Chapter 101: Moving In

(Forgot to mention it last chapter, but 100 CHAPTERS!!!🎉)

I couldn't help but softly smile at Yuki's concern for me, and she had all the right to worry; throughout our time spent together, which hasn't been exceptionally long, I have hardly displayed any combat capabilities before her, in fact, she hasn't even seen my weapons, well, actually, no one has besides that Orc from a month ago. It's not like I'm purposely hiding my strength from her or anything; it's just that most of the quests I've decided to take have been easy ones, which require next to no fighting.

"I appreciate your concern, Yuki. I really do, but you don't need to worry about me so much; I may be merely an F-rank adventurer, but I'm a little stronger than most." Replied Alexander softly with a smile as he grabbed Yuki's hand from his shoulder and held it while looking at yellow eyes.

I would convey my emotions to her, but that's only possible through direct contact, and despite knowing what Yuki looks like, I've never seen her without her armor. However, it seemed like my words weren't enough to persuade her as I saw her intensely pondering something, so I stood there silently and waited for her to finish.

"Alexander, live with me." Declared Yuki seriously as she eyed Alexander, who was completely taken aback.

"Eh; r-repeat that Yuki, what did you say?" Asked Alexander hesitantly as he rubbed his ears before looking at Yuki, who stood back up on her two feet, towering over him and everyone else.

"Live with me; if you do that, I'll be able to better protect you from the Firemania's possible revenge." Stated Yuki in her deep voice as she stared at Alexander, who didn't know how to respond.

"Umm, I appreciate the offer, but if I do that, I'll be getting you further into harm's way, and I wouldn't do that to a friend, Yuki, even if you're stronger than me." Replied Alexander with a shake of his, though Yuki seemed unbothered by his refusal.

"I intervened when I stopped them; I'm already a part of this whether either of us likes it or not. Besides, a friend wouldn't just stand by and watch their friends when they could assistance." Remarked Yuki as she glanced at Alexader, slightly smirking underneath her helmet, using his own morals against himself.

"Tsk, despite your appearance, I suppose you can be quite cunning when necessary, Yuki. Haa, and you're not wrong; the moment you intervened, you entered a hostile relationship with them." Said Alexander with a click of his tongue as he gave Yuki an annoyed look before rubbing his chin and sighing.

I really didn't wish to rely on Yuki for something as serious as this, it wasn't my pride, okay, maybe a little bit, but it was mostly to prove to myself that I can handle things by myself. In my last life, shortly after my brother died, I was left alone and was forced to fend for myself; not even a year later, after barely struggling to scrape by, I ended up dying. This time, I wanted it to be different, with Master having passed away, I wanted to prove to her and myself that I wasn't just a kid trying to make it by in an adult world.

However, as I looked at Yuki, I knew persuading her was going to be incredibly difficult; over the month of living in Hyphen as an adventurer and being Yuki's friend, I learned I was the only one whom she could actually call a friend. She cared for me quite a lot despite only knowing each other for a month; I could see it in her heart. Besides, I know If our roles were reversed, I would help Yuki to the best of my ability.

"Haa, since I can tell you're so adamant, I'll move in with you, though that's only if you've got the space; I don't wish to impose myself on you." Said Alexander with a defeated sigh as he rubbed his shoulder-length white hair before looking up at Yuki, who, in her excitement, picked up Alexander.

'I know this is called the princess carry, but I feel more like a baby, not a princess.' Mused Alexander, resting within Yuki's arms as he looked up at her, using his [Heroes Gaze] to see right through her helmet and gaze upon her enthusiastic expression.

"Wonderful! You don't need to worry about space; I've got plenty of it. I'll show you to our home!" Stated Yuki with a jolly smile as she happily left the guild with Alexander still in her arms, garnering the looks of several adventurers, though everyone opted to mind their own business.

"I like your enthusiasm, Yuki, but can you please put me down? It's slightly embarrassing for a grown man to be carried around like a child." Asked Alexander with a slight blush as he covered his face, though Yuki ignored his words.

