In the dining hall, the three leaders—Date Haruka-san from the 3rd Army, Mido Kentaro-kun from the 4th Army, and Kadokura Hikari-chan from the 5th Army—sat together with me, Shiori-chan, and the cook, Yawashi Jirou-kun. For now, this group would make all the important decisions.
”Finally, it’s come to this…” Date Haruka-chan said, her face pale as if she might throw up. Before teleportation, she and I were class reps, but here, she felt overshadowed. She was serious and responsible, probably worried about keeping the remaining fourteen people alive.
Her magic skill was rare and useful, but it was a ceremonial kind that wasted a lot of energy, so it wasn’t very practical.
”I’m sorry, it’s all because of me, Cannon-chan…” she said, lowering her eyes. Chinatsu-chan had nicknamed her “Cannon-chan,” which officially meant “Cannon-chan who can’t even fire a shot.” Without a sword, her true power couldn’t show, just like Chinatsu-chan’s situation. It was a joke, but it fit.
”For now, Shimazaki-san worked out the budget. It’s going to be tight, but we’ll have to manage,” I said. Shimazaki Kurumi-chan was good with numbers, having joined national abacus contests. Yawashi-kun looked at the budget sheet and frowned.
”Seriously? This is what we have for food…” Yawashi-kun groaned. “I’ll try not to cut back on taste or amount, but quality will have to suffer. Looks like Takada-san’s mushroom and wild herb porridge will be our main dish…” Takada Honoka-san was from the 5th Army and could identify edible wild plants, but she couldn’t tell if they tasted good. Luckily, Yawashi-kun’s cooking skills covered that gap. He even turned some rice-like thing into rice balls, which were popular for lunch in the labyrinth.
”Sorry, Yawashi-kun. We can’t cut corners on weapons and armor, so food has to take the hit…” Haruka-chan said. “I get it. I’m eating with money you all earned risking your lives, so I’ll do my best too,” Yawashi-kun replied. “I even got part-time job offers at restaurants, but the government won’t let me work for more than one-time gigs. No black market stuff either—I don’t want to cause trouble.”
Yawashi-kun’s cooking was top level, but the McGaref autonomous government only allowed us to collect magic stones. No work permits for us.
”Um, about our living situation—Takumi-kun and I have a plan. Can you listen?” Shiori-chan spoke up, watching. The other four raised their hands in welcome.
”Of course. If it’s Shiori-chan and Takumi-kun, I trust it without even hearing,” Haruka-chan said. “Yeah, I trust you guys,” Mido-kun added. “Same here. Takumi-kun has helped me a lot since he came,” Hikari-chan said.
It felt good to be trusted like that, even if I wasn’t that great.
”Here’s the secret—we’ve been training Takumi-kun’s skill, but it hasn’t hit its max yet. Keep this quiet. When he reaches full level, a new skill like mine might appear.”
Everyone looked confused. Some skills had levels, and mine was one of those. But since I hid the fact that it capped at 5%, many thought it was useless.
”If it’s not maxed, what’s it at now?” Haruka-chan asked.
”It’s at 96%,” I answered.
”So, the discount skill is purposely kept at 5%? Why?” Mido-kun asked, sounding surprised. He was usually too easygoing but still a good leader.
”There’s a reason,” I said. “If the discount gets bigger, shop owners might think I’m causing them to lose money and stop selling to me. At 5%, they see me as a special customer and are happy to give a small discount.”
”I see, that makes sense. If it were me, I’d ban you,” Mido-kun said but quickly backed off. He helped clear the strange feelings everyone had.
Haruka-chan took over. “So why tell us this secret now? You’re not saying we can just shop with big discounts and relax, right?”
”Right. Using stolen goods or shady deals might bring a big profit once, but it could cause hate and put us all in danger. So, that’s only a last resort.”
Haruka-chan nodded deeply at my words. Though I’d been hiding my skill, no one blamed me. I was quietly relieved.
”We’re working to raise the skill fast, but we need more money to do it well. We ask everyone to lend us your saved money, trusting us. About the master’s matter, I’ll talk with just the girls later.”
Shiori-chan blushed suddenly. Wait, that way of saying it with that face would cause misunderstandings. Even Haruka-chan blushed, caught in the mood.
That look was definitely misunderstanding something… Actually, some of it wasn’t a misunderstanding, but I hadn’t noticed the side effects of my daily quest “Slave Trading” yet.
”Okay. So, should we give you our money to hold, then?” Mido-kun asked simply. His straightforward way helped the talk move along.
”I’ll help too. If it’s Shiori-chan and Takumi-kun, I trust you,” Haruka-chan said. “Me too. Takumi-kun always helps me, but I don’t have much money…” Hikari-chan added.
”That’s true. We’ve always depended on the 1st and 2nd Army parties,” Haruka-chan and Hikari-chan shared a small smile.
”Sorry, Takumi-kun. I don’t have time to go slow, and I wish I could get help from my guardians, but I couldn’t explain things well while hiding your discount skill,” Haruka-chan said softly.
”It’s okay. We’ll get through this together,” I said.
And so, the fourteen of us left behind once again pledged to stand united and overcome this harsh struggle.