It Was Worth Trying, Right?

Anyway, he couldn’t buy that armor right now… so it would have to be tomorrow.

Until then, he would be using his current armor.

Well, Kikori thought, that was fine.

He wasn’t planning to go adventuring again today anyway.

“Alright then—consider it reserved?”

“Yes. I’ll buy it as soon as I get the money.”

“Good. That’s what I wanted to hear.”

With a solid thump on the shoulder from Mirgu, Kikori left the shop with Kuon.

Before he knew it, it was already evening—the time when most adventurers, unless they had gone deep in, would be coming back.

“Well then. I should head back to the inn too.”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow, Kikori.”

After seeing him off, Kikori stared at his own palm.

In today’s fight, he had used a little bit of knowledge from his previous life.

He’d thought it was the first time something that had never helped him before had finally been useful… but in the end, there was a good chance that the results wouldn’t be acknowledged.

Knowledge only he understood was meaningless.

But he wasn’t smart enough to explain it in a way others would understand.

If he had been, he wouldn’t have been called demon-possessed.

And with this incident too, he had already been taught that loudly insisting on his achievements would lead to bad outcomes.

He had succeeded in raising his attack power by obtaining the Magic Axe.

As for magic… he needed to think about it, but he should also go back to reading the books at Aria’s place.

That armor—the one he had seen at Mirgu Weapon Shop—if he had that, he could cast spells beyond his actual ability.

If so, the range of spells he could use should increase as well.

Break would probably get stronger too, but even a “straightforward spell” that wasn’t Break might become usable at a practical level.

“…It’s worth trying, right?”

Once he’d decided that, all that was left was to go back to Aria’s place.

Then, Kikori suddenly looked up at the sky and realized something.

Wasn’t today his chance to cook?

Normally, Aria cooked with obvious enjoyment, and he only helped—but if he got home first and made something… wouldn’t that, in a way, count as a thank-you?

Once he thought that far, his feet naturally carried him toward the food market.

At this hour, fresh ingredients were discounted a little, which was kinder to his wallet too.

“Cooking, huh… what should I make?”

Grilled dishes, stir-fries, soup, and bread.

He had no choice but to buy bread, but for everything else, he could make something decent without relying on knowledge from his previous life.

Besides, to be blunt, some recipes from his previous life had already been recreated by people who seemed to be reincarnators from the past.

Well, they apparently had mana and talent… and plenty of other advantages.

Kikori couldn’t help thinking he might actually be bad at living.

Even as he dwelled on those gloomy thoughts, he arrived at the food market and began looking over the ingredients on display.

“…I’ll make stew. I’ll buy vegetables and chicken, and…”

“Kiiikori!”

“Whaaa—!?”

Aria, who had crept up behind him without him noticing, wrapped him in a hug, and the sound burst out of him.

“A-Aria-san!?”

“I heard you. Stew, you said? You were going to make it for me!”

“Well, um—kind of as thanks for always…”

“That’s what’s so great about you, Kikori!”

Aria rubbed her cheek against him, and Kikori, unable to escape, drew stares from the people around them… but Aria didn’t seem to care at all.

“Alright, then! Let’s pick ingredients together!”

“Yeah…”

It seemed the surprise had failed… but since Aria was in a great mood, Kikori said nothing as she grabbed his hand and pulled him through the market.