Episode 24

“…Oh my?”

Eve swept her hand down her chest, wearing a meaningful smile.

“It seems Sir Jonah is quite mature for his age. That will make our conversation enjoyable indeed.”

You are quite mature (X)
Rude little boy. Want to do something fun with me? (O)

“……?”

The translator in my head broke down. No matter how many times I reinterpreted it, it really sounded like that. Flustered, I shook my head vigorously and added,

“It’s not Miss Eve’s chest, but the necklace you’re wearing!”

“Ah? I must have misunderstood. …What a shame.”

Embarrassed for misunderstanding (X)
Shame, we could have had some fun (O)

Had Eve always been this kind of character…? Unable to determine whether it was my brain translator or Eve that was broken, I sighed.

Eve pulled on her necklace, revealing a golden gem that had been hidden in her cleavage. The piece, both antique and delicately crafted, was a work of art in its own right. Perhaps if it were auctioned, it could fetch at least 20 gold.

However, that necklace was not just a simple accessory. The primary reason Eve, despite her lack of business acumen, still managed to make a living was because of her magical tool that increased luck.

For me, who was planning to spend the money I earned this time on the gacha, it was an essential item. Fully aware of her necklace’s effect, Eve, holding the golden gem in her hand, opened her mouth with a beaming smile.

“You might not know, Sir Jonah, but this is a really important magic tool to me. I can’t just hand it over that easily. Even in this situation.”

Over my dead body. Try taking if you can (X)
There’s a condition (O)

“So, you’re saying you’re willing to hand it over under some conditions?”

Eve’s smile deepened. I, too, responded with a smile to her positive reaction.

“Uhuhu…”

“Ahaha!”

Lydia was startled, Lemon became wary, and Apple was anxious, but that wasn’t really important.

On our way back to the Fairy and Silver Coin, I stroked the necklace on my chest with a satisfied smile.

“Wow. That was a really good deal! Eve seemed like a nice person, too.”

“…Jonah, are you blind?”

“Miss Lydia, you shouldn’t judge people by their appearance. Of course, Eve looked a bit suspicious, and she chose her words as if they had a deeper meaning… but she isn’t a bad person.”

“You shouldn’t trust people so easily.”

“I didn’t trust her easily. I just had a good feeling about it.”

“…That’s being too trusting.”

Lydia sighed and shook her head. Sticking right next to her, I nudged her with my elbow.

“Don’t tell me… are you jealous right now, Miss Lydia? Oh my. This is both pleasing and embarrassing. I already have Ellie, you know!”

“It’s not like that.”

“Come on. You just didn’t like it because I was getting along and laughing with Miss Eve, did you?”

“…Anyone would have been surprised by the second part.”

Lydia pouted her lips. Well… she probably knew it in her head as well. The deal with Eve wasn’t bad at all.

I only took 2 gold in cash, but in exchange, I received a magic tool that was hard to come by, no matter how much money one had. To be honest, it was deeply regrettable letting go of the 4,600 gacha rolls… but since I couldn’t roll them all at once, I decided to roll them bit by bit over the next several years.

Securing a high-grade magical tool, especially one that brings luck, seemed much better. In the meantime, I will become stronger, and my income will increase accordingly…

Then, there was the last condition she proposed. Though it was called a condition, it was something that benefited both parties. If I buy something from Eden, I’ll get a slight discount, and in exchange, she asked me to promote the shop while adventuring and refer it to other customers.

And she offered to let me use Lemon and Apple at a discounted rate, and in return, I would help them grow to the level of a second-floor adventurer when I had the time. It was a sort of partnership proposal.

Typically, such offers were extended to well-known adventurers… But perhaps she saw potential in me or was targeting Lydia, yet she presented these terms to me. To be honest, I half-expected her to propose slightly risqué conditions given her sudden odd behavior.

That would have been interesting in its own right… But, considering I was aiming to maintain a long-term relationship with Eve, the current conditions weren’t too bad either.

Anyway, understanding all this, Lydia’s sullen demeanor likely stemmed from two reasons. One was her suspicion of Eve, questioning whether it was wise to form such a close relationship. The second was her worry that, having received 2 gold, I would use it to settle my debt to Lydia.

For the former, only time will tell if Lydia comes to see Eve’s true intentions… but the latter was an issue I could address immediately.

“Miss Lydia.”

“…Why.”

“About the date expenses you covered for us last time. Can I pay you back a bit later?”

“……!”

Lydia’s face brightened slightly. Now that I was looking at her, her lips seemed smugger than usual. However, making an effort to hide it, Lydia composed her expression and replied.

“It doesn’t matter. I wasn’t expecting to be repaid soon anyway. …But, considering today’s earnings, you must have a substantial amount. What do you plan to do with it?”

“I’ve already decided!”

“Jonah must also understand from experience, but good weapons can make up for what one lacks in physical strength…”

“It’s gambling, of course! I’ll triple it, so just wait and see!”

