The three idiots who couldn't become heroes are preparing a man's meal today as well. - Chapter 113
Chapter 113: Coffee
“Whoooaaa! I leveled uuuuup for the first time in ages! And it shot up like crazy! Level 82, man, 82!!”
“Is 99 the cap!? It is, right!?”
“Hey, even our titles changed! Kita-kun, you’re like a hero now! That’s insane!”
【 Well, we did defeat a dragon. That much level gain is to be expected. Plus, we can finally call ourselves dragonkin without the ‘self-proclaimed’ bit. 】
“Dragonkin, huh… I’m finally getting soaked into this otherworld life. And to think we can still level up…”
Everyone was shouting excitedly as they stared at their guild cards.
The levels were impressive, but the titles were on a whole different level.
Nishida had changed from “Swift Wind” to “Lightning Gale.” Azuma went from “Iron Wall” to “Guardian of Paradise”—they all sounded ridiculously strong.
As for Nozomi and Kana, they now had titles like “Saint” and “One Who Lives With Dragons.”
Damn, those are titles you’d usually only get at the very end of a game.
To top it off, all of us from Hearty Eater got the “Dragon Slayer” title.
Pumped up, I threw my fist into the air—
“Hey, why am I the only one who gets embarrassing titles!? My Dead Line hasn’t changed at all, and what’s with ‘Hero of [ ]’!? What’s supposed to go in the brackets!? C’mon, someone trade titles with me! Please!?”
“”Well, it is you, Kou-chan (Kita-kun).””
“You bastards, acting like it’s not your problem!”
Amidst all the chaos and laughter, there was one person who wasn’t joining in.
She’d moved to the corner of the couch, quietly flipping her status card over and over again.
“Minami, what’s up?”
“Eh!? N-no! It’s nothing at all!”
Flustered, Minami quickly hid her card behind her back and stiffened her tail.
Could it be that she was the only one whose level didn’t go up?
Nah, no way.
Minami’s always been right there with us on the front lines. Sniping with her crossbow and keeping us all covered—it’s a hectic role, and she’s always been solid. Her level should’ve gone up just fine.
If that’s not it, then maybe…
“No way… did you finally get a title too, Minami!? And just like mine, it’s a super embarrassing one, right!? That’s it, isn’t it!? I knew it! Show me! Become one of us!”
“N-no! It’s not like it’s an embarrassing title or anything! It’s just, um, there’s a lot to explain! Aahh, Master! Please don’t take it!”
While Minami flailed around, I casually snatched the card from her hand—and saw…
“Level 76, huh! That’s awesome, Minami-chan!”
“And there’s a title too! Same as us: ‘Dragon Slayer’ and… what’s this? ‘Until Death Parts the Four’?”
It was the kind of phrase you’d expect to hear from a priest at a wedding.
Normally it would be “two” people.
But Minami’s title said four.
Even without asking, we all knew who those four were.
Minami looked away, her face beet red and trembling.
“Maybe… thanks to Minami’s title, we were all able to transfer safely together.”
“Huh?”
I murmured the thought aloud as I gently rested a hand on her head.
She looked up, a little dazed, clearly unsure of what I meant.
“Hmm, yeah… could be. Like, as long as we don’t die, we can stay together? Maybe it has that kind of effect.”
“If that’s the case, then it’s really all thanks to Minami-chan. Seriously, thank you. And please keep looking out for us.”
Nishida and Azuma gave her head a good ruffle too, and I handed her card back to her.
Minami glanced down at it again… and then smiled softly, cheeks relaxing.
“If that’s true… then it really is a title I can be proud of.”
She said that, hugging the card tightly to her chest.
“Well then, let’s move on. It’s hard to believe, but… I understand the situation so far. And the appraisals are complete. I never imagined I’d have to call in such a renowned appraiser, though… So, what do you all plan to do from here?”
The branch manager—a remarkably beautiful woman—asked us seriously.
Man, this Walker’s got it good… being given orders by someone like her. That’s gotta be a motivation booster for sure…
“Well, for now, we’re broke, so we’ll need to earn some cash. Also… damn, this coffee is good.”
