harleyscars Page 17
Page 17
Koshimura landed on the ground, staggered slightly backward, and gasped for breath.
The hem of my clothes was slightly dirty, but I guess I could say it was undamaged.
Meanwhile, in the distance, Nagasaki Motoyo stared with trembling eyes at the enormous body lying on the ground.
They actually won?
Doesn't that mean -
Doesn't that mean that if everyone had just—
"Hello?" Koshimura Sawa waved his hand in front of her eyes. "Do you want this?"
"Ah, sorry." Upon hearing Koshimura's voice, Nagasaki Motoyo quickly looked up and saw the pebble-sized stone with a grayish-white sheen in his hand.
Magic stones?
"...Ah, you can keep this..."
Yuecun Ze nodded and stuffed the magic stone into his pocket, as if afraid she would change her mind.
Nagasaki Motoyo looked at his cautious manner and for some reason wanted to laugh.
Even the tension in my heart eased slightly.
Soon after, a sharp, piercing siren sounded from afar, and it sounded like the Adventurers' Guild had finally arrived, albeit belatedly.
Yuecun Ze finally relaxed and casually sat down on a stone step by the roadside. Seemingly unable to bear the awkward silence, he looked up at the sky and said something as if he was just making conversation.
"By the way... the stars are so beautiful tonight."
"Yes."
Upon hearing his words, Nagasaki Motoyo also raised her head.
High in the sky, a deep indigo blue, like a giant velvet curtain, slowly covered the heavens, adorned with twinkling stars.
A crescent moon rose quietly, casting a hazy silver glow.
"gorgeous."
Nagasaki Motoyo suddenly turned to look at Koshimura Sawa.
"What's wrong?" Koshimura asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Thank you."
The girl tilted her head slightly, her smile as radiant as a flower.
Chapter Sixteen: Name?
"Name?"
"Huai Shi... Ah, not beyond the village and marshland."
"What about your age?"
"sixteen."
"gender?"
"No, don't you already know all this? Do you really have to just fill up the word count here?" Yuecunze almost slammed his fist on the table.
"There's no way around it, this is a necessary procedure." Rinko Maji sighed and shook the notebook in her hand. "Luckily, you all have official professional certifications, otherwise it would be much more troublesome."
I don't know if it's because it became an adventurers' guild, but RiNG has changed from closing at a fixed time to being open 24 hours a day.
That's really tough.
"Speaking of which, why is it you again?" Rinrinko couldn't help but yawn. "It's only been two days, and you've already come twice. You're almost as frequent as that Feng...
"...Do you think I wanted to come?"
It's not that I'm causing trouble, it's just that emptiness is chasing after me!
“There’s even a different girl next to him.” Rinrinko couldn’t help but glance at Nagasaki Motoyo, who was sleeping on the sofa next to her.
As expected of a woman who has never stayed up late, the warm lighting inside the RiNG seemed to have finally relaxed her tense nerves, and she couldn't help but fall asleep as soon as she sat down on the sofa.
"And she's the young lady of Tsuki no Mori, how did you manage to kidnap her?"
"So could you please stop using that misleading tone?"
“Dealing with the out-of-control void, challenge level 3...slaying…” Rinrin ignored his words and continued typing on the terminal, “According to the rules, there is a special bonus issued by the association for slaying monsters that emerge from the out-of-control void.”
Upon hearing that there was money, Yuecun Ze immediately woke up, sat up straight, took out a magic stone from his pocket, and handed it to her: "And this too."
“Challenge Level 3, the Phase Spider Magic Stone, right?” Rinrinko took the Magic Stone and placed it in a special storage locker behind the counter. “According to the average market price, it’s around 202 million yen. I’ll round it down for you.”
"Stop! That's not how you round down!"
"Plus the 200 million yen bonus for each person... that's a total of 600 million yen." Rinrinko pushed the bonus and the money she got from exchanging magic stones in front of him, and then nudged Nagasaki Sose next to her, "Sose-chan, wake up."
What? There's such a big bonus? I thought it was just 500 yuan and a banner.
We have to thank the Adventurers' Guild now.
I am proud to be a member of the Adventurers' Guild!
"Hmm..." Nagasaki Motoyo groggily opened her sleepy eyes.
"You can decide how to distribute the bonuses yourselves. I've already taken care of all the related matters for you. Another employee will be handing over the shift in a bit. Just ask her if you need anything. I'm going to take a nap now, haha—" Rinrinko couldn't help but yawn again, waved her hand, and walked towards the staff break room at the back.
Nagasaki Motoyo glanced at Koshimura Sawa, then at the money in front of him, and immediately understood the current situation.
She pushed it gently in front of Yuecunze without almost any hesitation, a gentle smile on her face—a mask she habitually wore in front of crowds.
"Um... I was able to deal with that monster thanks to you. I only helped with a tiny little thing, and I almost became a burden. Please accept this money as... my gratitude for saving me and that child."
Her tone was sincere, yet carried a hint of undeniable authority.
However, when Koshimura heard her obviously forced voice, he couldn't help but want to laugh.
Koshimura looked at Nagasaki Motoyo's smiling face and her dusty, even somewhat torn uniform, and finally nodded, picked up the bundle of money on the table, and put it into his schoolbag.
Stepping out of RiNG's gate, the cool evening breeze dispersed the somewhat stale air inside.
Neon lights have begun to illuminate the city, and crowds of people are walking along the streets.
The lingering heartbeats covered this night.
[Dude, how do you defend against a zero-frame start?]
The two stood on the steps by the door, the atmosphere slightly awkward.
Koshimura glanced sideways; from this angle, one could see Nagasaki Motoyo's magnificent profile and her ears, which had returned to normal from their elf-like appearance.
No matter how many times I watch it, it still feels amazing...
