Saved by Hayato, I was allowed to ride in the back of the carriage to talk with him.
The one driving was the beautiful girl I'd met earlier.
Aside from her, there was also a cat-eared girl, a timid-looking girl, and a pointy-eared elf girl.
…Actually, they were all beauties.
Of course. This handsome guy already had a full harem, huh…
Now then, after hearing Hayato's story, there were a few things that surprised me.
First, Hayato apparently came to this world the same way I did—through reincarnation from Earth, specifically Japan.
He said he'd died in an accident in his past life and was summoned here by a goddess, keeping his original appearance.
Thinking about it now, his name "Hayato" should've tipped me off, but back then, I was too shaken, too relieved to even notice.
「And well, that's how it went. I've been here about a year now.」
「Hohhh… You've had one hell of a life, huh…」
Hayato apparently became an adventurer almost immediately after arriving in this world.
While diving into a dungeon alone, he encountered a lower-level boss that shouldn't have spawned—and that's where he met Chris, the girl sitting quietly over there.
On top of that, he'd foiled a noble's rebellion in the city, already living like some kind of story's protagonist.
Turns out he even holds a noble title now. At this rate, he'll probably end up married to a king's daughter or something.
「So, you also… uh…」
「Ah, right, my bad. My name's Shinomiya Itsuki. Just Itsuki's fine.」
「Alright, Itsuki-san. If you met the goddess too, then you must have a Unique Skill, right?」
「Yeah, I do. Uh—」
「Ah, no need to say it out loud!」
Hayato cut in sharply, almost panicked.
「Unique Skills are… well, exclusive to us. So there's no need to reveal yours.」
「I mean, it's not like it's a big deal or anything…」
「…Well, the thing is…」
Hayato hesitated slightly but then spoke firmly.
The gist of it? He'd already killed two other reincarnators like us.
No excuses—just stating the facts.
And after finishing with a solemn 「…That's all」 he explained the dangers of letting others know about your Unique Skill.
「I see… Must've been rough.」
I gave him a couple of light pats on the head.
Hayato still seemed like a student, while I was barely in my twenties—so it felt like an adult comforting a kid.
Hayato just blinked, stunned.
「Uh… I mean, I've killed two people…」
「Mmm… Well, don't sweat it. Not like saying that helps, but still. Thanks to you being alive, I'm alive right now. And sorry, but my life matters more to me than some stranger's. "I'll never kill anyone!"—that kinda convenient idealism only flies in stories, right?」
I grinned as I said that, and Hayato lowered his head.
…Yeah, explaining further would probably be pointless.
After a moment, Hayato lifted his face again.
「Sorry. The only other reincarnators I've met so far were those two, so I was on guard.」
A sudden confession. Apparently, he'd assumed most reincarnators would misuse their powers for evil.
That's why he couldn't afford to reveal his Unique Skill.
「Ah, got it. So that's why those girls over there were glaring at me the whole time.」
The two beauties flanking Hayato—different from the girl I'd met earlier, each with their own charm.
An elf with clear, azure eyes.
A cat-eared beauty in revealing clothes, her emerald-green eyes sharp.
My gut told me these two were connected to the previous reincarnators.
Maybe they joined Hayato after he resolved whatever trouble they were in.
Hayato seemed to trust me now, but the girls still saw me as a threat—just for being a reincarnator.
Well then—
「Alright, in that case, I'll go ahead and tell you my Unique Skill.」
Fufufufu. Trust is built on openness, after all.
And if I don't show respect to the guy who saved my life, who would I show it to?
「Eh? Wait, but—」
「Nah, don't worry. Just 'cause I'm telling you doesn't mean you have to share yours. Besides… mine's not really combat-oriented.」
From what I'd heard, most Unique Skills were combat-focused.
「Prepare to be amazed!! My Unique Skill is— Wait, maybe it's easier if I just show you.」
「Huh?」
「Unique Skill, activate! 'Pocket Money!'」
As I shouted, a single coin tumbled down from thin air, spinning glitteringly before landing in my palm.
The coin shone silver—apparently a silver piece.
I held it up triumphantly, puffing out my chest as I looked at Hayato.
「A-ano… so, that's… your Unique Skill?」
「Yep! Once a day, I get free pocket money!」
Behold!!
This is my Unique Skill—Pocket Money!
Once per day, a fixed amount of cash descends from the heavens based on my level.
In other words, I can live without working!
