It's just a fact, weapons are heavy. Whether it's a sword, a spear, or a shield, they need to be strong, so they end up weighing a lot.
Before I came to the armory, I figured I'd grab a one-handed sword, but when I actually held one, there was no way I could swing it with one hand. If I hold a one-handed sword with both hands, I can kind of swing it, but I can't move in any way that'd be useful in a real fight.
"Kuroi, like, maybe you just haven't trained enough?" Shirakawa teased, leaning closer.
"Shut up. High schoolers in Tokyo don't use swords and shields anyway," I snapped back.
"But if you can't use weapons, isn't it gonna be a pain when you need to kill the Queen or the Soldiers?" Shirakawa asked, tilting her head.
"Not really... I can only fight by sneaking up behind someone and stabbing them, anyway," I replied, shrugging slightly.
"I mean, maybe, but that's totally not something you should say with your chest puffed out..." Shirakawa sighed, giving me an exasperated look.
"What are you talking about? Did you forget that cheap fighting style is exactly what saved you?" I pointed out directly.
"Ugh, that's so true..." Shirakawa muttered, looking away.
I used the power of my Item Box to stab a Soldier from behind with a knife to save Shirakawa, who was about to be raped. Since that's the only way I can attack right now, there's no point in getting a heavy sword or spear.
"Hey, what about this?" Shirakawa called out, holding up an object.
"What's that?" I asked, walking over.
What Shirakawa found was a thrusting weapon with a hand guard, shaped like the number 6.
"No blade... is this a stiletto?" I muttered, examining the weapon.
The stabbing part isn't a thin knife, it's more like a beefed-up ice pick. If it had a double edge like a dagger, it'd do more damage, but on the other hand, when you don't want to kill someone, this shape might actually be better. Plus, if you aim for the heart or brain, it's plenty deadly, and it looks easy to maintain.
For now, I'll swipe about five of them.
"Kuroi, someone's coming..." Shirakawa whispered in a panic, pulling my sleeve.
"Hide," I whispered back as I pulled her into the Item Box.
Footsteps and voices came from outside the armory door. We got in by using the Item Box's ability, but the door was locked from the outside with a big lock. The clanking sound was someone unlocking it, and soon the door opened and two Soldiers came in.
The Soldiers carried in what looked like standard gear, metal armor, shields, swords.
"Oldman, Daz, Horglif... they're unrecognizable now," one soldier grumbled, tossing equipment down.
"Those bastards... still haven't been caught?" another soldier spat angrily.
"Maybe they're hiding in the castle," the first soldier suggested, looking around.
"If we find them, we'll kill them," the second soldier growled.
"Killing them comes after we all get a turn with them," the first soldier chuckled darkly.
It seems the armor and weapons they brought in belonged to the Soldiers I killed yesterday. Shirakawa, clinging to my left arm, was trembling.
"Don't worry. As long as we're in here, they can't find us," I reassured her softly.
"Yeah, totally..." Shirakawa whispered back, clinging tightly.
The inside of the Item Box is a separate dimension, so there's no way outsiders could find us, but from our side, they're working right in front of us, so I guess it's nerve-wracking.
In the end, the Soldiers didn't notice us, put away the weapons they brought, and left. We moved while still inside the Item Box, and watched as the Soldier locked the door again and walked off.
After confirming no one was around, we went back into the armory.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Shirakawa asked as I inspected the armor.
"Checking if there are any marks that show whose personal stuff this is," I explained, turning a piece over.
"Why? Are you, like, gonna hold a funeral for them?" Shirakawa asked, frowning slightly.
"Are you kidding... wouldn't it be fun if a dead guy's armor just got up and walked around the armory on its own?" I grinned mischievously and replied.
"Ew, normal people totally don't go that far..." Shirakawa grimaced, backing up a step.
"What are you talking about? These are the guys who tried to rape a minor they summoned to another world against her will. Of course I'm gonna use them even after they're dead," I reminded her sternly.