"Can I at least get my stuff first!" Yelled Alexander, finally acquiring Yuki's attention.

"Yes, where do you live?" Replied Yuki with a nod as she looked down at Alexander, barely able to contain her excitement.

"It's just in an Inn; I'll show you." Remarked Alexander as he forcefully removed himself from Yuki's embrace and landed on the ground before walking to his Inn.

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Leaving the Inn with all my belongings, which honestly wasn't much, I've been holding off on buying most things until I got a house, which, I'll tell you, was mighty expensive. I make an abnormal amount of money compared to the average F-rank adventurer because of the large amounts of items I acquire when I visit the forest; heck, among the employers, I've even earned myself a little nickname, the 'Golden Goose'.

A little cheesy, in my opinion, but thanks to my efficient work, I've made about twenty-seven silver, excluding the fact I've spent some of it over the course of a month, though still, for an F-rank adventurer, I'm rich.

However, a single house costs one to two gold. I've been pretty active for one month, but I've only made twenty-seven silver and some change, and currently, I've only got twenty-three silver; it would take me a few more months to acquire a house, and then again, that's just a standard one bedroom house.

"Alright, I've got everything, Yuki; lead the way." Said Alexander as he approached the massive woman donned in armor standing like a mountain amidst the sea of people.

Following behind Yuki, we headed deeper into the city, toward the center district, which did have a few houses, but they were even more expensive than the ones I intended on buying; the cheapest house in the center district was ten gold, something I was years off from acquiring.

'Really should start taking more profitable quests, though it's hard to find any that doesn't involve killing, which seems to be a common theme no matter which world you live in.' Thought Alexander with a slight frown as he shook his head and followed behind Yuki, who, like Moses, parted the crowd.

Turning right, we left the main street of the Hyphen and walked down a minor street, though we shortly exited that street as we walked one I never have. Walking down the small residential area of the center district, we suddenly stopped before a moderate-sized house with a fenced-off front yard.

"This is it, Yuki? Didn't know you were living lavishly like this." Remarked Alexander with an impressed nod as he entered the front yard right after Yuki.

"I've been an adventurer for over a decade, and I bought this house a few years ago; one of my biggest spending sprees, but I wouldn't call it lavish." Replied Yuki lightly as she reached underneath the flower pot, grabbing a small key, which was used to unlock the door.

Taking off my boots, I stepped inside the house, and the first thing I noticed was how great everything looked compared to the Inn I had previously stayed at; the wood flooring was clean and sleek, the walls were painted with a mixture of white and black, and there was even a welcome matt at the front door.

"You can look around, but I'm going to clean myself; I can still smell the poop on my armor." Said Yuki as she turned and glanced at Alexander before heading up the stairs to her left while he nodded.

"Okay." Replied Alexander with a nod as he took a little tour around the house.

This was probably the cleanest house I've been in; I love Master's tree house, but it had a nature feel to it, and while I love nature, it isn't necessarily clean. After spending a few minutes exploring the first floor and walking around the living room, kitchen, and dining room, I headed upstairs, curious about my room.

Once I was on the second floor, there were a few doors; three led to a bedroom, while one was a bathroom, which Yuki was currently occupying by showering.

"Haa, I really miss that pond." Muttered Alexander with a depressed sigh as he glanced at the bathroom door before walking past it and into one of the rooms.

The first room didn't seem to be the one Yuki lived in, as there was nothing present except a bed and wardrobe; leaving that room, I checked on the second room, which looked the exact same as the first one, thought the third one on the other hand, that one was different. The entire room was nearly twice as large, while the bed took up almost a third of the room; there was a massive armor stand, along with a large wardrobe. There were a few pictures hanging on the wall, though I didn't really wish to be nosy, so I left the room alone and headed back downstairs.

"Hmm, I should cook us something." Said Alexander with a light smile as he headed toward the kitchen.