Book 5: Chapter 8

「……」

「I can feel gazes for some reason?」

Kain was walking while being urged on by Ys, but there was something he realized after walking for a bit.

Walking along the main street while linking arms with a beautiful girl, that alone would draw a considerable amount of attention.

It wasn’t like Kain had done a single thing to feel guilty about, but for some reason, he would end up recalling Ys’s words from earlier.

「S, say.」

「What is it?」

「That womanizer thing……Who was the one that told you that?」

「I believe it was a child wearing the same uniform as you, Kain. If I remember correctly, he was a red haired boy named Jeff……」

「So it was him……」

Remembering the face of his buddy at the Edius Adventurer School, Kain became dejected.

Certainly, Kain had more female acquaintances. He would often go out to place with those girls, and Kain himself enjoyed being together with those girls. The time he spent together with the girls was much longer than the time he spent together with his male friends.

That was the case for the after noon, and at night, he would meet with Ein.

Up until the other day, the mysterious Mazoku, the Alva, would come to attack almost everyday when it turned into night, but since they completely stopped coming out for some reason recently, he had Ein accompany him in battle practice. And for some reason, Seira, Sharon, and Quelia-senpai, all of whom similarly attended the Adventurer School, would end up showing their faces in those battle practices.

In that sort of meaning, the time he was meeting with girls certainly was long, but not a single thing to feel guilty about was done during that time. That’s why I shouldn’t be at the level of being called a matchless womanizer……that is what Kain thought.

「More importantly, about the baked coin. It really is strange. If it is going to be called a baked coin, an actual coin should be baked. Or maybe it should be baked using a coin. With the reason being because its shape just somehow resembled a coin, there is no way I could accept that.」

Kain thought “I wouldn’t want to eat something like that……”. A coin that was baked wouldn’t be edible, and since baking it with a coin would give off an air of vulgar prosperity, he somehow didn’t like that.

He also tried thinking things like “But if it were baked with a coin and was called something like baked money luck that would increase one’s luck with money, that in itself might make it sell……”.

「N, now, now. Isn’t it fine? You’ll be at a loss just by being bothered by the names of things like this.」

「……I feel that way of thinking to be questionable.」

「Ah, look! I can see it there.」

As if running away from Ys who was glaring at him, Kain pointed at the food cart.

At the food cart where the sweet aroma was wafting from, a good amount of people lined up could be seen.

「Ara, that must be it. It certainly does give off the same smell.」

「Un, that’s right. Incidentally, one of them costs seven small copper coins.」

「That isn’t really a problem. Come on, let’s go line up together, okay?」

With Kain’s arm being pulled by Ys, Kain walked while saying “it can’t be helped……”. He didn’t need one since he already ate one, but he felt that it would be wrong to dampen the mood of Ys who said that sounding like she was having fun.

He definitely wouldn’t be able to get lunch, but that much wasn’t that big of a problem.

Lining up at the end of the line together with Ys, Kain gazed at the long line.

The baked coin that was branded as something suspicious when it was first starting out had now become a new special product of the royal capital. It’s said that the orders to the Tianot Company for the ingredients for the cream used in the baked coins had increased, and since it was said that there were orders for it even from the royal family, it’s popularity was tremendous.

「Quite a lot of people have lined up, haven’t they?」

「It is popular after all.」

Ys shook her head at Kain’s words.

「That is not what I mean. Even though it has this much popularity, is there only one store?」

「No, there should be others around the area though……」

「Then would that mean that there are other food carts that have lines similar to this one?」

Kain thought “now that she mentions it, I wonder”. He felt that that was most likely the case, but Kain had not heard about the situation of the other stores.

Thinking “I’ll try asking Sharon next time……”, he waited while chatting with Ys, and before long, it was their turn.

The line continued on even behind Kain’s group, and there was no sign of it ending.

「Erm……May I have two. Yes, that’s right. Including his portion, it will be two.」

As he was looking at the line and was pondering, Kain noticed Ys’s voice and turned around.

「Eh, what did you say just now?」

「Alright, here.」

In place of the answer, a single piping hot baked coin was handed over into Kain’s hands.

Kain hurriedly tried to bring out his wallet……However, Ys grabbed that hand.

「Come on, what might you be doing? We’ll be in the way if you stand there in a place like this, right?」

「Eh? B, but……」

「No buts. Let’s go.」

While being strongly pulled away, Kain left from the front of the food cart.

Some voices that went *hyuー* making fun of them could be heard, but Ys showed no signs of being bothered by it.

After pulling Kain like that all the way to the plaza, Ys took a bite into the baked coin in her hand.

「……I see. A freshly baked baked coin is crispy. Although it is unfortunate that this food texture cannot be preserved, might that in itself be a scheme to motivate the will to line up and buy it?」

「I, I wonder about that.……」

While saying that, Kain tried to pull his wallet out, but Ys saw that and restrained him.

「I’ll say this now but. Since that is a present from me, I won’t accept any payment you know?」

「Ugh. But……」

「It’s something like thanks for having you accompany me. Just obediently accept it.」

Ys said that, and took another bite of the baked coin.

「……Un, it really is delicious. Though I don’t agree with the naming.」

「No, that should be fine already……」

「No.」

Kain smiled looking troubled, and bit into the baked coin. The cream’s sweetness and warmth spread throughout his mouth, and he ended up feeling a bit of happiness.

「So Kain. Just what were you doing?」

「Eh? Me?」

「That’s right. I had heard the school was off for the day but, it couldn’t be that you were just wandering about for no reason, right?」

Unable to say “actually, I was doing just that”, Kain quickly averted his eyes.

It would have been fine to accept a request and go out on an adventure, but he felt like wanting to wander about for no reason. After deciding to walk around while eating for the first time in a while, once he bought a baked coin and started walking, he came across Ys but……

「……Ara, so you really were just wandering about. It is great that things are so peaceful.」

「Y, you’ve got it wrong, okay!? I’m normally much more dashing, okay!?」

「Yes, I know. I’ve never seen it before, but I’ll believe you.」

「Uwaーh! So you totally don’t believe me!」

Seeing Kain make a fuss, Ys replied with a chuckle.

Seeing that Ys, Kain breathed a sigh sounding exhausted, and after suddenly remembering something, he asked her a question.

「Huh, come to think of it, Ys, what were you doing? You’re usually together with someone, right?」

Kain recalled the knights that usually accompanied Ys. For Ys to be walking alone was something quite rare.

「Ahh, I’m alone today. Plus, if I were to say what I was doing, let’s see……」

After Ys gazed at Kain’s eyes, she smiled looking mischievous.

「A date with you, I suppose?」

「Heh!?」

「Well, that’s just a joke though.」

Putting aside Kain whose face had gone red, Ys chuckled and licked the cream on her hand with a *perori*.

「But, it is also true that I have business with you.」

「Business?」

Ys answered with “that’s right” and continued her words.

「Well, before we enter that conversation, let’s do some exercise to help with digestion. It is a valuable day off, right? It would be a loss to not spend it in a meaningful way.」

Ys lightly tapped the sword that hung on her waist.

「Eh, nnー……I think we can use the school’s arena if I request it, but.」

Ys breathed a sigh while pulling the hand of Kain who said something that was off the mark.

「You really are a troubling person. For Adventurers, doing something meaningful means completing a request, right?」

「Eh? Starting now?」

「That’s right, starting now. If it’s a request for a place nearby, then it can be completed right away, right?」

While being pulled by Ys, Kain started running towards the Adventurer’s Guild.