ISEKAI? More like I See Crap!-Chapter 54: Desperate Measures ( )

After a while, one of the clerks walked over, handing Hazuki a hot drink.

"Oh, thank you."

Hazuki took a sip, enjoying the warmth.

But then—

He noticed the clerk at the counter narrowing his eyes at him.

"Ugh..."

Hazuki shifted uncomfortably.

"Do they still think I stole this!?"

Just as he was about to curse his luck—

Fate smiled upon him.

The two guards from the town gate strolled into the bank.

"Oi, Wheelbarrow Guy!"

Hazuki jerked up in surprise.

"Huh? What are you guys doing here?"

One of the guards yawned.

"We just finished our shift. What’s taking you so long?"

Hazuki shrugged.

"I don’t know... the clerk said I needed to wait here."

The more impatient guard frowned, then stomped toward the counter.

"Hey! We vouch for him. Don’t worry and process his transaction already."

He crossed his arms.

"It’s not like he’s depositing a thousand gold coins or anything, right, Wheelbarrow Guy?"

The guards assumed Hazuki was here to withdraw money.

They had no idea he was actually depositing a small fortune.

Hazuki felt sweat forming on his forehead.

"Err... yeah... hahaha..."

He pretended like nothing was wrong.

The clerk sighed in defeat and continued processing the deposit.

Meanwhile, the two guards patted Hazuki on the back.

"Alright, Wheelbarrow Guy, we’ll be waiting at the tavern."

"You better come."

Hazuki groaned internally.

"Damn it... these guys won’t let me escape, huh..."

After waiting for what felt like an eternity, the clerk finally called Hazuki back to the counter.

"Your deposit is complete."

The clerk handed back his adventurer card, now reflecting his updated balance.

"The price for the jewels and other items has been calculated."

Then, with a tired sigh, the clerk added—

"Seriously, next time, just sell the jewels to the Merchant Guild first and bring the earnings here."

He rubbed his temples.

"It would make the whole process much smoother."

Hazuki scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"Ah... sorry. I really didn’t know how this stuff worked..."

The clerk narrowed his eyes.

"Are you sure you got all this from adventuring?"

Hazuki stiffened.

"Y-Yeah... of course!"

He cleared his throat.

"You see, I stumbled upon a... uh... HUGE goblin nest."

The clerk raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

Hazuki nodded quickly, sweat forming on his forehead.

"Yeah! And, you know... after a tough battle, I totally managed to kill all the goblins and—bam!"

He snapped his fingers.

"There was the loot! Just lying there! Heh... lucky me, right?"

The clerk stared at him.

Unmoving.

Unblinking.

Hazuki kept his fake smile up, pretending to look confident.

Then—

The clerk sighed deeply.

"...Whatever."

He waved Hazuki away.

"Your money’s safe. Just don’t bring me weird stuff next time."

Hazuki quickly grabbed his card and walked away before the clerk asked more questions.

Hazuki walked away from the counter, gripping his adventurer card.

Casually, he glanced down at it.

And then—

His eyes nearly popped out of his skull.

"What the fuck!?"

His hands trembled as he read the numbers again.

7 | 78 | 90

"7 gold... 78 silver... 90 copper...?"

He blinked rapidly.

"For real!?"

His brain struggled to process it.

A few days ago, he was scraping by, sleeping in a stable.

Now—

"I’M RICH!!!"

He almost screamed it out loud but quickly clamped his mouth shut.

His eyes darted around nervously.

"Shit, gotta act normal... what if someone overhears!?"

He straightened his posture and tried to casually walk out of the bank.

Except—

His smug walk had returned.

And his face was screaming, ’I’m rich now!’

"Now... where should I eat?"

Hazuki grinned to himself, feeling lighter than air.

His pouch wasn’t heavy anymore, but his bank account was.

"Lucky me!"

He strolled through the town, feeling like a king.

As he walked, his eyes casually scanned his surroundings.

Then—

He paused.

"...Huh?"

Why was he looking around like this?

His brows furrowed.

Then it hit him.

He was checking to see if Ellyn was nearby.

"...Wait. Why the hell am I trying to find her already!?"

Hazuki froze, staring at the sky like it held the answers.

His face twitched.

"Damn it..."

Shit... am I getting too used to having her around!?"

He quickly shook his head.

"Nope! Just a coincidence! I’m just... checking my surroundings! Yeah! That’s all!"

Then, to prove a point to himself, he forcefully turned away and marched toward the nearest restaurant.

Even so—

The nagging feeling in the back of his mind didn’t go away.

Hazuki walked into the restaurant, still feeling smug.

He found a seat, sat down, and ordered his food.

When the plate of roasted meat and buttered bread arrived, along with a big glass of ale, he sighed in satisfaction.

"Ahhh... life is good."

He took a big bite, savoring the taste.

Then—

Without thinking, he glanced at the empty chair across from him.

And casually said—

"Hey, order what you like."

Silence.

Hazuki froze mid-bite.

Slowly, his eyes widened in horror.

He stared at the empty chair.

Then at his ale.

Then back at the chair.

Then—

"Crap."

He put his fork down, gripping his head.

"What the hell is happening to me!?"

He glanced around, checking if anyone saw.

Luckily—

No one was paying attention.

Hazuki gulped down his ale, trying to act normal.

"Nope. Didn’t happen. Just my imagination."

But deep down—

He knew.

Something was changing.

Hazuki took another bite of his meal, still hungry.

Yet—

Something felt different.

He couldn’t place it.

The food was good. The ale was strong.

But...

It wasn’t the same.

"Damn."

He shoved another piece of meat into his mouth, trying to ignore the weird feeling.

After finishing, he paid for the food and stepped out into the town.

Hands in his pockets, he strolled lazily through the streets.

Then, before he even realized it—

His eyes started scanning the crowd.

Searching.

Looking.

Then—

He froze.

His expression twisted.

"...Where is she?"

The words escaped his mouth before he even thought about it.

He blinked.

Then—

"...Wait. WAIT. WHY AM I EVEN LOOKING FOR HER!?"

"Damn it! I KNEW something felt weird! I can’t even enjoy a meal without feeling like something’s missing! This is dangerous..."

Yet—

His feet kept moving.

Even if he refused to admit it—

A part of him wanted to see her.

Hazuki plopped down onto a large stone, sighing heavily.

Then—

His eyes drifted to his hand.

More specifically—

The ring on his finger.

He stared at it.

For a moment, silence.

Then—

"It’s because of THIS DAMN RING!!!"

He grabbed it, twisting and pulling.

Nothing.

He yanked harder.

Still nothing.

Hazuki gritted his teeth, pulling with all his strength.

"COME OFF, DAMN IT!!!"

His face turned red.

His hand trembled.

Yet—

The ring didn’t budge.

"Damn it..."

Then—

A crazy idea popped into his head.

His eyes twitched.

His grin turned slightly insane.

He unsheathed his sword.

And aimed it right at his finger.

"Alright, if you won’t come off... I’LL CUT YOU OFF!!!"

With a determined battle cry, he swung his sword down—HARD.

CLANG!!!

The blade struck the ring—

And bounced off like it hit solid steel.

"YIKES!!!"

Hazuki’s hand instantly went numb.

A sharp, throbbing pain spread through his finger.

"OW OW OW OW!!!"

He dropped his sword, shaking his hand wildly.

Yet—

The ring remained perfectly intact.

His finger?

Still there.

Still attached.

But it felt like he just slammed it with a hammer.

Hazuki groaned in frustration.

"Damn it... this thing is cursed..."

Then, he froze.

Wait.

It actually was cursed.

"...Shit."

( End of Chapter )