Reincarnated as Itsuka Shido: Collecting Spirits as Lovers

BOOOOOM!!!

On the 40th floor, Rumia and Frieren simply stood to the side, quietly watching as Shido mercilessly bullied the helpless boss, bombarding it with thousands of weapons.

"Even though it's not that strong, its HP is ridiculously high." Rumia said, recalling her experiences over the past week in Shido's world.

Since Shido was often away during this period of time as he was frequently visiting Eagle Jump, Frieren would drag Rumia into Aincrad to help her level up and gain more battle experience. Thanks to that, they managed to clear up to the 39th floor, and now Shido had joined them to take on the 40th-floor boss.

The fights below the 50th floor weren't particularly difficult. With her current level and mastery of magic, Rumia could handle most monsters without much trouble. What made things even easier was recognizing their attack patterns, once she learned those, defeating them became a matter of timing.

"Well, that's the only troublesome thing about these monsters," Frieren said in her usual monotone voice, casually munching on the macaron Shido had bought them earlier.

"Mooo, Frieren-san, this isn't the time or place to be eating, you know?"

Rumia could only give a helpless smile at how carefree Frieren was, treating Shido's fight as if watching a movie. Still, as her gaze shifted from Frieren to Shido, who looked like he was genuinely enjoying himself battling the boss, her cheeks unconsciously turned pink, and a faint heat spread through her body as the memory of their secret affair resurfaced in her mind.

Yet she couldn't bring herself to say anything to either of them, since she didn't know what to say afterwards. But somehow, she felt a bit sad and jealous since the two of them became so closer to a more intimate relationship without her noticing and leaving her alone.

Rumia might have been pure and innocent, but that didn't mean she was ignorant of what Shido and Frieren had been doing. As the former princess of the Alzano Empire, she had been properly educated about such matters.

Still, as Rumia looked at Frieren's laid-back attitude, she couldn't help but wonder if the Frieren she had seen that night who show such a lewd face was just an illusion.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Rumia?" Frieren asked, noticing her student's complicated gaze. She looked a little confused, but continued munching on her macarons without pause.

Seeing her puzzled expression, Rumia could only shake her head and reply softly, "Mmm, it's nothing, Frieren-san."

"Oh? Well, neve rmind then."

Since Rumia didn't say anything, Frieren didn't think too much of it. She simply shrugged her shoulders and went back to focusing on the battle, and her macarons.

...

"This is the last one."

As Shido spoke, a series of golden ripples appeared behind him, and the tips of countless weapons slowly surfaced. With his arms folded across his chest, he gave a silent command with his mind, unleashing a hail of weapons that tore into the boss. Its hp drained rapidly until the boss collapsed and shattered into countless fragments of light.

[Congratulations!]

An announcement echoed throughout the boss room, declaring that the 40th floor had been cleared. Shido slowly floated down, only to hear footsteps approaching him, it was, of course, Rumia and Frieren.

His lips twitched slightly when he noticed how carefree Frieren had been, munching on macarons while he was locked in battle. Still, he didn't really mind, after all, she looked cute while eating.

"Congratulations, Shido-san! Did you get any rewards?" Rumia asked happily as she walked up to him, with Frieren by her side. By rewards, she meant the items one would usually obtain after defeating monsters, clearing quests, or taking down a floor boss just like in SAO.

Hearing her words, Shido checked his rewards and replied, "Just a high-grade weapon and… a book about cooking."

"...I see." Rumia nodded at Shido's words. She wasn't particularly surprised, after all, getting good rewards mostly came down to luck. And while Shido did have S-Rank Luck, that didn't guarantee he would always receive something valuable.

"Well then, let's go check out the 41st floor first before we have lunch."

Rumia and Frieren both nodded, since they also wanted to see the 50th floor. However, Frieren added something that made Shido and Rumia look at her speechlessly.

"Let's hurry. I still need to receive a package from Amazon."

"Frieren-san, I told you, you can't just shop online so carefreely," Rumia tried to scold her. But her stern words didn't quite match her gentle expression, so much so that even Frieren felt the urge to pat her head, finding her simply too adorable.

Over the past week, Rumia and Frieren had grown more accustomed to Shido's world, learning many things, whether from books, the internet, or firsthand experience. Because of that, they now blended in almost like people who had been born in this world.

It was a good thing overall, but Frieren seemed to have gotten a little too hooked on the internet. Especially after discovering that she could buy almost anything she wanted online,and have the package delivered right to their doorstep. This made Shido feel worried that she might become like that certain fallen angel that became a NEET.

Shido knew he had to stop Frieren before she turned into a full-fledged NEET, but for now, he decided to leave it to Rumia, who almost looked like Frieren's mother when scolding her.

During her stay in this world, Frieren had developed a habit of buying all sorts of strange things, leaving both Rumia and Shido helpless. Eventually, Shido decided the mischievous elf needed to be punished so she could reflect, and thus he brought her to his room to 'educate' her properly.

Afterward, Frieren became more meek, agreeing to limit her purchases to only once in a while. Shido could only sigh at her compromise, but in the end, he accepted it.

"Well, let's go then." With a dismissive wave, Frieren beckoned the two of them to hurry along.

"Hold on."

"Hmm?" both Rumia and Frieren responded at the same time.

The two looked at Shido with puzzled expressions, wondering what he wanted to say.

"I actually have a little plan in mind, and I wanted you two to do it too." Shido said before explaining his idea. Frieren thought it over for a moment, then gave a small nod of agreement.

As for Rumia, she accepted without hesitation. After all, it was Shido, and if it also helped them grow stronger, then why not?