“……”

Lydia’s face contorted as if she were looking at trash that couldn’t even be recycled. Perhaps she thought that if she didn’t allow this, I would pay off all the debt I owed her and disappear. In the end, she reluctantly nodded.

“Well, fine. It’s Jonah’s money, so I can’t really say anything about how it’s used.”

While saying this, I could tell she wanted to dissuade me by any means necessary. I understood that. To her, I must have looked like a kid who was practically a beggar until a few days ago and was now unable to control myself after suddenly making a fortune.

…She wasn’t wrong. But, after all, the reason I could earn this much money in the first place was all thanks to the gacha. Even if I used all 2 gold, drawing just one more 3-star would be a profit!

As I was grinning at the thought of returning quickly to spin the gacha, Lydia suddenly fixed her gaze on my neck and asked,

“That necklace. Are you sure it’s okay to use?”

“Huh? Oh, do you mean the side effects?”

“Yeah. It has quite a peculiar side effect.”

Every item Eve sold was exceptional in performance but came with strange side effects. For example, the magic tool that produces water boasts an impressive capacity but emits foul-smelling water, making it difficult to drink.

Or how the magic tool that makes the scenery around the user transparent for a certain time to create a safe zone was too noisy, rendering the purpose of camouflaging meaningless. Well, something along those lines. It wasn’t for no reason that Eden was run down. That’s why no one bought her products…

That was also the case with the necklace I got this time, Lucky Strike. Wearing it brought luck, but the type and size of that luck were completely random. It could be helpful, but there was a low chance of becoming involved in complicated matters, making it a magic tool where living off just luck was impossible.

However, it always resulted in a benefit eventually if one could overcome the problems, making it worth taking the risk. That was the magic of Lucky Strike.

…And I had a slight suspicion that the reason Eve had turned evil might have been her inability to endure a problem caused by Lucky Strike. This was the best-crafted item among Eve’s possessions, and since she favored it greatly, I didn’t expect her to part with it easily.

I chuckled, touching the spot where the necklace would rest on my chest.

“It’s okay. I never expected to live a peaceful life without any incidents anyway.”

“Jonah….”

Lydia looked at me with a pitying expression. She seemed to have complicated thoughts, hearing a child speak so gloomily from such an early age. But I was sincere. My appearance was admirable, even to other men, so imagine how I must look to women in a world where gender roles were reversed.

Moreover, I was someone who held Earth’s chastity values and the author who created the essence of this world. In such circumstances, how could I possibly enjoy an ordinary life with smooth sailing?

“If living is a series of incidents and suffering, shouldn’t we at least gain something in the end? In that sense, luck will definitely be helpful!”

“All right. If Jonah thinks so, I won’t say anything. Let’s go back and brag to Senior Ellie about what happened today.”

“Sure! But before that, let’s stop by one place.”

“Where to?”

“A lingerie store.”

“…Wow.”

Lydia’s thin eyebrows trembled. Seeing her red eyes quickly scan my entire body made it clear what she was thinking.

“Miss Lydia. You thought of something naughty just now.”

“N, no, I didn’t.”

“Hmm. So, the person who always acted so noble was imagining me in my underwear?”

“…….”

Now Lydia turned her head away altogether, avoiding the answer. But stopping here wouldn’t be fun, would it? I raised myself slightly on my tiptoes to grasp Lydia’s cheek, making her turn towards me.

Snickering at the sight of Lydia rolling her eyes in bewilderment, I whispered suggestively,

“I’m not sure if Ellie will like it or not… Would you mind checking it first?”

“……!”

Lydia’s lips sputtered open and shut, unable to form words. She attempted several times to articulate her thoughts but failed. Instead, she grabbed my head with one hand, her eyes narrowing.

It wasn’t the usual pat or gentle touch. It was an iron grip.

Squeeze-

“Ouchouchouch! Miss Lydia! It hurts! Please let go!”

“No. I won’t let go. I don’t plan to.”

“I don’t think this kind of obsession is healthy…!”

“It’s not obsession. It’s educational guidance.”

“Gahhhh! I get it! I’ll be honest! I wasn’t planning to buy underwear for Ellie, but for me. I just wanted to tease Miss Lydia because your reaction was funny!”

“……Huh?”

Lydia tilted her head in confusion, seemingly unable to understand. Right. Of course, she didn’t understand. After all, women in the Pan Continent didn’t pay much attention to underwear!

Men’s underwear came with unnecessary decorations, was translucent, or dissolved when wet, among other features. Women’s underwear, on the other hand, was nothing but plain, single-colored pieces of cloth. Often, they even wore mismatched sets!

Did you know how disappointed I was when I raided Ellie’s room last time and found her rolling around in underwear with different top and bottom colors?! I realized that the target for wrapping in pretty underwear had shifted from women to men… Still, I want to see Ellie wearing some hot underwear!

“If Miss Lydia had been excited imagining me in my underwear, you’d understand, right?!”

“I don’t get it at all. And I wasn’t excited.”

“Hmph.”

Well, if she had understood that, it would have meant Lydia was a lesbian.