Overloaded With Attributes Chapter 56
Interlude - In the Case of Takatsukasa Kazura, Part 3
What is this feeling? Do women feel like this just by walking next to a boy? I never thought I had such a girly side... Calm down, Kazura. He is Shouko's fiancé, he is my cousin's fiancé, he is a branch family's fiancé...!
...Though, to a noble, a fiancé (if he's talented) is essentially the family's future husband, so there's no problem in thinking of him as Kazura's fiancé, either, right? Right! No! Problem! At all!
Anyway, is A-Block really the best place for us to be? You're with Kazura-chan, who's currently the talk of the town for being "too beautiful"! Besides, Mochi generally gives very little mana, so most Explorers only kill one or two before moving on. Some even skip it entirely. Yet, he's heading straight there without question.
And this boy... The one who was supposedly so enamored with Kazura that he was inspired to become an Explorer... turns out he had no idea who I was until today. I thought he was making a clumsy joke to get my attention... but he was serious.
Then why did a boy enter the Labyrinth course in the first place?!
"I'm going into the dungeon with a grim, desperate resolve—'This is the only way I can earn money, since I have no family'!"
His real reason was completely different and much heavier than I imagined. And watching his slightly melancholy face as he said it made me nearly blurt out,
"A boy shouldn't have to do such dangerous things! Don't worry, just leave everything to Kazura and stay home! I promise you won't live a life of hardship!"
Ugh, so this is the maternal instinct and protective urge that drove Shouko and Ayaka-neesan crazy...
Ah, and I've also decided I need to plan my revenge for his insolence in stealing the number one spot on "Ranman Videos."
We arrived at our destination. The first thing he did upon reaching A-Block was touch the "Black Rock." Why would he touch the one here when there was one at the entrance? That makes no sense.
I lost my curiosity battle and asked him straight out.
"Because it glows when you touch it. It's cool. Here, Kazura-san, you touch it too!"
Seriously, that answer is too bizarre. Of course, my next action was to touch it with him.
I placed my hand gently on the Black Rock next to his. Wait. I didn't say anything, but... did he just say something? At that moment, the Black Rock glowed a color I'd never seen before.
What?! What is this?! I can see text floating in front of me: "A party has been formed with Kashiwagi Yuugiri as leader."
...Who is this boy?! I clenched my fists, stifling the urge to grab him and demand answers. If I made a scene now, he would be on guard and wouldn't show me anything else.
So, the action I must take now is to act naturally—like nothing strange has happened—and enjoy Mochi hunting with him.
Normally, "trash mob grinding" is a waste of time. But today... it was actually fun.
And about the Mochi hunting... something is wrong. No drop items are appearing at all. I thought "maybe the RNG is bad" for the first 30 kills, but it kept going for 50, then 90. That's impossible.
He's definitely doing something. Maybe this is the effect of that "Party" thing that just flashed in front of me? I usually ignore the trash magic stones anyway.
But what would be the point of a skill that stops drops from appearing? ...No, that's wrong. What if the items aren't "not dropping," but he's "collecting them" somehow?
...He looks totally empty-handed. Does he have some kind of Magic Bag? Or is there another way to carry items that Kazura doesn't know about?
Kazura's questions were answered that evening after we returned home. At his—no, Shouko's—house, the truth came out. After dinner, he pulled out several bottles of Slime Lotion—a rare drop—from nowhere, even though "nothing dropped" all day!
...What exactly is this boy trying to do? He clearly wants to keep his ability a secret, so why is he showing this off in front of Kazura? Is he a bit simple... No, that's not it.
He's trying to gauge my reaction to this, isn't he? I see. So that's what he meant by "partner." He looked like a total goofball all day, but in key moments, he revealed his mysterious power—just subtle enough to make me doubt what I saw.
...He was testing whether Kazura was a trustworthy woman. If I had made a fuss or tried to exploit him for my own gain, he would have only shown me a facade of his ability.
Just a commoner, and a boy, yet he's surprisingly cunning. But—my mind was too chaotic for such logical thoughts.
What is he trying to do with that lotion now? Wait, Shouko? Why are you passed out? And what was that "if you're up for it"? Did he just ask, "Kazura-san will do it?"
Of course, I wouldn't do that with a teenage boy! I gently grabbed his hand and led him toward the bathroom—Wait, Shouko... you're awake? Could you let go of his hand, please? Kazura has something important to do with him right now—
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