I gaze at the contract.
It feels like the first time I’ve ever read a contract so thoroughly—every word, every hidden meaning.
I remember my older brother’s phone call on my birthday.
You’ve turned eighteen. Now you’re in a position of legal responsibility.
He advised me to read contracts carefully before signing them.
Ehto, the first party in here should be referring to me and Oshino-san is should be the second party?
No, it’s other party members so it should be referring to both Oshino-san and Azuma-san, right?
「Oshino-san, do we really need this contract? As far as I read this, there don’t seem to be any penalties or provisions.」
The contract is straightforward and surprisingly simple.
It doesn’t feel like a trap.
「It’s all about not letting another party take you away. If they try to make an illegal contract with you, this document will protect you.」
「I see.」
I read it once more before signing.
No need for stamps or thumbprints, apparently.
I’ve heard that stamps are a uniquely Japanese tradition, so that probably explains it.
And so, the three of us officially form our party. But there’s one last thing to do.
「It’s time to open the treasure boxes! That is the most exciting part in hunting cubes.」
「I’ve been looking forward to it too.」
The treasure boxes, palm size boxes, turn out to be bulky when opened.
It is a hassle to carry them.
I don’t mind putting them all in my inventory and we all agreed that we’ll open them all together when we’re all done.
The total number of treasure boxes we got from our cube hunt today, including those from the competition, is 42
Out of those, I personally obtained over 30. To be fair, we’ll split them—each of us getting 14.
「Ichino, are you sure? The equal distribution of the rewards will only take effect after the contract was signed so you can still open the 33 you got earlier.」
「It’s fine. If we hunt again, we’ll get more than 30 again soon enough.」
「True. Every time you defeat an enemy, you end up with a treasure box.」
Azuma-san seems quite eager, practically squirming with anticipation.
It seems like she’s waiting for me to open a treasure box.
Well, let’s not keep her waiting.
I’ll open one first.
「Ah, a Streaming Crystal.」
「Starting off with a jackpot, aren’t we?」
If memory serves me right, these crystals were valued at around 100,000 yen.
Definitely a stroke of luck.
Now it’s Azuma-san’s turn.
She opens her box to find what looks like a vial.
「What’s this?」
「We won’t know until we appraise it. Could be a simple juice or something more.」
「Seems to be a Detox Potion.」
I said.
I’ve kept the specifics of my detailed appraisal skill under wraps, but Azuma-san already knows I can do it. There’s no point in hiding it to Oshino-san.
「Ichino, you can appraise too? You are really multitalented.」
「Well, yes. But as an unofficial appraiser, I can’t issue certificates.」
「Still, it’s helpful. Knowing what you’ve got on the spot is a blessing.」
「The market price is….. 3,000 yen.」
Azuma-san checks her phone and her disappointment is immeasurable.
Detox Potions seem to be quite common.
They work against food poisoning but don’t do much for colds.
Back when dungeons first appeared, these potions fetched a high price. But various pharmaceutical companies successfully developed effective medicines based on them, so prices have dropped significantly.
「Even at 3,000 yen, it’s still impressive. I guess our sense of money is getting warped.」
「For a high schooler, 3,000 yen is substantial.」
「True. Ah, a magic stone! It’s white, so that’s 5,000 yen!」
「This one’s white too. Most magic stones from treasure boxes are black, but….. maybe thanks to Ichino’s luck?」
「Whatever comes out, it’ll be credited to your luck. Oh, and here’s another potion.」
And so, our treasure box opening proceeds—a mix of excitement and mild disappointment.
No, we won’t find any Hero’s Elixir here.
That’s a bit too much to hope for. We wrap up the process.
The most valuable finds? Four Streaming Crystals.
The rest are potions and magic stones.
If we cash them all in, it should total around 800,000 yen.
That’s roughly 270,000 yen each.
Oshino-san says she’ll transfer the funds to us.
