On the second day of his store's operation, the customers show no signs of fading.
Bars of soap, bottles of shampoo and sanitizer, and pouches of deodorant and toothpaste come and go as fast as Motegi can restock them.
"Do you still have the lavender soap?"
"Yes, it is on the second shelf from the left, sir."
"My son loved the shampoo from yesterday!"
"I'm glad to hear that, sir."
Motegi, as usual, stands behind the counter. Coins clink steadily on the wooden surface as he offers polite smiles and calm responses.
"Here's your change, sir. Thank you for coming back."
"Thank you!"
"You're welcome, sir. Come again anytime!"
"Of course!"
But today, it isn't just the hygiene goods that stole the spotlight.
"Is this a new pan, miss?"
"Yes, Motegi-chan made it last night. It's well-balanced and won't burn the handle even after long cooking."
Yomogi stands beside the kitchenware and tableware section, radiant as always in her modified maid-style store clerk uniform. The new section has clearly become the new center of interest, especially for the ladies. Her warm smile, calm voice, and attentive explanations she offers are hard not to be drawn in.
"It even comes with this kind of handle? Unbelievable!"
"Of course, and you can have it with only 9 large bronze coins..."
From open till nearly noon, the store is a storm of energy as soaps exchanged hands, pots are cradled like precious finds, and people leave with both satisfaction and curiosity for what they might discover tomorrow.
**********
Hours later, the last of the customers disappear beyond the corner, marking the time to close time the shop. Yomogi wipes her hands and turns to me with a bright smile.
"That's another successful day, isn't it, Motegi-chan?"
"Yeah, you're right..."
I count every coins carefully, and inform our income to her.
"Around nine large silver today. Not bad at all."
"Wow, you're amazing, Motegi-chan!"
"It's not just me. You're the one who drew all those ladies to your section, Yomogi."
"Ehehe… maybe just a little."
After securing the coins, I stretch my arms and get ready for the next thing.
"Well, that's enough business for today. Ready for another labyrinth trip?"
Yomogi's ears perk up immediately.
"Of course!"
As we prepare to leave, I can't help but think back to the teleportation spell yesterday. I'd used my teleportation spell to return from the fifth floor of the pabyrinth, and I want to try the reverse with teleporting into the same spot. If it works, we can skip the fourth floor entirely.
Still, it's a spell that consumes so much MP. Yesterday, I almost drained myself dry because I also used magic to fight those Split Caterpillars. So today, I think I'm going to rely on my [Temporary Boost] skill once again, and maybe, I can use it to Yomogi too and find out how powerful she is if she has infinite stats.
As she reaches for the door, I raise my hand and stops her.
"Wait, Yomogi."
"Hmm? What is it, Motegi-chan?"
"I want to try something first."
I put my hand toward the wall and just like that, a blue portal emerges into existence and makes Yomogi blinks in confusion.
"A teleportation spell?"
"Yes, let's see if this works."
"Okay…"
She tilts her head, puzzled but trusting. And with that, we step into the portal together.
REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, FIFTH FLOOR
"Ehh?! W-We're inside the labyrinth?! That's impossible!"
Yomogi gasps, her amber eyes wide.
Of course, I have to check it first. If the portal brings us to the fourth floor, then it's pointless anyway. So, I activate my [Appraisal] skill, and see the screen appears before my eyes:
"Location: Remantia's Labyrinth – Fifth Floor."
Okay, it works. Now we don't have to use the teleportation circles at those checkpoint floors to return here, my own spell can bring us to any desired floor we want.
"Yeah, and looks like we're at the fifth floor..."
"Ehh?! F-Fifth floor?! How is this possible?"
Yomogi is shocked even more, and turns at me in awe.
"Motegi-chan, you're really amazing..."
"Well, let's keep this a secret between us, okay?"
"Of course, Motegi-chan!"
With that, we continue our journey. After a few minutes of walking, she suddenly raises a hand in front of me, stopping us both and beginning to sniff.
"Wait, there are monsters coming."
A few seconds later, a pair of towering green plants creeps into view from around the corner. Their leafy bodies stand upright, nearly as tall as a person, and their long tendrils sway as they advance. Yomogi calmly explains what those are to me.
"They're Green Coils. Be careful. They use those tendrils to knock you down or grab and throw you away."
Green Coil?
I feel like I've heard that name before...
Then, she turns to me with a smile, saying something that reminds me.
"If we're lucky, we might get their tendrils, Motegi-chan."
Ah, yes, that tendril.
The same one she gave me when we first met, the rare herb I traded for a bar of soap. So, that was from this thing, huh?
Then, I can see her smirks, cracking her knuckles, and seemingly wanting to do something. And honestly, I do feel like this is going to be exciting.
