"Miss Soya, please help me out. I really need money right now. If I can only rely on E-rank collection quests, I might not even have enough for an inn tonight."
Having been refused once, Minami Yojuro could only try the pitiful approach, hoping the young lady would lend him a hand.
But what he hadn't expected was that instead of abusing her authority for him, the young lady enthusiastically invited him to stay at her home!
"Miss Soya, isn't this a bit improper? I mean, we did get along really well just now, but we only met today, and you're already inviting me to stay at your place…"
Yojuro hadn't thought that girls in another world would be so straightforward. Sure, his face probably gave him some bonus points, but a girl he had just met being this forward—it made him wonder if he had ended up in a rather indecent kind of fantasy world!
As everyone knows, even in anime there are two types. If it's the wholesome kind, then in a typical fantasy world it's usually either hot-blooded or comedic.
But if it's that other kind… then if he followed her home, the "next scene" would likely fall into the category of so-called paid content.
Honestly, considering how many handsome men and beautiful women lived in this world, the possibility of it being that kind of world wasn't entirely zero.
After struggling with himself for a while, however, Yojuro finally refused her kind invitation.
If it had been in the past, he wouldn't have minded having a little "interaction." But as an adventurer, he had no idea how long he'd be staying in this city. A casual fling, Yojuro wouldn't reject. But if responsibility came attached, that was another matter entirely.
"Geez, what are you even thinking about! I'm a guild staff member, so normally I stay at the guild.
But I also have a vacant house in this town. What I mean is, you can stay there temporarily.
As for rent, don't worry. You can pay me back later when you have the money."
"Mm, yes, that's exactly what I meant earlier. I just met you today, Miss Soya, and you're already lending me a house. Are you sure this really isn't a problem?"
As a gentleman, Yojuro certainly couldn't admit what he had actually been thinking a moment ago. So he spoke with a perfectly calm face, as if nothing was out of place. That in turn made Soya feel embarrassed, since she had started imagining things earlier.
"It's really no problem. The house is quite large. And besides you, there's already another tenant living there.
She's very beautiful, but also extremely strong—so make sure you don't try to mess with her."
Handing Yojuro a magical key to her house and telling him the location, Soya added:
"Actually, there's another way for you to quickly raise your adventurer rank and take on higher-level quests.
That is, you can team up with high-ranking adventurers. That way, you'll be able to accept quests with higher pay, you'll be safer, and you'll also gain a lot of experience.
Normally, veteran adventurers don't like taking rookies with them. But since I've worked at the guild for a while, I do have a few connections."
Soya herself couldn't explain why she was helping out an adventurer she had just met so much. Besides his good looks, she felt she could also see a great deal of potential in him.
As a guild receptionist, she interacted with countless adventurers every day. Yet, among all the rookie adventurers she had encountered, Minami Yojuro was the very first to give her such a strong impression.
"In that case, I'll be in your care, Miss Soya. Once I'm doing better financially, I'll pay you back double the rent I owe."
Since she had provided him with a place to live and was even finding ways to let him take on higher-level quests, Yojuro wasn't the kind of man who failed to appreciate such kindness.
Although he wasn't used to teaming up with others, since this was her goodwill—and he had no other options—Yojuro had no choice but to agree.
"Miss Soya, we're here! What do you need our help with? And if we really do help you this time, does that mean you'll finally agree to have dinner with me?"
It didn't take long before the so-called high-level adventurers that Soya mentioned entered the guild hall. There were three of them, with a blond, handsome man leading the group.
That man seemed to be one of Soya's passionate pursuers. This time, she had offered him dinner as payment in exchange for his assistance.
"Rex, this is my younger brother from the countryside. He just registered as an adventurer today. He wants to experience the life of higher-ranked adventurers, but I was worried about him, so I asked you to help out."
Hearing Soya's words, the blond man named Rex immediately pounded his chest with confidence. He had been pursuing Soya for a long time, and now, with a chance to show off in front of her, he wasn't about to miss it.
Since this boy was supposedly Soya's brother, if Rex could properly demonstrate his strength and make the boy admire him, then surely that would bring him closer to winning Soya's heart.
A kid from the countryside couldn't possibly know much. As long as Rex performed well here, maybe this "little brother" would even put in a good word for him with Soya.
"Don't worry, Miss Soya. I'll take good care of your brother and let him see the true strength of a high-ranking adventurer. By the way, where is your brother now?"
Following Soya's gaze, Rex turned to look in Yojuro's direction. At the same time, Yojuro's eyes also met the gazes of Rex and his two companions.
"Miss Soya, you mean that guy is your so-called… little… brother?"
When they saw Yojuro, Rex and his two teammates were completely dumbfounded. In this town as big as it was, they never imagined they'd run into him again—and that he'd turn out to be the brother of the woman Rex admired?!
Indeed, this wasn't the first time Yojuro had seen these "high-ranking adventurers." In fact, they had only parted ways not long ago.
The three men standing before him were none other than the adventurer trio who had previously tried to sell Yosuke off as a rare half-orc in the forest.
After being thoroughly beaten by Yojuro, they had then led him and Yosuke to this town, only for Yojuro to finally let them go afterward.
"What's the matter? Do you all know each other?" Seeing both Yojuro and Rex's group wearing looks of surprise, Soya glanced at Yojuro curiously and asked.
"You could say we do. Earlier, when I got lost in the forest, they were the ones who brought me here to this town.
Oh, and they even gave me a big bag of copper coins, saying it was all of their property…"