199-181 Unexpected encounter (1)

It was well past noon when Umezono came to see us again, and the seats were starting to become empty.

Even after we finished eating, the seats were still full, so I suggested that we leave and come back later. I suggested that we leave and come back later, but he said, "I'll get settled.

In fact, not long after Umezono said that, one or two seats started to open up, so I didn't feel too bad about it.

"Here you go, drink this, drink this.

What was in the cup that Umezono brought to me as she said that?

"Is this wine?

Haruka smelled the cup and tilted her head slightly.

"Yes. But it's very young, so it's mostly grape juice with no alcohol. That's better, isn't it?　Or have you become a drinker?　If you prefer ale, that's fine too.

No, we don't drink much. Thank you. But is it okay?　It's a little expensive, isn't it?

Don't worry about it. It's our way of saying thank you.

It depends on the quality, but wine is generally more expensive than ale in this neighborhood.

It depends on which you prefer, but for us, wine is still easier to drink.

Even so, we don't dare to drink it, and fortunately, in this area, well water is available for drinking, so we tend to drink water more often.

Nevertheless, since it was served to me, I took a sip.

"Oh, it's pretty good.

"It's pretty good, isn't it?　It's usually a little thinner, but it's a bonus.

It tasted like watered-down grape juice, just like Umezono said.

It tastes like watered-down grape juice, and in fact it is. I've heard that some places that serve inexpensive wine even serve it with more than half water added.

In this case, they served the wine without diluting it too much because it was an apology.

It's not particularly tasty, but it's still tasty enough in this world where fruits are quite expensive.

"Oh, by the way, you can call me Yasue. That's what I call myself.

Yasue?　Didn't you once say, 'I don't like it when you look old! Didn't you once say, 'I don't like being old!

Yuki tilted her head curiously at Umezono - or Yasue, as she added.

That's Yuki. As expected of Yuki, she has a wide range of friends and is very knowledgeable.

At Yuki's words, Yasue looked slightly uncomfortable, turned away, and scratched her head.

Oh, you remember?　When we were in Japan, right? Yeah. Yasue sounds like an old person's name, doesn't it?

"Well, I can understand your feeling. But it's not a bad name, is it?

It's just my impression, but it certainly has a "Grandma Yasue" feel to it.

Names inevitably go out of fashion.

However, it is better to have a name that is too elaborate and absolutely unreadable at first sight, or a name that makes you want to say, "That's a bit of a joke! But I think it's much better than names that are too elaborate and can never be read at first sight, or names that make you want to say, "That's a bit of a joke!

Yes, it's the name my parents gave me. When I came here, I really understood the value of my parents, and I want to keep at least one of their names. They died too soon. ......

Yasue responded with a slightly embarrassed, yet sad expression on her face.

"Well, we all died before our parents did. "Well, we all died before our parents did, and it's not my fault, so I've just let it go.

"Yeah, you've got to let it go. ......

We've talked about it a few times, not in group counseling, but we've talked about it.

As for us, all of us have no siblings, although two parents are still alive, and it is not hard to imagine that our parents are quite depressed.

However, there is nothing we can do about it, and we have come to the conclusion that we have to ask our parents to do their best. In many ways.

It's true that, because of my age, I'm going to have an older baby. ...... Yeah.

I'm not sure if you can send a letter to her, but even if you do, she'll probably think it's some kind of malicious Oreole scam.

By the way, you guys are adventurers now, aren't you?　What did you name your party?

"Well, we decided to call ourselves 'The Clear Mirror'. We don't get to call ourselves that often, though.

When Haruka said the name she had chosen a while ago, Yasue looked a little surprised.

It's not really a party name, is it?　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

Of course, we have our reasons.　First of all, we don't want to get carried away ourselves. We're still a little high ranking.

I often think that I am stronger than I used to be, and I want to remember the prudence of those days, though not my original intention.

Among the words that came out of these thoughts, I chose "clear mirror" to avoid being underestimated by other adventurers.

It's a little different from what I had in mind, but I chose it to warn myself, so there's no problem.

Incidentally, other words such as "perseverance and perseverance", "contemplation and meditation", "deliberation and decisiveness", and "self-reliance" also appeared.

After much hesitation, I somehow ended up choosing a four-letter idiom. ...... Toya's idea of "self-reliance" is a little different, isn't it?

In a way it's our primary goal, but it's so far out of concept that it's the first one to drop out .

