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

It had been several days since we confirmed Freesia's abilities, and we had been hunting Lapis in the Rugen Valley ever since. Thanks to her ability to see through disguises, our hunting efficiency skyrocketed, and we quickly amassed nearly 50 raw stones. Noru had picked out some promising stones but wanted to be a bit more selective.

Today, we gathered in the living room early in the morning, ready for another day of hunting.

"Freesia, you've made hunting a lot easier," I said.

"Yes, especially the Lapis hunt! You are incredible, Freesia!" Noru added.

"Hehe, you can count on me even more if you like!" Freesia said proudly, hands on her hips, puffing out her chest. She looked very pleased with herself. She reminded me a bit of Noru... It made me want to pinch her cheeks a little.

"We've been making good money, but are we going to keep hunting in Rugen Valley?" Runa asked.

"We've collected quite a few stones. Even if we sell them in small batches, they won't run out soon. It might be a good idea to look for other monsters to hunt," I replied.

"It will take some time to gather enough funds, so exploring other hunting grounds sounds like a good plan," Runa agreed.

Raw stones fetch high prices, so they don't buy many at once. We plan to stockpile them and sell them regularly. Given that we have a stockpile, it would be wise to explore other hunting grounds now. Asking at the adventurer's association seems like a good idea.

"Let's stop by the adventurer's association in the Capital today and ask about other hunting grounds. There might be new information about the Demon as well."

"We haven't been to the association recently because we've been busy gathering magic stones," Noru pointed out.

We hadn't visited the adventurer's association because we were focused on collecting magic stones. It's been a while since we heard from the guild master, so there could be updates on the Demon.

As we discussed this, Freesia, who had been listening, joined the conversation.

"I'm excited to go to the Capital! Noru-chan, it must be a fantastic city, right?"

"Uh... yes, it has many impressive buildings and lots of people," Noru answered, looking a bit confused.

"I can't wait to see it!" Freesia beamed, her excitement radiating.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you have to stay home, Freesia," I said.

"What?! Why?" Freesia protested.

"I've told you repeatedly that we can't take you into the city. So when we go to town, you'll stay home like Runa."

"You're being mean, Heiha!" Freesia whined, looking at Noru for support.

"Uh, I'm sorry, but this time I have to agree with Heiha," Noru said apologetically.

Despite all the warnings, Freesia had forgotten and was determined to come along. Noru, feeling the weight of Freesia's imploring gaze, turned away uncomfortably. Then, in an instant, Freesia's demeanor changed.

"That's it! I'll play with Runa-chan while you're gone! I'll go wake her up right now!" she declared, darting off.

"Oh no, she left before I could stop her," I said.

"Freesia is full of energy. I can't let her outdo me!" Noru exclaimed.

"More noise is the last thing we need," Runa muttered.

Before I could stop her, Freesia had already rushed off to Runa's room. The rapid shift in her mood was dizzying. While her positivity was commendable, it was hard to keep up.

"Is it really okay to let her wake Runa?" Runa asked.

"What?! Freesia went to wake Runa?!" Estel exclaimed.

Estel had just stepped out of her room, looking worried. I couldn't understand why she was so alarmed.

"What's the rush? It's just Freesia waking up Runa," I said.

"We don't have time to explain! We need to stop her—"

Before Sisuha could finish, a scream echoed through the house.

"Argh!"

"Too late," Sisuha sighed, covering one eye.

What on earth had happened? Did Runa attack Freesia?

We rushed to Runa's room to find Freesia on the floor, with Runa, still asleep, biting her neck and clinging to her. We managed to pull Runa off and carried the unconscious Freesia back to the living room, where Sisuha treated her. Runa, still asleep, crawled back into her bed.

"Ugh, that was awful," Freesia groaned.

"Are you okay? There, there," Noru comforted her, patting her head.

"It's been a while since someone got bitten by Runa. I thought she'd gotten over that habit," Estel mused.

