Chapter 37

“Stay out of this, Kisanuki. You’re a Monster Tamer. What good would you be as a tank?” Sugamo said, sternly dismissing Kisanuki out of hand. Kisanuki flinched. Yuuma couldn’t help but stare; he’d never had a chance to learn Kisanuki’s character class until now. He had no idea that Kisanuki was a Monster Tamer, too. Like Sugamo said, the Monster Tamer class wasn’t generally geared toward close combat. While they could still be built for the front lines, that was only after their stats had increased a little. While at single-digit levels, Monster Tamers were incapable of equipping metal shields or armor. But Kisanuki, though stuttering, held his ground. “D-during the p-playtest, I tamed a Rock Slime. The Rock Slime can tank! It’s even expendable in an emergency! M-Misono is my friend, too…I think… I want to cure her right away, too… And b-besides…” Kisanuki hesitated for a moment. Then he lifted his head and looked Sugamo in the eye. “…I…I feel really bad about taking all the snacks in the eat-in corner for myself!” he said, louder this time. “I still have to make up for that!” “…” Sugamo blinked, apparently taken by surprise. He sucked at his teeth lightly and then looked away. Yuuma held his breath, glancing back and forth between the two. Yuuma was pretty sure that the incident that Kisanuki mentioned, when he had supposedly taken all the snacks for himself, had actually been just a farce staged by Sugamo. It was Sugamo who found the treasure trove of snacks in the eat-in corner, just after fleeing to the shelter, and then hid them inside his own inventory. He later transferred those snacks to Kisanuki’s inventory using the trade function and then had Kisanuki pretend to nibble on some in a corner, thus setting Kisanuki up as the culprit. But by voluntarily sharing in the blame, Sugamo was able to come off as a fair leader in the other students’ eyes. Yuuma had seen through the ruse. He was as sure now as he was then. There was just too much circumstantial evidence. Maybe Kisanuki had brought up the incident now, even mentioning that he wanted to make up for what he had done, as a way to apply pressure to the real mastermind behind the incident—Sugamo. Maybe Yuuma hadn’t given Kisanuki enough credit… He was more headstrong than he seemed. Plus, Rock Slimes had excellent DEF. If what Kisanuki said about taming one was true, it would be more than enough for a tank. “Why not, Sug? I think Kisanuki would make a great choice as our eighth member,” Yuuma said. “Fine…,” Sugamo muttered. With a sigh of relief, Yuuma glanced in Kisanuki’s direction. As their eyes met, Kisanuki bowed his head slightly, a crooked smile playing on his lips.