ch261-ch280 · 272-ch272

Chapter 272: Upper-Rank Sub-Job Candidates

End of September, Floor 39—before the 'Gate to Floor 40'

"We made it up~"

"Kasumi-san, are we retreating?"

"There's still time to spare, so let's clean up first."

"Alright, I'm heading up front too!"

With this, Aikawa's level hits 40 as well, and the preparation for our Floor 40 challenge is complete.

We'll be starting from here again tomorrow, so we're better off tidying up before we go home.

Soushi leveled up before Aikawa, so he's been avoiding combat for a while now—but it looks like he'll join the cleanup battle.

"This is goodbye to that idiotic leveling method. Toryah! Honestly, why do enemies even flock to us over something like this. Hyah!"

She means the Flirting Strategy.

Since Kasumi-san can't flirt while on the clock, she has Soushi and Aikawa do it—but Aikawa's reviews of the arrangement have been less than glowing.

For this past month, I'd like them to spare a thought for my feelings too, having flirting carried on right in front of me.

Hm? The dungeon's feelings? Don't ask me about that......

"A great deal of useful data came of it, so I'd like to ask you two to continue the strategy going forward as well. There's Mia-san's and Shiraishi-san's leveling to think of, after all. Hah!"

They've gotten quite used to fighting golems, it seems—the two of them chat while they fight.

Please take a page from Soushi's book and concentrate on the battle.

As for the Floor 39 golems, Soushi seems totally fine against one in a one-on-one.

Oh, and even after Kasumi-san joins up at the end of her shift, the flirting duty stays with Soushi and Aikawa.

Kasumi-san appears to observe the two of them and take detailed notes on how the golems spawn and such.

On the weekend, we take turns picking recommended flirting methods out of that notebook and trying them ourselves.

Back when we first commissioned the Flirting Strategy, Aikawa gave Soushi a kiss—mwah—and the entire second wave of golems that spawned was metal.

That she came up with it while fidgeting awkwardly is heartwarming and all, but we had a rough time of it.

We were forced into retreat by a swarm of high-level metal golems on Floor 39, after all.

We moved around with 【Gate】 to avoid getting surrounded, picking off the scattered golems one by one—and peace didn't return to Floor 39 until three days later.

And at that point, of all things, a silver golem appeared—but Kasumi-san refused the buyback.

A Silver Golem-san worth no less than 20 million yen apiece—the moment it got out that one had been unearthed, there was no doubt our foolish adventurers would start a Silver Rush in place of a Gold Rush.

The otherworlder commotion had only just happened, so there was no arguing it away.

Floor 39 is dangerous in its own right, and more people coming through is bad news for those of us with secrets.

And so it can't go to market, apparently.

Aikawa dug her heels in, but we got her to come around by having Mia-san make her a bracelet to match Soushi's.

The Silver Golem-san sits under a sheet in the warehouse, and Mia-san will carve pieces off it little by little to share with the production-job folks.

"Calm down yet? Haruki, how's it looking?"

"No reactions coming at us. Let's collect the magic stones and head back."

"Yay! Tomorrow's Floor 40! I'm finally gonna become everyone's 【Idol】~"

Aikawa really is going to become an 【Idol】, apparently.

"Soushi, did you decide which one you're going with?"

"Fujutsushi. Well, unless something new shows up."

So not 【Synthesis Mage】—the charm-side fujutsushi, then.

If you launch the charms you make, you can make up for 【Water Mage】's weakness: its range.

I'm looking forward to seeing what else it can do.

Knowing Soushi, though, he'll probably end up with a pile of new jobs on top of it.

I don't think he'd pick anything up to 【Cooking King】 even if it appears, but whether a 【Cooking Saint】 exists at all, I have no idea—if something like a 【Patissier Saint】 shows up, that'd be suspect.

He gets used by everyone however they please, but he shows no sign of minding the cooking.

Maybe he's actually come to like it.

If I asked, he'd say something like "I'm happy seeing everyone's happy faces," so I won't ask......

Could 【Idol】 be on his list, I wonder?

"Watanabe-san, you have 【Naginata King】 on your list, right? Two Kings showing up is amazing~"

"For my part, 【Naginata King】 sits better with me than 【Spear King】. Even if I took another spear job, the weapon enhancement being spear would overlap, so if I take one, it would be the naginata side. You seem to be pushing 【Spinning Naginata User】, Haruki-san......"

Kasumi-san was apparently a naginata champion back in her university days, so 【Naginata King】 appearing is only natural.

She already holds 【Weapon Enhancement・Spear・High】—even if she became a job that also carries 【Weapon Enhancement・Spear・High】, the acquisition points would just be halved; the effect wouldn't change.

Besides, she's already taken 【Weapon Enhancement・Spear・High】 anyway.

Hence the argument for a naginata job, which presumably carries 【Weapon Enhancement・Naginata・High】—but for me, there's a certain charm to 【Spinning Naginata User】, where the more you spin, the more your attack power rises......

And another thing—Kasumi-san's aptitude job is apparently 【Castle Knight】.

That's the upper job of 【Heavy Armored Warrior】, which strengthens your stats the heavier your equipment—so it ought to synergize with Kasumi-san's special skill 【Equipment Weight Reduction】 and seemed like a good fit to me, but Kasumi-san apparently prefers weapon enhancement.

