Without any warning, lightning poured down from the heavens.
Its power was tremendous. The impact point was blasted into a huge crater as if a meteor had fallen.
Inside the hole lay the vice-principal and the Celestial Carpenters, their bodies completely charred black and emitting thin wisps of white smoke.
Behind them, the house they had been building exploded with a loud bang.
Screams spread among the onlookers.
"W-what!? Lightning just struck out of nowhere!?"
"Could it be that the gods really got angry!?"
"But that didn't look like lightning magic at all! That was the 'Judgment Lightning' sent down by the gods!"
Monaka was running around in a panic.
"This is terrible! Injuries from the 'Judgment Lightning' cannot be healed even by a saint!
Someone, please call a healer…! Or the school nurse…!"
The area had fallen into complete chaos.
In the midst of it all, the dark clouds overhead began to clear.
A beam of light like a ladder lowered by the gods appeared through the clouds and poured down onto the house I had built.
Bathed in the light, my house I built for Kotone began to shine.
Kotone stood frozen in place, simply staring at it.
"The gods… have acknowledged it…!
This house is unmistakably a 'jinja'…!"
Trembling, Kotone dropped to her knees, bowed her head deeply, clasped her delicate white fingers together, and began to pray.
I glanced sideways at the blackened group being carried away on stretchers and walked over to Kotone.
"Looks like you like it."
When I spoke, Kotone looked up with a start.
I was taken aback.
Her large, dark eyes were so wet with tears that they looked ready to overflow.
Overcome with emotion, Kotone threw herself against my chest.
"Th-thank you so much…! I never imagined Master was someone capable of building a 'jinja'…!"
"Well, it was kind of a coincidence. The gods must have been in a good mood."
Out of habit from doing the same for Monaka, I ended up patting Kotone's head.
Her glossy black hair had a smooth, calm texture that felt different from Monaka's soft, fluffy hair, but it was nice in its own way.
Kotone closed her eyes and simply let me do as I pleased.
"Master's hand… feels so wonderfully gentle…"
But she quickly came back to her senses and dropped flat to the ground in a deep bow.
"I-I am terribly sorry! That was extremely rude of me!"
"No, you don't have to worry about…"
"Hey, Leopin!"
A sudden angry shout came from behind me.
It was Tomoe, one of Kotone's attendants.
She always wore a stern, beautiful expression with sharp eyes, and her large build made her more intimidating than most delinquent boys.
Her long black hair was tied in a ponytail, and she wore hakama with a sword at her waist—truly the appearance of a female warrior.
Taking advantage of Kotone still being bowed with her face down, Tomoe roughly grabbed me by the collar.
"I have something to say to you! Come over here!"
Still holding my collar of my shirt with one hand, Tomoe stomped over and dragged me behind some rubble.
Her grip shifted from my collar to my chest, and I was lifted off the ground again.
Tomoe glared at me with fierce eyes.
"Just who the hell are you…!?"
Still dangling, I answered,
"You already know. I'm just an unemployed guy."
"There's no way an unemployed person could build a 'jinja'! Tell me the truth!"
"I changed jobs to 'Celestial Carpenter Seres Carpenter' with my skill."
I had never told anyone about my "Dexterity-Poor" skill's "Skilled Job Change" ability.
That was because I could already imagine how people would react if I did.
"If you're going to lie, at least make it a better one!
There's no such thing as a skill that lets you change jobs!"
Tomoe shook me violently while still holding me.
"Ever since you appeared in front of Kotone-sama, she has been talking about nothing but you!
And that's not all! Every morning when she wakes up and every night before she goes to sleep, she always bows toward the direction of your house!"
"So you want me to tell her to stop doing that?"
"No! Why can someone like you, a complete nobody, monopolize Kotone-sama's heart!?
So many fine gentlemen have courted Kotone-sama, yet she doesn't even give them a second thought!?"
"How should I know?"
"Above all, it's impossible for someone like you to even exchange words with Kotone-sama! If you understand, then never approach Kotone-sama again!"
Tomoe roughly shoved me away with a loud "Don!"
"Listen well! This is your final warning! If you break it, my sword will not stay silent!"
She twisted her waist and showed me the two swords she carried.
One was a standard bamboo sword, and the other was a handmade-looking wooden sword.
"Hey, wait a second. What's with that wooden sword?"
I suddenly reached for her waist, making Tomoe flinch.
"W-what!? This wooden sword is something I bought at the school store…!"
"Hmm. So the school store sells stuff of this poor quality?"
I continued while rummaging through the nearby rubble.
"With something like this, neither the person who made it nor the one using it will ever level up."
"What are you talking about!? And what are you doing!?"
"Just wait a moment. Oh, there's some 'Ogre Wood.' The quality is a bit lower, but it should be fine."
I found a suitably long piece of Ogre Wood and began carving it with my "Large Boar Knife."
Tomoe stared at me with a strange look, as if she had encountered some unknown and disgusting monster.
"W-what are you…? Seriously, what exactly are you…!?"
"I told you, I'm just an unemployed guy. All right, it's done."
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Ogre Wood Sword
Quantity: 1
Quality Level: 19 (Material Level 2 + Dexterity Bonus 5 + Job Bonus 12)
A wooden sword carved from Ogre Wood.
Thanks to the various bonuses, it is easier to swing than ordinary wooden swords and possesses high attack power.
--------------------------------------------------
When I held out the "Ogre Wood Sword" and said "Here, try using it," Tomoe took it hesitantly.
She assumed an eastern sword stance and swung it down two or three times from above her head.
"W-what incredible ease of swinging…! It feels like an extension of my own body…!"
When I said "See?", Tomoe shook her head as if embarrassed by her own admiration.
"S-so what if it's easy to swing! The most important thing about a sword is its power!"
"I see. Then try swinging it at that rock over there."
I pointed at a waist-high rock right in front of us.
Tomoe laughed scornfully.
"Are you mistaking a wooden sword for a hammer or something!? Even a real sword would bounce off a rock! Something like this wooden sword would just snap!"
"Really? Then try to snap it."
When I provoked her, Tomoe took a deep breath and raised the sword high above her head.
"You! You must think I'm as weak as any ordinary woman! I've snapped countless bones of those who dared approach Kotone-sama with nothing but this kind of wooden stick!"
With a powerful "Nunn!" she brought the sword down.
It struck the center of the rock perfectly.
Yet the wooden sword did not have a single scratch.
Soon, cracks began to spread across the rock with sharp snapping sounds.
With a loud crack, the rock split in two.
Tomoe's eyes widened in shock.
"E… eeeeeeeeeeeeeh!?!?"