Misaki, who was sitting across from me, had some ideas, and when I started to look at my license, she got up from her seat and sat down next to me.

'It's easier to see it this way. Ehehe, no offense, okay?

　I think it's an altruistic intention to look happy in some way, but I won't go into details.

　Skills that can be acquired ◆.

　Skill Level 2
　Extra Turn: Allows a designated party member to take one action on behalf of a party member.
　☆ Pot Limit: If the target is fatally damaged by a demon attack, it can be reduced to the extent that it is not rendered incapable of combat. The user receives half of the reduced damage as a proxy. Can only be used once per search.

　Skill Level 1.
　Russian Roulette 1: Halves the health of any opponent you hit, regardless of who is on your side.
　Poker Face: Prevent your opponent from being able to read your emotions.
　Lucky Prediction 1: sense the direction of good things to come.
　Coin Toss: Have your teammates guess the flip side of a coin, and a hit will increase your luck.
　Small Bets: Share your strength and magic with others during battle. After you win, you will recover twice as much.
　Double Draw: Use a card-based weapon to attack twice at once.
　Gambit: If a coin toss reveals the reverse side of the toss, instead of forcing the enemy to attack first, you will limit the enemy's initial action to a normal attack. Required Skill: Coin Toss
　Picklotry: The rate of discovery of rare materials increases when performing a gathering action in the maze.

　Remaining Skill Points 3

But there are so many tricky ones that I'm getting confused all the time.
Once again, being a 'gambler' is a profound profession. It's a difficult skill to replace.
'Oh, no, no, no, no, I get carried away easily when I'm praised like that. But please give me more praise.

　Misaki nods her head slightly toward me - does that mean she wants me to pet her head? I feel like I'm being too lenient, but I lightly pat her with a pat.

''Huh~.......Brother, that's a very soft touch. But isn't it a little too short?
'Well, well, I'm not used to it...'
Maybe to me, though. Hey, Miss Theresa.
..........

　Theresia, who has been staring at us, has her hand on the head part of the skull mask. Somehow I can feel what she's thinking, and even I get embarrassed.

'Kohon that's enough of a derailment. Which skills do you think are essential for Misaki?
I feel like I'm not making the most of the skills I have now. Afterwards, I wish I had used it earlier. It's a good thing I got the 'magic number', but I've never used it yet.
Well, it's like a party game skill, and being able to give orders to your friends, there are only so many places you'll be able to use it.

　Misaki was Misaki, and she seemed to find a lot of things to reflect on after the search.

　Many of her skills have an effect that it's not a bad idea to use them for now. Combining 'Dice Trick' and 'Lucky Seven 1' would definitely have some benefit.

　It seems that there will be more dice-related skills in the future, but they don't seem to be available at the moment. All of them are likely to be effective depending on how they are used - 'Pot Limit' is effective in a tight situation, but the drawback is that misaki is injured.

"'Gambit' - this seems to be useful, but it requires a 'coin toss' and the risk of being attacked first?
In some cases, it seems to be a perfect fit. But there's something about the style of a level 2 skill that says it's the one... 'Pot Limit' isn't it bad?

　Misaki touched the skill herself. She moved her fingers to do the operation to acquire it, then stopped with a giggle.

'It makes me nervous when you look at me with such a serious face!
That skill is a skill to cover for the other members of the team when they are mortally wounded but I don't think Misaki will be safe either.

　A blow that would take all of your physical strength, and half of it instead - that means that when Misaki defended a member with high physical strength, she too was in danger of losing her life.

'I've never been in pain or anything like that before. No, if someone does something that involves all of us, I'm in a panic right away. But even for someone like me, when I got my brother's feather stuck in the eighth district, I felt like I wanted him to share half of that pain. That's why I think this skill came into play.
"...just because you're a gambler doesn't mean you have to make that kind of bet.
'Haha, I want to be my brother's shield too!　And then I scored some points.

　I'm joking, but if I leave a point, Misaki is going to get a 'pot limit' to use when her friends are in a tight spot.

