MTLNOVEL Volume 1 Chapter 73 - Fluffy Grass ★
“Hey Yoshino, is that the guy you were talking about?”
As Lin watches Okita-kun walk away, she asks me.
“Yes, that’s him. What do you think?”
“I don’t see anything odd about him. He does tend to look down a lot, though.”
I thought the same thing. Okita-kun always seems to be looking at my chest.
“Just so you know, he’s the same age as us.”
“Huh, so he’s a rookie? Started late, huh…”
Being the same age as us means he’s 26. That’s late to start as an adventurer.
“Seems like it. Lin, do you think you could beat Okita-kun?”
“I don’t know. Definitely not in swordsmanship. I couldn’t gauge his skill at all. It’s like he was saying, ‘You can try to cut me anytime.'”
Lin is a childhood friend who learned swordsmanship from the same teacher as I did. She’s skilled.
“He seems polite but unusually aggressive. He was like that when I first met him, too.”
“That’s a good thing. Trusting others in the frontier is foolish.”
Newcomers often get tricked because they don’t understand this. Despite the presence of the Self-Defense Force, the frontier is fundamentally dangerous.
“Do you think Okita-kun could be Elenora Ocean? He looks very different from what I saw on TV.”
“No, they’re not even the same gender. Isn’t that theory a stretch?”
“I thought maybe special makeup could do wonders, but probably not…”
You can disguise your face, but not your height. From what I saw on TV, Elenora Ocean isn’t as tall as Okita-kun.
“But approaching him seems to have been the right choice. Looks like we can make contact.”
“Through Kaede, huh…”
We had researched that Okita-kun and Kaede were living together. They also went to the same university and seemed to get along well. Meeting again at the guild and getting acquainted isn’t strange.
“I don’t quite get why they’re not dating, though.”
I don’t get it either. Aren’t they a couple? No, maybe not…
“Anyway, we’ve done enough investigation around Okita-kun. Kaede is involved, so going any further would be risky.”
Doing something strange to guild staff could lead to the loss of our qualifications. This applies even if you’re an A-rank adventurer. The protection of guild staff is a globally decided matter.
“So, should we wait for contact from the Golden Witch?”
“Yes, first we need to restore our relationship with the guild headquarters.”
Our level 2 healing potion contract was ruined because of Congressman Shindo-sensei and our own Nonaka.
“Are you going to tell them we’re connected to the headquarters?”
“They probably already know. Satsuki-nee-san is over there, too.”
In fact, the reason I transferred from the Ikebukuro guild to the Shinjuku guild was that the current guildmaster, who was the Shinjuku branch manager at the time, headhunted me. I transferred because it was said he would become the next guildmaster, and I smelled money. It did earn me Satsuki-nee-san’s resentment, though.
“So scouting the witch is out of the question?”
“It’s impossible. Even the guildmaster agrees. So we have to make some kind of connection.”
“That’s why you’re buying the item bag?”
“Well, that’s just because I want it. Item bags are always useful, and if it can hold 100 kilos, we can share it in the party.”
“Be careful in your negotiations. The other party is the Golden Witch. Don’t let her turn you into gold.”
That’s a scary thought…
“Hey, can we add a guy to our all-female party?”
“Huh? Okita-kun? Why?”
“He seems to know a lot, and we might be able to get Kaede involved.”
“I don’t mind, but will Okita-kun agree? Satsuki-san will definitely object, at least.”
That’s possible… Satsuki-san probably knows Okita-kun is strong and would object.
“Is it impossible, then?”
“Why don’t you seduce him? He seemed interested.”
Lin stares intently at my chest.
“No way. I’m not that kind of cheap woman.”
“But you’ve done photoshoots for magazines.”
“Just regular ones.”
I haven’t done swimsuit shoots. I don’t have that much confidence. To tell the truth, if they paid me ten times more, I would have been okay with it.
“So, are you going to invite him normally? It’s the same either way. You invite someone who already has a girlfriend, go on adventures together, and eventually, it leads to cheating.”
“You really like that sort of thing, don’t you…”
She’s always liked daytime dramas.
“Anyway, do as you like, Yoshino. Just don’t anger Satsuki-san too much.”
“I get it. Lin, can I leave those newbies to you?”
I look at the three new adventurers.
