Chapter 118 Corpse Crow Nest
In a worn and somewhat dim room, the young girl in casual clothes sat at the table as usual. However, the faint smile on her face broke through the cool aura she exuded, adding a touch of pink cuteness.
Kazumi propped her face with one hand, a book titled “Basic Survival Theory” open in front of her. With her right hand, she held a pen, making notes in her notebook, but her gaze was mostly fixed on the blond young man on the screen, who was excitedly describing his training.
Perhaps as compensation for tricking the dog’s words out of him earlier, Kazumi, uncharacteristically, took the initiative to video call the young man after returning from her part-time job. It was a chance to chat while preparing for the subjects that needed focused review in the coming days.
According to the girl’s previous schedule, Sato Shinichi would contact Kazumi punctually around ten-thirty every night and then go to sleep around eleven-thirty. At least, that’s how it appeared on the surface.
Kazumi didn’t know if Sato Shinichi was actually sleeping, but she herself usually read until three or four in the morning before going to bed. Then, she’d wake up around seven, get ready, and head to class, greeting the new day with full energy.
“So, giving him a little more time shouldn’t affect me much. I still have plenty of time to read at night. Think of it as compensation,” she thought.
She picked up her pen and made a few more notes in her book. Kazumi looked at the figure on the screen, smiled, and nodded in response.
“Shinichi-kun, you’re complaining about Grandpa Sato to me like this, aren’t you afraid I’ll tell him the next time we meet?”
“Ah, don’t! Kazumi, you wouldn’t!, otherwise that old man will put me through more training!”
Like a dog whose tail had been stepped on, Sato Shinichi was startled by the girl’s joke. He seemed to recall some unpleasant memory and quickly leaned towards the screen, saying ingratiatingly.
“I’ll see how you behave then~”
Kazumi was quite taken with Sato Shinichi’s exaggerated reaction. The smile on her lips curved upwards a bit more as she turned her head with pleasure, watching the young man whose emotions changed with her every word and action.
She glanced at the time again and said to Sato Shinichi on the screen, “Shinichi-kun, you have ten minutes before your training. Go get some rest. You have to work hard today too!”
Having spent so much time together, Kazumi had a good understanding of Sato Shinichi’s schedule. This half-hour was his rare downtime.
Kazumi didn’t want to occupy too much of his time and affect his subsequent training. After all, it seemed that the fatter Sato Shinichi became, the more she would gain in the future. So, when it was time to treat him well, she should treat him a little better.
“Ah, so soon!!”
Hearing the girl’s words, Sato Shinichi seemed to wake up from a dream as he looked at the time. A look of reluctance instantly appeared on his honest face.
“Every time I talk to you, Kazumi, time seems to fly by. I wish I didn’t have to train…”
“No! Shinichi-kun, how can you think like that? If you delay your training because of me, I’ll feel terrible…”
Hearing the young man’s dangerous remark, Kazumi quickly put on a disappointed expression and said.
How could this be? She was waiting for the crops to grow well so she could have a good harvest next year, and now the crops were telling her they didn’t want to work hard anymore. Was there such a thing? If you don’t work hard, do you expect me to work hard for you?
Kazumi had a good grasp of Sato Shinichi’s current state of mind. Perhaps it was due to the reclusive nature of her predecessor, but the current Sato Shinichi feared most was reverting to his old self after gradually becoming more cheerful. This look of disappointment was the most effective way to manipulate him.
“No, no, no!! Kazumi, that’s not what I meant!!”
As Kazumi had predicted, seeing her like this, Sato Shinichi panicked. He quickly waved his hands and denied her statement, afraid that his words would make her feel guilty.
“Ah, I mean, I’m just happy when I’m with you, Kazumi. It feels like no amount of time is enough. But… but I won’t neglect my training. If I can’t become a hero, I won’t be able to protect you properly, Kazumi… Even if I’m not a hero, I’ll protect you!”
“Pft—”
Listening to the young man’s incoherent explanation, Kazumi couldn’t help but laugh. His silly, flustered state, unable to even speak clearly, made him seem like a complete idiot who didn’t know how to interact with people. If it were a real girl, she would probably be even more angry hearing his explanation.
“Alright, alright, I’m not blaming you. I just hope you’ll stick to your dream, Shinichi-kun. Who was it that made such firm promises in front of me, wanting to become a hero who could protect everyone? You can’t be lazy because of something like this~”
Looking at the young man in front of her, it was now Kazumi’s turn to comfort him. For a restless teenager in adolescence whose values were not yet formed, it was indeed necessary for someone with social experience to guide them to do the right thing.
Overall, the kindhearted Kazumi’s constant thought was that while she was using the young man, she could also help him grow. That way, she wouldn’t have the guilt of casually deceiving someone’s feelings in her heart.
“Kazumi!!”
Hearing the girl’s well-intentioned teasing, a flicker of emotion crossed Sato Shinichi’s eyes. It felt so good to have someone watching him, supporting his efforts and contributions.
If they weren’t separated by a screen, he probably would have uncontrollably hugged the girl in front of him.
Sato Shinichi had never been in a relationship before and didn’t know the best way for couples to interact. But now, he felt that having a girlfriend like Kazumi was probably the luckiest thing in his life.
“Okay, okay, go get some rest. I need to prepare my review materials. I’ll give you a copy tomorrow when I’m done. Be good~”
She reached out and caressed the air twice, as if gently stroking the head of the touched-looking dog. Kazumi smiled and urged the young man to get ready for training.
Listening to the reluctant goodbyes from the mobile phone, Kazumi thought he was truly a bit silly. Was this what people without sense in their heads were like in love? In an hour or two, the dog would probably call again. Was there a need to make it seem like a scene of parting in life and death?
Patiently coaxing the dog a couple more times, Kazumi finally ended the video call. She let out a sigh of relief, forcing herself to remove the pink thoughts from her mind.
With a calm mind, Kazumi decided to plan the subjects she needed to review in the next few days. After all, the information she had deceivingly extracted from the dog by sacrificing her appearance could not be wasted.
She casually brought up her territory panel to see how it had changed after not being checked all day.
But the moment Kazumi brought up the territory panel, a familiar, dry robotic voice sounded in her ear again.
“Achievement: First Plot of Land Completed. Reward: Random D-rank building.”
“Building obtained: Corpse Crow Nest.”
