01x09 - The Golden Egg/Something Soft

[bunniefuu]

GOLDEN EGG

GOLDEN EGG
Feels like it's been forever since I last used this.

Ever since I met them, the chances of me
stepping up front have increased dramatically.

MOST OF "THEM"
I'm afraid I might hit them with my arrows...

We've got ten of them already
since we started the quest...

It's just the regular pace
with Hitamuki's recon on our side.

This elven girl is Noma Rune.

She's a guard who saved Hitamuki
and the others from repel spider the other day,

and she said she wants to learn
a thing or two from us, so she came along.

This deftness is very hard to imitate...

But I must try to learn it
in my own way somehow...

I meant to look after her
since I've accepted her request,

but I can't just expect
a golden egg to hatch here.

I'm pretty sure she also has
her own "b*mb" I have to deal with...

You said you want to
learn a thing or two from us,

but you have your own party members, right?

They're just not well-suited to fight,

but they're actually more skilled guards
with so much experience than me.

Yeah, but Senlik and Yoh
have both left Mebuki City...

Huh?!

The fact that they left me
behind and returned to the city,

and that you defeated the spider,
despite them looking down on you,

must've taken a toll on their pride...

We promise you, Noma!

We'll become stronger than him!

We'll return someday as
someone who can protect you well!

They went for training
somewhere out of the city...

Why...

The guards in this city
are getting less and less...

Is this a joke?

Why?!

Why aren't they thinking of a successor?!
Why are they always so selfish?!

How is it that in this world,
those living their lives seriously,

always get the short end of the stick?!

K-Key!

I'll do my best in the city,
so rest assured!

IT'S NOT EVEN REASSURING IN A WAY...

Still, your recon abilities
are amazing, Hitamuki.

The accident rate in quests
will be reduced a lot by this.

Glad I could help!

I can hear humilisnakes creeping
from underground as well now, so be careful!

Sure...

Huh?! You knew there was
a hole there, but how?!

She has no attention span for herself.

Please let me... gooooo!!

Hitamuki!

The other head...!

It's wrapping them,
so it'll be nerve-racking to cut it now...

Snakes are poikilothermic,
so they should be weak against cold!

Ice magic!

Coldos!

Kikuru, finish it off!

Y-Yeah!

Thanks... you saved me again.

I'm sorry...

That quick ice magic was a good call.

You can use both black and white magic, right?
Way to go!

No way. I can't learn any
advanced spells from both,

and my skills are just half-assed stuff,
really lacking for my job.

I rarely defeat enemies in one strike,

so I tend to leave the finishing blow
to another, just like earlier...

So your lack of remarkable abilities
is your shortcoming, huh?

That's short.

That's why I have to become stronger...

Not that.

I'm saying you have a "short" shortcoming.

Huh?

Look, Noma. A shortcoming...

MEIHENA~ - ZTOOM - FWAAAAH - OWWWWW
...is when your legs tend to give in, making you useless...

MEIHENA~ - ZTOOM - FWAAAAH - OWWWWW
....whenever you encounter a monster,

MEIHENA~ - ZTOOM - FWAAAAH - OWWWWW
when you tend to attack

MEIHENA~ - ZTOOM - FWAAAAH - OWWWWW
indiscriminately with aimless magic,

MEIHENA~ - ZTOOM - FWAAAAH - OWWWWW
when you tend to go frenzy

MEIHENA~ - ZTOOM - FWAAAAH - OWWWWW
and almost k*ll your allies,

MEIHENA~ - ZTOOM - FWAAAAH - OWWWWW
or when you tend to rush in blindly

MEIHENA~ - ZTOOM - FWAAAAH - OWWWWW
and get overrun by demons every time.

That's what a shortcoming is.

Can you really call them a guard...?

What do you think, Hitamuki?

Yes, you can...

But...

I'm a little happy now.

The guys from my previous party
never let me do my job...

Noma, stay back a bit more!

Noma, stay close to me!

Noma, get behind me!

No, get behind me!

Thank you for actually
considering me as a proper guard!

I think they're just being overprotective
with how they never let you k*ll any monsters.

She has a little low self-esteem,

but she knows her weakness.

Let's rest for a little more until
Hitamuki can catch her breath.

Her fighting style is just like mine...

Like mine...?

What is this feeling of ease
that I've never experienced before?

- Hitamuki, are you hurt?

- Hitamuki, are you hurt?
- Right, she never does anything reckless.

- I'm fine!
- Right, she never does anything reckless.

- I'm fine!
- Without being distracted,

she always operates with the most
important thing in mind: getting out alive!

MAGIC SPECIALIST
She'll be easy to train, stress-free!

HEALING SPECIALIST
Who cares about her being a jack-of-all-trades?

RECON SPECIALIST
For me, I'd rather have someone like her...

PHYSICAL SPECIALIST
...than a bunch of specialists!