'Skills that can be used in a pinch are important, but I think it's important to learn skills that are versatile, too.
"Consistency?
It's a skill that will come in handy on a daily basis.

　Misaki clapped her hands together as she wrote the kanji on the table. It wasn't like she didn't know, but it was always the case that she suddenly couldn't get it out of her memory.

'Versatility, versatility... eh, so this looks good then?　"Picklotry.
Lottery is a lottery, I believe. Does it make it easier to find the right one when you collect the materials? Sounds good for sure.
It's that thing, like a pig looking for truffles...
'It's not so much that my nose works, but that it makes it easier for me to find out where the good material is by intuition.

　Ooh, Misaki exclaims in admiration. I'm guessing too, so I don't know if he's right.

'I'm thinking of going to get some 'Silver Sand' to strengthen my equipment, so 'Picklotry' will be useful.
Okay, I'll take it then. What?　........Kun-kun, I found a treasure!
I don't appreciate that kind of goofy stuff...

　Misaki leans toward me and puts the tip of her nose close to my second arm. I don't think there's anything wrong with being sniffed in particular, but when I think about it, the problem is more when someone sees me - and then my eyes meet with Theresia's.

''..........''
'Oh, Miss Theresa is looking at me like she can smell her brother!　Do you want me to give you a sniff?　Yes!
'I don't have a choice Misaki, but don't raise the tension unnecessarily.

　When he taunted her, Misaki flicked her tongue out to scare him and stood up from the couch.

'Can't we see your skills today, Melissa?'
'I'll go to the storage room later and see how things are going. I'd better have a meeting with you tonight.
'Roger.　Good night.
Ha ha, good night.

　Sometimes I think that girls who use gyaru-speak must be extremely quick-witted, don't you think? It's not the time for me to be in a complicated state of mind, wondering if I'm getting old enough to think that way.

''..........''

　Theresia got up and tried to move to the couch I was sitting on - somehow she went behind the couch and came around and then sat across from me.

'Hmm, what's up?'　Would it be easier to talk in person?
..........

　Theresia nodded back. If that's the case, I don't mind too, but it looked like she was trying to come over here once, but I guess it was just my imagination.

　So far, there has been no change in physical condition due to the curse mark. I know that worrying about it excessively would be a burden, but it's always in the corner of my mind.

''Well let me display Teresia's new skills.

　Kokoro and Theresia nodded again. I manipulated the license and placed it sideways so that it could be seen by both me and Theresia.

　Skill Level 3.
　×x Lizard Skin 2: A subhuman's unique skill. For a certain amount of time, the sub-human will "transform" and its attribute resistance will change greatly depending on the sub-human's characteristics. While transforming, you can use your unique attack skills.
　×Scapegoat: Change an attack or skill that has been targeted at you to target someone else.

　Skill Level 2
　Hydeviper: A unique skill of the sub-human. If you attack while hidden, you can stall your opponent.
　Hide: Makes you completely unnoticeable until you attack the enemy. Required Skill: Silent Walking
　Pick Pocket 2: You may be able to steal multiple possessions without your opponent noticing. Required skill: pick pocket 1.
　Trap Detection 2: Gain the special vision to see through traps. Required Skill: Trap Detection 1
　Anti-Body: Abrogates a certain percentage of poison and other status disorders, increasing attack power and speed for a certain amount of time.
　Weapon Bite: Stop an enemy's weapon attack and snatch it from the enemy if it succeeds.
　Reverse End: If you successfully parry an attack, a counterattack always hits and doubles in power. Required Skill: Reverse Grip
　▼ Evil Dominate: Automatically acquired when the Curse Erosion is completed. It is removed from the party it belongs to and becomes subordinate to the user of the spell. Progress: 8.


　Skill Level 1.
　Pick Pocket 1: You may be able to steal designated possessions without your opponent being aware of it.
　Reverse Grip: Allows you to escape from a restraint.
　Reverse Grip: Hold a light blade in your reverse hand. You will have an increased chance of a critical strike. Equipping two weapons increases the attack power.
　If you attack while the enemy is fleeing, you will steal materials from them.

