It was getting late. Since we were scheduled to head to the temple for a blessing tomorrow morning, our conversation with Lilia-san wrapped up within thirty minutes so that everyone could finish their preparations for bed.
Just then, I remembered the souvenirs Noin-san had given me. When I mentioned them to Lilia-san, she told me that since it was food from our hometown, the three of us should share it. Accepting her kindness, I reached out to Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san and invited them to my room.
The layout of our rooms was identical, so honestly, it didn't matter where we met. However, even if it was just a temporary residence, I felt a bit hesitant about intruding into a lady’s room.
"So, Miyama-san, what was it you wanted to talk about?"
"Ah, actually, I forgot to mention it earlier, but Noin-san—the former Japanese woman—gave me some souvenirs. I thought I should let you both know."
Kusunoki-san asked the question as a faint scent of soap drifted from her. After giving a brief explanation, I pulled out the Magic Box, gave them a quick rundown of its functions, and then produced the main attractions: the onigiri and the pickled radish.
"Wait—!?"
As I had expected, their eyes instantly locked onto the white rice sitting on the table. They didn't go so far as to audibly gulp like I had, but to them, these onigiri must have looked truly divine.
"Mi-mi-mi-Miyama-senpai!? Th-This is... that... It’s rice, isn't it!"
"Yeah. Apparently, Noin-san grows it personally, and she shared a massive amount with us out of concern. It’s not just the onigiri; there’s plain white rice, too, and she even gave me seasonings like miso and soy sauce."
"Are... are we allowed to have some too?"
Yuzuki-san was practically leaning over the table as I explained. Kusunoki-san was also staring intently at the onigiri as she asked.
"Of course. Since I’m keeping everything in this Magic Box, you’ll have to let me know whenever you want to eat, but she really gave me enough for everyone. I’ve already cleared it with Lilia-san, so we could even have some for breakfast tomorrow if you'd like."
"Ooh, incredible! I’m so moved!"
"Ahaha. I’ve got all sorts of ingredients for miso soup, too, since she said everyone has different preferences. Unfortunately, there isn't any tofu yet, but I have green onions and other things, so I think I can whip up quite a variety."
As we talked, Yuzuki-san’s excitement continued to climb, and she drew closer and closer to me.
Now, I understood why she was happy, but I really wished she’d stop moving like that while wearing such thin post-bath clothes. I wouldn't say exactly where, but certain... bountifully ripened fruits were swaying, and I found myself struggling to keep my eyes from wandering.
I suddenly remembered there was something I could pull out right now. Noticing that my eyes were darting around and that Kusunoki-san’s gaze was steadily growing colder as a result, I quickly produced enough for everyone to reset the mood.
"Here, have some of this and calm down..."
"Is this, by any chance..."
"Yeah. Green tea. I’ve got dango and yokan as well, but since it’s right before bed, I’d like you to settle for just the tea for now."
The green tea did the trick. The hyperactive Yuzuki-san finally settled down and began sipping her tea with a smile as adorable as a small animal's.
Kusunoki-san followed suit after seeing Yuzuki-san's reaction. It seemed I had narrowly avoided being loathed by her.
For the sake of my honor, I should clarify: it wasn't that I was particularly obsessed with large breasts. If I had to pick, I actually preferred a more slender build.
However, call it a sad fate or a man’s basic nature—if a girl like Yuzuki-san, whose chest was significantly larger than the average high schooler's, started bouncing around right in front of me, I couldn't resist the biological instinct to look. I only asked for a little bit of grace on that front.
...Honestly, who was I even making these excuses to?
While I was busy stacking these internal justifications, Yuzuki-san finished her tea and turned a pair of sparkling eyes toward me.
"...I knew it! I knew Miyama-senpai was the kind of person who delivers when it counts!"
"Pardon?"
"I agree. Honestly, my opinion of you has changed quite a bit... As expected of an elder, you're very reliable."
"..."
Yuzuki-san beamed at me with pure respect while Kusunoki-san nodded along in solemn agreement.
Wait a second. Just because of some white rice—well, not just the rice, but just because I brought home some Japanese food, my stock was rising this fast!?
Actually, I really wanted to sit them both down for an hour and ask just how low their opinion of me had been until five minutes ago!
"W-Well... anyway, that’s the situation. Just let me know whenever you want to eat. By the way, we ended up only talking about my night earlier, but how was it for you two? Was Mitsunaga-kun doing okay?"
"Yes. As you'd expect from the Royal Palace, it was a very lavish party... but we were quite overwhelmed. I’m ashamed to say we had to rely almost entirely on Lilia-san to handle the conversations."
"Seigi was... well, he was letting the fame go to his head, to put it lightly."
Now that the explanation about the food was over and our relationship had thawed slightly—thanks to Noin-san's kindness rather than any merit of my own—I decided to ask about their experience at the palace.
Hmm, as I suspected. Judging by their expressions, they didn't have much room to enjoy themselves. Well, that was only natural. They were surrounded by unknown nobles; it would be impossible not to feel intimidated.
"I see. Was Mitsunaga-kun treated as a state guest?"
"He was. He's probably being treated like royalty. He was talking down to us so much I honestly considered punching him a few times."
"W-Well, look, he’s going to be busy traveling all over the place soon, so maybe it’s better that he’s full of energy rather than being discouraged?"
"I suppose so, but..."
