*

　The next day, Mako woke up in her own bed in her room.
　He gets out of bed and quickly puts on his clothes, relieved to find a cloth bag with a magic stone under his pillow.
　Since he wasn't going on an adventure, he didn't wear a basket hand and leg armor.

''........Should I buy some new clothes too?''

　If I had to have my clothes mended every time I went on an adventure, they would soon be falling apart.
　I'm not obsessed with clothes, but I don't want to be looked down upon for wearing shoddy clothes.
　And adventurers are not outlaws.
　If we were to fit into the Japanese occupational classification, it would be business contracting - a job that provides armed forces and specialized skills.
　With that in mind, they need to be just as careful about their appearance as salarymen.

Do we also need to strengthen the visual aspect?

　I think handing out business cards would be a good idea, but shouldn't they wear uniforms or something so that everyone can see that it's them?

Or even a team symbol.

　Mako carried the bag and left the room.
　He must be getting ready for breakfast.
　The hallway smells fragrant.
　Shelly's food isn't bad, but she feels the need to drink the miso soup.
　I wonder if I'll be able to get my hands on some miso and soy sauce if I work a little harder.
　Makoto bites down on the stairs, biting down on his absent-mindedness.

'Good morning, mister.'
Hey, Makoto.

　Halfway up the stairs, I was approached by Sherry and Liv.
　Sherry was cooking at the counter, while Liv was sitting near the center of the counter seat.

'Good morning,'

　Makoto returned the greeting and walked down the stairs and sat at the end of the counter - which was becoming a reserved seat.

'Hey, hey, don't sit on the edge when I'm sitting in the middle,'
This is where I feel comfortable.

　Liv moved to take a seat next to Mako with a bit of a disgruntled look on her face.
　Shelly giggled, wondering what was so funny.

'Come in,'
Thank you.

　I take the lemon water from Sherry and drink about half of it.
　Maybe it's because I woke up in my sleep, but the cold lemon water tastes so much better.

'I thought you said you were off today?'
I'm thinking of going to church.
You don't have to be so concerned about it.
I don't care about you, man. I'm going because I want to.
Okay.

　Mako drinks lemon water.
　I looked next to him and saw Liv smirking.

'What's up?'
No, I just thought it would be nice to have you with me, Makoto.
You haven't been following me for a while now.
Yeah, that's true.

　Liv's lips quirked up in frustration.

'Well, but it was nice,'
What?
You're not gonna regret it.

　Liv is a mercenary.
　If you believe her words, she is a mercenary and adventurer, but of course, she has a career that she has built up before.
　She even gave up her career to follow me.
　Even though it was her own decision, I'm glad that I was able to repay her.

'Does Makoto even think about such things?
I'm still a leader.
You're not like the leader I know. No, I just didn't know you had a lot of ideas, didn't I?

　Liv crossed her arms and snorted.

'....Shelly, where are Yuka and Fene?
'Yuka-san hasn't come down, so I think she's still sleeping.　Mr. Fene left early this morning.
Okay. You failed.
What's going on?

　Mako muttered, and Liv leaned forward.

'I was thinking of getting a new weapon for Fene. It's like supplementing my firepower with weapons since my level isn't going up.'
The slingshot you were using is pretty good, but what exactly are you going to do about it?
How about a slingshot of offensive magic items?
That's going to cost a lot of money.

　Liv looked as if she'd bitten down on a bitter worm.

'It's just an example. It's not like I'm obsessed with sling shots. You should come up with a reinforcement plan, too.''
I'm not good at thinking, you know.
You don't have to think too hard. You didn't like these attacks or something, right?
What, is that all you need to know?

　Liv gave him a look that said she was out of sync.

'That's about as good as it gets,'
All right. I'll think about it.
I'm counting on you.
Yeah, I'm on it.

　Liv patted her chest and undertaken to look at Shelly, or rather, at the food.
　Apparently, she was hungry.

''Well ... and ...''
What's more?
Don't look so disgusted.
So what?
I think we should go ahead with the visualization as we go forward with the sale.
"Visualization?

　Liv asked back and tilted her head.

'The point is, we're supposed to unify our equipment so they know we're a team. Isn't there anything like that for mercenaries?
What's that mean, like a patch?
Well, sort of.
We won't be standardizing equipment, but we'll have a crest. What's it going to look like?　I knew you were going to get the same tattoo as Makoto?
Tattoos?
Right hand, right hand.

　Liv tapped her arm and Mako looked down at her right arm.
　It was easy to forget, but there was what looked like a tribal-type tattoo floating on his right arm.

'No, not a tattoo,'
Why?　That's cool.
No, no, no, I'm not going to let my parents put ink on my body to show that we're a team.

　Yuka would have said no to that.
　The team is on the verge of collapse.

'What, you're so cool.
These things aren't meant to be flirted with, are they?
Really?
Yeah.

　I break off the conversation as it seems to follow a parallel line.

'Then what are we going to do?'
It's a line. It's a dress.
You know, Makoto, Fene and Yuka all wore black coats. Well, I'll have to buy a black coat too.

　Liv scratched her head boringly.
　By the way, it is not a coat that Yuka is wearing, but a black cape.
　Unintentionally, the conversation was arranged in the direction of wearing a black coat or cape.

''........the rest.''

