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

The day after solving the issue with Freesia’s ears…

“Fuh fuh fuhn!”

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

“Ehehe, of course I am! Today, I finally get to walk around town!”

Freesia was humming and skipping around the room, her bunny ears on the hood bouncing with each step. Yesterday, Noru had added a neck clasp to the hood, making it complete. Today, she’d be wearing it on her first outing.

“Are you coming with us today, Ookura-dono?”

“Yeah, I’m worried about letting you guys go alone.”

“I’ll be tagging along too. I can use my magic to help if anything happens.”

“You two worry too much! With me around, there's nothing to worry about!”

“Exactly! I’m sure I could handle it alone, too!”

I really don’t think she can handle it alone… No way we’d let her go out by herself. Noru and Estel were coming along, and Noru was carrying Mofuto. With how excited Freesia is, there’s no telling what she might do if left unattended.

“Alright, let’s head out—woah!”

Impatient, Freesia opened the door and tried to run out on her own. I quickly activated my Dimension Bracelet, sending a hand to grab her by the scruff of her neck. Phew… she’s a handful. Good thing I had this ready.

“What are you doing?”

“Don’t run off on your own!”

“You’re getting good at using that.”

“Estel and Sisya couldn’t catch her, but you managed easily.”

“Hmph! If I were serious, you wouldn’t catch me!”

“Alright, alright, calm down.”

Settling the squirming Freesia, we finally stepped outside. The sky was clear, and the sun was bright—a perfect day for an outing.

“Wow… Noru-chan, it’s the outside! I’m finally out of the house!”

“Glad to hear it!”

“You’re overreacting a bit. Didn’t you go out once for hunting?”

“Hayabusa doesn’t get it! The town and hunting grounds are totally different!”

“She’s right. Hunting monsters and leisurely strolling through town are two different things.”

Hopping and smiling, Freesia was soaking in her newfound freedom. True, a casual stroll in town is different from a work-like hunt. She wouldn’t have caused such a fuss otherwise. With Freesia settled, we began walking around the area.

“Ahh, the fresh air is the best!”

“Don’t make it sound like our home is a prison… And where did you learn that phrase?”

“Huh? I read it in a book while you were away. Sisya brought it for me to pass the time.”

“Oh, a gacha book?”

“I read them sometimes too, and they’re quite interesting.”

“Yeah! The pictures were beautiful and the stories were fun!”

Thick books, thin books, even manga—there’s a variety. But where did she pick up prison slang…? Freesia continued walking in a daze, basking in the sunlight, until she stopped abruptly.

“Look, Noru-chan! Flowers! Oh, and that funny statue! Haha, what’s that?”

“Hey, don’t wander off too much.”

“Her curiosity is all over the place.”

“Good thing we came along… Who knows what she’d do.”

Freesia darted from flowers to garden statues, her excitement leading her from one curiosity to another. She was almost losing her hood with all the moving, but the clasp held. Noru had her moments of restlessness, but Freesia was on another level. Just following her was exhausting. Eventually, we arrived at the town square of Brune.

“Wow! There are so many people! And this town is huge!”

“It’s lively here, but the capital is even more impressive.”

“If this is impressive, I can’t wait to see the capital!”

The square was bustling with people, and Freesia’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Everything was new to her. As she looked around, people passing by shot curious glances at us.

“Noru-chan, why are people staring? Did something happen?”

“They must be looking at Mofuto!”

“Of course! Mofuto is adorable!”

The two of them laughed together, with Noru carrying Mofuto, who let out a low “Boo.” I couldn’t help but step away from them.

“They don’t even realize why they’re being stared at… Let’s keep our distance.”

“Freesia alone draws some attention, but with Noru, it’s amplified…”

Freesia was eye-catching enough, but with Noru’s eye mask, they were quite the spectacle. We followed them from a distance until Freesia suddenly stopped.

“Noru-chan, what are those kids doing? They’re all looking up.”

“Oh, you’re right… That boy over there…”

Seeing a group of boys staring up at a tree, Noru walked over, with us following.

“Karm, what’s going on?”

“Oh, it’s the weird lady. Long time no see.”

“I’m not a weird lady!”

This boy… Oh, right, we met him a while ago. Noru tried to stop him from drinking a potion like juice. Still calling her weird lady, huh? Karm looked at Freesia and widened his eyes.

“Who’s that with you?”

“She’s a friend of mine.”

“Even your friends are weird.”

“Hey! I’m not weird at all!”

“No way. Anyone wearing that hood has to be weird.”

“Ehh… But it’s cute…”

Freesia’s shoulders slumped at being called weird. It’s cute, but I get why he’d say that. The other kids kept their distance, wary of Noru and Freesia.

“What were you guys doing?”

“Our ball got stuck in the tree, and we can’t get it down.”

“Let me see… Oh, there it is.”

High up in the tree, a ball was wedged between the branches. Too high for the kids to reach, and too dangerous for them to climb.

“Let me get that down with magic. Easy.”

“You can do magic? Awesome!”

“Yes, leave it to me.”

Estel’s the best for situations like this. She didn’t have her staff, so she pointed her finger, creating a small magic circle. Wind gusted toward the ball, shaking the branches, but the ball stayed put.

“Not coming down… I’ll try stronger…”

“Wait, no. That’ll break the branches. I’ll handle it.”

Stronger wind would cause damage. A bit risky in town. Estel’s magic couldn’t budge it, so I considered using the Dimension Bracelet. But before I could…

“Let me try! This is easy!”

“Hold on—”

“Sei!”

Freesia hurled a stone at the ball, and her hood’s clasp came undone, the hood falling off. You idiot! I tried to cover her quickly, but her ears… were normal. Round human ears.

While I was stunned, the stone hit the ball, knocking it down. She caught the rebounding stone, looking triumphant.

“Wow! You’re amazing!”

“Fuh-fuhn! Piece of cake!”

“Thanks a lot!”

The kids thanked her and ran off with the ball. Freesia beamed with pride. Her ears were normal… How? Estel, of course. I glanced at her, and she smiled back.

“Thanks, Estel.”

“You’re welcome. I had a feeling this might happen, so I kept a spell on Freesia just in case.”

She anticipated the hood coming off… I’m glad she was with us.

“Freesia, you almost messed up!”

“Oh… I’m sorry!”

Realizing her mistake, Freesia quickly put her hood back on. This hood needs more work to stay secure. Maybe it was too soon to let her out.

“Freesia didn’t mean any harm. Can you let it slide this time?”

“Alright…”

“Really? Yay!”

“But we’ll still accompany you for outings. Noru, make sure that hood stays on better.”

“Leave it to me! Oh, can we stop by the clothing store? I want to get materials for more hoods.”

Freesia’s face lit up. This incident could be a blessing in disguise. The hood needs improvement, but we’ll handle it. For now, we continued our stroll through Brune, enjoying the day until the sun began to set.