「今日はどのような御用ですか? 何か頼み事があるのでしたら何でも言ってください」
「いや、そういうことじゃない。新しい装備で旧世界の遺跡に潜ってきた。顔を見せるついでに、その土産を渡しに来ただけだ。俺のバイクを預かってもらっていたことや、この前泊めてもらったことの礼とでも思ってくれ」
アキラがリュックサックから持ってきた遺物を取り出してシェリルの前に並べる。シェリルが並べられた遺物を、女性向けの服や下着、ハンカチやアクセサリー類を見て目を丸くする。シェリルにはどれも非常に高価な品々に見えた。
「ハンカチとアクセサリー類は一点ずつ選んでくれ。他のは全部やるよ」
シェリルはアキラの話から目の前に並べられている品々が旧世界の遺物だと理解した。スラム街の住人にとっては間違いなく高級品だ。シェリルにもこれらの品々の具体的な価値までは分からないが、自分の金では絶対に手に入らない高級品であることだけは理解できた。
アキラにとってはカツラギが買い取りもしなかったものであり、安物の遺物という認識だ。2人の遺物に対する評価は正反対なもので、お互いに相手の反応に少し驚いていた。
シェリルは真剣な表情でハンカチとアクセサリーを選んでいる。そこまで悩むなら一層の事全部あげてしまおうかとアキラが思い始めた時、シェリルが
「ではこれとこれを頂きます」
「分かった。一応旧世界の遺物だ。誰かに見せる時のはったりぐらいにはなるだろう。
った物を再確認している。その中には女性用の下着も混ざっている。品と色気を兼ね備えた大人向けのデザインの下着だ。
もしかしてこの下着を身に着けた自分の姿を見たいということだろうか。シェリルはそんなことを考えて少し期待を込めた目でアキラの様子を確認した。そしてアキラの態度を見て、一瞬でその考えを取り消した。
荷物を詰め込み終わったアキラが立ち上がってリュックサックを背負う。
「用は済んだし、今日は帰るよ」
「もう帰るんですか? もう少しゆっくりしていっても......」
シェリルはアキラを引き留める理由を思案するが、それを思いつく前にアキラが答える。
「悪いな。他の所にも顔を出す予定なんだ。その内にまた来る。何かあったら連絡してくれ」
「そうですか。残念ですが分かりました。いろいろ頂いてしまって本当にありがとう御座います。
シェリルは笑顔でアキラに礼を言った。徒党の男性陣に対しては効果抜群の花咲くような笑顔だが、やはりアキラに対しては非常に効果が薄い。アキラの人間不信気味な対人観のためである。
「......まあ、そこまで喜ばれるんなら、また何か持ってくるよ」
アキラは表情を変えずにそう答えた。僅かながら効果があったのかもしれない。
シェリルはアキラを拠点の外まで見送った後で自室に戻ってきた。そしてベッドに横になって先ほどのアキラとの
は旧世界の遺物って所ね。買ったら幾らになるのかしら?)
シェリルがその下着を身に着けようとした時、ドアがノックされ、シェリルの返事を待たずにドアが開けられる。
そう言いながらドアを開けたエリオとシェリルの目が合う。エリオは慌ててドアを勢いよく閉めた。
「アキラなら用事があるから帰ったわ。そんなことより、エリオ」
「次はないわ」
普段と変わらない口調が逆に怖い。エリオは二度と確認無しでドアを開けないことを誓った。
シズカが自分の店でエレナ達と話している。エレナとサラの近況を聞いていたところだった。
「そう。じゃあエレナ達が受けていた地下街の依頼は終わったのね」
サラが顔をほころばせて答える。
「ええ。これでやっと遺物探索に戻れるわ」
サラの表情は明るくどこか清々としたもので、その口調は解放感に
「そんなに地下街の依頼を続けるのが不満だったの? 2人から聞いた話だと、モンスターとの戦闘も無難に済ませたし、稼ぎも随分良かったみたいだけど」
シズカの疑問に、エレナが苦笑気味に笑って答える。
「違うのよ。サラの不満の原因はそっちじゃないわ。ほら、契約で発見した遺物は全部都市に所有権があるから、どれだけ遺物を見つけても指を
我慢していたのは私もサラと同じよ。私は違うなんて言ってないでしょう?」
エレナはあっさりそう答えた。サラは少しふて腐れた。
シズカ達がそのような雑談をしているとアキラが店に入ってきた。シズカ達はすぐにアキラに気付いた。アキラもすぐにそれに気付いてカウンターまで来る。
エレナがアキラを見て
をしたって聞いたけど、元気そうで何よりだわ」
アキラが笑って答える。
「エレナさん。サラさん。
「アキラが急に地下街の依頼から外れたから心配していたけど、見た感じ平気そうね。まあ何があったかは聞かないわ。言えないんでしょう?」
「すみません。助かります」
サラ達はある程度アキラの事情を察してくれていた。アキラにとっては有り難いことだ。
