking of putting it in the ‘Home’ of our Private Dungeon. It seems to have a healing effect on mind and body. What are you all buying? Hermit-sama looks rather bitter though…”
“…I have chosen this.”
Hermit-sama stacked five small boxes on the checkout counter.
『Magic Stone Excavation Lottery – Is the prize a real Azure Spirit Magic Stone!? – 1000P』
What Hermit-sama brought was something like a toy where you excavate a magic stone from plaster with an included small pickaxe.
“…Are you really sure about this?”
“Hermit-sama, you know these things never pay out, right?”
“I am aware… However, my main body, Miyanohara Manami, desires it… She says, ‘If I win, I can live a life of leisure forever!’ I cannot defy her…”
From what I hear, the Azure Spirit Magic Stone is an incredibly rare magic stone that’s barely even in circulation.
…Well, if Manamin herself wants it, I won’t object…
“Shi-chan, what did you decide on?”
“Fufu, I chose this, nyaa.”
“Nyaa?”
What Shi-chan took out was a cat-ear headband.
“It’s called the ‘Cat Transformation Headband.’ It seems to increase speed by 30 and lets you move like a cat. See, with my current speed, I can’t fully support Natsume-kun or Tama-chan… …And it also has the effect of increasing charm…”
“Heh…”
Shi-chan with cat ears, huh…
“…She’d probably look cute.”
“Eh? Natsume-kun, did you say something?”
“N-no, it’s nothing!”
“Really? Well, if you say so… Fufu.”
Shi-chan seemed somewhat happy.
“So, Otama-chan, what are you going to get?”
“I’m… getting this.”
Saying that, Otama-chan took out a white T-shirt and… a set of navy blue underwear?
Then, Shi-chan added.
“These are bloomers, you know. Old-fashioned gym clothes. Our generation wore half-pants, but apparently, a while ago, everyone wore these for P.E. class and stuff.”
“Is that so…”
That’s quite… stimulating.
Though I can’t say it out loud.
“It said ‘Legendary Bloomers’ on it. When equipped, it seems to slightly enhance the skill 【Body Enhancement】. …And it also has the effect of increasing attractiveness…”
“Otama-chan, are you going to wear that to dive into the dungeon?”
It seems like I wouldn’t know where to look.
Then, Otama-chan waved her hands frantically.
“W-well, yes, but that’s not it! I was thinking of wearing it as an inner layer under my other clothes!”
“S-sorry. You’re right. I was imagining strange things…”
“B-but if Ko-chan really insists on seeing it, I’ll consider it…”
“Eh, ah… um…”
“Alright, alright, Natsume-kun. Let’s pay. Take out your magical card.”
“Ah… my bad.”
Shi-chan stepped between me and Otama-chan, urging me to pay.
“Well then, shall we buy them?”
“Gunununu… My mage’s staff… Kuh… I cannot resist…”
At the register, there was a penguin that looked like Danpen-kun if he were a girl. (Apparently, her name is Danko-chan.)
When I handed over the items, she scanned each barcode one by one with her short flippers.
Beep! One item for 5000 points. Beep! Five items for 1000 points…
“Gunununu…”
And finally, a small machine with something like a magic circle drawn on it was presented.
The penguin, smiling broadly, indicated the machine with her short flipper.
“I guess I tap my card here…?”
When I touched it with my magical card.
Magicaaal!
A mysterious checkout sound echoed.
☆★☆
And so, we used the 《Wormhole》 and returned to the entrance of the Shinjuku Dungeon.
When we exited the dungeon via the escalator, there…
“Wow, it’s really Ko-chan’s Party!”
“Congratulations on becoming an A-Rank Party!”
“I saw it on SNS this morning!”
“Hermit-sama, your autograph, please!”
“Ko-chan’s autograph, please!”
“Which floor did you go to today!? Was it Dungeon Hote!?”
A large crowd of Explorers was waiting for us.
“Eh…? Why are there so many…”
And so, we once again realized just how famous we had become and how large the Explorer population in Tokyo was.