Kousuke was waiting at the Public Guild in Sauril City.
He was waiting because Kouhi and Mitsuki were choosing requests with the same seriousness they’d use when picking out clothes.
Kousuke had suggested they take on a request as a bit of exercise, but the moment he said it, the two women entered this state.
If you observed them from a distance, they might seem like women choosing cute items, but listening to their conversation would blow that notion away.
After all, they were discussing how one monster was too tough to chew or how another was boring because it only ran away.
The other adventurers, whose eyes lit up when they saw the two enter the Guild, clearly recoiled after hearing their conversation. It wasn’t Kousuke’s imagination.
The requests they were choosing were C Rank, which, for adventurers who frequented this area, was considered quite high.
As Kousuke overheard snippets of monster names, he noticed the adventurers observing them anxiously change their expressions.
Kousuke watched this scene unfold from a short distance away with Nana, as if it were none of his business.
“I’ve decided on this one.”
Finally, it seemed Kouhi and Mitsuki had chosen their requests and returned from the request board.
Each of them held three request forms.
A single party could only accept up to three requests. Their intention to maximize the opportunity was evident.
Kousuke inwardly tilted his head, wondering if they had really wanted to take on that many requests, but he didn’t pry. Kousuke himself was growing.
“Alright. Then, shall we head to the reception?”
“Yes,” Mitsuki replied, nodding at Kousuke’s words, and they headed towards the reception.
Seizing an opening, an adventurer approached Kousuke.
“Hey, hey. Are you alright?”
Judging by his expression, the adventurer wasn’t teasing Kousuke; he genuinely seemed concerned. He appeared concerned for Kousuke, who didn’t look particularly strong, perhaps aware of the requests’ content. From an outsider’s perspective, Kousuke probably looked like he was trying to show off to the two beauties.
Understanding the adventurer’s concern, Kousuke shrugged and replied, “Well, I think I can manage. If it comes down to it, I’ll just hide behind them.” He implied that they had that kind of trust.
“I see. Well, try not to die, then.”
“Yes. Thank you for your concern.”
Perhaps reassured by Kousuke’s calm demeanor, the adventurer returned to his companions.
Incidentally, Kouhi had overheard their conversation but didn’t say anything. She thought it wasn’t her place to intervene.
***
After returning to the inn for the night, they headed to the location where the requested monsters appeared. They had chosen three requests that all involved monsters appearing in similar areas.
“Alright, as I said before, you can’t reveal your true forms (wings), okay?”
Kouhi and Mitsuki nodded simultaneously at Kousuke’s reminder. In a place like this, if they unleashed their full power, it would be nothing short of environmental destruction. Moreover, the monsters appearing were all weak enough to be defeated without them going all out.
“Then… Start!”
“I won’t lose!”
“That’s my line!”
With Kousuke’s exclamation, they each said their piece and dashed off. They had decided to turn the three requests into a competition, with each of them tackling a different request. The remaining request would be leisurely tackled by Kousuke and Nana.
Incidentally, the reason Kouhi and Mitsuki were a’part from Kousuke’s guard was that there were no monsters that could harm Kousuke using the fairies’ powers. Furthermore, Nana was happily sticking by Kousuke’s side, so there was no need for the two to constantly cling to him. Kousuke had convinced them of this. Since they had acted separately from Kousuke’s guard before, Kouhi and Mitsuki readily accepted his words. Kousuke was taken aback, but it was also a moment that reaffirmed he was trusted to some extent in combat.
“…Phew.”
Kousuke let out a sigh of relief as the monster before him fell. The main fighters were Nana and the Wind Fairy, Sylph. While Kouhi and Mitsuki were busy with their requests, Kousuke and his companions decided to leisurely clear the remaining requests so as not to be bored. Noel also appeared beside Kousuke, handling his defense.
“Sylph, are there any more of these monsters around here?”
Kousuke casually asked Sylph, and a reply immediately came back.
“Yes. Over that way.”
“I see. Then let’s go.”
While Nana had a keen sense of smell compared to other familiars and monsters, Sylph’s monster detection ability was even greater. Kousuke knew from experience that it was best to ask Sylph in situations like this.
Following Sylph’s directions, Nana quickly reacted, and they entered their second battle. The second subjugation ended without any significant problems, and they smoothly cleared the third battle as well. The requests they originally had involved a small number of subjugations, so with this, one request was completed. To avoid forgetting, they had also collected the parts from the monsters. After processing the monsters, they waited there for Kouhi and Mitsuki to return.
Incidentally, they naturally had the magic tool item box Kousuke had made himself, so the monster corpses were collected as is. Kousuke didn’t particularly need any materials, but Schmidt would gladly buy them if he handed them over later. After the third battle ended, Kousuke had Noel set up a barrier and then played with Nana inside it for a while. It had been a while since they played together in nature like this, rather than within managed spaces. Nana, after all, seemed more energetic in nature than cooped up indoors. Kousuke thoroughly enjoyed petting Nana’s fluffy fur.
***
Kouhi and Mitsuki returned to Kousuke almost simultaneously. They were quite far from where they had parted ways, yet somehow, both had managed to locate Kousuke’s position. They were so accurate at finding Kousuke’s whereabouts that Kousuke sometimes wondered if they had GPS trackers. While that was happening, Mitsuki, who returned first, happily reported their results.
“How was it? We properly defeated the requested number of monsters!”
Saying this, she deposited the monsters she had stored in her Item Box with a thud.
“Oh. That’s indeed the requested number.”
“Of course!”
As they were talking, Kouhi returned as well.
“Did… did I not make it in time?”
Kouhi, showing a disappointed expression, also took out the requested monsters from her Item Box, just like Mitsuki.
“So! My victory is certain, right?!”
“…It cannot be helped. Rules are rules…”
Kouhi was about to say she would concede this time, but Kousuke interrupted her.
“Ah, about that. This time, Nana wins.”
With that, Kousuke took out the subjugation parts for the third request. Seeing this, Kouhi and Mitsuki’s eyes widened.
“Wh-when did…”
Seeing the two stunned in unison, Kousuke laughed, amused by the rare sight.
“I was bored just waiting, so I took care of it along the way.”
“N-no way…”
“So, it’s whoever got the scraps, huh…”
The two said this and slumped their shoulders dejectedly.
The reason they looked so crestfallen was due to a prior decision: whoever completed their requests first would get to spend the day alone with Kousuke. Because of this, they had eagerly set off to defeat their targets, but Nana, who had defeated them alongside Kousuke, had essentially snatched the prize. It was a case of a windfall, indeed. The person (or dog?) in question, whether understanding or not, wagged her tail vigorously beside Kousuke, looking happy. Perhaps “fisherman’s profit” is more accurate? lol.
Regardless, Nana emerged victorious in the first (?). Kousuke’s battle.
