Kamisama Shop de Cheat no Kaori

Chapter 144. Three Companion And The Smoke Of Counterattack

After finishing preparing the meal, I lit a cigarette under the vent when Yaralai entered the cabin.

“Where’s Hagg?”

“On watch.”

“I see. Let’s eat quickly and switch out.”

“Yeah.”

I stuffed a rice ball in my mouth and looked at Yaralai.

“Hey, it’s Lalaila, right? Your daughter?”

“That’s right. No amount of thanks is enough.”

“I get that, but aren’t you going to take the time to talk?”

“Later, plenty of time for that.”

When I turned to Lalaila behind us, she nodded firmly.

“We’re going into battle, right? I’ll help.”

“Idiot, you’re too worn out. Get some rest… though just hanging on while this thing shakes will be a workout.”

“I saw it earlier, but this is an incredible wagon.”

“Yeah. It’s an artifact. Running across this wasteland isn’t just bumpy—it’s brutal. It’ll be tough, but bear with it for now.”

“Don’t worry. I’m still the daughter of Yaralai, the greatest elf warrior.”

“Then that’s reassuring. You’ve already had a taste of this, right, Eutis?”

“…Yes. More than enough…”

She replied with a wry smile. Just standing strong is impressive. I guess travelers are built tough.

“I’m done. Let’s go.”

“Yeah, everyone else, eat as you like.”

“Heh heh. Understood.”

“When did you get back, anyway?”

I ignored Faf (or tried to) as I stepped outside.

“Can you fight?”

“Lend me the M4. I’ll keep watch.”

“Got it. Don’t push yourself.”

“Understood.”

I barely had enough cash left. Bought 30 rounds of 5.56mm ammo for 12,000 yen, and started loading them into the empty magazine.

Remaining cash: 14,402 yen.

I climbed the ladder on the back of the RV and started keeping watch in the opposite direction from Yaralai. Hagg seemed to return, giving me a word before heading back into the cabin.

I had left plenty of food, but Faf and Hagg would probably clean it up.

The scorching sun seared my skin. Do soldiers fight in this kind of heat with all that gear? The U.S. military uniform felt heavy, but as armor, it had comparable protection to metal, which was reassuring.

If I felt my life in danger like before, fear would override the heat, and I wouldn’t even think of dressing lighter.

About five minutes later, Hagg emerged from the cabin.

“Ready, Akira?”

“I’m good.”

“Alright. Let’s begin.”

================================================

“Over there, Akira!”

“Got it!”

I turned the wheel left, and in the middle of the drift, Hagg jumped out from the passenger seat.

Lalaila, sitting beside me, screamed and clung to me, but there was no time to respond. As I completed the turn, I sped off to the next point.

From atop the bucking vehicle, Yaralai was picking off the green beasts one after another. The roar of the engine drowned out the gunfire, but there was no doubt she was taking down enemies at a frightening speed.

“Lalaila! Ammo!”

“R-right!”

She swiftly swapped the empty magazine for a loaded one through the passenger window.

After putting about 500 meters between us and the enemies, I grabbed my M4 and got out of the car, keeping an eye on our rear.

“Heh heh. Quite brave, aren’t you?”

“Shut up.”

The overly exposed horned loli fighter Faf pointed her smartphone at me from the roof of the car.

Glancing at Hagg, I saw her tearing through goblins like a tornado, turning them into chunks of meat. Yaralai, with a sniper rifle firing at an incredible rate, was covering Hagg, picking off goblins trying to flank her.

We had been fighting this mobile extermination battle for half a day.

As the sun set, painting the ground, the air, and the corpses in crimson, Hagg crushed the last goblin of the group with a snort.

“Hmph. That’s the last of the prominent groups. Let’s camp here for tonight.”

“Yeah… I’m beat.”

“Hahaha! You did well for once! After making dinner, get some rest!”

“…Guess I’m still on cooking duty.”

