Chapter 1231 - Familiar and Close, a Single Circle
"So, basically here (dot-emphasis: here) as planned?"
"Yeah. There's no problem over at the base (there), so I'll just go back to work my part-time job in the evening."
"Maid-san."
"Kakah, a full-fledged ranker doing a 'part-time job' as a server? That's hilarious."
Thus, after the greeting scene passed.
By the shore of the [Jewel Lake], having been invited back to the simple base that Gossan had built by exerting his muscles, I settled into a tasteful log chair and gazed at the bonfire.
There were three people around me. Ri-na, who stood leaning over me from behind with her chin resting on my head; Mi-na, who was rustling the bonfire with a wooden stick; and Gossan, sitting on a log chair opposite me—somehow, the picture looked exactly like a family camp.
My beloved three girls were absent, or rather, they had gone together a while ago to show Nia the tent... a simple sleeping place that Gossan had also crafted using his dexterous muscles, and they hadn't returned yet. They were probably flirting harmoniously.
As for Irori, having too much free time, he said, "I'll go pick up some firewood and other useful materials," and leaped gallantly off the plateau, while Helena-san was taking a walk, saying, "I will map the plateau in detail." There was no need to worry about either of them.
By the way, the scheduled time (dot-emphasis: time) was fast approaching...
"So, is it really okay to leave it to them? Are you sure?"
"Yeah, no problem."
With this lineup... it didn't even need to be discussed; not a single one of us, including me, needed to work. As for the 'Night Raid' of the starry sky event—
"They'll scatter them appropriately, keeping them neither alive nor dead."
Looking up, he was in a great mood.
If I left it to my servant (Sapphire), who was currently spreading his grand wings elegantly and flying silently through the night sky, it would be perfect. If he didn't intend to annihilate them, he could easily handle the first day's raid alone.
The "Dragon" who had already reached the level cap exceeded even the specs from when he fought me before, and in terms of stats, he was easily equivalent to a boss enemy. He was a more than reliable force.
"Haa, must be nice... I want a [Stardust Beast (Lim)] too..."
"...Same here."
I didn't mean to brag, but that brought out two complaints.
Needless to say, they were uttered by Mi-na and Ri-na, but since it was truly an unavoidable matter, I couldn't comfort them, which was troublesome.
It couldn't be helped. The reality was that there were still very few rankers who had obtained a tamed beast.
"Well, there's probably a partner suited for us (dot-emphasis: partner suited for us) somewhere in the world."
Thus, as fellow members who hadn't obtained a tamed beast, Gossan patted Mi-na's head and laughed easily. So, since Ri-na (on my side) was out of his reach, I patted her as his proxy.
Suited... or rather, a partner worthy of us (dot-emphasis: partner worthy of us).
A [Stardust Beast (Lim)] worthy of being commanded by a 'Rank Title Holder'—our current guess was that such a "judgment" didn't easily pass (dot-emphasis: didn't easily pass) system-wise.
For me, the "Winged Dragon" Sapphire.
For Nia, the "Little Mouse" Vis.
For Natsume-chan-senpai, the same "Little Mouse" Kirsch.
For Jin-san, the "Great Wolf" Monarch.
For Sayaka-san, the "Spirit Horse" Topaz.
And finally, one "secret" of the Southeast Top 2 that had yet to be revealed.
Among the forty rankers across East, West, South, and North, those were the only six cases that had formed a bond, and even including Sora's "Little Fox" Ruby, who wasn't a ranker but was ranker-class, it stopped at seven.
Despite many actively participating in events in search of their own partners, that was the result. The fact that no results had come even after achievements far surpassing ordinary people spoke volumes about the difficulty of the encounter.
"I guess we really have no choice but to target boss-class ones and challenge them one after another."
"...But a small and cute one is my ideal."
"I totally get it! Like Nia-chan and the others' 'Mouse' or Sora-chan's 'Fox'!"
Thus, like this. For those who desired a servant they could shower with love, it was quite a harsh reality... It was almost laughable, but literally.
Even being at the zenith, there were often things that didn't go one's way.
Only Saintess-sama's Topaz-kun-chan is a first-time name appearance.
The origin of the name is said to be because there is a large yellow star on the left ear.
It's the same as the origin of a certain someone's naming. Yes, that's right, it's a copycat.
By the way, regarding a certain Trakky's "loyal dog," the majestic Tiger Star-kun, the protagonist has simply forgotten about him. How extremely rude, despite being a dog lover.