「いえ、旧世界の遺跡からそこそこの遺物を持ち帰ったので、皆さんのお土産にしようかと思いまして。普段お世話になっているお礼に良かったらどうぞ」
アキラがリュックサックから旧世界の遺物であるハンカチとアクセサリーを取り出してカウンターに並べた。
シズカ達が並べられた品々をしげしげと見る。3人とも職業柄旧世界の遺物と関わることが多いので、遺物の目利きはアキラより高い。
エレナが軽く確認を済ませた後でアキラに尋ねる。
「構いません。高値が付いた遺物を売り払った残り物みたいなものなので、気にしないでください」
「そうなの? そういうことなら遠慮なく」
サラが目を付けていたハンカチとアクセサリーをささっと選び手に取った。エレナとシズカが含み笑いを漏らす。
「シズカさん。銃の改造部品をみせてもらっても構いませんか?」
「分かったわ。エレナ、遺物に
エレナが楽しげに、サラが苦笑して答えた。シズカは笑いながら改造部品を取りに店の奥に向かった。
アキラはエレナ達と雑談しながら銃の改造部品を選んでいる。アキラが持ってきたハンカチとアクセサリーは人数分以上ある。3人で適当に分けてください、とアキラが言ったので、エレナ達はアキラの相談に乗りながらそれらの分配の相談も続けている。
アキラは改造部品の装弾数拡張弾倉を購入すると、支払を済ませてリュックサックにしまう。
ったし、何か返さないとね。アキラは何か知りたいこととかある? 今ならハンター稼業の機密的なことでも口を滑らすかもよ?」
機嫌良く気前良く話そうとするサラに、エレナが
「ちょっとサラ。変なことまで話さないでよ?」
サラの態度から察するに、アキラが何か聞かないとサラは引かないだろう。アキラは少し考えて尋ねる。
「それなら遺物の良い売却方法を教えてください」
アキラがそう尋ねると、サラとエレナが意外そうな表情を浮かべた。サラがアキラの質問の意図を確認するように話す。
「おっと、随分踏み込んでくるわね。ハンターオフィスの買い取り所に丸投げするよりも高く売れる方法ってことよね? 正直な話、私はその辺のことはエレナに任せっきりだから詳しくないんだけど......」
サラがエレナをチラッと見て、エレナの様子を確認する。
旧世界の遺物をいかに高値で売り抜けるか。その知識は遺物収集を主なハンター稼業とする探索系ハンターの重要な技能である。買い取る
しいものだ。エレナが不機嫌になっても不思議はない。サラはそれを心配していた。
しかしエレナはアキラの質問の意図にすぐに気付いた。エレナがアキラに確認する。
「アキラ。それって普通のハンターなら知っていそうな、常識的なことを知りたいってことで良いのよね?」
「はい。商店の跡で見つけた遺物を適当に持って帰って売ろうとしたら、そんな物買い取れるか的な扱いになった遺物があったので」
つまりアキラは遺物売却に関して素人未満の状態なのだ。エレナ達がゲームのルールを理解して、その上で定石を知り、駆け引きの腕を磨いているとしたら、アキラはそのルールすら知らない状態だ。その程度の知識ならばエレナ達も秘匿する気は全くない。
エレナが
「その程度のことなら構わないわ。まずアキラが見つけた遺物について教えてもらってもいい?」
アキラは見つけた遺物の内容を思い出してエレナに話す。アルファに聞けば正確な内容を教えてもらえるだろうが、見つけた遺物の内容を誤差なく全部知っているというのも不自然だろうと考えて、自力で思い出した分だけエレナ達に話した。
アキラが女性用の下着も見つけたことを話すと、サラが意外なほどの食いつきを見せる。
「女性用の下着があったの!? どれぐらいあったの? まだ持ってる?」
「す、すみません。そんなになかったし、もう持ってないです」
サラの勢いにアキラが軽く
「......俺がサラさん達に女性用の下着をプレゼントするんですか? そんな高難度なことを俺に求められても......、ちょっとそれは......」
アキラにそんな度胸はない。
サラが不敵に挑発的な笑みをアキラに向けて少し
「贈ってくれれば、それを身に着けた私の下着姿を見せてあげるわよ?」
サラの言動は冗談半分だ。つまり残り半分は本気だ。
サラが不服そうにエレナに話した。そしてアキラが微妙な表情を浮かべているのに気付いて、釈明するように少し慌てて話す。
「アキラ、違うのよ? いや、事情があるのは事実だけど、変な話じゃないわ。本当よ?」
サラは言い訳するかのように、聞かれてもいないのにその事情を話し始めた。
サラはナノマシンによる身体強化拡張者だ。そのためサラの体つきは保有しているナノマシンの残量や使用状況などによってかなり変化する。特に予備のナノマシンの保有場所となっているサラの胸は、その大きさが短時間で大きく変化することもある。