I climbed out of the driver’s seat and lit a cigarette. From the passenger side, the stunning beauty Lalaila, Yaralai’s daughter, wobbled a little as she got out.

“I… I can make the food, at least.”

“You’re just as exhausted as me. Besides, you were already in bad shape before you met us. Take it easy tonight.”

“But…”

“In that case, let me do the cooking. I’ve been feeling useless after you saved me.”

I turned toward the voice and saw the slender traveler Eutis stepping out of the cabin. Oh yeah, I’d saved her twice from goblins. Maybe she’s giving off some kind of goblin-attracting pheromone?

“Alright, I’ll check if we have the ingredients. Wait a sec.”

Without giving them a chance to respond, I quickly ducked into the cabin and packed the fridge.

One kilo of potatoes, one head of cabbage, 200 grams of pork loin, three onions, and some leftover garlic. Three loaves of bread too. All for 1,586 yen.

No worries about seasonings since we have a stocked shelf.

Remaining cash: 12,816 yen.

I called Eutis into the cabin and explained the ingredients and the cooking tools. She listened wide-eyed, but when I explained that it was all artifacts, she seemed to understand.

“I’ll take care of it from here.”

“I’m counting on you.”

When I stepped back outside, the rest of the crew had gathered.

“Heh heh, Master, may I ask you to charge… the smartphone?”

“Huh? Oh, sure.”

Faf had been obsessively filming everything, and it was draining the battery fast. I ducked back into the cabin to plug it in before returning outside.

“So, Hagg, what’s the plan?”

“Tonight, we rest. That’s non-negotiable.”

“Right…”

“Tomorrow, we’ll scout the area. If there’s still a large group, we continue today’s fight.”

We all nodded. The thought of those things getting into town was terrifying.

“If we don’t find anything, we’ll make a direct assault on their nest…”

Hagg’s gaze shifted to the RV.

“Hey, Faf—”

“Heh heh. I refuse.”

“I didn’t even say anything yet.”

“Heh heh… You were going to tell me to stay and guard the car, right? No thanks.”

“Come on, there’s nothing else for you to do.”

Faf mimicked framing a shot with her fingers, smirking at me through the imaginary camera.

Oh, she just wants to keep filming. What a pain.

“Heh heh, just take me with you and reveal your abilities already.”

“That’s the problem—we can’t do that.”

“Abilities?”

“It’s nothing.”

Lalaila, naturally curious after Faf’s bait, chimed in. Of course, she’d react like that…

Personally, I wouldn’t mind telling Lalaila, Yaralai’s daughter, about my abilities. The problem was Eutis. She was just passing through…

Then again, maybe it wouldn’t matter. Even if Eutis blabbed about my abilities, who would believe her?

“Akira, we can send her back to town first thing in the morning.”

“Huh? Oh, that’s an idea.”

Why hadn’t I thought of that sooner?

We didn’t need to sneak around anymore. If we rushed, we could get back to town in 20 minutes.

“Alright, let’s do that.”

I looked at Hagg, and she nodded back. It was settled. I leaned over to Yaralai and whispered.

“Hey, I hate to ask, but are you sure it’s okay to tell your daughter about my abilities?”

“…Are you doubting my daughter?”

“No, that’s not it. It’s just that some people are bad at keeping secrets. Just being cautious.”

“She’ll be fine.”

Yaralai nodded confidently, which only made me more nervous. Could she be blinded by parental bias?

No, I’ve got to trust her. If she messes up, Yaralai will cover for it.

“We’re done here. Akira, go train for now.”

“…What?”

Did I just hear something impossible?

“Akira, it’s time to master Tornado Martial Arts.”

“Wait, seriously?”

“Let’s go.”

“Wait, hold on—”

And so, before I realized it, I was sparring with Yaralai.

These people are sadists! A whole group of them!

…

The potato and cabbage soup with pork slivers we had for dinner was delicious.

I’ll ask Eutis how she made it later.

However after I took a shower, I collapsed into bed and melted into it.

…Hey, Goddess, isn’t this world a little too hard mode?