"Hey, Motegi-chan. Wanna see something cool?"
"Yes!"
I quickly respond without hesitation. And just like that, I can hear her mutter something.
"[Rock Fang]..."
And suddenly, her body tenses and her muscles bulge, rippling and hardening like they're made out of stone. The definition across her arms and shoulders tightens, like boulders packed beneath her skin.
"Whoa…"
Seconds later, she launches herself forward and slams her fist into the first Green Coil.
"Raaahhh!!"
The impact is devastating as the plant explodes into pieces instantly because of her fist.
But the second one is quick to respond, lashing its tendrils out and wrapping them around both of her arms, so I call out and get ready to rush in.
"Yomogi!"
But instead of struggling, I can see her smirk.
The monster tries to move its tendrils and smacks her, but her feet stay planted on the ground. And the next thing that happens is she reels those tendrils in, wrapping them tighter around her forearms and pulling the monster towards her like she's yanking in a fishing line.
"Come here!"
She growls, and just as the Green Coil's body got close enough...
"Raaahhh!!"
With a primal scream, she tears the creature in half with her bare hands so that I can hear the ripping sound, killing it instantly and brutally. I'm speechless. That's beyond cool and kind of hot at the same time.
"Wow…"
After that, I see something drop on the ground where those monsters dead. She picks them up and sighs, seemingly disappointed.
"Roots, huh?"
Then, she turns to me and giggles sheepishly.
"Roots are the normal drop items from Green Coil, and they can be used to make medicine. Looks like we're unlucky this time. No tendrils for us."
"Ah, okay..."
But still, I can't forget her brutal fight moments ago, and I know I have to find an answer for that.
"Hey, Yomogi. What was that crazy power earlier?"
"Oh, that's [Rock Fang]. It's my wolfkin race's signature skill."
"Signature skill?"
I never heard of that.
"We infuse our muscles with the Earth element. It boosts our physical strength and durability for a short period of time. But that's not all, it also heightens our sense of smell to track enemies or hidden traps nearby."
Okay, so it's kinda like my [Temporary Boost] skill, but it's specialized for wolfkin, isn't it?
"And when the skill is active, our bodies gain resistance against all kinds of poison attacks. Maybe because our skin and nerves are hardened, so it makes toxins hard to affect us."
Poison immunity too?
Well, that sounds incredible.
Although once again, this is kinda similar to my [Resistance] skill, which also grants me permanent immunity from poisons.
"Impressed, Motegi-chan?"
She just giggles and winks at me, and I don't even need many words to express how awesome it is.
"Of course!"
Moments later, we press deeper into the labyrinth, and more Green Coils slither out from the shadows.
"Haaah!!!"
"Fire Ball!"
Yomogi's fists and kicks smashed through the monsters as usual, and I rely on my [Temporary Boost] skill to rain them down with my fireball spell. Of course, we don't forget to grab their tendrils, and by the time we reach the end of the corridor, we take the staircase to the next floor.
REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, SIXTH FLOOR
At the sixth floor, black, human-sized spiders crawl on the ground and already wait for us. Yomogi, as usual, becomes my info guide to know what they are.
"Poison Spiders. Watch their webs, they're venomous."
"Good to know."
This time, she relies on her [Rock Fang] skill. One spider tries to shoot its greenish web at her, only for her skin to bounce it off harmlessly.
"Nice try!"
She shouts, slamming her fist into its head, and destroys it brutally in retaliation.
"Kheeee...!!"
"Fire Ball!"
"Kheeee...!!"
And with that, I take the other Poison Spider and launch fireball after fireball at it. When it falls, I see them drop something on the ground.
"What is this?"
"Ah, spices! It's their drop item."
"Spices, huh?"
Then, we kill more and more Poison Spiders and collect their spices along the way.
REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, SEVENTH FLOOR
Arriving at the seventh floor, two massive black bulls stomp toward us. Each one had two black horns and a crimson one jutting from its forehead.
"Those are Trulls..."
That's all that Yomogi says to me, and I can already imagine how crazy they can be.
As the beasts charge, I unleash fireballs at one of them, and Yomogi grapples the other one, hurling it onto the ground head first.
"Down you go!"
"Guoooohh...!!"
Yomogi shouts as the Trull she wrestles is unable to move and then dies. When the smoke clears, several pieces of dark, glossy leather scatter around us.
"Leather is this monster's drop item. Like the Split Caterpillars' threads, the adventurer guild offers a lower price, but you'll earn more if you sell it to the boutiques, Motegi-chan."
"Then let's grab all we can, shall we?"
"Yes."
And then, we move on.
REMANTIA'S LABYRINTH, EIGHTH FLOOR
Arriving at the eighth floor, we're greeted by a pair of human-sized, tree-like monsters with small, thin brown bodies and leafy green heads. What catches my eyes the most, though, are the boxing gloves snugly fitted on their arms, as if they're ready to step into a ring instead of a labyrinth.