そのため通常の伸縮性の下着では、ある時は胸を過度に圧迫するほど非常に体に深く食い込み、ある時にはずり落ちるほど緩くなることもある。またサラが着用している下着とナノマシンとの相性や、ナノマシンの補助機能も持つ防護服との相性によっては、サラが少し動き回っただけで、下着に穴が開くほどボロボロになることもある。
な素材の摩擦に耐えるほど頑丈な下着がサラには必要なのだ。そのような普通の下着には求められない要求を満たした下着の価格は当然割高になる。加えて着心地やデザイン性などを希望すると更に値段は上昇する上に、販売されている種類も量も限られてくる。
旧世界の遺物である旧世界の技術で作成された下着は、そのような開発者への嫌がらせのような要求全てをあっさり満たすことが多い。サラが旧世界の遺物の女性用の下着を求めるのはそのためだ。旧世界の遺跡で発見された全ての女性用下着がそうだとは言わないが、その確率はかなり高いのだ。
他のハンター達が買い取り所に持ち込んだ遺物を買うことも可能だが、普通の下着としても高品質な上に旧世界の遺物というブランドが加わるため、生活水準の高い普通の人までがその下着の購入者に加わり、販売価格はやはり高価になるのだ。
サラはそのような事情から、旧世界の遺跡で女性用の下着を見つけた時は売らずに自分で使用していた。少しずつ
そのためサラの下着の消耗頻度はかなり上昇しており、残りの下着の数は既に危険域に達していたのだ。最悪の場合、このままではサラは下着無しの生活を送らなければならない。
サラは少々大げさにアキラに自身の事情を伝えた。少なくとも冗談で言っているわけではないことはアキラに伝わった。
「そういうことなら、今度見つけた時は売らずに持ってきます」
「馬鹿なことを言ってないでちゃんと買い取りなさい。アキラ。下着にかかわらず衣類系の遺物は私の所に持ち込んでも良いわ。銃の整備とか汚れやすい作業で、丈夫で汚れにくい服の需要は高いから、私が相場で買い取るわよ。サラには私が利益をしっかり上乗せした価格で売ってあげるから」
「と、友達価格よね?」
「大丈夫よ。私の店の常連予定者から、遺物を口先でかすめ取ろうとした分だけしっかり上乗せしてあげるわ」
「要は自分で見つければ良いだけの話なのよ。どこの遺跡で見つけたか聞いても良い?」
「えっと、説明しにくい場所でして......、どう言えば良いんだ?」
アキラは遺跡の場所を説明しようとして、分かり
『アルファ。どういうふうに説明すれば良いと思う?』
『......本当に教える気なの?』
『えっ? 何か
アキラの戸惑いを、エレナは別の意味に捉える。
「近場の遺跡の名前を全部覚えろとは言わないけど、探索した遺跡の名前ぐらいは覚えておいた方が良いわよ。売り先に遺物の出所を説明できると買取り額が上がることもあるからね」
クガマヤマ都市から徒歩で行ける遺跡はクズスハラ街遺跡ぐらいだが、車を使えば行ける遺跡は数多くある。アキラが全ての遺跡の名称を覚えられなくても不思議はないだろう。エレナはそう考えて、遺物売却の基礎知識の一つとしてアキラにそう話した。
しかしアキラは軽く首を横に振ってから答える。
「近場の遺跡の名前ならちゃんと覚えました。それで遺跡の場所ですけど......」
「アキラ。ストップ」
遺跡の場所を話そうとするアキラに、エレナが真剣な表情で割り込んで止めた。
「シズカ。場所を変えて良い?」
「良いわよ。遺物売却の基礎知識として、その辺のこともアキラに教えておいて」
シズカもいろいろ察していた。状況について行けていないのはアキラだけだ。
「アキラ、続きは別の場所で......、そうね、長くなると思うし、私達の家で話しましょう。予定とか大丈夫?」
「え、あ、はい。大丈夫です」
「じゃあ行きましょう。シズカ、またね」
エレナとサラが歩き出す。シズカはまだ困惑気味のアキラを軽く手を振って見送った。
アキラはそのままエレナ達の家まで付いていった。詳しいことは後で話すと説明されたので、エレナ達の部屋で椅子に座ってエレナ達が着替え終えるのを待っていた。
アキラは改めてエレナ達の家の中を見ていた。部屋の数や置かれている家具などから判断して、アキラの家とは格段に良い家であることがすぐに分かる。
『あんまりきょろきょろしない方が良いと思うわ』
アルファに注意されたので、アキラは大人しく待つことにする。
「サラ。客がいるんだからもう少し格好を気にしなさいよ」
サラは股下まで隠れる白い長袖のシャツを着ている。かなりゆったりとした作りのシャツからは肌が多めに見えている。そしてズボンやスカートの類いは履いていなかった。
「サラじゃなくてアキラが気にするのよ」
