A+A-Chapter 1.1
Volume 3 Chapter 1: I tried becoming a chuuni (1/2)
Several days had pa.s.sed since Gai’s body healed. After that, the medicine compounded by Sheik was completed with the help of Cecilia and Sophia-san, so Tiel-chan’s condition improved, too. In addition, since the quest taken up by Clayman was completed flawlessly, quite a substantial reward was given.
Looking back at it now, Tarevoke Merchant Guild must have not expected anyone to be able to defeat the rock lizard without injuring it externally, so I guessed they included that unreasonable condition just to trouble us.
If that was the case, there was nothing else that could be said in this situation except, “Don’t mind”…
And so, everything had settled down for the time being.
“Ahh, I got nothing to do! d.a.m.n it…” [Youki]
I walked around the city by myself in frustration. I had not made any arrangements to meet up with anyone in particular, but I just didn’t want to stay in the room, so I took a stroll to kill time. It was a no-brainer why I didn’t want to stay in the room; I simply couldn’t put up with all that flirting between Gai and Tiel-chan.
Tiel-chan’s condition had improved thanks to the medicine concocted by Sheik, so she dropped by to visit Gai. That alone would have been fine, but they had to take things further than that. They had both just been on the verge of death, yet they were each still worried about the other party. After that incident, the aftermath was horrible. They were totally in a world of their own, which made me feel like a third wheel.
They were at it virtually every day, driving me up the wall.
Tiel-chan would come over after work or on her break. Since they had been through such an incident, I tried to endure it somehow initially…but it became impossible. So that was why I ended up wandering around the city even though I had nothing in particular to do.
“Sigh… I guess I’ll go see if there is any guild mission that I can do …Come to think of it, Clayman did promise to promote me to A rank that time.” [Youki]
Sophia-san wound up taking over the role that was initially pushed on me; but, a promise is a promise.
I did keep my side of the bargain since I had helped him with the request, so it was possible that he would also keep his promise.
As I wanted to receive A rank missions, I decided to go to the guild.
“Hm? What is this?” [Youki]
While I was walking towards the guild, I noticed that there was a commotion going on in the area, so I caught a pa.s.serby to ask him about it. Apparently merchants had come from various places to set up their marketplace here. Originally, it was supposed to be held several times a year, but it seemed that the fight against the Demon Lord had affected the gatherings of the merchants. However, probably because the Demon Lord was defeated now, the merchants started gathering again to set up a large marketplace that hadn’t been opened for some time.
“Since the merchants are from different places around the world, I guess there would be unusual items for sale, too.” [Youki]
To be honest, I was more intrigued by that than A rank missions.
“Yeah, there are a lot of unusual things. I am actually on my way there as well. Do you want to come along?” [Pa.s.serby]
“Yeah, sure. Thank you and sorry for the trouble.” [Youki]
By the way, the pa.s.serby who had answered my questions was the wolf beastman whom I got acquainted with some time ago.(1) I couldn’t recognize him from behind, so I approached him, thinking that he was just an ordinary, huge-sized pa.s.serby.
His smiling face was scary, as always.
I could see sharp fangs sticking out of his mouth when he grinned. Howeve
r, he didn’t seem like a bad beastman since he had led me all the way to the place where the market was held.
“Ohh, that’s amazing.” [Youki]
There was a crowd of people consisting of humans and demi-humans.
There were also merchants who were setting up their stalls at that moment, and some who were putting up their tents as well. When I looked around at the surrounding merchants, I noticed that they had displayed never before seen items for sale…
“Heh, as I thought the marketplace this time is quite huge. I’ll be heading off then. Let’s go on a mission together the next time we meet.” [Wolf Beastman]
“Ah, yes. Thanks for guiding me here. Should any opportunity arise in future, I will be glad to.” [Youki]
“No biggie. I have something that I need to do here anyway, so you don’t have to thank me for it. See ya.” [Wolf Beastman]
The wolf beastman gave me a quick wave and disappeared into the crowd. It seemed that I shouldn’t judge someone just by their appearance.
“Well then, since I’m here, I guess I’ll have fun browsing through the different things for sale. It’ll probably be a good change of pace.” [Youki]
I decided to purchase anything that looked interesting to me, so I mingled with the crowd and browsed through the goods displayed at the stalls.
There was a wide range of things for sale, from items that seemed to be daily necessities to unknown articles that I wasn’t really sure what they could be used for at all.
As I loitered around while looking through the merchandise, I stumbled upon someone familiar.
That person seemed to be closely examining the goods for sale, but… that was no doubt Clayman.
