"Miner…"
Tsunade's eye twitched violently.
She had already decided to retire from being a ninja—she was done with that profession.
But no matter what, she had never imagined herself becoming a miner.
Or a construction worker.
At the very least, she'd expected something like a doctor.
Yet now Leo had solemnly entrusted her with the great responsibility of being… a miner.
She genuinely didn't know what to say.
"Well, in a few days there'll be a massive zombie wave, so we can only rely on your strength to dig up enough materials for construction and defense. Of course, I'll help too."
Leo quickly put on a friendly smile and explained himself.
"…Alright. Given my current condition, I can't really help with fighting anyway."
With a sigh, Tsunade hoisted the shovel Leo handed her onto her shoulder, nodded helplessly, and accepted reality.
"Then what about me, Leo?"
Kelly suddenly popped out, slapping Leo on the shoulder, her face full of expectation.
"Well… honestly, it's the same for you. Since you can't take quests right now either, you'll need to mine with her for now. Don't worry—once I finish my quests, I'll come down and mine with you. And most importantly, you're also responsible for protecting Ms. Tsunade."
Leo pulled out another iron shovel and iron pickaxe from his inventory and placed them into Kelly's eager hands.
Kelly: "..."
She stared at the shovel and pickaxe in her hands, exchanged a helpless look with Tsunade, and both of them sighed in unison.
"Fine. Guess that's just how weird this world is. But you said you want to build a fortress—shouldn't we start now?"
Resting the pickaxe on her shoulder, Kelly asked curiously.
"Yes, that's necessary too. But first we need to dig up enough materials before we can make reinforced concrete. Long story short—just mine. Here's your supplies. Eat when you're hungry."
Smiling, Leo handed Kelly a large pile of food and water, along with two short iron pipes and over a hundred rounds of ammunition.
After finishing the last piece of grilled meat in his bowl, he pointed toward the shop not far away.
"I'm going to do quests first. Once you've mined enough iron, you can start crafting robotic turret ammo. That'll help you save up some money to buy things you want."
"Alright, alright…"
Kelly rolled her eyes, finished the last of her meat soup, and tossed the can aside at the campsite.
"So, we focus on development first. Got it."
"Yes."
"No problem."
Kelly and Tsunade headed toward the mine pit Leo had dug earlier. Leo watched them descend, then turned and walked toward the shop.
As usual, he blocked the door, greeted the female trader, skillfully vaulted over the counter, opened his skill panel, allocated points, and then—
"…What's he doing in there? He's been in that trader's place forever."
Kelly glanced at the closed shop door and asked suspiciously.
"No idea. But it's probably nothing good."
Tsunade paused, then said nothing more. In her eyes, Leo didn't really seem like a serious warrior. In a world like this, what else could he be doing?
"Oh. Then I think I know."
A look of disgust appeared on Kelly's face. She was fairly disciplined herself, but having lived through war, she knew exactly what stressed-out male soldiers tended to do.
At least back in the Sky Realm, there had been music, simple video games, comics, novels—and comrades.
But this guy…
"Well, it's not like I can't understand it. But… huh. That female trader actually offers that kind of service?"
Kelly patted her pocket, failed to find any cigarettes, and sighed helplessly.
She'd wanted to find tobacco earlier, but this world was absurdly strange. It looked full of everyday life, yet so many basic things were missing.
She couldn't even find a lathe or a pair of pliers. In the end, she could only rely on the machine gun Leo gave her—no way to modify it herself or build a pair of revolvers.
"I don't know."
Tsunade worked diligently at the ore. What took Leo three or four strikes to break, she shattered in a single blow. Even nearby ore veins took damage, making her mining speed absurdly fast.
She was starting to understand why Leo hadn't rushed to build a fortress yet. At this speed, if they really wanted to build a stronghold, it could probably be done in a single day.
While they were talking, Leo finally came out. He waved at them briefly, then hurried off toward another quest location.
After watching him leave, Kelly thought for a moment and then nudged Tsunade.
"Hey… wanna go take a look?"
She pointed toward the trader's shop.
Tsunade gave the well-built female gunner a flat look and replied coldly,
"I have zero interest."
"But I do!"
Kelly immediately dropped her pickaxe and sprinted toward the shop. Tsunade glanced at her back and, with a sigh, followed.
The two quickly entered the trader's house. There was a strange lingering smell in the air, but the trader's clothes were intact, and there were no obvious traces on her body.
"She really doesn't move at all, huh."
Kelly waved her hand in front of the trader's face, then pushed her a bit. No matter what she did, there was no response.
Tsunade crossed her arms, her gaze dropping over her own ample chest as she watched Kelly freely grope the trader, and said flatly,
"So what exactly are you expecting? And aren't you worried you'll touch something… unpleasant?"
The smell in the air couldn't fool a medical ninja. Tsunade had known what happened the moment the door opened, which was why she'd hesitated to enter.
Kelly, however, was used to all kinds of foul environments and was far less sensitive. She continued her inspection before sighing in disappointment.
"No cigarettes."
Then she suddenly noticed something odd.
"…Wait. It doesn't look like he actually did anything to her?"
Kelly stared at the trader's clean body and muttered. Tsunade froze for a moment.
She glanced over when Kelly tugged at the trader's clothes—there really were no signs she'd been touched. Realizing that, Tsunade immediately smacked her own forehead.
"So why do you even care about this?"
"Because I want to know what kind of guy he really is. Not to brag, but you and I both look pretty good and have great figures. If one day I get separated and you're alone, and he decides to do something to you using blood or whatever, I won't be able to help. So I wanted to know if he's the type who thinks with his lower half—and whether he has an outlet."
Kelly paused, thinking about the calluses and scars on Leo's hands, and shuddered slightly.
"…But now it looks like he's almost too pure."
Tsunade fell silent.
Because it was true.
"It doesn't matter. Even if it came to that, I don't really care anymore."
Tsunade spoke indifferently. In her eyes, she was already half-dead. Separated from her original world, surviving was enough. If she faced certain death, so be it.
"How can you say that? As long as you're alive, there's always a chance. And you should still have people who care about you, right?"
Kelly waved it off casually and opened the trader's shop interface, buying two beers.
She'd paid with robotic turret ammo bought using scrap iron she'd mined—though her real goal was to see if the trader sold her usual weapons.
She did.
They were just insanely expensive—over ten thousand, nothing like the few hundred she remembered.
"…Ha."
Tsunade let out a quiet laugh and said nothing.
The people she loved, and who loved her, were basically all gone.
Kelly handed her a beer.
"Me? I plan on making it back alive."