Good morning, time to get up .

A clear, gentle voice caressed Shins ears . Usually, he would wake up promptly with just this sound, but today Shin was heavily afflicted with sleep . Recently, he often ended up falling asleep again after waking up the first time .

Just five moreno, 10 more minutes

Ill prepare breakfast and come again in 15 minutes . But if you wont wake up then, youre skipping it .

The words he received in reply seemed kind, but they actually contained a very firm warning, which Shin clearly noticed . Before, he had overslept for five minutes and really gone without breakfast .

The reason behind his need to rest was simple: every night he would sneak out of the hotel and work hard in the smithy . He kept it a secret from Schnee because he wanted to surprise her with something after he learned the new technique .

Morning

Shin was suppressing a yawn as he sat down at the table . Thanks to his high stats, even with a severe lack of sleep, the only disadvantage was a slight drowsiness in the morning .

After the meal, Shin was sipping tea on the sofa, thinking of a training menu for Lecus and the others, when Schnee came up from behind and put her hands on his shoulders .

Shin, there is something you have to tell me, yes?

Hm? Not really

Shin?

Schnees tone changed . Shin reacted instinctively and tried to stand up, but Schnee was faster . Her grip on his shoulders became stronger and kept him from standing up, moving to hold his neck .

Aaher, you see

His back to the sofa, Shin couldnt escape if Schnee held him from behind . Because of the sofas size, in that position Shins head would inevitably rest against Schnees bosom .

From a third partys perspective, it looked like Schnee was holding Shins head . She was just wearing a thin shirt, so Shins head was enveloped in the soft sensation of Schnees mounds . He even ended up thinking that it wasnt so bad a situation to be in .

No secrets, weve talked about this before, right?

okay, okay, you win .

Shin couldnt make any objections to that .

Because of her skills and main job, Schnee was very sensitive to the presence of others . She had probably noticed Shins nightly outings very soon .

You probably know already, but every night I go to the smithy to practice a new technique . I saw Vulcan use it the other time, and realized that I can still improve .

After repeated trial and error, Shins technique was still an imitation, but it had started to take shape . His Blacksmithing skill was helping his attempts . If not, it would be impossible to imitate techniques so easily .

Shin, I wont tell you not to push yourself too hard . I know that when you do, its always for someone elses sake . This time too, its for meno, for us, right?

If Shins blacksmithing skills improved, he could reinforce their weapons and armor further . In this world there existed monsters that not even Shin and Schnee could match, so Shin did not want to miss any opportunity to reinforce their gear .

He wanted to do so as soon as possible, to lessen any risks as much as he could . Ever since Shin arrived in this world, Schnees equipment was much stronger than it had been in-game .

I am happy that you are thinking about us . But in that case, let me assist you too . Maybe I cant do anything, but I dont want you to bear the burden alone .

Schnees embrace grew stronger . He couldnt see her expression, but her voice was enough to understand how she felt .

Im sorry for making you worry . Actually, I was thinking that it would be a lot better if you could help me . But, you know

Shin didnt want to stubbornly hide the truth, but there was a reason why he preferred to .

Is there a reason why you cant tell me?

Well, yeah . Honestly speaking, I wanted to keep it a surprise, a present .

A present . ? Wah!

The topic shifted from reinforcing gear in an unexpected direction, so Schnee was confused . Shin felt her grip loosen and he drew her closer to him, without letting her finish .

With a perfectly useless show of skills, Shin made her spin in midair and sat her on his lap . It looked just like Schnee had jumped over the sofa to sit on top of him .

Er, what?

Schnee could have fought back if she wanted, but since her opponent was Shin, she leaned on him . She was still confused, but she buried her face in his chest .

I mean that, what Im trying to create is not equipment, but something else .

Something else?

Yes . After defeating the evil deity, well, I confessed, right? You said okay, right? So were like, husband and wife now .

Yes, of course .

Shin was rather embarrassed to say the words husband and wife, but Schnee replied with a smile beaming with happiness . He coughed a little, then started talking again while looking straight into her eyes .

Soyou know? Its not like I want to prove it, butIm thinking of making wedding rings . Since Im at it, I wanted to properly learn this new technique first . After I craft the rings, I want to enhance them with as many buffs as possible .

Weddingrings!? !? Lets make them!! We must!!!

Schnee didnt seem to understand right away, but as soon as she did, she grabbed Shins lapel and stared at him, her eyes sparkling .

Y-yeah, sure . So please give me a hand .

Of course!! Leave it to me!!

Schnee never looked so eager . Thanks to her assistance, Shins understanding of Vulcans technique progressed rapidly too . Because of this, it couldnt be helped that Shin started wondering if Schnee was blessed with a natural talent for blacksmithing too .