Volume 3 Chapter 12 The S-Rank Adventurer’s Secret A Weird Smell and a Sudden Collapse at the Gala
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Wha—!? …Ouch, ouch, ouch… huh?”
Before Hirose even realized what was happening, a jarring pain made him tumble to the floor, and suddenly, a wave of overwhelming beauty was right in front of his eyes.
Long dark blonde hair, a slender, model-like figure, and features that screamed anything but Japanese—this person gave off an aura that couldn’t possibly be contained within the realm of just an Adventurer.
In a sort of awkward, embracing collapse on the floor, Takanashi Hirose and the S-Rank Adventurer, Kurebayashi Nagisa, were in full contact.
”A-ah… No! Stay away from me!” Nagisa shrieked, her voice clipped and desperate.
”B-b-b-buffho!?”
Nagisa, perched right on top of him, then abruptly slapped Hirose’s face, and his consciousness started to fade right then and there.
Getting a slap from the Adventurer he idolized was somehow a little bit thrilling, but at the same time, Hirose felt a profound sense of wrongness.
A strange stench.
He knew the person in front of him should smell wonderful, but instead, an acrid, nose-stinging odor hit him.
* * *
The clock rewound to the exact moment Kurebayashi Nagisa first stepped into the venue.
Sweeping into the hall was Kurebayashi Nagisa, one of the incredibly rare S-Rank Adventurers—a rank held by fewer than ten people in all of Japan.
She advanced toward the center of the hall, giving a slight nod of acknowledgment when she spotted an acquaintance. Yet, she maintained a strict distance, never actually moving closer. After that, she continued to keep her distance from everyone, offering only quick nods as a form of greeting.
”S-she’s the real deal…” Hirose, who was aspiring to become an Adventurer himself, found his gaze completely captivated by Nagisa’s intense presence.
”Hmph. So that’s her, is it?” Rindou Hibiki muttered, puffing out her cheeks with a hint of pouty jealousy.
Of course, Hirose wasn’t looking at Nagisa with romantic affection, but his sheer awe made Hibiki just a little bit envious.
”S-Rank Adventurers are usually too strong to work in a group, so they’re soloists. That one, apparently, has a Wind-type Gift,” Hirose explained.
”Oh, really? Wind, huh… used properly, that sounds like a Gift you could use every day, doesn’t it?” Hibiki commented.
”Yeah. They say she can even fly,” Hirose added.
”I want that!” Hibiki exclaimed, her eyes gleaming.
”It certainly sounds like fun,” Kushima Koharu mused.
Hirose’s explanation made Hibiki’s eyes light up. The ability to fly was like a dream come true, something anyone would yearn for.
Afterward, Midori called Hirose and his friends over for a brief introduction to ‘Treasure Next’s’ President, Hourai Takao. He gave them a seemingly kind remark: “Please take care of Midori.”
However, Hourai’s clothes were overly luxurious, and he wore a massive amount of accessories. He was the very picture of a nouveau riche bigshot.
Once the reception got underway, the ‘Treasure Next’ President took center stage, speaking into the microphone. His topics covered the year’s most successful individuals, future initiatives, and then they moved into an awards ceremony.
When that finished, it was time for the social mixer. Everyone helped themselves to the buffet-style food and sat at the available tables to eat.
”Yummy! This is the best roast beef I’ve ever had!” Hibiki practically growled with pleasure, her eyes shining at the sight of food she wouldn’t normally get to eat.
”Hibiki-chan, you’re going to get fat if you eat too much!” Koharu worried.
”It’s okay just for today!” Hibiki argued back.
”That’s not something a person who always eats should say,” Koharu pointed out.
”Koharu, you too…!”
”I’m careful, so I’m fine.”
Koharu chided Hibiki for shoveling down the food. Although Hibiki usually ate snacks all the time, she had once lost weight thanks to Hirose’s ‘Fat Burning’ Gift. But time had passed since then, and her figure was gradually returning to its former shape.
”I think you could stand to gain a little more, though,” Hirose offered.
”You shouldn’t say ‘you can get fat’ to a girl!” Hibiki snapped.
”But it’s true!”
”Then use Hirose’s Skill—!”
