March 30th, 7 PM.
the sun had just risen when Shaka finally ended his call with Kotoko Iwanaga and began a new day.
Sayu was not part of Shaka's Familia, her role was closer to that of an employee. In Orario, it was common for Familias to hire outsiders as guards, shop clerks, or assistants.
He scrolled through news articles on his phone for a while longer.
"There really have been more murders lately, and they're all within the Sakura City. Tsk, what a mess."
Shaka let out a quiet sigh, then posted the final chapter of his all-night short story about the Slit-Mouthed Woman, along with an illustration of the character on his video account.
Within minutes, dozens of private messages poured in, all starting with "I have a friend who wants..." and asking for an unedited version.
"Everything starts with 'I have a friend'... it feels like I'm handing out forbidden notebooks..."
Shaka was speechless, but he figured turning urban legends into infatuated characters was better than letting them remain murderous monsters. After all, dirty jokes might just save the world.
Hopefully no weirdos will deliberately seek out those creatures because of this...
Shaka pushed open the door, walked through the backyard into the living room, where Cecil and Yuuki were chatting happily.
Having tasted real food for the first time in ages, the young girl had puffed cheeks and tears of joy glistening in her eyes.
Upon learning about Yuuki's situation, Cecil patted her chest confidently:
"If you ever need anything, just come find me!"
Shaka leaned closer: "I actually have something to discuss..."
Cecil blushed awkwardly: "W-what?! I was talking to Yuuki-chan, why are you interrupting?"
"It's about the captain position."
Cecil already knew Shaka had used summoning magic during the battle, but she had to admit he was more than qualified to lead. He'd single-handedly drawn away the monster horde, risked his life to cover the retreat, and saved their teammates.
Combined with his formidable combat skills, he embodied everything she thought a captain should be.
Aside from his tendency to flirt but wasn't there a saying about that?
A better tomorrow awaits?
"Hmph." Cecil lifted her chin proudly and pouted: "You're just teasing me again!"
"No, I'm serious."
Shaka looked a bit embarrassed. "What I mean is... why don't we both be captains?"
"Huh?" Cecil stared at him blankly.
"Think about it my magic is summoning based, and the familia will definitely grow larger in the future. I can't manage everything alone, so we need to divide responsibilities clearly."
"Take Yuuki, for example," Shaka explained. "She should reach at least Level 2 in a month or two. The leaders' combat power can't be lower than the members', right?"
Cecil stayed quiet, thinking it over.
Yuuki scratched her head nervously: "Oh, I don't know about that... Hehe."
Shaka patted her head gently: "Don't be so modest. Your stats are improving quickly, but I still suggest you work on your endurance it'll help a lot in the long run."
Endurance and mana were relatively easy to raise: endurance through controlled damage, mana through constant spellcasting.
"By the way, Kotoko sent word that your sister and parents' conditions have stabilized."
"Really?!" Yuuki jumped up excitedly, threw her arms around Shaka's neck, her eyes shining with hope.
Shaka felt a soft press against his face, but quickly composed himself.
Still flat as ever...
"From now on, we'll split duties. I'll lead the combat team for exploration and battles making sure we have a strong defense and fighting force to protect everyone. Cecil, you'll handle logistics and trade. Hmm... Blank would be perfect for diplomacy, or maybe as a staff officer..."
As the familia expanded, Shaka knew he wouldn't be able to look after every single member personally.
"As for you, Yukki..."
"Huh? Me too?"
Shaka spoke sincerely:
"You can form your own knight order, similar to the squads in the School District. I'll give you full freedom to explore what works best."
His meaning was clear, he wanted Yuuki to oversee the end-of-life team.
"I... I'll do my best!" Yuuki was still a bit surprised by the responsibility.
Shaka crossed his arms and shared his vision:
"My hope is that all of you can achieve your dreams in this world."
Yuuki raised her hand with a bright smile: "Thank you, Shaka! So... what should we call my team?"
"Let's name them... the Sleeping Knights."
