Kamishiro Kinue Wants to Make a Living from Painting

The scratch-scratch of a pen echoed through the passage.

To be honest, I was bored. I never thought I'd end up spending time like this inside a dungeon.

Adelbrandt was struggling to escape, but it wasn't a problem. Its strength... I'm not sure whether that term applies to an entity made up of nothing but a skull, but its strength was low. It merely had a relatively large amount of mana.

I held it firmly in place and kept watch over the monster in my hands and our surroundings, just in case.

"...All right. Have him face right this time."

"Ah, yes."

'Gah!?'

With a twist, I turned Adelbrandt around atop the pommel.

I started to feel guilty, but when I remembered the horrific scene I had witnessed during the Zmeu spiritual disaster, that feeling quickly faded.

"...Is there anything you'd like to ask?"

"Huh?"

"You looked bored."

Kinue-san suddenly spoke to me, and I couldn't immediately think of a reply.

She was still alternating her gaze between Adelbrandt and the sketchbook, so I thought for a moment before answering.

"Yes. Um, sorry. I am keeping watch, but..."

"It's fine. Sorry for making you tag along. I'll make it up to you eventually."

"Uh-huh..."

"Is your arm getting tired?"

"Yes. I'm fine."

"Good."

The conversation ended there, and once again the only sound echoing through the passage was the movement of her pen.

I decided to take the plunge and ask her a question myself.

"Um, why paint monsters?"

An ability related to painting did exist. I'd heard that drawing something could curse or seal it.

But Kinue-san's ability, as I'd heard when we discussed this expedition, was nothing like that.

She really was just drawing.

"Let's see... Well, the main reason is to sell them."

"Sell them?"

"Yeah. I want recognition. And I want to turn it into money."

Her answer was surprisingly simple.

When I looked a little surprised, she glanced at me and grinned.

"Disappointed? You thought I was moving my pen for some loftier, more sublime reason?"

"No, that's not it... It's just a very ordinary reason."

"I know I'm a weirdo, and honestly, I want to stay on the weirdo side. But that doesn't mean I'm an outsider from the top of my head to the tips of my toes."

Her chuckle joined the sound echoing through the passage.

"I have as much desire for self-expression as anyone. I want to show up the people who've said, over and over, 'Your paintings are merely detailed,' 'Your paintings have no soul,' and 'They're as accurate as photographs, but have no value beyond a photograph.'"

"That's... sorry. I have no artistic sensibility, so if something were as accurate as a photograph, I'd consider it good enough."

"I think so too. Huh, we have something in common."

"But..." Kinue-san continued.

"You and I may think that, but there are as many tastes as there are people. A masterpiece that moves one person's heart may look like nothing more than a child's scribble to someone else."

"Well... that's true."

I don't really understand Picasso's paintings either, despite the world's acclaim.

Even with masterpieces other than Picasso's that were too original, I found myself more puzzled than moved. What is this supposed to be depicting? I wondered.

"I guess that sort of thing changes depending on what you want from a painting. I just want to capture that moment with my own hands. There's nothing wrong with photography, but painting it gives me more of a 'sense of accomplishment.'"

"Uh-huh..."

"Though I guess that feeling is different for everyone, too. I'm not asking you to understand."

With that, her pen stopped.

"...All right. I'm finished. You can take care of it now."

"Understood."

'Gaa...!?'

With a crunch, I crushed the enormous skull between my palms.

The scattered white fragments turned into black haze, and a pinky-sized magic stone rolled across the floor.

"As promised, split the magic stones you get from this expedition among yourselves. I won't be much use in a fight, to begin with."

"...Understood. Um, Kinue-san..."

"Yeah?"

I looked toward her hands as she tilted her head.

"If you don't mind, could I see your paintings?"

"...Sure."

Grinning, she held out the sketchbook.

I thanked her quietly, accepted it, and looked at the painting of the monster.

"...It really does look like a photograph."

"Told you."

A black-and-white monster had been drawn using only a pen. It was rendered so exquisitely that if I hadn't watched it being drawn, I might have wondered whether it was a photograph.