Yomogi's expression turns more serious than usual as she explains them to me.
"Those are the Puncher Woods..."
Ah, so that's how they look…
"They'll normally drop branches..."
Then, she turns to me.
"But we came here for the flowers, right? That's why we have to get it."
But before she can move, I stop her, making her blink and tilt her head in confusion.
"Wait. Yomogi, check your status."
"Huh? My status? Why now, Motegi-chan?"
"Just trust me."
Though confused, she nods and obeys. And with that, I silently activate [Temporary Boost] to do something for her stats.
**********
When I open my status window, my breath catches.
"What… what is this?"
Every stat looks the same as before… except one. My Luck. The number doesn't even exist anymore, as it's replaced with a symbol I've never seen, which is ∞.
"Motegi-chan? What did you do to me?"
He only smiles and points toward the two Puncher Woods in front of us.
"Well, you'll have to find the answer on your own, Yomogi."
For a moment, I just stare at him, then at the monsters. My heart is pounding fast, not from nervousness, but from something else entirely. It's too exciting, too overwhelming that I don't know how I'll react to what's coming, but I can't wait to find out.
I step forward, lowering my stance. My feet slide across the stone floor, knees bent, fists raised. The first Puncher Wood lunges, its fist aiming towards me.
"Too slow!"
I twist to the side as my own fist answers immediately, driving straight into its trunk-like chest with a cracking sound. But the second one charges from behind, and I leap away just before its fist smashes into the ground.
Then, they come together, one from the left and one from the right. I pivot, block the first with my forearm, then slam an uppercut into its jaw. The second one tries again, swinging wide. I duck, drive a hook into its gut, then spin with a roundhouse kick that sends both staggering back.
Their fists rise again, but I'm already slipping between their strikes and countering. And finally, when the timing feels right, I jump high, bringing both fists down with all my strength.
"Raaahhh!!"
"Guoouoouoohhh...!!" "Guoouoouoohhh...!!"
Both monsters collapse almost at the same time. I pant, catching my breath, and then I see what they've dropped.
"No way..."
Two white petals rest gently where the monsters fell. I fall to the ground, staring at them in disbelief.
"The flowers… There are two of them…"
Tears blur my vision as I pick them up, clutching them tightly to my chest.
"I always knew I might die trying to get these. Every time I set out, I was ready for it… but now that I got them so easily… I don't even know if I deserve it…"
And then, Motegi-chan comes in front of me, his warm arms wrapping around me as he pulls me close.
"You did a good job, Yomogi. You deserve it. I'm so proud of you."
His words break me completely. I cling to him, crying harder, louder, and unable to hold it back.
"Thank you… thank you… thank you, Motegi-chan…"
And for the first time in years, the tears I shed are not from grief but of something that finally feels like peace.
REMANTIA'S ADVENTURER GUILD
MINUTES LATER
**********
When I arrive there, Freddy greets me as usual from behind the counter.
"Yo, soap guy! Finish the labyrinth again, huh?"
"Yeah. I've got some items to sell."
"Okay."
I take out all the Green Coil's roots and most of the Poison Spider's spices from my pocket.
"You've been busy, huh? Wait here for a moment."
"Sure."
He disappears into the back room, and as I wait, my mind drifts back to what happened earlier.
Right after Yomogi got those Puncher Wood's flowers, she didn't say much. Then, she just asked something with a quiet voice.
"Motegi-chan. Can we go home? I want to end the labyrinth quest for today."
"Yeah."
I didn't ask anything else. I just reached out, activated the teleportation, and brought us back home. I could tell she needed some time alone. So, here I am, handling the rest of our spoils.
A few minutes later, Freddy returns with a tray of coins.
"Okay, so you got 10 Green Coil's roots and 10 Poison Spider's spices. Each item has the same price, 2 large bronze coins. So that's 4 silver coins in total."
"Thank you, Freddy."
Then, I leave the guild and step into the market to buy something for dinner.
And that's when it hits me.
Yomogi only promised to stay until she got those flowers. And after she obtained them today, she must know she would be heading back to Misdaras soon. It's what she's always done, after all.
But a part of me refuses to accept it. These past days, the battles we fought side by side, the warmth of her voice... it's all become a part of me. And seeing her smiling at customers, watching her light up the shop... imagining her gone feels so heavy somehow.
When I reach home, Yomogi welcomes me with that bright, familiar smile.
"I'm home!"
"Welcome back, Motegi-chan!"
However, I'm not prepared to hear what she says next, so I'm just speechless after that.
"I've made my decision. From now on, I'll be staying with you forever, Motegi-chan..."