エレナとサラが正反対な内容に対する同意を求めてアキラを見る。エレナもサラも自分の意見に同意してくれることをアキラに期待している表情をしている。その期待に押されながらアキラは何とか答える。
サラが得意げな表情を浮かべる。エレナは渋々引き下がった。そのエレナを見ながらサラが笑って話す。
アルファはアキラの視界を拡張する過程で、アキラの視線などは正確に把握している。つまりアキラがどこを見ているかアキラ以上に知っている。
服のサイズの不一致のために隠れきれていないサラの胸の谷間の肌や、大きく動けば下着が見えそうなサラの下腹部に視線を向けないようにアキラが努力していることも知っている。加えてその努力が時折報われていないことも知っている。
『やっぱりアキラは着エロ派? 全裸だと逆に萎えるタイプ?』
アキラは照れ隠しも含めて強めの口調で答えた。
「さて、話の続きだけど、アキラが探索してきた遺跡は多分未調査の遺跡よね?」
誰かに発見されて、多くのハンターに知れ渡った旧世界の遺跡には、大抵早い時期に自然と名前が付く。その遺跡を見つけたハンターが適当に付けた名前が広まったり、遺跡探索の過程で見つかった地名などが名称になることが多い。
アキラは近場の遺跡の名前を覚えたと言った。つまりアキラが探索した遺跡は比較的最近発見された遺跡か、新しく発見された遺跡ということになる。
新しく発見された旧世界の遺跡の情報は、基本的にどんなに隠そうとしても、よほど高度な隠蔽処理をしなければ、比較的短時間で他のハンター達に知れ渡ってしまうものだ。そしてエレナ達が最近新しい遺跡が見つかったという話を聞いていない以上、アキラが自力で見つけた遺跡である可能性が高いのだ。エレナはほぼ確信を持ってアキラに尋ねていた。
「多分そうです。広範囲に広がっている遺跡の、別の入り口かもしれませんが」
「あのねアキラ、そういう情報を誰かに話すのは危険よ? 未調査の旧世界の遺跡の情報。その価値はアキラも分かっているでしょう?」
しかしアキラは態度を変えずに答える。
「いや、俺も誰彼構わずに話す気はないですよ。エレナさん達にはいろいろ世話になっているので構わないかと思っただけです。一度俺が潜った後でもありますし」
アキラは情報の価値を理解した上でエレナ達にその情報を渡そうとしている。エレナとサラはかなり
「それは有り難いけど、それ以外にも理由はあるわ。公共の場所でその類いの情報を握っていると判断されるようなことを口にするのは危険なのよ。シズカの店もそうよ? 他の客が隠れて聞き耳を立てていても不思議はないわ」
「分かりました。気を付けます」
エレナはアキラの返事を聞いて、アキラの認識が少々甘いと感じた。だから真剣な表情で続けて話す。
「未調査の遺跡の情報を知っていることがバレると、他のハンターに絡まれる程度の認識なら改めなさい。遺跡の種類によっては最悪企業が絡んでくるわ。単純に旧世界の遺物を求めるだけではなく、遺跡を占拠して施設を掌握、再稼働させるために、武力行使を含めたあらゆる方法を使ってくる。くれぐれも注意しなさい」
"So, how can I help you today? You can ask me anything."
"Well, that's not why I'm here today. I just got my new equipment set so I was able to start exploring ruins again. So I'm just here to pay a regular visit to the base, I've also brought some souvenirs that I got from exploring ruins. Just think of it as my thanks for letting me park my bike here and also letting me sleep here the other day."
Akira took out the old-world relics from his rucksack and lined them in front of her. Sheryl looked at the relics in front of her wide-eyed. Among all the relics that Akira lined up in front of her, there were dresses and underclothes for girls, handkerchiefs, and female accessories. To Sheryl, all of them looked like expensive high-quality goods.
