Surviving in a World Teeming with Monsters with the Useless Skill 【Everyday Items Master】! I Was Just Hunting Wild Animals with a Crowbar, So Why Is Everyone Screaming It's an S-Rank Monster? - 72

Chapter 72: The Measuring Tape, the Horn, and the Big Firework

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

That afternoon, after bringing home the yukata and other clothes, I was in my room taking Luna’s measurements.

“It’s great we found a yukata, but they only have it in adult sizes, huh?”

And so I was measuring Luna’s height and everything else, preparing to trim the excess fabric.

“Thank you so much, Onii-sama!”

Wearing light clothing for the fitting, Luna clung to me to avoid falling.

“Don’t worry about it. If it means she doesn’t have to be out in the summer sun, this is nothing.”

“You’re still holding a grudge, huh?”

“Even though he got to see a fashion show thanks to that—talk about ungrateful~”

Botan and Angel, who were helping adjust the yukata, teased me as they heard my complaints. I turned away with a sulky “hmph.”

“Alright, all done measuring. Now let’s quickly trim the extra fabric.”

I retracted the tape measure and let go of Luna. That was when Angel looked at my hand and said.

“Huh? Why are you using a construction tape measure? That’s dangerous.”

“Heh, Angel, you underestimate the Everyday Items Master skill, huh?”

“I’m confident I’m giving you a much more accurate rating than you deserve.”

Angel crossed her arms and replied coolly. I showed her the tape measure.

“Look here. This part is metal, right?”

“Yeah. That’s why I said it’s dangerous.”

“Okay, watch this. I retract it… and now pull it out again…”

“Ah! It turned into a cloth tape measure! That’s amazing!”

“Fuhahahaha! I may not be much in combat, but when it comes to everyday use, the Everyday Items Master is unparalleled!”

I seized one of the rare moments where I could show off and laughed triumphantly.

Even low-tier skills can be useful! Don’t underestimate them!

“He’s talking about being bad in combat again…”

“Angel, no matter how much you try, you can’t fix that part of Taku. You just have to live with it long-term.”

I had the unsettling feeling they were treating me like I was someone pitiful.

Why? This is unacceptable.

“Onii-sama, you’re amazing! That was like magic!”

Luna was jumping up and down in excitement after seeing that.

“Right~? Well, I’ve always been pretty good with my hands. I guess that part of me works out for the best given the skill I have.”

Feeling good, I patted Luna on the head. Then I felt a slight prick in my palm and paused.

“Luna, is there something on your head?”

“Hm?”

“Hold still for a second.”

I said that and parted her hair to check for what was causing the odd sensation. I figured she might’ve gotten a splinter or something while we were outside. It would’ve been strange on the head, but still possible. If that was the case, I’d just pull it out quickly.

That was why I was confused. Because what I found looked like a horn just starting to grow.

“…What is this…”

“Hm? Onii-sama, are we done?”

“Ah, yeah.”

Freed from my hands, Luna ran off to join Botan and Angel. As I watched her go, I thought in a daze. A girl we found in a dungeon. A mysterious background. A demon who could speak human language.

“…I see.”

So Luna is not human after all.

In the evening, just before sunset. We had finished getting ready and left the house together. The early summer evening wasn’t too hot, and the breeze was pleasantly cool. As I walked along thinking that, Botan, walking beside me, poked my side.

“Hm? What is it, Botan?”

I looked her way. She was walking in a yukata.

With her snow-white skin and hair and her bright red eyes, white clothing suited her best. She wore a yukata with a white base and a lily pattern, walking beside me. Setting aside the bunny girl outfit from earlier, she really did look cute like this. A real beauty.

Botan spoke with a slightly pouty tone.

“It’s a shame. Taku should’ve worn a yukata too.”

“Nah, I’m good. I’m a guy. It’s better if at least one of us is wearing something easy to move in, right?”

“I wanted to help pick one for you.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

As we talked, Angel chimed in.

“I wanted to see Taku in a yukata too~”

“Ehh…? Who wants to see me in a yukata?”

I looked over at Angel. Her yukata suited her well too. It was in a pink tone that matched her hair, not too vivid, and patterned with goldfish. Despite the typically flattening nature of yukata, well… she still stood out. 

“Kyaa~ don’t stare at my boobs so much, you pervert~ ♡”

“I-I’m not a virgin!”

“Taku, I didn’t say anything about you being a virgin.”

“Ah, right…”

I tried to play it off, realizing my mistake, and then Luna ran up in front of me and hugged me.

“I wanted to see Onii-sama in a yukata too! I bet it would’ve looked great on you!”

“Thanks, Luna. But would it really suit me?”

“I don’t know, but I think it would, because it’s you!”

