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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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“Missions completed—67.”
Points calculated.
Total points—500.
The employee looked at Chrono and Minerva.
“…You really did it…?”
“I told you I could.”
The employee stared at him in disbelief and continued filling out the paperwork.
“You get a bonus for completing missions during your internship. The bonus depends on the points earned, and you’ve earned enough for the highest reward.”
“Of course.”
He’d taken 67 missions for that exact reason. It saved him 1–2 weeks’ worth of work. ‘But that’s not the end’. It was time for side stories.
“Ah, did you hear? A siren has been attacking our branch for the past few months.”
‘As expected.’
It was a character-specific event. If you earned enough points in a guild where a heroine was interning, you’d unlock her event story. By clearing the story, you could increase the heroine’s affinity rank and get special CGs. It was a must-have for a harem ending, but he wasn’t looking for that.
[‘Oracle’ has arrived]
[Goddess Hera: …You’re not?]
‘What do you think I am?’
Did she think he was a harem protagonist? He was all about pure love.
‘I need the artifact.’
Clearing Minerva’s event gave you an artifact that increased intelligence. Mars’s event gave strength and stamina, but he didn’t need those. He accepted the siren quest.
“The reward depends on the completion rate. You know that, right?”
“Can I just press the OK button?”
“…Then who’s going to write the report?”
“Ah…”
The struggles of customer service.
“Ahem! Anyway, judging by your skills and achievements… how about this mission?”
The employee offered him a mission. He was about to accept it when—
“Chrono-ssi.”
“…..Yes?”
He couldn’t accept it. More accurately, he could, but it would probably affect his relationship with Minerva. She grabbed his wrist.
“Completing 67 missions in a week… is a miracle. Even though the missions were easy individually, it’s not something an ordinary person can do. Even if they could, they wouldn’t be able to complete them all successfully.”
But we did. Every single one of them.
“And raid teams usually take a month’s break before their next mission.”
“…We didn’t do a raid, though?”
“We killed eight boss-level monsters.”
“…Seven… Look, I get it, so let go of my hand…”
She really didn’t want him to take any more missions. They agreed to postpone it for a week.
“…You push people too hard, Chrono-ssi.”
“Hey, don’t make me sound like a bad boss! I’m working just as hard as you are!”
“It’s normal to rest when you’re tired…”
“Work hard, play hard.”
“………….”
Oh, that look could kill. He took a step back.
“…I mean… you know.”
“You would make a great boss, Chrono-ssi.”
“That’s a sudden compliment.”
He felt uneasy. Minerva smiled faintly.
“You’re diligent, and you don’t mind getting your hands dirty. Your subordinates will learn a lot from you.”
“…..Hmm.”
That didn’t sound like a sincere compliment. ‘Is she mocking me?’ Did he really push her that hard?
‘Well, she was on the verge of a mental breakdown…’ He had used [Power Chord] to reduce her stress, so she should have been in top condition, theoretically, but… she looked like she was losing her soul, or rather, she was too tired of being artificially energized.
“I’m used to this kind of stuff…”
It was a common thing for modern people. You were exhausted, but you chugged caffeine and taurine to keep going. You sacrificed tomorrow for today, and erased the next two days of your life. It was something you shouldn’t get used to but he was too used to it.
‘Overtime and all-nighters… what a messed up era.’
People were dying, but the government was trying to increase working hours because they thought people weren’t working enough. Had he done something terrible to Minerva?
“…Ugh…”
It hit him. What had been ‘normal’ to him was not normal at all. ‘…Wait.’ Then what about him? What about all the people in his previous life? Had they all been living abnormally? Reality was stranger than fiction.
“…Sorry, Minerva.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Just… sorry.”
“………”
She looked at him, as if saying ‘you’re just realizing it now?’ Well, it had been ‘normal’ to him.
“Chrono-ssi… scientifically speaking, a person’s productivity drops significantly after eight hours of work.”
And, we’ve been working non-stop for six days straight.
“…We took breaks, though?”
“Have you ever heard of ‘battle rest’?”
Resting for battle is not resting.
“It’s the bare minimum required to continue fighting. So, even ‘rest’ is included in ‘work’.”
“……….”
He didn’t know anymore. She was right. He gave up.
“Those who make decisions without any field experience are bad, but those who only focus on moving forward without looking back are just as bad.”
“Sorry…”
She seemed really exhausted. He felt like he needed to do something for her. He could just say goodbye, but the Siren event was related to her. If she wasn’t in good condition, then they might not be able to clear it. And besides that, he had to treat her like a person.
“…No, I’m not in a position to say such things. I was like you too, Chrono-ssi.”
“Minerva?”
“I just kept moving forward, without caring for those who fell behind. At first, I didn’t understand them, but now I think I can relate to them.”
“………”
She must have had a hard time. Her eyes were unfocused.
“Minerva, are you free today?”
“Yes? I, um… I’m free…”
Good.
“Let’s go somewhere.”
“Huh?”
“Eat something nice, rest, and take a walk.”
“…Uh… ah…”
He grabbed her wrist and pulled her along. She looked flustered, but she didn’t resist.
“…Is this… a date…?”
“What?! Don’t be ridiculous!”
That was embarrassing.
“I have a girlfriend!”
“…………”
“Two, actually.”
“Hmm…”
And a white horse. That made it 2.5.
“It’s difficult for me when you ask for a date when I’m already taken.”
“…Two or three, it doesn’t matter.”
“It matters a lot if it doesn’t matter!”
“……..?”
“What?”
She was staring at him.
“What you said earlier…”
“What I said?”
“Did you say that to me, or to yourself?”
“………….”
Minerva covered her face with her hands. He sighed.
“I understand your feelings… but a harem is a bit much, don’t you think?”
“You already have a harem.”
“Don’t rub it in.”
Anyway,
“Let’s hang out as friends.”
“…Haaaa…”
She sighed.
“You always manage to surprise me, Chrono-ssi. In a good way, and a bad way.”
That was a negative message, but—
“So, are you not going?”
“…You should pay if you want to go so bad.”
—her true intention was positive.
“What? We’re going Dutch, obviously.”
“…………..”
No sugar daddies allowed.
Minerva is cute.