*

　The church was filled with silence. It wasn't quiet for rituals; it was simply unoccupied.
　The girl at the reception desk was rubbing her eyes constantly, as if she was sleepy.

''Yo.....
Master Makoto, welcome!

　When Makoto called out to her, the girl at the reception desk straightened up.

'How are you?'
Yes!

　The girl at the reception desk smiled happily.

''Is Yuka-sama not here?''
He's at the inn reading a book.
Okay.

　He said he was going to study to acquire new magic, but he may simply not be good at group activities.

'By the way, what can I do for you today?'
I'm here on a case.
Me!
I'll get it.

　When Mako looks at the board, Liv walks over to the board and peels off the request form.
　Fene's lips twitched as if she wasn't amused that he had beaten her to it.

'See?'
Thanks.

　I receive the request form and place it on the counter.

''........Makoto-sama, this one is for the C class.

　The girl at the reception desk's face darkens.

''I'm here, so there's no problem.
May I ask your name, please?
I'm a Bison hornsman.
May I see your status?
Yeah, look as much as you want.

　The girl at the reception desk took out a pair of glasses and loaded them into her eye sockets.
　She looked cute as she wrinkled up in desperation to avoid dropping it.

''It's confirmed.''

　The girl at the reception desk put away her single pair of glasses and stamped the request form.
　I'm curious as to how they're checking the rank.


I know. I'm proud to say that I've never broken a promise.
I'm just going to go by the rules anyway, so please be careful.

　It's appropriate for calling it a rule.
　Liv rolled the request form into a tube and held it out to Makoto.

'Don't lose it!
I'm a kid.

　He said and shoved the request form into the pouch.

'Now for the map. Fene, give me a tour.
Okay.

　Fene took the lead and walked off, wagging her tail happily.

*

'How is it that I'm getting more and more anxious as we go along?
That's because he knows firsthand what it's like to live in a vacuum.

　Mako blurted out, and Liv responded in a tense, non-tense tone.
　He looked around.
　It was a rundown building.
　I'm not sure if the sewerage system is functioning or not, but the smell of rotten food is in the air.
　I'm not sure if the sewage system is functioning or not, but the smell of rotten food and drink is lingering in the air.

Fene has a lot of balls.
Don't you think Makoto's too scared?
You're too bold.

　You're a woman. Be vigilant. What's with that loincloth? I barely swallow the words "I can't look you in the eye".
　Fene stops walking.
　An old woman in a dingy robe sits between the decaying buildings.
　She looks like a hobo, but Fene speaks to her without hesitation.
　She gestures, moving her body language and even her ears and tail as she speaks.
　As I got some closer, I could hear their voices.

''Can't you get a little cheaper?''
100A, that's as close as I'll get.

　Apparently, they were negotiating to lower the price.

Can't you do something about it?
No, I'm not. You know I have a lot of money on the line.

　Kukuku, the old woman laughs.
''My ... brother.''
'I don't have anything to negotiate with, so I don't have a choice.

　Fene looked at her as if she were looking for help, but all Mako could do now was cower her shoulders.
　Makoto took out a 100A and handed it to Fene.

'100Asss.'
You're on your own.

　The old woman took the 100A from Fene and took a bundle of papers from her sleeve.

'Do you have a map in your sleeve?'
Yeah, there's a map in here.

　Mako takes the bundle of papers from the old woman. There is no distortion, no body heat left in it.

'A fourth dimensional pocket?'
You're a very good talker.

　Kukuku, the old woman laughs with amusement. It was the deceased who said it well, but there was no point in pointing it out.

'Fene, can I leave it to you?
Of course.

　Fene took the stack of papers and grinned.

'Is this the scene for a laugh?'
My brother gave me a map, a very important map.

　Then Fene's smile deepened.
　From the fact that her gaze was directed at Liv, she probably thought she was in a better position than him.

''Get along,''
Of course.

　Nice reply, but do you really know what you're talking about?
　When I glanced at her, Liv was unperturbed.
　She was ridiculed for being a brainiac and so on, but she seems to have better nostalgia than I do.

''Well, I guess we're done with our business now.
Hey, hey, hey! You promised me you'd be there for me.
Tsk, you've got to remember.
I'm not surprised.

　Liv said, sounding a little miffed.

'So, where are we going to do this?'
As much as I'd like to say we should do it now, we don't want to get dragged into a fight in the city. Let's go outside the city.
Okay.

　Makoto raised his hands in surrender.

*

Okay?

　Liv walked out of the castle gate and stopped when she walked along the walls for a while.
　It was a space of twenty meters square.
　There are no trees or grasses growing there.
　It's unlikely that such a convenient space exists, so maybe it's a place used by adventurers and mercenaries for training.
　Mako stood in the center of the space, wary.
　He was wary of a surprise attack, but it didn't seem to be unfounded.

