Mob
Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #89
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
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Episode 89: A Date in My Mind
————The day after,
the 20th day of summer vacation.
In front of Tachikawa
station in the afternoon, I met up with Oribe.
The purpose, of
course, was to buy equipment for the grueling dungeon attack that begins the
day after tomorrow... but that was just a front.
The real purpose was
to go on a movie date 'on the side'.
Needless to say, the
word 'date' did not appear even once in the conversation with Oribe.
While getting ready
for the dungeon attack, we were going to see a movie, which we had promised to
do before.
But going shopping
and seeing a movie alone with a girl was a proper date in my mind, and after
all, this was the first date in my life that I'd ever had.
...Although, it was
sad that I was the only one who thought it was a date.
As I was idly playing
with my phone until the time to meet up, I immediately saw that the race from
the other day...or rather, Card Gear, started to become a hot topic on social
media.
While the race is
broadcasted live online for betting purposes, the entertainment-style edited program
for the general public has not yet been aired (I mean, the race was still going
on, in case you were wondering).
Despite this, the
race had already become a major topic of conversation on SNS because the race
had attracted more public attention than expected with the unveiling of a new
magic item called Card Gear.
-------You can now
talk to cards outside the dungeon.
This feature seemed
to attract the interest of the general public rather than adventurers.
It's scary to become
an adventurer and enter the dungeon, but I'd love to chat with a cute (or cool)
card! - that was what many people thought.
It appeared that the
Emerald Tablet Company's website was already bombarded with inquiries to the
point that the servers were down, and the videos that race participants posted
online reviewing their use of the product were either buzzing or on fire all
over the place.
I, too, tried playing
around with the device after I got home, looking at the manual and found that
the cards that can be registered are interchangeable. The visual of the cards can
be freely moved up to 10 meters from the Card Gear, making the device more
flexible than I had expected.
Previously, it was
impossible to communicate between the outside and inside the dungeon without
placing a relay on the safe zone of each floor, but with the Card Gear, it is
possible to communicate with other Card Gear users and even communicate and
send messages above ground anywhere in Japan from Hokkaido to Okinawa, giving
it the feel of a completely next-generation cell phone.
It seemed that
various accessories, such as the camera eye used during the race, would be
released in the future, and dungeon tubers praised it in their own videos,
saying that it would make it easier for them to perform live dungeon
exploration.
The Card Gear grabbed
all the attention, but as the winner, I was also talked about in passing...
『It was a week-long
race and he finished in less than a day, lol.』
『Renge-chan was as
cool and amazing as always~. Congratulations to Mea for her long-awaited rank
up~! I'm going to eat delicious
food with the 50,000 yen I won this time!』
『It's annoying to
watch him act all cocky even though he just happened to get strong cards. It's
also gross to see him building a harem with girl cards. Also, if he got what he
wanted halfway through, he should have just retired from the race. Give me back
my 100,000, you little shit!』
『He has a deck and
skill that is completely of a pro class. Entering amateur matches and
tournaments is already at the level of trolling. I mean, give me a break
(trembling voice)!』
Although there were
more positive comments overall, there were a few negative ones as well.
The last one was a
post by a certain 'person who cannot remember the face and name of the weakest
of the Four Heavenly Kings of Students'.
I heard that he also
participated in the event, but I did not notice him at all. It looked like I
had passed him in an instant without knowing it. It may be too late to say
this, but I guess he was talking about this race when I ran into him the other
day.
Well, since the race
has not been broadcast on TV yet, the main topic of conversation was about the
Card Gear rather than the race.
Just today, on the
way here, some spotted me talking to the cards and said, "Sell it to
me," or "Give it away," or worse, "It's not fair that
you're the only one who has it! Tell
the Emerald Tablet Company to give me one for free!"
Although it was
clearly announced that only the registered owner of the Card Gear could use it,
there seemed to be many people who only knew of the existence of the Card Gear
but did not know much about it.
Most of them would
back off if I explained it to them, but for the ones like the last one, who
were a little nuts either in their heads or hearts, I would just make them 'a
little unhappy' and use that opportunity to leave the place.
