“Let’s Orb Cooking!
“I have no idea what salt concentration you’re supposed to use to reset an Orb.”
This was exactly the kind of moment where Appraisal should shine—
but then a red frame flashed in front of me, blinking insistently.
“Sometimes you should look things up yourself.”
…
Okay.
I’m not even surprised anymore.
Wait—
look it up myself?
You’re telling me to personally figure out the correct salt concentration for recharging a Skill Orb?
What the hell is going on with my Appraisal?
I sighed.
Fine. Let’s try it.
I dissolved a tablespoon of salt into a cup of water and dropped the Skill Orb in.
…
……
………
Oh, right. It takes time.
I decided to leave it alone and check it tomorrow.
I left the mug with the Orb in the kitchen and went back to bed.
The next day
I checked the mug—no visible change.
Well, whatever.
I headed to work, making sure not to forget the scarf.
Today’s dungeon was the same as yesterday: Marui.
I put on the scarf and got to work.
“Whoa. What the—”
My body moved smoother than ever, almost slippery.
“Thirty percent boost is insane…”
There wasn’t much notable trash at the collection point today, but even so, I was working way faster than usual.
Before I knew it, I’d already reached the third floor.
“This is… way more effective than I expected.”
While cleaning around the Goddess Hall—
“Um… excuse me.”
A woman—an adventurer, judging by her outfit—approached me.
“Yes? Can I help you?”
“I’m sorry if this is rude, but… that scarf you’re wearing—where did you buy it?”
Eh?
Did I do something wrong?
My heart started pounding.
“Ah, no, um… I work cleaning the dungeon, and yesterday it was thrown out with the trash. I liked the pattern, so I bought it from the collection office.”
“I see… but I’m fairly certain that scarf was torn apart…”
Looks like she’s the original owner.
“…Sorry. I repaired it.”
“…It doesn’t look repaired at all. If you don’t mind, may I take a closer look?”
I removed the scarf and handed it to her.
“No matter how I look at it, I can’t tell it was ever damaged.”
“Oh—maybe you don’t know this technique, but it’s called kakehagi. It’s a kind of invisible mending.”
“Is that a skill?”
“No, just… sewing technique, I guess…”
Then someone called out from behind her.
“Misaki, what’s up? …Wait, isn’t that the scarf you threw out yesterday because it was ruined?!”
“Yeah, but apparently he fixed it.”
“Whoa—seriously?! I can’t even see where it was torn!!!”
Soon, her party members gathered around, chatting excitedly.
“I’m sorry for taking your time. Thank you.”
Misaki handed the scarf back to me.
“No, um… I’m actually surprised you recognized it. Was it custom‑made or something?”
I asked carefully.
“…It was the first thing I ever bought with my own saved allowance… Thank you for repairing it. If you’d like, I’d be happy if you continued using it.”
She turned to rejoin her group.
“Ah—um!!!”
She looked back.
“I want to return this.”
“Eh…”
“It’s something precious to you, right? Then I think you should be the one to use it, not me.”
“But… I…”
I held the scarf out to her.
“It’s definitely better that way.”
