It feels like it’s been a really long time, but in reality, it’s only been a few days since I last saw the Student Council Building.
When I arrived in front of it, someone opened the door and came out.
As if they knew we were coming, the person who naturally appeared was Grain, a senior a year above me who always treated me to meals.
“Oh, Senior Grain.”
“Long time no see, huh?”
As she said, it had been a while. My encounters with Grain had been almost nonexistent since the previous vice president of the student council went missing.
“Seria, you… seem to have gotten a lot closer since then.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“To me, it is.”
Still, since I had met Seria occasionally, the atmosphere wasn’t too awkward.
While we were having this light conversation… suddenly, Grain’s gaze fixed on my clothes.
She stared at what I was wearing for a moment, then asked in a slightly flustered tone.
“Hey. Where did you get that outfit?”
“It was a gift.”
To be precise, I said I needed it, and they brought it to me.
“Who gave it to you?”
Hmm… The servants brought it, so I don’t know who prepared it. The Emperor? The Empress? I have no idea.
But why is she so fixated on the clothes?
“You wore it without knowing anything, didn’t you?”
“That’s right.”
Even though I know all about equipment tiers and performance, I know nothing about actual clothing like this.
I figured it wasn’t ordinary attire. After all, it was prepared by the Royal Palace.
But whatever it was, I thought it was just something too extravagant for commoners to wear. Judging by her reaction, it seems like it’s a more significant outfit than I thought.
I decided that if more people recognize it, it’ll be a hassle, so I shouldn’t wear it after today.
Grain, who had finally looked away from my clothes, spoke up.
“If you ask me to treat you to a meal from now on, you’re dead. Seriously.”
“Uh… okay.”
I wasn’t planning to ask anyway, since I’m not exactly struggling these days.
“Well, enough about that…”
Maybe thinking she wasted time with unnecessary talk, Grain quickly got to the point as soon as the conversation ended.
“You’re here to help, right?”
“Of course. Professor Reina told me to go to the Student Council. Is there anyone inside now?”
“No one. I was alone.”
Alone in the Student Council Building?
The brief doubt I had was immediately cleared up by Grain.
“I got a little hurt because I let my guard down. I just got treated and was resting to recover. The others went back to deal with the imbalance…”
She went back to the heat.”
Apparently, she was planning to follow along as is, but someone next to her told her to rest.
If Reina had to tell someone who was completely healed by her treatment to rest, just how badly were they injured?
“It wasn’t that serious of an injury. My upper and lower body almost split apart, but…”
“Senior… We’ve agreed to call that a serious injury…”
“Right. You almost died.”
When Seria and I teamed up to firmly shut down her nonsense, she laughed awkwardly.
“Ahaha, this is a bit embarrassing.”
“This isn’t something to laugh about… Seriously.”
She’s acting all calm and laughing like nothing happened, but if it weren’t for Professor Reina, she might’ve actually died.
If the wound had been just a bit deeper, even the time it took to get to Professor Reina would’ve been dangerous.
We almost lost a key figure.
“Can you not look at me like I’m already dead? I’m alive, you know?”
“Ah. Sorry.”
“Rudion, your gaze is way too obvious. But since you’re worried, don’t take it too badly.”
“Huh? Oh… But why are you defending me?”
The conversation briefly went off track, but the conclusion was still the same.
The rift is open right now, and the other Student Council members are all investigating it.
So, the next destination was naturally decided.
“Then we should head straight to where the rift is. Seria.”
“Okay. Let’s go.”
“Wait. You two are going alone?”
“Yeah. Why?”
Grain looked momentarily flustered but soon seemed to realize something and calmed down.
“Uh… Well… I guess there’s no reason not to.”
She’s one of the few people who knows I’ve defeated a demon before.
If she remembers that, it’s not hard to understand.
In fact, it might even make me seem reliable.
“Hey, I have a favor to ask. Can you take me with you?”
…Was I too reliable?
“Shouldn’t you be resting?”
“I’m really fine. Seriously. So… yeah, I treated you to a meal before. Take me as payback.”
This is… I can’t coldly refuse when she’s going this far…
Well, if she’s bringing up the time she treated me to a meal, maybe she doesn’t need that much rest after all.
“Alright. Let’s go together.”
“Really?”
