When Mash woke up in the morning, Fam was praying just like yesterday.
"Are you praying to your guardian deity?"
"No, um, it's a different god."
"Why are you hesitant to say?" He was worried she might be getting caught up in some strange religion.
"Fam, it's game time. I'm definitely going to win today."
"Ugh, it's been full throttle since morning. But I'll accept the challenge."
Fam, having made up her mind, puffed out her chest. Her breasts were small but still beautiful. She closed her eyes tightly, perhaps out of embarrassment.
He immediately noticed something strange. Her clothes were positioned differently.
"Fam, what did you do?"
"I prepared so my master wouldn't make mistakes. I embarrassed you yesterday."
Had she adjusted herself to make it easier?
"Fam, why didn't you believe me… I'm a man who gets things done when it's time. I really wanted to find your special spots with my own skill."
"My lord, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were taking the game so seriously. I thought you just wanted to look."
Fam apologized sincerely.
"It can't be helped, but there's no game today. The next time will be after the quest is over, but I'll definitely give you a chance, so be prepared."
"So you're still planning on it? You're not joking... I get it."
Fam nodded and, feeling released, tried to move away.
"Well, since we're here. Let me play with you a bit."
"Huh? But I can't refuse..."
He pinched both of Fam's nipples through her clothes. They were soft.
"Ahhh!" Fam let out a mixture of a yelp and a gasp.
"They're so small."
He pinched with varying pressure and rotated. They became a little firmer.
Fam's face turned red as she endured it.
It was hard to let go, but he had to go on a quest. Finally, he squeezed her a little harder, and Fam groaned and shuddered.
"Okay, let's have breakfast and head to the meeting point."
"It's not 'okay,'" Fam replied resentfully.
At the gate of the meeting place, he was at a loss as to whom to look for, but a dwarf came to his rescue.
"You're Aidan?"
"You told me your name when you defeated the group of goblins, right?"
He was the same dwarf Mash had met on his first day in this world.
"Oh, sorry. So much has happened I forgot."
"I don't mind."
"I have to say, we're complete beginners. It's only my fifth day as an adventurer, and Fam's second. I don't think we'll be of any use to you."
"Huh? The fifth day? Master used magic yesterday... I, that was a lie. Master was pretending to use magic and throwing stones at me."
Fam was more surprised than Aidan, and tried to pretend that accidentally sharing his information was just a funny mix-up.
"Fam, it's okay. This is the dwarf who saved you."
"Hmm, what level are you two at?"
"Master is a level 10 adventurer, and I'm a level 7 Mibu Wolf."
"That's fast. Level 10 usually takes more than a month."
"Maybe it's because I've been steadily hunting slimes and goblins."
Aidan looked at him questioningly. There was no special skill column on Fam's character sheet. Mash was sure the experience-boosting skill would come out eventually, but he wanted to keep quiet for now.
"Hmm. I'm surprised at how quickly you've improved, but I knew you were beginners. I'm going to train you over these ten days."
"I appreciate it, but I don't deserve such kindness."
Just like with Fam, he didn't understand why this dwarf was trying to be kind to him.
"You tried to save the dying dog-eared girl."
"He probably wanted something in return. He wanted my body," Fam said.
"No. I can say that now because of how I've recovered. I was in a pitiful state back then. I don't think my body would have interested anyone. I had given up on life. He was even charged a high price. But he still tried to save me."
Fam interjected.
"Fufu, I agree with that," Aidan nodded.
"...I understand. There's no point in just chatting here. To be honest, we were at a dead end. I'll gratefully accept the quest officially. I'll register your party."
Aidan nodded and they headed out of town.
They hunted monsters while heading toward a village that was under attack by goblins.
Fam and Mash fought, while Aidan gave instructions and advice.
"Fam, don't be afraid of monsters. Tilt your center of gravity a little more forward."
"Yes," Fam said, facing the goblin.
"Don't back down and avoid attacks. Face them head on. Dodge from the front."
Fam moved according to Aidan's instructions. He gave many pointers, especially regarding body positioning.
"When dodging, don't just use your upper body, use your whole body. Move your feet. Connect to your next move."
It wasn't something that could be implemented immediately after being told.
Aidan patiently gave advice. Fam's movements were clearly different from yesterday—they had improved. Attacks that were deflected yesterday now smoothly shifted and landed with force, defeating monsters.
Defense no longer involved trying to avoid every attack with all her might.
She read the enemy's attacks, parried with minimal movement, dodged, or evaded with her whole body without losing balance, leading into counterattacks.
She had naturally high agility, and Aidan advised her to make the most of it in battle.
She still made mistakes. Today, she was hit in the side by a goblin. She looked at Mash with a tearful expression, but Aidan's words, "Focus!" brought her back to attention.
"Your footwork has improved," he said, stroking Fam's head as she drank the potion.
"How about your master?" Aidan asked.
"I don't feel like I've changed," he said with a wry smile.
"Hmm, haven't you studied swordsmanship before? Your current weapon seems to be holding you back."
"When I was a child, I used to practice using a stick made of bundled bamboo as a sword."
He had done kendo in elementary and junior high school.
