Previous Chapter l Next Chapter

Sponsored Chapter!

“I never thought anyone would actually stay in the Ultra Suite Room! Are you super rich, old man? Oh, this way, please follow me!” (Touka)

Touka carried the luggage and hurried over to the elevator, beckoning Lanpeach to follow. Her eyes sparkled brightly, giving her more the appearance of a storyteller from a horror movie than a guide.

(A suspicious old man who paid seventy million Ele without even knowing the significance of the room! I need to keep an eye on him! I have a feeling something extraordinary is about to happen.) (Touka)

Touka’s curiosity was piqued to the extreme the moment the shabby old man, who looked like nothing more than a minor villain, pulled out a wad of cash from his Item Box. She felt like a defender marking the ace player in basketball. If she had cuffs, she would be ready to cuff their hands together.

“Is the top floor the destination?” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach asked as they stepped into the elevator, but Touka smirked, pressed the button, and replied.

“Heh heh, we’re going to the 1st basement floor.” (Touka)

“The basement? The Ultra Suite Room is in the basement?” (Lanpeach)

“Yep. You’ll be surprised when you see it~” (Touka)

Touka, who loved surprises, smiled broadly as the doors began to close.

◇◇

“Oh, this is incredible. It’s certainly impressive enough to brag about.” (Lanpeach)

“Right? This room has recently only been used for family gatherings~. Oh, and here, this is the key to the room.” (Touka)

Touka tossed over a card, which turned out to be a typical keycard used in hotels. It was probably disposable, but it should still be pretty expensive. It looks like they have at least spent some money on security.

“But isn’t this golden key the room key?” (Lanpeach)

“Nope, that’s a secret key. Doesn’t it look antique?” (Touka)

“Yeah, I thought it was strange.” (Lanpeach)

The golden key Lanpeach received from Muramasa was indeed old-fashioned. It looked like a key that could easily be used for a mansion in a game, an unmistakable antique.

“Still, it’s odd that they’d make a room like this but have such an old key.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach twirled the key in his hand and looked at the Ultra Suite Room.

—But calling it a “room” is an understatement.

“Ain’t this a penthouse?” (Lanpeach)

In front of them was a penthouse with a beautifully manicured lawn, a gourd-shaped pool for swimming, and walls made of new-looking brick. They had just exited a column-shaped elevator attached to the garden wall.

Moreover, the ceiling above was a vast blue sky, with sunlight streaming down. The space was about 100 meters across. Without the metal walls surrounding the area, it would be hard to believe they were underground.

“I am impressed you could make something like this. How many billions of Ele did it cost to build? You normally wouldn’t be able to recoup the costs.” (Lanpeach)

“Hehe, this is a thousand-year-old legacy. It’s permanently enchanted with spells like Preservation, Auto-Repair, and Activation. I don’t really get magic though.” (Touka)

Touka boasted as they entered the penthouse, but it was clear she didn’t fully understand, so Lanpeach couldn’t be too impressed.

“Shouldn’t you be more interested in that?” (Lanpeach)

“Magic requires brainpower, and I’m not good at that. Oh, where should I put this luggage?” (Touka)

Inside, there was a beautifully decorated living room that looked perfect for a home party. Touka walked in like a part-time worker delivering luggage to a mountain cabin and set the luggage down with a grunt.

“Half of it is your reward, Touka. Take it with you.” (Lanpeach)

“I wish you’d said that before we got here! This stuff is heavy! Let’s split it at the guild after exchanging it for money there.” (Touka)

Touka started speaking informally, fed up with the inconsiderate villain.

“Sorry, but I’m not planning on depositing my share in the guild. They usually buy it cheaply in exchange for merit points, but I’m probably not eligible for that.” (Lanpeach)

“By the way, why don’t you have any mana, old man? If you’re hiding it, you should stop, or you won’t rank up.” (Touka)

“Yeah, I know. It’s a real problem.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach sighed as he sat down on the sofa. 

He had braced himself for differences from the game, but this was the most inconvenient discrepancy.

“…Well, I’ll deal with that later. I have a buyer for my share, so it’s not an issue.” (Lanpeach)

“Oh, in that case, sell mine too. I don’t need merit points for a while.” (Touka)

“Alright, I’ll contact them later. A merchant should come by tomorrow. Good work today~.” (Lanpeach)

Touka looked surprised when Lanpeach waved his hand as if dismissing her.

“Eh? Aren’t you going to investigate the secret of that key? I’ve been excited about it since earlier!” (Touka)

“I’ll do that later. I’m tired today, so I’m going to rest.” (Lanpeach)

He was exhausted from the adventure in the Spirit Ward. A minor villain is feeble, so he didn’t want to work anymore.

—Besides, he had a pretty good idea of what the key was. There was no need to ask.

“Muuuu… Can’t be helped. Well, good night then~. See you tomorrow, old man.” (Touka)

“Don’t you have school tomorrow?” (Lanpeach)

“If you’re going hunting, wait until after school! I’ll rush back home as fast as I can!” (Touka)

Touka stated this like a child begging to tag along as she waved her arms excitedly and stepped into the elevator, making sure Lanpeach understood. 

OnceLanpeach sighed with relief after the elevator doors closed and Touka left.

[Wow, you really spent 70 million Ele. What’s that key for?] 

Libra, who had been restraining herself from communicating telepathically, appeared and perched on his shoulder. She seemed quite stressed as she poked the key Lanpeach held, her cheeks puffed out in frustration.

