Surviving as a Trash Bard in a Game

I opened my eyes and woke up.

A strange ceiling.

No, to be precise, it was a familiar ceiling I had seen many times before... but the room's scenery was strangely different from what I remembered.

I sat up.

I was still fully clothed, and it seemed like my body had been neatly laid on the bed.

The blanket was neatly spread without a single wrinkle, and compared to the usual accommodation on the second floor of the association, it felt a little softer, a little more luxurious.

"Skyler?"

I called his name, but no answer came.

I turned my head and took in the whole view of the room. There was a strange glass bottle with a blue glow on the table, and Skyler was sleeping face down on the chair in front of the table.

It seemed that my narcolepsy had been triggered when he led me into the room.

...I hope I wasn't too heavy. This body is light. Underweight. Yeah.

It's not because I've become a woman that I'm concerned about my weight. I was just worried that I had burdened someone else with a heavy load and caused them trouble.

Yeah. This wasn't feminine behavior.

'...Should I wake him up?'

I placed my hand on Skyler's back for a moment. He shifted uncomfortably, then adjusted his posture and returned to a deep sleep.

For some reason, I felt like I was seeing Skyler superimposed on another person.

Not in a metaphorical sense, but literally.

The mature young man with Skyler's face was a handsome man with a slightly tall and lean build. I had to admit he was good-looking.

I didn't know why I occasionally saw glimpses of what I assumed to be Skyler's future self, but whenever I did, I just considered it a feast for the eyes and moved on.

Anyway, right now, I wanted to watch him sleep a little longer.

'He's cute when he's quiet.'

Unlike his usual prickly and easily angered demeanor, he looked like an ordinary child when he was asleep.

I moved my hand and placed it on his head. I stroked him in one direction.

It felt soft, unlike his spiky personality and even spikier hair. It was strange.

Skyler's eyelids twitched, and he slowly opened his eyes.

"...What are you doing?"

"Oh, I just..."

"You could have just woken me up."

"You were sleeping so soundly."

"It's not too late. We still have a few hours."

Skyler, who estimated the approximate time from the angle of the sunlight coming in through the window, spoke to Selena with a relieved expression.

Before Skyler even opened his mouth, I felt a sense of foreboding.

The fact that he mentioned time meant that I had either broken a promise or that there was something that needed to be done that required time.

As expected, my ominous premonition was correct.

"Let's test how effective the melody is."

"...Okay."

"I'm surprised."

"Huh? What?"

"I'm surprised that you just accepted my proposal."

"It's not like I've been ignoring your proposals."

"To be precise, you have a knack for filtering out only the proposals that involve you suffering."

"Hey."

Skyler smiled gently. It was a way of showing that he had no intention of fighting, as if telling me to calm down.

I didn't think that kind of expression would ease my anger... but surprisingly, it did.

"Anyway, let's test it."

"Alright."

"It doesn't matter what kind. Please start."

I picked up the lute.

-

Mythical Lute.

The most precious possession of a bard, entrusted to another bard.

It plays the sound you desire.

-

I closed the status window and focused on my senses.

I crossed my legs and gently placed the body of the lute on my lap. I felt a slight weight on my lap. I grasped the neck of the lute with my hand and pressed my body against it as if embracing it.

I placed my fingers on the strings and plucked them lightly.

♩ㅡ

The sound caressed my ears.

Playing in front of someone with a clear mind was much more embarrassing than I thought.

I had certainly played in front of Skyler before. I had certainly played in front of many people before. But for some reason, I felt that this performance was more special.

The reason was surely that this performance was for one person only.

Sitting alone in this cramped room, facing each other with a table between us, playing a song and listening to music.

Considering that one of the many purposes of music is to share and express one's feelings... the atmosphere is quite strange. My thoughts are also flowing in a strange direction.

My face... turned a little red. I'm embarrassed. The fact that I'm playing my music for one person only feels like a confession.

♫ㅡ♬-♬♬ㅡ♩-♫♬♪

As if representing my heart, the tempo of the performance gradually increased.