Right now, in order
to keep weirdos away, I've given up on talking to the cards and put away my
Card Gear.
By the way, I also
received messages from people at school saying, “Congratulations on your victory! I was surprised when I first found out about it on the
Internet news,” and ‘If you had told us first, we would have all cheered for
you,’ they complained a little, but I got the standard congratulatory messages
from them.
And so, as I waited,
fiddling with my smartphone...
"Sorry for the wait, Senpai."
Finally, it seemed
the person I had been waiting for had arrived.
I looked at the time
and saw it was exactly five minutes before the meet-up time. It was a very
typical arrival for her.
I put away my phone
and raised my hand slightly.
"Yo, Sayo."
"Hello. Did I keep you waiting long?"
"No, not at all."
More importantly... I
looked over Oribe's entire body.
"That outfit suits you."
I praised her.
Today, her outfit was
different from her usual punk-style chuuni fashion; it was a mature design of a
white sleeveless shirt and black pantsuit.
Her usual chuuni
fashion suited her, but today's outfit gave her a cool and mature look, making
her very attractive.
To my flattering
praise, Oribe looked embarrassed as she played with the ends of her hair, her
eyes wandering.
"T~ thank you. Senpai too, looks good... good....
no, normal, I think.”
"...Right? Whether I'm wearing something cheap or
expensive, when I wear it, it all becomes so ordinary, you see~"
I pointed my finger
at my branded T-shirt which was quite expensive and laughed.
…I put in a bit of effort, but I think next time I'll
wear something unique.
"So, what do we do now? Do you want to buy the equipment first? Or do you want to see a movie first? We still have a little time before the earliest movie
time."
Oribe asked me at a
rather rapid pace as if to dispel any awkwardness in the air.
I looked at my watch
and tried to make it sound as if I had just thought of it...
“Hmm, let's see... Even if we have most of the equipment
delivered to our house, we'll have to bring some ourselves, and it'll be bulky,
so let's see the movie first. Until that time... maybe we can go into one of
those cafes and get something to eat. I'm sure we'll eat popcorn or something
while watching the movie, so something light would be fine, right?”
Oribe nodded with a
smile, and I inwardly sighed in relief as I led her to a cafe I had 'researched
beforehand' that was popular with women.
“---- Speaking of which, have you exchanged your race
prize yet, Senpai?”
As we chatted over
lunch, the conversation gradually shifted to the race.
I answered as I
rolled my carbonara around my fork,
"No, the prize exchange is supposed to be after
tomorrow's awards ceremony, so not yet."
“I see, but you've already decided what to pick, don't
you?”
"Of course.”
The total number of
stars I got in this race was 725.
I decided to spend
600 of them on the race's featured prize, Kimaris.
Because it was the
highlight of the race, Kimaris had the highest exchange value of all the
prizes. While the market value of other cards and magic items is about 1.5 to
2.5 million yen per star, the value of Kimaris is nearly 3 million yen per
star.
With its rare legion
summoning and equipping skill, there would be no way to miss out on this one.
Kimaris had the
attributes of both sexes, as many high-ranking demon cards do, so it wouldn't
be a bad match for me with my aptitude for girl cards (on the other hand, I may
not be as compatible with angels, who tend to be asexual cards, though not as
bad as with male cards).
I could use it with
the Dullahan as it is, or I could eventually use it as a rank-up destination
for Dullahan.
As for the remaining
125 stars, I settled on only one card and the rest goes to magic items.
For the card, I chose
a C-rank card called Mayoiga1 with 25 stars.
This was a rare card
with a unique cross-space type skill that rarely appears on the market, a type
of card in which the inside or itself is a different space.
Famous foreign
examples include Tír na nÓg2
and Shangri-La3.
The first
characteristic of this type of monster was that no matter how much you attacked
the space itself, you could not defeat it; you had to defeat the main body
(core) hidden inside, while the main body itself was not very strong.
Therefore, the main
methods of combat would be to absorb life force while applying riddle skills to
the enemy inside or to support the allies inside. But different space monsters
had other useful uses besides combat.
They can be used as a
safe and comfortable base of operations utilizing the different spaces.
