Although she is still panting from the battle that just ended, she still jumped around happily in the white room with her spear, and then hugged me. Her voluptuous peaks are pressed on my chest. That softness and elastic feel caused my words to become incoherent, and I lowered my head to look at Arisu…

She then panicked, "Tha, That, I am sorry."

Arisu quickly let go of me, and turned to the side, but peeks back to look at me. 'Jeez, what is with this girl, her boldness and nimbleness in battle from moments prior, and now the innocent and defenseless look she holds now? I think she is 100% seducing me. '

It was then, suddenly, the alarm in my heart rang. Could she be trying to win me over? Maybe she wants to use me like a tool?!? I had panic in my eyes but quickly calmed down. No, even if that is true, this is not bad. Currently, we both need each other. I am sure she is a heroine from the story, that means I can trust her!

If she does not have my support magic, when Arisu is facing the orcs, she could be in a tough battle. With the assistance of my support magic, she is not in danger. Without me, she will be suppressed onto the ground immediately. Hence, for now, our benefits to each other are the same.

The problem is in the future. She once said that she needs power, I should have asked the reason why she wants power other than what she has told me so far.

Arisu has been observing me, it seems. I cough, "Arisu, we know that we have the power to fight. Now is to determine our next direction."

I started by explaining my thoughts, "Depending on what you level up, I think we can take on up to 5 orcs now."

I stared straight into her dark obsidian eyes, asking, "What do you wish to do next?"

Arisu hesitated for a moment, and then nodded her head vigorously, "I have a request." After she finished her words, she wanted to look in some direction but stopped considering we are in the white room right now.

She continued, "To the west, on the other side of the forest, there should be the school building for the Hospitality department. I was chased by the orc from there until the location you met me. I had escaped first via the north road, before changing route." She paused for a moment to explain, "I wish to save my friend. Kazu-senpai, will you go to the Hospitality Building with me?"

I wanted clarification to make sure I understood, "So you want us to save your friend from the orcs?"

She nodded in confirmation, before lowering her head, seemingly unable to speak. She was clutching her hands in front of her chest, looked up at me, and said in a regretful voice, "I left my friend... Who was being chased by an orc, and. And, escaped alone."

I couldn't believe that she admitted to her sin.

Shimonozo Arisu said that she had a very good friend. Her name is Ryuuki Tamaki. They are childhood best friends, and no matter where they went, they are inseparable.

She explained, "Tamaki is a very lively girl, and she frequently runs. I am not good with sports, but I like to watch Tamaki run in the past. I am always looking from the side, until a certain time when she came and took my hand, telling me 'Let us play together'. Thanks to her, I managed to make a lot of friends."

Arisu gave an embarrassed smile. She said that she is not a person who can make friends readily, and thanks to this friend, she can enjoy a happy school life. I replied at appropriate times while listening to her explain her story.

"Today the 2 of us should be in the Cultivating Center. Tamaki said that she wanted to learn how to cook, so I agreed to teach her."

The Cultivating Center is a building with multiple facilities near the Hospitality main building, it was modified from the old school building. The aim of this building is a few recreational clubs to let the students who are isolated in the mountain, have another area to relax. In this building, there are rooms with exceptionally luxurious wooden floors and rooms with tatami. It is said that the building even had a cooking classroom where the chefs used to be taught in.

"But after the earthquake, the fire suddenly extinguished, and the water also stopped…… Then the orcs appeared. There was about 10 of them. The two of us left the Cultivating Center, we tried to escape to the Healthcare Building. First, we headed to the road in the north, but instead discovered the road is buried in soil and rocks, becoming inaccessible. In the end, the 2 of us were discovered by an orc there. I had accidentally made a scream and got noticed by the monsters. Tamaki then offered to become bait, we argued. But she said there was no time to explain and she was going to do it no matter what. She said she was faster and had a higher chance of escaping successfully. She then ran off immediately. While the orc was chasing after Tamaki, I escaped into the forest. But in the end, I was discovered by another orc, that's when you saved me. I believe Tamaki is still alive. We came to an agreement, if we survive, we will meet in the forest..."

Arisu had many expressions during her explanation, but she ended with a smile at the end. 'Wait a moment', I ask, "Did you agree to meet at a specific location in particular?"

Arisu did not say anything at first but then continued, "We originally went into the forest to 'Adventure' to make a precious memory. I only managed to escape because of Tamaki. I know all of our memorable locations. Hence, I must save Tamaki."

I replied offhandedly, "It's possible that she is safe and alive, but unable to come to this place." I have never been to the Cultivating Center, only hearing about it from my classmates, it is in the forest, a distance away from the other buildings. As less people are going there, the environment naturally took over the surroundings and landscape and is swallowed by the forest. It is often said that students need to take extra care during the dark, so as not to get lost. If that girl called Tamaki managed to escape from the orc, she would think of ways to escape into that forest. I don't think she would be injured and hiding instead of going where they agreed to meet.

