Ch. 5 High Condition
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 5 – High Condition
“Do you think she’ll actually come?”
Ulrika crouched in front of the building, resting his chin on his hand, speaking in a disinterested tone.
“She seemed really shy yesterday. From the way she reacted when we mentioned working with people, she might have a bit of social anxiety.”
He especially got the impression that she was scared of men. While she struggled but managed to converse with Yuika, she would shrink back and avoid eye contact whenever he joined in.
Of course, it could just be because of his intimidating appearance. His sharp eyes had caused misunderstandings early on.
His naturally lighthearted demeanor also added to the misunderstandings. Ulrika absentmindedly touched the corner of his eye and turned to Yuika.
“She might hide even more because of how we barged in yesterday.”
“It wasn’t me who barged in, it was you, Ulrika.”
“Technically, we acted under the name of U.P., so it’s not just me, it’s all of us.”
Ulrika grinned, showing his fangs, and Yuika sighed.
“Well, it’s fine if she doesn’t come. We’ve already made our presence known, so if she needs help, she’ll come to us without us having to seek her out.”
Even those not registered with U.P. often came to request help when they needed it. The opposite was also common.
So, whether she joined U.P. or not wasn’t a big deal. But there was one thing that bothered Yuika.
“She’s too young.”
“Huh? Ah, that kid did look pretty young. Even being generous, she’s probably in her mid-teens?”
“She looks more like a JS than a JC. Considering that the youngest person summoned here so far has been 18, she’s way too young.” (T/N: JC (joshi chūgakusei) stands for Female Junior High School Student while JS (joshi shōgakusei)stands for Female Elementary School Student.)
No one knew the criteria for being summoned here. But based on the statistics gathered from the personal information of those summoned, they were generally 18 or older. Depending on the region, only those considered adults were summoned.
But Mari, who looked undeniably young, completely defied that trend. It was strange that no one had mentioned her until now.
When Yuika shared her thoughts with Ulrika, he scoffed as if she was overthinking it.
“There are dwarf races here too. Just because she’s small doesn’t mean people would find it strange.”
“Ah.”
Come to think of it, there was another person with a stature that didn’t match their age.
A member of the dwarf race, often associated with blacksmiths, but who was actually a powerful mage.
Well, it wasn’t uncommon for races to overlap, and there could be two dwarves. As Yuika’s expression eased, Ulrika chuckled.
“You used to be a nursery teacher, so you can’t help but worry when you see someone young. Didn’t you get scolded by that dwarf once?”
“L-Let’s not talk about that. Please…”
It wasn’t a pleasant memory for Yuika or the person involved.
As Yuika stammered, her face red, Ulrika grinned. He found it endlessly amusing how flustered Yuika got whenever this topic came up.
Moreover, while she usually scolded him for talking nonsense, she was completely helpless when it came to this story. For Ulrika, it was like having an ultimate move specifically against Yuika.
Ulrika was about to tease her further when his sharp werewolf hearing picked up an unusual sound. Footsteps that paused and hesitated, then moved closer, repeating the pattern.
Even though human footsteps were all similar, this one was distinct enough that only a fool wouldn’t notice.
Ulrika pretended not to notice and casually shifted his gaze. He saw a small figure in a robe with the hood pulled low quickly hide behind a nearby building corner.
‘What, is she a stray cat or something?’ Ulrika stifled a laugh.
“Ulrika? Why are you laughing like that? It’s creepy.”
“That’s harsh. Calling my laugh creepy.”
“But it kind of is. It’s like you’ve found prey or something…”
‘Is that so?’ Ulrika clicked his tongue and continued.
“That kid, she’s here. She’s nearby.”
“Huh? Mari is here? Where…”
“Don’t look around. If she notices we’re looking for her, she might run away.”
As mentioned earlier, Mari seemed extremely shy. Showing too much interest in her would be like startling someone watching a horror movie.
Yuika seemed to understand Ulrika’s point and stiffly kept her gaze forward, resisting the urge to look around.
Soon, they could feel Mari peeking out from behind the building corner. Not long after, the hesitant footsteps started moving again, and Ulrika whispered.
“She’s coming this way again. She’s on the right, straight ahead.”
“I envy your ears at times like this, Ulrika.”
Ulrika just chuckled in response. Meanwhile, Mari’s breathing grew uneven as she hesitated, then suddenly broke into a run toward them.
Perhaps because there was no place left to hide. Seeing this, Ulrika nudged Yuika’s leg, signaling that it was okay to look now. Yuika’s gaze turned to Mari, who was quickly approaching.
