WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Irevi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 37: That Was Fun
──────
After afternoon classes, Cecilia and I stood before a small doll workshop tucked away in a corner of Nevil.
The display window was filled with all kinds of dolls, from cotton dolls and stuffed animals to wooden dolls.
“...What? There was a place like this in Nevil? Why am I only seeing it now?”
“I only found out about it recently too.”
“Hm... How did you find it?”
While doing a shopping marathon.
When we opened the door and stepped inside, a little bell rang to greet us.
The potbellied owner, who had been dozing behind the counter, jolted upright.
“Welcome. This is Flo’s Doll Workshop.”
I headed straight for the stuffed-animal display and picked up a pink bunny doll.
[Fleur Bunny Limited Edition]
It was a gift Luna preferred in the original game.
“Luna Grace likes something like this?”
“Probably?”
“How do you know that?”
Luna collected this stuffed-doll series. Her room had been filled with hundreds of Fleur Bunny dolls.
And, of all places, a limited-edition doll that was difficult even for her to obtain was sitting here.
If I bought this doll and gave it to Luna, she would jump for joy.
“I heard about it during the entrance exam.”
“Ah... So you two talked about that while I was getting beaten up by my sister?”
How was that my fault?
Cecilia gave me a suspicious look, but she would not know unless she asked Luna herself.
As I paid for the doll and was about to leave the workshop, the bell rang again as the door opened.
I instinctively turned around, and my gaze met that of a man standing on the threshold.
He wore shabby clothes, had long hair, and a monocle.
I was about to pass him by, assuming he was a customer, when the man who had been staring at me suddenly cried out.
“Ah!”
Then, looking delighted, he stepped in front of me.
“Could you be... Sir Halibal?”
“...I am.”
“Ahh!! I knew it! You looked different from how you did in the newspaper, so I wasn’t sure...!”
His eyes sparkled as he grabbed my hand.
“Sir Halibal! Aren’t you that famous hero?! I’ve really, really wanted to meet you!”
“You’re giving me too much credit. I was simply lucky.”
“Lucky? You’re far too humble!!”
The workshop owner looked at me in surprise as the man repeatedly bowed and greeted me.
A hero. I heard that sometimes, but this was the first time anyone had said it directly to my face. It was quite burdensome.
The man immediately pulled a sheet of paper and a pencil from his bag and held them out to me.
“If it’s all right... could I please have your autograph?!”
He still stood there with a bright smile.
I refused without hesitation.
“I’m sorry.”
An autograph, my ass.
I didn’t want something like this to make me complacent.
I had only cleared one of the Dungeons of the Evil God. I had no intention of popping champagne early.
The man’s expression darkened in an instant.
Still, he quickly forced a smile back onto his face.
“Ah... I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable for no reason.”
“It’s fine.”
I gave him a brief farewell and walked past him.
Then his voice came flying after me again.
“Then... if it’s all right! May I tell my acquaintances that I met Sir Halibal?!”
Persistent, wasn’t he?
It was not an autograph, so there was no reason to stop him over that.
Besides, it was not as if I could stop him even if I tried.
When I gave a small nod, the man beamed and repeatedly thanked me.
For some reason, even after I left the workshop, his gaze seemed to linger on my back for a long time.
‘Who was that...? I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before.’
A vague sense of unease lingered.
Once we left the alley, Cecilia spoke.
“Looks like the hero Sir Halibal finds other people’s attention burdensome?”
Don’t start.
When I frowned, she leaned close and whispered playfully.
“The hero Sir Halibal hates attention. Confirmed.”
“Please stop.”
⁎⁎⁎
“...You don’t know what Senia likes?”
“Did I say I did?”
Did you trick me again?
She had confidently suggested we go, so I naturally assumed she knew.
“You know, the people I said Sister liked. That’s all I know. I don’t really know what kinds of things she likes.”
So you were saying I should just wrap up either you or Mine and hand one of you over?
“Nothing comes to mind? You’re sisters, so there has to be something.”
