Chapter 7

“Whew! That’s a whole lot of monsters! And I feel like we finished the request faster than usual today!”

Even so, it was already nearly sunset. I glanced up at the sky, now dyed a deep shade of orange.

“Things really do go more smoothly with Rex around. Are you really only fifteen? Could it be that you’re actually more experienced than we are?”

“A-Ahaha… I’ve been training since I was little, after all. I’m just glad I could be of some help to you two.”

“Of course you were, you little punk! Don’t get all cocky!”

“Whoa!”

Just as Belze slung an arm around my neck, he started vigorously rubbing my head with his other hand.

I-It hurts… He really hasn’t changed at all. That strength of his is ridiculous…

“Today’s drinks are on Rex! Let’s go all out and have ourselves a good time!”

“W-Well… I can’t drink alcohol, and I still have things to take care of…”

“Oh, come on. Just join us for once. We’ll give you a taste of the adult life.”

Esteria licked her lips and stared at me intently with sharp eyes.

Does she lose sight of everything else when alcohol is involved, too…? These two really are alike.

While chatting with Belze and Esteria as we walked, the imposing Adventurers Guild gradually came into view.

“Oh! Looks like we’re almost there. All right, Rex, wait here for us. It’d be bad if that person found out.”

“That person…?”

Who was he talking about…? There certainly were people I’d rather not have finding out, but…

“…If you don’t know, then that’s probably for the best. Your obliviousness and that girl’s attitude aren’t anything new, after all.”

“?”

Esteria let out an exasperated sigh. Why was she giving me that suspicious, narrowed-eyed look?

“Anyway, let’s go, Brother. I want to get a drink already.”

“Yeah, you’re right. See you later, Rex!”

“All right.”

The two of them entered the guild to report the completion of their request.

I waved goodbye to the siblings and decided to wait outside until they returned.

“…What should I make for dinner tonight…? Teriyaki sounds pretty good… Oh, no, I should also think about nutrition. Maybe some stir-fried vegetables…”

As usual, I started planning the meals I’d be bringing to the church.

Before I knew it, quite some time had passed.

“…They’re taking a while.”

Several dozen minutes had already gone by.

Sure, there were plenty of people around, but it hadn’t been that crowded when we’d arrived.

I couldn’t imagine the paperwork taking this long…

“…Could they have gotten themselves into some kind of trouble?”

Those two had always had a knack for getting caught up in one problem or another. It had even made some people wary of dealing with them.

“They told me to wait here, though…”

…Still, there shouldn’t be any harm in checking on them, right?

Having made up my mind, I cautiously peeked inside through the doors of the enormous guild building.

There didn’t seem to be anything suspicious… Hm?

“W-What the heck is that…?”

Thinking I might have seen it wrong, I rubbed my eyes and looked again.

Nope. It didn’t seem to be an illusion.

Belze and Esteria were sitting on their knees in seiza,¹ while Miss Lilina stood before them, looking absolutely furious.

“W-Why are those two being scolded by Miss Lilina…? Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this angry before.”

The other adventurers were watching in silence. Even Imilia, who was usually by her side, was quietly observing the scene.

…Oh, the two of them just looked this way.

And then Miss Lilina turned toward me, too…

She immediately came rushing over at an incredible speed.

Huh? W-Wait, what!? What’s going on!?

“Rex!!”

“Whoa!?”

My vision was completely filled by Miss Lilina’s face, so close that our noses were almost touching.

S-She’s close… And now that I think about it, she’s really beautiful…

“A-Are you all right? Are you hurt? Those two didn’t threaten you or anything, did they?”

“U-Um, I’m fine. You really don’t have to worry so much…”

“A-Are you sure? You’re really not hiding anything from me? If anything happened to you, Rex, I…”

Her usual cold demeanor was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she spoke to me with an astonishing range of emotions, her entire expression filled with overwhelming sadness.

W-What was going on…? Had I somehow done something wrong?

I-I should probably explain the situation first, right?

Thinking that, I told the half-panicked Miss Lilina everything that had happened today.

“…I see.”

After I finished explaining everything, she had returned to the familiar atmosphere I knew so well.

In other words… she had gone back to being cold and distant.

By then, most of the adventurers had already left the guild, so only a handful of people remained.

“…You two.”

“Y-Yes!”

Even so, she clearly seemed to have something she wanted to say to the siblings. And when she called out to Belze and Esteria, I could somehow sense anger in her voice.

“Next time you take Rex along with you, please make sure to tell me beforehand, okay?”

“W-Well, but—”

“Understood!!”

“…E-Esteria?”

Belze looked bewildered by his sister’s immediate and enthusiastic response.

He probably wasn’t used to seeing her act so desperately.

“Very good… Now, here’s your reward. I’ll take care of paying Rex’s share myself. Thank you for your hard work today.”

“Y-Yes! Come on, Brother! Let’s go! We’re just getting in the way!”

“O-Ow, ow, owwww!? I get it already, so stop pulling my ear!”

After giving me a quick nod, the two of them left the guild.

The only people left inside were… well, Miss Lilina and me.

Th-This was awkward…

“…R-Rex… Mr. Rex.”

“Y-Yes…?”

“Please, if you ever take on another monster subjugation request like this, make absolutely sure you bring some companions with you, okay?”

“Ah, y-yes… I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble.”

…Had I made her worry about me?

No, wait. She was supposed to dislike me… So why was she looking at me with such genuine concern?

“…Now then, here’s your reward for today.”

My suspicions were short-lived, as she handed me a cloth pouch containing my payment.

I thanked her before checking what was inside.

…All right. This was more than I usually earned, so it should help cover my living expenses.

“Thank you, Miss Lilina. And I’m sorry about everything today.”

Regardless of what had happened, I had certainly caused her trouble.

I bowed to Miss Lilina and started making my way out of the guild.

“…U-Um… Mr. Rex!!”

“Hm? Yes?”

But she stopped me.

When I turned around, I saw that she seemed to have something she wanted to say.

“Well… today… Today… T-Today…”

She repeated the same words over and over.

I felt that I shouldn’t just brush her off, so I quietly waited for her to continue.

And after some time, she finally managed to say what she wanted.

“…Today… Thank you for your hard work.”

It was just one simple sentence. An ordinary thing to say.

But to me, those words felt like the greatest reward I could have received.

“…Thank you, Miss Lilina. Hearing you say that makes me feel like I can work hard again tomorrow… It makes me happy.”

“…I-I see.”

I found it strange that her cheeks were turning red, but I also realized something.

“Well then, see you tomorrow. I’ll be counting on you again.”

—Maybe I’d managed to become just a little closer to her.

Inside the guild, after Rex had left, Lilina continued staring at the spot where he had been standing.

“What are you spacing out for? Our work isn’t over yet, you know.”

As usual, Imilia called out to her, but there was no response.

Finding that strange, she looked at Lilina’s face… and frowned.

“…What on earth is that expression?”

“B-Because… Because… Because…”

“Hm?”

“Because… Rex smiled at me… He smiled at me… I’m so happy… I’m really, really happy…!”

Despite everything that had happened that day, it seemed to have become an unforgettable one for Lilina.