NOVICE GUARD GACHA - FIVE TYPES IN TOTAL
Besides, I've been looking after four novices,

NOVICE GUARD GACHA - FIVE TYPES IN TOTAL
but why is only Noma not coming out of the box?

NOVICE GUARD GACHA - FIVE TYPES IN TOTAL
How could she slip through the

NOVICE GUARD GACHA - FIVE TYPES IN TOTAL


NOVICE GUARD GACHA - FIVE TYPES IN TOTAL
Try as I might, Noma's not coming out...

Also, this might not be that important,

but her appearance and softness of manner...

...remind me of Miss Enome for some reason.

No, really, this isn't an extra factor
of her good points or anything...

Let's say...

Yes, hypothetically speaking,

if I were to go on quests with Nora,
I guess I still could continue this gig.

That's what I'm thinking.

A PEACEFUL EXTERMINATION LIFE
Maybe the youth I've been wanting to get back...

A PEACEFUL EXTERMINATION LIFE
...is actually right here?

A PEACEFUL EXTERMINATION LIFE
Kikuru?

You also fought all the
way through, but are you okay?

Nah, this much is nothing.

My response has a somewhat junior high
school boy-like innocence to it now.

But for those two to leave town...

...with the sole reason of protecting you...

...must mean they think
so dearly of you, right?

Well, it's kind of mixed feelings
as a boy to be protected, though.

A-A boy?!

I knew you'd get the wrong impression.

I found your behaviour a bit strange too.

I'm sorry!
I thought you were a girl!

Oh, you don't have to.

I have a high-pitched voice, after all.

Err... Just your voice?

Well, yeah...

I figured he might be a boy,
and he talked like one too.

Key?

I'll go check the surroundings.

So what if he's a boy?

It's not like I want to start
a romantic relationship here,

and my goal is to get back
my youth through campus life, too.

I don't even see Noma that way
in the first place either.

Huh? I was just imagining
weird stuff back there?

Man, I just thought he was easier to work
alongside with other than those other four.

Don't you...

...get the wrong idea!

So he's a boy, huh...

Oh, sh**t! I went too far away!

What am I doing?

MEGASLIMES HAVE APPEARED!

It got us!

Don't suck my breasts...!

I can't produce milk...

No! Stop!

I can't chant my spell like this!

It's the first time I've ever made contact
with a monster other than a repel spider!

I never thought it'd
attack in such a lewd way...

When I try to break free,
it'll pull me back in with great force!

Then I'll just use this pulling force...

...to try getting inside of it instead...!

It's the same thing again...
Must do something...

No...

But I can't... my power...

I took care of the thing,
but I can't find Noma.

Where is he?

He really is a boy, huh?

Wait, no! Hey, Noma!

Are you okay?

Yeah...

Did you try getting inside it to crush it?

I tried turning the tables with that...

But I ended up like this
after just taking one down...

I'm always so half-assed
in everything, after all...

Hitamuki couldn't even defeat the thing.

But Hitamuki has perfect recon!

Then I can say the opposite.

You can exterminate monsters,
something that Hitamuki can't do.

Use that resourcefulness of yours
to give yourself some credit.

I've only just met you,

and I had no trouble
naming your strengths and noticing them.

Thank you for letting me join you today.

I think it's helped me
get my bearings as a guard.

I see.

I tried to not stand
in the way of others too much,

hence I panicked to become stronger.

But it's not just simple physical strength,

it's also considered strength to cooperate
and think with someone else.

Yeah.

It's just.... that I just realised one thing now...

I, uh... don't have any friends
to cooperate with...

Can I tag along,
even just sometimes...

...and receive guidance from you?

Kikuru...

No...

Master!

MASTER
Master!

Sorry! That was impudent of me!

My guidance will be a strict one, okay?

Yay, Noma... my boy!
Let's get along from now on!

Yeah!

Don't get me wrong,
I just can't reject anyone who comes to me.

Immoral Guild!

AOBA PLAINS

SOMETHING SOFT

Welcome back.

I've taken a quick look around,

but there was no sign
of forest monsters on the plains.

I see.

No sign, then.

The monsters I didn't encounter during
my fight with the repel spider...

...appear to have moved their homes
to another section of the forest.

That evacuation was temporary,

and the number of monsters had returned
when I went out to defeat them yesterday.

So that means there's nothing strange
with the forest and the plains, right?

Thank you, Kikuru.

I'm sorry I left you to deal
with the aftermath as well.

So this means all the problems related
to the repel spider are solved now?

Mister Kikuru, thank you for your efforts!

You're welcome.

I still have to clean
up the shelter I set on fire...

RUMBLE RUMBLE
How long can I fight with the card...

RUMBLE RUMBLE
..."it was just Tokishikko doing her own

RUMBLE RUMBLE
thing without my permission"?

