My name is Dust. I'm an adventurer who's quite famous in Axel. I pride myself in guiding newbie adventurers down the right path by telling them about all my heroic tales and achievements.
But that's not what I'm doing today. For you see, I recently met a certain man who inspired me. This man is also well known in Axel, and while not as famous as myself, his fame comes from something quite different. A type of popularity in which I desire.
So, I decided that I would try and learn from this man to gain what he has that I lacked. It seemed the goddess of luck, Eris, was on my side when I confronted the guy because he conveniently invited me to join his party. What luck!
I feel bad about leaving my party members behind, but I trust they understand that this is a path that I must take. Of course, if they're that desperate to have me back I might reconsider. Those guys really are hopeless without me.
Sorry, I'm getting side tracked. Back to my story.
After I joined that man's party, he left to go recruit a mage in a certain village. In the meantime, I swapped parties with a drinking buddy of mine who's in a party full of beauties. Boy was that a mistake.
An Arch Priest who won't shut up about how great she is but can't back her words with action, a mage who shows off their one-use spell right before the battle and collapses from mana exhaustion, and a perverted Crusader with a hopeless masochistic personality.
Yeah, I want nothing to do with those girls ever again. Best of luck, Kazuma.
After those troublesome days, I was later bullied by some punk with a magic sword because I flirted with his groupies. I got back at him by reselling his sword to him that I happened to find by complete chance, but he later found out that I cheated him and beat me up a second time. I'll have to ask the Boss to avenge me.
But my misfortunes didn't end there. After the battle with the Demon King Army General (which I showed up late to and didn't get any reward money for it), I woke up in an Axis Cult Church and was threatened by a psychotic priestess who was looking for the Boss. I was forced to give away all my information on that man to save my own purity, including his address. If I hadn't, I would have been forced to join a gang of lunatics. Don't tell me you wouldn't have done the same.
Honestly, these past couple days have been nothing but trouble. I don't know what I did to deserve this kind of torture. But I won't let it get me down.
Now, you must be asking yourself: "What is the great adventurer Dust-sama doing now?".
Well-
"Wahhhhh! Save me! They're going to eat me!"
Dust yelled as he ran from two Rookie Killers for dear life, but they were quickly gaining on him due to his crippled speed in the snow.
They had just been hunting goblins, so why did he have to get attacked by a Rookie Killer!? Two at that!
It was no wonder such an easy quest was still on the board. Because it was now the start of winter, the stronger monsters were beginning to come out.
A shadowy figure loomed over Dust's head and landed in front of the two giant cats, lifting a bunch of snow into the air.
Naruto, with his eyes an unusual color and shape, stopped the Rookie Killers by catching one in each of his hands. Grasping their snouts with an iron grip, he spun a couple times to gain momentum before he hurled them into the air in the direction of the mage of his group.
"Yunyun!"
"R-right!"
Yunyun responded nervously when she noticed a slight flickering on the snouts of the large felines, and she was quick to realize what Naruto wanted her to do. She quickly began to chant a wind spell.
BOOM!
Dust tripped and fell into the snow when an explosion went off and a wave of heat washed over him, which actually felt nice in the cold weather. He then looked back just in time to see a large gust of wind sweep up the flames, along with the Rookie Killers, into a vortex of fire. The snow bellow, including the grass beneath, was burned away from the extreme heat of the combination attack.
'Th-that's overkill...'
Dust thought with a frightened expression as the burned crisps that were once feared Rookie Killers fell to the ground.
"Oh my, it seems Dust-san is the only one that got hurt. I can heal those scrapes if you want? For a price, that is."
Cecily, the priestess of their party said with a gentle smile and offered the boy a hand.
Dust smacked the girl's hand away before he picked himself off the ground. This woman was just as annoying as the Arch Priest in Kazuma's party, but at least he didn't have to worry about her forcing the Axis Cult religion onto him anymore.
"Nice work, Yunyun! That wind spell was awesome!"
Naruto said as he ran over to the shy mage.
"Th-thank you very much! I saw the flickering and thought it might have been those Explosion papers Naruto-san showed me the other day, so..."
