Let’s finish the last farming. The amount I ended up with is about 15 silver.
If it were the old days, I would have shaken Billy, exclaiming I struck gold… but the memory of burning through gold amounts still lingers, so I’m not that thrilled.
Once, I risked my life over 8 copper coins, but now I treat copper like pocket change.
“Becoming an adult is a sad thing.”
“What do you mean all of a sudden?”
“As you gain experience, you become numb… In that sense, Miss Lydia is an adult.”
“I don’t know what that means, but it’s annoying.”
With a furrowed brow, Lydia started pinching my cheeks.
“Ouch!”
My cheeks were stretching, and with it, a sharp pain rose. Normally, I would have struggled to escape, but… I couldn’t do that right now.
Floppity flop.
Every time Lydia tormented my cheeks, a huge mass swayed in front of me. Goodness. Does that body size make sense?
Even behind her casual clothing, it was enormous, but with her showing up in bikini armor, I couldn’t take my eyes off her carefree movements.
Ignoring the pain from my cheeks, I opened my eyes wide. I wanted to carve this scene into my memory.
But maybe my reaction was a bit strange. Lydia, who had been having fun poking me, relaxed her grip.
“Did it hurt a lot?”
“N-no. It’s nothing. But what do you mean you came because of a report? I don’t think I caused any problems.”
“You didn’t cause a problem. But it was definitely report-worthy.”
“Huh?”
“Imagine all the thugs in town roaming around together. It’s natural for regular folks to feel uneasy.”
“Aha.”
Sure, a couple of punks hanging around is something you can shrug off, but dozens clustering together would definitely warrant a report.
“I didn’t expect Jonah to be behind it though.”
“I didn’t expect things to go this way either. Listen, Miss Lydia! This is what happened…”
A bunch of rambling followed.
After getting the gist of it, Lydia nodded.
“So, to sum it up, you tried pickpocketing and ended up mugging them?”
“That sounds a bit off, but more or less! It’s really unreasonable, isn’t it?!”
“Does Jonah lack empathy? Even if they are thugs, it’s merciless to assault them.”
“But as you say, they are thugs. I’m just taking back the money they extorted from orphans like me. What’s the problem with that?”
“Well…”
“I’m not the bad one here. The real bad ones are the thugs in Labyrinth City who tormented the old me. Remember this—it might come up on the test!”
“……”
With a complicated expression, Lydia mulled over my words. The last comment was a joke, but her lack of response was a bit embarrassing.
Clearing my throat a bit, I changed the subject.
“Ahem! So where are we going now, Miss Lydia?”
“To the guild. I had something specific to address but after that, they said there was a report and needed help.”
“And that involved me. This must be fate!”
“Stop with the fate talk. So why was Jonah there?”
“Well? He was just trying to pickpocket…”
“You’re not low on cash anymore, right? You made 2 gold last time.”
“Umm. Well, that’s not quite true…”
“Wait. You really spent it all on gambling?!”
Lydia’s red eyes widened in shock. I sensed a hint of responsibility passing through her gaze.
I can’t let this slide. If I don’t teach her properly, she might end up in a mess…!
It felt similar to how Lydia, who usually is pretty expressionless, showed her feelings so openly.
But if the conversation goes that way, things could get messy, so I cut in.
“I used that 2 gold to buy materials for a new weapon! I got it cheap due to various circumstances, but it still wasn’t easy.”
“A new weapon?”
Hearing I bought materials like a real gear nerd, Lydia’s expression softened. I nodded eagerly.
“Yes! I entrusted Eve over at Eden with the crafting. But now, I have no money left.”
“The manager at Eden… It’s hard to believe she’s not a skilled artisan.”
“Eve isn’t an artisan. But she doesn’t craft it herself; she entrusts it to the dwarves in the workshop union, so it should be fine!”
“Those dwarves who are good at crafting but can’t understand a word, right?”
Lydia seemed more shocked at my connection to the workshop union.
Well, that makes sense. The dwarves in this world are the quintessential one-track mind artisans taken to the extreme.
