Taking advantage of the break in the round table meeting, I was sitting on the sofa in the room where Mew and Rem were waiting for me to drink tea.

''Serena-sama and Ren-sama, thank you for the meeting. Rem-sama was also waiting in the room quietly.''

When Miu said that, Rem was sitting on my lap, eating a piece of candy. I was worried that I was making him feel lonely, but I'm glad to see that Rem seems to be doing well.

'Yeah. 'Tell me, Ren! How did you know that Barbados' purpose was the fruit of Lupul?

Ren makes the lupple fruit appear on the table from the item box.

'When Randy was talking about the luple fruit back then, I happened to be collecting it in the Border Village, so when I looked up the luple fruit, the description said that it tasted so good that it would make the tongues of demonic gourmets swoon.'

Realizing that Barbatos had no taste for good food, he asked how Barbatos was doing with the rupple fruit and hit it right on the money!

Serena, you're right. But I couldn't have done it without Randy's help.

There are limits to what we can actually say in a meeting, but with the help of Randy and Lin, we'll have to perfect ourselves for a while.

Mew. Were Chloe and Ayame still making sweets?

'Miss Serena. I was just downstairs cooking up some pastries. I went downstairs to see her once with Master Rem.

These snacks were made by Chloe's sister, Ren!

The sweets on the table were cookies and dorayaki (Japanese pancakes) on a plate, probably homemade by Chloe. The dough was sponge cake flavored and filled with sweet bean paste. I took the dorayaki one and took a bite.

It's good. It's good, it was a good idea to give Chloe and Ayame the recipe for dorayaki, because sometimes I miss the taste of the other side (earth).

Then Lem told me that he wanted to go to the bathroom, so I walked out of the room with him and headed to the washroom and waited outside for a few minutes before...

Whew. That was dangerous! Thank you brother Len, I'm going to my room!

'Yeah. But I'm about to start the meeting, but it'll be over in a little while, so just wait for me.

Yeah!

I went back to my room with Rem. On the way down the corridor, I met a beastman girl with cat ears and a tail.

Hmmm. I wonder where she is, everyone? I'm pretty sure we should just go straight around here, I don't know!

Excuse me. Are you at the round table too?

I spoke to her and the beast girl turned around and her troubled face changed to a smile from the troubled face she had earlier.

''That's right! Maybe you're going to join the roundtable, you know what, you know what! I'm lost, and the magic here in the tower is so thick that I've been looking for my friends, not knowing where they are.

Another beast girl with a troubled expression. It looks like we'd better take you to the place of the roundtable together here.

''Is that so? Well then, we're going to the location of the roundtable now too, so why don't you go with us, there might be some of your friends there too.

Are you sure? Really! Yeah! I didn't even introduce myself! My name is Al Strah, and I'm good to go.

I'm Azuma-Ren. And this is Lem. 

Nice to meet you, Al!

'Yes! Nice to meet you.

Al bounced around with a smile on his face. He looks like a rabbit, Ren thought. Then, after taking Al back to his room and explaining the situation to Serena, we went to the roundtable and asked Mew to watch over Rem again as we were going to the roundtable, we headed to the conference hall.

When we arrived at the conference hall, one of the members of the Guild Smile Happy Party approached us.

''Al! We were worried about you coming in so late, you know.

'I'm sorry, Asbel. I got lost and I was in trouble and Ren and the others brought Al to me, I owe you a favor!

They called him Asbell, but I wonder if this guy is in the same guild as Kokoro, or if he's in the same guild as Kokoro, the chainmail (chain clothing) that prevents attacks under his clothes and the sword at his waist is appraised by his skills and feels strong and powerful as a "hero's sword". Asbell is probably quite capable. When Asbell looks at me, he bows his head.

''Serena-san. Ren-san. Thank you for your help Al!

'Raise your head like that! Besides, if we're in the same guild, it's only natural to help.

Mr. Wren...!

Well...I don't think he's that old as us, so please call me by my name.

But...

We just brought Al here because we just brought him here! Everyone who bows like that, you see! Randy's looking at me with one of his grins!

'Hey, we'll call you Asbell too, so it would be nice if Asbell could call me Serena too!

That's Serena. She's delivering the words in a skilful succession to make Asbel call her out on her.

I understand. Serena, and Ren, thank you so much.

Yeah, yeah. Good for you, Asbell! You've made a new friend.

Then Eluna came by Asbell and the others to tell them that the meeting was about to start.

'Then we'll sit down too, Ren.

Yes.

Come on, Asbell, come on!

'Wait! Al

Serena and I sit down in our seats as Asbel follows behind Al as he runs, and we sit down as Lindow puts the new paper on the table.

'The paper we handed out contains the contact and the new information we've received. The previous paper is a nature-friendly 'back to the ground' material that can be thrown away outside, so don't leave when you're done because I'll give you the previous paper after Al-Stra.

Yes!

Al replies cheerfully and the expressionless girl sitting next to Campanella gets up from her seat.

'Hey, what's up, "Pandora"?'

'...Why are the demonkind here? Mr. Lindow.

'Al is well known in the world of demons and beastmen, so I asked Kokoro and Eluna to listen to me this time.

Okay.

The girl named Pandora from earlier takes a seat. What do you mean when you say Al is from the demon world? I had a feeling it was a beastman, but then Nero flipped through a new piece of paper and his eyebrows twitched a little.

I see," she said, "I can see why Al was called, Lindow, and my mistress is now a little more interested in the human race. The dorayaki and cookies that were left in the room I just left were quite delicious!

Thanks for that, Varvatos.

Hey, let's get this meeting on the road!

Okay. Okay, here's what we're gonna do.

Lindow explains the content. Touya, a member of the Guild Gran Centurio just now, was trying to end the meeting quickly by talking to Lindow.

Where are you in a hurry? I felt that there was something different from the usual, and I looked at the members and saw that Alice was pale. And I couldn't see Prati and Rio.

(Master!)

What?

Liara's telepathic and suddenly loud voice made me squeal in surprise.