Chapter 9 Provocation
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Wow! There are so many shops!”
After turning past Rena’s clinic, we reached the central square, where various stalls were lined up.
Adventurers, soldiers, and villagers were shopping there.
Kazumi shouted loudly and ran straight to a stall that smelled really good.
”Hey, hey! It’s grilled meat skewers! They look delicious!”
She waved us over.
”If we eat now, we won’t be able to have dinner.”
I said that while heading to the stall, but the smell was definitely making me hungry.
”It’s wild boar meat. In your world, it’s… a wild pig?”
Rena whispered to me.
”Hiroya, you must be hungry from training, right?”
”Well, I am, but… Kazumi, you just wants to eat, don’t you?”
I had a pouch with my allowance in my pocket. I think it had about 20 copper coins.
Looking at the prices──one skewer has 3 pieces and costs 5 copper coins.
”That’s about 50 yen each.”
Rena explained the value of money in a way we could understand.
One small copper coin is 1 yen, and one copper coin is 10 yen. Hmm. I can remember the value of copper coins as currency, but for me and Kazumi, Rena’s explanation comparing it to the value from our past life is easy to understand.
”Alright. I’ll treat you two. Should we each get one?”
”I want to eat it, Hiroya, but… if I eat one, dinner will be a problem…”
”Just like Kazumi. It seems like Rena (me) can’t handle one either…”
Well, the size of the piece of meat is pretty big. For us right now, it’s about 3 to 4 bites. One bite is impossible.
”Then let’s share one among the 3 of us. Hey, lady! One please!”
”Sure thing! You all sharing? Then I’ll cut it into pieces for you.”
Saying that, she brushed sauce on one skewer on the grill and skillfully separated the meat from the skewer.
She stuck short sticks into each piece and handed them to us on a piece of bark.
”Here you go. That’ll be 50,000 copper coins.”
That’s her. The lady from the shop who says, “Here’s 500,000 yen.”
”That’s expensive!”
Laughing, I took out 5 copper coins from my pouch and handed them over.
The meat I received smelled really delicious.
”Thank you!”
We headed to the chairs in the square.
”Thanks for coming! Don’t drop it!”
* * *
”Hiroya, thank you.”
”Hiroya, here. Ah──n.”
Kazumi brought my skewer to my mouth.
Here it comes. My boss’s signature “ah──n.” I was often teased with this in my past life.
”No, boss… please eat it yourself.”
I couldn’t help but remember my past life and replied just like I used to.
”Huh? Why can’t you eat it? I’m not your boss anymore, and I’m not older than you. Plus, I’m not a married woman, so there’s no need to hold back, right? We’re close childhood friends. Come on, ah──n♪.”
Well, that’s true.
”Okay. Ah──n…”
I took a bite of the skewer held out in front of me.
”Yum!”
The balance of meat and fat is good, and the surprisingly soft and sweet-spicy sauce is great.
”Then it’s my turn! Ah──n…”
Alright, alright.
I offered my meat to Kazumi.
”Yum… so delicious! I thought it would be more smelly, but it’s not at all!”
Kazumi has both hands on her cheeks, happily munching away.
”………”
When I glance at Rena, she has a blissful expression and is even drooling!
”Rena, an 8-year-old girl shouldn’t make that face.”
”No, Hiroya, it’s like I’m establishing a divine rule of admiration…”
This goddess of romance is something else.
”Rena, aren’t you going to eat? Should I feed you?”
Kazumi offers Rena the skewer I took a bite from.
”I’m already full.”
”Really? You can’t eat anymore?”
”No, I think your stomach isn’t the only one that’s full…”
”Yeah. My stomach is empty. It’s full of admiration.”
Saying that, Rena bites into the offered skewer.
”Yum! It’s delicious! Thank you for the meat and the admiration!”
This goddess is too much…
* * *
”What’s up, Hiroya? Are you still hanging out with girls after school?”
…It’s Jan. He’s surrounded by 3 classmates and one girl.
”But you’re with a girl too.”
I don’t even look at Jan as I stuff my face with the skewer.
”This girl is my little sister. I’m not weak like you.”
”Hmm.”
”Hey, how about a challenge with me?”
Jan smirks. That came out of nowhere.
* * *
”There’s a ‘haunted house’ on the edge of the village…”
I face Jan and the others in a narrow alley away from the square.
”We’re going to do a test of courage there.”
”That’s stupid, Jan.”
I try to take Kazumi and Rena back to the square, but Kazumi seems interested in the ‘haunted house test of courage.’ Oh no.
”Are you scared? That’s pathetic.”
”Hiroya is not scared at all! In fact, it sounds fun! Right?”