I recollected my thoughts, I notice Arisu was looking intensely at me, hoping for my verdict and decision. I calmly stated, "We must avoid the situation of dying while saving others, you said there was 10 orcs. We can probably take on 5 simultaneously right now, but that might not be enough. I suggest I level up 1 more time to be safe, then we go towards this goal. I think we only need to kill 4 more orcs to get me to level 3, and 4 more after that will then give you your level 3 status."

Arisu, nodded obediently, "Yes."

This is the best compromise for both of us. I ended up going toward my laptop. It's too late now, but if I had only leveled up summoning, at level 6 I would have earned a total of 36 SP, enough for Rank 8 which uses 64 mana to cast. I would technically not have enough mana to even cast it.

When I reach level 3, I will level up support magic to Rank 4, I will most likely take Rank 1 healing magic and save the last point for later. It would be nice having detection at Rank 1 just in case, but I think I should be safe with my raven. I might just summon a second one for insurance to watch our surroundings just in general and in case something tries to sneak attack us.

Arisu agreed with my suggestion, 'That is good.' Initially, I was nervous, what if she said, 'I want to go save her now!' What would I do? Of course, I do not wish to go back on my words. Once I reach level 3 we will then follow our promise and send the bird to scout. If I discover we can not enter the Cultivating Center by force, then I will also tell her directly. I do not wish to conduct a suicide attack or mission. As long as Arisu reaches level 3, I have the feeling that 10 orcs are nothing.

Also, I am hoping Rank 4 has a summon for weapon or armor, considering that Rank 1 has a summon for food or water, and Rank 2 has a summon for cloth. I then had a stray thought, I haven't played with or tried to manipulate the summoning magic. I should be able to specify, via my intent, different things. Instead of water, I should be able to summon juice or alcohol. I also wonder if I can summon cute clothing with my summoning magic. I can repair multiple clothing on a person if I have a material to be used as a resource, else I need to use repair one item at a time. If I have to do it one item at a time, I might as well just summon a new article of clothing. However, I think at these low levels I don't think I can summon something complicated like a specific uniform or cosplay. I think if I tried to get a lewd nurse outfit I might end up with the most common clothing equivalent to a regular nurse ensemble (outfit).

If all 10 orcs are grouped up tight, then we have no chance. It would be impossible. I still have not tried out the wolf summons though. I think that would be worth a try. I don't think I should abandon Arisu if she insists on going, but my feelings tell me so. I will reaffirm new feelings, I will not let her go on alone. She should be unable to win against those orcs alone. She is my only comrade and I can't lose her. I could probably be fine without her, but in my heart, I feel safer knowing I have more layers of protection. I am such a coward, willing to manipulate her when she is so sincere towards me.

She asked for my assistance, I have to help save her.

I start, "By the way, I still have a wolf summons, and I don't even know how strong it is. It should obviously be stronger than my puppet golem, but It requires 9 mana while the golem only requires 4. I don't know if it's better than 2 golems together. Plus I bet you, I will have another summons on Rank 4, requiring 16 of my mana. I'll unsummon 2 golems and summon the wolf to try it out in the next fight."

Arisu asks, "Why do you need to unsummon 2 golems?"

I replied, "Sorry, I didn't explain it properly. Summons require mana that is also then removed from your maximum mana, or MP. I have 20 mana at level 2, If I summon 5 golems, then I would be unable to ever cast Rank 1 Support spells as I would then have 0 max mana until I unsummon one bringing me to 0/4 mana and needing to wait a few minutes to generate more mana."

She faced me seriously as I explained. I also wish to face her sincerely, not thinking to trick her. I look at my watch, it's frozen at half past 4. In this season, the sun will set before 6 pm. Well, that's how the body remembers it yesterday. I do not think this is the same place and the same seasonal times apply. I have a magical light source for when it does get dark, but it would also become very dangerous to not get sleep either. So moving into the forest at night is dangerous, unless you had to sleep first. That is not considering the light source might attract others, but might be useful for leveling up when I get more summons.

I explain some more of my thoughts, "As long as we level up again before 5 which is about 30 minutes, we do not have to worry about the danger of the night."

Arisu agreed, "Yes."

Arisu finishes her abilities. She asked me, "Can we go now?"

I replied relaxedly, "Whenever you are ready."

Results of the white room: Arisu ¹Kazuhisa level 2: Summoning Magic Rank 3, Support Magic Rank 3, Remaining SP: 0
Arisu level 1 to 2: Spear Rank 1 to 2, Physical Rank 1, Movement Rank 0 to 1, Healing magic Rank 1, Remaining SP: 0 leveled up to 2, increasing spear to rank 2 and gaining the rank 1 movement ability.

Through the endless cycle of not wasting a second, the 2 of us within 8 minutes defeated 4 more orcs. The orc dissipated into smoke, I heard the distinctive trumpet and the same androgynous neutral voice saying, "You leveled up!". My vision blurred white.

