Chapter 17: A Day of Dating? Probably Counts
The next day, the two of them began aggressively hunting bee swarms.
Why did it turn into a competition? The story needs to rewind just a little.
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"Do you know about Tremble Strawberry Cake, Hachiman-kun?"
"What's that?"
"I saw it in Argo's guidebook. I heard it's really delicious."
"I see. So?"
"We're going to hunt bee swarms next, right? I have a proposal."
"Hm?"
"Let's compete to see who can hunt more. If I win, you treat me to that cake. If you win… well, I guess I'll pay for myself."
"This doesn't sound like a good deal for me at all..."
"Come on, don't be so stingy! Let's go!"
"Yeah, yeah…"
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As expected, Asuna won by a landslide. It seemed that when sweets were involved, a girl's combat power shot through the roof.
"That means, as promised, you're buying me cake, Hachiman-kun!"
"O-oh..."
When they arrived at the cake shop and saw the menu, Hachiman was shocked.
"What is with these prices? It's way too expensive…"
And when the cake arrived at their table, his jaw dropped even more.
"This is… a strawberry shortcake? Do they even understand the meaning of 'short'?"
The cake was absurdly large. Although it had been sliced, it was clearly more than a single person could eat.
"There's no way I can finish this myself. I'll give you some."
"O-oh. But you're still eating two-thirds of it, right…"
The moment they both took a bite of the cake, smiles blossomed on their faces.
"It's so good…"
"Super delicious~!"
"The cream just melts in your mouth... so smooth…"
"The sweetness is perfectly balanced—not cloying at all!"
"Well, I guess the price does make sense."
They occasionally exchanged glances, enjoying their time with the cake to the fullest.
"Say, Hachiman-kun, even though you're a guy, you seem fine with sweets."
"Yeah, I've always liked sweets."
"Me too!"
"Though, are there any girls who don't like sweets?"
"Oh! Look! Our luck stat increased! Let's go upgrade our weapons while we're at it!"
"Even though Liz didn't eat, I doubt it'll work... but sure."
After contacting Lisbeth, the two of them headed out immediately.
They started by upgrading Hachiman's short sword.
He didn't notice that when the enhancement began, Asuna quietly pinched the edge of his coat.
'Sharing happiness… As long as we're friends, this should be fine.'
Asuna didn't realize that Lisbeth had seen this clearly.
'Ah... Youth. Hachiman hasn't noticed anything yet.'
With extra motivation, Lisbeth swung her forge hammer with full force, successfully completing the upgrade.
When it was Asuna's turn to upgrade her "Windflower Sword," she still clung to Hachiman's coat.
Hachiman, oblivious as ever, may have had good luck because of that.
The upgrade succeeded.
Asuna gently caressed her newly enhanced sword.
Seeing this, Hachiman spoke up, seeming thoughtful:
"Asuna, can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"About that sword… Seeing how much you treasure it makes this hard to say. But its stats won't hold up past the fourth floor. What do you plan to do then?"
Asuna was flustered, unable to imagine parting with her beloved sword.
"Sorry, I phrased that badly.
There are three ways to get new weapons: drop from enemies, open treasure chests, and..."
"And the third?"
"Reforge your current weapon into metal ingots, then combine them with other materials to make a new one."
"Metal ingots?"
"It's like the soul of the sword you treasure being reborn into the new weapon. If you choose that path, I'll do everything I can to help."
"To have the soul of my sword reborn… Yeah, I choose that! No matter how hard it is, I'll make it happen!"
Though his tone was slightly awkward, Hachiman's gaze was unusually gentle.
Lisbeth, watching from the side, felt genuinely happy.
"I'll work even harder for you too, Asuna!"
"Thanks, Liz!"
Thus, the night of the sixth day of the second floor quietly passed.
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The next day was when Agil had mentioned the subjugation of a field boss.
Although they didn't plan to participate, the two decided to go and watch.
On the way through Taran Town, Asuna pointed at a food stall:
"Hachiman-kun, look! Taran Bread. Looks like a local specialty."
"Never heard of it… Since we're here, might as well buy some to eat while we watch."
"Good idea."
After buying the bread and reaching the battlefield, they noticed Agil wasn't present.
There were three factions on-site: the Liberation Squad led by Kibaou, Lind's team, and a group calling themselves the "Legend of Heroes."
"That's probably the group mentioned yesterday—the Legend of Heroes."
"Let's just observe for now."
Once the battle started, the raid team employed a cautious and steady strategy.
It took a while, but they successfully defeated the boss.
Though the "Legend of Heroes" members were slightly underleveled, they played critical roles at key moments.
They hadn't appeared on the first floor, likely a newly rising group who leveled up quickly with gear support.
"Just as I thought."
"...Yeah."
After the subjugation team started heading back, the two decided to go to the labyrinth zone to build experience fighting Tauruses.
"Oh right, we still have that Taran Bread."
"Oh yeah, let's eat as we walk."
The moment they bit into the bread, their expressions turned awkward.
"Asuna, this…"
"There's strawberry filling in the cream… and it's warm…"
"If I had known ahead of time, maybe I could accept it…"
"I know, right? I thought it was a meat bun…"
"…Let's go."
"…Yeah."
When Asuna reached the labyrinth zone first and encountered a Taurus for the first time, she was at a loss for words.
"Hachiman-kun…"
"What is it?"
"This is sexual harassment!!!"
"Huh? Did I do something wrong?"
"Not you! Them!!"
Looking at the Tauruses, who were bare-chested with only loincloths, Hachiman scratched his head.
"Ah… yeah… I guess you'll just have to get used to it. Sorry."
"Ugh…"
The battle began.
The main goal was to practice handling the Taurus' special move "Named Impact"—which causes stun when hit and paralysis if hit repeatedly due to its area effect.
"How's it going, Asuna? Can you handle it?"
"Give me a few more tries and I think I can."
"The normal enemies' version and the boss version are worlds apart in range, but the timing is the same. Better master it now."
After successfully learning the technique, they took stock of their loot.
Since few people had explored the labyrinth area on the second floor yet, the number of treasure chests was impressive, and their haul was substantial.
Hachiman found a rare item:
"A ring blade, huh…"
"What's that?"
"Basically, a circular boomerang."
"Ehh~ Can you use it, Hachiman-kun?"
"It needs martial arts + throwing skills. No one intentionally trains throwing skills, so no one can equip this yet."
"I see."
"There's also this—'Vig Leather Strap Armor.' It's a strappy-type armor with magical effects, high defense, and strength bonuses."
"Strappy-type... meaning?"
"Uh… like, it wraps around your torso in bandages... so, kind of half-naked look…"
Hachiman suddenly blushed. Asuna narrowed her eyes:
"What were you imagining just now?"
"N-nothing! Right! This would probably suit Agil, don't you think?"
"You're not getting off the hook that easy! But yeah, Agil-san would probably look cool in it."
Taking advantage of the change in topic, Hachiman quickly suggested they return.
As the sun set, their shadows stretched long along the stone path of the labyrinth.
Their second-floor adventure was still far from over.