Using Gacha to Increase My Companions and to Create the Strongest Girls' Army Corps

After repelling the Trents, we quickly left the area. The students, who had been lively and cheerful on the way, were now subdued and silent, probably due to the encounter with the massive Trents. Although we wouldn't be entering the forest again on the way back, reducing the chance of another Trent encounter, we remained vigilant for any other potential threats.

As the sky began to darken, we gathered in a clearing devoid of trees to set up camp for the night.

"Man, those trees really gave us a hard time," I sighed.

Ever since arriving in Queres, it felt like we'd been dealing with Trents with every job. How widespread were these creatures? I was starting to develop a severe aversion to forests, ready to attack any tree that moved.

"Well, have some of this and take a break," Noru said, handing me something.

It was a neatly peeled and sliced apple-like fruit with green flesh. Noru continued to expertly peel and slice more fruits, placing them on plates with astonishing speed. I couldn't even follow her hands with my eyes.

"You're incredibly fast... You really are skilled with knives, Noru," Estel remarked.

"Hehe, praise won't get you anything but food from me," Noru replied cheerfully.

"And what does it mean when food is all you get?" Sisya asked, sounding confused.

Noru, pleased with the compliment, kept slicing the apple-like fruits. She had already prepared over ten of them, which seemed excessive.

I told her to stop slicing more and decided to take a break while eating the fruits. Noru, with her hearty appetite, quickly devoured the excess.

"We've been through a lot, but it's good that the issue with Myra seems to be resolved," I said.

"Though, her reaction was quite something," Estel noted.

"Well, it's better than her being hostile," I pointed out.

"True, but still..."

Right after talking to Estel, Myra had run off blushing furiously. During our journey back, she frequently glanced our way, only to hurriedly look away whenever our eyes met. It was hard to say whether she was simply concerned for Estel's health or if there was something more to it. Estel described Myra's behavior as similar to, but different from, that of Miguru. While the positive attention was nice, I was a bit worried about Estel's future interactions with her.

Another thing that concerned me was Sisya.

"Sisya, the boys seem scared of you now. What kind of fighting did you do while we were gone?"

The boys who had looked at Sisya with relaxed expressions on the way there were now frightened, flinching and breaking out in a cold sweat whenever they made eye contact with her.

"I fought as I usually do," Sisya said, puzzled.

"Oh, your usual way, huh..."

"Yes, was there a problem?"

"Well... no, but..."

I wanted to say there was a big problem, but considering that Sisya's combat abilities had kept everyone safe, I couldn't bring myself to criticize her.

"And to think there were still more Trents. Quite a few, too. Do you think this means the threat isn't over yet?" I wondered.

"Maybe they were just a stray group left behind after we dealt with the Grandis," Estel suggested.

"Like a remnant force? We did see some stray kobolds after dealing with their main group."

I had hoped that defeating the Grandis had ended the threat, but now, more Trents had appeared. Perhaps they were just stragglers, as Estel suggested.

"We can't be sure just by thinking about it. We'll have to report this to the adventurers' guild and wait for their findings," I said.

"Right. Other adventurers need to be warned to stay vigilant," Sisya agreed.

"Trents are really troublesome, blending in like that. If only there was a way to spot them while moving," Noru sighed.

If it weren't for the boy's spell hitting one, we might have walked right past it. Trents were more threatening in their hidden state than in battle.

The next day, we safely returned to Queres without further incident. Arriving earlier than expected, it was still light out.

"Thank you so much for everything! Thanks to you, we were able to return without any injuries to the students," the teacher expressed his gratitude.

"We're just glad no one got hurt," I replied.

As we entered the city, the teacher thanked us again. The students, too, expressed their thanks before heading back to their academy. Noru and Sisya waved them off, with the students returning the gesture.

Among them, Myra broke away from the group and ran over to us.

"Um..."

"Oh, Myra. What's up?" Estel asked.

"Th-thank you, Estel-san, for everything...!" Myra stammered, blushing and holding her mouth in pain. She had bitten her tongue.

"Ouch, that must hurt..."

"Don't be so nervous. Sisya, could you heal her, please?" Estel requested.

"Of course."

