Vol 2 Chapter 5 (1/2)
LEVEL2: Everything is Precious, Nothing is Replaceable
Chapter 5: Container
They returned to Altana before sunset and sold the day’s loot at a shop near the marketplace The talismans, collected from five lesser kobolds and seven low-ranked kobold workers, amounted to just a little over seven silvers
“This is kinda sad,” Yuazed at the seven silvers and the handful of copper coins
“It’s not sad,” Ranta said, frowning deeply “It’s fricking pathetic! Seriously, what the hell?!”
“I guess I was expecting a littlea “haha”
“Yeah…” shi+horu hung her head low “This is less than e oblins…”
“Uh…” Haruhiro wanted to say so to cheer everyone up, but he couldn’t think of anything positive
“All we fought were normal kobolds” Mary immediately made up for Haruhiro’s lack of words with her cool and calhting elders”
Haruhiro, orously “Y-yeah, that’s right And it’s not like the fighting was tough In the beginning things were a little aard, but later on ere taking down the kobolds easily and no one really got injured, I think Fighting low level kobolds ht?”
“You better be sure,” Ranta scoffed “If tomorrow isn’t any better, be prepared to own up to it, Haruhiro!”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Haruhiro demanded
“It ive s don’t turn out how you think”
“Why should I do so like that?”
“What? It was your idea to go to the Siren Mines, wasn’t it?”
“But you agreed with it, right?”
“It wasn’t ive my approval The retard that came up with the idea is the azillion years!”
“Whatever you say,” Haruhiro said, giving up
“daht, it’s whatever I say!” Ranta declared
That ue back to Ranta left hih there wasn’t any reason to feel that way Maybe he was just tired—but if so, it was undoubtedly Ranta’s fault
Even while everyone ate dinner together at a stall (which, though cheap, had a good reputation), Ranta spewed stupid words every time he opened his mouth It was only at times like this—namely, when Haruhiro was in no mood to talk—that Ranta would just provoke him nonstop Ranta was just that type of person Fine then If he was going to be like that, Haruhiro would just ignore him completely
“Hey, Haruhiro,” Ranta started
“…”
“Oy, Haruhiro”
“…”
“Heeey,” said Ranta, drawing out the word, “Haruhiro”
“…”
“Hey, hey, hey Haruhiro”
“…”
“STUPID IDIOT!”
Still holding onto a half-eaten chicken skewer, Ranta began an odd dance around him “Hey hey hey! Oy oy oy! Heyyy heyyy, oyyy oyyy! Heeeey! Oyyyyyy! Hey hey hey! Oy oy oy!”
shi+t Ranta was kicking up his legs and swinging his hips around madly, but as it that his upper body stayed in place? It was incredibly gross, but strangely coured everyone one else was trying to avoid looking in Ranta’s direction too, but then… laughter
It sounded restrained but Haruhiro could definitely hear a soft chuckling Not just frohter
“Whahoo!” Ranta’s glee was apparent “Hoi hoi hoi!”
Unable to contain herself any longer, shi+horu began laughing too Ranta began to careen around in earnest “Hoi hoi hoi! Ho ho ho hoi! Hoi hoi hoi!”
Mogzo was the next to give in, and only Haruhiro and Mary reaze was on the floor, her shoulders were tre Ranta drew close to her and danced even crazier than before, unleashi+ng the full power of his Hoi Hoi Dance on her in an all out offensive
Mary! No! But she seemed at the liainst the stall’s counter now—a posture that told Haruhiro she was holding out on willpower alone
“Hoi hoi hoiiiii! Hoi hoi! Hoi hoi hoiiiii! Hoi hoi hoi! Hoi hoi! Hoi hoi hoiiiii! Hoi hoi hoi! Hoi hoi!Hoi hoi hoiiiii!”
Mary struggled to stifle her laughter
Hang in there, Mary! Don’t give in; resist! Resist it! How did it coht in the first place?
Suddenly, his urge to laugh faded, and then disappeared entirely Haruhiro swiftly maneuvered himself behind Ranta and jammed his heel into the back of Ranta’s knee Ranta, cut off mid hoi, spun on Haruhiro as he returned to his spot at the counter
“What the hell are you doing, retard!” Ranta exclaimed “I almost had her!”
“Quit spitting at ross,” Haruhiro replied calmly
Ranta responded by purposely spluttering on him
“Hey! Stop it!”
“You stop it, idiot!” He continued spitting
Ranta’s spit attacks were indiscriminate and turned the scene into an utter disaster as everybody else, and their food, becary, Ranta inappropriately delighting in it all Because of that, everyone was in a foul e
“Aaaaaalllright!” Ranta declared after they had reached their rooirls have the baths first, so it’s all-you-can-peep today!”
How could Ranta think about that at a time like this? Haruhiro could onlyto spend any y on him, Haruhiro turned over in his bunk so that his back was turned to the overly-excited Ranta
“Haruhiro, what’s your proble or what?” Ranta asked “It’s useless over-thinking ould happen if we’re caught again, so don’t think about it, idiot! Hey, Mogzo! You co?”
“N-no thanks,” Mogzo replied after a moment’s hesitation
“What?!” Ranta raged “C’mon! I can’t use you as a footstool if you don’t come!”
“I’zo replied
“So becoreat footstool!”
“I don’t want to become one…”
“What you want has nothing to do with it! Just do as I say! Trust et you into trouble, okay?!”
“I-I’ here”
For Mogzo, it was a pretty stern refusal Ranta backed down, if only slightly
“Fine! I’ll take on this great responsibility ret it later, ’cause I won’t give you any sympathy! Got it?!”
“Okay,” Mogzo said
“Really?! Is it really okay?! Really really REALLY?!” Ranta persisted
“I said it’s okay,” Mogzo insisted
“It’s not okay! Mogzo! If you won’t be y will fail—no, it’ll be useless! So COME! I don’t care what you say, I’, but couldn’t e! dah, ya fatty?!”
“Yeah, I guess I azo admitted
“You’re not fat,” Haruhiro interjected without thinking “You’re not fat, Mogzo,” he repeated “It’s not like your belly’s sticking out or anything You’ve just got a lot of muscle”
“Ah, I get it” Ranta slammed a hand on Haruhiro’s bunk “Finally decided you wanted in? What ao C’et up!”
How Ranta was able to interpret Haruhiro’s defense of Mogzo like that, Haruhiro hadn’t the slightest idea Wasn’t there anyone who could dispose of Ranta for hi about that
After they had finished their turn bathing, the boys returned to the roohts, made his way over to his bunk and in the pitch darkness, stayed awake to think
The essence of it came down to this: should they keep Ranta in the party or kick him out?
As far as Haruhiro was concerned, he adain It would be an enormous relief if Ranta just went away and never cazo and Mary, but Ranta was always spitting vitriol at Yume and shi+horu They weren’t the type to speak ill of people to others, but even so it was clear that they hated him Ranta was just that insufferable
Haruhiro couldn’t h He had to consider practical factors too; in other words, Ranta’s fighting ability If they kicked Ranta froht?
Is thinking about these things what it means to be a leader? he wondered
Currently, Ranta functioned as their second tank, behind Mogzo He was reasonably well armored, equipped with chainhting style wasn’t based on close cohters darted in and out of striking range, doing everything they could to avoid short, blade-locking distances Rather than involving straightforward attacks, their techniques ames