”I’m not using my Skill,” Hirose stated firmly.
”Ehhhhhh!?” Hibiki whined.
”Not until I think it’s a real, genuine problem,” he decided.
To Hirose, Hibiki was already thin enough, and Kirino even more so.
Hibiki’s chest had received some of the nutrition, but honestly, Hirose had always thought she could stand to gain more weight, even from the beginning. That’s why he had forbidden the use of his Skill right here and now—it was a declaration he hadn’t made before.
”Asami-chan, you eat a lot too, okay?”
”Abba… gobble-gobble!” Yaginuma Asami responded with her mouth full.
Just like Hibiki, the sister-like Asami was greedily devouring food she didn’t normally eat. When a bit of rice clung to the corner of her mouth, Hirose gently wiped it away, treating her like a real little sister.
Just as this peaceful atmosphere settled over them, an incident shattered the calm.
”Kyaaaaaaah—!?”
A sudden, piercing scream echoed through the hall.
”Wh-what is it!?”
Hirose and the others reacted, looking toward the source of the cry. The President of ‘Treasure Next’, Hourai Takao, had fallen out of his chair at a nearby table and was foaming at the mouth.
”We, we have to go look!” Kirino urged.
”Right!”
At Kirino’s word, the five stood up and rushed straight toward the scene where Hourai Takao had collapsed.
”Father! Father!?” Midori, who was tending to her fallen father, cried out in a desperate panic.
Hourai Takao’s body was twitching in convulsions, his eyes rolled back, and white foam bubbled from his mouth.
”A-Asami-chan—”
”Abba, I know it…!” Asami cut in, already on task.
Without needing the full sentence, Asami understood Kirino’s plea. She immediately used her ‘Appraisal’ Gift on the collapsed man.
”Poison… he’s been poisoned. Like this, it’s bad. Three hours at most… no, two hours.” Asami’s small voice was deadly serious.
”Got it! Asami-chan, hide yourself!” Kirino commanded.
”Abba. Going to ‘Mimicry’…”
To keep Asami’s identity a secret, she used ‘Mimicry’ to blend in with the background. Asami’s form vanished from the spot.
”Grandpa! It’s poison! Hourai Takao has been poisoned!” Kirino immediately called out.
”Kirino…! How do you know—No, never mind that. This is an emergency! —Everyone, NO ONE LEAVES THIS HOTEL!” Genroku Hidou, the Chairman of the Adventurer’s Guild Association, shouted a command to everyone present. “Call the police and an ambulance! Wakatsuki, take charge of the situation!”
”Yes, sir. Leave it to me,” the secretary responded calmly.
Hidou, having heard about the poisoning from Kirino, boomed his voice across the room to address all attendees, leaving the subsequent handling to his secretary, Wakatsuki.
* * *
—Twenty minutes later.
Hourai Takao was being rushed away by ambulance, accompanied by Midori Hourai, who also left the venue. The remaining attendees, about a hundred people, stayed behind.
When the police arrived, they began taking statements, led by Genroku Hidou. They were told that as long as they remained on the same floor of the hotel, they were allowed to use the restrooms. Police officers stood guard at the elevators and stairwells, making it impossible to leave the building easily.
Hirose decided to use the restroom quickly before heading back to the main hall.
It was then, in that moment, that it happened.
Walking right toward him was none other than the S-Rank Adventurer he admired, Kurebayashi Nagisa.
”Eh… huh!?” Hirose gasped.
Nagisa, however, didn’t seem to notice Hirose standing there, and she kept walking straight toward him, her head tilted down. She was sniffing the air repeatedly, almost as if she were desperately searching for something.
”Wha—!? …Ouch, ouch, ouch… huh?”
Nagisa, completely oblivious to Hirose, walked right into him head-on.
He realized that Nagisa was now sprawled right on top of him, their bodies pressed tightly together in the collision.
”A-ah… No! Stay away from me!” Nagisa’s desperate yelp of protest rang out.
”Bufffho!?”
In a completely baffling turn of events, Hirose was slapped, and the powerful impact made his consciousness begin to dim.
Then the wrongness registered.
