Chapter 105: The Hero’s Abilities

“Um, I also have fried rice, but is that too much? If you can’t eat anymore, you can just take it home. Maybe I should hold off on the thin-cut fries too?”

There’s still simple fried rice with green onions, eggs, and roast pork, curry fried rice, and paella-style fried rice made with saffron rice. That rice is really delicious when made into fried rice. But I don’t want to use up the rice because of the curry, so I’ll keep an eye on how much rice is left and serve it later in the day.

The extra fries are thinly sliced so the ends are nice and crispy. The ones with the skin still on are tasty, but thin-cut ones are good too.

Momose-san cheered loudly when she heard there was curry fried rice. Kino-kun’s eyes lit up at the crispy fries.

Since they both said they wanted to eat it, I brought some just in case.

Akagi-kun had a very serious look on his face—A stern expression like a warrior about to go into battle. But you’re the biggest guy here; you could probably eat tons. There’s no need to look so grim about fried rice.

Aoi-kun seemed to have a vertical line of tension on his face too. He’s been adjusting his glasses more frequently.

Midorikawa-kun was muttering something under his breath. I think I heard him say, “I-I can’t run away…” but maybe I misheard. Fried rice isn’t something you run away from.

All three of them are tall, and Akagi-kun is very muscular, so I was worried whether there would be enough.

I do have some sense of decency, so I didn’t pile everything tightly on the table at once.

You know, I used to dream about eating a whole cake, but when I actually tried it, the sheer visual impact made it impossible to finish.  When I was younger I could easily finish several slices, so that was a real shock.

So I planned to serve a little at a time, offering more when it ran low. I thought it would be fine if everyone could eat as much as they wanted and at their own pace. But still, I think I might have overdone it a bit.

They were defeated in the order I thought they would eat the most: Akagi-kun, Aoi-kun, and Midorikawa-kun.

No, no, you didn’t have to push yourselves so hard. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.

After that, Kino-kun and Momose-san kept eating heartily, but eventually, Kino-kun finished off a whole plate of fries and said, “I can’t stomach down anymore!”

“I’m satisfied. Thank you for the meal.”

Momose-san gracefully finished her last curry serving, clasped her hands together, and smiled. Such a lovely smile.

Thus, the heroes were defeated, and as a result, I ended up with five followers.

Well, calling them followers might be a bit much.

But after filling their stomachs, they warmed up to me.

Once their stomachs settled and the fallen revived, we were able to have an honest conversation.

Among the heroes, the tallest and most solidly built was Akagi Hiro-kun.

For some reason, I had the image that Akagi-kun was the leader.

“This guy is an idiot. he was the first to ask, ‘Make me a magic sword that can cut anything,’ “

“There’s no way he could be a leader,” Aoi-kun said mercilessly, pushing up his glasses, causing Akagi-kun to shrink his big frame.

“Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

Akagi-kun was a member of the kendo club at school. He loves shonen manga and he likes strong characters who use swords. He has always wanted a sword that could cut anything—konjac, magic, whatever. It’s a pretty straightforward desire.

Apparently, the god immediately said “Very well,” and granted him that ability. it’s a mysterious feature which can be taken out and put away at will if he concentrates, where he can summon a pair of swords of varying sizes, sharp enough to cut anything, complete with sheaths and belt to appear at his waist.

No matter what he’s wearing, a black belt will appear around your waist.

Even if he’s wearing a saber holder, the belt comes out with it.

Maybe it’s a kind of considerate design?

The sword really cuts through anything with ease and has great attack power!

I think he could aim to be the strongest protagonist.

Though they understood they couldn’t stop him, it was Momose-san, the library committee president who took the time to consult everyone on coordinating their abilities, asking, “everyone, you understand, right?”

So it seems, it’s Momose Sei-san who’s actually the leader.

When asking the god,

“I asked to be a great wizard who can use all magic,”

But the god rejected that.

The rule is that it has to be a skill or ability specializing in one thing.

And the god said something about her “feelings would give you strength.” Oh, that part sounds like some Saturday morning anime vibe.

Since Akagi-kun had put all his points into attack power, the others discussed what to do about their abilities.

They decided defense was necessary too, so “ I’m good at holing myself off” said Midorikawa Genki-kun who acquired the barrier ability.

Midorikawa-kun, how should I put it, looks like a regular at the library. Tall, skinny, slouched posture, long messy hair covering his eyes, and he speaks quietly. He feels very relatable. He has a nice, deep voice, so I wish he’d talk more.

Kino-kun got the ability to teleport so that he can escape if something happens in the country he is summoned to.

“I’m good at hiding my presence and running away.”

He’s been avoiding trouble that way. Apparently, he’s the type who survives until the end in dodgeball, and I thought, “Ah I totally get that.”

You know those people who somehow survive until the end even though they’re not athletic and don’t try hard early on? Yep, that’s him.

And Momose-san, whose parents are shrine priests, chose holy magic which is backed by faith.

“Of course, we need to secure a means of healing.”

She’s the daughter of the shrine where that sacred tree is located. There’s a temple there too, right? No wonder she seems like a well-bred young lady.

Aoi Shinji-kun’s family runs a kendo dojo. He’s neighbors with Akagi-kun, and their fathers are close friends, so they became close naturally. Akagi-kun used to train at Aoi-kun’s dojo.

Wait,his name is Aoi and he was into kendo… Is that the family that was often featured in the local newspaper? They has about four kids and were always winning tournaments and stuff like that.

“Oh, those are my brothers…”

I was told. Sorry, I think I stepped on a sensitive subject.

Since Akagi-kun focused on attack, Aoi-kun gave up attack abilities and got an appraisal ability that can see through opponents’ weaknesses, linked to his unbreakable, unstealable glasses.

“I’m good at scrutinizing various pieces of information. Also, I can’t live without my glasses.”

Now that I think about it, even though they hang out in the library a lot, not many of them wear glasses.

This balance of abilities is really well done, don’t you think?