"You can take one each from the handkerchiefs and the accessories, then you can pick your choice from the rest."
From what Akira said, Sheryl knew that all the goods in front of her were old-world relics. In short, they were high-quality goods for the people of the slum city. Although she did not know their exact value, she knew well that it was impossible for her to buy them normally.
While on the other hand, Akira thought of them as useless goods since Katsuragi would not buy them. Since both of them had the opposite impression for the relics in front of them, they were a little bit surprised to see how the other person reacted to those relics.
Sheryl made a very serious look as she was browsing through the accessories and the handkerchiefs. Seeing that, Akira thought that he should have given her everything since it made her think that much just to pick her choice. Shortly after, she finally decided on her picks.
"I'll take these."
"Alright. Since these are old-world relics, you can at least use them to trick other people by showing it to them. So, make sure to use them well."
Sheryl looked delighted as she looked at the presents that she just received from Akira. Among all of them, there were some underclothes for a.d.u.l.ts, basically, undies with e.r.o.t.i.c designs.
She thought that Akira might have given her those undies since he wanted to see her in it as she glanced at Akira. But after checking his reaction, she completely erased that thought from her mind.
After he finished stuffing the leftover relics back to his rucksack, Akira stood up.
"That's all for today, I'll head back home now."
"You're going back home now? You can stay here a little bit longer, you know..."
She tried to think of an excuse to make him stay longer, but before she could come up with anything, Akira suddenly said.
"I'm sorry but I have a plan to visit another place. I'll come again soon, just give me a call if anything comes up."
"I see. It's really regrettable, but I understand. Thank you very much for your presents. I'm really happy to receive them."
Sheryl smiled and expressed her gratitude. Although it was a dazzling smile that worked really well on the boys in her gang, as expected, it was completely useless against Akira. But it was not because of her smile, it was because Akira was an apathetic boy who did not trust other people.
"...Well, if you're really that happy, I guess I can bring you more next time."
Akira's expression did not change at all when he said that.
Sheryl then accompanied him until just outside her base and saw him off. After that, she returned back to her private room, laid down on her bed, and reviewed her conversation with Akira just now.
[I guess that's to be expected of old-world relics. I wonder how much this will cost if I were to buy it normally?]
As Sheryl was about to put on that undie, someone suddenly knocked on the door of her room. The person on the other side of the door suddenly opened that door without waiting for Sheryl's reply.
Erio's words were cut short as he entered the room and met Sheryl's eyes. He panicked and slammed the door behind him as he immediately exited the room.
"If it's about him, he quickly left after he finished his business here. That aside, Erio..."
"There won't be any mercy next time."
Although Sheryl said that in her usual tone, it only made her sound more terrifying. Erio swore to himself that he would never ever open that door without a confirmation ever again.
Inside the Cartridge Freak, Shizuka was talking with Elena and Sara. She was asking them how they were doing lately.
"I see, so your underground city exploration request has finally ended, huh?"
Sara happily replied back.
"Yep, thanks to that, we can go back to exploring ruins."
Sara was obviously looking happy there, and from the way she worded it out, it sounded as if she got herself free from something.
"Was it really that bad? From what I heard from both of your stories, it seems that you girls did not find any difficulties and got paid well from that request though."
Elena smiled bitterly as she answered Shizuka's question.
"That's not the reason. Sara is so displeased because all of the relics that we found during that request were all taken ownership by the City Management according to our contract. No matter how many relics we found down there, we had no other choice but to bite our lips and hold ourselves back from carrying them back home, you see. I lost count how many times I had to pull Sara by her hair just to drag her away from the relics in front of her."
"Of course, I did. It was because I had to hold myself back as much as you did back then. I never said that I felt happy about surrendering those relics, did I?"
As Elena answered back so lightly, Sara turned her cheek the other way and made 'humph' sound.
In the middle of their silly talks, Akira suddenly entered the shop. They quickly noticed Akira, he also immediately noticed them near the counter the moment he stepped in. He then walked to the counter.
Elena smiled at Akira.
"Long time no see, Akira. I heard that you did some crazy reckless stuff lately, but I'm really glad to see that you're doing fine."
Akira smiled back and said.
"Elena-san, Sara-san, long time no see."
"I was worried when I heard that you were removed from the underground city exploration request, but it seems that you're not injured at all. Well, I won't ask you the details, you can't tell us anything after all, right?"
"I'm sorry and thank you."
Sara and Elena were being considerate of Akira's position, and he was really happy about that.
"Nope, it's just that I was able to bring back quite a lot of relics from the ruins, so I just thought of giving some of them away as souvenirs. It's also a form of my gratitude for always taking care of me, so please accept them."
