“Getting pretty friendly, aren’t you Shouta?”
“Hon? Letting your guard down a lot on the first day? Eh…?”
“Shouta? Explain please.”
I have Aki on one side and Maki on the other, and neither is in a good mood. I’m breaking out into a cold sweat.
“No, hum…”
Maki grabs my hand.
Yes, I know. I’ll be honest.
“Ahem. After you gave me your consent, putting Aira aside, I started thinking about Ayane. Do I need her? Is she important to me? Should I protect her.”
When I put it like that, it sounds like Aira is a bonus that came with Ayane.
There has to be a reason why a high ranking adventurer is following someone like Ayane, who is either at the top of the beginner rank, or bottom of the mid rank. I can’t figure out why, but that’s not important right now either.
In any case, if Ayane is with me, Aira is too. If Ayane is gone, so is Aira. That’s all that matters right now.
“First, I feel like I need Ayane in the dungeon. There’s her magic, but there’s also the fact that I don’t think I’ll find someone else who I’ll have fun forming a team with, and will protect my secrets. As for being important, that’s simple. When the General Goblin was after her this morning, I moved without thinking. Even with Aira by her side, I still felt I needed to protect her.
And looking back, I guess I just couldn’t stand that she was in danger.”
“Darling…”
“I didn’t know the answer this morning, but I want to tell it now. Ayane, I do feel affection towards you. If you want to be my third, go out with me.”
“Y-yes! I will give my all to you!”
I signal for her to get closer, and she climbs on the table and jumps on me.
And I keep patting her in that position until she’s satisfied.
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
“Isn’t that enough, Ayane?”
“Eh? Already? I want more.”
“I’m holding back too.”
Maki and Ayane. Both are looking cute and lovely, but then Aki speaks as if she just made up her mind about something.
“Ayane, stay with us tonight. We are holding the first ever fiancee meeting.”
“Fiancee meeting! Sounds very interesting. Count me in!”
“Then go back to your seat.”
“Mu… The front seat is so far from darling…”
“We can make that a topic of the meeting, so behave for now.”
“All right…”
…What are they going to talk about?
Well, it’s probably going to be almost all about me, but I’d like to join too.
“Aki…”
“You can’t come, Shouta. It’d be embarrassing.”
“Eh…”
“I’m sorry Shouta, but please bear with it until tomorrow.”
“Yes… yes?”
Tomorrow? Is something happening tomorrow?
“Stay in this hotel tonight. I’m sending the information to your smartphone.”
“Oh, thanks.”
“Well then, can you tell us today’s results?”
“Ah, yes. Aira, the items please.”
“Yes.”
Aira, who erased her presence and literally felt like just air, opens her bag and takes the items out.
Apparently the bag sorts everything automatically, and everything is divided neatly on the table.
“We took down seven Hobgoblins, three General Goblins, and one powered up Hobgoblin.”
Seven hundred fifty-five minuscule magic stones.
Seven medium magic stones.
Four large magic stones.
Seven hundred forty-four iron knives.
Seven steel great swords.
Six Super Strength.
One Super Strength II.
There’s one extra minuscule magic stone compared to iron knives because it’s the one Ayane got.
After defeating the powered up Hobgoblin, we ignored the normal monsters when we went around filling the map, so this is full of items from most monsters we fought today.
The only items we didn’t pick up were from the few monsters we came across when we first came in, and there was that trouble with the Hobgoblin.
“Wow… Your hunting speed has gone up, and you can collect everything.”
“Aira’s ability to collect items really is great, but your abilities are even more important. I’m so fascinated.”
Say Aki and then Maki.
“Darling is great!”
“How much did you… In this short amount of time… Ah, Shouta, did you tell Ayane about that thing?”
That thing… Ah, Level Gacha.
“Not yet.”
“Are you talking about a secret?”
“Yes, but it’s too soon for you. Let’s see how things go for a bit longer.”
“All right! I will do my best to earn your trust!”
“But you can see my stats in return. Not you Aira. Can you turn around?”
“Very well.”
Aira does so without complaining, but Ayane is shocked at my lack of trust towards Aira.
“D-darling?”
…It’s a good opportunity to ask a question that’s been on my mind.
“Aira, you can keep facing that way, but listen. Ayane said you’ll obey me, but who’s your master?”
“Lady Ayane.”
“Hm… Then let me change the question. Who gave you the order to serve Ayane?”
“…Lady Ayane’s mother. The head of the Houjouin family.”
“Are you under obligation to report what you hear and see to her?”
“…I am.”
“Does that take precedence above everything else?”
“Exactly.”
I see. So that’s why my ‘Intuition’ was telling me to watch out for them.
I was watching out for something like a camera hidden in her clothing, but… I didn’t expect Ayane’s trusted Aira herself to be the cause.
“I-is that true, Aira!?”
“I apologize.”
Ayane didn’t know? Well, I assume she just heard her mother say Aira was her maid, and that’s it.
“Are you sure it’s okay for you to tell us this?”
“I report on everything that happens in return for her permission to do whatever it takes for Lady Ayane.”
“And telling me this counts as something for Ayane’s sake?”
“I want to avoid an irreparable rift being formed between you two as a result of me keeping quiet.”
“I see.”
Then… All right, that settles it.
“Then is it possible to sever that contract and serve Ayane?”
“Eh?”
Aira turns around, as if doubting what she heard.
Is it that surprising? Then I would be able to fully accept her as a member of the team.
“To be honest, I want your abilities. How much is the penalty for breach of contract? I can probably get a hundred million tomorrow.”
“Hold on Shouta, calm down.”
“Mu…”
My arms are grabbed from both sides, so I pitch forward a bit, but quickly go back.
“Shouta, you want to be able to trust Aira, right?”
Asks Aki.
“Yes. Ayane trusts her, and now that she knows about this, if things were leaked to her mother, it would be like Ayane was made to betray me. And that would hurt Ayane.”
“Darling…”
“Leave that to us, Shouta. We will negotiate all that in tonight’s meeting.”
“Really Maki? Please do.”
“No, this is the part where I have to convince her. Please help, Aki and Maki!”
“Oh, Ayane. You’re fired up all of a sudden. Of course we’ll help.”
“Let’s do our best!”
Haha, I have reliable lovers.
Join my patreon to support me and read ahead.