「Is it really okay not to pay Oshino-san for the trouble?」
「No problem. The market price we’re offering is already profitable for us when we buy it. It contributes to our company’s profits, so I wouldn’t mind adding a little extra. Also, for once can you just call me ‘Hime’ already?」
「Well, it feels a bit embarrassing.」
「Ever since I came here, all the boys seem to be like that. Are Japanese people generally reserved? Besides, with a surname like ‘Ichino’, you stand out, don’t you? If you want to emphasize that Ichino is under the protection of the Oshino Group, I suppose it’s fine.」
「Got it. In exchange, I’ll call you Hime… Or maybe ‘Hime-chan’ is better?」
「You’re treating me like a child. I’m the oneesan here, remember?」
「My apologies. Fine, then—I’ll call you ‘Hime’, and you can call me ‘Taira’.」
「Okay, Taira.」
Just as the naming issue was settled, Azuma-san suddenly stood up, her face turning bright red as she blurted out,
「P-please call me ‘Ayame’ too!」
「Huh? Azuma-san too!?」
The only one I’m calling by her first name without awkwardness is Milk.
Honestly, I’d prefer things to stay as they are, but refusing here would make it seem like I’m singling out Hime.
Furthermore, if we end up forming a party with Milk separately from Hime and venture into dungeons together, she’d be left out.
「Understood. Ayame-san… Is that okay?」
「Call me just ‘Ayame’ and remove the… Oh, but ‘Ayame-chan’ isn’t bad…」
「Ayame, you’re quite indecisive.」
Before I knew it, it seemed that Hime had also decided to address Azuma-san—Ayame—by her first name.
「By the way, are you all taking a taxi home? Or should I prepare a helicopter?」
「Even if you call one, there’s nowhere to land it. We’ll take the train—or rather, we’ll call a taxi. I’ll drop Ayame off at her house before heading to the station, so one car should be enough.」
This time, I mustn’t forget my bicycle on the way back.
As we walked, I noticed that money had been transferred.
Between preparing the contract and everything else, Hime was certainly efficient.
「Making 266,000 yen in a single day… If I told my mother, she’d probably think it’s some kind of scam. She might even worry that I’ve fallen victim to fraud.」
「Ultimately, I’m the mastermind behind this whole scam.」
「Oh, come on! I don’t think of you as a fraudster! (In fact, I secretly imagine you as a prince.) 」
She mumbled something, but I’ll take it as a sign that she trusts me.
Still, Ayame couldn’t bring herself to address me by name.
She’d been practicing diligently, but it always stalled at ‘Ta, Tai…’—and then she’d freeze up.
Calling a boy by his name seemed to be a high hurdle for her.
The taxi arrived at Ayame’s ordinary-looking apartment.
「Thank you very much. Goodnight, Ta-Tai… I mean, Ichino-san.」
「Yeah, thank you too. Goodnight, Ayame.」
「Wait, please—」
Ayame fiddled with her smartphone.
「Could you say it once more?」
「Goodnight, Ayame… ehto, is this okay?」
Did she not hear me properly?
「Yes! (I’ll edit it from here.) 」
Well, if Ayame looks satisfied, then I suppose it’s fine.
After seeing Ayame safely home, I continued in the taxi to the train station.
The fare exceeded 10,000 yen, and I nervously paid with my D-payment.
I thought, at this point, 150 yen for the bike parking is nothing. But just as I was thinking that, my phone rang—it was Milk.
I pressed the answer button.
「Hello.」
『…』
「Milk, what’s wrong?」
No response from Milk.
Yet, I could hear her breathing on the other end.
She was definitely there; it wasn’t a wrong number.
With a sense of foreboding, I asked again,
「Milk, are you okay!? What’s going on— Where are you?」
『Please… Please, help me, Taira. 』
Her tearful plea echoed through the phone.
『If things continue like this, Papa will die. 』
Wait, was this about Gyuuzou-san!?
What on earth had happened?
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