Yunyun replied while poking her fingers together shyly. To be praised by a party member after a hard-fought battle... This is all she could have dreamed for and more!
"Ah, but if you don't mind me asking... W-why are your eyes different?"
The younger girl asked while stealing glances at the shinobi's different colored irises. They were an orange color instead of their usual blue, and even his pupils had an odd shape to them.
Naruto tilted his head to the side in confusion when he blinked in realization.
"Oh, this is a special mode I can enter by mixing the natural energy to my own energy. It's called Sage Mode, and it gives me a boost in strength, speed, and durability."
"That's how you were able to throw those Rookie Killers like they were frisbees!?"
Dust butted in while looking at the shinobi's changed features. He was honestly surprised at the brute strength Naruto had just displayed, because no normal person was able to throw such a massive creature with their bare hands. Not even Darkness, who had the strength to tank the jaws of a Rookie Killer without her armor.
Speaking of which, why were there so many Rookie Killers showing up recently? It was rare enough to find one, but two? They were even working together, and Rookie Killers were anything but pack hunters. This was suspicious...
"Well, we cleared more than enough goblins to complete the quest, and I think I got the gist of our combat potential as a group. Let's head back to the guild and we'll split the reward between the four of us."
Naruto said while glancing at all three of his party members. With this, their first quest was over. Now they could move onto the more exciting quests like the manticore and griffon fighting over territory.
"Wait! Cecily didn't do anything!"
Dust complained while pointing an accusing finger at the priestess, to which she responded with a yawn.
"Cecily-san is our party's healer, and she has no offensive abilities against normal monsters. If anything, it's better if she doesn't have to do anything."
Yunyun said with Naruto nodding in agreement, causing the delinquent adventurer's jaw to drop.
"That's my little Yunyun! Also, please call me Cecily-nee!"
Cecily said and pulled the flustered Yunyun into her bosom.
"B-but with the Boss here with his crazy strength, and Yunyun-chan with her powerful spell, that means Cecily won't ever have to do anything! That's not fair! Why can't I have a role that doesn't involve me risking my life as bait!?"
Dust cried out, and his complaints weren't all just rants. When the Rookie Killers first appeared, Naruto had instructed Dust to distract them so he and Yunyun could prepare their techniques.
Bait? Really? It was a serious waste of the great Dust-sama's abilities.
"Heh. It seems Dust doesn't understand my role at all. It's because of my presence that Naruto and Yunyun-chan can give their all. My elegant essence as a priest boosts their morale."
Cecily bragged, and Dust snorted.
"No way Yunyun-chan would believe that crap. Right, Yunyun-chan?"
"Please stop calling me that!"
Yunyun blurted out as she couldn't handle being called "chan" any longer.
Naruto laughed at his party's antics. Adventuring in a party like this was a lot more fun than he thought it was going to be, especially when you considered the people in his group. But it was time they returned to the guild. There were plans that he needed to start making.
"Come on guys, we'll talk about our roles on the way back."
With that said, Naruto and his party started their journey back home. Which wasn't all that far, just a couple hours walk down the mountain trail and Axel would be in sight.
But as they trekked down the mountain, Dust walked up to Naruto's side.
"So, Boss... About the bet you made with troublesome priest number one. Who're you gonna to pick?"
Despite what the rumors claimed, Dust already knew that Naruto didn't have a girlfriend and wasn't juggling women at all.
In fact, that couldn't have been farther from the truth.
Naruto was so dense when it came to women, that he was completely oblivious to any sign of a girl liking him. Even Dust was able to see the obvious signs that Aqua had some sort of thing for Naruto, though she would never admit it given that horrible personality of hers.
While it was a slight disappointment to Dust, as his initial plan to follow the guy around to learn how swoon women was now void, that didn't necessarily mean he couldn't learn a thing or two.
But even if Naruto was as dense as enchanted armor, he was still surrounded by pretty girls that were competing for his attention one way or another. What Dust needed to do was observe how Naruto acted around these women, as well as their reactions to his actions, then Dust would become the ultimate lady killer! Because unlike Naruto, Dust would be able to utilize these unconscious skills with perfection.
