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

Once we were ready, we teleported to Queres and headed to the jewelry store.

"Oh, so this is the jewelry store you mentioned?"

"It looks quite fitting."

"I imagined a larger store, but it's pretty small."

Noru and the others reacted the same way Sisuha and I did the first time we came here. And just like before, they had a similar reaction upon entering.

"This is amazing! The gems sparkle like stars in the night sky!"

"That's a bit of an exaggeration... but not entirely. The gem my brother gave me was beautiful, but all the gems here are stunning."

The store was dimly lit, with a variety of colorful gems shining brightly. Noru was glued to the display, eagerly admiring the jewelry. Estel and Runa followed suit, marveling at the displays.

"How about it, Runa-san? Anything here inspire you?"

"Hmm, I'm conflicted. Even with brooches, there are so many options. I understand now why you and Sisuha wanted us to choose."

"Yes, while Ookura-san and I were visiting different jewelry stores, I gradually lost confidence in my ability to choose."

Runa, on tiptoe and leaning against the display, was examining brooches while Sisuha spoke to her. Though she had decided on a brooch, she seemed torn about the design. Sisuha had scrutinized the displays so intensely, it was like she was falling into a dilemma the more she looked.

"Oh, did you and my brother go jewelry shopping together?"

"Uh, yes, but... it's not like there was anything inappropriate!"

"Hehe, don't be so scared. I was just asking."

Estel smiled at Sisuha, who seemed slightly traumatized, probably from having stepped on landmines in conversations with Estel before and being dragged to her room. But from what I could see, Estel didn't seem particularly bothered this time.

As Noru and the others continued to browse the store, Sisuha and I decided to talk to the clerk and rang the bell on the counter.

"Yes, thank you for waiting... Oh, you've come already!"

"Hello."

"Sorry for coming so soon after yesterday."

The woman who first assisted us emerged from the room behind the counter. It seemed the male clerk wasn't in today. We explained that we had successfully given the gems and called over Estel and Runa to discuss what kind of brooch and necklace they wanted. Only Noru remained, captivated by the displayed jewelry.

"So these gifts were for these girls? They're both adorable."

When Estel and Runa sat down across from the clerk, she looked slightly surprised. Given how young Estel and Runa appeared, it was understandable that others might be taken aback knowing they were the recipients. To us, accustomed to their mature behavior despite their appearance, it didn't seem odd.

"Oh, thank you."

"Hmph... thanks."

Estel responded with a smile, while Runa turned away with a short reply. Runa rarely interacted with anyone besides us, so she wasn't used to it.

"The gems are truly beautiful. I heard they were magically processed, but how is it done?"

"We're delighted you liked them. However, regarding the processing..."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just curious. I know it's a trade secret."

The clerk apologized apologetically, and Estel bowed slightly in apology. It seemed she was interested in the magical process of gem cutting, but it was understandable they wouldn't divulge trade secrets. Though, knowing Estel, she might figure it out on her own.

We joined the conversation to discuss the jewelry designs, reaching a general consensus before leaving the final decisions to the girls and the clerk. I stepped away to approach Noru, who was still wandering around the store.

"Hmmm..."

Noru, engrossed in the hair accessories display, let out a sigh. She seemed very focused. Had something caught her eye?

"What's up? You seem really interested."

"Oh, Ookura-dono. Everything is so cute, I can't help but stare."

"Noru, interested in something other than food? Is it going to rain spears?"

"That's really rude! I keep telling you, I'm a maiden!"

"I don't think you should be self-proclaiming that..."

Noru flailed her arms in protest. Seeing her genuinely interested in something other than food or strange plushies was a relief.

"What do you want, Noru?"

"Let's see... a hairpin or a bracelet."

Ah, as Sisuha predicted, she wanted a hairpin. I expected her to ask for something outlandish, but her choice was surprisingly normal. With her beautiful silver hair, it would suit her well.

"Alright. We can't go every day, but let's do our best to find some satisfactory raw stones."

"Yes!"

"Oh, and we'll also be hunting for magic stones, so keep that in mind."

"Wait, I didn't hear anything about that!"

When I mentioned magic stone hunting, Noru grabbed my shoulders and shook me. Haha, looks like Noru will join Sisuha and me in our magic stone hunts. After all, we did both gemstone and magic stone hunting. It's an unavoidable sacrifice.

---

Having decided on the jewelry designs, we left the store. Estel's necklace would feature a ruby set in a birdcage-like design. Runa's brooch would resemble a bat, with the gem at the center, appearing to be held by its claws. There's no way we could have come up with such unique designs on our own.