[I know what it’s for. I’ve acquired a similar key before, so I can pretty much guess.] (Lanpeach)

[What do you mean?] (Libra)

[It’s something to look forward to in a few days. But right now, I’m tired. I’m going to change into my tracksuit, eat, drink, and then sleep.] (Lanpeach)

[That sounds like something an old man would do~.] (Libra)

[I was originally an old man after all.] (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach smiled wryly and reached into his knapsack for his tracksuit.

When he pulled it out, it was his favorite white, fluffy tracksuit. It even had long ears attached, with adorable red eyes and a half-closed, sleepy expression.

“…”

Lanpeach tossed the white tracksuit aside and reached into the bag again.

Scraps of cloth, scraps of cloth, scraps of cloth. When he turned the knapsack upside down, only scraps of cloth fell out.

“Hey, where are my clothes? And what are you doing here?”

Lanpeach grabbed the ears of the white fluffy tracksuit -actually, the ears of a High Rabbit Gunner- and glared at it with anger.

“Huh? This is Mimi’s nest. Where am I?”

“I know how to make rabbit stew.” (Lanpeach)

Mimi, the rabbit, sniffed the air, looking genuinely puzzled. It was hard to stay angry at something so cute, but Lanpeach forced himself to be a minor villain and asked again. Perhaps he was always a minor villain.

“Well, um…it’s a long, complicated story, that would make you fall asleep-usa. Want to hear?” (Mimi)

“Speak.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach nodded, trying to contain his anger as the rabbit tilted its head cutely.

—It all started this morning-usa.

As usual, I was sleeping on the boss’s face, but when the boss got up, I fell off.

“I’m still sleepy.” (Mimi)

Mimi was about to cry because she was so tired, but then she found a nice nest on the floor.

When I got inside, it was a perfect fit-usa.

Moreover, there were scraps of cloth, so I worked hard to tear them up and make a fluffy nest.

And so, waking me up is so mean even though I was just sleeping.

—That’s the end of the long, complicated flashback.

Mimi yawned sleepily as she explained that it can’t be helped since it is just a rabbit’s instinct. Upon closer inspection, the knapsack had Mimi’s House written on it in marker. It seems the rabbit’s name is Mimi.

“I guess we’re having rabbit stew tonight. I’ll go borrow a pot, so wait here.” (Lanpeach)

“Kyuuu!”

[Dash Off]

Mimi sensed danger to her life, so she activated her skill. She disappeared in an instant, running away with a pitter-patter.

[Dash Off: Guaranteed to Flee]

It was the High Rabbit’s Inherent Skill. A cheat that made them impossible to catch. It would be tough to catch her now.

“I’m back~. The fridge was empty, so I came to restock, old man.” 

To make matters worse, the elevator doors opened in bad timing, and Touka returned with her arms full of alcohol, juice, ice cream, and snacks. It seemed the Ultra Suite Room wasn’t prepared after all.

Mimi saw Touka loaded with a mountain of snacks and hopped over to her.

“Mimi wants strawberry ice cream.” (Mimi)

“Huh? Wa?! Oh, um, go ahead.” (Touka)

Mimi, who had been running away, suddenly thrust her small, fluffy paws toward Touka. Touka handed it over to her despite being confused by the sudden action.

“This looks yummy~” (Mimi)

Receiving the strawberry ice cream, Mimi, now in a good mood, waddled back over, hopped onto Lanpeach’s lap, opened the lid, and started licking the ice cream.

It seems she forgot about being scolded after taking three steps. A rabbit with the memory of a bird.

“Sigh… Well, it can’t be helped.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach originally liked dogs and cats, so he couldn’t stay mad at the innocent and silly Mimi. He gently patted the fluffy head of the rabbit.

Fluffiness really is the best, is what Lanpeach thought as he decided to let the matter rest. 

However, there was a certain girl who couldn’t let it go. She regained her composure, let out a roar, and came charging forward.

“Kyaaa! Old man, what’s with this rabbit? It’s not just a normal rabbit, right? Wait, could it be…an Artificial Spirit?!” (Touka)

“Ah, this is my pet, Mimi. It seems she snuck into my knapsack and followed me here. I’ll take her back home later.” (Lanpeach)

“But she was talking?!” (Touka)

Touka was now too excited, practically shouting.

“Hey, hey, are you some sort of mysterious girl who can talk to animals? All I heard was a ‘kyuu’ sound, right, Mimi?” (Lanpeach)

“Kyuu.” (Mimi)

Mimi sniffed and continued licking the ice cream with her tiny tongue.

“See?” (Lanpeach)

Touka started to reconsider while looking at the rabbit’s round eyes. Maybe she had imagined it because she wanted it to be true so badly. She tilted her head in confusion.

“Thanks for the treat~. Goodnight-usa.” (Mimi)

“See? This rabbit really can talk! Look look, she’s even eating!” (Touka)

However, after finishing the ice cream, Mimi properly said her goodnights and undermined Lanpeach’s attempt to cover up.

Mimi was unfazed. She curled up and began to sleep soundly.

“Old man, who are you really? Oh, I know! I’ll teach you how to use that golden key if you tell me your true identity! Are you from another world? An alien? Did you come here because of the summoning ritual I performed the other day?” (Touka)

“I already know how to use this. It’s a key that connects to the Graveyard of Swords, isn’t it?” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach twirled the golden key in his hand, flashed a mischievous grin, and struck a pose with a smug ‘fufufu’. 

But Touka ignored his antics and began dancing again, convinced that her dance might have had some effect. She began to dance while going ‘Ventura~ Ventora~’.

There was no doubt that their communication was on an alien level.

Previous Chapter l Next Chapter