Translator: Shizukuku

Editor: Lilia

Read at Watashi Wa Sugoi Desu!

Chapter 123 – A Good Thing!

It was over.

Exams were over.

Not mentally over from poor performance, but physically over.

I logged in a little on Saturday and Sunday during the exam period, but in the end, I just mass-produced a lot of failed work.

It was supposed to be a distraction from studying for the test, but I ended up studying for the test to relieve the frustration from the failures, a complete turnaround from normal.

Questions that had definite answers from the get-go were so much easier. I was able to enjoy studying for exams for the first time, which was a blessing in disguise.

At this rate, I had no idea when I would finish the prime minister’s quest. I had ended up taking on two quests with no end in sight, something really frustrating for a game like this.

But, perhaps thanks to that, I felt like I was able to answer quite a few more of the questions on the exam in reality. Compared to my normal standards, at least.

And more importantly, the long-awaited lottery results were finally announced.

I’d heard that emails would be sent to the registered email addresses of the winners, but they were also announcing the lottery numbers on the website.

Yuuta, Masuda, and I were at school, waiting with bated breath, smartphones in hand.

I still hadn’t received a winning email.

“Ah, it’s not saying [ Please wait patiently~ ] anymore.”

At Yuuta’s words, the three of us leaned in closer. 

All of us were looking at one phone. We simply watched the string of numbers on the screen scroll by. And then—

Masuda won!

First, we saw that Yuuta’s number wasn’t pulled at all, and after scrolling further, Masuda’s lottery number, [ 4477 ], was found. At the same time, Masuda’s phone vibrated.

“Ah, I got the winning email!”

“What?! Show me!”

“Seriously?! Masuda, that’s amazing!”

Yuuta and I crowded around Masuda’s phone. 

There, the email I dreamed of seeing, with a subject title that said [ You’re a winner! ]. Ah, so the winning email wasn’t just an urban legend… As soon as I mumbled that, Yuuta agreed with me vehemently.

By the way, my number didn’t even come close, and I didn’t receive any emails. But that was okay because, thanks to Masuda, I was also a winner!

“It says they’ll send me the priority tickets after I make a payment. I’ll deposit the money on my way home. Do you two have enough cash?”

“I brought a little extra today just for such an occasion.”

Yuuta answered with a smug look on his face, and I nodded. We both had a bit of extra cash in our wallets because we’d planned on making an immediate payment if any of us won.

In the end, the three of us decided to leave together, and we stopped by a convenience store on the way to deposit the money. We were all buzzing with excitement about Game Fest. I had decided to head straight to the ADO booth once we entered, but it seemed like I was also destined to join their activities. Hmm, two couples? I wondered if there was a place for me. I’d probably leave them when I had a chance.

I logged in excitedly, thinking that I would finally get to properly visit Vidello-san, since we’d been limited to brief conversations at the gate while I was studying for my exams.

I explained to Vidello-san that I might not be able to meet with him much for a while.

Looking back, it seemed like we had been constantly passing by each other, but finally, that phase had come to an end.

As I excitedly left the workshop, I saw a note from Crash at the entrance.

It said that I should come to the general store immediately.

I wondered what it was. Another urgent quest? I headed for the general store with a sense of dread, wondering if Vidello and I were doomed to exchange nothing but passing words again… I looked at the entrance of the general store and saw that it was closed.

“Wait, could it really be an emergency…?!”

I knocked on the door, and it swung open from the inside.

Looking at the person who opened the door, my eyes widened involuntarily.

“Vidello-san…?”

“Come on in, Mac.”

I felt Vidello-san’s arm around my shoulders, pulling me inside.

Could it be another emergency quest, this time involving Vidello-san as well…?

And as I stepped into the store with my heart racing, the man in question, Crash, greeted me with a smile and invited me in. 

“Mac, we’ve been waiting for you.”

“Here you are at last, Mac.”

Emily-san was also seated at the counter.

“Did something happen?”

Surprised by the unexpectedly friendly atmosphere, I looked up at Vidello-san, and he offered me a reassuring smile.

“The guild master is being kind enough to show me and Mac something good.”

“Something good…?”

As I was pondering, Emily-san stood up, gesturing for us to come closer.

“Well, come on. Grab hold of Crash.”

As she said this, Emily-san grabbed onto Crash’s left hand.

I also approached Crash as Vidello-san pulled me by the hand and grabbed Crash’s arm.

At that moment, my vision changed drastically with the activation of the magic teleportation circle.

In front of me now was a large blue bird, and nestled into its chest was a fluffy, blue-tailed chick covered in soft, downy feathers.

“Ah… so cute…!”

The parent bird curled up in the nest was adorable, but the fluffy chick covered in soft feathers was so irresistibly cute that I couldn’t help but exclaim out loud. 

I instinctively took a screenshot of the adorable parent and child.

“You mentioned wanting to see it with Vidello, right? So I asked my mom. I asked her if she could show it to Mac.”

“Having this many people around might startle the bluetail, but since you helped out the other day, we made an exception.”