"Your center of gravity is pulled back. You fight with your feet apart, but you're spreading them side to side instead of front to back. That's why you can't step in and you're flailing. You're swinging with just your arms, so you're not doing damage. Your lower body can't keep up with your upper body."
That was correct. The reason he stood with his feet apart was to prepare for impact. He hadn't done it consciously—he just happened to notice it. His waist was hunched over and he was leaning forward, which made it difficult to swing his sword properly.
Also, since his sword had a blade on both sides, he was afraid that if he was attacked, he might injure himself with his own weapon.
In this position, it was impossible to use the footwork of kendo, and his forward and backward movements became awkward. He had given up, thinking that practice and actual combat were different. However, actual combat should be an extension of practice.
"What kind of sword do you think that bundled bamboo stick was supposed to be?"
"A katana. You know about that? It's a two-handed sword with a single edge. There's a curve along the blade."
"Hmm."
Aidan opened his storage and took out a sword.
"Isn't storage a skill only for adventurers?"
"My job is alchemist, and my skill is 'Workshop'. It's a little different from Storage, but it can be used similarly."
He took the sword from Aidan. It was undoubtedly a Japanese sword.
"Someone used this sword when defeating the Demon King 100 years ago. I made this based on that. You should try using it."
"Thank you."
"This is for Fam."
Aidan handed her two short blades that were between daggers and knives.
"Hold one in each hand. When attacking, you need to get closer to the enemy. Don't push yourself too hard, just get used to them."
"Yes."
A knife for an adventurer, paired blades for a Mibu wolf.
It seemed a bit odd, but the weapons Aidan recommended suited them perfectly.
Evening came.
They prepared to camp. Along the road, there were places protected by stone pillars where monsters wouldn't attack. However, they were in full view of the surrounding area. Mash wondered if monsters really wouldn't attack them.
There had been no magic seed harvest today either.
When monsters were defeated, they left behind items. Goblins left clubs. However, clubs weren't valuable in town. Slimes left behind a gel-like substance. He'd keep it a secret that he thought it was something else until Fam told him what it was. He'd put these in storage. He thought he could sell them if he collected enough.
Aidan butchered the rabbits Mash had hunted with earth magic, and Fam added wild herbs she had gathered to make a stew. It seemed Fam used to help by gathering wild herbs during her settlement days.
"There's no water. Is there a source nearby?" he asked Aidan.
"I'll use water magic."
So that's how it could be used. Fire magic could start a fire too. Wind magic could adjust the intensity of flames.
"I thought you could only use earth magic."
"If you have imagination, there are many ways to use it. For example, try making a water ball using water magic."
He made a floating sphere of water as instructed.
"You can wash your hands by putting them in."
"I see. If we make a bigger one we can wash our hair. Fam, put your head in the water ball and try washing it."
"Yes."
Fam put her head in the water sphere and washed it. Water droplets splashed everywhere, but then flowed back into the sphere.
"This feels good."
Fam pulled her head out. Drops of water were dripping from her hair. When she shook her head, water splashed all over Aidan and him.
"..."
He canceled the water magic, opened storage, and handed a towel to Fam.
"I'm sorry."
Fam apologized, took the towel and dried her hair.
"Obviously, it's a bit inconvenient."
"That's where imagination comes in. The water that splashed out returned to the sphere. You can also guide the water on your hands and hair back into the water ball."
"I see. Fam, wash my hair too."
While casting the spell, he needed to use one hand to control it, like an orchestra conductor, so it was difficult to wash by himself.
"Leave it to me."
Fam vigorously scrubbed his head. Her slender fingers stimulated his scalp, which felt really nice. Since coming to this world, the only way to clean had been with a wet towel, so this was refreshing.
"Okay, pull your hands away and I'll guide the water."
Just as Aidan said, they were able to remove his head from the sphere while keeping him dry.
"Aidan's next."
"No, I'm fine," Aidan said with a sour look on his face.
"It feels good. Fam, convince him."
Mash set up a tent, which seemed to have been enchanted to ward off evil spirits.
He didn't know how it worked or what powered it.
The barrier's effect seemed to really keep monsters away, but there were still human threats. They decided to rotate watches, with two people sleeping inside and one person standing guard outside. The order was Mash, Aidan, and Fam.
The middle shift seemed hardest because you had to go back to sleep, but Aidan volunteered for it.
There was no clock, so he thought it would be difficult to know the exact time, but he could tell by the position of the moon and stars. The position of the moon determined when to change shifts. On cloudy days, they apparently lit a special cord that burned at a measured rate to track time.
He could use the alarm on his smartphone. If he put it in storage, it would be fully charged. However, since it couldn't connect to any networks, it had limited value beyond basic functions.
He kept watch, making sure to keep the bonfire burning.
It seemed that monsters were afraid of fire, but goblins were clever. He felt like they might use it as a target for attacks.
The stars were beautiful. They would shine even brighter if there was no moon and the bonfire was out.
He could see the Milky Way. Perhaps this place was one of the planets in the galaxy. Perhaps Earth was floating somewhere in this cosmic river.
He tried to find the North Star by looking for the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia, but couldn't find them.