Kays Translations

Chapter 197: Event for Rookie Adventurers

We returned to the bustling city center and purchased necessities such as women’s clothing. While we were at it, we decided to have an early dinner.

When I asked Sakura what she wanted to eat, she responded with, “Anything is fine.” Hold on, that “anything is fine” response could be tricky… Since she said to leave it to me, we headed straight to our destination without hesitation.

Back when I was in Japan, I used to visit a burger joint once a week. It was something I had planned to eat once I returned to Japan. I briefly thought about choosing a stylish restaurant, but it seemed pointless to show off at this point.

I glanced at Sakura’s expression quietly. “I used to come here quite often too!” she said with delight. Well, I couldn’t tell if that was her true feelings or if she was just being polite.

“Ah, this is it, the best!”

“The crispy onions are irresistible.”

“I wish I could take at least this to the other world.”

“Keisuke-san, you sneakily ordered extra to take home, didn’t you?”

“Well, this has been my favorite since forever…”

We enjoyed our meal nostalgically like that, and then a group of three young men sitting next to us started talking about monster hunting.

They seemed to be in their twenties, and although it’s not good to judge by appearances, they looked quite flashy. And their voices were loud, to the point where it seemed intentional.

From their conversation, it seemed they had just finished monster hunting. They proudly recounted their adventures while spreading small magic stones on the table. Their average level was 5, and they seemed to have quite a bit of experience.

Whether it was because of the magic stones or simply because they were annoying, Sakura casually glanced at the magic stones on the table, and one of the three immediately approached us as if waiting for it. Despite me being a young man myself, they completely ignored my presence.

“Hey! Onee-san, interested in these?”

“Oh, no, not really. Sorry for looking without permission.”

“It’s okay! We’ve just come back from goblin hunting! We must’ve taken down about 10 of them.”

…”

Sakura just nodded politely and looked back at me. However, the trio continued talking about things we didn’t ask about.

Eventually, the conversation drifted into something like a pickup attempt. Of course, they completely ignored my existence, as if I wasn’t even there. It felt familiar, reminding me of the first encounter with the samurai.

(Are they scared of my face again? No, they seem to be looking down on me occasionally… Are they blatantly disrespecting me?)

In stories, there are often scenes where the protagonist beats up thugs and feels relieved. Honestly, I used to think such developments were undesirable… but now I understand. I feel like doing the same thing right now.

“Sakura, let’s go after finishing eating.”

“Huh, are you sure? Aren’t you going to beat them up? This is a classic event in another world, isn’t it?”

It seemed Sakura had the same idea. Even though it’s not another world.

It was obviously intentional. She asked me that with quite a provocative tone. Upon hearing Sakura’s words, the trio reacted strongly to the word “beat up.” For some reason, they glared at me as if they were about to attack.

“No, this is just a normal pickup attempt. There’s no benefit in standing out here.”

“Well, that’s true. We don’t know who might be filming around here.”

After quietly leaving the shop, we ignored the trio who followed us and got into the car. They kept bothering us until we got into the car, but we drove away without paying them any attention.

There’s no point in showing off power here. If we stand out for the wrong reasons, it would be embarrassing. If someone happened to record a video, it would be the worst. If it gets uploaded to the internet, it’s game over. We probably won’t meet them again, and I believe this is the best course of action.

“My, what an encounter we had.”

“A classic event of being harassed right after registering as adventurers.”

“I briefly considered freezing them solid. By the way, were those people from another world?”

“Hey, freezing them solid wouldn’t taste good… They didn’t have any skills or occupations. Their level was around 5, so they were just ordinary people.”

“Even though they were just ordinary people, they were quite arrogant.”

“Hmm, I wonder. Maybe they misunderstood due to leveling up?”

“I see. We should be careful not to become like them.”

“Yeah, I’ll be careful too.”

(Sakura, you know… Your provocative remarks and talk about freezing them… You should tone it down a bit… Well, it was refreshing though.)

Switching gears and heading back home, I suddenly realize there’s no bath at home. Back in the early days of transference, I left the bath bucket outside and forgot to bring it back inside.

Perhaps if I had returned it to its original place… but during the construction of the public bathhouse, it was discarded. Since I definitely want to take a bath, I decide to stop by a nearby public bathhouse on the way home.

I’ve sweated enough, and I’ve just bought new clothes. If I can wash away the unpleasant feelings in the hot water, I’m sure I’ll feel refreshed.

◇◇◇

After enjoying some ice cream on the way back from the bath, I browse through online videos and forums to gather information. Apparently, a system like the Adventurer’s Association will be introduced soon. I hope we won’t see more people like those earlier fellows… well, it’s a matter unrelated to us.

The lockdown across Japan, the spread of magic stone energy, and the establishment of the Adventurer’s Association.

It’s becoming quite the modern fantasy scenario. By the way, similar phenomena haven’t occurred at all overseas. I discuss with Sakura about how Japan, isolated from the world, will progress in the future, almost as if it’s someone else’s business.

“Keisuke-san, it’s a bit early, but should we go to bed soon? It’s been quite a day, and you might be a bit tired.”

“Oh, is it that time already? What do you think? We could go back to the other world if you want.”

After casually saying that, I realize how careless my words were.

Under one roof, a young man and a young woman.

One of them may be an old man on the inside, but he doesn’t look like it. If he didn’t have any intentions, there would be no need for him to stay here. It might just be my misunderstanding… well, probably.

“There are still some things I want to look into, so couldn’t we go back tomorrow instead?”

“Yeah, that sounds good. Let’s go back tomorrow.”

And so, the long night passes by.

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