Naruto scratched at his whisker marks awkwardly.
"Right... About that, I was just gonna ask Luna-chan-"
"Oh~! The beautiful busty receptionist Onee-chan at the adventurer's guild? Not a bad choice at all!"
Dust interrupted while rubbing his chin slyly.
"N-no, that's not what I-"
"You did a lot of favors for Luna, like doing all those durian quests, so how could she deny? Ah! That must have been your plan all along, huh? As expected of the Boss!"
"..."
Naruto sighed as Dust continued to ramble on. He clearly misunderstood something there, but whatever. His plan was to ask Luna for advice on girls, NOT ask her out on a date. He didn't think someone as popular as Luna would be single anyway, since the guys in the guild used to be so defensive when he talked to her. He had to directly tell them that he had no such intentions, and it seemed to have worked.
Well, that as well as beating them up when they didn't believe him. But mostly explaining himself like any civilized person would. After all, mercilessly sending people to the Eris Church to heal without explaining themselves beforehand was something a delinquent would do.
While Naruto and Dust became lost in their own thoughts, Yunyun stared at the shinobi's back worriedly.
'I was surprised Naruto-san said he was going to get a girlfriend by the end of the week... He even made a bet with that loud priestess in Megumin's party. I wonder who he's going to ask.'
Yunyun also wondered if that arch priest liked Naruto.
No, that wouldn't make sense. She made a bet for Naruto to get a girlfriend after all. Only a fool would tell the person they liked to find a lover that wasn't them.
That being said, this situation was quite exciting to Yunyun. She had never experienced anything like a friend searching for a lover. She would support Naruto in any way she could! In fact, discussing things about love was on her bucket list of "Things I want to do with a friend"!
Cecily, who looked as though she was about to fall asleep on her feet out of boredom, noticed Yunyun staring at Naruto's back intensely. In that instance, her tired expression shifted to a mischievous one.
Adventurer's Guild...
After Naruto turned in the quest and distributed everyone's share of the reward, they each went their separate ways for the day.
Cecily claimed she still had her duties at the Axis Cult church, Yunyun said she had some research to do at the town's local library, and Dust told Naruto to find him if he needed any help with the bet before going straight to the bar and ordering some booze.
So after the party dispersed, Naruto walked back to the reception desk. It was time to get some advice.
"Oh, did you need something else Naruto-san?"
Luna asked as the shinobi walked up to her desk. She was half-expecting him to ask for another quest, as hunting for goblins didn't seem like a task that would satisfy his hunger for a challenge. But the nervous expression he was making said otherwise, and it made her heart skip a beat.
What was this? Why was he acting so nervous? Naruto was never nervous, unless...
"H-hey, Luna-chan... I was wondering if I could ask you something."
Naruto stuttered while struggling to look the girl in the eye. He didn't think asking a girl for advice on woman would be so nerve-wracking!
"Of course. What can I help you with?"
Luna replied while maintaining her usual professional outlook. But on the inside, she was growing anxious. She had been listening in on Naruto's conversation with Aqua earlier, just in case she needed to stop the two from fighting of course. But she'd been surprised when the boy had boldly declared that he was going to get a girlfriend by the end of the week.
With the way he was acting right now in front of her... Could it be that he was going to ask her out!? Despite his short-fused personality, Naruto was a nice guy. Unlike a lot of the male adventurers in town, he genuinely gave his all in helping people. Like taking on the durian quests when no one else would, and completed them with little to no complaints.
Naruto took a deep breath to calm himself before he went out and asked.
"I want to get a girlfriend, so I was wondering if you could give me some advice."
Advice.
"O-oh... I see. You want my advice."
Of course he was only going to ask her for advice on the subject. It's not like they were close or anything. But she couldn't help but pout at being led on, even it was by accident.
"Yeah! Because Luna-chan if probably really experienced with love since you're so popular with the guys here."
Naruto added with a foxlike grin spreading across his face, his nervousness disappearing.
"I-is that so?"
