Regarding the Matter of Beautiful Girls Relentlessly Seeking My Body (Experience Points)
About a month had passed since my trip to Yokohama with Aina. And finally, the day had arrived.
“Tatsu-nii!! Tatsu-nii, are you there!?”
On a peaceful holiday morning, the sound of someone pounding on my door was accompanied by an adorable voice. It was Aina. She had no regard for the neighbors.
I checked my phone screen—it was still only 6:30 AM.
I considered ignoring her and going back to sleep, but at this rate, she might actually break down my door. Begrudgingly, I crawled out from my warm bed and opened the door. A rush of cold morning air flooded in.
“Good morning, Aina. I mean, it’s way too early, so how about coming back in an hour?”
“No!”
So that was a no. My small request was instantly rejected.
Aina had just returned from a dungeon dive. She was dressed like a proper dungeon diver and wore artifact cat ears and a cat tail. They were probably both artifacts, but honestly, they just looked like cosplay.
“Hey, hey! I finally found it! Look!”
Aina, brimming with excitement, held something out to me. It looked like a choker necklace with a small round gemstone attached, about a centimeter in size.
The gemstone was semi-transparent yellow with a black center—it resembled a yellow eyeball.
“What is this?”
“The Sky Eye—Hawkeye!”
“Seriously!?”
The “Sky Eye—Hawkeye.”
It was the artifact Aina had been searching for all this time—for her blind younger sister.
“I finally found it! Tatsu-nii, I finally did it! Now Sa-nyan can finally see the world!”
Aina jumped up and down with joy. I gently patted her head.
“Aina, you did great. Hurry up and take it to Sana-san.”
“Yeah! Come on, get dressed! Get ready to go!”
“…Huh? Why me?”
“You’re coming with me, of course! Hurry up!”
“Uh…”
“You have five minutes! Hurry, hurry!”
I didn’t see why I needed to go, but arguing was pointless. Sighing, I started getting ready to leave.
By the way… I had no idea where Aina’s family home even was.
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“And then, on the way, I found the Prophetic Black Quill—Cat Tail! Oh, that’s this cat tail! When I wear it, my senses get super sharp! Since I’m a stealth-type darkness attribute, it’s a perfect match! I barely ran into any enemies!”
Inside the taxi, Aina kept up a rapid-fire monologue.
Apparently, her family home was about a two-hour drive away. We could have taken the train, but not wanting to waste even a second, Aina had flagged down the first taxi she saw and hopped in.
“Thanks to the Prophetic Black Quill—Cat Tail, I could go places that are usually impossible to reach! I found a ton of rare items! Look, this is a Phoenix Half-Plume! It’s an ultra-rare item that prevents instant death once per day! I found a few, so here’s one for you!”
She handed me a soft, palm-sized, fluffy orange feather.
If her story was true, it was an insane find.
“And while I was exploring, I stumbled upon a hidden area! Oh, I think the Cat Tail helped me find it! There was an old diver’s remains there… It was kinda scary, but it was just bones. When I checked the belongings—there it was! The Sky Eye—Hawkeye!
Oh, and by the way, any lost diver’s belongings belong to whoever finds them! At first, I wasn’t sure what it was, but when I put it on—”
“Uh, Aina, can I say something?”
“The world just—whooshed open! It was like I could see in 360 degrees! The scenery just expanded straight into my head! The view was incredible! And then—”
“Aina, Aina. Sorry, but can I say something?”
“If Sa-nyan has this, then—Tatsu-nii, what’s wrong?”
Finally, I managed to break through her endless chatter.
“Hey… Am I really supposed to be here? Sana-san and your parents don’t even know me. Won’t it feel weird if I’m there at such an emotional moment?”
“Tatsu-nii, you’re my biggest supporter and contributor! I want you to be there with me!”
“Yeah, but… Imagine Sana-san seeing for the first time ever, and there’s some random guy she doesn’t know standing there. That’s like a horror story, isn’t it?”
“I’ll explain everything, so it’s fine! Oh, and—here!”
Aina suddenly handed me something.
It was a camera.
I wasn’t an expert, but it seemed like a high-quality one. Probably expensive.
“What’s this? You want me to take pictures?”
“Nope, video. This is a once-in-a-lifetime moment, so I want to record it! You’re my cameraman!”
“So that’s your real reason.”
“And also… I can’t hide the fact that I’ve been dungeon diving anymore. I’m going to get in trouble, so I want you to be there for support…”
“There’s your second real reason.”
Apparently, I was being dragged along as an assistant.
“If it gets too awkward, I’m running away.”
“If you do, I’ll chase you! You can’t escape from Ainya and her Prophetic Black Quill—Cat Tail! Nihihi!”
Aina wagged her cat tail enthusiastically.
“Uh… Are artifacts even safe to use in the real world?”
“Artifacts, magic, and skills are all fine as long as you’re just using them! It’s like listening to a wiretap—just listening isn’t illegal, right? Same concept.”
Apparently, the law had been properly adjusted for these things.
After nearly two hours of listening to Aina’s non-stop chatter, we finally arrived at our destination.
“Hey, mister! Stop in front of that house—the one with the carport!”
“Got it. That’ll be 9,600 yen.”
“Here’s 10,000! Keep the change!”
“Wow, big spender.”
Aina confidently paid and hopped out of the taxi. I followed after her.
“Oh, no car. Looks like Mom and Dad are out. Yes!”
“Wouldn’t that mean Sana-san is out too?”
“Sa-nyan doesn’t go out much, so she’s probably home. Hehe, looks like I won’t get scolded today!”
“Sounds more like you’re just delaying it.”
Standing in front of the door, Aina adjusted her hair and took a few deep breaths.
Once she was ready, she slowly reached for the intercom button.