Emily-san smiling at me looked like a goddess. Let’s worship her for now.

“Thank you very much! They’re so cute. Vidello-san, aren’t they cute? I heard that this bird brings good luck. I’m already lucky just to be able to see this baby bird. And to be able to see it with Vidello-san is even better! Thank you so much, Emily-san. You too, Crash.”

Exams were over, Masuda had won the contest, and Vidello-san and I could watch the mother and baby bluetail together… I was so happy that I was afraid of what might happen next.

In the meantime, I wanted to focus on the fluffy bird, so I held hands with Vidello-san and watched it as it let out a small, high-pitched cry. The chirp was cute, too.

“When those down feathers molt, it’ll be time for them to leave the nest. We’ll be removing them soon, so if you want to, Mac can help too. Although, it looks like you already have a bluetail feather.”

Emily-san cast a glance at the amulet on my chest.

Yeah, I already had one of those precious feathers, but I still wanted to help with the removal. Though, I didn’t know how much help I could be, since I couldn’t even use magic. I wondered if the nest would collapse if I threw some bombs.

Of course, I still wanted to participate!

For a while, the four of us watched the bluetail parent and child.

The forest was quiet, with no monsters in sight. Only the gentle sound of flowing water echoed around us.

I wondered if this was what it meant to be healed. I took a deep breath with a calm heart.

Occasionally, a staff member would emerge from a tent set up in the corner, jot something down on a piece of paper, then disappear again.

So this was how the Adventurer’s Guild handled things.

As I watched the staff members, the bluetail suddenly stood up. Then, it flapped its wings and flew towards the sky.

As I expressed my surprise, Emily-san explained that it had gone to look for food. At the same time, a staff member emerged and stood near the nest.

Suddenly, enemy figures appeared on the map.

It seemed that monsters were taking advantage of the moment when the chick was left alone.

“Monsters!”

As I started to rush forward, the staff member swiftly raised their hand towards the monsters.

“O wise spirit of water, eliminate these wretched creatures! Aquashot!”

A powerful stream of water shot from the staff member’s fingers. Ah, this was one of those magic spells that could cut iron with water. Sure enough, with a single attack, the monsters vanished into light.

Incredible. That staff member’s strength was no joke.

Having turned all three monsters into light with a single blow, the staff member returned to the tent just as the parent bird came back.

“Now that we’ve seen the baby bird, let’s go home.”

Emily-san, who had also been watching the staff work closely, looked back at us and said that. I guess she didn’t want to bother the staff or the bluetail family too much.

With barely any time to linger in the afterglow of Crash’s magic circle, we were back at the general store.

Emily-san quickly said, “I have to get back to work,” and left the store. Crash offered to make some tea for me and Vidello-san, who remained behind.

“The chick was so cute, right? Mom makes me take her to see it at least once a day, but no matter how many times I go, I never get tired of its cuteness.”

Crash sat down on a chair and spoke earnestly. Going every day… Wow, Emily-san was quite carefree with Crash’s powers. The fact that Crash didn’t seem to mind showed the strong family bond between them.

“It was really cute. If they made small accessories or something and put them up for sale, they’d probably sell like crazy. The chick was almost as big as I am, so I couldn’t hold it, but I wanted to cuddle it. I bet that fluffy down would feel really nice and warm to the touch.”

Thinking about the chick, I looked up and said, “Right, Vidello-san?” and Vidello-san chuckled.

“In my opinion, Mac is cuter than those chicks.”

The moment Vidello-san spoke, Crash choked on his tea. From the way he was coughing, it seemed the tea had gone down the wrong way into his windpipe.

“Ack, ahahaha, ahem… Oh, it hurts. Vidello, don’t make me laugh anymore… phew. Why are you jealous of a baby bird, Vidello?”

“No one is jealous of anything.”

“No, you are definitely jealous. When Mac was looking at the chick, you were staring at Mac the whole time! I’m sure you were thinking, ‘Look at me too, with those eyes,’ right?”

“Crash.”

“What?”

Ah, those two were joking around.

They sat across the table from each other, staring each other down.

I knew that they’d known each other for a long time, and I knew they were friends, but I felt like I should do something.

As if to water down the situation, I quickly pulled out some food from my bag and placed it on the table.

It was a cactus steak that I had made when I was feeling peckish after a series of failed attempts. It was topped with a tangy fruit sauce. I thought it was quite delicious.

Without saying a word, I gently put plates in front of them, and they both looked at me at once.

“Well, anyway, I’m hungry, let’s have some cactus steak. It’s delicious.”

Just as I said this to hide the exhilaration and guilt I felt for interrupting their intimate exchange, Vidello-san hugged me and Crash burst into laughter.

“Mac’s jealousy is too cute for me to handle.”

“I-It’s not like that!”

Still in Vidello-san’s arms with my face bright red, I tried to get Crash to stop laughing. “I’m just hungry!” I desperately tried to justify myself, but they were both smiling, so I don’t think it was successful.

By the way, the cactus steak was well-received, but Crash kept laughing so much during dinner that I think he grew a six-pack.¹