Chapter 65: Fluffbloom Quest Completed!

Original: Chapter 65: Fluffbloom Quest Completed!

I returned to the plaza.

The quest to get Fluffblooms was finally coming to an end. It was much tougher than I’d imagined.

Feeling the liveliness of the plaza, I headed towards Miss Marta’s street stall.

Miss Marta was chatting and laughing with the person at the neighboring stall. She noticed me as soon as I approached and gave me a cheerful smile.

“Welcome back, Miss Sayuki!”

“I’m back!”

“Wow, you gathered so many for me!”

She noticed the bag slung over my shoulder. The bag I’d borrowed from Miss Marta was stuffed to the brim with Fluffblooms.

But that wasn’t all—

“I also filled my backpack and Item Space to the max with Fluffblooms.”

“Really?! That’s such a huge help!”

Miss Marta beamed happily. It felt like my hard work had paid off.

First, I handed her the bag as it was. Then I took out the Fluffblooms from my Shark Backpack, cradling an armful. Next, I retrieved the Fluffblooms from my Item Space. Well, my Item Space is small, so the number was probably less than what was in the bag or backpack.

“Wow, this many. This is a lifesaver. I won’t have to worry about supply for a while now. I’m so glad I asked you, Miss Sayuki!”

“Just let me know anytime. I’ll gather as many as you need.”

A mountain of the Fluffblooms I’d collected piled up at Miss Marta’s stall. It was a surprisingly large pile, even to me. It was an amount that made me feel I’d done a good job.

“Miss Sayuki, thank you so very much!”

She brought her hands together and gave a polite, deep bow. I thought it was a rather Japanese way of expressing thanks.

I think Miss Marta chose to thank me with Japanese-style manners. My favorability towards her went up quite a bit.

“Now then, let’s complete the quest delivery process.”

“Yes, please.”

“The reward was 25,000 Pon, but since you brought back so many Fluffblooms, I’ll pay you a little extra.”

“Wow, thank you!”

The quest ‘Let’s Get Fluffblooms!’ changed to a completed status. And I received a reward of 28,000 Pon. I got 3,000 Pon extra. As a student, I’m very grateful. I could buy slightly more expensive bread for lunch a few times now. Just thinking that made me really happy.

“And, Miss Sayuki—”

Miss Marta stared intently at my chest area.

I suddenly felt embarrassed. I was in my tracksuit look and wasn’t wearing a bra. Flustered, I checked if my zipper was open too far.

“Did your clothes get torn?”

It seemed she wasn’t looking at my cleavage after all.

“Huh? Yes, they got torn… or rather, they were slashed apart.”

“I thought that might be the case. Your outfit was different when you left and when you returned, so I figured something like that must have happened.”

I pulled out the blazer, blouse, and bra that I had stuffed into the depths of my Shark Backpack. They were all tattered and torn to shreds, slashed apart by the Bloody Mantis.

“Miss Marta. I’d like to request mending for them.”

“Yes. Of course, I’ll take care of it. I’ll handle it as a service, added on top of your quest completion reward.”

“Is that really okay?”

“Of course it’s fine. I’ll have them repaired by tomorrow, so please don’t forget to come pick them up.”

I was incredibly thankful. Clothing mending is much cheaper than buying new clothes, but it still costs several thousand Pon. If I can save money, nothing could be more welcome.

Miss Marta checked the condition of the clothes.

“The fabric itself is mostly intact. The original shape is largely preserved too.”

However, there were slash marks.

“Did you run into a monster wielding a blade?”

“I had a fight with a mantis called a Bloody Mantis.”

Miss Marta looked quite shocked.

“Eh?! You faced that dual-wielding menace? It’s impressive you managed to win all by yourself.”

“I had no prior information at all… Was it a strong monster?”

“Yes. Very. Unless your Level is quite high, it’s a monster you should challenge with multiple people.”

“Ahaha… I fought it alone and won.”

“That’s amazing! Miss Sayuki, you’re definitely a good Adventurer. I understand why Rilril recommended you now.”

“Eh, am I a good Adventurer?”

“Yes. Even if you face a desperate crisis, you overcome it properly and return with a smile. That’s the mark of a good Adventurer.”

Huh, is that so. Well then, even if I seem clumsy about it…

I tried showing the kind of smile I’d practiced many times in front of the mirror. I feel like it just ends up looking like a ghost smiling from the other side of the darkness, so I’m not good at smiling, personally…

“Wow, that’s so cute!”

“Ah, thank you.”

She praised me with sparkling eyes. Thank you for saying my smile is cute. It’s not an experience I have often, so I was happy.

“W-well, I’ll be going now. Please take care of the clothing mending.”

“Yes. I look forward to your continued patronage!”

Ah—my face is hot from making an unfamiliar smile like that. I got embarrassed.

Somehow, I’ve gotten hungry. I lost quite a bit of blood, so maybe I’m lacking nutrients.

I wandered unsteadily towards the stalls serving food. By the time I got here, I couldn’t resist the delicious smells anymore.

I’ll eat some tasty-looking meat dish before heading home. Now, what should I eat? Just thinking about it was making me drool.