Sisya quickly cast a healing spell, relieving Myra's pain. Myra straightened up and bowed again.

"Thank you... I'm really sorry for all the trouble I caused."

"There's no need to be so formal. Just be yourself, like when we first met," Estel said.

"Please don't remind me of that... I'm truly sorry for my rudeness back then," Myra said, bowing deeply.

Her initial defiance had vanished, likely due to witnessing Estel's magic in action. Seeing a Trent vaporized would be a shocking experience for anyone, especially a fellow mage.

Estel seemed to have an idea, smiling mischievously.

"In that case, as an apology, how about calling me 'Estel' without any honorifics?" she suggested.

"That's too much..."

"Come on, say it. Estel," Estel encouraged.

Myra, flustered and sweating, finally managed to say, "Estel..."

"See, it's not that hard," Estel smiled.

"It's embarrassing..." Myra admitted, her face turning red as she looked away.

Estel seemed very pleased with herself. Myra had initially called her 'Estel' without any problem, but now she was clearly very embarrassed.

"What exactly did Anneli say about me?" Estel asked.

"Nothing bad, I assure you! In fact, it was all good things!" Myra replied hastily.

"Then why were you so hostile at first?"

"Well... seeing Anneli so excited about you made me... jealous, I guess. It was a new feeling, seeing her so enthusiastic about someone else," Myra admitted.

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry if I caused any trouble."

"No, it's not your fault. If I were in her shoes, I'd probably feel the same," Myra said.

So it was jealousy. She felt left out because Anneli was talking so much about Estel. It was understandable, though still a bit unreasonable.

"Are you staying in Queres for a while?" Myra asked suddenly.

"Well..."

Estel glanced at me for confirmation.

"Yes, we'll be in Queres for a while. We might go on hunts occasionally, but we'll be based here," I said.

"Great! There's another chance to meet Anneli soon. Would you like to join us, Estel?" Myra invited eagerly.

It seemed Anneli was still in Queres. Estel looked at me, clearly wanting to go but unsure.

"If you want to go, it's fine," I said.

"Then, yes, I'd like that," Estel said.

"Wonderful! I'll tell Anneli! We should decide on a place and time. Where should we meet?" Myra asked, overjoyed and holding Estel's hands.

"Calm down!" Estel laughed.

Realizing her excitement, Myra quickly let go and blushed again. Estel laughed gently at her.

We decided to leave the meeting arrangements to the adventurers' guild and parted ways with Myra. Then, we headed to the guild to report the Trent incident. They hadn't found any other Trents elsewhere, but they planned to intensify their searches and warn people going out.

Back home, Noru was already sharing the fruits we collected with Runa, who was sitting on Sisya's lap and happily munching away.

"Here you go, Runa-san," Noru offered.

"Hmm, delicious," Runa responded.

"Eat as much as you like, Mofuto too," Noru said, handing another fruit to the pig, who squealed in delight.

"Mofuto, isn't it bad to feed rabbits so much fruit?" I asked.

"It's fine. Mofuto is a magical creature," Noru explained.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot," I said, scratching my head.

Runa, watching Estel who had been in a good mood since returning, asked, "Estel seemed very happy after we got back. Did something good happen during the mission?"

"She made a new friend. You should try making some friends too, Runa, as long as you don't reveal you're a vampire," I suggested.

"Haha, worry about yourself. You don't have many friends either, Heiha," Runa shot back.

"Ugh... I-I'm fine!" I stammered.

"Sure. But I'm happy with Sisya," Runa said, patting Sisya's head.

"Runa, you're so sweet!" Sisya beamed, hugging her.

Watching them, I realized how much everyone had changed. Estel used to stick to me all the time, but now she had friends and seemed happier. It was heartwarming to see.

I glanced at Noru, who was still happily eating fruit, cheeks puffed out. Some things

, it seemed, never changed.

"Noru, you're the same as ever," I remarked.

"What do you mean by that? I've changed in many ways!" Noru protested.

"Like what?"

"Well... I wear an eye mask now," Noru said proudly.

I couldn't help but laugh. Sisya and Runa turned away, hiding their smiles. Even Mofuto seemed to be shaking with silent laughter.

"Yeah, you're the same as always," I said, still chuckling.