Overloaded With Attributes Chapter 57

Interlude - In the Case of Takatsukasa Kazura, Part 4 

A week has passed since my all-out brawl with Shouko—who was back in fighting form. Seriously, that girl aims for the eyes, the throat, and other vital spots! I'm glad it was Kazura, or someone would have been seriously injured.

In that time, I've entered the dungeon with him three times: Monday, Thursday, and this Sunday. Yes, that odd boy even begged, "Take me to the dungeon?" on his day off.

"Um, you do know the dungeon is saturated with mana, right?"

"Of course! That's why my three friends are doing muscle training with death written all over their faces. By the way, does working out in the dungeon actually do anything?"

"I thought your group had four people? What happened to the last one... As for the workout, I can only say, 'Probably, maybe? I don't know'."

Right, the dungeon is full of mana, and the outside world isn't. So, when Explorers enter, their bodies are affected, and until they adapt, they feel sick.

This is necessary to gain the "mana-based physical enhancement" needed for dungeon activity... but the annoying part is that most of that enhanced ability is restricted outside of the mana field.

"Look, the reason Labyrinth freshmen only go into the dungeon twice a week is that the constant strengthening and restriction puts a huge load on their bodies. It's way more exhausting than normal exercise."

But, for mana aptitude individuals like me—Oh, right, he's one of those, too. If it's not a problem for him, I guess there's no reason to refuse?

"Well, if you're not tired, I guess it's fine."

"I'm perfectly fine! Ah, but since it's a holiday, getting there might be an issue..."

"Then you can ride on the back of Kazura's bike."

"I'll drive my car, so there's no problem at all."

...Fine.

---

So, we spent the entire day hunting Mochi again. He doesn't struggle at all; in fact, his movements look very practiced. So why is he still stuck on Mochi? ...I wonder. Is he looking for the "Legendary Mochi Kingdom," like in that one urban myth? ...Probably not.

We ended the exploration around the same time as usual and headed home. He seems a little more cheerful than usual, I wonder why? After my bath, he sat down in front of me—who was just blankly watching TV—with a slightly formal expression.

"Thank you for today."

"W-What is it? Why so formal all of a sudden?"

His unpredictable gratitude made me immediately guard myself.

"And... well. I have a surprise for you, Kazura-san."

"Um, am I allowed to refuse?"

"Why would you want to?"

Why? What kind of answer does he expect besides, "Because your usual behavior makes me anticipate the worst"?

"So, here you go... Present for you?"

"Why is that a question?"

He handed me a tube... no, a rolled-up piece of paper, like a diploma. Is that parchment?

"Seriously, what is this? Am I graduating or something?"

"No, no, no. If you wanted to, I'd want you to stay here forever. Ah, this is important, I'll say it again: I want you to stay 'here'—meaning this city—not 'in my house'. A rational woman like you, Kazura-san... you understand what I mean, right?"

"That's... a proposal, isn't it?"

"Why would you think that?"

Look, when a man tells a woman, "Stay by my side," the only possible meaning is a proposal! In that case, is this weird tube a marriage certificate?!

I cautiously unrolled it.

"What the hell is this? Doodling?"

It was densely covered in writing that looked like squiggling earthworms. What is it... Wait, I think I recognize this script...

"Hey, this looks like the text that floats up when the Black Rock glows."

"It's exactly that. Of course, the content is completely different."

Wait a minute, this makes no sense.

"Um, there are so many things wrong with this, where do I even start?"

"You could start by not asking anything."

"I'm going to hit you."

"Please don't, I'll die."

He acts like this is normal, even though he just brought out something crazy and said something crazier. It's slightly irritating.

"So... can you read this script?"

"What do you think, Kazura-san?"

"I'm going to cause chaos."

"No, this is Shouko-san's house..."

"Wrong. This is the nest of love for Yuugiri and me."

What is this boy?! He hands me this bizarre object and then acts coy about it! If—if he can read this script, then this is a huge deal! It could accelerate dungeon conquering, which has been stagnant for 200 years!

...No, a cunning boy who managed to manipulate Kazura would know that. Think, Kazura. Why did he hand me this thing at this exact moment?

"Ah... I see. Could this be... that?"

"Shouko-san, I think Kazura-san just convinced herself of something."

"She's always been like that... it's quite a problem."

"Stop treating me like some delusional, bothersome woman!"

What is this man?! Seriously, what is he?!

"Heh, heh heh, heh heh heh... Fine. Since you've messed with Kazura this much—"

"It's a huge misunderstanding, a massive one. By the way, Kazura-san, do you know what a 'Skill' is?"

"You're completely changing the subject... A Skill? Translated directly, it means 'ability,' but you don't mean it that way, right?"

"No, you're about 80% correct. However, the Skill I'm talking about means 'a magical ability useful in combat or other activities'."

"I've never heard anyone use the word 'Skill' to mean that! Um, so... does that have anything to do with this unreadable text?"

"Of course! Not just a connection—this is a 'Skill Scroll' used to learn a Skill!"

I was left speechless, my mouth agape, frozen by the sheer magnitude of his statement.

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