　Mako stared at Liv's thighs, or rather, her front hanging down, and let out a sigh.
　Underneath it was a loincloth.

'Hmm?　Are you interested in my crotch?
Nope.
I was wondering if...
I'm not. He's straight. I'm straight.
Child...
No!

　Makoto raised his voice.

'You don't have to look good, man. It's normal, normal for someone of her age. If you have a pent-up supply, do you want me to pull it out for you?
Don't say that, even in jest.
I only say that to guys I'm in love with.
Okay, okay.
You have no idea what I'm talking about.

　Liv's lips quirked up in amusement.

'So, why were you looking at my crotch?'
We're not going to wear loincloths.
This is the traditional dress of the Bison Horn tribe.

　Liv stared at Mako with a guffawed face.
　I was surprised, and so was Mako.
　I want to go into what kind of tribe a loincloth is a traditional garment.

'It's hard to look at them. Or at least wear a pareo instead of a front hanging.'
Paleo.

　Liv grunted bitterly.

'I can't help it. Instead, if you get a shove from a guy from the same tribe, follow up.
Well, you're right.
I promise.
Yeah, I promise.

　Well," said Liv, with a really satisfied expression on her face.
　I can't help but feel like I've done something wrong.

'Yes, here's your breakfast,'

　The conversation died down and Shelly put the food on the counter.

*

　As Mako and the others entered the church, the adventurers' gazes were focused on her.
　To be precise, what they are looking at is Liv, the cloth bag full of magic stones that she is carrying on her back.
　They should be unaware of the fact that it is filled with magic stones, so it is Liv that they are looking at.

''After all, wouldn't it have been better for me to hold it?''
Don't look at me like that.

　Liv smiled bitterly.
　'Really?　Makoto tilted his head.
　Why can I say that the woman is not looking at me like I'm a target for a woman to carry my luggage?
　Maybe I should have carried it myself, after all.
　Of course, I was going to carry it myself when I was at the inn.
　But Liv insisted that she would carry it herself, and halfway through she carried the cloth bag on her back.
　Mako let out a sigh and headed for the reception desk.
　It wasn't much of a distance, but he heard whispers between them.

'Hey, that's the Bison Horn tribe's ribs.
Why do I have to hang out with that kid?
Was the rumor that you left the mercenary corps true?
If you're letting Liv carry your stuff, it must be pretty strong.

　Liv pompously tapped Makoto on the shoulder.
　I looked up and saw a wild smile on her face.

'Welcome, Mako-sama,'
Oh, it's been two days.

　As Makoto stood in front of the reception desk, the girl at the reception desk stood up and bowed deeply.
　That was all it took, but the adventurers groaned.

''What can I do for you today?''
I've got the magic stone and I thought I'd ask you to be the go-between. Liv?
Oh, yeah, leader.

　Liv splattered the contents of the bag on the reception counter.
　The girl's eyes widened in astonishment.
　The adventurers' reactions are more dramatic.

''Oh, are those all magic stones?''
Oh, hey, there's even a spatial magic stone.
You could sell that size for a fraction of the price, and it wouldn't be less than a million A.
Look at that pure magic rock.
You didn't mean to conquer the dungeon?
Stupid. For a kid like that?
So I guess that's why Liv is following suit.
'Speaking of which, I heard that the Wrecking King's dungeon has been captured.
I thought you said the Order had captured it.

　I think we've sold him a face, for now.

Can we get an intermediary?
Yes, hi, sir, I'll get my boss.

　She was upset, but the girl's throat was not turning.
　She disappeared behind the partition, reaping the chair behind her.
　A moment later, her boss - a bald-headed old man - stared at her from behind the partition and rushed over at breakneck speed.

''Welcome, welcome!　You are the intermediary for the magic stone, aren't you!
Yes,

　I responded with polite language to too much swagger.
　Well, I don't think it's any wonder that I'm sitting low considering the fees that are coming in.
　However, I wish church officials would float away a bit more.

'So, what's the amount you'd like to pay?'
Is that even necessary?
Makoto.

　As Makoto was thinking about the price, Liv interrupted him.

''I'd like a minimum amount of one million for the spatial magic stones, and for the other magic stones I'd like 100,000.......''
What will you do if it doesn't bring 100,000?
I wish the guy who bought the spatial magic stone would buy it.
I'm sorry, sir.

　The old man took out a piece of paper and a pen from the counter and wrote down what Liv had told him, again with great ferocity.

'Who should I contact in case someone wishes to purchase it?
Makoto.
I'm staying at the Inn of the Golden Fleece. But I'll be guarding the merchants from tomorrow, so you'll have to wait until I get back.
Very well. Now, please fill out this form.

　The old man sat back in his chair and took the papers from under the counter.

'Ah!'

　Mako sat down in her chair and raised her voice.

What's going on?
I totally forgot about the bounty.

　He had defeated so many undead.
　The bounty was also quite a large amount of money, but you couldn't remember it until now--''

''Isn't it fine when the magic stone is sold?''
Well, yeah.

　Suddenly, the image of Yuka passed through my mind.
　She wouldn't come to receive the bounty alone since she hadn't defeated the undead, but she was going to complain about it.

''Forget about that, just write up the paperwork.

　Oh," Makoto nodded and let out a sigh.