“Stay with them at least until noon. They’re happy to be seen by an A-rank. They’ll be disappointed if you don’t.”
That’s true…
“Then, please take over in the afternoon.”
“Sure. Let’s start our work, too. Who knows, another guy like Okita-kun might show up.”
“Okita-kun isn’t a pick-up artist, you know.”
Lin and I decide to start training the newbies.
I parted ways with Mieshi-san and started hunting skeletons. Skeletons aren’t any stronger than high skeletons, and honestly, it’s the same thing. However, it’s nice to be able to see and cut down enemies in a well-lit area. But without Nanapon, there’s no one to talk to.
“Maybe I should’ve joined the all-female group…”
But it’s a bit scary. Mieshi-san and that black-haired ponytail girl Lin seemed strong. They’re probably high-ranking members of Mieshi-san’s party.
“Well, whatever.”
I should focus on finding Fluffy Grass.
I start by looking for the grass I researched earlier, keeping my eyes on the ground. Soon, I find a plant that looks like the one I saw in the picture.
I take out my appraisal glasses from my bag, put them on, and look at the grass.
“【Enokorogusa】”
Yeah, I know this one. It’s a cat toy. Even the frontier has them.
“Annoying…”
I resume my search for Fluffy Grass. Although I hunt some skeletons I encounter along the way, I don’t find the grass.
“Ah, Okita-kun.”
I hear a voice from behind and turn around to find Mieshi-san and her group again.
“Ah, hello.”
“What are you doing looking down? It’s dangerous.”
You’d think it would be dangerous to walk around the monster-filled frontier without looking ahead. But I’ve taken down plenty of invisible high skeletons, so my skeleton radar is pretty high.
“I’m looking for Fluffy Grass.”
“Fluffy Grass? What’s that?”
Huh? Mieshi-san doesn’t know?
“Yoshino, you don’t know? It’s a fluffy grass. It feels amazing to touch.”
It seems Lin knows about it.
“Heh.”
Mieshi-san seems mildly interested.
“Um, do you know where it grows? I read about it online and thought I’d like to touch it at least once.”
I ask Lin, who seems knowledgeable.
“I get it, it’s intriguing. Fluffy Grass usually grows in places where the sun doesn’t reach, like behind buildings.”
Oh! That’s useful information!
“Thank you.”
“It’s fine, but you can’t sell it, you know?”
“I just wanted to touch it. After this, I’m going skeleton hunting.”
“Hmm… alone? Isn’t that dangerous?”
“They’re just bones.”
And they’re slow.
“Well, that’s true, but be careful anyway. Rookies tend to be reckless.”
She seems to be concerned. Is she actually a good person?
“Thank you.”
“Sure. Let’s go, everyone.”
“Eh? I also want to find Fluffy Grass…”
“It’s growing everywhere! We have work to do now!”
Lin urges an interested Mieshi-san, and with the three newbie adventurers, they head off somewhere.
“Alright! Got some good info!”
I start searching for Fluffy Grass behind buildings, and soon find a plant that looks like a cat toy.
I quickly put on my appraisal glasses and check it.
“【Fluffy Grass】”
“Ah! Found it!”
Lin was right! She’s amazing! Well, I don’t even know her last name.
I decide to touch the Fluffy Grass first.
“Wow, it really is fluffy.”
I thought cat toys were fluffy, but this is on a whole different level. It’s honestly addictive.
“But how does this raise defense?”
It feels like it would lower defense… Well, let’s try it.
I look around to make sure no one is watching, then take out a bottle of distilled water I had prepared. I put the Fluffy Grass into the bottle and concentrate. The bottle glows and turns into a flask containing a green liquid.
“Green…”
It’s a bit of an off-putting color, but if I think of it as melon soda, it’s not so bad. I open the flask and drink the Defense Boosting Potion I made. It’s tasteless and odorless like other potions, so I chug it down.
“Hmm, did my defense go up? What is ‘defense’ anyway?”
I understand strength and speed, but what is defense? Did I get harder?
I pinch my arm, but it feels normal.
“Hmm, maybe it doesn’t activate unless I get attacked? But…”
Getting slashed by a skeleton to test this is out of the question. If it fails, I could die.
“I’ll get Kaede-chan to hit me when I get back.”
I decide to let Kaede-chan commit DV and start collecting Fluffy Grass.
It’s not some weird play, okay!