Because the interior
of the different-space monster was completely isolated from the outside world,
whether in a torrential downpour or a snowstorm on a snowy mountain, one could
rest soundly, unaffected by the environment around them.
In the dungeon, where
the harsh environment increased with each rank, it was said to be a necessity
for professional class along with equipment skills.
By the way, since it
possessed the attribute of a house fairy - or rather, it was basically a house
- Mayoiga can also be used to rank up Silky,
For
magic items, I picked out Daitoren, the Golden Reins, and five key items for
Dragonet.
The
Daitoren was one of the Sanmyo no Tsurugi4, which was said to grant the wielder
godlike power, and when equipped with a card, it would increase the holder's
combat power by 200 and temporarily grant them godlike skills.
It
was said that the true value of the Sanmyo no Tsurugi could be displayed by
having all three swords, and by stacking two or three, the godlike skills
become stronger and more diverse.
With
Daitoren alone, it would be at best only at the elementary level for other
skills, but godlike, divine power is a powerful and rare skill, so it should
not be underestimated even at the elementary level.
To
be more specific, even the godlike power granted solely by Daitoren was wide in
abilities, including ‘Telekinesis,’ ‘Divine Hearing,’ ‘Perception of Evil
Intent,’ ‘Reading the Memory of Matter,’ ‘Seeing Karma (Divine Eye Power),’ and
‘Exorcism.’
Because
of this, the demand was correspondingly high, and it was quite expensive at 70
stars.
In
terms of cards, that price is equivalent to a B-rank card.
However,
it rarely appears on the market, and it is more difficult to obtain than its
price, so this would still be a low figure.
If
the remaining two were also on the list, I would have bought them even if I had
to give up on Kimaris.
Then,
the Golden Reins. It was a magic item that temporarily granted mount cavalry
skill to the equipped card and riding skill to the one holding the reins.
The
original lore probably stemmed from the golden reins that Athena was said to
have given to the hero Bellerophon to help him ride the pegasus.
I
chose this as a reward for Eliza, who wanted to gain riding skills, and Yuki,
who wished to gain [Cavalry Beast] skill. It costs ten stars.
Finally,
regarding the five key items for Dragonet, this was based on the simple idea
that if I tried them all out, I would probably land on one.
Since
the current research had identified six key items in total for dragonet, there
was a high likelihood that we would hit on one of them if we tried five
different items. If we did not score a hit, then it would be determined that
the remaining one item was the one, and that was it.
"...I see, you've chosen some pretty good
ones."
Oribe
said a little enviously when she heard what I had chosen.
"Right? I'm
sure the Mayoiga will be useful in our dungeon attack this time around."
"I'm jealous... it seems like you gained a lot from
this race, Senpai."
"Well, yeah."
"Getting your hands on your initial goal of the
race, a succubus with [Zero existence] skill, then Kimaris, Mayoiga, various
magic items, and above all---- the Kisshouten and Kokuanten."
"Eh..."
My
heart leaped.
How... did she...?!
"Senpai also learned tactics from the battle with
them, and I feel that you have broken out of your shell... this has widened our
gap again..."
"Oh, ah...."
I see, it's that....
For
a moment, I thought she had found out about the card drops and I was really
freaked out.
"...... No, it's not so much that I've learned much
about tactics, and I'm still working on that aspect. I'm not even close to
Sayo's level, you know."
By
the way, regarding the Kisshoutenn and Kokuanten cards, I'm holding off on
moving them up in rank for now.
The
greatest strength of having advantage cards lies in the attainable
resurrection.
Certainly,
if they are ranked up, their strength will be more stable, and if lucky, the
[Zero existence] skill will remain and pave the way for [Spiritual recurrence],
but if they are Lost, their own resurrection will be inevitable.
Rank-up
itself can be done at any time, plus there was the promise with my parents that
I would keep Renge in a state where she could be resurrected at any time.
For
that reason, and the fact that we are not currently in that much trouble with
our forces, we had to reserve judgment.
"...... ...You're being very modest. ...By the way,
I'm sure you bought quite a few stars with money during the race, but are you
okay?