The others also fit the concept, but were not good party names, so they were dropped.

I see. I'm sure you'll understand, since there are adventurers here who don't look very strong but have a big attitude.

Another reason is to appeal to your classmates.　The name of the party and our name will become famous in the future, classmates who are in a bad situation may come to us for help.

This is mainly the opinion of Natsuki and Yuki.

As you can see from their situation in Searlstadt, it's quite difficult to get out of a tight situation if you don't have a large amount of money at the beginning.

In the beginning, we couldn't afford to help them, but now, it's not difficult to lend them enough money to buy some equipment.

Of course, depending on the other party's attitude, we will throw them out, but we also think that after almost a year since the transition, the deadly mines will have been weeded out.

When I briefly explained this, Yasue let out a sigh as if she was a little dismayed.

"Huh~. You're so kind. I'm only thinking about being happy with my husband.

I think that's fine. We only thought about it because ...... we had a little trouble in the beginning and now we have some money.

Yes, yes. We don't really need to help alumni find jobs, you know.

We can escape if we have to.

It's not like back then when it was difficult to even leave the city, but now we have the money and means of transportation to move to another town.

We don't dare to look for our classmates, but if they ask for help, we can at least help them.

This is because we can afford to do so now.

It may be hypocritical, but I think it's okay.

We're not human enough to reach out to others when we're in pain.

I see. I see. ...... And now... I've got a question for you. ...... You know, ......

I'm not sure what she's trying to say.

I understand what she's trying to say, but I think it's hard to say because of the content.

She glanced at us, specifically at Haruka, but couldn't continue to speak.

"Can I ask you something first?　Who was that guy back there?

I'm not sure if Yuki saw this, but she smiled at me and asked me the same question.

I'm sure it was to change the heavy atmosphere and make it easier to talk, and not just because of Yuki's curiosity. ...... Probably.

"Oh, uh, he's, uh, ...... my husband.

"Oh, he's ...... my husband?　I'm not sure what to do.　Isn't he your lover?

"Well, yeah, well, you know?　He saved me when I was in a very bad situation, and after that he was kind to me even though I said some pretty terrible things to him. ...... Well, you know what?　I'm sorry.

It seems he was bonded to me.

Oh, so that's why you're calmer now?

I don't know.　He'll protect me. ...... hehe.

It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your vacation.

I don't know what it is, but there must have been some kind of romance.

"Yes, thank you. So, what do you want to ask me?

"Oh, yeah, that. --Sorry!　I'm sorry. I lied to you.

The change in atmosphere made it a little easier to talk, and Yasue boldly clasped her hands together and bowed her head as if to worship us.

"Oh, you mean the skill?

"Yeah, the skill I told you about, that was a lie. I actually had a copy of the skill. I was also afraid of getting sick, so I had [Robustness], [Pharmacy], and ...... [Slightly Attractive Appearance] and [Beautiful Skin].

It seems that it's a little hard to say that you've tweaked your appearance, so you whisper a little at the last part, Yasue-san. Yeah, well, I get it. You can't help it if you're a girl, right?

However, I think Haruka said at the time that she only had a [Skill Copy], but she had more than that.

It's not that strange, since we now know that there are quite a few omissions in the "lookout".

"I bet.

"Oh, you noticed that, didn't you?　It's only natural that I would say something like that at the end.

That's part of it, but I could see it before I said it with my "see through" skill.

I see. You knew. ...... I'm just an idiot. ......

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

I'm sorry about that, because we tried it too. In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site.

It's ...... Yeah, I get it. I understand. At that time, I felt like everyone was an enemy except me. When the situation is bad, it's really hard on your heart. I don't even know if I can trust my classmates because of their skills. ......

Yasue nodded deeply in agreement with Haruka's words, without complaining.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what's going on in your life.

I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've seen it before.

Yeah. I'm really sorry, but can you tell me about it?　My cooking is not improving at all. His food is delicious, but I want to make it for him too. ....... This is probably because of the [skill copy], right?

Well, yeah. I'm not sure.

In the event that you have any questions regarding where and the best way to get in touch with us, please do not hesitate to contact us.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

I'm not sure what to make of that. That's not going to work, is it?

You're not angry, are you?

It was my fault. How could you be a saint to be nice to an aggressive person in that situation? Only my husband would do that! Hmph, hmph.

Yasue smiled loosely, as if she remembered some good episode.

Well, if you're happy, that's fine.

It's much better than being jealous.