I didn't even know what song I was playing. I just moved my body to where my fingers led me. It was like a carriage following a set path.

"That's enough."

Skyler grabbed my wrist and forced me to stop playing.

Suddenly, all the strength drained from my body, and the instrument fell from my hands. Skyler caught my lute with his other hand and carefully placed it on the table.

"...Okay."

Haa... haa...

Before I knew it, I was breathing heavily.

As if I had forgotten how to breathe while playing.

"It's a symptom of mana exhaustion. Your mana was imbued in the performance without you realizing it. You need to train to consciously control it, but since we don't have time, I'll just briefly explain the trick."

"Alright. But... I can't seem to gather any strength."

"..."

Skyler just stared at me silently for a long time.

If I were to see my current state through the eyes of a third party, what would it look like?

A slightly thin beauty breathing heavily, her face flushed, with a slightly damp, white shirt that was slightly see-through, revealing her sweat-soaked body.

I suddenly understood Skyler's gaze.

"D-Don't look at me like that!"

"No, I... I didn't mean it like that!"

"Then what?!"

"Honestly, there's nothing I can do about my eyes being drawn to you even if I'm not conscious of it!"

"Hey!"

"A-Anyway, just drink a mana potion."

An awkward silence followed. The conversation had come to an abrupt end.

We just stared at each other silently.

Even while drinking the mana potion, I couldn't concentrate on the unique... energy drink-like taste of the potion.

A slight fizziness went down my throat, and strength was returning to my body.

Even so, I still glared at Skyler. It wasn't a look of resentment, and it certainly wasn't a look of anger. I was just... embarrassed.

No, it would be more accurate to say that I was humiliated.

The fact that I, who defined myself as a man, had acted in a feminine way that anyone would consider feminine was... so embarrassing.

Why? Why did I do that?

If I were a man, I wouldn't shout at someone not to look at me like that just because my clothes were a little see-through from sweat.

Skyler spoke to me as I stiffened my face and pondered.

It wasn't an apology.

You shouldn't expect social skills or tact from a proud mage like Skyler. I knew that from the beginning. I wasn't particularly disappointed that he didn't apologize.

"Anyway, the efficiency and range are the same as what I told the adventurers. Did you already know about your performance and mana?"

"No. This is the first time I've played properly."

"Hmm... is that so."

"I've played alone in my room before, but it wasn't like this."

"Anyway, I'll tell you a trick about mana consumption."

"...Okay."

Perhaps to break the awkward atmosphere from earlier, Skyler started explaining to me in a slightly kinder tone than usual.

To summarize, it's like this.

Mana is something between a liquid and a gas contained in the vessel of the body. It is not affected by gravity and does not sink, but it moves like a liquid in a zero-gravity state.

Honestly, I had my doubts. That explanation violated several laws of physics.

I asked a few questions.

Skyler's answer was, 'I don't know.'

"Anyway, so what's the trick to saving and controlling mana?"

"It means doing it until you can do it?"

"...Huh?"

Skyler pointed to his bag.

I could hear the sound of glass bottles clinking against each each other inside the bag.

Yes, I heard it 'a lot'.

He opened his bag, and inside were dozens of mana potions.

"What about the money? Shouldn't we be saving?"

"Mana potions can be obtained cheaply. The Magic Tower handles everything from production to distribution and sales."

"They have a monopoly."

"If they raised the price because of their monopoly, the mages would burn down the Magic Tower in an instant. They're the kind of people who drink several bottles a day."

"...You said you'd teach me a trick! Didn't you mean you'd tell me a shortcut?!"

"There are no tricks or shortcuts in magic. There is only the right path."

In the end, I kept a mana potion in my mouth until it was time to depart, and I continued to play until I could control it.

Even if my mana was constantly being replenished, my stamina and willpower were at rock bottom.

Exhausted and drenched in sweat, I was dragged along by Skyler.

Finally, it was time for the quest to begin.