“Clayman? What are you doing in a place like this?” [Youki]
“Ah, so it’s you. Well, just a little shopping.” [Clayman]
“Hmm? …What about your job at the guild then?” [Youki]
“I took a day off today without letting Sophia know. I mean, I have successfully completed the rock eater’s mission, so why not?” [Clayman]
What the heck was this guy doing? He had skipped work without Sophia-san’s knowledge, just so he could go shopping? Wouldn’t she get angry if she were to find out about it?
Well, I really wasn’t bothered about someone else’s family’s circ.u.mstances, though.
“I’ll have no part of it if Sophia-san gets angry.” [Youki]
“Well, if she gets angry then let her be. I still have no regrets.” [Clayman]
The line he spouted sounded cool, but it was pointless.
It seemed that he had other reason to it, so I tried probing him.
I soon found out that he was actually here to buy Sophia-san a present.
“In the end, I didn’t get her anything for our wedding anniversary.” [Clayman]
“You haven’t bought anything for her till now? …But, judging from the wide range of selections here, it should be a perfect place for you to select a gift.” [Youki]
“Right? That’s why I’m doing this now.” [Clayman]
“Really? Since I’m here for a change of pace, I’ll help you.” [Youki]
It seemed fun to browse through the marketplace with someone.
Clayman didn’t appear to be against it, too, so both of us ended up wandering around the place.
While I was browsing through some stalls and tents, my eyes unexpectedly landed on one item.
“Oh-! Isn’t this fine?” [Youki]
“Let me see… No, wait. Are you serious?” [Clayman]
What I recommended to him was a cat ear headband. It goes well with a maid’s uniform, so it’s perfect for Clayman…
“Buy it!” [Youki]
“Buy it? You do know that I’m selecting a gift for my wedding anniversary, right? She’s going to think that I’m playing a prank on her instead!” [Clayman]
“Ah, come to think of it, that’s true. My bad…” [Youki]
“Oioi… Aren’t you behaving quite different than usual? Will it be alright?” [Clayman]
I was feeling frustrated a while ago, but the sight of all these unusual items had put me in a good mood. I got distracted momentarily and forgot about it, but… I was still of the opinion that the cat ear headband was perfect.
In the end, I purchased the headband secretly and slipped it into Clayman’s bag without him realizing it. I did feel that I was not being myself today, though, since I wouldn’t usually do such a thing. I could feel a strange tension building inside me.
After that, as I proceeded to select a gift with Clayman, I came across something that tickled my chuuni heart.
“Ohh! That looks cool!” [Youki]
I was looking at a long coat with sparkle in my eyes.
It was just a simple black coat, but it seemed to be overflowing with a chuuni aura. It looked like something that would be worn by some kind of protagonist.
“Kid, you sure have a discerning eye. This item is made of really good materials, so I can guarantee its performance as an armour.” [Stall Owner]
“Alright, I’ll buy it.” [Youki]
“Thanks for the purchase! You made a great buy there, kid!” [Stall Owner]
“My thoughts exactly!” was what I thought as I parted from the stall owner, looking rather pleased with myself.
Going shopping once in awhile didn’t seem to be a bad idea.
It appeared that my chuuni switch was about to flip.
Rather, the switch had probably flipped already.
Following that, I went around to various stalls, making impulse purchases.
If you are reading this on any other place than rinkagetranslation.com, this chapter has been stolen and is neither the most recent or complete chapter.
On our way back from the market, Clayman noticed my ‘furoshiki’, which was bulging with all the items I had bought.
“Don’t you think you’ve bought way too many things?” [Clayman]
“Isn’t it fine? I’ve not bought anything for myself so far. I heard they’ll be setting up this marketplace only a few times a year. I have to buy these things now so that I won’t regret it later.” [Youki]
“No, but… from what I’ve seen, all of your purchases seem to be strange items.” [Clayman]
“What are you talking about? I only bought things that interest me.” [Youki]
“There is something wrong with your interest… Well, it doesn’t really matter since I managed to get what I was looking for.” [Clayman]
In the end, Clayman bought seasonings from other countries and an ap.r.o.n. It appeared that he had come to this decision after taking Sophia-san’s interest in cooking into consideration.
Clayman seemed to have a good sense in selecting the right gifts.
“Even so, what should I do now?” [Youki]
It was exactly noon at that moment. Tiel-chan should be dropping by to visit Gai around this time, so I didn’t want to go back yet.
I had eaten quite a lot of food in the market just now, so I wasn’t hungry either.
“Why don’t you go work on some guild missions? While you’re at it, put on the things you bought earlier, too.” [Clayman]
“That’s it!” [Youki]
“Hah!?” [Clayman]
Clayman was saying it half-laughingly at first, but his expression became stiff in that instant. I couldn’t understand why he had such a reaction when he was the one who made that suggestion in the first place.
