020. Impatience
――What has happened since then?
I don't really want to remember.
However, it seems that memories are not so conveniently made ― I had lost my strength in a place where a faint trace of Yume remained, and before I knew it, I was discovered by the fixers who had rushed to the scene and taken away as it was.
I was interrogated in the guild about the circumstances leading up to the incident, and after another day of detention for confirmation and formalities, I was released. And then...
「Good grief. It's only been a few days, but you seem to have changed a lot.」
The person who greeted me was a haniwa with a rounded brownish-brown body.
「Osada-kun―」
I felt as if I hadn't seen him for a long time, but Osada-kun didn't try to ask me anything in particular and treated me the same way as before. Furthermore,
「Congratulations! Based on your accomplishments to date, and in light of this incident, the Fixers Guild is pleased to recognize Yuuto-san with the rank of "F"!」
Hannah-san said in an unusually cheerful voice and expression when I showed up at the guild. But
「You don't seem to be very happy. There are various perks and such, though?」
「Perks?」
「Yes. For example, you can get discounts at affiliated stores, use some facilities free of charge, and have an easier time getting to and from Hanaria. You may also receive higher grade requests, which will naturally be taken into account in the assessment of your compensation.」
「In short, you can now make more money」
「Indeed! In fact, the G rank is more like a "trial period," and if you want to become a full-fledged fixer or buster, this is exactly where you start!」
「Start ......right」
I'm sure Hannah-san didn't mean any harm, but her cheerful attitude was a little too bright for me.
However, if you stay depressed forever, it doesn't mean that Yume ...... dead people will come back to life.
(Even though there is folia―even if something like magic exists, it can't bring a dead person back to life)
They say that if you do a bad job, you're supposed to bring them back to life as "skeletons" "zombies" or some other kind of monster. (?)
(Even if there was a way to revive people, Yume would not want that.)
I have to change my mind, or else I might get seriously injured.
Above all, I am too low-level now.
Furthermore, with all the "things I don't know" and "things I have to learn" piling up, when will I get involved in another incident or trouble like this one? You never know.
(Don't be in a hurry――This is where you have to hold your ground!)
I strongly reminded myself and asked Hannah-san if she had any good-paying jobs for me.
◇◆◇◆
Ideal and reality are so different, and the more I tried to live strongly in the world of Elfaria, the more "things were not going well," and I felt like falling apart as soon as possible.
It has been ten days since the Yume incident.
During that time, I accepted as many requests as possible with Osada-kun and steadily built up my reputation both inside and outside the guild.
In addition to requests to kill or exterminate demonic beasts, I accepted as many requests as I could, such as "help with moving," "cleaning up trash in back streets," and "searching for lost cats".
As a result, my level rose to "8".
My basic ability increased accordingly, and I grew to the point where I could hunt monsters relatively stably in the Hanaria area, but I was still never satisfied with my work.
For example, ......, about camping out.
I know it sounds like I'm repeating myself, but there are dangerous creatures called "demonic beasts" living in this world, so unless you have a good reason, staying out in the open is often a fatal risk.
Even so, if it is unavoidable, I must make the most thorough preparations possible and rest my body with the utmost care, but this was more difficult than I had expected.
That is, "Should I build a fire or not?" "What should I do if it rains or there are strong winds?" "Do I take precautions against insects?" "What should I do if I have a bowel movement?", and the list goes on and on.
(There seems to be a useful item called a "Warding Stone," but...)
It is frightening because they are quite expensive and are only "better than nothing".
――It really is a very vivid "reality" of another world, different from those in video games and anime.
(Those who are thinking of moving to another world or reincarnating in another world because they don't want to live in Japan should think twice, don't you think?)
Compared to living in such a crazy world, one is reminded of how wonderful and idealistic the country of Japan is.
Furthermore, just thinking about "the problem of not being able to read and write" and "the problem of not having folia and skills" makes me feel depressed.
As for these problems, it is said that there is a "grimoire," a divine item that allows one to acquire folia and skills just by reading it, but of course, it is not easy to obtain and requires permission from the guild and a certain amount of money to purchase, which is not easy to do.
We had an early dinner at a bar.
(I'm kind of tired .......)
As I was thinking this, Osada-kun suddenly said something like this.
「Say, Yuuto. If you're tired, why don't you go have a girl for a while?」
When he told me, I couldn't help but say, "Bufghh!?" and spewed out my drink, but
「You've been working hard lately, haven't you? Not only that, you've been getting up early in the morning to train yourself, and staying up late at night reading, writing, and studying――I think you've been putting in too much work, don't you think?」
You should take a break once in a while,...... Osada-kun said.
「I'm sorry for making you worry, but I'll pass. I don't want something like the other day to happen.」
I don't think I could stand the thought of getting involved in another incident. However,.
「Yuuto. I'm going to make this clear at this point. Aren't you getting too impatient?」
As I was told, I lightly glared at Haniwa, who was sitting in front of me.
「I understand that it's arrogant of me to say, "I understand how you feel," but... You can't suddenly become strong by forcing yourself. The world is not that simple, and even Yuuto should know that.」
「――But!」
「Yeah. You have to work hard to become strong. ...... You are right in what you say. Especially since Yuuto has no talent.」
「......Ah. It is often said that 'effort is a virtue', but that is a delusion of those who do not know the true meaning of effort. I've learned the hard way that effort is "a compensatory act to produce results," and that "all effort that doesn't produce results is futile".」
「That's a terrible extreme view, though, you're not wrong.」
「I'm still not satisfied with the results, and I'm a real "noob" without a doubt. Continuing your pathetic efforts.....And I'm not getting any results, and if someone were to look at me, they might laugh and say, "Are you stupid? LOL"」
「――Yuuto, do you dislike "effort"?」
When asked, I clearly said, "Yeah. I hate it."
(How much easier it would be if we didn't have to work so hard to get the results we want――)
I can painfully understand why "cheats" and "peerless" are so popular.
「In any case, I think now is the "time to endure". I don't intend to stay smoldering(?) forever.」
「...... But I still think a "change of pace" is necessary」
When he said that, Osada-kun took a piece of paper out of his mouth.
「I got this when I was working separately with Yuuto. I have a 'special ticket' that can be used in this brothel district of Hanaria. I'll give you this.」
I accepted it half-heartedly as if I had been forced to accept it.
「If you look carefully, you'll see that it expires tonight, and they say you can use it for free at any store up to B rank, so what a waste, right? Like I said before, I have no reproductive organs.」
「...... No, but...」
「Yuuto's not interested? A very pretty lady is going to do "AAahh~♪ things" and "all sorts of things", you know?」
「Murhh...」
When you say it like that, it arouses my sexual desire and curiosity.
「As I explained before, Hanaria has a "public prostitution system" and the tickets can only be used in properly licensed establishments. Unless it's something really bad, there's probably nothing to worry about, so go ahead and go there.」
Osada-kun said, but the way he said it, it sounded like something "serious" might happen......and I felt a little uneasy about it.
「I have no choice. I'll take your word for it here.」
After letting out a deep breath, I tucked the special ticket into my pocket.
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Tftc
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