Chapter 322 – Episode 322 – Application!
I looked at my finger that had just shot out magic power.
Magic power really did come out.
And in the form I had imagined.
Emotion… washed over my entire body.
If I just apply this, I can do ranged attacks as I please.
I felt joy about that and gratitude to Tikia for teaching me this at the same time.
“Tikia! I did it!”
“U-uh, yeah… That’s, that’s amazing…”
Excited, I wondered if I could do an even bigger application.
Then, something that came to mind when thinking about magic.
That was shooting out fire, water, or wind.
In other words, adding an attribute to magic power.
Wouldn’t it work if I just imagined it?
I quickly pointed my finger again, and this time, I imagined a thinner beam of magic power being shot out as a flame, and poured magic power into it.
“Fire Death Beam!”
Fwoooooosh!
Just as I imagined, a beam of flame shot out from my finger and hit the ground.
Boom!
This time, it caused an explosion with heat.
“Huh!? W-what was that?! Rent, what was that just now!? And what’s with the Fire Death Beam!?”
“Ah, the name was just something I made up, and the rest was just me imagining it.”
“T-that was almost original magic level. You just imagined it… Ugh. I’m a genius, I’m a genius magical girl. It’s just that Rent is too absurd…”
Hmm, it seems I’ve slightly hurt Tikia’s confidence as a genius.
“I’m sorry, Tikia.”
“D-don’t apologize! Hmph!”
Tikia clung to my head.
It seems she’s trying to cheer herself up by increasing skinship.
Then, I’ll cooperate even more.
I grabbed Tikia’s legs and shook my head back and forth.
Rub rub rub rub.
“Hyaa! Ugh! D-don’t! My, my hair is stimulating my… down there through my panties! Just stay still!”
“Yes.”
Tikia hugged me tightly for five minutes after that.
Tikia, who had recovered her spirits, raised her staff high and shouted.
“…Hoo, I feel a little better. Well, it’s good for me if Rent gets stronger! Let’s think that way! Alright, let’s go, Rent! Just a little more hunting and we’ll rank up!”
“Yes!”
And I ran off again to find the next Trent.
◈
And around the end of lunch.
“Yessssss!”
Tikia ranked up.
“Congratulations, Tikia! Did you get a new skill?”
“Yeah! It’s called Power Spelling, a skill that increases the power of magic when chanting!”
“So, the power of your magic is stronger than usual?”
“That’s right!”
“Then let’s go back to everyone.”
I called Elsie’s name with the magic tool on my wrist and ran to the place the magic tool indicated.
When we arrived near where everyone was, Noah was the first to wave and greet us.
“Are you done~?”
“Yeah, Tikia ranked up.”
“Ooh! Then we can go catch the Minotaur!”
“Yeah, let’s go to the 10th floor tomorrow.”
Tikia’s magic power has increased, so it should be effective enough against the Minotaur.
I tested it on a Trent I caught on the way, and I judged that it was powerful enough.
Ninya grinned and asked Tikia.
“Hey, Tikia~ Did you and Rent do anything?”
“N-no, we didn’t!”
We didn’t do anything lewd, but I did learn a new way to apply magic power.
Come to think of it, Elsie would probably like it if she saw me shoot out magic power.
“Oh, right, Elsie! I learned a new technique!”
“A technique?”
“A new technique? Rent, did you get another skill?”
“It’s not that, Noah. But thanks to Tikia, I can use magic power a little better! Look at this.”
I extended only my index and thumb on my right hand and aimed it at a Trent that happened to appear nearby.
This time, I imagined sending out a round ball of magic power instead of a beam, and sent out magic power.
“Magic Bullet Launch!”
Thwang!
A Create Sound appeared next to me and made a gun shooting sound effect.
The magic bullet I shot flew at high speed towards the Trent and hit it…
Boom!
It exploded and shattered the Trent into pieces.
“How was it?”
“R-Rent used magic!”
“Good job, Rent! Well, honestly, it’s not as amazing as when Excalibur goes ‘Pshooo!’ but it’s still amazing!”
I guess it lacks the impact compared to cutting with a giant Excalibur.
“Did Tikia teach you?”
“Yes!”
“…I just told him the knack of it. Of course, my teaching was also outstanding, but Rent immediately did that with his absurd sense and amount of magic power. It usually takes a few days… And he even added an attribute right away… Could it be that if he just thinks about it, he can immediately create other attributes? Then Rent is also an elemental master? More of a genius than me… No, no, it’s just that Rent is absurd…”
It seems she hasn’t fully recovered from the wound to her pride yet.
“Tikia.”
“Why, Rent…”
“The genius magical girl is also a genius at teaching! If it weren’t for Tikia’s teaching, I wouldn’t have been able to use something like this.”
“…! That’s right! Because I’m a genius! That’s right! No matter how absurd Rent is, he can’t use it if he doesn’t meet a good teacher! Yeah, yeah!”
Her wound healed surprisingly quickly.
Tikia is weak to praise.
She’s very cute.
I’m very much looking forward to how cute she’ll react when I tell her she’s cute, cute, and lovely during sex.
◈-Lenny SIDE
Very…
Very uncomfortable.
This morning.
Thinking about it again, Rent and Melissa had a day off, so I thought I could calm down and sort out my feelings.
But because they took my escort request yesterday, they didn’t go to the dungeon, and Melissa also took a day off from work, so they were going today.
I desperately tried to hold back the heat from rising to my face as soon as I saw Rent…
But the more I talked to Rent, the more I couldn’t hold it back.