At any rate, I had decided on my plans for today.
“Oi, hold on a minute! You’re seriously going to do the guild missions while wearing the outfit you bought earlier?!” [Clayman]
“Weren’t you the one who suggested it? Alright, I’ll do it right now… Just wait a moment. I’ll go change at the corner of the back alley.” [Youki]
I parted from Clayman momentarily and went to a secluded back alley.
“Fufufu… How is it? Good, right?” [Youki]
“You… Do you seriously mean what you’ve just said?” [Clayman]
After I had finished changing, I decided to strike a pose in the new outfit.
It has been a long time since I have had this uplifted feeling inside me.
“Of course. It’s been a long time since I last felt an adrenaline rush like this… No one can stop me anymore!” [Youki]
“It’s hopeless. You’re starting to be a pain.” [Clayman]
Clayman seemed stunned upon seeing me in my chuuni mode, but I didn’t mind.
That was because I was in extremely high spirits at the moment.
“Alright! Clayman, I’ll go accept a quest from the guild. I’ll do so before something inside me goes on a rampage.” [Youki]
“Ahh, I got it, I got it …Rather, are you really sure you’re going in that outfit? You should probably go take a look at yourself in the mirror. It’s still not too late for you to go to the guild after that.” [Clayman]
“…What are you talking about, Clayman? I’ve already taken a look at myself in the mirror.” [Youki]
I already had a rough idea of how the outfit would look like on me, but I wouldn’t be able to tell how splendid-looking it was until I actually wore it. So, I went into a random shop to check myself out in the mirror.
I had changed into the long coat with a similarly black pair of long pants and a pair of fingerless black gloves. Since my outfit was almost entirely black, I decided to wear a purple shirt under my coat, and a pair of steel-toed boots with a helmet to complement it.
The shopkeeper where I bought the helmet said that a steel helmet would provide a better defence, so the helmet I got was actually made just for fun and had no practical use. It seemed that only those who truly valued it would buy it. Basically, I was one of them, too.
Also, the sword with sheath that I bought was attached to my back. I had not used a sword before, but I purchased it because the shape looked interesting to me.
The weapon stalls from other countries seemed to sell a wide range of weapons, but the way they were selling them made it seem as if they would be glad just to get rid of their stock. It seriously made me wonder what was going through that shopkeeper’s mind considering that this is such a wonderful weapon. Although, in my opinion, I was glad that he didn’t manage to sell it off, since it had given me the opportunity to buy it.
“Ah, so that’s what you feel after looking at yourself in the mirror? Then I won’t say any more. It’ll just be a waste of effort.” [Clayman]
“What’s wrong, Clayman? This should be an outfit that all men yearn for.” [Youki]
“No man would actually yearn for that kind of outfit!” [Clayman]
“I see. They’ll yearn for it, won’t they? As expected of Clayman. You do understand it.” [Youki]
“…It’s really pointless to say anything to your current self.” [Clayman]
Clayman sighed in resignation as I brought him along to the guild.
“Eh? a.s.sistant Guildmaster? Didn’t you take the day off today?”
Upon arriving at the guild, the lady receptionist, who was usually seated at the desk next to Clayman greeted him.
Judging from the way she spoke, it seemed that she hadn’t taken notice of me at all. Why was that?
“Oh, it is my day off. It’s just that, there’s this guy who wants to take on A-rank missions.” [Clayman]
“A-rank missions, is it? We did receive a few just a while ago. Our guild’s credibility might have increased possibly because a.s.sistant Guildmaster had completed Tarevoke Merchant Guild’s quest flawlessly.” [Lady Receptionist]
The lady receptionist said it in what seemed to be a delightful manner; it must have been great for her when the place she works at became well-known. Although, the workload for the employees must have increased, too.
To be precise, Clayman didn’t complete that quest alone. Cecilia, Sophia-san, and I had helped out as well.
But I guess there was no need to be bothered about it since that matter was trivial to my current self.
“Are there any available quests that can be completed in the vicinity?” [Clayman]
“Yes, there are about four or five available… Is a.s.sistant Guildmaster planning to take care of those quests personally?” [Lady Receptionist]
“There’s no way that’s possible. Why the heck would I work on guild missions on my day off.” [Clayman]
Certainly, that didn’t seem to be likely based on Clayman’s personality.
The person himself was smiling wryly as well when he heard that.
“Ahaha… That’s true. a.s.sistant Guildmaster is not on duty now. You usually ended up being the one doing the work one way or another, so that question kinda slipped…” [Lady Receptionist]
“Good grief… Who do you think I am?” [Clayman]
Clayman seemed to be unexpectedly popular.
