Chapter 18
First Appraisal
When I returned from the Dungeon, perhaps because it had gotten
late, the ossan Kikukawa wasn't there, and the usual
sleepy-looking Onee-san was.
「'Sup, Onee-san.
The hardworking girl returning from the Dungeon is now back!」
「'Sup? Aoi-chan.
What's with that?」
「What's with
what?」
「Your hair is
all silky, your skin looks to be in good condition, and your nails are pretty
too. Even though you were completely ragged until just yesterday.」
Hey, surely calling me completely ragged is going a bit too far.
「Nuh-uh, I
haven't done anything in particular, though.」
「There it is.
Saying you haven't done anything, even though you absolutely did something.」
「Even if you
say that. Ah, isn't it because I started eating properly and exercising a ton?
Also, I took a bath for the first time in a while, so maybe it's because of
that. More importantly, exchange these magic stones for me, here.」
Crap, I wonder if she thinks I'm a filthy girl who hates baths. Onee-san's
brow is furrowed. No, no, the truth is I'm a girl who loves baths. I'm
different from those girls who cancel their baths, it's a misunderstanding.
While thinking about how to correct Onee-san's misunderstanding, I
poured a lot of magic stones onto the tray.
「You brought
back a ton agaaain. Normally, you shouldn't be able to get this many, but the
effect of a skill really is amazing.」
It seems the 『Ultra Hard Mode』 skill also increases the number of monsters inside
the Dungeon.
「Well, I'm
working hard solo, after all. Perhaps I'm actually going through a lot of
hardships.」
Because I'm truly going through hardships. To go on a hunting
spree and defeat over a hundred monsters solo every single time, from what I
hear, isn't normal. And in an ultra hard mode solo Dungeon at that. It's
what you call a commensurate reward.
「Yes, yes.
Come to think of it, is it okay if I appraise your equipment, Aoi-chan?」
「Ah, the
thing you mentioned before. I guess it can't be helped~, sure. How much time
will it take?」
「The
appraisal itself doesn't take much time, but taking the records is a pain, you
see. We have to meticulously measure the size and weight, take photos, and
record detailed characteristics and the person in charge's impressions. Well,
if I hurry, maybe about thirty minutes? If you hate waiting, you can go home.
I'll return the equipment to you next time.」
Huh, it sounds tougher than I thought. But if it's thirty minutes, I
don't really mind.
「I'll wait if
it's only that long. Here, just the hammer for now. Take good care of it.」
「Yes, yes, I
will treat it courteously. Ah, looks like the automatic appraisal is finished.
You rarely see this amount from exploring the upper layers. Here, 86,000 yen.
Good work.」
My sense of money is going completely out of whack. As I thought, from
now on I'll live with the self-awareness of a rich person. Let's do that.
「Then, Aoi-chan,
I'll go appraise it now.」
「Yup.
Standing around waiting absentmindedly is boring, so I'll go to the convenience
store. Onee-san, need anything? I'll treat ya.」
「Eh, really?
Then, I want a custard pudding, an affogato-style coffee jelly, and I want to
eat a strawberry daifuku too. For a drink, a hot caffe latte with no sugar,
thanks~」
Umm, your order is way too large. Without seemingly noticing the
absurdity of her own remarks, Onee-san retreated into the back room. I
get it. That person, even though she's beautiful, is probably unpopular with
guys. She's a good person and all, but she lacks common sense.
Completing an unprecedentedly expensive checkout at the convenience
store—the highest in my personal history—I once again became conscious of my
rising civilization level. Including both Onee-san's and my share, it
was 1,500 yen at most. Even so, for me, spending over 1,000 yen on purchases
that could hardly be called necessities feels like it brought about a slight
shift in my consciousness.
「I'm going to
become even richer, after all. I have to get used to luxuries and wasteful
spending. Uoooo, from now on I'll casually go on shopping sprees!」
If I can rent my own room in the near future, I'll casually buy
paintings, pots, and the like. That's right, I need to buy a watch, too. I'll
go buy an amazing one!
After returning to the Dungeon Administration and just calling
out to Onee-san, I ate my big-sized pudding in the unpopulated lobby.
The happiness of being able to eat pudding normally is beyond words.
Everyone in the world really should realize how blessed they are. I want to
tell the me from a few days ago that she'll be able to carefreely eat pudding.
That she'll be able to eat enough pudding to fill her stomach. She probably
wouldn't even believe something of this level.
Once I finished eating the sweet pudding, I suddenly became sleepy. A
little nap shouldn't hurt, right. There's no one around, anyway. Coupled with
the fatigue of returning from the Dungeon, I could feel my consciousness
slipping away immediately.
~
「Heeey, Nagakura
Aoi Scarlet-chan. Aoi-chan, wake up.」
Whoa, before I knew it, Onee-san was shaking my shoulder. It
seems I fell asleep more soundly than I thought. Looking at the wall clock in
the lobby, nearly an hour had passed since I ate the pudding.
「Fuaaah. Umm,
is the appraisal finished?」
「Before that,
thanks for the convenience store sweets and the caffe latte.」
「Don't
mention it. So?」
「Well, you
see. I think it's because it's produced in a solo Dungeon, but the
appraisal didn't go well. We might be able to figure it out if we use an
appraisal machine with higher performance.」
During the day, the ossan at the Dungeon Administration
said that tools produced in a solo Dungeon can only be used by the
person who discovered them. Maybe there's even a restriction on simply
investigating their performance.
「One with
higher performance, huh. I wonder if we could manage it using that.」
「So, could
you lend me your equipment for a little while longer, Aoi-chan?」
「That's
impossible. I don't have much equipment. I want money too, so I have to earn in
the Dungeon every day.」
「Can't we
work something out? Please!」
Ah, if that's the case.
「I was told
this by the stiff ossan at the reception desk during the day, though...」
「By stiff, do
you happen to mean Director Kikukawa?」
「Director?
Probably that ossan. The ossan was saying that if I go to a
different Dungeon, couldn't I get equipment even in the upper layers
like here. If it's a solo Dungeon, I think I probably can get some. So,
I'll try going to a nearby Dungeon next time. If I get ones I don't need
there, you can investigate them all you want. I'll give them to you.」
Solo Dungeon products are exclusive to me and can't be sold, after all. I don't care about equipment I won't use. In fact, hoarding useless items is a waste, so I want them to buy them from me under the pretext of research or something. I want Onee-san to proceed with talking to the higher-ups in that direction.