“Mari, you’re he—”
“H-Here! This…!”
“Ah, the membership application. Bringing this means you’re interested in joining…”
Before Yuika could finish her sentence, Mari turned and bolted out of the village.
Her figure disappeared so quickly that Yuika could only stare in shock before exclaiming in panic.
“Huh? W-Why did she run away? Did I do something wrong?”
“It’s not that you did anything wrong. She’s probably just embarrassed.”
“Huh? What’s there to be embarrassed about? I made her a meal yesterday, and we introduced ourselves…”
“That’s what I’m saying. Mari seems really shy.”
That little interaction probably wasn’t enough for her to feel comfortable.
Ulrika thought for a moment, then added, “By the way, that kid’s really fast.”
It was like she was used to running.
–
“Huff, huff…!”
I leaned against a tree, gasping for air. How long had it been since I last ran like that?
No good. My brain isn’t working because of the lack of oxygen. But crouching like this was a bad idea. I needed to straighten my back, look up at the sky, and take deep breaths. Breathing through my nose, not my mouth, was key.
“Huff, huff…!”
After a few moments of deep breathing, my racing heart began to calm down. A light dizziness washed over me as I leaned against the tree, and a cool breeze dried the sweat on my face.
As I stood there, letting the wind cool me down, regret began to creep in.
“Was running away too much…?”
Still, she was the one who made me a meal. Maybe I should have stayed and talked a bit.
I’m not good at conversation, but Yuika would have skillfully guided the discussion. And while Ulrika made me uncomfortable, he didn’t seem to dislike me…
But it was still too much. Even if I could go back in time, I’d probably run away again.
“Sigh…”
Still, I should have at least said goodbye. Oh well, I’ll do it next time I see her.
I shook off the lingering discomfort and pulled Doll 505 (4th generation) out of my inventory.
Doll 505, missing its dagger and thus one-armed, was still slumped over, not yet connected to the Mana Thread.
In other words, it was powered off. But once I connected the Mana Thread…
“Doll 505, activate!”
It would spring to life like this. I watched with pride as Doll 505, which had been broken just yesterday, stood up energetically.
Fortunately, it hadn’t sustained much damage, so repairing it didn’t cost extra. The limbs had gotten a bit shorter from fixing the head, but it didn’t affect combat much.
“Ah, I should give it a weapon.”
I couldn’t leave Doll 505 one-armed forever. I brought it closer and took out a dagger from my inventory, placing it against the empty arm.
This part required a bit of concentration. I closed my eyes and guided the Mana Thread running through Doll 505’s body toward the empty arm. A blue thread emerged from the hole and wrapped around the dagger’s handle.
The Mana Thread could only be used on dolls with cores, but through the doll, I could use it to hold other objects.
It was a kind of workaround. The result was Doll 505 wielding a sword.
Unlike the simple up-and-down motion of a wooden stick arm, the dagger, loosely connected by the Mana Thread, could move relatively freely, almost like a human hand.
This was how I had managed to unleash a 17-hit combo in the fight with the rabbit. Even though it didn’t land and got me knocked out in one hit.
“The connection’s good… Let’s warm up a bit, Doll 505!”
At my cheerful command, Doll 505 moved energetically. Of course, I was the one controlling it, but enthusiasm was key.
I maneuvered Doll 505 around. Even though it had been repaired, the accumulated damage made it creak a bit, but it felt more precise than yesterday.
Had my Mana Thread skill improved overnight? Since it was a unique skill and not a general one, there was no way to check its proficiency.
But hey, feeling like I’d improved was what mattered. I spent a bit more time moving Doll 505 around before exhaling sharply.
“Today, I might actually catch a rabbit…!”
The creaking movements gradually disappeared as I swung the sword. In other words, I was in unusually high spirits today.
Maybe it was because of the meal I had yesterday. I hummed a tune as I headed into the forest. Doll 505’s steps were light, matching my mood.
Today, I’ll definitely catch those rabbits!
…
Or so I thought.
“Why am I losing again…!”
Tears streamed down my face as I looked at the core that had fallen out of the broken Doll 505.
The rabbit, which had mercilessly destroyed my doll, casually approached me, kicked up some dirt with its hind legs, and then disappeared into the bushes.
Its smugness made me cry even harder.
It was a sunny noon.
Translator Note
T/N (Translator’s note):
Girl failure in every sense, Kar must be proud.
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