At some point, Haruka Yuzan had suddenly realized that his current life seemed to have become more fulfilling.
Was it since Reiko Onodera arrived?
He had given up his lackluster, laissez-faire lifestyle and seemed to be able to do one or two things with a goal each day.
For instance, now, curious about what the quest reward would be, Haruka Yuzan headed straight to the second floor as soon as he got home.
He knocked on the door, no response.
Instead, Roast Meat, the little fellow, wiggled his short legs and came running over.
The chubby cat had just looked up at Haruka and then lay down on the floor, belly up, meowing, hoping Haruka would play with him.
"You little fat cat, have you gained weight again recently?"
Haruka Yuzan picked up Roast Meat from the floor, noticing that the little guy seemed to have grown slightly larger.
It wasn't just rounder, but his whole body had grown a size, and with his orange fur, if you added black stripes, he would really look like a tiger cub.
"Meow?"
Human and cat locked eyes, and looking at those silly Bean Eyes, Haruka Yuzan shook his head,
Thinking too much, such a stupid cat if sent to a tiger den, would have ended up as tiger food.
"Meow?"
Roast Meat lay in the boy's arms, blinking his small eyes, curiously looking at his pooper-scooper.
"Click."
The bedroom door cracked open, a small head peeked out, eyes listless, looking half-dead.
"Damn, why do you look so lifeless?"
Seeing the girl's condition, Haruka Yuzan was also taken aback,
"Why are you so spiritless?"
"Did you need me for..." Misaki Saki asked weakly, then like a zombie, she opened the door fully and returned to the bedroom.
"What's wrong with you? Is this what modern-day shut-ins are like? Buck up! Lady!"
Haruka Yuzan walked in with Roast Meat, and upon entering, the whole world seemed to shift from day to night,
Tightly shut curtains blocked out the already dim sunlight outside, leaving the room pitch dark, and the bed was cluttered with messy blankets and clothes,
While Misaki Saki sat cross-legged on the floor, hands joined in prayer, with devout expression towards the TV screen.
Haruka Yuzan glanced at the game duration on the screen and was somewhat taken aback. Seven hours, so she had been playing since she woke up?
"Don't you have the resolve of an otaku?"
Misaki Saki stated defiantly with wide eyes,
"Our creed is, sit if you can, never stand when you can sit, lie down if possible, and never leave the house if there's no need!!! Tonight, I'll punish you to copy it a hundred times!"
Her little finger pointed at Haruka, her pretty face filled with pride?
"My record is not leaving the house for two whole months!"
She said this while waving a "2" gesture with her hand in front of the boy, as if bragging about something quite remarkable.
"Impressive, impressive," Haruka Yuzan joined in the clapping, then laughed and asked, "So, what did you gain from grinding the dungeon all day today?"
"Uh....."
The question brought the conversation to a standstill.
Finding herself and the cat both staring at her, Misaki Saki scratched her head without answering, sat down with her diminutive head lowered, and honestly began a new round of dungeons without the previous pretense.
She had grinded all day and still hadn't managed to get a single Queen's Dragon Scale.
"Forget it, as if I never asked."
Haruka Yuzan shrugged her shoulders, picked up another game controller, and turned on the display in the bedroom. She was ready to log in and grind dungeons with Misaki Saki,
judging by Misaki Saki's downtrodden mood, it seemed she still hadn't gathered the materials. The efficiency would be higher with both of them on it.
"Ah... why is the mid-tier material Queen's Dragon Scale so hard to grind!"
Without a new drop from the dungeon round, Misaki Saki threw the controller and lay straight on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling in a defeated state.
"You're grinding for the Queen's Dragon Scale, huh." Haruka Yuzan logged into the game and said with a smile, "Come on, I'll grind with you. With the luck of an Otaku like me, it'll drop in no time!"
"Ah..." Hearing this, Misaki Saki turned her head with disbelief in her eyes.
"Come on, you don't believe me? Hurry up, the more the merrier!"
"Your Fire Dragon Necklace is waiting for you! Just think of its mighty stats! Quick, quick!!"
"Okay!"
Misaki Saki's spirit was reignited.
The two of them threw themselves back into the fight, yet.....
They found the Queen's minions, the Queen's tail, the Queen's cloak... but not a single Queen's Dragon Scale.