Nozomi returned to his room after greeting Sayu, only to find Frieren and Fern crouched on the floor, closely examining his mysterious treasure chest.
"Yo, good afternoon, Frieren-san, Fern-san."
"Mm, good afternoon," Frieren greeted with her usual nonchalant smile.
Fern, looking a bit embarrassed, nodded silently before Frieren spoke again. "Nozomi, can we use this treasure chest?"
Nozomi chuckled. "Of course, I told you yesterday—feel free to study it as much as you want."
"We just wanted to confirm once more," Frieren admitted. "After all, this treasure chest only works three times a day. Using something this precious feels a bit... indulgent."
Nozomi waved off her concerns. "Don't worry about it. This world is pretty safe most of the time. And besides, some of the stuff inside this chest isn't even usable yet. If it helps you get home, then by all means."
"Oh, speaking of which," he added, pulling open a drawer, "I got two items yesterday. Maybe they'll be useful to you?"
He handed over two bottles of potion. Frieren quickly took one, uncorked it, and sniffed the contents. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"This is a mana potion—and a clothing dissolver?!"
Fern, equally shocked, grabbed the other bottle. "A mana potion! That means... it can replenish magical energy?"
Frieren nodded. "Yes. If we get more of these, we won't have to conserve mana so much."
Fern, who had always been cautious about overusing magic, suddenly looked at Nozomi with an expression of mixed gratitude and embarrassment.
"Um, Nozomi-san, are you really giving us such a valuable item?"
Nozomi grinned. "Of course. If it helps you, take it. But in exchange, I'll be counting on you two to keep Sakurasou safe, alright?"
Fern, clutching the potion, felt a warmth in her chest. Maybe she'd misjudged him. He was a bit of a flirt, sure, but Nozomi was still a kind person at heart.
Frieren, meanwhile, casually returned the second potion to him. "You can keep this one. I already have something similar in my bag."
Nozomi raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you have a potion that dissolves clothes just lying around?"
Frieren smirked. "Hehe, just pour it on someone, and their clothes will vanish instantly. It's harmless to the body, though."
"Frieren-sama! Please don't teach Nozomi-san weird things!" Fern scolded, glaring at the elf before turning to Nozomi. "And you—use that potion responsibly!"
Nozomi feigned innocence. "Of course, of course. I'll just leave it in storage... probably won't ever need it."
But in his mind, a mischievous thought flickered.
Wouldn't it be interesting if he 'accidentally' spilled it on Yukinoshita Yukino? That would be quite the sight...
Shaking off his inner devil, he turned back to Frieren, who was now brimming with excitement. She pulled out a notebook, ready to record data.
"Alright! Time waits for no one! Fern, let's begin experimenting with this treasure chest!"
Frieren was completely absorbed in the process, eager to document every possible result. If there was one thing she loved besides a laid-back life, it was unboxing. The thrill of discovering new magic was irresistible.
She placed a few monster materials from her bag into the treasure chest.
The chest let out a belch—then produced... a pair of panties.
Fern was stunned. "Frieren-sama, what just happened?! Those were high-grade materials, and all we got was... underwear?!"
Nozomi struggled to keep a straight face, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.
Frieren's expression remained calm, though her grip on the notebook tightened slightly. "No rush. There are still chances left. Let's try again."
This time, she tossed in a bottle of healing potion.
The chest rumbled and produced... another pair of panties. This time, golden ones.
"A-AHHH! WHY IS IT PANTIES AGAIN?!" Fern's voice rose an octave. "Frieren-sama, are you sure this chest is working properly?!"
Nozomi could barely contain himself now, his entire body trembling from suppressed laughter. "This is amazing! What kind of luck do you have, Frieren-san?!"
Frieren, for the first time, looked a little embarrassed. She hesitated before peering at the remaining items in her bag, her hands shaking ever so slightly.
In this world, magical herbs and materials weren't easy to come by. And now, she had just wasted valuable potions... for panties.
Her heart ached.
Looking at her somewhat downcast expression, Nozomi offered a reassuring smile.
"Nee, Frieren, don't be so depressed. This isn't just any panty—it's called Tenshi no Shukufuku (Angel's Blessing). It seems to have a teleportation ability."
That's right.
This was the same type of enchanted lingerie that Mashiro had pulled from the treasure chest earlier—imbued with the magic of Shukuchi (instantaneous movement).
At those words, Frieren's golden eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Nozomi, for an ordinary person, you have quite the perceptive eye."
"Maybe it's because this treasure chest is bound to me. I instinctively know the names and effects of the items that come out of it," Nozomi replied with a casual shrug.
"Speaking of which... if we use this panty, could you return to your original world?"
The moment he asked, both Frieren and Fern's expressions changed.
A possibility neither of them had considered suddenly became real.
Summoning her staff, Frieren held the Tenshi no Shukufuku in her hands, channeling her mana into it. A faint, mysterious glow pulsed from the fabric.
"There's definitely a strong teleportation enchantment on this… If we activate it, we can instantly travel to any location we've previously been to," Frieren analyzed.
She exchanged glances with Fern.
Theoretically, this meant they could return to their own world.
But after a moment of thought, Frieren's lips curled into a mischievous smile.
"I think it's worth testing. But for now, Fern and I find this world quite fascinating, so I believe we'll stay for a while."
Fern nodded in agreement.
Though… for elves, "a while" could mean fifty years. Maybe even a hundred.
Nozomi, of course, understood this all too well.
Heh… as long as Frieren chooses to stay, I'll have plenty of time to make sure she never wants to leave.
"Oh, right. Mashiro also pulled a similar item from the treasure chest but hasn't used it yet. If you ever need another one, I can ask her to give it to you."
Nozomi's casual generosity caught Frieren and Fern off guard.
"Arigatou, Nozomi-dono," Frieren said with an amused smirk.
"Yes, thank you, Mr. Nozomi," Fern added, her voice soft with gratitude.
"No problem!" Nozomi grinned.
In truth, he had offered it to ease their worries. If only one panty could return them home, they might grow anxious. But knowing there was another escape method meant they could fully enjoy their time here.
And that was exactly what Nozomi wanted.
If Frieren was truly at ease in this modern world, she would stay longer.
And once virtual reality gaming was fully developed, and he found a way to harness magic himself, he would have even more to offer.
He wasn't worried about them leaving just yet.
If the treasure chest could produce a way out once, it could do so again.
And with Frieren's gacha addiction, there was no doubt in Nozomi's mind—she would keep pulling from the chest, until one day… it would swallow her whole once more.