Chapter 41
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「Alright, I’m heading out. I left your lunch and dinner in the cooler, so make sure to heat it up before eating.」
You might be thinking, 「Come on Yamada, you worry too much.」
I know you’re there, thinking that way.
But let me tell you, that kind of thinking is too naive.
These girls don’t need to eat meals in the first place. They could spend the whole day just sleeping. That’s the kind of creatures they are. In fact, they don’t need to do any cleaning, housework, or anything at all. If they wanted to, they could live like plants.
If I don’t properly tell them what to do, they’ll end the day just absorbing some mysterious energy from the atmosphere and sunbathing cutely. That’s about all they’d amount to.
What about Sensei, you ask?
Well, the fact that she’s with Sena in the first place means she’s pretty much the same-
「Hey, why are you poking my cheek?」
「Ichiro, what were you just thinking about? Explain it in 400 characters or less, if possible.」
「But why are you poking my cheek?」
Sena presses her finger into my cheek, while puffing out her own cheeks.
As always, I worry that she might be reading my thoughts, but if she could, I’d have no choice but to die from embarrassment. So I decide not to think about that possibility.
「Explain.」
Sena demands succinctly.
「Okay, okay.」
Sensei watches us with a mischievous, cat-like grin, chuckling to herself.
I glance at her, but she pokes my other cheek with her finger, echoing Sena’s words. 「Explain.」
「I was just thinking that maybe you’re being a bit too overprotective, that’s all.」
「Not at all. To put it in Ichiro’s terms, ‘keep it up, do it more.’」
The pressure from her finger leaves my cheek.
「I think it’s fine if we go into town tomorrow instead,」
Sena says, clinging to my right arm.
Her mysterious floating outfit wraps around my right arm as if it has a will of its own, enveloping both Sena and me.
「I think tomorrow is okay, Ichiro.」
「I also think tomorrow is perfectly fine,」
Sensei chimes in, latching onto my left arm.
I glance at her as I feel the soft sensation of her chest, and she has the look of a mischievous cat in the middle of executing a prank.
This is definitely intentional.
「Ahhhhhhh!!」
When things turn out like this, all I can do is hold my head and scream.
They say 「when three women gather…」 but even just two are enough to fluster me with their craftiness.
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「Hey there!」
I call out to Milan at the usual gathering spot for guides, where she’s chatting with her fellow guides.
「Low!」
She runs over to me with the light, agile movements of a child.
「What brings you here today?」
「Well, there are a few things I wanted to discuss. Let me treat you to a meal somewhere so we can talk.」
「Low…」
Milan seems hesitant about my invitation.
「What’s the matter? You don’t want to eat with me?」
「No, that’s not it at all!」
「Then it’s settled. Don’t be so reserved, you’re a kid after all.」
I urge Milan to hurry up. 「Let’s go, lead the way to a good restaurant.」
「I need to get souvenirs for Marlo and Fio too.」
Milan protests with an 「Low…」 but I just pat her on the back, insisting, 「Come on, let’s go.」
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As I eat my meat, Milan happily munches on a cheese and honey galette beside me.
「So.」
「What is it?」
「Fill me in on the latest hot topics.」
Milan chews her galette vigorously, then swallows it with a gulp.
「The biggest talk right now is definitely about the Hero’s party,」
she says proudly.
「Oh, so the Hero’s party is quite the topic of conversation, huh?」
「Of course! After all, they’re the heroes who protect the world!」
「Heroes… I see.」
I can’t get hung up on every little thing she says, or we’ll never make progress.
I shake my head a few times and take a deep, quiet breath.
「Alright. Please continue.」
「Got it! So apparently, the Hero’s party started exploring the new ‘Newly Constructed Most Challenging Dungeon.’ But even for them, it seems to have been too tough.」
So they made it to the boss room on the deepest floor, taking into account the loss of my strength, and then decided to retreat.
「I heard they turned back after just one floor.」
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