I start by saying, "We still have 18 minutes until 5 pm, lets's start going towards the Cultivating Center now. Unfortunately, I do not know if Summoning Rank 4 will include the option for summoning weapons, but I think it will or should. If it does, what type of spear do you want me to summon you?"

Arisu thought for a moment, "It needs to have a tip that is sharp, pointy, and metal; slightly longer than I am tall; and uhm, a good grip."

I realize, that this sounds like the most atypical spear I have ever heard of for a description, but this also informs me that Arisu thought about it carefully.

I now have 30 MP and a regeneration rate of 54 Mn/h (1 point of mana every 1 minute 7 seconds.)

I say, "I will unsummon the oldest golem, then summon you a spear in a few minutes. We will start moving towards the Cultivating Center now, If we spot any orcs on the way we should take them out. If there is more than 10 orcs, we will run away. If the orcs are gathered up, I will try to split the group up with a raven, then we can divide and conquer. Any questions?"

Arisu shook her head.

Results of the white room: Kazuhisa ²Kazuhisa level 2 to 3: Summoning Magic Rank 3 to 4, Support Magic Rank 3, Healing magic Rank 1, Remaining SP: 1
Arisu level 2: Spear Rank 2, Physical Rank 1, Movement Rank 1, Healing magic Rank 1, Remaining SP: 0 leveled up to 3, increasing summoning magic to rank 4.

I was right, there is a summon weapon ability at Rank 4. There is a summon soldier familiar too. I had unsummoned the slowest golem, it was slightly slower than my pace anyways. We got within the range of the Cultivating Center now. I saw 2 orcs. I wanted to remind Arisu of our plan.

I remind her of our plan, "If there is 5 or less, we can just charge at them. I will try to block 3 with the 3 golems, the wolf will attempt to take 1 down, and you can take 1 down. If there is more than 6, we need to back off and try to divide them into smaller groups. I will summon you your spear, keep the bamboo spear for now, just in case. You can drop the extra spear when you get into combat and run back to it if you need it. We will start in 4 or so minutes when I can summon the wolf."

I summoned the new spear for Arisu. She looked impressed and happy now that she has a good spear. While waiting, I realize we had some major mistakes in our planning, "While I would have also liked to wait until I had more mana too, but you also have healing magic and mana to spare. We need to better communicate in the white room our abilities. I never explained all my spells. You also never explained your healing magic spells either. Being able to remove your own pain in combat with healing magic could be very important to know or think about beforehand to your allies."

Arisu looked slightly sheepish at that, "Sorry."

I just shook my hand in her direction, "Nah, it's fine. I just thought it would be wise to think about these things together."

I finally said sometime later, "I think I am ready."

I had the raven investigate the area. I didn't waste mana on remote viewing yet. I would only use it if there are more than 10 orcs discovered by the raven.

I summoned a gray wolf. It looked like a 160-pound creature, maybe 3 feet tall and 5 feet long. Definitely too small to ride as a mount, maybe with a saddle, though I would need to use support magic to buff its strength and movement speed.

We started walking towards the 3 story building, ready to kill those 2 orcs we see near the building. I didn't see any orcs on the level 2 balcony on our approach.

We dispatched the two orcs with ease. The wolf is very effective versus orcs. When I have more mana I will cast on the wolf Blood Attraction. Or It would be better to just cast the spell Keen Weapon on the wolf's teeth and Arisu's new spear probably. Also, the wolf having Physical Up cast on it would mean it would be that much faster too.

Arisu stopped in front of the main door. I looked into the lounge of the Cultivating Center. In the dimly lighted lounge, 2 orcs are pressing on a snow-white doll thing. They showed their naked lower bottom, shaking their hips. I seem to have heard the sound of Arisu clutching her teeth.

Before coming here, I have always thought that she is a gentle, not easily agitated, stable person. I thought she is a person who can suppress her emotions, a person who can act calmly. But Arisu at this moment is filled with rage. She nearly lost all reasoning in her rage.

Arisu lowered her center of gravity and kicked off from the ground. Her black long hair swished with the wind, her whole body turning into a gust of wind, rushing towards the orcs. The sound of Arisu stepping on the ground caused the orcs who are focused on shaking their hips to realize the abnormal situation at the door, and hence turned their heads. But, at this moment—— Arisu's spear had already stabbed into the throat of the orc that is closer to her. Fresh blue blood sprayed everywhere, but not on Arisu as she did not have a single drop of blood on her. In the next instant, her figure disappeared again.

No, she simply just turned only. While she is turning, she pulled out the spear in the orc's throat, and using the body of the orc who has stopped breathing as a shield, she hid her figure. The orc which was uninjured panicked, searching for Arisu's traces. But, her of that moment had already gone behind that orc. She wields her spear and gives a beautiful fierce blow to the orc. The strike accurately pierced the orc's throat. At this moment, the 2 orcs fell on each other. Their bodies gradually fade. What is this? So scary. I hear a trumpet sounding off in my mind, as my vision blurs white.