With the treatment done, Freesia, now being comforted by Noru, sighed. I remembered the time Sisuha tried to wake Runa and ended up getting bit. I had never tried waking her myself, but it was clear that approaching a sleeping Runa was dangerous.

"Don't try to wake Runa by force. If you do it wrong, she'll attack reflexively. Be careful," Sisuha warned.

"Advice from experience, I see," I said.

"Hehe, it's not that big a deal," Sisuha replied.

In the end, Freesia reluctantly agreed to stay home while we went to the city. It was starting to feel like a headache.

●

Leaving Sisuha in charge, Noru, Estel, and I headed to the adventurer's association in the Capital. We greeted Wiggy and asked if there had been any updates.

"Since you returned, there haven't been any notable reports," Wiggy said.

"That's good. We were worried because we hadn't been here for a while," I replied.

"You were busy recovering from your trip to Queres. Don't worry, the guild master has other adventurers on the lookout," Wiggy assured us.

It seemed there hadn't been any developments. We had been so focused on gathering magic stones and leveling up that we hadn't checked in with the association. Freesia's arrival had been a bright spot, but we needed to visit the association more regularly.

"By the way, could you tell us about other good hunting grounds? We're interested in places besides Remri Mountain," I asked.

"Of course. Thanks to you, materials from Kephur are more widely available now. How about the Sarat Forest? The spiders' silk there is durable and in high demand," Wiggy suggested.

"Sp-spiders? Can you tell us about other hunting grounds too?" Estel asked, clearly unsettled.

Wiggy listed several other locations, including mines with minerals and forests with insect-type monsters. After gathering this information, we stepped away from the counter, and Estel spoke up.

"Are we really going to the Sarat Forest? I don't want to deal with spiders. I might end up blowing the whole forest away," Estel said.

"I agree. Given our luck, those spiders are probably human-sized or bigger. Just thinking about it gives me the creeps," I said.

"You two really dislike those kinds of creatures, don't you?" Noru noted.

"I think most people would," I replied.

The thought of human-sized spiders made me shudder. While Noru seemed unfazed, most people would react like Estel.

Among the places Wiggy mentioned, the Shutgar Mine sounded the best. The monsters there had tough, iron-like bodies but were weak to magic. It reminded me of the Stinger in the northern cave, which gave me some hope.

As we were about to leave, we saw Deus entering the association. He noticed us and came over, with Miguru in tow but without Sumika and Gauss.

"Hey, Ookura," Deus greeted.

"Hey, Deus. Long time no see."

"Estel-chan, you're as cute as ever!" Miguru exclaimed, lifting Estel and nuzzling her cheek.

"Kyah! ...Please stop lifting me without warning," Estel protested, though Miguru soon put her down, apologizing.

"Today it's just the two of you?" Noru asked.

"Yeah, Sumika had something to do, and Gauss went with her. They'll be gone for a while," Miguru explained.

"Being in a party doesn't mean you're always together," Miguru added. "Though I usually stick with Deus."

Despite being in a party, it was common for members to split up for personal reasons. Our group always stayed together, which was a strength. Still, Deus and Miguru seemed particularly close.

"Are you here to take on a quest together?" I asked.

"Yes, we've been taking on quests we can handle as a pair," Deus replied.

"Hunting with just the two of us can be a bit risky. It's easier with more people," Miguru said.

Despite their individual strengths, going from four members to two was tough. I remembered how much harder hunting was when it was just Noru and me. More people definitely made things easier.

Given the timing, I thought it might be a good idea to invite them to hunt with us. I wanted to ask about the magic tools I'd given them as well.

"Would you like to join us for a hunt? I'd love to hear how those magic tools are working out," I offered.

"Really? That would be great! Hunting with Estel-chan again sounds fantastic!" Miguru exclaimed.

"I'd appreciate it. Are you sure it's okay?" Deus asked.

"Of course. We were debating on where to hunt anyway," I replied.

"Thank you. I didn't expect to hunt with you again," Deus said.

With Deus and Miguru on

 board, we set out for a hunt together. It was a chance to repay them for their help with collecting magic stones.