「…One Nohl silver coin.」
「Seems like it. By the way, how much is this Nohl silver worth in this world? And could you fill me in on the currency here?」
「Well… value-wise, it's not too different from Earth. Maybe slightly higher prices here? Think of it like yen becoming Nohl. The currency goes from zen coins, copper coins, silver coins, gold coins, to platinum coins—each worth ten times the last.」
After getting more details, I learned the currency breakdown:
– Zen coin (1pc): 100 Nohl (≈100 yen)
– Copper coin (1pc): 1,000 Nohl (≈1,000 yen)
– Silver coin (1pc): 10,000 Nohl (≈10,000 yen)
– Gold coin (1pc): 100,000 Nohl (≈100,000 yen)
Platinum coins exist, but they're rarely used in personal transactions due to their scarcity. Their value? A whopping 1,000,000 Nohl—ten times a gold coin.
Imagine dropping a single coin worth a million yen. Terrifying, right? One slip, and it's game over.
But back to the good news—
「Whoa! 10,000 yen a day! Nice, nice! This is pocket money of some rich kids!」
No need to work—just 10,000 yen daily! What an amazing skill!
(If it'd been 100 yen, I'd have cried.)
「Uh… This is your Unique Skill?」
「Yep! Got any other cool skills? Spill the details!」
「I mean, I can't disprove silver coins falling from the sky, but…」
Hayato hesitated, torn between disbelief and confusion.
「Honestly, I'm not cut out for life-or-death adventures in another world. I'd rather avoid fighting entirely—chill in town, skip the grind, live easy. Oh, my other skills are like this, too.」
I explained my non-Unique Skills, reasoning included. As I talked, the girls on either side of Hayato gradually relaxed their guard.
The cat-eared girl even turned away, muttering, 「Pocket money… less than Mii's allowance…」 with a smirk.
Wait, less than hers? Hayato must be loaded.
「So, that's the deal.」
「You really have no combat skills… But why would the goddess give you something like this…?」
「Huh? Oh, no—I picked all my skills myself.」
「…What?」
「Huh?」
「I-I mean, the goddess chose my Unique Skill and matching abilities. You got to pick yours?」
「Yep. I have some kind of 'acquisition points', but yeah, full freedom.」
「Whoa… Not sure if I'm jealous or not…」
「Works for me. My goal's a slow, comfy life. Though hey, if you need help with alchemy or appraising, just ask. Spatial Magic, though? Useless… for now.」
Spatial Magic will be taking a break for a while.
「It's technically a legendary-tier magic… Though I doubt there are many who can wield it properly…」
「Is that so? Still, I don't really feel like leveling it up…」
Apparently, there are two ways to raise a skill's level: either use it frequently or allocate points when leveling up.
The frequent use method is safer, but the progress is painfully slow.
A thought occurs to me.
If I want to level up Spatial Magic gradually, would repeatedly storing and retrieving items work?
Could simply moving things in and out raise its level?
「Well then, let me show you my Unique Skill too.」
Saying this, Hayato stood up inside the carriage.
「No no no! It's fine, really! You saved my life, so I trust you—no need to take unnecessary risks!」
「Not at all. I've actually been looking for an alchemist I can trust, and this is necessary for that.」
With those words, Hayato called out to the girl driving the carriage, bringing it to a halt, just as a monster came charging toward us from ahead. He raised his sword in response.
As Hayato lifted his blade high, it began to glow, drawing in light from the surroundings until the radiance condensed, extending the sword's reach.
「HAAH!」
Swinging down the brilliantly elongated blade, a torrent of light erupted, swallowing the monster whole.
All that remained was a massive gash carved into the ground.
「So? This is my Unique Skill—『Holy Sword of Light (Excalibur)』.」
Hayato turned back with a slightly smug look on his face.
I stood there dumbfounded, feeling like I'd just witnessed a finishing move straight out of an anime.
「Whoa… That's insane. You're literally the protagonist, huh?」
When I blurted out exactly what I was thinking, Hayato scratched his cheek, looking embarrassed but not entirely displeased. 「Ah, come on…」
「Hey, Hayato? Why did you crank up the output so high? The road's completely wrecked, you know?」
The girl who'd been driving the carriage—now twitching her temple in irritation—glared at him.
Looking ahead, the road had been torn apart by Hayato's attack. Since this was a main thoroughfare, merchants and travelers would be using it. Leaving it like this was definitely not an option.
「S-Sorry! I thought making it flashy would be easier to understand! Ow! Stop hitting me with the whip!」
As Hayato got smacked repeatedly with the horse crop, I couldn't help but smile wryly. Once again, I was reminded—this guy really was the protagonist.
The girl driving the carriage was Letty-san.
She was the first girl Hayato had met in this world.