RUMBLE RUMBLE
Hey! You're going to play that card?!

RUMBLE RUMBLE
Stop it! You've kept your cool

RUMBLE RUMBLE
and refrained from drawing it too!

Anyway, I could've been able to do
the investigation on the plains alone,

but why did you have to tag along?

Who knows?

There's a work I want Resumisu to help with.

You actually picked me as your assistant!

I feel like I've wiped away my inferiority complex
in terms of credibility toward Esyne!

That's not it...

Safe trip!

You've lost your credibility to "stay indoor".

Oh, there they are.

ROCKOLDCOW

They're called rockoldcows,

monsters whose skulls keep growing
from birth for the rest of their lives.

If their skulls block their eyes like this,
it'll be dangerous to them.

So we want to remove them.

Can I really break
a skull so thick like a rock?

The area around the eyes is thin,
so if you hit it intensively like this...

Okay?

A rockoldcow's charred skull can be used
as an ingredient for medicine and equipment.

I guess you could call it give-and-take?

No, you can't...!

You have your own cushions!

No... stop it!

Their bodies are full of bones and muscles,
they must feel so rugged...

Something soft must
be so refreshing for them...

They're so attracted to this...

You two be careful with that, okay?

What should I be careful with?

Damn!

I also love soft things...!

How dare them...!

I guess a professional fighter's
still a sad little man, after all...

Resumisu, I'd love for you to help me now.

I can't get to work like this...

Coming!

Come on! Stop it! Hey!

Is she actually not cut out
for this kind of work in the first place?

I heard from Tokishikko.

That you pushed yourself beyond your usual
limits during the incident with the repel spider.

That's...

I guess I made you push yourself, huh...

When you told me of its existence,

I knew there had to have been
an omen right at the start.

That big monster...

...couldn't just pop out that quickly.

Ever since I started looking after those new girls,

PUSH FORWARD - RETURN TO CITY
Ever since I started looking after those new girls,

I never pushed deeper into the forest,

RETURN TO CITY
I never pushed deeper into the forest,

RETURN TO CITY
and always went back to the city halfway.

As a result, I missed out
on its existence and growth.

But the responsibility doesn't lie on them.

Not even you.

It's a crisis brought on by my negligence.

At the time, I just wanted to
make up for my mistake.

If you said that you're negligent,

then most people
in the world would be sloppy.

It's this side of him!

If he can keep it up,
he's actually cool!

OWWWW
Owwwwww!!

You can't do that, Resumisu!

Their hearing is sensitive since
they can't see, so don't scream—

Miss Enome!

I'm sorry...

I'll be careful—

Owwwiieee!!

A vicious circle!

They'll calm down if given something soft...

Here, your cushion...
have this instead of my breasts...

Geez! Your cushion is right here!

Well, thing's got a better cushion
in front of it, so...

No way... Why...?

Everyone's rounding up on me—

No!

Give it back—

You guys are well-behaved monsters, right...?

You can't do... this!

They didn't bat an eye on a slender
macho guy and a chopping board,

and just went straight
for the ultimate cushion of Miss Enome's...

Those old b*stards...

I sensed danger coming from them,
so I had to k*ll them.

Let's go with this alibi, Miss Resumisu.

His not-so-cool side is coming out!

Also, he's treating me
as his accomplice somehow!

Calm down, Sir!

Don't lay a hand... on them...

They're one of the few monsters
that can walk alongside people...

They'll let me go once
they have calmed down, I think...

Even if you say so,

they're just doing the same thing
as any other monsters to you!

I don't know where the boundaries are!

But if you show off how much
of a woman you are like this...

I can see a bit of a rivalry
developing within me!

Ta-da! I have become a girl
with massive badonkers too!

Wait, that's so unbalanced!
Where's your waist?!

Come on, now! You've got a pretty girl
with a massive rack here!

Huh?! W-Wait—

What do I do now?!

What kind of outcome
did you expect, anyway?

But that's a nice one, Miss Resumisu!

I think this is the first time
I've ever been impressed by you!

You're a meanie!

Wait, it's not good for me
to look like that on screen...

Why are you gathering around
someone so small like me...

They instantly regained their composure!

It's lunch time, so I came to visit them!

Where could they be?

Oh, over there!

Miss Enome, are you hurt?

I'm fine, it's just my shirt's ripped now.

I'll lend you mine,
so please wear it.

Papa! Mama! Resumisu!

I've brought you lunch!

Let's eat toge—

Papa... Mama...?

Looks like you've started eating
your lunch without me, Papa.

Now that's some vocabulary you have!

It's good that you're getting along well,
but pick a more secluded place, will you?

Stop accusing me
of a crime I didn't commit!

Problem solved.

CONTINUE
To be continued.

NEXT EPISODE:
THE WAVERING EMOTION, THE GREAT FATHER