''What about the rules?''
It's a real battle.
No, wait.

　He turns his palms up and restrains Liv.

'Let's get on with it. I've been aching for a while now.
I told you to wait!
What?

　When Makoto raised his voice, Liv said disappointedly.

'You don't have that weapon in a real battle format.
What?

　Liv stared at the pole hammer.
　One side of it was sharp as a nail-puller.
　'You can't do a real battle format with this thing.

'What kind of rules do you want?'
No squeezing the eyes, no gold, no hitting the back of the head. And don't use the pointed end of the weapon.
No choice.

　Liv confronted Makoto, scratching her head.
　The distance is quite a bit greater.
　It's a pole-hammer's distance away from even a kick.

'Faine, please signal for us to begin.
Yes, sir!

　Fene, who was sitting on a rock, replies cheerfully.

''Hehe, it's starting to boil over.
Take it easy.
f*ck it.

　Liv smiled fiercely and held her pole hammer at the ready.
　Fene stood up and raised her hand, perhaps to get a better look.

'Commence--ss!
Oraaaaah!

　The moment Fane's hand moves slightly, Liv closes the distance and swings down with a pole hammer.
　Mako sidesteps and ducks to the side.
　The attacker ducks to the side or diagonally back.
　If you step back, you'll get chased down.
　It's obvious, and it's something I was taught when I was learning kung fu, but I didn't actually learn to do it until I had a few places to go.

'Sweet!'

　Liv quickly drew the pole hammer.
　When I looked down slightly, the pointed part was facing us.
　Perhaps he intended to hook it and make it fall over.
　Maybe he thought it was against the rules, or maybe he thought it was safe if he was going to use it to brush off his feet.
　It was said to be a brainiac, but it's quite wise.

"...Hoi.

　Mako carelessly raised her foot and ducked the foot sweep.
　Liv quickly raised her pole hammer.
　Not straight up, but diagonally up.
　Mako stepped in and caught the hilt with her arm.
　Then he closed in time to slide on the ground.
　He thinks that if he stands there in a daze, he will draw the pole hammer and attack with the pointed part.

''........Oh?''

　Mako's eyes widened lightly.
　Liv had closed the distance from him.
　When he stopped in his tracks, Liv reversed the pole hammer.
　A stone thrust was launched at his temple.
　It's not as if he was expecting this kind of situation, but the stone thrust has spines on it.
　I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it.
　As it was, the ribs kicked the ground as he thrust his fist out.
　It was an unimaginably quick and large leap from his huge frame.

''Oh, awesome.''
Which is it?

　When Mako clapped in admiration, Liv smiled a bitter smile.
　His breathing was ragged, as if he had just run as fast as he could, and he was scraping sweat like a ball.
　He looked at his side and saw that it was soaked in blood.

'Was that leap just blown away?
So, what's going to happen now?

　Liv grinned and readied her pole hammer.
　It's hard to decide if he's bluffing, but you have to assume that he jumped himself.

'You're not going to attack me?'
You were the one who attacked me earlier.
Well, I'll take you up on your offer.
"Earthquake Blast!

　Liv raised the pole hammer and swung it down at once.
　The next moment, the ground shook.
　She looked at Fene in a panic, but she had a scowl on her face.
　When I turned to face the front, there was no one there.

''Up?!''
Oraaaaah!

　When I looked up, Liv was in the air, raising her pole hammer.
　There's a gap.
　Mako lightly kicked the ground and ducked under her.
　It felt like she felt resistance when she kicked the ground, but it must have been her imagination.

'Tsk tsk!'

　Liv flips as soon as she lands, using her momentum to swing the pole hammer to the side.
　Mako held the handle with the palm of her hand and touched her side with her other hand.
　He shifts his center of gravity and pushes his hand out of the way, and Liv falls on her ass.

'Am I winning?'
Yeah, I'm going down.

　Liv cowered her shoulders and let out a loud sigh.

'Hey, how was that for you?'
Oh, you look like you're used to fighting. It's like you're using your head.
I see.

　Liv let out a small breath and crossed her legs.

'Well, what kind of technique is an earthquake shot?'
..........

　Liv turned away in a huff.

It's a profound lesson in stalling your opponent. No one has ever lived through that technique.
'Come to think of it, I had a feeling something was stuck in there.
It feels like you're hooking up, for real?

　Liv's eyes widened as if to say she couldn't believe it.
　She didn't think her attack would work at all.

''Ha~ I'm floored. I didn't think there was this much of a power gap between us.''
I'm going through a lot of shit in my own way.
Maybe you're comforting me?
Well, sort of.
Thank you.

　Liv thanked him with a goggle.