　Skill Points: 3 (▼2)

.....

　When he saw the display, he couldn't help the anger that was brewing in his chest.

　The curse of the Shining Monkey Prince is interfering with the most important skills of a searcher, and it's trying to take away their freedom.

　I was unaware of this fact until I checked Theresia's skills, and I was relieved to see that she hadn't changed just by looking at her from the outside.

..........

　Theresia didn't mention the 'Evil Dominate' item, but pointed to the 'X' on the skill level 3 skill.

'The same indication appeared on Elitia's skills. It seems that being cursed limits the skills you can acquire.''

　Theresia was looking at the license as it was, but she looked at me and nodded at me.

　She then continued to point to the 'Reverse Grip' and 'Reverse End' skills.

　Even now, the attacking skills are well-developed. With her skill points not being free, she's not originally in a hurry to acquire them - but she's still trying to strengthen herself as an attacker.

　The words didn't come out of her throat right away. Thank you, or agreeing with Theresia's opinion, all of which seemed like a beautiful thing to say.

''..........''
'....Yeah. Theresia took the back of 'Monkey Hou', and if 'Hyde and Seek' can be repaired, I can go around the back again and try to duplicate it with 'Assault Hit'. The 'Butterfly Dance' activated by 'Butterfly Ring' is also...

　Theresia can stand around and make use of it as she gets new equipment and learns skills. There's no need for me to go into detail beforehand about how to make use of the skills.

　Even though I knew that, I couldn't help but tell them. I also knew that was my weakness.

''..........''

　Theresia nodded again and acquired two skills. She must have already decided to play the role of an attacker.

　A skill that would prevent dangerous skills like the one possessed by the 'Monkey Prince'. Skills that would be used for defense, to keep away the danger of loss of life. He only wished that Theresia could acquire such a skill.

"...they say the best defense is an attack. So it is, Theresa.
..........

　A faint smile appears on Theresia's mouth. Is that emotion, which appears and disappears for just a moment, suppressed because of being a subhuman?

'Now I just have to figure out my own skills. Do you want something to drink, Theresia?'

　Even if I told her to rest, I'm sure Theresa wouldn't sleep as long as I was awake.

　But this time Theresa doesn't nod and stays that way. I'm going to start examining the skills, if that means I don't need them now.

　Skills that can be acquired

　skill level
　☆◆×*3: Skills with unknown details
　Eye of Hayabusa: The ability to understand the situation is improved and the ability to shoot is improved when you are in the rear row. Overtime occurs when the attacker hits a weak point of the enemy. Required Skill: Eagle's Eye

　Skill Level 2

　Back Slip: You can act for a short time faster than the opponent in front of you.
　Back Order: If you are short on magic, you can ask your friends to share it with you.
　Assisted Doll: Enables you to strengthen the golems created by your allies in front of you.
　Backdoor: Enables you to obtain information about the enemy at all times when retreating. Required Skill: Backstand
　Support Recovery 2: Applies a recovery effect to all companions in front of you. You can use this once every 30 seconds. Required skill: Support and Recovery 1
　Support Uplift 2: The morale of your comrades in front of you will gradually increase. Your party's morale limit increases. Required Skills: Elevation 1

　Skill Level 1.

　Support Magic 1: Overlays the magic of the companion in front of you at 50% magic consumption and power.
　Evade Support 1: Invokes 'Absolute Evasion' on the companion in front of you on rare occasions.
　Call for Support 1: Summons the party nearby as back up.
　Rear Front: Spends 5 points of magic to gain rear visibility for a set amount of time.
　Back Path: Deflects the attack to the rear. Can only be activated when there is a target behind you.
　Backdraft: Automatically counterattack when attacked from behind.
　Tactical Reload: Increases the speed of loading the ranged weapon with the next round and restores the magic power used in the previous round. Requirements: Use the magic skill of the ranged weapon frequently and be of a certain profession.