Ever cheerful and totally supportive, Luna was as adorable as ever. I patted her head again. As I did, I felt it again—a small horn just beginning to grow. It probably only started growing recently. I hadn’t felt it when I patted her head before. But then I thought…

So what? So what if she has a horn? So what if she isn’t human? She’s not a monster. We could talk. We could communicate. In fact, we’d managed to avoid a fight with the stylish goblin earlier today by talking. That means Luna is the same. Demon or not, it doesn’t matter. Luna is Luna.

As we walked, we started nearing the Asahi Dori Shopping District. For today at least, people were walking from the evacuation zone toward the riverbank for the fireworks festival.

“Wow…! Onii-sama! Look, look, all those people!”

“Yeah, that’s right. Just like us—they’re all here to watch the fireworks.”

I explained, and Luna exclaimed.

“It’s my first time seeing so many people!” 

She was super excited. Blending into the crowd, we moved forward. Eventually, we reached the riverbank and the summer festival came into view.

“Whoa~ they really went all out. What do you think? We’ve got some time before the fireworks. Want to check out the stalls first?”

I asked, and Botan nodded.

“Yeah. Looks like we’ve still got time. Let’s look around together.”

Then Angel grinned.

“Oooh, in that case, can I stream it? Since we’re here, let’s do a stall battle!”

“Oho~ You’re on fire, huh? Alright, I accept your challenge.”

“Stall battle, let’s go! This time I’ll beat Onii-sama for sure! …Wait, what is a stall battle?”

And with that, we began our lively tour of the festival stalls. There were quite a lot of them, and they pretty much had everything—shooting games, candy molds, yakisoba, candied apples. Everything from games to food.

We competed at the game stalls, then sat down to eat together when we took breaks. I won every game. Second place was Luna, third was Botan, and dead last was Angel. The comment section was blowing up.

Apparently Angel had plenty of money, because no matter what we wanted, she happily pulled out her wallet. She even bought me stuff and forced it into my hands. As we were enjoying the festival, Botan said.

“Ah, it’s about time.”

So we headed to a spot with a better view of the fireworks. Bathed in the night breeze, we stood in a grassy area with a clear view.

The sun had completely set, and the lights of the stalls glowed faintly in the distance. In the darkness, Luna clung to me.

“Onii-sama! Onii-sama!” 

She called out to me with an impatient, eager tone.

“Is it time yet? Are they coming soon!?”

“Haha, yeah. It should be any minute now. Just a little longer――oh.”

Speak of the devil. In the distance, a thin pillar of light shot up. With a whoooosh, the beam of light raced upward. But then it suddenly stopped, and I tilted my head, wondering what happened. The very next moment, a flower of fire bloomed in the pitch-black night sky.

Boom, crackle crackle crackle… 

Fireworks blossomed and scattered. Again and again, explosions filled the sky, each one balancing flashiness with lingering echoes, a beautiful chaos of light.

“Wooooow…!”

Luna was completely mesmerized by the fireworks, too stunned for words. Captivated, she watched in awe—this was her very first time seeing fireworks.

“I’m glad we brought her.” 

Watching Luna’s reaction,Botan whispered to me.  I smiled and simply nodded. 

“Yeah.”

It lasted about ten minutes. Around the time the fireworks paused for a break, Luna burst out.

“Amazing—amazing amazing amazing! That was incredible! The fireworks went ka-boom in the sky!”

“Ufufu, Luna’s totally blown away~”

Angel chuckled softly and patted Luna’s head as she bounced with excitement. Then Luna turned to me and asked.

“Are all fireworks this big? Or are there even bigger ones out there?”

“Ahh, I see. I’ll show you some smaller fireworks later. But fireworks bigger than these? Those are pretty rare, I think.”

For something held in a quarantine zone, this show was quite impressive. We hadn’t seen a single monster or even any wild animals around the evacuation zone either. It must’ve taken real effort to organize this. Then Luna said something that made me smile.

“Then let’s see even bigger fireworks together someday!”

“Haha, yeah. I’d love to see the biggest fireworks we can find.”

I laughed and nodded at Luna’s innocent proposal. After we enjoyed the main fireworks show, we bought a set of handheld fireworks from one of the stalls and headed home. In the apartment courtyard, we all lit them up together, and Luna squealed in happiness.

“These are fireworks too!?”

Botan smiled as she held a sparkler. Angel cried after being chased by a spinning firecracker. And Luna, holding a senkō hanabi, challenged me with a fiery gleam in her eye.

“Onii-sama! Let’s have a duel!”

How many years had it been, I wondered. Since I’d had such a quintessentially summery summer night. It had been years. Maybe even close to ten. For a shut-in like me to get to experience something like this again—I never thought it’d happen.

So I found myself quietly savoring the happiness of the moment. Just watching the three of them delight in fireworks was enough to fill me up.

“Onii-sama! Next one’s this!”

Luna came running over to me, so I replied with an enthusiastic nod.

“Alright! What’ve we got this time?”

And just like that, our summer night passed in warm, cheerful harmony. It was that same day—late at night—when the doorbell to my room rang.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー