Vol. 1 - Ch. 123 - Buffet Party (1)

Soon, the second half of my summer vacation passed by as well.

It had been a time packed with a plethora of tasks— like Knight Order work, obviously, tuning the magic two-wheeler, receiving the delivery of a ship from Serene Sea Co., and filing the procedure for the establishment of the Sail Club along with the paperwork to use the port.

Time really flew past in the blink of an eye, and now, there were just two days left before the end of summer vacation.

Elder sister was content with my home-stay, too, and with that, I returned to the dorm last night.

The dorm, which had hardly seen anyone roaming around after my return from Serdos, was also now seeing most of its occupants back, as it was two days before the academy's second half of first semester kicked off.

I entered the cafeteria while having a casual banter with my dorm mates. It was really strange how I found it soothing.

"Oh, you're back, Allen. Fey and Jeu left a message, asking me to inform them the moment I found you."

I was having my breakfast when pink haired Stella — with her hair bundled up in pigtails as usual — called out to me.

"It's been a while, Stella. Did you cut your hair......?"

"They've been like this since last year. Are you itching for a fight?"

Whoops. It was just my guess, to which Stella retorted immediately as she glared at me.

As a way to beat down the curse of landmines that my words often plunged me into, I recalled the contents of a certain book, ‘The secret to being a successful man’, and jotted them down mentally.

There was one line which said to keep an eye for any changes in a girl's hair and clothes. Now, I wouldn't call myself a master of subtleties, but I wasn't lying when I said I felt something off from her usual attitude.

Well, I guess I fumbled here, so I should just apologize quietly.

"I-I'm sorry. I just asked because something looked different about you."

My honest words put Stella in a humorous mood again.

"Oh, did you? I trimmed my bangs. I’m surprised that you noticed that, you know?"Explore new novels on novelbin(.)com

So trimming bangs and cutting hair had different nuances for girls?...... I guess you learn something new every day. Were we really speaking human words?!

My gaze glazed over while Stella continued her side of the story.

"Anyway, we were talking about the message. The youngsters of the Dragoon and Leverance regions will be gathering at the banquet hall of Rune Mekiz, starting at 10 AM. So if you have time, do show up there. Well, though they sound like they are resigned to see your absence, but maybe hop in there if you feel like it?"

If anything, by seeing that they’ve arranged a greeter, the hotel must put their customers in high regard. I felt my nervousness melting away.

"No, I came after hearing about the gathering of the Dragoon and Leverance people. Where might the banquet hall be?"

Koil-san raised his hand, giving the nearby staff a signal, before saying ‘So the guest is here for the gathering’, and turned to guide me by himself.

"For this meeting, our hotel staff is handling the reception. May I have your name, please?"

"Sure, I'm Allen Rovenne. But speaking of which, I received word of the banquet quite hastily, so my name might not be on the list."

Koil-san's body straightened when I gave my name, but quickly resumed his movement, and said while smiling.

"So you're Allen Rovenne-sama. I’ve received word from the hosts, Feyrune Von Dragoon and Jeuri Leverance, to lead you to them should you happen to visit."

I immediately turned down the offer.

"Ah, please refrain from doing that. I would like to look at how things play out in such gatherings. I wish to vanish into the crowd. And if it’s not too troubling, can you keep my arrival a secret? I’ll visit them when I’ve had enough."

At my request, Koil-san took a second to glance at my face before wearing a bitter smile.

"Perhaps, dear guest doesn't like to be in the spotlight?"

"......Ahh, very much so. But how did you guess it?"

Curious at how he saw through my personality so accurately, I asked back, which earned a short chuckle from Koil-san as he explained.

"Experience speaks, and typically, face, expression, or phrasing for words gives one's thoughts out."

Oh~ If I had any misgivings left about the first-class status of this hotel, then now it was no more. The first step indeed started from being able to accommodate the guest's wishes in a few words.

I guess he must have been always keeping an eye on others’ reactions to spot any dissatisfaction from customers, or to see if they were adjusting well.

Koil-san took me to the second floor, where the banquet hall was presumably, and showed me a side entrance instead of opening the main doors.

"Please use this door. I hope you have a fun time. Unless dear customer has any other query, I shall take my leave."

Koil-san said and turned on his heel. But before he could leave, I gave him my words of gratitude.

"Koil-san! Thank you very much for your consideration."

As if he hadn't expected me to thank him by his name, Koil-san looked a bit surprised, and then chuckled to himself.