Finally, Nagasaki Motoyo broke the silence, turning around first and bowing to Koshimura Sawa: "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Nagasaki Motoyo, a first-year student at Tsukimori Girls' Academy. Today... I am really grateful to you for saving me."
Wait, this isn't my favorite Moon Forest accent. This doesn't sound very good with the Moon Forest Princess.
[A. "Many signs in Tsuki no Mori, Soyo says there's a difference between real and fake"]
[B. "Hello Nagasaki-kun, I actually know a lot of people in Nagasaki too."]
【C. "Aida, Soyo-san love~"】
Whatever you say, happens.
"Hello, Nagasaki-kun, I actually know a lot of people in Nagasaki too."
"Ugh?"
“It’s nothing. My name is Koshimura Sawa, and I’m also a first-year student at Haneoka Magic Academy.” Koshimura Sawa returned the bow. “Actually, I should also thank you. Without your help, I wouldn’t have been able to defeat a level 3 challenge monster all by myself.”
"Could we exchange contact information?" Nagasaki Motoyo asked politely, pulling out her iPhone 13. "Actually, I've never met a sorcerer in real life..."
So I've become a rare species?
"Ah, okay." Koshimura Sawa quickly pulled out his battle-damaged phone. "Speaking of which, I don't know any priests. It would be troublesome if we accidentally encountered a curse or something..."
“If you ever encounter that situation, you can come to me.” Nagasaki Motoyo twirled a strand of hair that fell over her shoulder with her fingers. “Maybe I can consider giving you a discount.”
"Sigh, can't it just be free?" Koshimura asked, feigning surprise.
"No, you can't." She smiled, her eyes narrowing.
Oh no, I feel like I'm being manipulated by a bad woman.
Is it possible that Nagasaki Motoyo wasn't actually the idea genius of Tsukimori, nor the cunning and shrewd strategist with extraordinary wisdom, but just a simple little girl who lacked love?
Are you serious? Don't make your sister Su laugh.
"It's getting late, I'll take my leave now," Nagasaki Motoyo said, giving another elegant slight nod.
"See you."
The two said goodbye to each other, then turned and walked towards home.
After walking only a few hundred meters, Nagasaki Motoyo suddenly felt something was wrong.
Why is he still following me?!
She subconsciously glanced back.
The figure in the Haneoka uniform, carrying a guitar bag, hovered about ten meters behind her, walking slowly and curiously looking around, as if it were his first time in this area.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly quickened her pace, trying to create some distance.
But Koshimura Sawa seemed to quicken his pace as well, and after walking for half a day, the distance between them hadn't even changed.
[The bro thought he was Uncle Mai and was taking a drag.]
Stop the baseless criticism, just stick to Yongyi Maishu, okay? Playing anything else is just a cough.
Nagasaki Motoyo pretended to adjust the straps on her shoulders and glanced back.
But their eyes met.
She quickly turned her head away, pretending to casually tidy her hair.
After a long tug-of-war, Nagasaki Motoyo finally returned to the gate of her loyal Roppongi Hills Residence community.
Her heart raced a little. She took a deep breath, stopped abruptly, turned around, and looked at Yuecun Ze, who had just reached the entrance of the residential area and stopped, seemingly rummaging through his pockets.
"Koshimura-kun?" She tried to keep her voice calm, but the last syllable still trembled slightly, perhaps from anger. "Why have you been following me?"
"Oh." Just then, Yuecun Ze took out his IC card from his pocket, swiped it to open the automatic gate of the community, and pointed to the brightly lit duplex high-rise buildings inside the community. "I live in this community too. Otherwise, why would I have been on that empty, out-of-control road just now?"
"Ugh?"
So it was just that we were going that way?!
Nagasaki Motoyo suddenly felt like a katana player who had been thrown into boiling water; her forehead turned red all the way to her ears, and her cheeks felt like they were burning up.
"I'm...I'm sorry! Koshimura-kun! I...I misunderstood!" Nagasaki Motoyo hurriedly bowed and apologized, then turned around to become a bassist and run away. Unexpectedly, she accidentally stepped on the threshold of the automatic door of the community.
A sharp, piercing pain shot through her left foot, and she instantly lost her balance, falling uncontrollably to the side.
"Watch out!" Koshimura Sawa quickly stepped forward and grabbed her arm before she fell to the ground, while also glancing at her side waist peeking out from under Tsukimori's uniform.
Why are the uniform tops in Moon Forest so short? People who don't know better might think that we Moon Forest Ryu (1) qi Yi 鍾 捌斯 (4) outstanding students can't afford clothes.
[We're not just friends, we're really getting carried away.]
Nagasaki Motoyo gasped in pain, barely supporting her body with her right foot. The excruciating pain from her left ankle caused cold sweat to instantly bead on her forehead, and her beautiful features scrunched up.
"Did you twist it?" Koshimura glanced at her left foot, which she dared not put weight on, and held onto Nagasaki Motoyo's arm, letting her lean on him for support. "Can you still walk? Which building do you live in?"
“Building B...45th floor…” Nagasaki Motoyo clung to Koshimura Sawa, feeling ashamed, angry, and in pain, her voice tinged with a faint sob.
I encountered a hole and sprained my ankle. What a terrible day!
"Come on, I'll help you up." Koshimura's tone was calm as he simply adjusted his position to give Nagasaki Motoyo better leverage.
"No...no need...we're almost there..." Nagasaki Motoyo tried to struggle a little, but the excruciating pain in her ankle made her unable to exert any strength.
Koshimura Sawa didn't say anything, but just continued walking forward.
He half-supported, half-carried Nagasaki Motoyo, and slowly moved towards the entrance of Building B under the intriguing gaze of the security guard at the door.
Swipe your card, enter the room, and step into the spacious and bright elevator lobby.