The place they'd picked to eat wasn't the high-end Hostess of Fertility—it was a restaurant next to the group dorms.
The menu listed all sorts of simple dishes, priced for the lower-income adventurers who lived in the dorms. Pretty cheap.
Keyaru skimmed the prices and immediately regretted offering to treat. He hadn't earned a coin as an adventurer yet and only had 500 valis on him. Given an adventurer's appetite, the optimal play was letting Mikoto order first.
"Miss Mikoto," he said, sweating under her gaze, "you should order before you keep staring at me…"
"You think I'm in any state to read a menu right now?"
She wasn't good at lying. She shook her head, still unable to process that he'd been limping when he left, and after a quick wash had somehow come back looking fine. Meanwhile the web between her thumb and forefinger still throbbed faintly from soreness. "Your recovery… is hard to believe. Are you planning to spar again after we eat?"
"If you don't have other plans and you're willing, I'd love more live practice," he admitted, turning aside with a wry look. In DanMachi terms, Mikoto's Far Eastern homeland was basically "Japan," and she was as Far Eastern as they came—teasing her a little should be fine… right?
Her answer was surprisingly calm. "I don't mind. I'm just not sure you've noticed—our gap in technique is already small. But even going all out, you still can't counter me. Is it possible that what separates us now is stats and Level?"
She was serious, and part of that came from Lord Takemikazuchi's view. Training in the open square in front of the dorm all morning without drawing his attention? That was rare.
"You really are gifted at live combat."
"Come on…" Keyaru knew she wasn't the type to lie. He only shrugged, not smug in the least. He had worked hard these past two days, but the truth was that "Heal" and its derivative skill had let his training count double.
"Let's eat first. If I don't get something in me, I'll pass out."
Mikoto didn't stand on ceremony. While ordering she watched his expression, and when the total hit 400 valis and his eye twitched, she slid the menu to him.
"I'm done."
"I already ate back at the Familia. Treating you is just to say thanks," he said, pushing the menu back—right as his stomach protested, loud and clear.
She'd already guessed and didn't mind this kind of "lie." In fact, she found him pretty funny.
"You… When your finances improve, then you can talk about treating me." She pulled valis from her pocket to pay. That's how she was at the Far Eastern orphanage—always looking after her younger siblings. And judging by the look of him…
Patient and earnest, she added, "You've burned through a lot—of course you need to eat. At the very least, now that you're an adventurer, take care of yourself."
"Then I owe you one." No one refuses a kind, understanding beauty—and Mikoto was a black-haired straight-cut stunner in every sense. Keyaru figured thick skin was part of surviving anyway. Grinning, he ordered the same set meal she had.
"Once I start the Dungeon and earn a little valis, I'm giving you a proper treat."
—
After stuffing himself, Keyaru didn't head straight back to the Familia base. He went with Mikoto to the dorms. They didn't jump right into sparring. During the break, they chatted—mostly about the Dungeon. Ms. Eina's intel from the Guild was solid, but he wanted a real adventurer's breakdown of each floor's monster weaknesses.
Take goblins: in the Dungeon's dim light their eyesight is poor. A lone goblin is easy for a rookie. But once their numbers rise, their craftiness shows. As for other monsters, most have obvious flaws. Time your moves and a safe return shouldn't be a problem.
He didn't find any of this prep tedious. He had no cheat panel; even his technique came from training with Takemikazuchi and Mikoto.
Charging in like a hothead with only basic monster info… if he didn't make it back, who knew if he'd get a chance to "remake" his life?
Once he'd absorbed it all and fully recovered, the afternoon wore on. The dorm eaves shaded them from the blazing sun; when the heat eased, they started sparring again.
That bout clinched it—Mikoto was sure Keyaru was improving at a startling pace. Moves that had never failed her before no longer worked. Setting aside overall strength, relying on technique alone, she realized she couldn't beat him anymore.
As dusk cast its veil over Orario and they wrapped up, Mikoto stared at him in frank disbelief. Her bold guess had been right. But how? She couldn't puzzle it out. Was human adaptability really like this?
"So I was right…" she murmured. "I don't know how you're doing it, but every time we finish training, your strength jumps. I try to press the openings you showed before—and you always find them fast and patch them in the cleverest way."
In the end her feelings were mixed. She shook her head. "As much as I hate to admit it, continuing to spar with me won't help you anymore. What you need next is the Dungeon—fighting real monsters."
"That's my plan too," Keyaru said, earnest. He'd leaned on her enough these two days, and for now he had no idea how to repay her. "And our Familia's not flush with cash. Letting our goddess keep footing the bill… I don't feel right about it."
Her own Familia wasn't exactly well-off either. She couldn't offer financial advice, but she did remind him kindly, "Before you go, remember to have your god update your status. And… running away isn't shameful. What matters is how you get out of the Dungeon alive."
Then the handsome, gallant lines of her face softened into a smile. "Since when does the guest pay when someone says they're treating? So—your promise to treat me stands. We'll cash it in after you come back from the Dungeon safe and sound."