ALL NOVEL The Strongest Solo Gamer with Terrible Social Skills Reincarnates as a Hated NPC in a VRMMO Chapter 49
49 Unexpected Favor
――SIDE: Kobuchi Masaharu――
Explorer’s iron rule, perhaps… I never thought I’d be taught that by Shiro Kasuga (Ka-re).
The top priority for explorers is to collect resources within ABYSS and bring them back to the country. So focused on winning, I might have forgotten my initial enthusiasm.
He’s showing off his knowledge of ABYSS exploration with an air of confidence… I see. I don’t know where he learned it, but his weapon seems to be his “knowledge quantity.” Even if he’s at the bottom of the overall rankings, I can’t underestimate him. I should adjust my perception of him a bit.
Moreover, Musashiro seems unaware, but—
“You think you’re superior just because you have some explorer knowledge, don’t you, a low-ranking student?”
“That’s not what I said, Ojou! Shiro’s advice is on point. I don’t know where he heard it, but he’s not saying anything wrong.”
“… I agree too.”
“H-hold on, I’m not opposing you! I’m talking about attitude!!”
If we had just left our luggage at the reception and returned to our original location, it would be fine… Musashiro is venting his frustrations about Shiro within the group.
Backstabbing. And that’s the leader, too. Honestly, he doesn’t have the qualifications to be a leader.
The only one who can unite 1-D is Yoshikawa-san.
Syouji Aiba is not bad, but he can’t gain the trust of everyone. Students who are jealous or resentful will emerge. If 1-D doesn’t unite, we can’t win against the higher-ranking classrooms. We must minimize discord. A leader who is loved by all students—when I think about it, there’s no one other than Yoshikawa Himeko who fits the bill.
“Sei-kun, deep in thought?”
“—No, it’s nothing.”
“Don’t overdo it, okay? Shiro-kun said it too—we should do our best at our own pace?”
“Yes, that’s right—I won’t overdo it.”
“Hehe, good job!”
Yoshikawa-san gently patted my head, like she was comforting a child. If I were my usual self, I might have refused, saying “Don’t treat me like a kid.”… But somehow, I don’t feel that way towards her.
This must be Yoshikawa Himeko’s charm. She can calm my irritated feelings and make me feel at ease—she said we shouldn’t overdo it. There’s no lie in those words, but I’m prepared to push myself to the limit for her sake.
“We’ve wasted enough time… let’s gather soon.”
“Okay!”
Yoshikawa-san nodded energetically and took my hand. Houtarou and Sekigawa were following behind us.
When we returned to where Shiro was waiting, he was already chatting with the Aiba PT. The main conversation was between Shiro and Touka. Aiba and Kanzaki were listening with admiration. Hyouka Fuurin seemed displeased throughout.
“—Anyway, that’s not enough. I’ll share my recovery potions with you, so from now on, make sure to carry at least 20 with you.”
“Ah, thank you!”
“That’s suspicious… what’s your goal…?”
“Hah, stop your unnecessary suspicions, Hyouka. You guys seem to be relying too much on others, so I’m taking care of it. If you’re grateful, that’s fine, but there’s no need to be ungrateful. Or are you jealous? Are you unhappy that I’m being kind to Touka?”
“No way, that’s not it!”
“Hmph, then don’t make unnecessary remarks and just be quiet. It’s annoying when you keep interrupting.”
… They say dogs don’t eat quarrelsome couples, but I wonder if that phrase applies in this case?
Shiro, who was arguing with Hyouka, noticed us and came over, still grumbling.
“—Just to confirm, your PT’s healer is Yoshikawa, right?”
“That’s right, what about it?”
“I want to confirm the number of recovery potions. It’s directly related to our lives, so I’m worried. Maybe I’m overthinking it, but…”
“Wait a minute…”
Yoshikawa-san checked her magic crystal terminal (portal). As a healer, she always carries recovery potions in her dimensional storage.
“I have 16… is that not enough?”
“That’s better than Touka’s 9. I’ll give you 4, so you’ll have 20. If you set the daily usage to 10, it’ll be easier to manage items.”
“Okay! Shiro-kun, you’re so smart!”
“That’s the basics of being an explorer. Here, take the recovery potions and store them.”
“Un! Arigatou〜!”
“Those aren’t the words of a phoenix, but what’s the purpose?”
“Huh?”
“You’re giving recovery medicine to your competitors. Don’t you think that’s an unfavorable action for you?”
“…Are you putting something in the recovery medicine?”
“What’s with you!?”
I hastily turned around to face Fukakawa-san, who had received the recovery medicine. Stone laughed immediately after.
“Haha, just kidding. The bottle cap of the recovery medicine is the same as the one on a pet bottle. You can tell if it’s been opened or not, so if you’re worried, you can check it yourself.”
“You b*stard――!”
I was angry, not just because I was being ridiculed, but also because of Stone’s nonchalant attitude.
“You people don’t even know something as simple as that. I’m a kind person who would give you one or two recovery medicines out of pity. Don’t you think that’s a favor to you? Can’t you understand?”
“A favor? You’re saying that with a straight face. Stone Shouma, I thought you were a more self-centered guy…”
I said with a mix of sarcasm, but Stone didn’t take the bait.
“And, Bou, I’ll give you my email address. If anything happens, contact me right away. If I’m free, I’ll come out.”
“What?! Wait, why do I have to…?”
“You seem to be the calmest one in this party. Just take it and be quiet.”
“…”
I hesitated while looking at the magic crystal terminal (portal) that was handed to me. Normally, I would refuse, but I did receive the recovery medicine from him, and it wouldn’t hurt to return the favor. Maybe it’s not a bad idea to accept this proposal.
“…Even if we’re in danger, do you think you can do anything about it?”
“Are you saying that, honor student? Then, just think of it as a comfort. In reality, I don’t guarantee that I’ll be free when you contact me, okay?”
Comfort, huh?
“Alright, fine.”
I didn’t know what kind of thing this was, but it wasn’t something I could refuse. I read Stone’s code with my magic crystal terminal (portal) and saved his email address. That’s it, the registration is complete.