Was he trying to hide his embarra.s.sment by scratching his head?
He couldn’t fool me, though, since I caught a glimpse of a slight grin on his face.
No, he might do that usually, but he was probably in a good mood today due to a different reason.
It was possibly because he had managed to select gifts that would please Sophia-san.
“So, who would be the one to accept these quests?” [Lady Receptionist]
“This guy will be the one.” [Clayman]
Clayman pointed at me.
“Erm… Isn’t that a.s.sistant Guildmaster’s new shikigami?” [Lady Receptionist]
The lady receptionist asked Clayman as she tilted her head.
Apparently, she was under the impression that I was Clayman’s shikigami.
Was that the reason why she had not said anything to me the entire time I was standing behind Clayman?
“My shikigami won’t look like that! This guy will be receiving the quests. He’s not an A-rank adventurer, though.” [Clayman]
“Eh… According to the rules, only A-rank adventurers are allowed to accept A-rank quests.” [Lady Receptionist]
“He has the skill to take on those missions. I can guarantee it.” [Clayman]
Although Clayman had attested to my capabilities, the receptionist still looked quite perplexed about it. It was my first time seeing that look on her face, though, since she usually wore a smile on her face when she worked.
“Erm… may I have your name?” [Lady Receptionist]
“Ah, that’s right. What are you going to do about the name? Since you’ll be registering for A-rank missions this time, it’s fine to use an alias.” [Clayman]
“Then could you register my name as Magic Knight of Black Lightning?” [Youki]
It was a witty-sounding chuuni name that I had come up with from somewhere.
It was probably fine to use the name ‘Youki’, but seeing as my face was hidden and Clayman said that I could use an alias, I decided to go with this.
I decided to fully unleash my chuuni mode.
By the way, the idea for the name was taken from the shape of my sword and from my overall appearance, since my outfit was almost entirely black.
“…You heard him. So just register it as that.” [Clayman]
“Umm, what I was asking for is your real name…” [Lady Receptionist]
“Then, I’m leaving. I don’t want any more trouble than this. Please handle the rest of the procedure.” [Clayman]
“Ah, please wait a moment… a.s.sistant Guildmaster! Clayman-san!” [Lady Receptionist]
The receptionist tried to stop Clayman from leaving, but her efforts were in vain.
He must have been exhausted today.
That was a given since Clayman, who usually behaved in a languid manner, wasn’t accustomed to being the ‘straight man’ in this kind of situation. Sophia-san, the one who usually revitalizes him, wasn’t around either.
The only ones who remained behind were the receptionist, who was in a state of panic, and me. Clayman had gone back and my tension was reaching its peak, too.
It was time for me to demonstrate my ability.
“Fuu, then I’d like to take on those missions… Could you show me what kind of quests are available?” [Youki]
“Ah, y-yes!” [Lady Receptionist]
The receptionist went to the counter in a hurry and brought back the quest forms. These must be the quests she had told Clayman about a while ago. They were mainly quests that could be completed in the vicinity, such as subjugating the group of thieves, and harvesting medicinal herbs from the mountain range where dangerous demons live. When I looked at the other quests, I noticed that the locations were quite close by as well. Since that was the case, I would probably not have any trouble traveling between these places. If I did my best, I could possibly complete at least four of them within ten days.
I didn’t want to have to return to the inn, so there shouldn’t have been any problem leaving this place for about ten days. There were times when I was away for several days, so Gai shouldn’t be suspicious even if I did not return.
“Then I’ll take on all these quests.” [Youki]
I showed the receptionist all the quest forms that I decided to receive.
“Eh!… Four at the same time?! But these are A-rank missions.” [Lady Receptionist]
“Yeah, leave it to me. I’ll be back in about ten days, so just wait here and look forward to the result!” [Youki]
“Eh? Ehh-?!” [Lady Receptionist]
I then went out of the guild, leaving the receptionist who was still confused.
Naturally, I had not forgotten to strike a pose before leaving the place. Since my appearance was different than my usual look, I decided to improvise a different pose than usual.
I had wanted to experience how the strongest hero would feel, at least once. At that moment, it was as though it was the start a new legend for the Magic Knight of Black Lightning.
I tried to hold myself back from laughing out loud as I looked up at the sky, wondering if this was how a hero felt when he took his first step into his adventure.
I wouldn’t allow such a clear blue sky be overcast by dark clouds. Yes, this is my mission.
“Kukuku… I will settle them all!” [Youki]
I broke into a run while in my full chuuni mode, paying no attention to the gazes of other people. I felt as though the wings of freedom were growing out of my back at that moment.
There was nothing that I was afraid of.
That was what I thought, at that time.