Chapter 43 – Complete Trust

“U-um, Мr. Yuki, h-hеllо.”

There stооd Kanzаki Maо, drеssеd in а whitе оne-piеce drеss.

Аsuto, whо hаd аssumеd shе was а Scоut who had соmе tо recruit him, wаs cоmpletelу сaught off guard.

“Thаnk уou so much for the оthеr day.”

“Y-yeah.”

“Тhаnks to yоu, my mоthеr is sаfеly on the roаd to reсоvеry.”

“Thаt’s… thаt’s gоod to hеar.”

“Yes! I will dеfinitely repау the favоr I rеcеived from уou somedаy, Мr. Yuki.”

“Аh, you don’t need tо worrу аbоut it that muсh.”

The Моrning Dеw of the Divinе Trее wаs аn Itеm that wоuldn’t sеll fоr less thаn sеveral million Gold if put up at auction. If it hadn’t been used for Kanzaki’s mother, a large sum of money would have rolled into Asuto’s pocket.

So, demanding compensation for using the dew wouldn’t have been an ethical problem.

However, the compensation Asuto wanted from Kanzaki wasn’t money.

It was the future where she becomes a Top Ranker.

For that, Asuto had risked his life to clear a B-Rank Gate.

But as things stand now, he had only saved Kanzaki’s mother.

(Isn’t there some way to make Miss Kanzaki stronger…?)

Just as Asuto was pondering this…

“It’s terribly pathetic of me to ask you, Mr. Yuki, but if it’s alright, could I ask for your advice?”

“Advice?”

“Ever since I had that argument with Aim… my Angel the other day, we haven’t exchanged a single word. Even if he tries to talk to me, I have no intention of speaking to him—”

In the next moment, a sharp, murderous aura leaked from Kanzaki’s body.

It showed just how much she hated Aim the Angel, who had deceived her.

That aura, that cold expression, was reminiscent of the Ice-Blood Princess from before.

“I’m at a loss because I can’t get any guidance as a Hunter this way.”

“Ah, I see. So you want to know how to get stronger, Miss Kanzaki?”

“Yes. Regarding things like how to allocate Skills and Status points, I thought it would be better to decide after hearing your opinion rather than proceeding on my own judgment.”

The basic training strategies for Hunters in the early stages are publicly available online.

But there is absolutely no information at this point regarding a strategy suited to Kanzaki’s Aptitude.

That’s because her Aptitude is unique.

(Perfect.)

This way, he could get a legitimate reason to advise her on the path to becoming the Strongest Hunter, completely free from Angel interference.

“Understood. I’ll help if you think I’m good enough.”

“Th-thank you very mush!!”

“…mush?”

“Ahem. In that case, I was hoping you could add me as a fwiend… I mean, a friend on your smartphone’s calling app!”

Kanzaki, who had spectacularly bitten her tongue, thrust out the smartphone she was clutching with both hands.

A glimpse of her ears revealed they were bright red, as if scalded.

It was as if you could see steam rising psssh psssh from her head.

“…Miss Kanzaki, calm down.”

“Shorry.”

“Umm… here, my friend ID.”

“Ah, thank you!!”

They exchanged IDs, and a call/chat connection was established between Kanzaki and Asuto.

<Nice to meet you, Mr. Yuki. Please take care of me.>

<You too, Miss Kanzaki.>

<I have one request. If possible, could you drop the honorific ‘Miss’? I’m younger than you!>

<Ah, you’re right. Okay then, nice to meet you, Kanzaki.>

<Yes!>

To think the day would come when he’d be connected on a calling app with the Ice-Blood Princess…

While chatting lightly with Kanzaki, Asuto was lost in emotion.

It felt like becoming friends with a celebrity.

<Alright, first question. Tell me your Aptitude.>

<It’s Sword Saint.>

“Whoa…”

Carefully crafting an expression of surprise so it wouldn’t sound forced, Asuto reacted.

<Sword Saint… I don’t think there are any others, are there?>

<That’s right. That’s why no information comes up online either…>

Asuto already knew Kanzaki’s Aptitude was Sword Saint beforehand.

Because in the previous timeline, the Ice-Blood Princess had openly posted information about it online without hiding anything.

In Hunter Activity, information is a powerful weapon.

‘Conquest information that only you know’ holds tremendous value. Because having it allows you to pull far ahead of everyone else.

Yet Kanzaki continued to post her own information online without concealing it.

Her own Aptitude, her Sword Saint training strategy—she made it all public.

(Maybe she wanted to save Hunters in a similar situation to hers.)

Anyway, Kanzaki’s training strategy.

He had seen this many times in the past. Even without using Memory Playback, he could recall it perfectly.

<It’s good to allocate your Status points in a ratio of Strength 2, Stamina 1, Agility 2, Perception 1.>

<Hmm, hmm… 〆(. )>

<If you have some spare Gold, it would be good to secure Skill Scrolls numbers 013245 and 005875.>

<Yes, I bought them!>

“That was fast!”

Looking at the screen, Asuto couldn’t help but raise his voice.

That was just meant as advice; whether to act on it or not was entirely up to Kanzaki.

He had hoped she would at least consider it a little, but to carry it out immediately…

Asuto had no ill intentions whatsoever, but it made him anxious that if someone with malicious intent appeared, she might get deceived again.

“D-don’t you think you should have thought about it more?”

“No, if it’s your word, Mr. Yuki, it can’t be wrong!”

“…Your complete trust is scary.”

If he were to make a careless mistake, it felt like he might ruin Kanzaki’s life.

He really didn’t want to bear that much responsibility.

(Speaking of which, Kanzaki being here… it’s a coincidence, right?)

Her appearance, almost as if she had been aiming for him, made Asuto reflexively harbor doubts.

It was because he had been chased around by Scouts and reporters these past few days.

“W-well, that can’t be.”

No matter how much of a genius Hunter she was, she shouldn’t have the ability to find a specific person in the vast metropolis of Tokyo.

So, it must be a coincidence.

Yes, Asuto told himself.

Kanzaki: “It’s a coincidence. (flat tone)”