"Next, we need to go to the Adventurers’ Guild. Runa, you can head home with Sisuha."

"Thanks, that helps. Let's go, Sisuha."

"Yes. Ookura-san, will you be alright?"

"I'll be fine. You two enjoy a relaxing day."

Runa seemed in good spirits, so I decided to let her and Sisuha have a day off from hunting. Maybe I'll take Noru hunting later. Even though we already have over a thousand magic stones, my personal goal is two thousand. You can never have too many, and the extras can go towards the next gacha.

I planned to take Noru with me to the guild, but...

"Brother, can I come to the guild with you today?"

Estel wanted to join us.

"Huh? Well, it's just to get some information..."

"That's fine. We haven't walked around town together lately, so why not?"

Hmm, Estel tends to attract attention in Queres, so I usually avoid taking her out... While I was pondering this, Noru spoke up.

"Ookura-dono, it's fine, isn't it? Estel has been cooped up reading books. We were thinking of dragging her into Mofuto's kennel to play with us."

"I'd rather not..."

Noru made a menacing gesture towards Estel, who stepped back, looking uneasy. If this keeps up, Estel will end up stuffed into Mofuto's kennel. Well, taking her out once in a while should be fine. Staying indoors all the time isn't good either.

"Alright... Fine. Estel, you can come."

"Hehe, yay. Thanks, Noru."

"Oh, it’s nothing, really."

Estel pumped her fists in front of her chest in delight. It felt nice to see her so happy, even if it was just to visit the guild. After sending Sisuha and Runa home, Noru, Estel, and I headed to the Queres Adventurers’ Guild.

"Ah, Ookura-san."

"Hello. Any updates on that matter?"

"Yes, we were hoping to discuss it with you today. Follow me, please."

The receptionist greeted us and led us to a private room in the guild. Sitting across from each other at a table, she began the discussion. Holding the meeting in a private room... could this be serious?

"So, what did you find out about the magic stone?"

"Well, we don't have all the details yet, but we did uncover part of the magic embedded in the stone."

Oh, they discovered something about the magic stone Diabolos had.

"It seems to rapidly absorb surrounding mana and convert it into something before releasing it again."

"Absorb and convert... into what?"

"Sorry, we haven't figured that out yet..."

The receptionist lowered her head apologetically. Oh... that's all they found out? I was hoping for more specific information...

"We’ve reported this to our guild master, and they plan to inform the Capital’s guild master as well. You might be asked for more details in the future."

With that, our meeting in the private room concluded. Having nothing else to discuss, we left the guild shortly after arriving.

"Hmm, so that’s all they've discovered so far."

"Not much progress, huh."

"Well, it’s tough to piece together something that was shattered."

It’s been a while since we recovered the magic stone, but not much progress has been made. They did well to find out what they did from the fragments, but the information is still lacking. What does the stone convert mana into...?

"Even with what we learned today, we can still make some guesses."

"Really? Seriously?"

"Estel is always reliable!"

Wow, Estel can infer something from that information? She's indeed the smartest among us!

"Diabolos emerged from Grandis, right? And he had the magic stone."

"That's right."

"It was suspected the magic stone played a role in creating Grandis. The new information suggests two possibilities."

From that little information, she already deduced two possibilities? While it was clear the stone played a role in summoning the giant monster, we couldn't figure out the exact mechanism.

"One, Diabolos entered the monster’s body and enhanced it. Two, the magic stone emits a light that causes monsters to appear, just

 like the lights we see in hunting grounds. Except, it summons something as powerful as a Grandis. These two possibilities."

"Either is bad enough, but if it’s the latter..."

"If such a creature suddenly appeared in town, it’d be chaos..."

If the flying goblin-like creature could enter monsters and enhance them... It means the Grandis was created by it merging with a Trent? So, the magic stone absorbs mana and converts it into something that strengthens monsters? That would explain why "temporary" appeared next to their names in the status app. But why enter them at all... to control them?

If the stone emits light to summon monsters like hunting grounds do, that's also terrifying. Hunting grounds are in secluded areas, but if it happens in town... it would be a nightmare.

"Given they were hiding in the forest, the first possibility seems more likely. But they could have been hiding to avoid attention while testing this method."

"Either way, if there's a mastermind behind this, we need to stop them."

"But we have no leads at the moment..."

I don't know what their goal is, but creating something that can enhance monsters to a Grandis level is alarming. I was hoping we’d get magic stones as a reward, but can we even solve this problem? With no solid leads, we have no choice but to wait for more information from the guild.