“If we’ve got the chance, I wanna see the ocean too. Maybe grab some seafood. And I wanna buy some souvenirs—and definitely take some of this coffee back. It’s delicious. If they had this in the town on the other side, I wish I’d tried it sooner.”
“It’s been forever since I last drank some… so relaxing… I used to chug this stuff, but ever since we came to ‘this side,’ I haven’t touched it. Seriously though, this coffee is amazing.”
“It has a deep flavor, but… a bit bitter for me. Ah, can I add milk to this?”
The mood had gotten incredibly mellow.
But seriously, it was just that good—this long-awaited cup of coffee.
Totally different from the instant stuff we used to drink “back over there.”
I’m no expert or anything, but even I could tell the difference.
The aroma exploded in your mouth the moment you took a sip—just smelling it made you go “ahh.”
And the taste.
Compared to this, I don’t even know what we were drinking before. It’s just so deep… and complex.
You can’t help but savor every sip. You want to drink it slowly.
Man… I want this on a lazy afternoon off…
【 Pretty bitter, but I can kinda feel it being influenced by Nozomi’s tastes. 】
“Uu… Sorry, okay? Can I add sugar and milk?”
Even the Dragon Saintess crew seemed to be enjoying their coffee in their own way.
Phew… Just this alone makes coming to this town worth it.
“U-Um, everyone? I know you’re all relaxing, and I really hate to interrupt, but…”
“Oh, you don’t need to use formal speech, seriously. Just talk normally. We never know when to stop using polite language either.”
“Uh, r-right…”
Once I said that, she cleared her throat with a sharp ahem and then shot a piercing gaze our way.
“In that case… no, I mean—let’s talk business, “Hearty Eater.””
“Ooh, nice! Now that’s more like a proper branch chief.”
I smirked and straightened up.
Yeah, this is what a Walker Guild branch chief should be like.
Kind of bossy, sharp-tongued—
—and always tossing unreasonable jobs at you.
Honestly, that’s the kind we feel more “at home” with.
“So for now, you’re planning to stay in this town, right? And as for your job preference—‘the sea.’ That part’s correct?”
“Yep. I wanna see the ocean. And while we’re at it, I want a job that pays well.”
Now that I was back in my usual groove, I leaned forward as I spoke.
She briefly glanced at the man next to her.
There stood a rugged, wild-looking guy.
Y’know, like one of those pirate captains from a foreign movie.
Compared to the tipsy guy from before, this one was more muscular and had a tougher expression.
And his outfit? Totally Jack Sp**row-esque.
“Then that would fall under our jurisdiction… Are you sure? You guys seem more suited for forest work.”
He looked a bit troubled as he glanced at a bald Walker standing across the sofa.
Uh-oh, do they not want amateurs involved?
Thinking that, I turned to the other bald dude for his reaction.
“Nah, the ‘tiger’ that was causing problems around here has been taken down. So if we’re talking good-paying jobs now, it’s gotta be the sea.”
“You bastard…”
“The hell you say?”
Those two exchanged sharp glares—are they actually close?
From the sound of it, one’s a sea specialist, the other’s a forest specialist?
I like it.
Expands our job range, and competing through work is super fun.
“I get that you’re worried amateurs like us might get in the way, but could you cut us some slack? Even a simple job for beginners would be fine. We just wanna try going out to sea. If we’re in the way, we’ll just keep quiet in a corner.”
“Ah, no… I didn’t mean to go that far. It’s just, well…”
Looking a bit awkward, he scratched his nose while averting his gaze.
Guess we’re making him feel obligated in all sorts of ways.
Maybe we should just stick with forest work, our strong suit, and treat the sea as a side activity?
Just as I was starting to consider that—
“Sigh… Fine, fine! But not in that gear. That kind of full armor? You’ll sink the moment you fall overboard. First, change your equipment. I can tell you guys are strong just by your levels, but with that gear, the sea’ll swallow you whole. Fix that, and I’ll let you aboard my ship.”
Oooooh! I couldn’t help but shout.
Sea jobs—acquired!
And wait, this guy owns a ship?
Holy crap, he’s next-level.
What kind of Walker owns a ship? That’s nuts.
This dude’s a straight-up pirate.
