Chapter 99: Picking Up Girls?
ㅤ”Hmm, what a magnificent view!”
ㅤ
ㅤI’m enjoying the blue sky and the azure sea stretching out towards the horizon from the top of a particularly tall tower in the heart of Celesta, the oceanic city.
ㅤ
ㅤCelesta is a key point of trade where land and sea routes intersect, but it’s also a scenic tourist destination.
ㅤThe tower I’m currently in is a paid observation tower built for tourists.
ㅤThe entrance fee was rather expensive, but I have plenty of room in my wallet. If I run out of money, I can just sell the leftover drop items.
ㅤ
ㅤ”This place would be fine if I needed clean water, but there are too many people.”
ㅤ
ㅤI’m talking about the Undines.
ㅤThe Dream Weaver’s conditions were clean water and no people.
ㅤCelesta’s sea is clean considering its bustling activity, but it’s not suitable for Undines because of the large population.
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ㅤ”――What’s up, little lady? Want to go somewhere with fewer people?”
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ㅤTurning around at the voice, I saw a red-haired male adventurer with a rough appearance.
ㅤ
ㅤ（Even in this world, there are people who wear nose piercings.）
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ㅤMaybe it’s some kind of time-honored tradition passed down through a certain tribe or something.
ㅤ
ㅤThe adventurer pointed at himself with his thumb and said,
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ㅤ”If so, I’ll show you the way. Even I am known as a well-informed person in Celesta.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Hmm.”
ㅤ
ㅤLooking at the man slicking back his hair in a somewhat flashy manner, I was genuinely surprised.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Is this… what they call hitting on someone?”
ㅤ
ㅤAs you can imagine, back on Earth, I wasn’t the type to go out much.
ㅤI felt like I’d be caught up in unnecessary misfortune if I wandered around downtown.
ㅤAnd since I didn’t live in a very big city, I’d never been hit on before.
ㅤ
ㅤ（Even so…）
ㅤ
ㅤI never knew until now just how difficult it is to deal with being approached by someone of the opposite s*x who isn’t even remotely my type…
ㅤ
ㅤHowever, Red-haired Nose Piercing hurriedly waved his hands and started to say,
ㅤ
ㅤ”No! It’s not like I’m hitting on you. I’m serious――”
ㅤ
ㅤ”What are you doing, you idiot!”
ㅤ
ㅤRed-haired Nose Piercing’s head was suddenly slapped from behind.
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ㅤThe one who slapped him was a woman, taller and broader-shouldered than the male adventurer, with red hair and sun-kissed skin.
ㅤShe was probably a few years older than the male adventurer.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Sorry about him, little lady. Honestly, doesn’t he have any sense? Don’t go scaring a girl who doesn’t even look fifteen!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”H-Hey… Don’t just hit me out of nowhere, sis.”
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ㅤThe male adventurer pouted and said that to the sturdy woman behind him.
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ㅤ（Well, I’m 16, though.）
ㅤ
ㅤWell, I often get mistaken for being younger.
ㅤ
ㅤ”I was just, you know, this little lady said she wanted to go somewhere with fewer people…”
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ㅤ”And you were hoping to take advantage of that, weren’t you!”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Th-That’s not it! My type is older women! I was just thinking of selling her some information.”
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ㅤ”You think this little lady looks like a high-paying customer?”
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ㅤThe woman said in an exasperated tone.
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ㅤ”You’re naive, sis. This observation tower has pricing for nobles, so commoners and low-ranking adventurers don’t come in.”
ㅤ
ㅤThat’s… certainly true.
ㅤ
ㅤ”So, she’s either a noble’s daughter or a well-off traveling adventurer, but from the looks of it, the little lady is wearing pretty high-quality equipment for a thief. It’s plain-looking gear at first glance, but it’s all drop items from head to toe. If she were to sell it, even at a bargain price, she could build a decent-sized house.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Eh… You can tell that much?”
ㅤ
ㅤAh, s*oot. I accidentally asked that out loud.
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ㅤRed-haired grinned and said,
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ㅤ”Well, normally you wouldn’t be able to tell.
ㅤBut I used to work as an appraiser for the guild. It was a boring job, you know, I can’t tell you how many times I thought about quitting… But I kept at it for five years while being nagged by my sister.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”This guy, despite his looks, is surprisingly observant. He was suited for the appraiser job, but he wanted something more lucrative, so he started working as an information broker.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Sh-Shut up! As long as I can make a living, it’s fine.
ㅤAnyway, that’s the story. Little lady, you’re either a much more accomplished adventurer than you look, or at least a member of such an adventurer’s party.
ㅤBut if you came here for sightseeing, your party members would be with you, so since you’re standing here alone, you’re likely a solo adventurer.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”W-Wow… That’s amazing.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Moreover, you’re looking intently at the sea and the bay. At first, it looked like you were sightseeing, and you probably are, but that’s not all.
ㅤI don’t know what your objective is, little lady, but I figured you might become my customer.”
ㅤ
ㅤI was deceived by his unintelligent appearance, but this guy is actually quite smart.
ㅤOr rather, he has sharp observation skills.
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ㅤAnd it seems he really wasn’t hitting on me when he approached me.
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ㅤ（Well, not that I’m particularly disappointed or anything.）
ㅤ
ㅤI’m embarrassed by how slightly conceited I was getting…
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ㅤThen, the woman who seemed to be the “older sister” said,
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ㅤ”Hmm. Well then, standing around talking isn’t very productive. How about we grab a bite to eat?
ㅤAside from my brother’s business, if you’re a skilled adventurer, we could exchange information.
ㅤBesides, the food in this city is delicious.”
ㅤ
ㅤI considered the two people in front of me — the rough-looking, red-haired male adventurer who looked to be about twenty years old, and the sturdy female adventurer who looked to be close to two meters tall.
ㅤ
ㅤ（Well, why not?）
ㅤ
ㅤActually, I don’t have much information about this city or the surrounding area.
ㅤI heard a bit from the Merchant Captain-san, but adventurers probably have different information.
ㅤ
ㅤ…It’s definitely not because I was tempted by the delicious food.
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ㅤ”Alright. I just arrived here, so that would be perfect.”
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ㅤWhen I nodded, the female adventurer grinned and nudged her brother’s side with her elbow.
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ㅤ”See, little brother, this is how you hit on a girl.”
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ㅤ”I told you, I wasn’t hitting on her!”
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ㅤHolding down her screaming brother’s head with her gnarled hand, the older sister said,
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ㅤ”I’m Ishuta. This is my younger brother, Jit. He’s rough around the edges, as you can see, but he’s not as bad as he looks. He’s just putting on an act. Honestly, when will he realize that it just makes him look uncool?”
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ㅤ”Shut up! I can’t do this job if I’m not taken seriously!”
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ㅤAnd so, I ended up having lunch with a pair of siblings who got along extremely well.