I look at our hands together, and feel we’ve gotten closer through talking and displaying our feelings like that. The exclusivity contract might not be done yet, but it’s no exaggeration to say we’re already partners.
I hope she feels the same way.
“Well then, I have more things to look into now that I’ll be working to support you…”
“Ah, yes. But… I want to avoid this place. Doesn’t the branch manager have eyes here?”
“…Yes. I also noticed that she heard our conversation here this morning. Let’s stop talking here. Ah, but then what we just talked about…”
“Yes. But I’ll make good on my promise. I’ll bring it here within three days.”
“Shouta…! Yes, I can’t wait. But don’t push yourself too much.
Now, as for a good location… Ah.”
Maki stands up like she thought of something.
“Shouta, can you wait while I get ready?”
I nod, and Maki leaves the room with the items I brought piled on a tray.
I didn’t just bring the murder rabbit drops. I brought the iron knives and killer rabbit horns I didn’t use too. And as always, over a hundred minuscule magic stones.
She needs to deal with that pile of items first.
And she’s back less than ten minutes later.
“Thank you for waiting.”
“Oh, back already?”
Maki is wearing regular clothes, not her usual uniform.
And she’s also wearing an embarrassed smile.
“…What do you think?”
“Very cute but… Why?”
“I’m leaving work for today, so I can go dressed like this. Let’s go out the back, to a safe place where we can talk.”
She says before grabbing my hand and moving out.
Holding hands with her in her regular clothes gets my heart pumping. I need to make sure she can’t hear…!
…Hn?
It looks like she’s taking me to a building affiliated with the association. It has the association’s emblem engraved in it too.
She takes me up the stairs in that building, and goes into a room after unlocking it.
She turns on the lights, and it looks like someone lives here… Eh?
“Welcome.”
“Ah, yes. Thanks…?”
“Hehehe, this is… The room I share with my sister. No one will bother us here.”
“…”
…Eh?
“Eeh!?”
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
“Are you feeling calmer?”
“…Yes, I guess.”
I take a sip of the tea she served, and a deep breath.
I heard about it from Aki before, but Maki likes milk tea with plenty of sugar. I can feel the sugar coursing through me.
Now that I think about it, I haven’t had any sugar since I came back from the dungeon, so her tea feels much tastier than it would normally. There’s also the fact that she’s the one pouring it though.
Ah, it’s already empty!
“Fufu, do you want more? Don’t be reserved.”
“Thank you…”
I’m facing Maki with a small table between us. It’s actually really small, so her face is right in front of mine, and it’s pretty awkward.
“Firstly, how about we introduce ourselves to get to know each other better?”
“Ah, all right. My name is Shouta Amachi. I’m twenty-one, and I’ve been an adventurer for three years.”
“My turn. I’m Maki Saotome. I’m nineteen, and I’ve been a receptionist for three years too.”
“Eh? You’re younger than me!?”
So she’s been a receptionist since when she was in school? Schools that produce receptionists are famous for being strict, but apparently even more so than I thought.
I didn’t have money to stay in school, so I went to a training institute when I graduated from high school, and stayed in Unlucky Hall ever since.
That was pretty shocking to hear all of a sudden. Aki always acts like an older woman, so I figured that since Maki is her sister and looks just like her, that she was older than me too.
“Geez, how old did you think I was?”
“No, I just thought you were older because you’re so responsible and beautiful…”
“R-really…”
Her face turning red is making me embarrassed too.
This mood kind of tickles, so we continue our introductions. We talk about our hobbies, what we like to eat, and what adventurers we admire. And we even go into what we don’t like and what we’ve been up to lately.
I get so into our conversation, that my mouth slips.
“This is like a marriage meeting.”
“Eh…”
“Ah, no, hum…”
“…I don’t mind. I mean, even if it was…”
“M-Maki…”
Maki said that while looking at me with her face bright red.
Is she saying what I think she’s saying?
What guy stays quiet after such a direct response? If I don’t show I’m a man here, when will I?
I gulp down the milk tea, and exhale deeply.
I do think she’s nice, but I don’t know if I could say I like her. It was kind of like love at first sight, but I feel like I don’t have enough to really express my feelings, so if we’re calling it a marriage meeting, the most important thing is to shorten the distance between us.
So, maybe we should just be more casual with each other.
“So… Can we treat each other more casually?”
“Y-yes pleashe…”
I guess I was right.
Her face gets even more red, and apparently she can’t even look at me directly.
I can’t get flustered. This is where it starts.
“Maki.”
“Eek.”
“Maki.”
“Yes…”
Dammit, so cute!
And it was just this morning that Aki was making fun of me for it, and here I am really making a move.
Still, I really am interested in her. Just thinking about her being some other guy’s exclusive makes me irritated. There’s no doubt that I want to keep her for myself.
And if I had to pick between Maki and Aki, I think I’d pick Maki.
Aki is beautiful, but I don’t really get her. It’s like no matter how much I tried to get close, she’d always keep some distance. It was like trying to grab a cloud.
Anyway, if just acting casually like that makes me embarrassed, I’m sure the same goes for her.
And so, I’ll keep doing it from now on.
“Well then Maki.”
“Ahi!”
“I’ll tell you my current stats.”
“…Yes!”
Her expression changes back into that of a receptionist in an instant. It’s still a little red, but let’s leave that alone.
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