　Remaining skill points: 5

　(Is this another display error...?

　I can try to take out skills whose details are unknown, but for now, I'd prefer the skills that are definitely effective.

　I'd really like to get the Eye of Falcon, but I can't take the chance without knowing what "overtime" is. If I can obtain the skill on a trial basis, I can use it once and try it out.

　'Tactical Reload', which allows you to recover magic power during combat in conjunction with my attack actions. By taking 'Support Restoration 2' along with this, the risk of my magic power being depleted during battle would be greatly reduced.

　Support Elevation 2 will probably reduce the time it takes for your morale to reach its maximum value, and there may also be a positive effect from increasing your limit. However, even with "Support Elevation 1", you can still use Morale Release if you prepare in advance.

　I know that 'Support Magic 1' and 'Support Evasion 1' will also be useful if you take them. The other skills as well - but with a large number of unacquired skills, can you choose the ones you need at the last minute?

''.........''
Hmm...?

　I was so focused that I didn't notice that Theresa was gone in front of me.

　I was about to turn around to see if she had gone to the corner of the room again, when a hand was placed on my shoulder.

..........
I'm sorry, I don't know if I looked scared.

　I thought that Theresia was concerned and said so. Without looking at her expression and gestures, it was impossible to read Theresia's thoughts.

''Soooo........''

　There's a tickling breath on the back of my neck.

　It's not like he's breathing on me or anything. Theresia has her face close to the back of her neck and is doing something about it.

　If that's what Misaki was thinking, if that's what Theresia was thinking, what Misaki had said. What she did now -.

'Well, yeah. I took a bath, but it was a bit of a...
..........

　Theresa doesn't answer. Normally she would have run away, but she doesn't move from her spot, even when I turn around from my seat.

　Her mouth is visible through her skull mask. It moves to say something, but it doesn't become a sound.

''.........''

　Suddenly Theresa bows her head as if she's in a hurry.

　She always tries to take a bath with me and doesn't listen to me. What is the purpose of her bowing her head now, such as it is?

　I need to tell her more, what I'm thinking. When I get up from the couch, Theresa still has her head down.

'You don't have to apologize. You don't have to shy away from things like that.
..........

　Theresia didn't move immediately. When she raised her head in a show of fear, Theresia put her hand on her chest.

　Placing her hand on the lizard's mask and stroking it, Theresia turns red as she remembers. Still standing still, Theresa drops her hand on her chest and touches my shirt.

　Still picking at my shirt, Theresa looks up at me. I let go of her hand, but Theresa doesn't let go of it.

'You need to rest today, Theresa. I'll be watching you.
.....

　Theresa shakes her head. 'If I hadn't said anything, you'd be watching me today while I slept, and I'd be spending less time sleeping myself.

'Despite what it looks like, I'm good at staying up all night. Wouldn't it be cool if you fell asleep talking like that?
..........

　Once again, a smile appeared on Theresa's mouth. This time it didn't disappear as quickly.

　Our party lacks a profession that specializes in recovery. 'Supportive recovery' and potions alone are not enough to cover the problem - it's still unthinkable to not deal with this problem at all in the current situation. In fact, there was a predicament in which Suzuna's magic power was nearly exhausted and she was unable to act.

　'Support Recovery 2' and 'Tactical Reload' are acquired. Since it's unlikely that my level will rise further before the battle with the 'Marquis of Monkeys', even if I were to acquire it at the last minute, it would only be at skill level 2.

''..........''
Well Theresa, I guess we're done here.

　I've been trying to be modest, as he hasn't let go of my clothes the whole time - but this time, instead of clothes, he gently pulls me by the arm and sits me down on the couch.

'.............

　This time, he rubbed my shoulders from behind. It's an unusual way of squeezing and squeezing, but that's why there was something calming about it.

　Something about feeling Theresa's presence right behind me, as close as it was before. Maybe it was Misaki's influence, or maybe she'd been wanting to do that all along.

　I don't know which, but it seemed wild to say anything right now, so I decided to stay like this for a bit longer.