"Is there something you want to ask? Are their lips sealed?"
"Ayane's discretion is reliable. She apparently doesn't reveal secrets or promises to her parents or best friends."
"Given her principles, she wouldn't reveal a secret even if her mouth were torn apart."
"Is that so? I've been cautious because I've been fully open about my status."
"Is that so? From what I know, Shouta was the first person she showed it to."
"There's no need to keep secrets from my future husband!"
... I'll try being a bit mischievous.
"...So, if you were told to, would you show them too?"
"Of course. We're going to be wives of the same person!"
Ayane answered, puffing out her chest.
"You answer so quickly. ...I see, no need to do that. What about Aila?"
"She's been close to Ayane since childhood, so she will absolutely follow her word. If you can trust Ayane, you can trust her too."
"I see..."
"Then! As the third wife..."
"Wait a minute. That's still on hold."
I still don't understand Aila. Ayane, while a bit naive and impulsive, seems like a good kid. Considering that, it would be a waste to judge her as evil just because she's clingy. If I only saw the bad side, I should look for the good in her. She didn't interfere with my hunt and even helped, so I'm not the kind of person who would hold a grudge over that.
But Aila... she basically doesn't talk, so I haven't even reached the stage of understanding her. Even when she followed my orders or helped, it was ultimately because she was following Ayane, not me directly.
I can trust her in battle, but I can't rely on her to watch my back. Yeah, I'll put Aila on hold. First, I'll think about what to do with Ayane.
"Me, on hold?"
"Whether to date is on hold. Right now, I'm considering if I can see you as a companion."
"Until just now, it felt like you would reject me even as a companion. We've made progress!"
Indeed, I've grown quite attached to her in this short time. But realistically, I think it's tough to keep fighting alone forever. There will be limits. Meeting potential companions who can make the adventure enjoyable at an early stage is fortunate. The encounter was sudden, but there might not be any adventurers who can team up with me better than them. If this is fate, it might not be bad to follow it.
"Decided. Ayane, Aila. I allow you to accompany me."
"Yay!"
"Congratulations, Miss."
"However, as I said, you have to listen to me. Got it?"
"Yes! Even in a crowded place, a deserted alley, or inside a dungeon, I'm always welcome!"
"..."
This is a bit of a weak point for me. It's not that I'm not interested...
"Shouta, I think you don't know, so let me add some information about the team."
"Okay."
Maki forcibly changed the flow.
"First, the team is set up through the guild. Once set, the registered members are linked to the guild's information terminal, so anyone can check through the app. As for the experience points you were concerned about, they are determined by whether you directly attacked the monster. If you just watched or provided non-attack support, you won't get any experience points."
"Is that so?"
"So, unless you want to, you can keep the experience points to yourself."
Keeping them all to myself... After agreeing to let them follow me, hearing this makes me feel a bit guilty. And Maki, of course, seems to have picked up on that.
"Also, regarding the experience points when fighting as a team, after years of verification, it has been confirmed that they are not divided or reduced."
"Really? So everyone gets 100%? Then, they could have helped with the 'Golden Bug.'"
"We don't need levels, so it's fine. Besides, even if we had helped, we didn't have Shouta's permission, and we couldn't risk angering the monster and interfering with the battle."
"I see..."
Also, I don't know how much 'Luck' is factored in. Is it divided based on battle performance, or does the person with the highest 'Luck' get the points, or does the person who lands the final blow get the points? Especially in the case of the final blow, the more 'SP' allocated to 'Luck,' the lower the attack power should be. So, the general perception of 'Luck' is probably negative. While I'm at it, I'll use them to experiment with this.
"Participation in battles will be considered after verifying the drops."
"Leave it to you, Shouta."
"That sounds good, doesn't it?"
"Alright... Ayane, Aila. Sorry, but I need to have an important talk with you two. Can you wait outside for a bit?"
"Understood!"
Ayane readily accepted and led Aila out of the room.
"You'll follow, right?"
"That's the agreement. She will keep it."
"Right. Even for... you know, those kinds of things, she'll happily do them if ordered, right?"
"Hey, big sister!"
"Just kidding... But she might do it."
Indeed, the way she freely talks about such topics makes me think so. Yeah, I'll try not to think about it.
"So, what's the talk about?"
"Say anything."
"...I want to talk about my secret."
"!!"
"This is something that could shake the world. I think it's something that must never be known by bad people, so I intended to take it to my grave without telling anyone. But I've felt how much you two trust me and how much I care about you. That's why I think I can talk to you two. But if you're scared, you don't have to listen—"
"I'll listen."
"I'll listen."
They said it in unison.
"Please share the secret you're carrying, Shouta. It's not because we're exclusive. We want to support you."
"You were silent for our sake, right? That's touching. But to understand Shouta, I can't back down here. No matter what... I, I want to be with you."
"Maki, Aki... Thank you both."
'Level Gacha,' activate.
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