I didn't know Mitsunaga-kun very well, but based on his attitude when he was summoned, he seemed like the type who might have read a lot of light novels. Given that this world was peaceful and he was being pampered, I could see why he’d be walking on air.
Still, Yuzuki-san was surprisingly blunt. She’d said they were childhood friends, so I guess they had a relationship that didn't require holding back.
Thinking about it, Mitsunaga-kun looked like a typical literature-club boy, but he was Kusunoki-san’s junior and Yuzuki-san’s childhood friend.
Even without overthinking it, both Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san were beautiful. To be close enough to walk home with them every day—and to have the 'childhood friend' attribute with Yuzuki-san—wait. Wasn't he already a winner in life back in our original world?
"Well, I'm just glad to see my junior is doing well. I heard he'll be leaving the Royal Capital soon to visit various countries, so if our timing doesn't match up, it might be a long time before we see him again."
"Honestly, I think it would do that idiot some good to run into a bit of trouble."
"Hmm... Is Mitsunaga-kun... not a boyfriend to either of you?"
"What? Absolutely not."
"He's just a junior."
I took the chance to ask the question that had been bothering me, but the response was a "NO" delivered with such flat, deadpan expressions that I didn't sense even a hint of a spark. Sorry, Mitsunaga-kun. I shouldn't have thought things like 'Normies should explode.'
As I was feeling a bit guilty, Yuzuki-san leaned in and whispered to me.
"Just between us, the only reason Seigi joined our club was to get closer to Aoi-senpai. I mean, Aoi-senpai is beautiful, has great grades, and is super popular... but there's clearly zero chance on her end."
"Ah, I see."
"...?"
Kusunoki-san definitely seemed like the type to be popular. She was the textbook image of a 'flower on a high peak.'
But if we were talking about popularity, Yuzuki-san was probably up there too. She was bright, energetic, and seemed like she’d get along with anyone instantly. Oh, wait, wasn't there another boy walking home with them? I started to imagine a messy four-way relationship—maybe I was being too influenced by games.
"Actually, I also assumed that Mitsunaga-kun and Hina-chan were a couple."
"Please stop, Aoi-senpai. I’m literally getting goosebumps..."
"Is it really that bad?"
It wasn't a case of "the lady doth protest too much"; she looked genuinely repulsed. I guess things really didn't work like they did in games.
Oh, but... speaking of games, there was a quest like that in the online game I was obsessed with back in high school. Two childhood friends where the guy has feelings, but the girl is completely uninterested. The story involved helping the guy with various approaches while he was totally oblivious to her lack of interest.
The punchline was that the guy’s love never bore fruit and he just kept spinning his wheels, but I remembered the NPC dialogue being quite funny. I think it went...
""Even though just being a childhood friend is like starting with a one-point lead—""
"Eh?"
"Yes?"
Wait. Something very strange just happened.
I had been reminiscing about that old quest, and the line had just slipped out of my mouth... but for some reason, I had harmonized perfectly with the girl who seemed the most unlikely to have anything to do with that world.
Kusunoki-san, who had been about to say the exact same thing as me, had her eyes wide with shock.
After a few seconds of silence while Yuzuki-san tilted her head in confusion, Kusunoki-san spoke up hesitantly.
"...Miyama-san. May I ask you one question?"
"Y-Yeah. Go ahead."
"A beginner is looking for a hunting ground. Slime, Goblin, or Orc... which do you recommend?"
"...Buy store-bought equipment in town, then hunt Orcs."
"..."
What Kusunoki-san had mentioned were monsters that appear in almost any game. If you only knew the names, most people would assume the Slime was the weakest, but I chose the Orc.
In the online game I used to play, Slimes were mid-tier monsters found in coastal areas or dungeons; a beginner couldn't even reach them, and their stats were quite high.
Furthermore, while a Goblin's individual stats were lower than an Orc's, the Goblin fields were home to the Goblin King boss. Plus, Goblins swarmed in large numbers, making it easy for a beginner to get surrounded and killed.
In contrast, Orcs could be defeated with basic NPC gear. Their fields were close to town, making it easy to restock and heal. They were the most efficient choice for a beginner to solo.
Moreover, there was a separate high-level field for High Orcs where the Orc King boss spawned, meaning no boss would ever appear in the regular beginner Orc field.
Therefore, "Buy store gear and grind Orcs until Level 20" was the absolute gold standard for training in that specific game.
"...May I ask one as well?"
"Please."
"You’ve come to hunt an Earth Dragon in a party. What’s the easiest composition?"
"Thief for the wall, Priest for the Barrier, and a Mage for Fire Magic."
"..."
For context, the Earth Dragon was a high-level monster with massive attack power, but it only used physical attacks and was extremely weak to magic.
Because of that, rather than a high-HP Knight, the best 'tank' was a Thief with a high evasion skill, supported by a Priest’s Barrier to block any hits that actually landed. It was a popular strategy that allowed a mere three-person party to farm massive experience points.
There was no mistake. Kusunoki-san had played the same online game I had been addicted to in high school. And judging by her answers, she had been a top-tier player.
The world truly is a strange place for us to have found common ground here. Kusunoki-san and I looked at each other and shared a wry smile.
Dear Mom, Dear Dad—
It was mostly thanks to the white rice, but...
I think I’ve become a little bit closer to the girls from home.