**Day 21: Morning – White Weirdo Pervert Inn**
Today I'm finally having a proper loner breakfast again.
I-I'm not being left out or anything! There just happens to be no one here! They just went ahead without me! There's definitely a non-zero chance I'm being bullied, though?
The girls are adventurers, so they have work from early in the morning.
I'm a shut-in, so I'm having breakfast alone.
See? No problem at all. This is just the correct behavior based on our respective occupations. No, seriously, read the room—me eating alone over here.
The girls are adventurers, so they form a party and head out together.
I'm a loner, so I'm having breakfast alone.
See? This is clearly the optimal action pattern tailored to each person's aptitude. Say it! I'm telling you to say it!
The girls are adventurers, so they go out to complete requests.
I'm a shut-in, so I'm having breakfast alone.
Yeah. It's been proven here that there's absolutely no issue. My title being a problem has also been reconfirmed. I'm just eating breakfast, but thanks to my title my public image is terrible. The locals in this other world are probably whispering about me behind my back.
It's here—
Breakfast. Eggs! Fried eggs!
They were pretty expensive. Apparently they're rare.
Maybe I should catch some chickens.
Build a chicken farm in the cave—then I can get chicken meat too.
The class rep and the others left for work early this morning.
Today they're forming parties with four of the beautiful ladies from the old guys' group for training.
It's full six-person parties—five girls plus one instructor—and they're splitting into four groups for proper expeditions.
The class rep's group is actually stronger, but they lack experience so they waste a lot of effort. They rely too much on brute force and cheat skills.
Today they'll learn normal fighting methods instead of just pushing through with stats and cheats.
They'll pick up the techniques and knowledge they'll need for future adventurer work. I wanted some personal lessons too… especially since the instructors are beautiful…
So the girls' adventurer activities have finally begun for real. It's combat-type self-employment (contract work). A fighting business.
Their goal is to take jobs five days a week and earn 250,000 ele per month. That's about 500,000 yen?
It sounds like a lot, but with inn fees, meal costs, and bath fees, they'll probably need around 150,000 ele a month just for basics.
With the remaining 100,000 ele they'll have to cover optional costs like weapon and equipment maintenance, upgrades, savings in case someone gets injured, consumables like potions and portable food, and they'll want new clothes too.
It's pretty tough. If they could earn around 500,000 ele a month they'd have some breathing room, but there are only small fry around this town. It doesn't pay well.
That's why they're trying so hard.
That's why they're going out to earn money.
That's why they're doing whatever it takes to make money.
They really seem to want to add the title "kept man" to my name… There really is a non-zero chance I'm being bullied.
They've probably noticed already.
If they want to earn properly, the forest is the way. It's a gold mine. Goblin slaughter all day. A full goblin festival with pihyarara music.
In reality, if they cut straight through the forest to the cave, they can make it in two days even while fighting.
Actually, that's exactly what they did.
From town to cave, hunting along the way, then selling in town. Back to the cave…
If they rotate like this, they can camp at the base and stay in the cave without paying inn fees.
Right now the girls are in four teams. If they rotate two teams at a time, they could bring in 500,000 ele a month while cutting expenses in half.
For that to work, someone needs to stay stationed at the cave.
Living in the forest isn't something girls should have to do.
A forest girl is one thing, but this would make them forest people—wild humans, shut-ins, and on top of that, full-on NEETs… Wait, hot cake!
And there's the easy comfort of being a loner there. I'm used to it. I've gotten way too used to it…
They can swap out every two weeks so someone comes back to town, I can handle shopping for them, and they can come to town for the swap occasionally.
Besides, I can't even join the guild, so there's no real reason for me to stay in town.
It's the most efficient and productive setup. Best for mushroom collection rates, and above all, for survival probability.
And yet…
The reason they're probably holding me back is that talk about the level wall.
So…
Someday I might end up dying alone in the forest.
That's probably why.
Even if I stay in town, I could still get killed by humans, so I think it's the same,
But the scary part for them is me dying alone when no one's around, when no one knows, without anyone being able to help.
That's what they're afraid of.
That's what they're worried about.
And that's why they're anxious.
Which is why… they confiscated my money.
Ah~ I really want to splurge on something.