Luna said while smiling bitterly. Contrary to popular belief, she had never actually had a boyfriend. Sure, the male adventurers often fought over her. But she never actually dated any of them. They weren't her type after all.
She wanted a nice young man to sweep her off her feet and take her away from this stressful life as the head receptionist of Axel's adventurer's guild. But unfortunately, even if there was such a guy her job didn't allow such a luxury.
Even if Axel was a town famous for being a meetup spot for beginners, the amount of trouble had actually been rising and in turn, her workload managing the quests was increasing.
Going on dates with nice young men was but a fleeting dream.
Getting back to the topic at hand, Luna cleared her throat to secure Naruto's attention.
"If you want my advice, then that's fine. But excuse me for asking, why do you want a girlfriend so suddenly?"
Luna asked because until now, all Naruto seemed to be interested in was going on challenging quests.
"Hm... Back at my old home, all I ever did was focus on training to get stronger. My mentor always scolded me for not enjoying myself. But now that I'm living here in this new town away from my old responsibilities, I realized my mentor was right. So I decided to do all the things I couldn't do back at my old home, one of which was getting a girlfriend."
Naruto explained with a sheepish look on his face. He didn't think he would ever get used to saying those words. "I want a girlfriend" was something he just didn't imagine coming out of his mouth until recently.
"I see... So, what is Naruto-san's type?"
Luna asked, prompting her fellow blonde to raise an eyebrow.
"My type? You mean my class? I'm still an Adventurer, ya know?"
Naruto said while looking at Luna as if to say: "Are you okay?".
"No no... I mean, what type of girl are you attracted to?"
Luna asked a second time, this time with a better description as to what she was asking for. She had a feeling this was going to be a long conversation.
"Oh! Um... I guess a girl around my age maybe? Nice, likes to help people, and always tries her hardest!"
Naruto said while listing off the things he'd like to see in a companion. He also tried to describe someone similar to his mother, since she told him to find someone like her when they had spoken.
'Mama's boy.'
'Shut up.'
After silencing the noisy fox, Naruto looked at Luna for her response. But she seemed to be preoccupied with something as she had quickly turned around and was fidgeting slightly. Perhaps she was thinking up some advice for him now?
In reality, Luna had blushed when Naruto described his type and was forced to turn away.
'Oh my gosh... Did he just purposely try to describe me!?'
She thought while clasping her reddened cheeks, with Naruto sending her questioning glances in the background. But if he really was describing her, then why was he dragging this on for so long? Why didn't he just ask her out already!? Was this some sort of coy play?
There was only one way to find out.
"I think I know a girl that matches that description. In fact, she's part of this guild..."
"There is... Oh! I think you're right! Do you think she's seeing anyone right now?"
Naruto said and bopped a fist in his hand in realization.
"N-no... I d-don't think she is."
Luna found herself stuttering.
Oh no, she was starting to break character! But she couldn't help it! She didn't know Naruto was this good at teasing women. But it seemed like the climax was about to happen, and finally... Finally! She would be able to experience the life of a young maiden in lov-
"That's true, Darkness didn't seem like she was dating someone. But man, that's a surprise. You would think someone as kind and beautiful as Darkness would have a boyfriend already. Maybe I'll try asking her out..."
Naruto pondered aloud while scratching at his whisker marks, causing the receptionist to fall silent.
"..."
"Luna-chan got mad at me for some reason..."
Naruto mumbled as he dejectedly walked to his bed. It was now night, and he had already prepared the ingredients for Wiz's lunch tomorrow. He planned on bringing Yunyun there as well, but he couldn't find the girl to ask. Oh well, maybe he'd introduce her to Wiz another day.
But at least he thought of a potential girl he could ask out.
"Darkness, huh? She's kind, pretty, and tries her best to protect everyone as a Crusader... Oh yeah, and she tried her best against all those cabbages to protect someone that one time."
Naruto said as he slipped into his sheets and found himself reminiscing the events of the Cabbage Harvest as he began to fall asleep.
'Maybe someone like... Her...'
A/N: Naruto's about to have some sweet dreams. Hint hint. ;)