Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon

You could even win a reward!

Hello there!

- - So yummy!

It somehow tastes even better in the heat.

I just love seeing the happy faces

of my satisfied customers.

Nomming ice cream on a hot day is non-negotiable.

Though I'll admit that

frozen fruit was pretty tasty too.

Ping! I've never vended frozen fruit!

F-r-ou-t?

You heard right, Boxxo!

See? Kikoyu's selling it.

- -Of course. My pleasure!

Here you go.

- Oh, yeah! - So shiny!

I hope you enjoy it.

Dastardly!

I should have expected no less from my business rival.

What a sweet kiddo.

Although, I guess she's technically

a full-fledged adult now.

I think she's even better at freezing stuff

now that she's officially a woman.

So she's freezing fresh fruit

and then selling it as a dessert.

That's a rock-solid business.

For sure! And those grep things were especially tasty.

Ooh! Then I'll have to give them a try.

Now that temptress

is trying to steal my partner?!

If you're looking for a food war,

consider me enlisted!

On the outside, I'm just a big metal box,

but inside, I've still got a human soul!

In this new world of wonders,

I travel to and fro

on the back of my super-strong partner, Lammis!

The name's Boxxo. Hello, there!

That means, ”yes,“ by the way!

Welcome back! Have some biches!

They're in nice, bite-sized chunks.

Please, enjoy!

- Ah! - Fiend!

I saw that smug grin disguised as an innocent smile!

Hmph! I can't wait to wipe that look off your face

with the power of quality vending!

I must answer the call of food service!

I even begged,

I mean, asked Lammis and Mishuel to help.

Um, hey everyone! We're selling extra-creamy ice cream today,

and there's plenty to go around!

And today only, we're offering our high-quality ice cream,

at low-quality prices.

It was a worthy rivalry while that lasted,

but too bad!

No mere mortal can measure up to the power of my vending!

For some reason, the next day, there was a huge crowd

champing at the bit for cold fruit.

Come one, come all!

We've got yummy frozen fruit over here!

It's so delicious!

You should treat yourself!

Huh?

Fresh reinforcements

from the Clearflow Lake stratum.

She even used food to recruit the Gluttons.

Guess it's time to vend out the big guns, baby.

Now that's how you kill the competition.

Victory shall be mine!

Uh...

Our bitter sales battle

waged on for four whole days

and ended in a surprise attack.

We thanked our friends for their help with a nice meal.

Shui and the Band of Gluttons took full advantage.

They got the priciest things on the menu,

eating through our revenue and then some.

Thus, the war of the frozen snacks

ended in mutual defeat.

Losers!

Since our work was more than finished there,

we decided to mosey on back

to the Clearflow Lake stratum.

Good work. We really owe you one.

Thanks for everything.

That's weird.

Seems like something's weighing on her.

Ah! There's no place like home.

I was starting to miss this rectangle of dirt.

Hey, Boxxo! Go ahead and give me the usual.

Your drinks invigorate me to my very core. Boop!

- - Thank you very much.

- -

We've been back a few days now.

Fall will be here soon.

It's wild.

I've been here for almost a full year.

Time truly does fly.

For the last few days,

I haven't seen Lammis or Hulemy.

They must be busy or something.

It's a bit lonely.

-Hey, Boxxo! - Lammis?

I've been crazy busy and totally neglecting you.

Give me a chance to make it right

with some late-night bonding.

-Okay? - Hello there!

No man, flesh, or steel could refuse Lammis

-when she's serving that look! -

I'm whipped, and loving it!

Yay! Let's get cozy in my tent.

Huh? What gives?

Cheers to you!

Wishing you a happy birthday, Boxxo!

Wait, is it my birthday?

To be fair, I don't know when you were born,

but it's creeping up on a year since we first crossed paths,

so I thought it was as good a time as any

to celebrate your existence.

Hopefully that's okay with you.

I'm so darn happy and surprised right now,

I don't know how to react!

It's a good thing I can't ugly-cry,

or I might have short-circuited.

Thank you.

You're welcome!

And, Kikoyu, we all want to say happy birthday to you, too!

Oh, wow! That's sweet of you!

Oh, yeah!

Kikoyu's birthday wasn't too long ago.

It's a double birthday bash!

That's twice as nice.

Thanks, Boxxo. We owe you.

True. Without your assistance,

the Origin stratum would be a pile of rubble.

We all wanted to give you a proper thanks.

You're a real hero as far as we're concerned.

Them's facts. We owe you one.

I come bearing an official certificate

of recognition from the Hunter's Association.

Oh, you've earned it.

- Ta-da! -

I've been racking my brain thinking of the best gift.

This is what I came up with, so I really hope you like it.

I enhanced the elasticity of the stabilizer ropes.

Now it can handle unexpected transformations with ease.

That's awesome-sauce!

Now I can change my look on the fly without worrying!

I guess I'm the last one to gift you up, huh?

Bet you're curious what I got ya.

-It's a cake! -

Oh!

That book you gave me had all kinds of party pictures.

That's where I came up with the inspiration

to make you a birthday cake!

So, um, was it a good surprise?

Ye-es. Thank you.

I'm easily the luckiest vending machine

in the entire universe.

I got a birthday cake in another world.

If vending machines could cry,

everyone here would be drowning about now.

And this one's for Kikoyu.

So pretty!

The candles are waiting.

-Go ahead and blow 'em out. -

Happy birthday, Boxxo and Kikoyu!

How lovely!

Darn!

I don't know how to process this!

I did not have "turn into a vending machine

and have lots of friends celebrate my birthday"

on my bingo card.

The food tonight is something special.

Too bad the grandkids aren't here to enjoy it with us.

I'm tempted to take some home

and dine on it tomorrow, too.

And this wine is delightfully smooth,

with just a slight hint of sweetness.

I deserve to have a super-fun and special drink tonight, too!

Of course. We secured this fizzy, fruity one