Chapter 23: The Third Companion

“Well then, Sylha-chan, fiancé Ao-kun, and maid Liluria-chan. We’ll meet again somewhere, sometime, won’t we? Well then, adios!”

She was like a storm.

One minute, she’d send out a criminal threat letter; the next, she’d break into a house—and after rampaging to her heart’s content, she’d head straight home.

I wanted to object loudly to the term “fiancé,” but before I could, Sylha-mama had already swept off into the night.

What a fast getaway.

Sure, I had taken Sylha in.
But that was by no means in any marital sense…

In my mind, I saw her as a business partner—a person with whom I’d share the same fate—but… was I the only one thinking that?

“Fi, fi-fi-fiancé!?”

No, Sylha’s reaction made it clear she hadn’t thought that far ahead.

“Could it be that you meant it that way?” she asked, her face flushing as she watched my reaction.

“No, there’s no way. We haven’t even known each other that long, have we?”

“Y-yeah, that’s right. I haven’t even introduced you to Papa yet, and it’d be better to keep living together a little longer…”

Living together a little longer!?
No, why are you already so positive about marriage?!
Besides, this isn’t cohabitation—it’s just a boarding house, you know!?

I’m only seventeen.
It’s far too early to be thinking about marriage.

“Welcome, Sylha! Welcome to our family.”
“Thank you, Liluria. I’ll be in your care.”

And, for some reason, Liluria extended a handshake as a sign of welcome.

Our family? What the heck is that supposed to mean?
Is our family like an Italian mafia or something?

“But Ao! And don’t you dare forget about me, okay? I was the very first to become yours!”

Huh? Liluria may be my maid, but that doesn’t mean she’s mine, does it?
That’s what I thought, but judging by Liluria’s expression, it seemed that—in her mind—that was already the case.

I’m a Japanese guy who knows how to read the room.
So, I kept quiet and just nodded in agreement with Liluria’s words.

But that was unexpected.
I had always assumed Liluria harbored a certain possessiveness toward me—so how could she greet Sylha with such a smile?

While I was puzzled by her reaction, Liluria muttered under her breath,

“…Ideally, I’d want enough people to fill up the second-floor rooms.”

No way!?
How many companions are you planning on making me recruit?!

I’m a guy who’s going to be a NEET in the near future.
Even if we gathered more comrades, all we’d end up doing is lazing around every day—so what on earth are you planning?
Even if we formed a NEET army, I wouldn’t be able to boast about it to anyone, you know?

It seems Liluria’s desire to make more friends and allies outweighs her possessiveness over me.
Even so, I don’t plan on recruiting any more comrades.

“We’ll worry about the rest of the comrades later. The real problem is, what are we going to do about this utterly ruined living room!”

Indeed, that’s true.

In a state like this, there’s no way to live a normal life. The lights haven’t been on for a while, and it’s obvious that the light fixtures themselves have been destroyed. At this rate, the neighbors might report us and have the guards called again.

“Sylha, how much money do you have now?”

So, as an emergency measure, I have to rely on Sylha’s money. Liluria and I have barely any cash, so she’s the only one we can count on right now.

Surely, if we had enough money, the repairmen would somehow fix this mess.

“I’ve got… about three hundred gold, I guess.”

“…That’s surprisingly little! I thought Sylha, being rank nine, would be richer.”

Three hundred gold, you say!?

I had assumed Sylha was wealthy—that’s why I took her in from Sylha‑mama—but I never expected her to be so poor. It was utterly beyond what I had imagined.

…Maybe I should have just charged her for the damages instead of taking her in?

I regret that contract now, but it’s too late. My dream of living a parasitic NEET life off Sylha has already been shattered.

Besides, having only three hundred gold is even less than the pocket money I used to get in elementary school. How on earth was Sylha planning to live from tomorrow onward?

“Well, I’m not really the type to actively take on quests… though I was thinking it might be time to start accepting some.”

For adventurers, while lower ranks are evaluated based on their contributions to the Guild, for an R‑ranker like Sylha only raw strength matters.

That’s why the higher an adventurer’s rank, the more they can act as they please, unbound by the Adventurer’s Guild.

“Well, it can’t be helped. Then, for now, we’ll have to live like this. Tomorrow, the two of you should go to the Adventurer’s Guild and take on a quest.”

“No way—I’m planning to stay home and keep watch. And you’re coming too, you too!”

What…? I really don’t want to go.

“Since we’ve gained more companions, let’s divide the roles properly. Liluria and Sylha, you two handle the quests. I’ll stay here to guard the house. Perfect, right?”

“…Ao, your role isn’t really necessary, is it?”

“Who in the world would break into a ramshackle, empty house like this? Even if they did, all they’d manage to steal would be a few shards of glass.”

…Indeed. I said that offhand because I really didn’t feel like working, but when I think about it, there’s absolutely no need to guard a hovel like this. In fact, it seems more likely that I’ll be stopped by the guards for loitering in this rundown house.

“Well, we’ll worry about tomorrow when it comes. Now, I’m exhausted—I think I’ll go to sleep.”

Thanks to the cheat, I don’t feel any physical fatigue at all, but somehow I feel mentally drained… or so it seems.

Even as a NEET, I aim to be a healthy NEET who never disrupts his daily rhythm. I can’t afford to stay up late here.

“Hey, don’t get tired from something like that. Aren’t you ashamed as a hero?”

“Hero!?”

“Not at all. And Liluria, as a princess, aren’t you ashamed for not having saved a single coin?”

“Princess!?”

Sylha was utterly astonished by our conversation, her mouth agape as she stared at our faces.

Now that we’ve truly become comrades, we don’t mind if Sylha hears everything. With that in mind, we began talking as freely as we never did before her.

“Hey, you two! What’s going on? A hero? A princess? I want you to explain everything to me, too!”

It seems she still couldn’t sleep tonight.

After calming the utterly confused Sylha, we revealed all our secrets to her.

That I was summoned from another world as a hero.
And that I possess a cheat.
That Liluria was actually a former princess.
And that she is a black mage.

In the end, she was only able to come to terms with everything after the date changed.