After experimenting on my own, I found out that there’s a very simple condition needed to put items into the inventory.
You just have to be in contact with the item.
Whether it’s your hand or foot, you need to be touching the item first.
But… the range of this “contact” was pretty lenient.
Like, if I wanted to put something from my bag into the inventory, just touching the bag was enough.
So, I thought, could I become the world’s strongest murderous Lupin by touching someone and putting their bones or organs into the inventory? Sadly, no. Living beings are outside the inventory’s scope.
Just in case, I tested it as much as I could, but not even a live bug would go in.
Not that I’m disappointed. The inventory is already cheat-level for storing items—asking for more would just be greedy, right?
Instead of whining about what I don’t have, it’s more productive to explore and utilize what I do have.
So, what I came up with was… item theft.
The equipment I use is obviously in contact with my body. So, I can freely put it in and take it out of the inventory.
But the equipment someone else is using isn’t in contact with me. So, the condition for putting it in the inventory isn’t met.
But that means, if I *do* make contact, I could steal it by putting it in the inventory, right?
In games, that’s obviously not allowed, but now that this is reality, I couldn’t imagine there being such a restriction.
“…So, you’re saying you want to test if you can steal something someone else is holding right now?”
“Exactly. Oh, of course, I don’t plan to use it for anything bad.”
“You know saying that doesn’t make it convincing, right?”
“Well, that’s true…”
But still, the idea of stealing someone else’s stuff didn’t seem to sit well with others.
Of course, right? This is pretty much close to theft, no matter how you look at it.
Even Seria said that, so… I guess I’ll have to test this out on actual bad guys later.
While I was thinking that, Seria chuckled and changed her tone.
“Why are you taking it so seriously? I was just joking. I know Rudion isn’t that kind of person, so I’ll trust you.”
“…Have you been enjoying teasing me since earlier?”
She does this often, but usually, her pranks are more action-based.
Maybe that’s why. This kind of verbal teasing still makes it hard to tell if she’s being serious or just joking.
“Rudion started it first—”
“It’s my first time being asked out, so I’m just a little excited.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really! You didn’t know?”
…
Come to think of it, that might be true.
I’ve always been around Seria, but I never actually asked her to go somewhere together.
…
I really was just being dragged around, huh?
…
“Seriously… Even if it’s just occasionally, I wish you’d at least suggest going somewhere first.”
“Well, you always beat me to it, so what can I do…”
“Rudion. In situations like this, even if it’s a promise you can’t keep, you should just say ‘okay.'”
“That’s right, Rudion. Why don’t you understand my feelings?”
…
How am I supposed to know that?
It’s really unfair, but if I argue back here, I don’t know what I’ll hear, so I just said okay.
…
Seria made a satisfied expression, and Alkiné, seeing me and Seria like that, laughed out loud, which was rare.
…
Then, subtly, she started bringing up the conversation we had earlier and continued it.
…
“Shall we stop that talk? Let’s finish what we were talking about earlier. I’m quite interested in that experiment too.”
“Really? Even the chairman thinks it looks good for bad deeds, right?”
“Of course, it could be used that way. But I don’t think you would use your abilities in that direction.”
…
She also showed the same trust as Seria, which made my uneasy feelings disappear somewhat.
…
The reason it’s only somewhat is… because there’s actually a bigger reason why I hesitated.
…
‘Compared to that… stealing might not be such a big deal.’
…
Actually, being swayed by their words wasn’t just because of the guilt of stealing something.
Of course, that reason isn’t completely absent, but if you think about it, I’m already a thief who stole from the Royal Treasure Storage… so I feel relatively less guilty.
…
The reason I was swayed by their attitude was just one.
This experiment could give them a negative experience.
…
If it were just between men, it might be different, but for women like them, there’s something to be cautious about.
…
What is it? Well… the inventory’s judgment is surprisingly lenient, so sometimes I end up grabbing a handful more than I intended.
…
There’s no problem taking things out, but only when putting them in does this issue arise.
