The next morning, Kazuki stepped outside the Renmei Guild's inn, stretched his arms, and found a line of people waiting for him.
All of them were staring.
Some held notebooks. Others held wooden swords. One guy was dressed like a smaller, sadder version of him.
Kazuki blinked.
Smile, still in slime form and perched on his head like a wobbly hat, jiggled with amusement.
"…Are you guys lost?"
A small girl stepped forward and bowed deeply. "Sensei! Please teach me your ultimate technique—The Smile Reversal Cannon!"
Kazuki opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
"…I don't even know what that is."
The girl gasped in awe. "He doesn't need to name his skills. He transcends labels."
"Wh—"
Another adventurer piped up. "Is it true you once defeated a wyvern by sneezing?"
"No, I tripped—"
"He weaponized clumsiness! A true genius!"
Kazuki stumbled backward. "Guys, I swear I'm not—"
BOING.
Smile launched off his head and hovered midair, glowing softly.
Everyone gasped.
Someone fainted.
Smile has activated [Aura of False Prophecy].
Random people will now believe Kazuki is a chosen hero of destiny.
Side effects include confusion, unearned fame, and cult formation.
Kazuki stared at the glowing message.
Then at Smile.
Then at the increasingly awe-struck crowd.
He sighed.
"This is going to get out of hand fast, isn't it?"
Smile grinned. Boing.
✦
Inside the guildhall, Guildmaster Saya nearly spit out her tea.
"HE HAS A FANCLUB?"
One of the receptionists nodded, holding up a hand-painted flag that said Team Kazuki (Smile Squad Branch).
"Also, some noble sent him a dress code violation fine for 'being too casually powerful in public.'"
Saya pinched the bridge of her nose. "He's still Rank F! F!"
"He beat Aurelis in front of fifty witnesses," the receptionist reminded her.
"Technically Smile beat him," Saya muttered.
From the shadows, a sulking voice chimed in.
"I let him win…"
Aurelis sat dramatically in a window corner, hair re-fluffed, polishing his bent sword like a tragic rival recovering from heartbreak.
"I wasn't at full mana," he added weakly.
Meanwhile, Kazuki was being handed a stack of fan letters, a free roasted sweet potato, and something that suspiciously looked like a marriage proposal.
"I am the Wind Princess of Eimei Province," the noble girl said with a radiant smile. "Please accept this engagement token."
He handed it back gently. "I can't. I'm in a complicated relationship with gravity and bad luck."
Smile gave her a little wave. She fainted.
Kazuki has unlocked Passive Title: "Unintended Idol"
People now believe you're stronger the more confused you look.
That evening, Tala dropped a squirrel at his feet.
It wore a tiny cape.
Kazuki blinked. "…Where did you get that?"
Tala chirped in a low tone. She didn't speak human words, but somehow he got the message:
"There's a squirrel cult forming in the forest. You're their sacred bouncing one."
Kazuki sat down slowly.
Smile hopped into his lap like a purring cat, but… slimier.
Oro coiled protectively around the campfire.
Kazuki stared at the stars.
"I'm a Rank F."
Boing.
"I tripped on a slime."
Smile jiggled proudly.
"And now I have groupies, rivalries, and woodland cults."
He sighed.
"I'm gonna need more snacks."