“Was it when we visited a jewelry shop once? Sister stared at one of the gems in the display case for a long time.”
Rejected.
What kind of gem was that supposed to be?
The preferred gifts of playable characters were mostly set at prices that were not too burdensome.
Students exchanging gold jewelry in the first place would be ridiculous.
More importantly, I did not have the money.
“Then why did you ask me to come?”
“I just wanted to look around Nevil with you since we didn’t get to yesterday.”
“...What?”
“What do you mean, ‘What?’ We promised. Half the month belongs to me. You dragged me into a dungeon, so this time I dragged you into downtown Nevil. That’s fair, isn’t it?”
That was true, but still.
“So stop complaining and follow me. If we walk around, won’t we find a gift that suits Sister too?”
I watched Cecilia hum as she took the lead and sighed inwardly.
‘Fine. You win.’
I had to visit downtown Nevil eventually anyway.
Since it had come to this, I decided to think positively.
I had already planned to do a shopping marathon.
I wanted to buy the preferred gifts of the other playable characters in advance.
Watching Senia and Luna that morning had made me realize that conflicts between characters could happen anytime and anywhere.
It would be far too inefficient to travel back and forth to Nevil every time that happened.
If I could prepare gifts beforehand and hand them out at the right moments to farm Affection, there was nothing better.
I had planned to set aside an entire day for it because it would take so long.
But since Cecilia had taken the initiative, this was even better.
Brace yourselves.
I was going to clean out every shop in Nevil.
So, together with Cecilia, I went around Nevil in earnest and began farming gifts.
At the hardware store, Elia’s [Shard Mold].
At the grocery store, Eugene’s [Coffee Caramel].
At the bookstore, Alicia’s [Complete Collection of Love Fables].
At the general store, Ran’s [Ball-Jointed Doll].
At the flower shop, Mine’s [Blue Rose Seeds].
“...Why are you sweeping up so much junk?”
“If I keep buying things, at least one of them will work.”
“You’re going to choose Sister’s gift with that kind of mindset? You really are something.”
I knew the preferred gifts of playable characters for certain.
The problem was people like Adeline, who had been NPCs in the original game.
They did not have anything like preferred gifts.
Still, Adeline was not an NPC to me now. She was my instructor and mentor, so I wanted to give her something.
That was when I happened to spot a scarf the same color as her hair.
[Sun Scarf]
‘This should be fine.’
Cecilia cut in then.
“Is that for Instructor Adeline?”
How did she know?
“Then this one would be better.”
She picked up a dull gray scarf.
The Sun Scarf looked better in every way. It was not like we were trying to one-up each other.
When I gave her a doubtful look, Cecilia suddenly let out a sigh.
“...Trust me and get that one. She’ll definitely like it.”
Then she muttered under her breath.
“...I wonder if I’m doing someone else a favor for no reason.”
Right. Women probably understood women better.
I decided to trust her for now.
Next was a gift for my source of funds, Richard.
I chose a [Cheap Keyring].
This should be enough. If he did not like it, he could throw it away or something.
Still, was it not outrageous to buy Richard’s gift with Richard’s own money? Wouldn’t he have a fit if he found out?
No, why was it Richard’s money? It was my money.
After picking out Richard’s gift, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
‘Wait. What about Aren?’
The protagonist, like the NPCs, did not have a preferred gift either.
After all, since I played from Aren’s perspective, there had never been any reason to give gifts to myself.
I desperately tried to recall what I knew about Aren.
Aren = swordsman.
What about arm guards or wrist protectors?
If not those, perhaps a swordsmanship manual.
‘Not great.’
Then I spotted a [Party Tie] displayed in the corner of a shop.
‘Right. There was a victory party event.’
After clearing the third Evil God Dungeon, the academy held a victory party.
At that event, Aren got picked on by Richard for not wearing a tie.
It was not an especially significant event, but it seemed like a decent gift.
“Please wrap that item too.”
“Yes! Of course!”
After buying Aren’s gift as well, I was soon carrying a huge bundle in my arms.