When I turned the page, various parts of the monster had been carefully drawn from various angles, like anime reference materials.

On another page, I found monsters other than Adelbrandt. They were probably monsters she had encountered in the past.

Kobold, Crazy Boar, Skeleton, Black Rat... Many other kinds of monsters had been rendered realistically.

"...Amazing."

"A pretty plain compliment, but I can't say I dislike it."

Kinue-san quickly reclaimed the sketchbook and shrugged.

"Anything beyond this costs money. Though if you're drinking coffee at 'Alf,' I'll let you look for free."

"Oh, right. This is a dungeon."

I had gotten completely absorbed in her paintings.

They were so realistic that even my horn had begun to ache. My attention had shifted to the 'enemy' in the painting rather than the dungeon I was actually in.

Kinue-san watched me, clearly enjoying herself.

"My paintings aren't half bad, are they?"

"Yes. They were so detailed that I found myself keeping watch as if the monster were really there."

"That's a more gratifying comment than the last one. Hearing that gives me more confidence in my dream of making a living from painting."

Almost at the same moment she shrugged,

the flow of mana in the air changed.

I immediately pulled my sword from the floor and faced forward. Squinting, I could tell that multiple mana signatures were approaching from far away.

"Enemies approaching. Four... no, five. It seems they already know our position."

"Here they come. This happens a lot when I take my time drawing. I'm counting on you, Kota. Mei."

"Yes."

"As you wish."

Inubosaki-san, who had been silent until now, came to my side.

Then he took a small, deep breath.

The next instant, his ability activated.

Just as I thought the air had wavered, his form changed.

His elegant long skirt disappeared, revealing powerful legs covered in black exoskeleton and fur. Below the ankles, his feet were birdlike, and three toes gripped the stone pavement firmly.

His ample chest was covered in thick, armor-like exoskeleton, and his arms, too, had become ones tipped with sharp claws.

The left half of his face was covered in feathers, while the right half was covered in exoskeleton. The animal ears normally positioned at the sides of his head turned upward with a hard, gleaming sheen.

His entire body grew about two sizes larger, and as he slowly readied his claws, there was no other way to describe him than as a 'monster.'

No, that was probably exactly what he was supposed to be called.

'Unique Ability: Monsterization'

An ability that grants a nonhuman form and power. In his case, traits associated with the Kikimora emerged more prominently in a form suited for combat.

'I will never let you near milady.'

Clicking his claws, he glared toward the darkness, where the Adelbrandts emerged.

In legend, Adelbrandt had been a single knight, but perhaps that changed because of monsterization, or perhaps the people who saw this monster had invented his story. Whatever the case, in the modern era, this monster formed packs.

As the five approaching monsters drew near, Inubosaki-san and I dashed forward at the same time.

'Gagagag!'

The sound was an incantation that resembled laughter. They must have been chanting as they came. The final verse was completed, and a curse shot from their empty eye sockets.

But it had no effect.

My Unique Ability and Inubosaki-san's raw mana dispelled the curse without either of us having to do anything.

Abilities and magic have their compatibilities, and they can be somewhat affected by physical laws... but the most important factor is still mana.

The Adelbrandts wavered as though shaken by our charge.

"Shh...!"

'Seyaaa!'

My one-handed sword effortlessly smashed one skull apart, while black claws tore through the one beside it.

Then a fireball threaded between us and struck one of the Adelbrandts. The flaming monster was reduced to a charred black husk in an instant.

I glanced behind me for a moment. Kinue-san was there, drawing a magic circle in the air with the pen of her 'Spirit Armor.'

It was a spell that created a magic circle on the spot instead of using an incantation. From the first stir of mana to activation, it was remarkably fast.

Kinue-san calmly drew another magic circle. Its power was lower than Riko-senpai's, but in terms of rapid fire, it was overwhelmingly superior.

It could no longer even be called a battle. We advanced through the Adelbrandts' dungeon in a one-sided slaughter.

＊　　　　＊　　　　　＊

We returned to the 'cordoned-off area' two and a half hours after entering the dungeon.