"Hmph! What are you thinking, pushing the same job as that woman? Watanabe-san, absolutely go with 【Naginata King】, okay?"

Bear Ossan—Aikawa's father, Gen Ichiro Aikawa......

The job of Makihara Ryoko-san, Bear Ossan's fiancée and Aikawa's future stepmother, is 【Spinning Naginata User】.

Apparently she walks along spinning round and round even while traveling, to build up power......

"Of course that is my intention, but......"

Kasumi-san glances at me and steers Aikawa's gaze my way.

Oh no—she's planning to win Aikawa over to her side......

"Hahh!? Haru-kun, don't tell me you're planning to become a 【Spinning Naginata User】? Unbelievable! Hmph, fine then. It won't show up anyway. You're bound to be an 【Assassin】, Haru-kun. It suits Hiramatsu-ryu perfectly."

What a terrible thing to say about me.

Aikawa's opposition is only natural, but Kasumi-san, for some reason, seems to be against 【Spinning Naginata User】 too.

It's a romance job, sure, but it has normal weapon enhancement as well—I think it's a fine pick.

Same with Soushi—job tastes really do split down the middle.

If I were Soushi, I'd go 【Synthesis Mage】......

Who knows, Makihara-san and I might actually get along.

"Haruki, you had four last time, right? No telling what'll show up this time, but what are your candidates so far?"

Last time it was 【Multi-Spearman】, 【Charge Shielder】, 【Assassin】, and 【Berserker】.

Well, taking 【Berserker】 as a sub is out of the question, and even if nothing new was added, as Aikawa says, 【Assassin】 isn't happening.

That leaves stacking another 【Charge Shielder】 as an option, I suppose.

Half the skill points for 【Mirror Shield】...... reflection is the ultimate romance!

Even 25 points at half price might be too steep, huh?

"Like I said just now, first up is 【Spinning Naginata User】. Combined with 【Gate】, stockpiling in the warehouse and launching surprise attacks would work too."

"Fight head-on, why don't you! You really are an 【Assassin】. I hope 【Assassination King】 shows up for you."

Aikawa sticks her tongue out at me—bleeeh.

With that reaction, maybe I should drop 【Spinning Naginata User】?

Well, the upper jobs you can select are usually determined by the skills you've used, so it won't show up for me anyway, since I haven't learned any slash-type skills.

"What else?"

"I think 【Super Spearman】 would be good too. This one also synergizes with 【Gate】—I get to choose the weapon."

【Super Spearman】 is a job whose attack power rises with the size of the weapon.

Keep weapons stored in the warehouse and I can swap them through 【Gate】 anytime.

It's the upper job of 【Long Spearman】, so I could learn 【Spear Mastery】 as well.

As long as I can bear the weight, the skills will assist with handling, so that's no problem.

I've been making a point of using 【Charge・Spear・Aiming】 lately, so with spear-type skills in play, the odds of it appearing are high.

Kasumi-san the spear-pusher would be satisfied with that one.

"Mmm-mmm-mmm. That is the Osaka clan leader's job. Makihara-senpai aside—are women like that your type as well? Mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm. If 【Spear Saint】 does not appear, please become 【Multi-Spearman】!"

Whoa, whoa—this is the first I'm hearing that the Osaka person is a woman......

I don't know them at all.

Also, forget 【Spear Saint】—I doubt even 【Spear King】 will show up.

If 【Spear King】 did, I'd be the same as Kasumi-san......

"Oh? Could it be—that's why you're against 【Spinning Naginata User】 too? You don't want to hold the same job as another woman? I've thought this for a while now, but Kasumi-san, you're a bit of a jealous one, aren't you?"

"Mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm. Then allow me to say my piece: why do 【Spear King】 and 【Naginata King】 never come up as candidates first? Even I think that is going too far!"

Because they absolutely won't show up, that's why.

"......Hold on? Me too?"

Aikawa, who had been turned away, looks back at us, blinking in bewilderment.

Does Aikawa just not get jealous over Soushi?

"No, if anything you should be more worried about yourself, Aikawa. Things around Soushi have gotten pretty serious lately......"

"Hey!"

Soushi, catching the splash damage, barks at me—but this needed saying.

The two part-time girls go without saying.

Lately it's not just Anego-san—for some reason Shirai-san has been coming by and eating parfaits too, you know?

And Shiraishi-san says the parfaits are no good unless Soushi makes them. The place is wall-to-wall girls, you know?

"Well, true. I'm not happy about him going ga-ga over Fuyumi-san, though. All lovestruck, lovestruck!...... Wait, no, that's not the point!"

Ah, Fuyumi Ai-san...... the 'Akiyama-san' in question, of course.

I haven't gone myself, but the suspicious part-time job the two of them started recently is at Dr. Amamiya's.

She said 'lovestruck' twice there.

Soushi, that person is......

"That's right. Aikawa-san should have more of a sense of crisis. At this rate, next week is going to be quite something, you know?"

Next week?

Tomorrow's Saturday and we're off to Floor 40; tests start when the week begins, so I'd like Sunday off.

It will, in a sense, become "quite something"—but he can't mean the tests.

If so, then starting next Saturday......