“Would I lie about going together?”
“Really, thank you. I’ll take back what I said earlier about killing you if you asked me to buy you food.”
“You don’t really have to take it back, though.”
I like her this much. If I leave her behind, how gloomy would she get?
Even if something dangerous happens, Seria’s here, so it should be fine.
“…Hmm. You’re being so kind again…”
“Don’t worry, Seria. I don’t have any feelings for her, let alone any interest.”
“W-what are you talking about? It’s not like that!”
“Nah, you can’t fool my eyes.”
“Ugh.”
So, after I casually accepted it, Seria and Grain started whispering to each other.
What’s so funny that Grain’s giggling like that?
Then, Seria suddenly jumped forward.
“Let’s hurry up and get going!”
“Yeah, we should. But it’s not that way. It’s this way.”
…And so, we started heading toward the Rift, following Seria, who had corrected our direction.
While walking toward the Rift, Grain cautiously opened his mouth.
“I think I’ve been too arrogant.”
It was an out-of-the-blue self-reflection.
But honestly… I think he had every right to be arrogant. It’s just that his skills are more specialized for non-combat situations, which is why things turned out like this.
Of course, he could still be useful in combat, but if you think about it that way, you could make anything work, so let’s move on.
While the rest of us were wandering around aimlessly without any information, he was the one pulling up a mini-map with radar functionality and scouting ahead. That’s the difference.
It’s actually more complicated than that… but even if you simplify it, the gap is still that big.
So, honestly, I have to respect the Student Council for continuing the investigation without her.
They could’ve made things easier by bringing her along after her treatment, but they left her behind, saying she needed to rest.
In the end, Alkiné and the two guys following her probably had a strong influence, but regardless, it felt really good that they prioritized her well-being.
“At this level, even with my abilities, I’d just be a hindrance.”
Despite the good intentions, he seems to have taken it very negatively.
Hey, hey, you can’t be talking like that when you’ve got such a cheat skill. Plus, you’re part of the Student Council. People would call that a flex.
But even if I told him that, it wouldn’t mean anything.
When someone’s self-esteem is this low, no amount of praise is going to get through to them.
In that case, the only way is to show her directly. Her…
How ridiculously overpowered the trait is.
Well, I’ve been using it well on my own, but… who am I? Even though the people around me are getting stronger and I’m starting to fade a bit, I’m still an experienced player, right?
Even if I don’t understand the principle, I’ve memorized how to use it like a pro.
If I use her abilities to aggressively tackle the rifts, my dead pride might just come back to life a little.
‘I’ll throw in some advice like a dog and snatch up the contribution points.’
Of course, it wasn’t entirely for her sake, and that thought was lurking in the back of my mind.
Whether using Grain’s abilities will count toward my contribution is still up in the air, though.
Might as well give it a shot instead of making things harder. If it doesn’t work, it’s a shame, but if it does, great.
With those thoughts, I somehow arrived at the rift.
But… the rift was way bigger than I thought.
“I forgot to mention it. This rift is a ‘composite rift.’”
“There’s such a thing?”
This is the first I’m hearing of it. Did I miss some setting?
Apparently not, as Grain shook his head in denial.
“No, this is the first time. The term ‘composite rift’ was coined by the council president after hearing my description.”
Composite rift. Literally, a rift formed by the fusion of multiple rifts, I guess.
Just named it as it is. Classic Alkiné naming sense.
While I was thinking that, Grain continued his explanation.
“I was pretty shocked when I first saw it, but the inside isn’t much different from a regular rift. Just a bit wider.”
“How many rifts were fused?”
“Probably three.”
Three, huh…
“Does that mean there are three rift stones?”
“How did you know? Probably, yeah. Haven’t found any yet, though.”
As soon as I heard that, I immediately thought of my inventory.
[This feature is currently locked.]
[Unlock condition: Contribute 40% or more to clearing 5 rifts (2/5).]
If each rift stone counts as one, clearing all three by myself would unlock it immediately.
“Let’s go in right now.”
“Huh? Why the sudden rush?”
The student council is busy exploring, and I’m gonna barge in, clear everything myself, and unlock my inventory?
Might stand out a bit too much and look really suspicious… but am I supposed to just let this slide?
‘No way I’m holding back.’
Inventory unlock, here I come~