Anyway, usually when I grab something…
When you put it in, it’s gonna be in one big lump, so it probably doesn’t matter… but this situation is definitely different.
So, uh… if something went wrong, it could’ve turned into a magic show where the dress she’s wearing disappears.
That’s why I thought if she showed even a hint of discomfort, I shouldn’t do it.
…Then why not ask another friend, you might say?
Unfortunately, I don’t have any other friends. I’ve always been with Seria, right?
Because of that, it wasn’t easy to get close to other classmates who always attended lectures together.
I’m not the type to approach people first, and they probably find it hard to get close to me since I’m always with the princess and also Professor Reina’s assistant.
‘Seria’s probably in a similar situation.’
According to what Lilith told me, there are plenty of passionate friends aiming for Seria, but they all seem to have trouble even approaching her.
They seem to think of me as some kind of bodyguard… but does Seria even need a bodyguard?
Well, the others don’t know the inside story. They’re probably just saying that based on the impact she made during the entrance exam.
Oh, and back then, I also casually asked if there was anyone targeting me.
I mean, I was curious, right? Especially since I happened to possess the body of a handsome extra.
The conversation went like this:
– “Do you really want to think about that while Seria’s right next to you?”
– “No, I’m just curious.”
– “Yeah, that’s just how guys are…”
– “So, is there anyone or not?”
– “Sometimes? But they all disappear pretty quickly.”
– “Disappear? Why?”
– “…Ask Seria.”
What on earth did that mean?
In the end, even after asking Seria, I never got an answer, so that conversation remains a mystery.
…Anyway, the conclusion is this.
Both Seria and I are pretty much drifting on the outskirts when it comes to relationships.
So, asking another friend of the same gender was impossible.
I had no choice but to take the risk and ask Seria.
Since I couldn’t hide something so important, I honestly laid it all out, and Seria reacted exactly as expected.
“Rudion. You were actually expecting something like that, weren’t you? You pervert.”
“…I can’t argue with that. If you’re uncomfortable, I’ll stop right now.”
There’s no point in acting shameless here. No matter what, I’m the bad guy in this situation.
But…
The reactions of the two were completely different from what I expected.
“If Seria says she doesn’t want to, I’ll help.”
“Wait a minute, Ms. Alkiné. I never said I didn’t want to, okay? Can you not butt in?”
“No, Seria. I came along to help, so shouldn’t I take on some of the risks?”
“What kind of logic is that? I said I don’t mind!”
Arguing over who gets to do it? Totally unexpected.
I wondered if I explained it wrong, but they definitely understood what I said.
So why do they actually want to do it? What’s up with these people?
As I watched in disbelief, Seria, who had hastily escaped the argument, shouted.
“Hey! Rudion! Hurry up and do it!”
“Do what? The only thing you can take right now is your clothes.”
I hadn’t even taken out the item yet, but Seria was babbling nonsense like it was urgent.
“Ah, oh. Right. Haha, hahaha.”
Soon realizing what she had said, her energy deflated, and she awkwardly laughed while backing away.
Alkiné approached her and whispered something.
“Seria, were you waiting for Rudion to undress you all along?”
I don’t know what she said, but it was definitely something outrageous.
I’ve never seen Seria’s face turn that red before.
“Wha, what? What are you talking about?!”
“Wasn’t that it?”
“Of course not! D-don’t laugh!”
The argument between Alkiné and Seria went on for a while… Hey, everyone? Thanks for agreeing, but when can we start the experiment?
Finally, we managed to start the experiment after a long while, once Seria’s flushed face had calmed down.
“Ha… Ha… Really. Ms. Alkiné drained all my energy.”
“What did I do? I didn’t say much.”
“How is that not saying much…!”
“Alright, alright. Let’s just finish what we were going to do, okay?”
If I left it alone, Seria’s face would heat up again, so I quickly stepped in to mediate.
“If you both want to do it, I’ll let both of you. That settles it, right?”
“Both of us…”
“You’re a greedy man…”
But their reactions are a bit off again.
…Did I say something wrong?