That said, about half of that time had been spent drawing. We defeated seventeen monsters in total. Each magic stone was worth ten thousand yen, so the 170,000 yen would be split between the two of us.

It was nice that the price of magic stones didn't vary much with the strength of the monster at times like this.

...Though apparently the Anti-Spiritual Disaster Agency was considering introducing different prices for magic stones.

That was only natural. Most adventurers, myself included, wanted to take it easy if they could make money easily.

As a result, I heard that dungeons with tough monsters were easily neglected. That defeated the purpose of the adventurer system.

Anyway, after leaving the cordoned-off area, I spoke to Kinue-san as we headed toward the bus stop.

"Um, are you really not going to take any magic stones, Kinue-san?"

"Yeah. I only killed one, after all. More importantly, you helped me draw."

As she said that and extended her left hand diagonally behind her, Inubosaki-san handed her the sketchbook as though he had been expecting it.

...I mean, Inubosaki-san really was a full-fledged maid.

"...Are you all right, Inubosaki-san?"

"Yes. I am perfectly fine, young master."

"...That 'maidification phenomenon' isn't progressing, is it?"

"...Huh!?"

Apparently he had finally returned to his senses... His senses? Probably his senses. Inubosaki-san stopped and flinched.

At that moment, his enormous breasts jiggled beneath his maid outfit.

No. He identified as male, so I had to avoid looking at him that way.

Then again, he swung both ways, so maybe it was okay...? What was I thinking? Of course not. No ordinary woman would want someone she didn't even like looking at her that way, either.

I cleared my throat softly to distract myself, then turned back toward Kinue-san, who had gone ahead alone and was checking her sketchbook.

"Um, Kinue-san."

"Hmm? What is it? Changed your mind about being a model? Nude or cross-dressed, which do you prefer?"

"Neither."

"...A loincloth? I recommend red, but I'll take requests."

"No. I have no intention of modeling in the first place."

"Tch... Then what is it?"

She raised her face with an annoyed expression. I glanced at the sketchbook in her hands, then returned my gaze to her eyes.

"When we get back to 'Alf,' could I see it again? And next time, I'd like Miyu-san and Rosso-san to see it too, if that's all right..."

"Yeah... sure. But order something at the café when you look. Call it a cover charge, and I ought to contribute to that place's sales once in a while."

"Of course."

...I had been thinking about it occasionally.

Even if I completed a recipe for mana-infused paper, a camera would capture only a black shadow.

That might be enough to locate monsters, but... for fighting them, it could be somewhat difficult.

But what if an AI that combined the surrounding scenery had data on forms matching those silhouettes?

"Besides ordering at the café, if you have plans when you're going to draw monsters again, I'll come along."

"Huh? What's this all of a sudden? Is it so you can admire the breasts of the maid over there who's writhing around? Fine by me. Then the two of us can pose as nude models... No, never mind. She goes berserk if she takes off her maid outfit anywhere but the bath."

"It's not like that."

I shrugged slightly and answered.

...I thought I heard something I really shouldn't have, but I deliberately ignored it.

Inubosaki-san was male. Even if his body was that of a busty, dog-eared beauty, he was male on the inside. Imagining weird things would be terribly rude. Absolutely not...!

"It's just that I might ask you for something too, Kinue-san."

"...I'm not taking my clothes off, okay? I have an ordinary amount of shame, you know? Probably."

"No, that's not what I mean."

Just how much of a sex fiend did she think I was?

Well, I was a healthy high-school boy, so maybe that assessment wasn't entirely wrong.

I gave a business smile to Kinue-san, who peered at me curiously.

I still didn't know whether my idea was correct... but perhaps it could be a step toward a 'brighter future.'

I couldn't wait to get to the café more than ever.

I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man, I'm a man...! Pachinko, horse racing, boat racing, and starting flame wars against other people online are what I love, a worthless human... Worthless human? Serving! Serving! No, no! That's wrong!

...I wondered whether Inubosaki-san would calm down before the bus arrived.

I was a little worried about what we'd do if they refused to let us board.