Can Even a Mob Highschooler Like Me be a Normie if I Become an Adventurer?

Episode 16 It's outrageous to sell that! (3)

　Suddenly, I started using Twitter.

　Uh, actually I've been on Twitter for a long time. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to keep up with the conversation at school. I had two Twitter accounts, an official one for my classmates and a private one for my hobbies.

　It was just that I'd just started an account for being an adventurer.

　There was no particular reason.

　If I had to say it, I wanted to vent the frustration of not being able to show off my cards to my classmates.

　Thanks to the many bugs that were attracted by the mere mention of girl monster cards, the number of followers quickly exceeded 1,000 within two weeks of starting the account. From here, it's a show of skill in how to surpass the 10,000 mark.

　So far, I've posted casual photos of the three girls on their adventures, reviews of the snacks that Renge ate, and videos of Eliza playing flute - not the Hamelin flute, of course.

　I make every effort to exclude information about fake cuteness, sexiness, and earnings.

　Because this would only attract strange clientele and more demands.

　The most popular activity was Renge's review of the sweets, which was very honest.

　The gap in her character as a zashiki-warashi with a slight Yankee(delinquent) streak and her surprisingly sharp and accurate opinions seemed to be popular, especially among young women.

　On the other hand, the most popular with the male audience were the posts of Eliza's performance, with many commenters praising me for putting so much effort into training a ghouler, who was considered to have no ego.

　Many of the comments seemed to come from people in the same industry as me, some of whom asked even asked me to sell my cards. Well, this disappeared when I disclosed that they have names.

　[This post is about our newest comrade, ...... an imp.]

　I include a brief personality profile as well as one of her smiling face.

　I also wrote about her fight with Renge over sweets and the episode of their subsequent reconciliation in a simplified form so as not to touch on the strategy information.

　I just posted it, but the response had been great.

　As I was killing time replying to comments, I realized that my name was called.

　I cleared the E-rank dungeon yesterday and had come to renew my license after school.

“The person with the number 67, Kitagawa-san, are you here?”

“Ah, yes.”

　I rushed to the reception desk. A female staff member saw my face and smiled at me.

“I am so sorry to keep you waiting. Congratulations, this is your two-star license.”

“Thank you very much!”

　I bowed my head and accepted the license.

　Unlike the one-star license, the plain white license had now been replaced with a bronze-colored one with a slightly more luxurious look.

　On the front, there were two large stars, my photo, name, address, and registered location.

　On the back, my achievements were listed, including the dungeons I had conquered and the successes in defeating the bounties together with the rank.

　In my case, it said "☆The Pied Piper of Hamelin (F)," meaning that I defeated the Pied Piper of Hamelin in an F-rank dungeon.

　The license can be used as an ID card, and you can even make a membership card for a video rental store.

　By registering a bankbook, the license card could also be used to transfer magic stones and prize money that I converted into cash, and I was able to do all my shopping at the guild with this card alone.

　I put the card in my breast pocket and left the place.

　...Fufufu, am I a two-star adventurer now? One step closer to becoming a semi-professional adventurer! Then I'll be able to boast about it to my classmates.

　No, I can boast enough at the two-star level, can't I?　I doubt there are many high school students with two stars. Even excluding the gems, I earned 350,000 yen this time, 300,000 from the rewards for clearing the dungeon and 50,000 from redeeming the magic stones. If I add the dozens of F-rank cards and also dozens of E-rank cards that I got along the way, as well as the magic items that came out of the disappointment boxes, the number goes up even more.

　This is the income after excluding Carbuncle, which was from a mere coincidence, and Amrita (provisional), which may or may not be the real thing. It is an income of more than a salaried worker's monthly income in a single shot.

　Is there any other high school student who can earn such an amount in one shot?　If I tell say this, everyone in my class will look at me with admiration ......Uh, no, that's no good.

　Appealing to them in terms of income invites jealousy. There will be people who will try to harass me and pull my legs.

　To be respected by others, one must be chosen based on their ability and honor, not on their income.

　Making hundreds of millions of dollars through FX trading, which is gambling, and a gold medalist making hundreds of millions of dollars through commercials are completely different images.

　As expected, it is the three-star. I need the three-star status, not the income.

　Perhaps it was because I was thinking that way, but I couldn't notice the person who came out of the elevator.

"---Huh?　......Could it be Kitaji-, no, no, Kitagawa-kun?"

"!?"

　I looked in that direction, and there stood Ono1 with a soft smile on his face.

“Whoa, what a coincidence~ What are you doing here? This is the guild, city hall is on a different floor.”

“Oh, ah.......

　Oh, no. I never thought I would meet Ono here. Why?　Isn't he always going with Minamiyama to the Tachikawa Guild? Could it be that Minamiyama is here too?　Damn, I should have chosen somewhere farther away instead of Hachioji. Come to think of it, Tachikawa and Hachioji are too close. I should have chosen a place farther away from Hachioji until I could get a three-star status, instead of just saying that the nearest station is here. No, now is not the time to think about that. I have to answer Ono's question.

"Oh, did you come here to become an adventurer yourself?"

　Ono said with a laugh. But, his eyes were not laughing.

　Looking at my blatantly upset look, he sensed something.

　Can I follow up on this now?　Like, "I was just wondering what it's like to be an adventurer, so I thought I'd drop by." It's...... no good, it's too strained even as an excuse. Besides, how will it affect me when I come out later if it is misrepresented badly? Anyway, I'm not here to become an adventurer today. This is true.

I shook my head and answered in a few words,

“No."

"Ah, maybe you're an adventurer too? He-h, since when!"

I got exposed!　

Ono's tone was definitive. It wasn't even a tease. Based on his attitude, he's convinced that I'm a real adventurer. I could no longer fool him. The smile on his face was so constricted that even I could tell.

"A little while ago, I guess."

“What the, you should have just said so. Does anyone else know about this?”

　Is he probing me?　No. Is he worried about the possibility that he is the only one who doesn't know about it?　If the rest of the normie group knew, then Ono would be the only one being subjected to information manipulation. Perhaps, is Ono desperate to maintain his position in the normie group?　Speaking of which, why did this guy suddenly become an adventurer?　I had assumed that he was simply influenced by Minamiyama.

“No, I haven't told anyone."

"... He~h, then I'm the only one!"

"!!!"

　A shiver ran up and down my spine. For a moment, really a moment, I thought Ono had a wicked smile on his face.

"I see, I see. Kitajima-kun is also an adventurer. I'll be looking forward to working with you."

　I asked Ono as he turned on his heel.

"Why are you here today, Ono?"

"Nn~?"

　I reflexively asked Ono, who said that and turned on his heels.

Ono answered without turning around,

“You know, just for some reason or another. But I'm glad I came."

　I couldn't help but feel a bad premonition as I saw Ono leaving.

[Tips] Amrita.

　Some potions not only heal wounds and illnesses, but also bring rejuvenation and longevity. Amrita is one such potion. It has the power to heal even a brain-dead person to full health. It will work as long as the person is not dead. And it has the power of rejuvenation, although it only about one year.

　There are similar elixirs that heal all illnesses and lengthen life by ten years. Soma sake2, which is the most exquisite alcohol and will prevent aging for ten years if consumed, and Sendan, which gives you eternal longevity.

　When Sendan was once discovered and its effects were appraised, it was auctioned for 10 trillion yen. The successful bidder was an American millionaire, but he was assassinated on the same day and Sendan was stolen by someone. The adventurer who discovered the Sendan was not happy either.

***

Notes:

1  The one who was said to have the best sense of humor in their class and became an adventurer after Minamiyama↩

2  The Japanese rice wine ↩