Estimated reading time: ~5 minutes
Chapter 36
Parting ways with Elena, Isamu heads towards the fountain plaza in Starting Town.
After arriving, he looks around and spots what he’s searching for.
(Ah, there they are!)
On one of the several benches, a group of middle-aged men are gathered.
It’s Mr. Takashi and his companions.
Isamu quickly jogs over to them and calls out to the chatting men.
「Excuse me, sorry to keep you waiting!」
「Oh, Sieg my boy!」
「Hey there!」
「We’ve been expectin’ ya!」
「Yo! Long time no see.」
「Good evening!」
They all greet him back at once.
After exchanging pleasantries and expressing delight at the reunion, Mr. Takashi speaks up.
「Alright then! No point standing around talking, let’s head back to the guild home for now.」
Everyone nods in agreement at his suggestion.
The group of older gentlemen start walking towards the teleportation magic circle.
☆
Isamu teleports to the guild home together with Mr. Takashi and the others.
White walls and brown floors stretch before his eyes.
The only decor in the bare space is a large wooden table and chairs placed in the center.
(Looks like Mr. Takashi and the guys aren’t too interested in interior design…)
As Isamu ponders the extremely plain furnishings, the other men plop down into the chairs.
「Come on Sieg, have a seat!」
「Oh, yes.」
At Mr. Takashi’s urging, Isamu takes an empty chair.
Once everyone is settled around the table, Mr. Takashi begins.
「Right then! Now that we’ve had a moment to catch our breath, let’s get back to our discussion.」
「Yeah… So uh, what were we talkin’ about again?」
As one of the men, Shoichi, says this, silence falls over the group.
Seems they’ve all completely forgotten.
「Well, I’m sure it wasn’t anything too important. Anyway Sieg, how have you been doing lately?」
「Huh? Oh, uh, just the usual, I guess! How about you, Mr. Shigeru?」
Flustered at being put on the spot, Isamu answers the scruffy older man, Shigeru, who spoke to him.
At this, Shigeru’s eyes light up as if to say 「I’m so glad you asked.」
「Doing great. My business venture is finally starting to take off.」
「Wow! Congratulations!」
「That’s awesome, man!」
「Good for you!」
Everyone applauds the welcome news.
「Thank you! It’s all thanks to you guys listening to my worries and concerns.」
Shigeru stands up from his seat and bows deeply in gratitude.
「Think nothin’ of it!」
「Yeah, come talk to us anytime you need, and keep at it!」
「We’re rooting for you, Shigeru.」
The other members shower him with warm encouragement.
(This is really nice…)
The people here don’t know each other well.
That’s only natural, considering they’re just fellow game players.
If someone were to pass away in an accident, the others would have no way of knowing.
At most, they’d think 「Huh, that guy hasn’t logged in lately」 before the memory faded.
Yet even with such tenuous bonds, seeing them show concern for one another fills Isamu’s heart with warmth.
☆
They continue chatting for a while longer, changing topics here and there.
When there’s a lull in the conversation, Isamu asks Mr. Takashi about something that’s been on his mind.
「Um, so what are we going to do now?」
「Hmm? Do about what?」
Mr. Takashi looks puzzled as he asks for clarification.
Isamu tilts his head, equally confused.
「Well, I figured you invited me today because there was something you needed to do in the game…」
The men exchange glances.
Then Mr. Takashi turns back to Isamu and hastily explains.
「Ah, that’s my bad! See, we usually get together to enjoy chatting like this rather than focusing on game stuff. I thought it’d be nice to talk with you too, Sieg, so that’s why I extended the invite, but…」
「We’re sorry for not considering your feelings, Sieg!」
「Yeah, my bad. You came all this way, so let’s think of something to do.」
They all apologize profusely, apparently feeling bad about only inviting him to talk.
(Oh, so that’s how it is. No problem at all then!)
「No, no, it’s totally fine! If that’s the case, I’m happy to just keep chatting.」
「Really? You sure you don’t want to play the game?」
「Yeah! I only felt a bit guilty about not doing anything after you went to the trouble of inviting me. But more than anything, I’m enjoying talking with all of you!」
「I- I see! Well that’s a relief.」
「For real! Alrighty, let’s keep shootin’ the breeze then. Anyone got a topic?」
「Alright!」
Isamu is the first to chime in.
There’s one more thing he’s curious about.
「Go ahead, Sieg!」
「What’s the name of your guild?」
「Ah, we never did tell you. It’s ‘The Gathering of Old Dudes’.」
Isamu was wondering what kind of name Mr. Takashi and the others would choose.
Hoping for something creative, he posed the question, only to receive a very on-the-nose guild name.
「That’s… pretty straightforward.」
Isamu voices his thoughts with a wry smile.
Mr. Takashi and the gang return the expression as they reply.
「Yep. We all brainstormed a bunch of ideas, but couldn’t land on anything good. In the end, we figured ‘let’s just keep it simple’.」
「I see… W-Well, it’s clear and to the point at least!」
「You think so? I still say ‘Nice Middle Stars’ has a nice ring to it.」
「Nah, it’s a bit much for us to call ourselves that… Oh right, speaking of which-」
And so, without doing much of anything in particular, Isamu simply enjoys bantering with the men his age.
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