Chapter 344: The Playful One's Skill

Well.

For now, we all safely reached the relay point—the building—and settled down in what turned out to be the owner's residence.

Most of the evacuees are currently napping.

Last night, they had stayed awake the entire time to make it this far, and some were at their peak of exhaustion.

Even the Porky said, "Don't pull all-nighters—lack of sleep is the enemy of good work, and it's no good for your looks either."

Still, being young and full of energy, we're staying awake and replenishing our magic power instead.

In the kitchen, we were grilling batter made by mixing flour with water.

It was our way of fulfilling Nanami's request: "I want to eat okonomiyaki."

"If the eggs and cabbage weren't spoiled, I could've made something a lot more authentic... huh."

"But this, they call it 'karaage no yaki,' supposedly the ancestor of okonomiyaki. Legend says Sen no Rikyū had it made and ate it with sugar and miso spread on top."

"Wow～. Amazing, 'Nameless-chan,' you're so knowledgeable!"

"Haha. Just comic book knowledge, that's all."

As we laughed, Nanami in the middle frowned slightly,

"……I mean, from what I've seen, it doesn't look all that tasty, but…"

"Still, we've got extra flour, so it's not a waste."

The owner of this house seemed to like flour-based foods. We should make good use of our resources.

Arranged on the table like a true winner's feast were gleaming silver plates and an array of seasonings, neatly lined up.

With a plump, round dumpling, seasoned with sauce and mayonnaise… and thus, the apocalyptic delicacy "Roasted Tofu" is complete!

And the three of them, chewy, chewy, chewy, chewy, enjoyed their mealtime.

"Hmm... This is... simple in flavor, I suppose... This guy, Rikyū... hasn't eaten anything particularly special..."

"It's not tasty at all. It's like a flavorless pancake."

"Maybe we should've gotten a better crust?"

"I don't think it's a matter of degree."

"We've got plenty of seasonings—let's just mask the taste with those."

Yet all three of them sensed that this meal might well be their last dinner.

They grumbled, but still felt grateful for the warm food.

After finishing, Nanami casually tossed the used silverware down toward the distant "zombie" visible far below.

"Ah!"

"Hmm?"

"I just leveled up, actually."

"Serious? From the thrown plate?"

"Yeah. Looks like I nailed it perfectly."

Wow, such coincidences do exist.

I quietly, subtly cast Skill Diagnosis on her.

Job: Playboy

Level: 54

Skills: [Sexual Technique (Super)] [Tease and Play] [Pats and Rubs] [Enhanced Natural Healing] [Skin Reinforcement] [Bone Reinforcement] [Strong Hunger Resistance] [Skill Diagnosis] [Mystery Magic I] [Charisma V] [Whistle] [High Spirits] [Advanced Negotiation] [Encouragement] [Advanced Playfulness] [Balloon Bomb] [Perfect Replica House] [Parade] [Experience Gain II]

Hmm... still, it's hard to grasp, you know... I don't even know how to describe it...

Seriously, though, if the skill options included things like "flirtatious teasing" or "flirty teasing," I just can't understand how anyone could think, "Yeah, let's go with that!"

What's most bizarre is her—she hardly knows any aggressive skills.

Honestly, maybe the "playboy" job isn't meant for combat in the first place.

"Alright. Then, let's set 'Experience Gain' to Level III... "

After waiting for the level-up process to finish,

"Alright, time to call everyone over."

▼

Later, gathered around the dining table still faintly smelling of roasted rice cracker crumbs were the three of us, two representatives from the refugees, and also Inu Ito-kun and Kou-kun.

Inu Ito-kun apparently has no intention of ever taking off that armor again; the image of a medieval knight sitting at the dining table was quite surreal.

"So, what about getting out of here next?"

"Well..."

I voiced the plan that had vaguely formed in my mind.

We'd travel by air as much as possible, scatter 'zombies' around Shibuya, then everyone dashes through the door.

Both older sisters exchanged slightly awkward expressions.

"But that's—hey, Maii?"

"Yeah. It's just... the burden on 'Nameless' is getting way too heavy."

Burden.

Well, I guess that's true, but...

"I've always thought you take things too seriously as class president."

"Huh?"

"I mean, you don't have to carry everything on your own. You can rely on us more. We're your teammates, after all."

She said it, lightly rubbing her cheek.

We did consider relying on the two of you and Dog Bite-kun, but I just couldn't think of a good solution.

"I think, from a capability standpoint, this might be the best option..."

"No, actually. If we go that route, I'm pretty sure we'd run out of magical energy halfway through."

"Is that so...?"

"Yeah. Even if we jump from building to building from here on, the buildings aren't all the same height. Trying that with this many people... I doubt you could even hold it together."

Hmm.

I can't counter that since I've never tried it—though I suppose you might be right.

"Then do you have another plan?"

"I do."

Oh? Immediate response.

And Nanami's confident, smug smirk.

This feels promising.

"Anyway, didn't we kind of touch on this before? I think we did. Probably. — I've got a strong skill for times like this, you know."

I tilted my head.

Honestly, I never really counted on the "womanizer" skill—it's too unpredictable to be reliable in battle.

In fact, she seemed to struggle even against zombies.

"I'll use the 'Parade' skill. It requires a bit of preparation... but with that, everyone will safely return to the real world."