The status that was revealed during the "Ritual of Ability Development" at the entrance ceremony.
Among those stats, my Charm parameter had been "1."
At that time, I understood why I had never been popular.
But right now, my Charm was at 101 points.
I didn't know exactly how high that was, but I was pretty sure Weiss's Charm had been 50 points.
Weiss had been popular since he was little, so having twice that much Charm was already outrageous.
And if you compared it to my old self, it was suddenly 101 times higher.
No wonder Monaka was acting so strangely—her childhood friend had suddenly become 101 times more attractive.
For now, I decided to return my Charm to its original value.
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Leopin
Job: Tamer
LV: 13
HP: 2010
MP: 2010
Status
Vitality: 201
Stamina: 201
Toughness: 201
Spirit: 201
Resistance: 201
Agility: 201
Focus: 201
Strength: 201
Magic Power: 201
Divine Power: 201
Intelligence: 201
Culture: 201
Five Senses: 201
Sixth Sense: 201
Charm: 101 → 1
Luck: 2
Dexterity: 300 → 400
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I went over to Monaka, who was still trembling in the shade of the tree.
When she noticed me approaching, she let out a startled "Hyau!?" and turned around with a hiccup-like squeak.
Her face had been burning red, but now that I was back to my usual self, she blinked in confusion.
"Ah… huh…?"
She rubbed her eyes with the white handkerchief she had pulled out.
"I-I'm sorry…Leo-kun suddenly looked like a completely different, incredibly handsome person, so I was shocked…It seems it was just my eyes playing tricks on me…"
Halfway through her sentence, Monaka suddenly realized something and waved her hands frantically to correct herself.
"Ah, that makes it sound like the usual Leo-kun isn't handsome at all! I-I'm sorry! Leo-kun is always incredibly handsome and wonderful!"
"But didn't you like the version you thought you saw better?"
Monaka shook her head vigorously without even needing to think.
"No. No matter what Leo-kun looks like, I… Ah, n-no! It's nothing!"
Monaka had been waving her hands around, but they suddenly stopped.
Her face, which had been bright red, turned deathly pale in an instant.
"L-Leo-kun… b-behind… you…"
Just from that reaction, I roughly understood what was happening.
"Ah, this is Mark, the bear I tamed. Mark, say hello to Monaka."
Sure enough, Mark was standing right behind me and lowered his head with a "Kuoon."
Monaka, still a little pale, hurriedly bowed back.
"Th-thank you for your polite greeting! I-I am called Monaka…!
Wait… eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!?!?"
Monaka spun her eyes in circles and screamed as the bear lifted her up and spun her around.
Too many things had happened at once, and her brain could no longer keep up.
She looked like she was about to faint, so I supported her. She immediately clung to me with a "Shuba!"
"D-did you really tame that bear!? I once heard from a tamer at a sideshow! Even professional tamers find it extremely difficult to tame wild bears! That's why professionals usually tame bears that have been bred in captivity!"
"I see. Then maybe I just got lucky. Since we're here, why don't you ride him too?"
"I-is that really all right? Wait… kyaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?!?"
Before our conversation even finished, Mark had already scooped both of us up.
He lifted us lightly as if we were kittens and placed us on his shoulders.
Monaka clung tightly to Mark's face and looked down fearfully.
"Th-this is amazing…! I can't believe I get to ride on a bear's shoulder…!"
"Pretty nice view, right?"
"Y-yes! To be honest, riding on a bear was one of my dreams when I was a child…!"
"Then go ahead and enjoy it. All right, Mark 'bed'!"
Mark tossed us gently and then flopped onto his back with a "Goron."
We went "Ohh!?" and "Kyaa!?" as we flew through the air before landing on Mark's belly.
His stomach was so soft and bouncy it felt like a trampoline.
Monaka had been nervous at first, but now her eyes were sparkling like a child's.
"Fwaaah, it's so fluffy! I've always dreamed of lying on top of a bear!
Ah, b-but lying down outside like this is improper for a lady…"
"What are you talking about? It's just you, me, and Mark here. Let's cut loose and have some fun for once! Here we go!"
I bounced with force, and Monaka flipped over with a "Pyaa!?"
We laughed together, and Mark joined in happily with a "Kuoon!"
Despite the large scar on his chest, his face looked incredibly gentle.
After that, we completely lost track of time and played like children.
As we watched the sunset sinking from atop Mark's chest, Monaka said,
"Mark, thank you so much for today. It's been a very long time since I had this much fun."
Mark replied with a "Kuooon."
A heart-shaped steam-like mark rose above his head, showing he was very satisfied.
"But Monaka, are you okay? Your robe got pretty dirty, and it's covered in fur.
Won't you get scolded when you get back?"
"Yes. But this makes me very happy.
My older sister once told me,
'The reason a saint's robe is pure white is so it can get dirty from touching many different people.'
And besides…"
Monaka suddenly looked down and hesitated.
Then, with a determined upward glance, she continued,
"S-spending time and getting dirty together with someone I… I really, really like… is the greatest happiness for a saint…!"
Her stuttering words barely registered in my head.
Because I had just witnessed something I could hardly believe.
Floating above Monaka's head, like dandelion fluff being gently blown away…
Countless hearts were rising up with a "powa powa"…!
I instinctively rubbed my eyes with my coat sleeve.
…No matter how much of a Tamer I am, there's no way I should be able to see changes in human emotions too…
That can't possibly be real, right…?