They make great stuff, but they don’t take any compromises on design, so when they make something, they might miss deadlines or ignore small requests.
You ask for a basic steel sword and suddenly they’re a few months late because of “inspiration” strikes.
You ask for a spear and they bring back a halberd instead since they feel it suits you better.
They have their own world, making only what they want, and the fact I have connections to them is extraordinary by itself.
For Eve, who has ruled in the shadows of Labyrinth City since before the union formed, it’s barely surprising.
Shrugging nonchalantly, I said, “Eve is an elf. She’s likely much older than she looks, so it’s natural for her to have connections.”
“True. An elf amasses wealth beyond just money throughout their long life.”
Naturally, connections themselves become a form of power and wealth. You can’t live this life all by yourself.
So, the fact I’m receiving Lydia’s teachings in labyrinths, getting safe lodging thanks to Ellie, and could hand over a unicorn horn to Eve without hesitation? It all comes down to connections.
“So, what materials did Jonah request for his equipment?”
“Well, you see…”
I grinned and pressed my index finger to my upper lip dramatically.
“Shh. It’s a secret until it’s finished! But when it’s done, I’ll show you right away, so look forward to it!”
“Ugh, so annoying. At least I hope you used it to strengthen yourself.”
“…Just in case, but what if you’d really spent it on gambling?!”
“I’d destroy the gambling den.”
“Huh?”
“Or I’d break Jonah’s arms and legs.”
“……”
Why are the options so violent?
I shivered and firmly resolved — I must never let Lydia discover my gacha ability!
*
After that, I picked up the mana herbs and the recovery herbs potions I had been smelting, consumed them right there, and then returned to Fairy and Silver Coin.
By the way, the elixir had slightly better effects than when it was just herbs… but that’s just a margin of error or a difference in other ingredients added during the smelting process.
From now on, unless I have a specific use for herbal stuff, I should just eat it right away.
Once back, I had dinner as usual, including Ellie, filled with all sorts of chit-chat.
Now all that was left was to say some appropriate goodbyes and head upstairs to rest. I’m going into the labyrinth tomorrow, so sleeping early would be wise. But…
As much as I tried to act calm, I couldn’t shake off the concern about Lydia’s chest. At this rate, I wouldn’t fall asleep even lying in bed.
So, I squeezed my eyes shut and opened my mouth.
“Miss Lydia…! Your new armor looks lovely!”
“Huh? Oh, thanks. I see Jonah recognizes it. It’s more comfortable to move in than before, sturdy, and has various resistances, the latest model. Even for me, it wasn’t easy to get. I had to get help from the guild.”
“Wow… That’s impressive.”
The lower half was proper dress-style armor, but the upper half looked almost like a bikini. I couldn’t fathom how it could be sturdier.
But, since it’s fantasy, I guess that’s okay. What’s important right now isn’t that.
“I just realized… but, Miss Lydia, you have quite a bust.”
“Hehe. Right? I know.”
She stood up, hands on her waist, chest puffed out proudly. A smug smile graced her lips, accentuating her bosom.
In the Pan Continent, complimenting a woman’s bust is akin to praising her appearance, so it’s a natural reaction.
Long eyelashes, pretty nails, nice voice, large breasts. All similar nuances of praise.
“Ahem. So, Miss Lydia…”
I had often used my body to tease Ellie, and it was never embarrassing since it was a reverse gender world.
But what I was about to do was slightly different. For Lydia, it might be no big deal in this gender-swapped world, but for me, it was quite embarrassing.
Yet it needed to be done. How could I let such an opportunity slip…!
My heart was racing like a broken machine. My body simmered with heat. A blend of slight hesitation and firm resolve filled me with longing.
“Miss Lydia!”
“…Huh? Is there something important?”
“Can I touch your chest?!”
“……?”
Lydia tilted her head, as if she didn’t quite understand what she heard. I shouted again.
“Can I touch your chest?!”
Next to us, Ellie dropped the cup she was holding.
Crash!