Akira took out the handkerchiefs and accessories from inside his rucksack and lined them on the table.
Shizuka, Sara, and Elena looked closely at those relics. All three of them were already used to seeing old-world relics, thus they had better eyes than Akira when it came to appraising old-world relics.
Elena scanned through all the relics that Akira brought before speaking to him.
"Of course. They're basically just leftover relics after I sold all the expensive relics that I brought back. So please don't worry about it."
"Is that so? If that's the case, then I won't hold back."
Sara quickly extended her hands and yoinked the handkerchief and accessory that she had her eyes locked on to. Both Elena and Shizuka giggled when they saw that.
"Shizuka-san, can I see the modification parts that you have?"
"Sure. Elena, make sure that Sara would leave some for me too, okay?"
Elena smiled teasingly, which Sara returned with a bitter smile. Shizuka smiled and headed to the back room to get the modification parts that Akira asked.
Akira was talking to Elena and Sara while he was browsing through the modification parts. Since he brought more handkerchiefs and accessories than the number of people here, he just told them to share the relics between the 3 of them. So Elena, Sara, and Shizuka were also discussing how to divide the relics among them.
Akira picked a modification part that allowed him to get more ammo in a magazine, he then paid for that part and put it inside his rucksack.
"Since you gave me some good relics, I need to give something back to you. Akira, is there anything you want to know? I might even give you some secret tips about how to work as a Hunter."
Seeing how Sara happily said that, Elena interjected and gave her a warning.
"Whoa there, Sara, don't tell him anything unnecessary, okay?"
Judging from how Sara was behaving, it seemed that she would not withdraw from that place unless Akira asked her something. So he thought of anything that he might ask.
"In that case, can you tell me how to sell relics?"
When Akira said that, Elena and Sara were obviously a little bit surprised. Sara then asked Akira to make sure what he meant by that question.
"Uhhh, that's a rather specific question. You mean how to sell relics so that you can get more money rather than selling all your relics to the Hunter Office, right? To be honest, I always leave that part to Elena, so I'm not really that informed about that..."
Sara glanced at Elena to see how she reacted.
The way to exchange the relics into a huge amount of money, that was an indispensable knowledge for the Hunters who specialized in exploring ruins. After all, it was not like the people who buy relics from those Hunters had an unlimited asset to pay those Hunters. Moreover, the price of the relics was greatly affected by the supply, the demand, and the current trends. It was a knowledge that they had acquired from hard work and piling experiences, it would allow them to get a better edge to compete with the other Hunters. Thus it was not a thing that Hunters would normally share with the other Hunters.
From that point of view, Akira's question was actually rather rude. It would not be strange if Elena was offended by that question, that was what Sara was worrying when she glanced at Elena.
But Elena quickly caught the meaning behind that question, she then asked Akira to confirm her guess.
"Akira, you mean the common knowledge that most Hunters would normally know, right?"
"Yes. I actually went to sell all the relics that I brought back from the ruin, but in the end, the person that I sold the relics to was reluctant to buy a portion of the relics that I brought, you see."
So in short, Akira was less than even a beginner when it came to selling relics. If Elena and Sara were like players who knew the rules, the principle of those rules, and were skilled in the game, then Akira would be a new player who did not even know the rules at all. If that was the case, then there was no reason for Elena to get offended by his question.
Elena smiled.
"If that's the case, then sure. First of all, can you tell me what kind of relics you brought back?"
Akira tried to remember the relics that he brought back and conveyed it to Elena. Of course, he would be able to completely retrace everything if he asked Alpha, but it would be suspicious if he was able to accurately recall everything. So he decided to try his best on his own.
When Akira mentioned that he found some old-world underclothes, Sara quickly reacted.
"Underclothes for girls?! How many did you find? Do you still have them?"
"I-I'm sorry, it wasn't that many and I don't have them now."
Akira was slightly overwhelmed by Sara's reaction while Sara looked very disappointed by Akira's answer.
"...Me giving underclothes as a present to Sara-san, huh? That's a big hurdle for me, so like... That's a little bit... You know..."
Akira had no courage to do that.
Sara smiled invincibly as if she was challenging Akira when she teased him.
"If you give me some, I might allow you to see me in those undies, you know?"
She was half-joking there, so to be more precise, she was also half-serious.
Sara sounded annoyed when she said that to Elena. She then noticed Akira, who tilted his head, and tried to explain in panic.
"Akira, it's not like what you think, okay? Ah, well, it's true that I'm in a little bit of trouble right now, but it's not because of anything strange, okay?"
Although Akira did not ask her, Sara then fl.u.s.teredly explained the reason as if she was making excuses.