I'm sure you must have spent quite a bit of money on the
card packs..."
"Ah, that..."
He
nodded with a wry smile.
"I've got an acquaintance who's going to buy my cards
for me, so I'll manage at least."
During
the race, I had bought stars from the hook-nosed man for 145 million, which was
slightly more than my total savings.
I
had initially planned to pay for this by redeeming the stars, but as I was
choosing the prizes, I got greedy.
No
matter how I thought about it, exchanging stars for cash would be a waste of
money.
I
wanted to exchange stars for prizes as much as possible. ...... Then I
remembered Sunahara-san.
The
Heket I had won from a pack I bought some time ago was bought by Sunahara-san.
Since
trading cards between individuals cannot be recorded as an expense, the tax for
that year would be high, but when Sunahara-san heard about the details, he
readily agreed.
Moreover,
the price was considerably higher than the guild's purchase price and slightly
lower than the market price.
The
delivery itself is still some time away due to his schedule, but the money
itself has already been transferred.
With
this, payment to the hook-nosed man should be all right, but I owe Sunahara-san
one big debt.
He
laughed and said not to worry about it because it was the card he originally
wanted, but I suppose I will have to pay him back something in the
not-too-distant future.
"I see..."
Oribe
muttered a little regretfully when she heard my response that I could manage.
"I was thinking that if you were in financial
trouble, I could lend you money."
"Huh? Of course I'm not going to borrow money from a
junior girl. If it comes down to it, I'll cash in my stars. But, why do you
look so disappointed?'
"Oh, you know,"
Oribe
grinned,
''It was a precious chance for me to make Senpai owe me
after all."
"The interest rates seem to be even higher than
those of a loan shark."
"Interest? No, no. I would rather not accept a
single penny in money, so please don't worry."
"That actually scares me."
I
wonder what she will make me do in exchange for money...
While
we were talking like that, an alarm started ringing on Oribe's phone.
"Ah... it looks like it's almost time."
I
looked at my watch and saw the time,
"Isn't it a little early...? There's
still almost 30 minutes until the movie starts."
"It takes about five minutes to the cinema from
here, and since it's summer vacation, the snack bar will be crowded. It won't
hurt to go early."
As
I nodded in understanding, Oribe smiled.
"Plus... I like that time before the movie starts
too."
"Oh..."
I
thought I could understand that somehow. The particular feeling of waiting in
the darkness for the film to start. That was something you can never experience
when watching DVDs at home, something you only find in a cinema.
It
would not be an exaggeration to say that I would go all the way to the cinema
to experience it.
"I can understand. Shall we go then?"
"Yes."
We
smiled at each other and headed for the cinema together.
[TIPS] Cross-Space Skills
Some
card skills allow you to enter and leave otherworldly realms, such as the fairy
world, the world of gods, and the underworld, or even to create a different
space themselves.
Skills
that can meddle with spaces that are slightly misaligned to this world are
called cross-space skills.
Since
the inside of a different space is completely separated from the outside, so while
attacks from the inside cannot be made to the outside, they are also not
subject to interference from the outside (except those with cross-space
skills).
The
professional class takes advantage of this characteristic and uses cross-space
skill bearers as a safe base in the dungeon.
Along
with the equipping skill, it is also deemed a necessity for the professional
class.
***
Notes:
1 Mayoiga: In Japanese folklore, it refers to a 'lavish' or 'well-kept' but abandoned house found in remote parts of the mountains or similar wilderness.↩
2 Tír na nÓg: It means 'The Land of the Young'. It is one of the names for the Celtic Otherworld, or maybe, a part of it. ↩
3 Shangri-La: A fictional place in Tibet's Kunlun Mountains, described in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by English author James Hilton. ↩
4 Sanmyo no Tsurugi: A set of three legendary swords that appear in Japanese folklore, particularly in otogi-zōshi (traditional fairy tales). In these tales, the swords - Daitōren, Shōtōren, and Kenmyōren - are often depicted as having been given to a demon by the Asura King (or the Great Six Heavenly Kings) with the intent of corrupting Japan. These swords are said to be incredibly powerful, capable of decapitating thousands with a single strike.↩
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