And I'm not in too much trouble at the moment. It doesn't interfere with my daily life. Oh, but I'm sorry, but can you teach me the [cooking] skills?　After all, you want her to eat your homemade food, don't you?

I'm not sure what to do.

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

I'm sure you're right. I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure you'll do fine.　You can teach the others, but if you don't have a copy from us, it's pointless.

"Oh, that's okay. Most of them were copied from Azuma-san at that time.

Hmm, that's okay. Oh, and please refer to me as Haruka. The others will be Natsuki, Yuki, Nao and Toya.

Hmm, what?　Did you change the name of Nagai-Toya?

Yasue looked at each of our faces as Haruka introduced us, then twisted her head around to look at Toya.

You remembered well, didn't you?　My real name is Tomoya, but that's just to avoid any trouble with my classmates. I can change it back to Tomoya now, but I'm used to it.

I'm used to it." "Oh, some of my classmates are troublesome, too. Some of my classmates are troubled, like Satomi Takamatsu.

Yasue nodded deeply at Toya's explanation, and then mentioned the name.

"Oh, so you've noticed?

Of course I noticed. It's too easy to say Satomi and Satomi. And the way you do business.　I live here. I've seen her in person.

"Was it her?

I live here, so I've seen her in person." "Was it her?" Haruka confirmed, and Yasue nodded, thinking for a moment.

I think so. It's a bit of an exaggeration. I'm not sure if I can speak for others, but I've taken [a slightly attractive appearance] as well. I can't speak for others, but my eyes are drawn to it, and ...... it's a little dangerous. The husband who was with me also ...... got a little beat up, didn't he?

Oops.

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

Well, what can you do when your husband has his eyes on a woman other than you?

Besides, it would have been very bad if he got involved with the Satomi Order, so even though he was a bit violent, it was a wise decision in the end.

It would have ruined the town and ruined our business. The suppression did cause some damage, but for me, it was a real relief. In fact, you could have done it sooner.

Looks like you're thriving now, huh?

Judging from the situation when we came in, it was definitely a thriving restaurant.

The restaurant was bigger than the Kumatei, where we used to stay, and there were two waiters other than Yasue.

His food is so good!　There are a lot of soldiers stationed here, and some of the restaurants aren't open for business yet. It's a good time to be here.

But they haven't caught Satomie yet, have they?

That's the problem, isn't it? Honestly, I hope they catch him soon. I don't know if it's true or not, but he's going to collect a lot of money, and with that money--

Yasue glances at me and Toya, blushes, and clears her throat.

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who's had it.　That's what I'm talking about.

I'm not sure what to say, but I'm going to say it.

I've never been to a host club, but I've been to a few.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

You don't want Yasue to help Takamatsu-san, do you?

The same goes for Natsuki and the others, right?　If you're a good friend of mine, you might have gone to stop this before it happened, but you didn't. ....... First of all, my ...... life and my husband's life are more important than my classmates who have become criminals.

"Well, I agree. I agree with you. Criminals deserve to die. No mercy. Even if it's a classmate.

That's right. After all, it was my husband in this world who saved me. Good people are good. Bad people are bad. That's all there is to it. ...... Yeah, really, that's all there is to it.

For us, Satomi is the one who most likely cheated on Aella and caused mayhem in Kergu and some confusion in Raffan, but since Yasue lives in this town, she probably sees the direct damage to herself and the people affected.

In that light, it was understandable that she had a complicated expression on her face.

"Well, why don't you let the soldiers take care of Satomie? They've been patrolling so much. I don't mind teaching you [Skill Copy], though. In return, you can teach me how to use .......

Huh?

(If you're married, you've done everything you can, right?)

"Well, ......, yeah, but...

"Then please.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it. But why?

(Because I want to know what's going on in the world. From someone who knows about both.

(Well...) We don't have that kind of connection.

(Oh, yeah, that's right. That's what happens when you guys get together. In my case, I have a mother-in-law.

(That's a bit of a relief, isn't it? But weren't you worried?　(About marriage?)

(I did, but I fell in love with ....... ......?

(Oh my god, there's a girl! There's a girl!)

After Yasue raised her voice, the women began to talk in a whisper, but it's not the right time to get involved. I know.

Just because we overheard them, they would complain even if we weren't at fault, so Toya and I were sensible enough not to pay attention to them.

I distanced myself from the women who had started to get strangely excited, and until the chatter was over, Toya and I relaxed and chatted.