Feeling like Santa Claus, I settled into a nearby restaurant.
As I took a big bite of honey-glazed appetizer bread, Cecilia, who sat across from me with a sullen expression, asked,
“Don’t tell me you bought gifts for the people in your unit?”
‘Is it because of Adeline’s gift?’
There were not many playable characters I interacted with at this point.
Senia and Cecilia were the closest, followed by Mine and Aren.
Elia even seemed afraid of me, and I had not properly spoken with Ran or Eugene yet.
So it made sense that Cecilia would misunderstand after seeing only Adeline’s gift.
Come on. They were all investments for the future.
“I thought they were all gifts for Sister.”
“You said you don’t know what Senia likes either. If I give her just anything, it might only backfire.”
“...I didn’t think you were the kind of person who knew that.”
“What exactly do you think I am?”
“...Hmph.”
As I organized the bundle, my hand caught on a small box.
‘Right. I bought this too.’
I took out the box and handed it to Cecilia.
“...What’s this?”
“Open it.”
When she unwrapped it, there was a small brooch set with an imitation Blue Shard inside.
“...Is this for me?”
“I thought it would suit you.”
[Forget-Me-Not Brooch]
I could not buy gifts for all the playable characters and leave Cecilia out.
“It’s a thank-you gift for walking around with me all day.”
Cecilia looked surprised as she examined the brooch.
In the original game, giving Cecilia the Forget-Me-Not Brooch could make her cold demeanor soften, if only a little.
Of course, the Cecilia in front of me was very different from the original, but wouldn’t she still like it?
“You can wear it or take it back to the dorm. If you’re going to throw it away, give it back to me. I have a use for it.”
Even after I said that, Cecilia did not answer. She simply pinned the brooch in her hair.
After a brief silence, she spoke.
“...Thank you.”
Cecilia wore an expression I had never seen even in the original game.
A gentle, warm smile, one I had occasionally seen from the other characters.
‘Hm?’
What was this?
Something sat heavily in my stomach, and I naturally looked down at the honey bread in my hand.
Was it because I had not had this in a while?
Tastes good.
⁎⁎⁎
By the time we finished eating and came outside, night had fallen.
The trams did not run twenty-four hours a day, so it was about time for Cecilia to return to the dorm.
I headed toward the station to see her off.
Of course, my day was not over just because she was leaving. I planned to head straight to the Goblin Dungeon afterward.
Shattering Sword, I’m getting you today.
“Hm... That should do it.”
“If there’s a problem, contact me right away.”
“If there’s a problem?”
What, was she planning to contact me all the time otherwise?
We exchanged contact information there. From now on, as long as we were in Nevil, I could call Cecilia whenever I wanted.
“But what number am I?”
“What do you mean?”
“What number user am I registered as in your Abyss Core?”
“Second.”
“Who’s first?”
“The Saintess.”
Cecilia’s expression turned sullen again.
What was it this time?
Then she snickered and said,
“Well, fine. I’ll forgive you this once.”
What, did she have mood swings?
As she touched the Forget-Me-Not Brooch still pinned in her hair, the imitation Blue Shard sparkled in the moonlight.
After walking for some time, we arrived at a deserted alley.
The station was just around that corner.
Then Cecilia stopped and turned back to me.
“Today was fun. See you tomorrow.”
‘It was fun...’
I closed my eyes for a moment.
A day spent doing a shopping marathon and choosing gifts for playable characters.
It had certainly been necessary, but it was also something I had experienced for the first time in this world.
Before coming to the academy, I probably would have spent all that time training.
So... had I enjoyed today?
“I had fun too.”
Probably.
I watched Cecilia disappear at the end of the alley for a moment, then remembered that the dormitory and the dungeon were in opposite directions and turned around.
That was when it happened.
[Unique Ability - Rewind Action 0 / 3]
[※Unique Abilities can only be used in boss battles.]
I reflexively ran toward Cecilia.
Just before reaching the end of the alley, I grabbed her shoulder.
“W-What is it?!”
No words came out.
Footnotes:
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