Pin, I Choose You!
We were all taken aback by the sudden appearance of a fluffy squirrel.
The reason? It was just too cute.
“Mo-kyu?”
“So, so cute, meow!?”
“What... what an adorable creature…”
“Soothing.”
Milfie, Bridget, and Aqua all crouched down in unison.
It was a grand harem of beautiful women from another world. Normally, that would be something to envy, but the squirrel looked frightened, trembling as it glanced around.
Then its eyes met mine.
“Mo-kyuuuu!”
Suddenly it squeaked and dashed toward my feet.
Climbing swiftly up my body like running along a wall, it perched atop my head and let out a relieved sigh.
“Mokyu mokyu.”
“I’m not the summit of a mountain, you know.”
Just to be sure, I checked again—and saw that my status now included a new addition: “The Fuzzy That Just Feels Right”.
So this squirrel really is part of my skill set, huh.
“Lucky you, Tabito! It’s totally attached to you!”
“Yeah, but I don’t really know what to do with it…”
“M-my head’s free too, you know…”
Milfie puffed up with jealousy.
Bridget’s shoulders slumped—she was clearly bummed out.
It seemed the squirrel had already decided I was its master and now clung to my hair, refusing to let go.
But strangely enough, it didn’t feel like a skill—it just looked like an ordinary animal.
“It’s probably… a ‘magical beast.’”
Aqua gazed at the squirrel intently, her eyes pure and serious.
Apparently intimidated by the pressure, the squirrel yanked harder on my hair.
“Magical beast?”
“Yes. Beasts with abilities beyond human comprehension. Unlike wild monsters, they’re said to be intelligent and kind. Rather than being part of a skill, it might be more accurate to say you summoned it.”
“Mokyuu!”
As if to say, “That’s right!” the squirrel tugged on my hair again.
Squirrel, that’s not a buzzer.
“Abilities beyond human comprehension… yeah, what it did earlier might count.”
The squirrel had found a treasure chest buried deep underground.
It didn’t even show up on my guide map.
That’s odd—treasure chests usually always appear.
“This chest had high-level concealment magic placed on it. I believe the squirrel has some ability to see through magic.”
“Huh. This little thing can do that?”
“Mokyu!”
“Stop pulling my hair!”
So it covers a weakness of mine.
That is a pretty amazing ability. And it’s adorable, too.
Sure, I’m sacrificing a bit of hair, but still.
“Squirrel, what else can you do?”
“Mokyu!”
Jumping off my head, the squirrel looked back at me with a smug expression and wagged its tail.
Its tail was shaped like an arrow—fitting for something related to the guide map.
So… what’s it going to do?
Just as I wondered, it stabbed its tail into the ground.
“Wh-whoa?”
A prompt appeared: “Would you like to place a Free Pin again?”
Ah… so that’s what this is about.
The guide map is convenient, but the downside is that you always have to operate it by hand.
Area Pins, Free Pins—same deal.
In the middle of combat or when your hands are full, that can be a problem.
But this squirrel could handle that for me.
“Squirrel, take us back to Rivana.”
“Mokyu!”
The usual prompt came up: “Force-returning to Rivana Kingdom. If in combat, then—”
Of course, I canceled it, but now I was certain.
This squirrel could operate functions I’d otherwise have to do manually.
Even if both hands are tied up or I’m injured and can’t move, it’ll take care of it.
Plus, it can locate treasure chests.
Maybe even check for traps—I haven’t tested that yet.
In a way, it’s like a personal Alexa or Google Home.
So this is a magical beast, huh?
“Mokyu?”
And it’s cute, too. At first I was like, what the heck is this thing, but now I think it’s the perfect partner for me.
“Hey Tabito, can I hold it for a bit?”
“Huh? I don’t mind, but how about the squirrel?”
“M-Mokyu.”
“Seems fine with it. Just be gentle, okay?”
“Of course, meow!”
Milfie gently picked it up and began stroking its head as it nestled between her breasts.
It looked a little squished, but still… I was jealous.
“Mokyu!”
You little… switch places with me!!
Suddenly, I remembered the stamp rally.
The squirrel appeared right after we finished checkpoint #2.
Next up is #3.
I checked and—yeah, I knew it.
“Ah, I see what’s going on.”
It said: “Conquer the Ancient Dungeon.”
So the stamp rally is definitely tied to my actions.
When I shared that, everyone agreed we’d aim to conquer it.
Normally, dungeons take a lot of time to explore. Even with the guide map, it’ll still take a while.
Travel also takes time.
But I’ve already placed a Free Pin on that location.
“Mokyu!”
“Mi-Milfie, c-could I… borrow the squirrel too?”
As I was thinking that, Bridget shyly reached out and cradled the squirrel.
An S-rank adventurer blushing and squirming—guess she really likes fluffy, soft things.
“I’d like to hold it too.”
Even Aqua seems to like cute things.
We passed through a colorful garden and finally arrived in front of the ancient castle.
It was huge. Even looking up, the top was far out of sight.
The doors were just as massive.
Normally, you’d place your hand on a crystal to teleport inside—but there wasn’t one here.
We’d probably have to just open the doors and go in.
From this point on, who knows what could happen.
Milfie suggested we check our gear like always.
Make sure our weapons weren’t worn down, we hadn’t forgotten anything, and that we had portable food.
Bridget would take the lead.
Then me.
Then Aqua.
Milfie, the fastest, would guard the rear.
Roles are important in a party.
Fulfilling your role is the most critical thing.
My job as a scout is to detect enemies, identify traps, locate treasure chests, and avoid getting lost.
Alright—time to give it my all!!!
“Squirrel’s still on my head—yeah, I should probably stop calling it that.”
“Mokyu?”
Calling it ‘The Fuzzy That Just Feels Right’ would be accurate, but it’s a mouthful.
Something short and cute would be better…
“Alright—your name’s Pin from today on!”
It’s literal, but not a name you hear often.
Inspired by the guide map’s pins and the tail shaped like an arrow.
Simple and fitting.
“Mokyu!”
“Oh, you like it!?”
“Hehe, it’s a good name, meow.”
Aqua then cast a spell that boosted all of our physical abilities.
Now we were ready.
We opened the door—and the climb began!
“Whoa… it’s really dark in here.”
As we stepped inside, everything went pitch black.
The massive doors closed automatically once we were all in.
Not a single light source.
But this is when I shine.
Instead of relying on vision, I looked at the guide map—and immediately realized things were bad.
[Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Tabito & Party] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster] [Monster]What do you think about this chapter?
