“The ability of this ‘orb’ seems to be ‘Flight.'”
“Wait… it’s not something used for healing?”
“Orbs made by compressing medicinal herbs are probably used for healing, and Mahoroba grass for restoring magic power… So, I guess the compressed item’s properties are extracted or something like that.”
“I think I get it… So since you compressed an Airfish, does that mean you can… fly?”
“We’ll have to try it out, but given the potential effect, doing it on flat ground is kind of scary.”
Even if I fell into the water, I wouldn’t get hurt, but there are other monsters in the water, and I’d rather not get wet again after taking so long to dry my clothes.
“Pi-pi-pi!”
“Oh… you guys were nearby, huh?”
The squids we captured earlier poked their heads out from the river. It seems they remember us well—even though we’ve left and come back from the dungeon, they haven’t forgotten us.
“Pi!”
“Hm? What’s with that behavior?”
“Are they… keeping other monsters away?”
The squids were emitting some sort of sound wave, and the Airfish, which could have easily attacked us, had gone unusually quiet.
“I see… In this river, you guys are the ‘masters,’ huh?”
The squids seemed to puff up with pride—whatever the case, it looked like testing out the Flight orb here had become a lot easier.
“Just to be safe, could you step back a bit, Nanami-san?”
“Okay… be careful.”
To be honest, I was pretty nervous—if it worked like the Airfish’s flight, I might shoot off like a bullet the moment I used the orb.
(It’s a gamble… but it should be doable… right?)
《Temporary Skill: Flight》
“Oh… whoa…!”
When I held the Flight orb and willed it to activate, it worked—thankfully, I didn’t lose control and start flying uncontrollably. My body gently lifted into the air.
“…You’re flying… Fujiwara-kun, it’s like you’re a psychic.”
“Heh… well, if I were a ‘magician,’ I’d probably be able to use flight magic too.”
“Magitech engineers can also make flying magic tools. The most famous is the magic broom, but it’s not something you can easily make… I’ve heard flight magic is really difficult too.”
The Flight orb didn’t grant permanent flying; it only lasted for a limited time. However, when the time ran out, it gradually brought you back down, preventing any accidents from falling.
“I’ll go check if I can make it to the other side.”
“The monsters have quieted down, but still, be careful.”
The river was about 200 meters wide, but I flew across easily. I could control the flight just as I imagined, though trying any acrobatic maneuvers might make me dizzy, so I kept things level as I returned.
“Phew… looks like we can get across. Building a bridge would have been risky without proper supports.”
“Fujiwara-kun, do you think I can use that orb too?”
“I think so, but… it would be best if you could fly on your own, Nanami-san.”
“Yeah… I’m not sure if I can do it as well as you, but I’ll give it a try.”
I handed the Flight orb to Nanami-san. I prepared myself, like a beach flag contestant, ready to catch her in case she fell.
“Alright, here I go… Oh… amazing… I feel so light…”
Nanami-san activated the orb and floated into the air—though she seemed to struggle with maintaining her balance.
“—Kyah!”
After rising about three meters, she spun around in midair. And, in a skirt, that’s not exactly ideal…
“D-Don’t look… sorry, this is harder than I thought…”
“I-It’s okay… take it slow and try to get back to your original posture.”
“Yeah… oh, I think I can get back…”
She carefully managed to right herself—but now she couldn’t figure out how to descend.
“Um… what should I do?”
“The effect should wear off soon, but… if you want to come down now, I could…”
“—Kyah!”
Just as I was about to offer to catch her, she shrieked—I instinctively moved to catch her.
“Fumoh…!”
“Nn… I-I’m sorry, I fell all of a sudden…”
I managed to catch her, but—let’s just say it was the first time in my life I experienced something like this. My head ended up right under her skirt. In other words, my face was… directly in contact with…
“Fumohh…! (Sorry…!)”
“D-Don’t… it’s okay, just don’t talk right now…”
Her thighs gently squeezed my cheeks—who knew such blissful suffocation could exist in this world?
“Just… slowly lower yourself… yes, like that…”
Following her instructions, I bent my knees to lower her down. But we were still a bit high up.
“…You can grab onto me now if you want…”
I placed my hands on her slender waist and lifted her down—everything I touched was so soft, I found myself dazed even after setting her down.
“…It seems flying with this orb is too difficult for me. Maybe you can handle it because you’re the one who made the orb, Fujiwara-kun.”
“Is that so… Maybe you’re right. If that’s the case, it might be hard for anyone else to use the orbs.”
“Maybe it’s just me who can’t use it, but if the other two had the same trouble, you’d be in quite a situation, Fujiwara-kun.”
“Hahaha…”
“It’s no laughing matter. I’m fine, but for Mikuriya-san and the others, it’d be a disaster.”
With Nanami-san saying that, it might be best to avoid any accidents ahead of time.
Especially with Haruka-senpai—if I ended up in this same situation with her, it would cause all sorts of problems, depending on what kind of dreams she’s been having lately…
◆◇◆
When we returned to the tent, Haruka-senpai had already moved to the larger tent and changed her clothes. Futaba-san was also fully prepared, and I started packing up the tent to compress it once again.
“…Um, I’m sorry, I ended up falling asleep.”
“No, I think you were tired too, Haruka-senpai. Did you rest well?”
While I glanced over to see Futaba-san talking with Nanami-san a little farther away, Haruka-senpai came closer to me—and whispered in my ear.
“…My body feels completely refreshed. So, don’t worry.”
“I-I see… um, that’s kind of ticklish, so could you not…”
“Just a moment ago, you were being so intense… You’re unexpectedly like a bedroom bully, aren’t you?”
“A bed…?”
Earlier, Haruka-senpai had been quite worked up and guided my hand to her chest without really realizing it. Midway, I had to use ‘Night Crawling Hand’ to put her to sleep, but now it seemed like she had mistaken the dream she saw for reality.
“When I woke up naked in your sleeping bag, I was surprised… But I realized, it’s not about the ‘Secret Crest of Alchemy.’ I’m happy it was with you.”
“Sister, shall we get going? It’s not good to whisper in the middle of a party activity.”
“Hehe… Sorry, there was something I wanted to talk about now. Let’s go, Tsukasa-kun.”
She’s switched from calling me ‘Fujiwara-kun’ to using my first name—meaning that in Haruka-senpai’s mind, she’s convinced we went all the way, or that I was some kind of bedroom tyrant.
Haruka-senpai winked at me as she let Futaba-san go ahead of us. I knew I had to explain the truth calmly and as soon as possible—but it seemed that wouldn’t be easy until we escaped the dungeon.
