"I'm... somewhat sorry about that."
"No, really, o. What did you do to our Peddler-kun, o?"
Inside the Jack-of-all-trades office on the second floor of a building in Suriado, Mahariku sat in her chair and offered her apology to Alto.
While Mahariku had been busy raking in profits for the company, there had been a bit of a scuffle. To put it simply, the Peddler-kun who had traveled with us to this town was now completely out of commission.
"He tried to haggle over our goods, so I... reacted instinctively."
"Negotiation is the heart of business, o! Shutting down a haggle with violence is totally out, o!"
"I'm in Outlaw Mode right now. I'm just playing the part, you know?"
Well, there was nothing to be done about an NPC who had died—wait, he didn't die? It would just take six months for a full recovery? I see. She only shot him in the leg. A "kind" outlaw indeed.
I would really appreciate it if she kept things moderate from now on.
"I felt bad about it too, so I sent him a potion, but he just threw it back at me."
"If someone who almost killed you sends you medicine, you'd normally assume it was poison or something, o."
"I suppose so. I should have had you all deliver it instead. Honestly, for a mere NPC, he's quite the handful."
"That’s exactly what makes this game great, o!"
"The NPCs have such advanced AI, it's like they're actually alive, isn't it?"
"It really is, o!"
"Don't you think it's a fun game?"
"The best, o!"
Wait, when did this turn into a casual chat about the game?
Well, whatever. The game was fun. I completely agreed with them.
"It’s only coarse tea, but please, help yourselves—"
"Oh, thanks, Ichi-chan."
Meanwhile, I—as Miti-chan—and Penpen—as Gin-chan—were relaxing on the sofa.
Wait... this tea smelled exactly like the water squeezed from a dirty floor rag.
"Hey, Mahariku, do you want some tea? Ichi-chan just brewed some."
"Oh. I think I will."
"Kyaaa! My hand slipped!!"
With a spectacular crash, Ichi-chan took a massive spill, taking the tea I had been holding down with her. The teacup shattered. Tea splattered everywhere, and Ichi-chan was completely drenched in it.
Well, she brought that on herself.
You can't do that, Ichi-chan. Even though it looked like we had come here to lodge a complaint, Mahariku and we were actually friends. The proof was right there on our Friend Lists.
"...Ichi. I won't tolerate rudeness toward our guests. Know your place."
"Hyai! My deepest apologies!"
As Mahariku spoke with a sharp, commanding tone, Ichi-chan actually looked delighted. I see; her affection level must have just shot up.
"Ah, Penpen, you probably shouldn't drink that either. I can tell from the scent alone that it's laced with floor rag juice."
"Wait, you can tell just by the smell, ssu?"
"I haven't spent my time at the Research Institute licking up dust for nothing. I'm something of a pro."
"That's a pretty gross thing to be a pro at, ssu. Well, I knew it was full of bacteria thanks to my Appraisal skill anyway, ssu."
Miti-chan had even eaten the rags used for cleaning back then, after all.
Mahariku turned a razor-sharp gaze toward Ichi-chan.
"Ichi?"
"N-No, you have it all wrong, President! It wasn't a floor rag! It was sock juice! In certain regions, it's considered the pinnacle of hospitality!"
Even for an excuse, that was a massive stretch. Besides, the fact that she had sabotaged the tea only when I tried to give it to Mahariku meant she had essentially confessed.
"Then are you saying you'd be willing to drink the juice squeezed from my socks?"
"Wait, is that allowed?! Thank you so much!!! Please, let me have your honorable feet immediately—"
"N-No, I was just checking. I didn't actually tell you to drink it. Anyway, by our standards, that qualifies as harassment. Apologize properly."
"Y-Yes, President. My deepest apologies, everyone."
A younger sister's socks would've been fine.
"I'll accept the apology."
Was Miti-chan planning to turn Mahariku's subordinates into younger sisters too? Well, they were cute and certainly had that "younger sister" vibe.
Ichi-chan bowed her head repeatedly before heading back out to brew a fresh pot of tea to clear our palates.
"I thought I had finally picked the wrong dialogue option, but I can't believe her affection level went up even from that."
"So it was an option, o? ...Wait, maybe because the Fever is active, it goes up no matter what you do, o?"
"That might be it. It doesn't seem to have hit the cap yet, which is a relief. Reaching the affection cap might be the 2nd Character Unlock Condition."
By the way, the other options had apparently been:
- Silently shoot Ichi in the limbs.
- "I'll treat you to bullets instead of tea."
- "Then are you saying you'd be willing to drink the juice squeezed from my socks?"
Well, in that case, you'd obviously pick number three. You wouldn't want to shoot your cute subordinate or your guests. Picking number two sounded like it would have led straight to a route where she became our enemy.
"Option three was the obvious joke choice, which basically left me with only two real options. It was a lifesaver this time."
"If it were me, I'd be picking number three every single time, o."
"You do have a taste for that sort of thing, Alto. ...Do you want to drink some sock juice?"
"If it's from Mahariku, it's basically a reward, o."
"Please, just pretend I never asked. Honestly, such a waste of a beautiful girl. Not that this is anything new."
Mahariku gave a weary shrug of her shoulders.
Afterward, we had Mahariku cover the cost of a potion for Peddler-kun, and we delivered one of Penpen's high-quality potions to him. I made sure to recommend that he stay far away from Mahariku's business interests for the foreseeable future.
I truly hope Mahariku unlocks her second character soon so that Suriado Town can finally find some peace.