"Oh, right, I guess that's totally true..." Shirakawa conceded softly.
Unfortunately, all the armor had the same design, and none of it had names carved into it. I hesitated for a bit, but I took just the gauntlet from the right hand.
"Like, what are you gonna do with that?" Shirakawa asked, watching me pick up the piece.
"This? ...Next time I kill a Soldier, I'll put a weapon in his hand and leave it at the scene," I explained my idea with a small smirk.
"To, like, make it look like the Soldier who got killed did the killing?" Shirakawa caught on, nodding.
"I mean, they probably won't actually think that, but wouldn't it mess with their heads?" I confirmed with a nod.
"Nice! Kuroi, you're mean, but you're so smart," Shirakawa smiled slightly.
"You didn't have to add 'mean,'" I grumbled back.
As I talked about my plan to mess with them even more using the belongings of the Soldier I killed, Shirakawa seemed to stop shaking. Being scared is their job, no way we're gonna be the ones getting scared.
"It's about time for dinner, isn't it?" Shirakawa asked, glancing out from the Item Box.
"Are we stealing from the Kitchen again today?" Shirakawa followed up, stomach rumbling softly.
"Of course. I don't have the time or energy to cook," I answered plainly.
"Then shouldn't we, like, hurry? It looks like our classmates got taken somewhere," Shirakawa pointed out nervously.
"Right, there might be less food being made," I agreed, picking up the pace.
When we moved to the Kitchen, there really did seem to be less food being prepared than yesterday. On the other hand, each dish looked way fancier than before.
"Whoa, like, what is that huge chunk of meat..." Shirakawa whispered in awe as we looked at the counter.
"It looks, like, super~ delicious... is that the kind they serve the Queen?" Shirakawa added, drooling a little bit.
"Probably... I mean, one person couldn't finish that," I noted quietly.
"Does that, like, even matter? She probably takes a bite, gets satisfied, and sends it back... right?" Shirakawa giggled, nudging me.
"That's possible... anyway, it'd be a waste, so let's eat it ourselves," I reasoned with a chuckle.
"But if we steal that, won't we, like, totally get caught?" Shirakawa worried aloud.
"If you do it normally... well, just watch," I reassured her with a confident grin.
The finished dishes were loaded onto carts and carried out of the Kitchen. To keep bugs and dust off the food, they were covered with metal bowl-like lids. In the split second between the lid going on and the cart starting to move, I opened an Item Box window between the cart's table and the plate and took the food.
"Whoa, nice going, Kuroi!" Shirakawa cheered softly, eyes sparkling.
"Heh, it's nothing," I smirked, tossing a piece of bread to her.
We swiped a thick meat dish, bread, and a bottle of fruit wine, then left the Kitchen. Tonight, let me treat ourselves to a fancy dinner.
Trivia:
- Kuroi's choice of a stiletto-style weapon reflects his entire combat philosophy, he can only win by ambush and precision, never by direct strength.
- The dead Soldiers' names, Oldman, Daz, and Horglif, are spoken casually by their comrades, showing how little the summoned humans mean to them beyond tools.
- Kuroi's plan to plant a weapon on a dead Soldier's body is psychological warfare, not just petty revenge, it's designed to make the enemy distrust each other.
Notes:
• Shirakawa - Family name of Shirakawa Kiyoka, the dark-skinned gyaru and classmate of the protagonist who was summoned alongside him to another world.
• Kuroi - First-person narrator and Item Box user. Male protagonist summoned to another world. Has killed three people. Pragmatic and self-preserving, prioritizing his own safety and return to Japan over helping strangers. Plans to loot the castle and escape. Possesses an Item Box skill that lets him hide and store things, and keeps it constantly active, which may be why his leveling is faster. Cynical and rational, with a forgettable presence that he uses to his advantage. He knows the people of this world are trash and plans to return to Japan. He is a virgin and gets flustered easily by Shirakawa's teasing, often struggling to stay calm when she presses against him.