Kazumi turns around at me and then, glares at Jan.
”Alright, it’s decided. Tomorrow night, let’s meet at the haunted house on the edge of the village.”
”Got it. I don’t really care if there are ghosts there or not.”
Kazumi took the bait, so I have to go along with it.
”There really are ghosts there.”
Jan smiled meaningfully.
”Earlier, a party of rookie adventurers was making a fuss at the guild. They said, ‘One of our thieves went missing.’ They definitely got eaten by the haunted house.”
”Did that thief go there alone?”
Oops. I’m a bit curious now.
”Apparently, when they were drinking at the inn and heading back, that guy said he was ‘going to sober up’ and walked toward the edge of the village.”
…Hmm. That’s interesting.
”Of course, they went to look for him, right, Jan? That thief’s friends.”
”Yeah. They said he didn’t come back to the inn by morning, so they went to search. They checked the haunted house too, but no one was there.”
Listening to Jan’s story, I looked at Kazumi and Rena… oh no. They both look really interested.
”Tomorrow night, huh? The next day is a school holiday, but sneaking out of the house is going to be tough.”
I used to sneak out a lot for night explorations with friends. Well, I can manage, but…
When I glanced at Kazumi and Rena, they both nodded at me. Huh? Are we really sneaking out at night?
”Let’s meet at the haunted house at 1 AM. Don’t run away.”
* * *
For now, I asked Jan where the haunted house on the edge of the village was before we parted ways.
”Hehe. A test of courage.”
Kazumi was grinning.
”Even if there are real ghosts, Rena can use ‘Exorcism’ magic, so we’ll be fine.”
”But Rena, if there are real monsters or demons, it might be dangerous with just us.”
”Leave that to Rena. Rena can tell if there are monsters in the mansion with my ‘detection’ skill. If there are, let’s contact the barracks.”
”Yeah. …Well, if that happens, we’ll get in trouble for sneaking out of the house.”
”Kids are supposed to get scolded by adults.”
Kazumi, you’re so bold…
”Still, I think Jan and the others are just trying to scare us with some tricks.”
”Yeah. Rena thinks so too.”
”Of course. Let’s clear the haunted house with a calm face.”
This is getting really exciting.
* * *
(Jan’s POV)
”I’ll definitely scare them…”
I really dislike Hiroya.
My dad is always saying, ‘The lord is amazing. You boys will surely become great too. Jan, you should learn from him.’ It’s so annoying.
He used to be an adventurer, but after getting injured, the lord called him to manage the guild branch in this village. ‘The lord is our dream,’ he says.
What’s so great about someone like Hiroya? He’s always hanging out with girls. And the girls he’s with are the cutest in the village, like Rena, and Kazumi, who I fell for at first sight.
So, ever since I became a first-year, I’ve been bothering Hiroya. But every time, those 2 beautiful girls stop me. Of course, they support Hiroya.
”What a cocky guy.”
Even though it’s a haunted mansion, we know there’s nothing there. Adventurers have checked it out several times and reported nothing.
So, I’m going to set up my friends to scare them.
If Hiroya gets super scared and Kazumi and Rena lose interest in him, that’ll serve him right.
I’ll show those girls how brave I am.
”Hey, you guys, make sure to do a good job tomorrow night.”
I reminded my friends.
”Jan, about that… missing thief story…”
Lantz, who is tall and skinny, listened.
”Yeah, that’s a true story. But the haunted mansion has nothing to do with it. Other adventurers and parties checked it out, and they found nothing. What’s up with you? Why are you scared?”
”I’m not scared!”
I planned to make him the ‘scare actor’ hiding in the mansion.
He might be scared alone, but if I pair him with my sister Alisa, Lantz, who likes her, will try to act brave and not be scared.
”Big brother, those girls from earlier were cute. The boy was kind of cool too.”
My younger sister, Alisa, smiled.
”Not really! If he pees his pants during the test of courage, Alisa, you will be disappointed.”
Lantz, who likes Alisa, got motivated.
”But… this kind of thing isn’t really good, right?”
”Hey, Alisa, you like scary stuff, don’t you? You get to go into that haunted mansion!”
”Yeah! I’m looking forward to it, brother!”
Even though she’s my sister, I’m a bit scared of her fearlessness.
”I want to be a ‘scare actor’ too. I really want to scare them.”
Little Gazura, my other guys, raised his hand.
”Okay… then Mash and I will deal with them outside the mansion. Sounds good, Mash?”
The chubby Mash nodded.
”Heh, this is getting fun.”
Hiroya, I’ll make you realize how pathetic you are.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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