Kurebayashi Nagisa was an incredible beauty, a person who should, by all accounts, smell wonderful.
Yet, from her body came a peculiar, sharp, acrid odor.
”St… Stinks…” Hirose mumbled.
”A-a-a-a-a-a-ah!?” Nagisa, who was still on top of him, let out a panicked scream at the word.
As if his mumbled truth were the final trigger, she delivered a finishing blow to Hirose’s cheek before his eyes finally closed.
—
Summary:
The Adventurer’s gala for ‘Treasure Next’ turns into a poisoning mystery! After a lavish start where Hibiki and Asami gorge themselves on roast beef, the company President, Hourai Takao, suddenly collapses, foaming at the mouth—a clear case of poisoning. Asami’s ‘Appraisal’ Gift confirms the deadly urgency, forcing the Guild Chairman, Genroku Hidou, to lock down the hotel and call the police. Amidst the chaos of the police investigation, Hirose has a disastrous, embarrassing, and painful collision with the aloof S-Rank Adventurer, Kurebayashi Nagisa, only to be utterly shocked by a bizarre, acrid smell coming from the beautiful woman.
—
Character Insight:
The shocking moment when Hirose realizes the beautiful, idolized Kurebayashi Nagisa smells bad is a pivotal moment, breaking the illusion of her perfection. This sensory detail suggests there is a deep, potentially dangerous secret or consequence tied to her S-Rank status and her Gift. His internal conflict—between the pain of the slap and the unexpected stench—highlights the theme that not all things glamorous are pure, especially in the world of powerful Adventurers and their Gifts.
—
Behind the Scene:
The chapter sets up a major plot hook: the poisoning of the ‘Treasure Next’ President and the immediate hotel lockdown. This creates a closed-room mystery scenario where the remaining hundred attendees are suspects. The focus is shifted from the poisoning to Nagisa’s strange behavior—sniffing the air like an animal and her violent reaction to Hirose’s observation about the odor. This implies she might be connected to the mystery in a way no one suspects, perhaps using her Wind Gift to track the poison’s scent, or maybe she is the target.
Notes:
• Kurebayashi Nagisa – One of the few S-Rank Adventurers in Japan, possessing a wind-type Gift. She is stunningly beautiful with long dark blonde hair, sharp and a model physique. Despite her fame, she keeps her distance from everyone, and a mystery surrounds her behavior. She just accidentally collided with Hirose.
• Rindou Hibiki – Hirose’s cheerful, bold classmate who is the first to request his Beauty skill. Hibiki (F, pink bob hair, 158cm, F-cup) is outgoing, expressive about her interests, and quickly becomes Hirose’s girlfriend after an explicitly intimate scene. Her reactions help set the adult tone of the story.
• Kushima Koharu – A reserved, literature-loving girl (F, 156cm, G-cup, black braid) who struggles with family problems, including bruises and emotional stress. She experiences dramatic physical and emotional improvements after Hirose’s skill use, revealing a hidden wild side during explicit nighttime encounters.
• Hourai Takao – The President of ‘Treasure Next.’ He is a flashy man, dressed in lavish clothes and numerous accessories, giving off a ‘new money’ vibe. He collapses suddenly during his speech at the reception.
• Kirino – Strikingly beautiful with blue long hair (F, 168cm), Kirino is gifted with ice magic and feels isolated because of her appearance. Hirose’s Beauty skill helps her improve her self-image and social comfort, directly affecting Kirino’s relationship with her family and classmates.
• Yaginuma Asami – 16-year-old 1st-year, many inherited/stacking gifts, stores items, reflects attacks, teleports, resists conditions, mixed Japanese-English.
• Genroku – Kirino’s grandfather (M, 74yo, short white hair, 182cm), president of the Adventurer Guild. Though intimidating, he is deeply caring for Kirino, protecting her throughout the narrative. His body looks much younger and is absurdly muscular, causing his suit to strain. He is fiercely, boisterously affectionate towards his granddaughter. He causes a major scene when he sees Kirino.
• Wakatsuki – The secretary to Genroku Hidou, the Guild Association Chairman. He is calm and professional, ready to handle the immediate crisis as delegated by his boss.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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