Chapter 24: It’s hard to stay calm when you’re flanked by beauties.

As Yuko entered the café, she immediately saw a figure sitting at the counter. It was a dimly lit café that seemed like a hidden spot within the building, and it was their designated meeting place.

Taking a seat next to her, Yuko promptly ordered a coffee. A staff member, who seemed to be a part-timer, started working behind the counter.

Yuko swirled the glass of water that was brought to her and began to speak.

“It’s rare for Haruka to call me out like this.”
“Yeah, it is.”

Haruka, who had arrived earlier, seemed to have already finished her first cup of coffee. She raised her hand to call the staff and ordered a second cup.

They glanced briefly at each other before returning their gaze forward.

“You look a little better now.”
“So do you, Yuko.”

“Thanks to a certain talented newcomer.”
“Isshiki-kun is amazing, isn’t he?”

“I thought he was a bit of a genius, but it turns out he’s quite the monster.”
“Calling him a monster is a bit harsh… But I kind of get it.”

“So even Haruka thinks so.”

Yuko shook her head as if exasperated and let out a small sigh.

“Isshiki-kun’s instincts are probably close to that of a monster. It’s as if having magic is a given for him, and he uses it like it’s a part of his body.”
“Like ‘the ball is my friend,’ right?”

“Probably..”
“Ah…..”

Reflecting on something, Yuko cast her gaze afar.

Developing practical magic takes time and effort, even for geniuses. This is partly because there’s a process involved to enhance its versatility so it can be used by a wide range of adventurers. But even considering that, Itsuki seems to accomplish it with ease.

When issues arise, it’s not normal to say, “I’ll try making some magic over the weekend.” It makes you want to quip if it’s some DIY project.

The coffee was brought over. She took a sip from the warm cup. She couldn’t really tell its quality.

“Hey, Yuko.”
“What is it?”

“I’m sorry. I’ve just been watching as you kept pushing yourself all alone.”
“I really don’t mind. Honestly, at first, I was a bit irritated… But Haruka has more talent than I do, so you noticed, right?”

Instead of confirming or denying, Haruka looked at Yuko, urging her to continue.

“That no matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t defeat the Undead King. I couldn’t see that back then. I lacked the talent to understand what I couldn’t do. I kept thinking someday, somehow, even someone like me… But by the time I realized such a day wouldn’t come, it was too late to turn back. That’s all.”

Looking back, those days were nowhere to be found, and what lay ahead was a chilly, desolate wasteland.

Whether the warm place was behind or ahead, she didn’t know. So, she moved forward.

“I gave up because I had talent, and I kept going because I didn’t. It’s ironic, isn’t it?”
“…Yeah, it is.”

No matter how you look at it, Yuko was the weakest in the party back then. Yet, Yuko is the only one who continues to be an adventurer.

What is talent?
Even if you find the answer, nothing changes. So the question is futile.

“Hey, Yuko. I want to go with you two, too.”
“…….”

When Itsuki said he wanted a week’s break, she had an inkling.
That inkling became a certainty when Haruka called her out.
But when faced with reality, surprise outweighed it.

“Did you get brainwashed or something?”
“Maybe both of us did.”

Faced with Haruka’s gaze, Yuko widened her eyes and then slowly nodded.

“—Yeah.”

Previously, Yuko only cared about the Undead King being defeated. She planned to watch over it by hiring a well-known party to do the job.

Meeting Itsuki and witnessing his magic, she found herself willing to fight, too.
And now, Haruka decided to take action as well.

Can someone explain what on earth is going on? There’s no master. In a café run by part-timers, this problem is too complex.

Resting her cheek on her hand, Yuko sighed.

“Seriously, what kind of magic did he use?”
“A wonderful kind of magic, no doubt.”

The two exchanged glances and then smiled softly.
Still awkward, yet like they once were.

“Take care of us, okay?”
“Thank you, Yuko.”

◇

Shiraishi-san’s leave of absence was apparently accepted in a flash.

Even the stern-faced instructor reportedly said, “If the exchange center is short-staffed, I’ll take care of it.”
Running into the instructor first thing after returning from an adventure is something I really want to avoid. From my perspective, I’d appreciate it if he didn’t do that.

But since I’m the one who caused the need for the leave, I have no right to say anything. Moreover, Shiraishi-san is part of our party, so depending on the situation, I might become a target for elimination.

…If we don’t defeat the Undead King soon, this could get dicey.

Adventuring with Kirishima-san and Shiraishi-san is, in theory, a situation to be happy about. But internally, I can’t feel at ease.

As I kept thinking about how bad the situation was, we ended up at the camp, having finished traversing the labyrinth.
From there, we headed straight to the gate leading to the “Polar Night Spirit Path.”

As I tried to time my steps to enter, I found myself flanked from both sides.
My right hand was held by Kirishima-san. My left by Shiraishi-san.

“Um… this…”

“What? We always do this.”
“Because we’re a party, right?”

Surrounded by Kirishima-san’s puzzled look and Shiraishi-san’s cheerful smile.

I get it, but… why am I in the middle?

“Doesn’t this make it look like I’m a lost child?”

Being held by both sides by older sisters, it feels a bit pathetic. Even at this age, I don’t want to be seen as a lost child. I do have at least that much pride.

“Come on, let’s go.”
“Off we go!”

“Whoa!”

Without being listened to at all, the two of them entered the gate, pulling me along as well.

The destination we were transported to was a vast, dark space, starkly different from the bright surroundings we had just left. A place devoid of both sun and stars.

As soon as our hands were released, Kirishima-san quickly scanned the surroundings, grasping our current location.
In the meantime, I activated my magic.

“[Marine Snow]”

For the time being, this addressed the curse issue. Now, we could move forward with some peace of mind.

With a nod from Kirishima-san, she started walking.

“This way.”

As always, I couldn’t understand what landmarks she was using to determine our location.
To me, the terrain everywhere looked the same. But she seemed to understand it clearly. She once told me, “If you look closely, you’ll understand,” but I didn’t get it at all. It was a bit daunting.

Leading the group, Kirishima-san pointed to a place a little off in the distance. There was a swarm of skeletons. However, it seemed she didn’t plan on engaging them.

“Those aren’t the targets for today. Let’s ignore them.”
“Got it.”

Though I’d been informed beforehand, it seemed wasteful. Thinking about how much we could earn by taking those down… It’s all because skeletons are an easy source for making money. In contrast, today’s target monsters apparently don’t yield much reward—even if defeated. It’s a sad reality.

Well, it can’t be helped. Our goal isn’t financial gain but the defeat of the Undead King. It’s undoubtedly the right decision to get closer to that end. Thankfully, my savings have been steadily increasing lately.

We kept on moving. Casual conversations occasionally sparked.
Although we had the [Marine Snow] on our side, caution couldn’t be neglected. We proceeded carefully and swiftly.

Finally, the target monster appeared.

Shiraishi-san, who was at the rear, was the first to notice.

“There it is, Yuko. Stop.”
“Where at?”

“45 degrees right. Five of them. —Ah, we’ve been spotted.”

Shiraishi-san’s voice was unusually calm and monotonous.
Grasping a staff as tall as she was, she stood in front of us.

“I’ll handle this. You two, just watch.”

The tip of her staff began to condense mana. It followed her command more readily than when I had previously watched. There was no incantation. The build-up was minimal. A magic designed purely for killing, honed for real combat.

Oh, this is—
Shiraishi-san’s true skill.

The translucent monsters came into view. Within shooting range.

“[Lightning Flash]”

The discharge of electricity pierced through the monsters.