After breakfast, the younger members logged on one by one. Their plan for the day was to visit the School District, for Blank especially, gathering intelligence quickly would help them grow faster.
Shadow wasn't online again.
Shaka figured he was probably...
Trying to train in secret to surprise everyone later.
Dekomori bounded over, wrapped her arms around Shaka's neck, and whined playfully:
"Shaka! When am I getting that Death-type item for my inventory?"
"What kind of request is that? Even if I could make it, your contribution points aren't high enough yet."
The points from defending the stronghold only added up to 2000 nowhere near enough for something like that.
Undeterred, Dekomori tugged at her collar and pleaded: "Shaka~~ please make my Death item already!"
Shaka rolled his eyes.
Ha, poverty really does limit your imagination!
The Black Cat picked up a can of milk from the table, grabbed Dekomori's twin tails, pulled her head down, and pressed the can to her mouth.
"I think someone needs to be more realistic. Grow up a bit before making such big demands."
"I don't care! The Giant Academy Destroyer LAX needs it to save us all!"
"Give it up. If you swung a ten-meter hammer around, your first victim would be me, your teammate." Black Cat tied a knot in Dekomori's ponytails and hands on her hips to complain.
"Mmm! You flirtatious cat wanna fight?!"
"Bring it on! Want to experience my curse magic?"
"Ugh! If you're so tough, why do you always bring Mamenosuke along?!"
"Fine! I won't bring him next time!"
Thump thump thump thump
As fists and feet flew, a thought crossed Shaka's mind: Is this what a battlefield looks like?
He turned to Cecil and asked:
"When did they get so close?"
"Hmm, probably on the way back from the School District... they actually get along surprisingly well, though I didn't understand most of what they were talking about." Cecil nodded thoughtfully.
Once the lively chaos died down, only Shaka and the goddess remained at the long living room table.
Shaka was taking the day off to recover from his injuries. Although Black Cat had treated him the day before, the blood he'd lost wouldn't replenish so quickly.
It was perfect timing he could use the break to craft the items the younger members had requested.
His [Mystery] skill glowed as he worked.
The day before, Shaka had Cecil create some semi-finished pieces, including a death metal-style guitar.
Right before logging off, Yui had suddenly had a wild idea:
"I want to turn this into a battle axe!"
Shaka strongly suspected she wanted to make a Kamen Rider-style cameo!
Cecil hadn't hesitated, using drops from a Level 3 Bull Monster to finish the semi-finished product quickly.
Now it was Shaka's turn to enchant it. Intricate patterns appeared as the magic stone melted, mixed with divine blood, and was engraved onto the metal in sacred script.
As for making the guitar produce sound the DanMachi world had its own magic stone technology for that, which wasn't too complex.
Before long, the death-themed tomahawk-guitar was complete, exuding a heavy aura.
Shaka plucked the strings, the tone was surprisingly good.
As the strings vibrated violently, a unique melody rang out, sending invisible shockwaves through the air.
[You can't catch me, there's nothing you can do – I'm just that powerful! La la la la!]
Shaka felt his blood surge – the effect of using Fierce Bull Dragon Transformation materials was clear.
[Bull Horn]
Guitar / Tomahawk Hybrid
Attributes: Sharpened, Reinforced, Enraging
• When played, triggers the "Enrage" effect.
"Enrage": Stimulates the nervous system, keeping all who hear the sound in a heightened state of arousal. Has a tauntingeffect on irrational targets.
"This ability will be perfect for Yui."
Shaka set the guitar aside and turned his attention to the custom item Blank had requested.
"A pistol..."
Shaka was a bit stuck. If it were a traditional firearm, he could just look up blueprints on encyclopedia on his phone.
But what blank wants is not a normal pistol so...
Shaka ran his hand along the gun barrel as he thought: "I remember firearms and cannons exist in DanMachi, Fels's magical cannon and the School District's ship cannons are both good references."
"It looks like a trip to the School District is in order soon."