You Call Him a New Adventurer?

"Miss Sonya, please help me out. I'm really strapped for cash right now—if I only take E-rank gathering quests, I might not even have enough for an inn tonight."

His request denied, Yoru Machi could only try to play on the young lady's sympathy to get her help.

But what Yoru Machi didn't expect was that the young lady's way of helping him wasn't to bend the rules in his favor, but to warmly invite him to stay at her place!

"Miss Sonya, that doesn't seem right. Sure, we hit it off just now, but we only met today—are you really inviting me to stay at your home..."

Yoru Machi hadn't anticipated that girls in another world could be so bold. While his face probably earned him some bonus points, a girl he'd just met being this forward made him start to wonder if he'd ended up in a world that wasn't exactly wholesome!

As everyone knew, even anime series had their surface-level and behind-the-scenes versions. If this were a surface-level show, a typical fantasy world would either be passionate or comedic.

But if it were a behind-the-scenes show... then Yoru Machi going home with her would mean the plot that followed was probably pay-per-view content.

To be fair, with such a high proportion of handsome men and beautiful women in this world, even if it really were a behind-the-scenes world, it wasn't entirely impossible.

Faced with the girl's enthusiastic invitation, Yoru Machi struggled internally for a long time before finally refusing.

If it had been before, Yoru Machi wouldn't have minded a little exchange with her.

But as an adventurer, he had no idea how long he'd be staying in this city. A casual fling he wouldn't turn down, but if it came with strings attached, that was another story.

"Honestly, what are you thinking about! I'm a staff member at the Adventurer's Guild, so I usually live here at the guild.

But I have a vacant house in this town—what I meant was, you can stay there temporarily.

And don't worry about rent; you can pay me back whenever you're more financially comfortable."

"Mm, that's what I meant all along. Miss Sonya and I have known each other for less than a day, and you're lending me a house like this—are you sure that's okay?"

As a gentleman, Yoru Machi naturally wouldn't admit he'd just let his mind wander, so he said this without a blush or a racing heart, leaving Sonya feeling a bit embarrassed for having let her own imagination run wild.

"That's no problem. My house is big, and besides you, there's another tenant.

She's very beautiful, but also quite strong—whatever you do, don't provoke her."

Handing Yoru Machi the magical key to her house and telling him the location, Sonya added, "Actually, if you want to quickly raise your adventurer rank and take on higher-level quests, there's another way.

That's to team up with high-ranked adventurers. That way, you can earn high quest rewards, ensure your safety, and pick up some experience.

Generally, high-level adventurers don't want to carry rookies, but I've been working at the guild for a while and have some connections."

Sonya couldn't quite explain why she was offering so much help to an adventurer she'd just met, but aside from his good looks, she thought she saw great potential in him.

As a guild receptionist, she dealt with all kinds of adventurers every day, and Yoru Machi was the first rookie to give her that feeling.

"Then I'll trouble you, Miss Sonya. When I'm more financially stable, I'll repay the rent double."

Since she was providing him with lodging and helping him access higher-level quests, Yoru Machi wasn't one to be ungrateful.

Though he wasn't used to teaming up with others, this was her goodwill, and with no other options at hand, he could only agree.

"Miss Sonya, we're here! What did you want our help with?

And if we really can help you this time, is it true you'll have a meal with us?"

Yoru Machi didn't have to wait long before the high-level adventurers Sonya had mentioned walked into the Adventurer's Guild. There were three of them, led by a handsome blond man.

He seemed to be a fervent admirer of Sonya's, and she had secured his help this time by offering to have a meal with him as a reward.

"Rex, this is my younger brother from the countryside. He just registered as an adventurer today. He wants to experience what it's like to be a high-level adventurer, but I'm a bit worried, so I asked you all to help out."

Hearing Sonya's words, the blond man named Rex immediately puffed out his chest. He'd been pursuing Sonya for a while now, and he wouldn't miss a chance to show off in front of his goddess.

Besides, since this guy was Miss Sonya's younger brother, if he could impress him with his skills and turn him into a fan, wouldn't that speed up his progress in winning over Miss Sonya?

A country boy like that couldn't have seen much. If he put on a good show this time, the kid might even put in a good word for him with Miss Sonya.

"Miss Sonya, don't worry. I'll take good care of your brother and show him what a high-level adventurer can do. So, where is your brother?"

Following Sonya's gaze, Rex looked toward where Yoru Machi was standing. At the same time, Yoru Machi's eyes also fell on the trio of Rex and his companions.

"Miss Sonya, this is the... younger brother... from the countryside you mentioned?"

When they saw Yoru Machi, Rex and his two companions were genuinely stunned. They never expected that in a town this big, they'd run into Yoru Machi again—and that he'd be the younger brother of the woman Rex admired?

That's right. The so-called high-level adventurers Sonya had mentioned, Rex and his group, weren't strangers to Yoru Machi. To be precise, they'd only parted ways not long ago.

This trio happened to be the same adventurers who, back in the forest, had planned to sell Shimada Yousuke as a rare half-beastman.

After Yoru Machi had thoroughly beaten them, they'd led him and Yousuke to this town, and then Yoru Machi had let them go.

"What's wrong? Do you know each other?" Seeing the surprised expressions on Yoru Machi and Rex's faces, Sonya looked at Yoru Machi with confusion.

"We've met, I guess. I got lost in the forest earlier, and they led me to this town.

Mm, they also gave me a big pouch of Copper Coins, saying it was all their property..."