Chapter 150 - Leveling Up
A soft sensation pressed against my back. ...The breasts of a beautiful seventeen-year-old girl.
I ran through the city, trying my best not to think about it.
My legs are faster than most vehicles. I'll probably reach the destination in just a few minutes.
"...Amazing... faster than a car..."
I heard a voice of admiration from behind my neck.
Every time she spoke, her breath tickled my ear, a little bit ticklish.
"Surprised?"
"...This isn't a magic trick, is it? How does it work?"
"My training was different."
I won't say it's because I trained in a different world, of course.
"How should I put it... I was in a place where I could do special training."
"Special, you say?"
"Yeah."
The EXP system is a cruel thing.
Because you can become stronger by defeating small-fry monsters in another world than by building up your physical strength steadily through weight training and running.
It's an inequality that would make athletes of this world grind their teeth if they found out.
"I'm going to have Ayako-chan experience that now."
"Huh?"
"From now on, you're going to grow to the next stage."
While we were chatting, the target building came into view.
A pastel-colored castle that stood out starkly from the gray cityscape. A love hotel.
"...That's..."
"A hotel."
"...Are we going in there?"
"Yeah."
I was surprised too, but apparently, a demi-human disguised as a human has recently infiltrated the staff of that hotel.
The source is Public Security—that is, Sugitani-san.
I don't know how exactly they investigated it, but it's probably true.
I'm going to take Ayako-chan with me now, take that thing down, and gain experience points.
That way, Ayako-chan will level up and should learn magic and skills. If the one we need is among them, the fight will become easier.
"...We're going to a hotel, and... what are we going to do?"
"Experience point farming."
"Experience points..."
It would be a problem if she got the wrong idea, so I'll make a disclaimer.
"I'm not trying to do anything weird. I just simply want you, Ayako-chan, to become stronger. From now on, I'm going to develop your abilities using a slightly special method. This is the place where you can get the special training I mentioned earlier. My physical abilities are also related to that."
"D-Developed, huh..."
Her breathing is ragged. Is she understanding me properly?
"I'm not going to do anything sexual, okay?"
"...R-Right. It's a sacred act, not something sexual, right."
"You don't have to do anything. It'll be over while you have your eyes closed."
"...You mean I don't have to move?"
"You just have to sit."
"...Not lie down, but sit. We do it in that position?"
The hotel is just up ahead.
I slow my pace and proceed down the street while observing the surroundings.
I confirm there's nothing unusual around and pass through the automatic door.
"Alright. It's about time you walked on your own."
"Ah, yes."
I bend down to make it easier for her to get off.
Ayako-chan fidgeted on my back for a while, but eventually, I heard a soft thud of footsteps, and my body suddenly felt light.
"For now, just make sure you don't leave my side."
"..."
She nodded silently. This Ayako-chan is less talkative than the other Ayako-chan.
I pray that this individual difference leads in a good direction.
Philia said before. What skills you learn depends not only on your innate qualities but also on your mental state.
Even if there were identical twins, if they leveled up in different situations—they would awaken different abilities.
The Ayako-chan living with me mainly specializes in debuffs that lower physical abilities, like strength and endurance.
So if this Ayako-chan awakens to a different type of debuff, it should function as a countermeasure against Erin.
I walk down the hallway, casting an expectant gaze at her. When Ayako-chan noticed me looking at her, she looked down shyly.
"...Nakamoto-san, do you do this kind of thing often?"
"Well, yeah."
I was constantly leveling up over there. You could call it my life's work. For a Hero, it's practically a duty.
"I've sparred with all sorts. Town thugs, bandits, roughneck mercenaries..."
"...It sounds like your opponents were all men."
"Of course. Because the guys I grappled with were always burly men."
"...Burly men..."
You can gain experience points just by winning a battle, even without killing the opponent.
So by capturing tough-looking wanted criminals, I was able to level up and earn money at the same time.
"When I was a kid, it wasn't rare for me to get beaten instead. There were times I was beaten until I lost consciousness. But by repeating that, I became strong. Now I'm so strong it's a problem."
"...Until you fainted... with countless burly men..."
According to Sugitani-san, a man-eating ogre is prowling this hotel disguised as a cleaning lady.
The guys I've chased around for leveling up so far were terrible roughnecks, but at least they weren't so rotten as to disguise themselves as women and run away.
It must be a huge coward, probably not very skilled.
I turn towards Ayako-chan and call out to her.
"Don't worry. I'll send it straight to heaven in one shot."
I smile, telling her she can rest easy.
She returns a stiff smile, but I want to believe it's just nerves.
"...You're confident in your technique, aren't you, Nakamoto-san... Of course you are, you're tremendously experienced in that sense..."
"Well, yeah. For a pattern like this one, I might be able to manage with just one finger."
"N-No!"
"Huh?"
"...Just a finger... I don't want that..."
"What? You want to see a bigger move?"
She shakes her head in small, rapid motions.
If a girl asks, it can't be helped.
If it's just ogre extermination, I could probably manage with my bare hands, but maybe I should draw my Light Sword.
Or would it be better to blast it with a flashy magic spell?
"Ayako-chan, which do you prefer, a sword or a projectile weapon?"
"...When you say 'big move,' does it involve using an object?"
Bathed in the suspiciously colored lighting, we turn the corner in the hallway.
"Even if I say object, I'm not bringing a weapon from somewhere. I'll be using something that comes out of my body."
"...S-Something that comes out...? ...That might be too difficult for me..."
"You just have to stay still, Ayako-chan, so it's fine."
"...I might not be able to stay still..."
"It'll be over in just a few seconds, so I don't think you'll even have time to move around."
"...A few seconds...? It only takes a few seconds from when it comes out of your body until you use it...?"
"Maybe even faster. Possibly in an instant, depending on the situation."
"...You're amazing, Nakamoto-san."
She sighs with an exasperated voice.
"I told you, right? My training was different. In bad times, I'd go through twenty, thirty battles a day. My policy is to make each individual battle short."
"...Twenty battles..."
"If you get enough experience under your belt, you might be able to do this much too. Or rather, I want you to become able to."
"...Huh?"
Ayako-chan's face had turned pale.
I understand she's anxious, but debuff users are valuable. It'll be a problem if she can't fire them off in rapid succession.
"Here we are. This should be the staff office."