105-095 ...... troublesome

I looked over and saw a male adventurer standing there, pointing at us with a shocked expression on his face.

What?　It's not like we're in the way, we're far enough away from the work area, right?

I nodded my head and looked at Haruka and the others.

Do you know them?

"...... No.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for and how to get there.

I'm sure the only place you'll get to know him is the adventurer's guild, but he hasn't shown his face much, and no events have occurred where he's been involved in a tempestuous way.

I don't even go to the tavern, so I don't get involved in any events there.

Also, there was a guy on ...... the gatekeeper who had a thing for Haruka, but he wasn't an adventurer. .......

I'm not sure what to do.

What?

I'm not sure if this is a classmate or not.

He looks like an old man, but... If I met them on the street, I'd be tempted to attack them as bandits.

He looks pretty dirty.

So that leaves Azuma, Nagai and Kamiya.

He looked at Yuki and Natsuki, who hadn't changed much, and then seemed to think of us, the people who had always been with them. If you can't recognize our faces right away, then you're not very close to us.

Incidentally, I feel like I'm the one whose appearance has changed the most, but even so, Natsuki and Yuki only notice it right away. If we're talking about not only my face but also my whole appearance, Toya, who has grown ears and a tail, is probably the best, but her face itself hasn't changed that much.

Yuki, do you know him?

Do I know you?

Me, me!　Tokuoka!

.................. Oh.

After a long silence, Yuki nodded her head, but her face showed that she didn't remember much. I know you.

Of course I'm the same guy. I know Tokuoka.

I knew Tokuoka. He was a classmate of mine and he was sitting right in front of me in the classroom. And ............ yeah, something like that.

You don't care about the details, do you?　It's not like I don't remember, right?

What's that?　Is that you and Shido?

Seriously?　Wow, it's been a while.

And then two similar looking men approaching.

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

Who are these guys?

They're human, so their appearance shouldn't have changed much, but ...... I can't tell because of the stubble.

I've been shaving my beard a lot thinner since I've been here, but the ladies don't like it if I keep it long, so I shave it off every day along with Toya.

.........?

Maeda.

I'm Iwanaka.

...... Yeah, that's Maeda and that's Iwanaka.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.

I'm sure I got good grades in ...... Iwanaka, right?　I'm sure I'm not the only one.

It's not like he was a hard worker, and his appearance was relatively good, so I think he was relatively popular with girls.

Maeda was a ...... guy who was somewhat good at sports?

I don't know much about them because I didn't hang out with them much.

Did Shidou-san and his friends come to this forest today?

Yeah, well, did they?

Oh, now?　We've been here for a month now, right?

Yeah, yeah. The Eastern Forest wasn't enough for us. We've even got a private room at the inn!

While saying this, the three of them look at me and Toya like we're making fun of them.

Hmm. So you came to the Southern Forest because you didn't have enough, and now all you do is carry logs?

And is the private room something to brag about?　Well, sleeping together in a big room might be tough, but we've never stayed in an inn like that before, have we?

I'm not going to bother pointing it out.

Oh, that's right!　Shidou-san, you should join our party!　I think we have more potential than you do.

Whoa, he's recruiting out of nowhere.　Ignore us.

"That's a good idea!　We'll never make it to the top if it takes us more than two months to reach that level of forest.

That's right. Azuma and Furumiya too. If it's the East Forest, they'll have a big room anyway.　You can stay in a private room with us.

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure you'll do fine.

It's impossible.

It's not possible." "The smell is a bit strong, can you stay away from me?

"Haha, that's definitely not possible, is it?

"Hey!

I'm not sure what to make of this.

Compared to these two, Haruka's refusal with a cold expression might be better. The one who was rejected is mentally ill.

"Why?　This is not Japan!　Can't you even understand that it's dangerous to be without power?

If you're coming here now, you must have a low adventurer's rank!

You guys got good grades, but don't you know that's not enough to make money in this world?

"You guys had good grades, but don't you know that you can't make money on that alone in this world?" Tokuoka and the others shouted indignantly, as if they didn't expect to be rejected.

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this.

If you're not a complete idiot, you'd be crazy to accept that offer.

I don't know.

I don't like filthy people.

I don't like filthy people. I don't like people who carry logs here.

Yeah, right. And why are we wasting time talking about it here?

I don't think you should be so serious.

I don't know if it's okay to be dressed like that and say things like 'we can make it to the top'. ......

That's right. I think the first thing you need to do is get yourself presentable, don't you?

"Well, even if I was earning money, would it be possible?　Physiologically?

Haruka and the others are on a rampage.

They're beaten to a pulp.

Toya and I looked at each other and sighed.

We both tried to keep our mouths shut so that we wouldn't get heated, but it seemed to be for nothing. The faces of Tokuoka and the others were getting redder by the second.

"...... you bastard!

Maeda said, reaching for the dagger at his waist.

At the same time, Toya and I both put our hands on our weapons, but at that moment, an angry voice rang out.

"Hey!　Rookie!　How long are you going to keep talking?

""Yes, sir!"

Tokuoka and the others immediately straightened their backs and replied.

When we turned our gaze, we saw an older man, even more muscular than Gantz, staring at us with his arms folded. No, not at us, but at Tokuoka and the three of us.

Look, they're calling you.

Good luck with your work.

...... d*mn it!　Remember me!

Hey, hey, hey!　Come on!

""Yes!

I'm sure you'll be able to understand that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this.

But it's hard to explain why they were looking more at us, who had been silent, than at Haruka and her friends.

Oh dear, they were like a bad pick-up artist, weren't they?

"Yeah, right. Did you have a classmate like that?　I only know his name.

I was under the impression that Iwanaka-kun was a serious person, but I only know his ...... grades.

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it'll help.

I'm not sure what to make of this.

But Nao, since we're being recruited, shouldn't we put our bodies on the line to stop them?

Haruka seemed somewhat dissatisfied, and Toya and I looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders.

In the event that you've got a lot of money to spend, you're going to want to make sure that you're able to get the most out of it.　You know?

"Yeah, yeah. That's the type. He knows we're here and he's doing it.

I'm not sure if it's fortunate or unfortunate that Haruka and his friends had frequent opportunities to be picked up in Japan.

There are well-behaved pick-ups who simply back off when we leave, and then there are the vicious types who persist.

In the case of the latter, when we, the men, intervene, they lose their reservation and get strangely heated up. Therefore, it is best to leave the matter to Haruka and the others, appease both sides at an appropriate point, and then part ways.

There have been times when we've had to go to the police because we couldn't find a way to back out. The other side.

However, no matter how much we were the victims, we had to spend a lot of time explaining the situation to the police and lost all our plans for the day. After all, it's best to avoid trouble, isn't it?

You're right, he was a bit of a pain in the ass.

He was trying to get his hands on a weapon at the end, wasn't he?

Well, who cares about troublesome ex-classmates? You won't have to deal with them anymore.

Natsuki shook her head and said that she hoped that was true.

I wish that were true, but I feel that if I say it out loud, it will be a strange flag and I'll get involved again. I'll just have to avoid seeing him as much as possible. Yeah.

Then let's get moving. They might come back if we don't.

Tokuoka and the others were driven into the forest by the macho man, but if they stayed here too long, he might come back carrying a log.

Well... Let's go south to a place where there are no lumberjacks and enter the forest at a suitable place.