“Alright then, I’m countin’ on you! Uh…”
“Daryl. The name’s Daryl. Looking forward to working with you too.”
The firm handshake went great and all, but—
“Master. As I’ve said, we don’t have the money to change our equipment… There’s no way we can cover everything with just one tiger pelt…”
“Ah.”
Crap, I was totally thinking we could just ask Thor and the others to make it for us like always.
Bad move—at this rate, we won’t even make it on the boat, much less get a job.
Still holding the handshake, I looked around in desperation when—
“Leave that to me. I still haven’t repaid you for saving my life… and my daughter’s.”
With a dramatic line, Uncle Reid slapped his chest with a loud thump.
I don’t really get the details, but damn, that’s reassuring! What a champ!
Sure, we’ll probably owe him in gold or favors later, but for now, he’s a real lifesaver.
We’ll borrow from this uncle, gear up, and hop on a tuna fishing boat—
—or, well, something like that. I don’t even know anymore.
Just as my brain started going off on that weird tangent—
“Is it true that there’s a boy from another world here!?”
“Yuugo! Yuugo, where are you!?”
“Is he here!? Yuugo, where is he!?”
The guild’s front doors flew open as a black-haired, black-eyed pair burst in, flanked by soldiers.
The moment their voices echoed through the room—
—the boy who had been sitting next to us suddenly jumped to his feet.
“Dad! Mom!”
The boy waved energetically toward the two of them.
From the looks of it, it didn’t seem like he was abandoned as a “failure.”
Maybe he got separated due to some incident, or summoned to a different place…? Something like that?
I dunno.
“Kid, your name is Yuugo?”
“Yeah! Chiba Yuugo.”
“I see, that’s a good name. Now go on, your parents are waiting for you.”
“Okay! But… I wanted to ride the ship with you guys.”
“Next time, alright? Once things settle down, come ‘play’ with us again.”
“Okay!”
With that, the boy left our side.
Maybe it’s because I run an orphanage, but I tend to get overly protective around kids his age.
But… he’s probably fine now.
His parents were crying tears of joy, and even the soldiers around them looked visibly relieved.
Whether that family was “special,” or this country itself is just “like that”—
—either way, the scene was so reassuring, it was hard to imagine they’d end up like us.
“Alright, let’s strike while the iron’s hot. Let’s go check out some clothes, then weapons. Sorry to ask, but could you lend us your strength and some money, Mr. Reid?”
“Yes, let’s do that. I wouldn’t dare interrupt a family’s reunion, after all.”
And so, we quietly slipped out of the guild.
Well, “quietly” in theory—given the number of people, especially with the soldiers tagging along, it kinda turned into a bit of a parade.
Still—
“It’s nice, huh? To have a place you can go back to.”
“Well, having your whole family summoned to this side might be a kind of misfortune too, in a way.”
“Even so, better that than being separated. I hope they do well.”
Muttering things like that, we stepped out of the guild—
“Masters… do you regret… coming to this side?”
Minami asked, her voice unusually uncertain.
She was probably thinking in terms of someone Yuugo’s age—but this wasn’t about us.
I let out a small snort and turned to face our little, but reliable party members.
“Not at all. This side suits us better.”
“Yeah, no thoughts of going back ‘over there.’ It was safe and convenient, sure—but that’s it.”
“This side really makes you feel like you’re living.“
Every one of us—clearly, we’ve gotten pretty steeped in this world.
But hey, it’s not like we can help it.
Here on “this side,” we’ve been able to live freely, doing what we want.
Yeah, it’s tough. Life-threatening danger’s everywhere.
Even so—
—we’ve got freedom, and if we just get stronger, things tend to work out.
All we have to do is keep trying.
As long as we don’t give up, we can survive.
For idiots like us, it’s a perfect fit.
And we know we’re only standing here because others have helped us.
That’s exactly why—we’ll live on by paying those debts back, one step at a time.
“We’ve got North, South, East, and West between the four of us. We’re not going to disappear on you out of nowhere, so relax.”
“Yessir!”
And so, we followed after Reid, in search of new equipment.
【 Ain’t it beautiful? A life built on mutual support. 】
“Kana, now’s the time to stay quiet.”
Yeah… the mood got just a little embarrassing there.