Fortunately, Rent’s party went to the dungeon…
“Here’s your beer.”
“Thanks, Melissa~ You look pretty today too~.”
“Yes, yes, is there anything else you’d like to order?”
“Kuh, I like that chic reaction too! Ah, then bring me one more side dish.”
“Yes.”
Melissa is still at the Adventurer’s Guild to work.
Melissa is working as usual, but…
I can sometimes feel her gaze on me.
Every time I feel that gaze, it’s very… uncomfortable.
Melissa is Rent’s lover.
I’m a villain who seduced such a lover under the guise of a request reward.
I have no face to look at Melissa.
“Ah~ That was good. Lenny, I’ll watch the reception, so you take your lunch break too.”
“Yes, Medina.”
As usual, I left the reception after Medina finished her meal and went to the staff-only dining room inside.
I took a tray and sat at a table after receiving the meal that was being served.
And just as I was about to eat…
“Can I sit with you?”
Melissa came to my table with a lunch box.
“…Of course.”
I have no right to refuse.
Melissa sat in front of me and opened her lunch box and started eating.
It would be unnatural if I just stayed still, so I ate too.
“….”
“…,”
Time passed as we ate in silence.
When we were almost done eating.
When most of the other staff were leaving.
Melissa opened her mouth.
“Lenny.”
“Y-yes! Melissa…”
“I don’t really… blame you, Lenny. I heard about it from Rent yesterday. Well, Rent is a man, so he couldn’t refuse such a reward from you, right? Rent, he’s… quite the pervert when it comes to lewd things…”
It’s my fault for seducing Rent.
“The fact that you said those things to Rent… Ah, really. I was trying to beat around the bush and say it somehow, but I can’t.”
Melissa looked at me with a seemingly indifferent gaze.
I know that Melissa’s expression isn’t because she’s in a bad mood, but that she always has this expression.
But I could feel that Melissa’s gaze was a little unpleasant right now.
“Lenny, to be honest, you like Rent, right?”
“Ugh… Th-that’s…”
“Right? Otherwise, no matter how much he protected you from a stalker… no matter how much Ninya said those things, you wouldn’t offer your body as a reward, right?”
Melissa’s words were exposing the feelings I was trying to hide on the surface.
“I-it’s true that I have feelings for Rent… I-I’m sorry, Melissa. I… did something really wrong…”
“No, I don’t think what you did was wrong.”
“Huh?”
“It’s just… Hoo. It’s just a little upsetting that Rent slept with another woman besides us. Honestly, I’m not in a position to blame you either.”
“Melissa…”
“Besides… Ugh.”
Melissa said with a very displeased expression.
“I also thought, ‘So, it’s finally come to this.'”
“It’s… finally come to this?”
“Well… Rent always smiles brightly when he’s with you. I noticed from the first time he came here that Rent had those feelings for you.”
“That’s… Rent is kind. Even if it wasn’t me, Rent would be kind to anyone…”
“Well, Rent is pure, so that’s part of it… but I’m also dating Rent, right? And I’ve known him since we were kids. I know that the smile he shows you… isn’t the same as with other people.”
Melissa’s words were a shock to me.
Could it be that Rent…
I know that Rent strongly desired me yesterday.
But I tried to think that it was because I seduced him…
And because of the heated emotions after we had sex.
But… according to Melissa, Rent…
He’s not just looking at me with lust, but he’s…
“…Lenny, your face is red.”
“Huh? R-really? Ah…”
Surprised, I touched my face, and it was burning hot without me realizing it.
“Haa…”
Seeing me like that, Melissa sighed.
Melissa finished her lunch and got up from her seat.
“I have to keep working, so I’ll stop here for today. But I’ll say this much.”
Melissa held her lunch box in her hand and said to me.
“Haa, really… Well, whatever, it’s obvious how it’s going to end up… This is advice. Don’t pretend you don’t know your own feelings, just admit them quickly and act on them, it’s better for your mental health.”
“Melissa?”
Leaving those words behind, Melissa left the dining room.
I thought back on what Melissa had said. Don’t pretend you don’t know your own feelings, admit them and act on them…
Does that mean… Melissa is telling me to hurry up and become Rent’s woman?
Surely not…
While working back at the reception, I began to sort out my feelings.
It’s definitely… absurd to say that I don’t have feelings for Rent.
And I felt that these feelings had grown stronger during my date with Rent yesterday… and while having sex with Rent.
Just thinking about Rent like this makes me remember Rent’s smile from our date yesterday… and Rent’s wild side when he strongly desired me and we had sex, making my heart race.
This is… a first for me.
But can I accept these feelings…
This… doesn’t seem like something I can solve on my own.
And time passed… Rent’s party returned from the dungeon.
“We’re back, Lenny!”
“Welcome back, Rent.”
The same bright smile as usual.
This smile, which usually makes me feel warm, is… making my heart race now.
I thought that this wouldn’t do.
This way… I’ll just be sorry to Melissa, who gave me advice for my sake.
Yes, tomorrow… let’s talk to Rent again.
If I talk to Rent calmly about each other’s feelings… this problem of my heart will be solved too.
In whatever form it may be.
“Rent… If you’re okay, tomorrow…”
“Ah, Lenny. We probably won’t be able to come to the Adventurer’s Guild for four days starting tomorrow.”
“…Huh?”
“We’re going to my hometown tomorrow. So, we’re going to stay at home for a few days this time.”
“Ah… I, I see… I understand.”
…Melissa.
What should I do if Rent goes somewhere else before I can act?