Sara was an enhanced human with nanomachines body enhancement. Because of that, her body shape changed depending on the amount of nanomachine reserve remaining inside her body or how many nanomachines that she was using. Especially for her chest where she stored her nanomachines reserve, its size varied with time.
Because of that, if she used the usual stretchable bra, it would sometimes become so stuffed that it suffocated her, but some other time, it left a big empty space enough for it to slip. Moreover, depending on its compatibility with the type of the nanomachine that she was using or the suit with nanomachine reserve that she equipped, even a slight manoeuvre might cause her to tear her undies in no time.
And so, Sara was in dire need of undies that could stretch so much that it would fit comfortably on her body that changed frequently from time to time, also it needed to be strong enough to endure her power and her manoeuvring as an enhanced human. Getting such undies would, of course, cost her a lot of money. Not to mention, if she wanted to get comfortable undies with a good design, then the price would increase even further. And such undies were rare and most sought after in the market.
But the old-world undies that were made using the advanced old-world technology easily satisfied all of those requirements. It was as if they were intentionally made to annoy people like Sara. This was also the reason why Sara was looking for old-world undies. Although it was not like all the old-world undies were that good, most of them were able to at least satisfy her needs.
On the other hand, she could also buy the undies that the other Hunters brought to the Exchange Centre. But with the old-world brand plastered on them on top of their high quality, and not to mention that she would be competing with the rich people to get them, it would still cost her a lot of money too.
Because of that, Sara would not sell any old-world undies that she found when she searched the ruins so that she would be able to use them instead. She was able to get quite a lot of reserve undies by doing so. But then because of that underground exploration request, she did not have any chances to hunt for relics. Moreover, since they had to explore the underground city on foot, it also increased the frequency where she had to fight monsters.
Thanks to that, Sara burned through her spare undies really fast to the point that her reserve was in an emergency state at the moment. At this rate, she would have to go full commando.
Sara sounded a little exaggerating as she desperately explained her situation to Akira. Akira at least understood that she was not joking there.
"In that case, I'll bring them to you next time I find more."
"Stop spouting stupid things and properly buy them from him. Akira, if you find any old-world clothes, it doesn't matter if it's underclothes, you can bring them here and I'll buy them from you for a good price. Maintaining the guns is a dirty job after all, so there's a demand in this business for clothes that don't get ripped or stained easily. Don't worry, Sara then can buy them from me at an even higher price."
"O-of course you'll give me a friendly discount, right?"
"Don't worry, you're a prospective regular customer to my shop after all. So I'll properly give you a special price for trying to snatch relics right in front of me."
"Well, basically, I just need to find them myself. So, is it okay to ask you where you found them?"
"Well, it's rather complicated to explain it but... Hmmm... What should I say here...?"
Akira wanted to explain the location of the ruin that he just visited the other day, but since he could not come up with any good way to describe the place, he looked rather troubled.
"Alpha, how do you think I should explain it to them?"
"...Are you seriously going to tell them?"
"Eh? Is it a bad idea?"
Looking at the troubled Akira, Elena thought that he was hesitating because of something else.
"I'm not going to tell you to remember all the ruins around this area, but it's a good idea to at least remember the name of the ruin where you get your relics. After all, merchants might buy your relics for a higher price if you can explain to them where you get your relics from."
The Kuzusuhara ruin was the only ruin that could be reached by foot from Kugamayama city. But that was not the case with a vehicle. There were multiple ruins around the Kugamayama city that Akira could go to if he had a vehicle, thus it was not a strange thing if he could not remember the name of all those ruins. As Elena thought so, she also taught Akira one of the basics of selling relics.
But Akira shook his head and replied.
"I do remember the name of the ruin near it, but the location itself is..."
"Akira, stop!"
When Akira was about to give the precise location of the site, Elena suddenly stopped him with a serious expression.
"Shizuka, I'm sorry but is it okay to change the place?"
"Of course, be sure to teach Akira the basics of selling relics too, okay?"
Shizuka understood well why Elena did that. The only person who did not understand what was going on was Akira.
"Akira, is it ok if we continue this in another place... Well, it seems like it is going to be a long talk, so how about our house? Are you okay with that?"
"Eh, ah, yes, sure."
"Let's go then. Shizuka, see you again next time."
Elena and Sara then left the shop. Shizuka still looked a bit troubled as she waved at Akira when he left her shop.
Akira just obediently followed Elena and Sara back to their house. He was sitting on a chair inside a room while waiting for Elena and Sara, who went to change their clothes. He was obediently waiting for them since they told him that they would explain the details later.
