CH 86

Chapter 10

Section 3: For One Thing

“I, am becoming an adventurer.”

My words were expected to a certain extent, and nobody was surprised.

“Coming home, I realized just how wonderful it is living in this city. A warm home, delicious food, and my favorite books which I can read as much as I want. I think this is the kind of happiness most people only dream about.”

I peer out a nearby large glass window. A bright blue sky spread out overhead. The Water Dragon’s Tail had passed for the most part, yet even today it lingered as if boasting of its grandeur and majesty.

“It might seem like a waste to leave a place as wonderful as this, but…..making the comparison helped me to understand. I…..am actually someone who prefers walking outside.”

“Your father is also someone who wears the skin of a scholar yet unexpectedly has an outward-facing personality. Perhaps you inherited a bit of that nature from him.”

“Yeah. When I told them both about my six months of playing make-believe as an adventurer in Rifront, Mom was surprised, but Dad just laughed. ‘You really do take after me,’ is what he said.”

And then they both gave me their consent to becoming an adventurer. That was when Dad told me he used to be an adventurer himself. While using and gathering medicinal herbs however, he gradually shifted his focus to research instead.

“Hah, you do resemble each other now that you mention it. They both seem like the kind of bungler who looks like they have everything put together and then clumsily comes crashing down.”

Toslin joyfully started teasing me as retribution for a moment ago.

“Speaking of which didn’t you forget to put on one of your shoes the first time we met?”

“B-Bungler is……I mean I guess I’ll admit I’m a little clumsy, but…..”

“B-But, that is one of Iris-san’s good points!”

Rose-san, are you perhaps, trying to cover for me with that?

“T-Thank you……”

“N-No…..please be more confident in yourself. I believe that you being like this is one of your most splendid merits.”

“Being a bungler is a merit?”

“Bungler sounds far worse than it is. Rather than a bungler…..perhaps it would be better to say you’re a little absentminded…….”

“Guah”

“O-Oh……I’m so sorry! Um, well……”

“So in other words, absent-minded people tend to attract one another.”

“T-Toslin-san!! Say what you will about me, but I will not allow you to bad-mouth Iris-san!”

Rose-san jumped out of her chair. I panicked and pulled on her sleeve while Toslin threw her hands up in front of her.

“Ahaha, sorry sorry. I was just having a little fun. Now we’re even after your bit of teasing a moment ago right?”

“Uu……sorry about that. It was just, Toslin-san’s reaction was so cute, I had to……..”

“Woah, stop stop. Let’s get back on topic.”

Toslin’s slight jabs were getting reversed back onto her, so she forcefully steered the conversation back to what I was talking about before.

“We were talking about Iris becoming an adventurer. Isn’t it fine then? I mean we all figured this might happen.”

Carol spoke up while swinging her legs off the side of her bed.

“Then as the ones who first pulled you into this world, let me be the first to welcome you to it.”

“Me as well. If Iris-san is determined to do this, I would like to respect your decision.”

“You look like you’re trying to stay composed, but your face is slackening Rosa.”

“O-Oneesama!? We are trying to talk about something important right now, so please don’t try to poke fun.”

Rose-san lightly hit Saluena’s shoulder. Until now Rose-san was the oldest member of the party, so she always tried being the most mature of us. But now with Saluena joining us, she seems happier, as if a weight has come off her shoulders.

“I should probably ask just in case, but do you want go adventuring with us?”

How many different ways have I thought up to answer this question? I’ve dreamed of this moment. And now that I’m getting to hear the invitation I’ve been looking forward to so much, all I can think about is how very, very happy I am now that the moment is here.

“Yes! If everyone is okay with it, then please……let Saluena and I join the party!!”

I stood up and bowed deeply. But then before I knew it, my body was suddenly lifted up off the ground.

“Uwa, wawawa!?”

“Well It’s about time! Then from next time on we’ll be traveling together!!”

It was Toslin who had lifted me up. She grabbed me by my waist, lifting me high up into the air and started swinging me around.

“Hold, Toslin!? Put me down. I’m scared; this is scary!!”

Darn it, I keep getting spun round and round in a room this huge…..I’m serious, please stop!! The amount of money I’m going to be billed if I dirty one of these vases is no joke!!

“Ah, you’re being sly Toslin. Me too, I want to do it too!!”

“……..”

“It’s okay to say if you want a turn as well Rosa.”

“…..Eh? N-No……I……”

You want to go a round too Rose-san? Or rather, please knock this off already. In another minute I’m going to hit the point of no return and…….

“Ah, Iris is still wearing those wool panties.”

……hey, that…..

♠

“……….”

Right now, I’m lying dead on a bed in the hospital.

This bed is probably a bed that’s been used before. For some reason it smells just like Rose-san, but there’s no way to say for sure.

“W-Well…..while it has been quite warm lately, it does still get chilly during the night…..”

“They were seen…….they were seen again…… And today I’m wearing the new pair……bear-san’s debut……”

Today of all days. Why did it have to be today? I was wearing a plain pair yesterday. If it had happened then, the damage wouldn’t have been this deep.

“Um, so……I heard from Sally-oneesama that your underwear is actually made by Sarah-san.”

“Yes, that’s right…….”

I never thought Sarah’s adeptness in sewing would be revealed in a place like this. Hold on Saluena, just what are you talking about when you’re with Rose-san? Don’t you have anything better to talk about than my underwear?

“Sarah is very dexterous. She made that stuffed unicorn toy too right?”

“That’s right”

I abruptly raised my lifeless body.

“Sarah is amazing. A genius. So terrific there’s a rumor running through her friends that she’ll open up her own workshop in the future.”

At the moment, Unicorn should be with Sarah at the church. By now she’s met up with Lapris and the both of them are being doted on by the sisters.

“And it’s precisely because these wool panties are made by the genius Sarah that I wear them. It’s a fact of life that I should wear them.”

“……O-Of course…… They look warm…… So uh, it was really wrong of me to laugh and I’ll be sure to reflect on it, so how about cheering up? Okay?”

I’m really weak to whenever Toslin say, “Okay?” to me like that. It’s because I don’t have any older sisters that I like to act spoiled around her.

“W-Well……so long as you understand, then I suppose I can……”

“Great! Then after this let’s all go out and celebrate me and Rose getting out of the hospital while also holding a welcome party for Iris and Saluena! I say we go get something to eat at the guild.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea.”

“With this, it’ll be easier to move around as the Knights of Iris. While we’re at it, we should discuss our future endeavors as well.”

No, shouldn’t we start off with that name before anything else? I’m not going to say anything about Saluena starting some order of knights anymore, but that name is way too embarrassing.

“Sometimes you actually say have a decent idea.”

“What was that!? It sounds like you’re saying that most of my ideas are no good when you phrase it like that!”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Carol’s tail lifted up after she got a chop right between the ears.

“Ahaha……I got to see it again after so long.”

“Fuehehe……we do it just to make Iris smile.”

Honestly, Carol is so cute. Just watching her makes any of my worries feel silly.

“Then what say we get out of this hospital.”

“Uooh, I’ll finally be able to enjoy the outside air again!! I’m going to breath it in, breath it all in, forcefully breathe it out, and then breathe it all in again!!”

Carol dashed out the door and bolted down the hallway. If this were a normal hospital I would tell her not to run in the hall, but since it looks like we’re the only people on this floor, I suppose it’s fine.

Winter is over, and spring is slowly rolling in. The time of the year where the Water Dragon’s Tail lingers overhead churning up the clouds in a whirlpool for all to see.

And it’s during this time that we officially became a party.