He looked around the house, judging from the furniture and the other stuff inside, he quickly understood that it was better than his house.
"It might be a good idea not to look around like that."
Since Alpha warned him, Akira went back to sitting obediently while waiting for Sara and Elena. It did not take long before they returned.
"Sara, we have a guest here. So, can you at least pick better clothing than that?"
Sara was wearing a loose white long-sleeve T-shirt that extended all the way to under her hip. Since it was made for comfort, it was showing a lot of skin under it. And to top it off, she was not wearing any skirt or pants.
"Even if it doesn't bother you, it might still bother Akira, you know."
Elena and Sara who had the exact opposite opinion turned to Akira for confirmation. Both of their faces were telling him to agree with them. Akira was a bit overwhelmed by their expectation.
Sara smiled smugly while Elena exasperatedly withdrew. Looking at Elena, Sara just smiled and said.
With just a little bit of effort, Alpha could accurately determine the direction of Akira's gaze. So in short, she knew better than Akira himself what he was looking at.
Since Sara was wearing a shirt that was out of her proportion, the valley of her chest sometimes peeked out from her shirt, and whenever she made a big move, her shorts would peek from under the shirt. Alpha knew that Akira was trying to look away from those two things. She also knew well that his efforts sometimes betrayed him.
"As I thought, Akira, you like e.r.o.t.i.c clothes more, huh? Are you someone who gets all cold when you see a n.a.k.e.d girl instead?"
Akira jabbed back hard at Alpha while trying to hide his embarrassment.
"Now then, let's continue our talk from before, the ruin that you just visited might be an unexplored ruin, right?"
When someone found an unexplored ruin that the other Hunter frequently visited, eventually, that ruin site would become popular and get a name. Sometimes the Hunters who found it first would just put on a random name on that site which later would spread among the other Hunters, and sometimes they would just pick a name from any particular landmark that they found when they searched for that ruin.
Since Akira said that he remembered the name of the ruin near the location where he found that site, this meant that either it was a nameless ruin that was just discovered recently or it was a completely unexplored ruin.
If it was a newly discovered old-world ruin, no matter how much they tried to hide it, it usually would still leak out unless they did a lot of information control to make sure that it would not leak out. Otherwise, the location of that ruin would quickly spread among the Hunters. Because of that, since Elena and Sara did not hear anything about a newly discovered ruin recently, thus they quickly guessed that the ruin that Akira found was a completely unexplored ruin. Elena was sure of her guess when she asked Akira that question.
"It might be an unexplored ruin. Although, it might also be just a different entrance into a ruin that was already explored."
"Listen here, Akira. It's dangerous to give that information to other people, you know? The location of an unexplored ruin, I'm sure you know how valuable that information is, right?"
But Akira's tone and expression did not change at all as he answered back.
"Of course, I won't just give this information easily to other people. I just thought that it should be okay to share it with both of you since you've helped me so much. Not to mention that I already went into that ruin once before."
It meant that Akira shared that information to Sara and Elena although he knew well just how valuable that information was. Elena and Sara were delighted when they heard that, but Elena tried to suppress her feelings as she said to Akira.
"I'm happy that you feel like that, but there's one more thing. It's dangerous to even say that you have such information in a public space. This is also true even when you're inside Shizuka's shop. It won't be strange to find other Hunters eavesdropping in the middle of a public space like that."
"I see, I understand, I'll be careful next time."
Even after hearing Akira's reply, Elena felt that his reaction was somehow still too naive. So she then continued while making a serious face.
"If you think that it would only cause you trouble with other Hunters if they find out that you have such information, you'll have to fix your thinking. Depending on the type of facility that you discover, in the worst-case scenario, it might even cause you some trouble with big companies, you know. Some of them are not only aiming for the relics, they have many other agendas like seizing and monopolizing that ruin in order to restart it. As a result, they would even use anything, including violence, to get their hands on such information. So make sure to be very careful about it."
Rebuild World (WN)
リビルドワールド
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/rebuild-world/
Action Adventure Drama Harem Mecha Mystery Sci-fi Seinen
Abandoned Children Adapted to Manga Adventurers Alternate World Anti-social Protagonist Apocalypse Artificial Intelligence Beautiful Female Lead Cautious Protagonist Child Protagonist Dense Protagonist Determined Protagonist Distrustful Protagonist Futuristic Setting Gangs Gunfighters Harsh Training Lack of Common Sense Male Protagonist Manipulative Characters Monsters Near-Death Experience Older Love Interests Poor Protagonist Poor to Rich Ruthless Protagonist Shota Sudden Strength Gain Survival Twisted Personality Unlucky Protagonist Weak to Strong
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n9736dt/
非公開