CH 63

It was the day after Kanata returned from the Roggin village.

The precious memories cultivated in his hometown would continue to live on in him, with events strongly engraved in his heart and memory. Although he had returned to the capital city, Kanata spent his time leisurely since he still had some days off.

“Haah, I was really surprised by Shrouza’s sudden visit.”

Now, while enjoying his vacation in such a relaxed manner, Kanata was abruptly visited last night. He returned to the dormitory the evening after coming back from Roggin, and upon returning from the bath, he found Shrouza and Lucia in his room.

“Kanata!!”

He was first surprised by their presence, but then he was cornered by Shrouza as if to dispel his surprise. Kanata was perplexed, but when he thought it might be about Mint, he was correct.

“Mint reported that she had a child with you!! What the h**l is going on!?”

“That’s right, Kanata-kun! Why did you sleep with her before me!?”

“Enough! Both of you, calm down!”

He was worried his voice might have reached the nearby guys’ room. Although he was taken aback by Lucia’s candid words, he was more concerned about making a mistake before her, a succubus, and being sucked dry.

“Haa, I’m really tired.”

Mint had apparently skipped over some details, which led to Shrouza and Lucia’s surprise visit. After explaining the situation, they left, relieved. However, due to the fatigue of his journey and the commotion caused by their visit, Kanata fell asleep that night without streaming.

“I wonder why they care so much.”

Kanata did not believe that Shrouza and Lucia were in love with him. He knew that they liked him, but that was about it. Thus, he believed the reason they were so concerned about Mint was probably due to their perception that demonkind was like a family as a whole.

“Assuming I’m doing the livestream today… I’m a bit bored.” 

Kanata muttered while looking at his watch.

In the first place, he had only planned to go back home for the holidays and had not thought about going anywhere far away.

“I’ll be spending time with my family in the castle.”

“I have a meeting for the harvest festival at the church.”

Maria would be spending her time in the castle, while Alphana seemed to be busy with a meeting for the harvest festival organized by the church. 

Although Maria would be with her family, it would be fortunate for Alphana if going to Kanata’s hometown could serve as a break for her.

“And Mira’s on her way to the Empire…”

It might be an exaggeration to call Mira, who always clings to Kanata’s side, the embodiment of chaos, but she has also returned to her hometown. She said she didn’t have anything special to do there and would return soon, but for now, Mira is not in the capital city.

“I will bring back souvenirs unique to the Empire! Of course, for Maria-sama and Alphana-sama too!”

Kanata felt excited about what kind of souvenir she would bring back, even though it was somewhat suspicious.

“Well then, should I take a stroll outside?”

If he has free time, he usually takes a walk outside, and that’s also part of Kanata’s routine. 

He grabbed his belongings and stepped outside, where he was welcomed by a commotion, unlike the empty quiet dormitory it was.

Even though the academy was on a long holiday, people who ran stores in the capital city were actively conducting their businesses.

“Come to think of it. I haven’t seen the guild much around here.”

While strolling through the streets, Kanata suddenly realized he had never really seen the guild before. 

As a building where adventurers, who lived for the thrill and danger of their profession, would gather, he was curious about it and decided to head towards it.

“Come on in!”

“We have some good fish today!”

“How about these fruits?”

“Hey, kid! We’ve got some good meat! Are you hungry?”

“I’ll have some, old man.”

On his way to the guild, he stopped at a familiar shop to buy some grilled meat. As he enjoyed the taste, he saw a certain adventurer he had seen before.

“… That’s the guy I saw in front of the brothel.”

It was a man he had seen in front of the brothel before, though he couldn’t remember when exactly. Back when he saw him, he seemed timid, but now, holding a request paper in hand as he walked out of the guild, he looked like a seasoned adventurer.

“There aren’t any restrictions on going in and out. Let’s go check it out.”

Kanata entered the guild without hesitation. Inside there were both strong-looking men and women, some of whom were taller than Kanata and had clearly defined abs. 

“… Hou~”

It was an impressive sight. No one paid any attention to Kanata, a mere civilian. Each group was huddled together or staring intently at the request bulletin board.

“They’re already drinking, and it’s not even noon yet.” 

The guild building also served as a bar, and Kanata saw a group of people drinking despite the early hour. They seemed to have reserved a corner for themselves and were probably planning to hold a large party. 

“We got some great items today! Everyone, drink up!!”

“Thanks for the treat!!” 

“Hey, our leader is the best!”

Kanata guessed that they must have achieved something amazing in the dungeon. Perhaps they were a well-known or powerful party, but Kanata was not interested, so he continued to explore the building, finding nothing of particular interest.

“…?”

As soon as he stepped out of the building, he bumped into someone. 

“Oh, sorry…” 

It was the voice of a timid-looking boy. Since he had been hit from behind, it meant that someone had pushed him. 

“Hey, don’t inconvenience civilians, you weakling.” 

“Yeah, scram off, trash.” 

“… I’m sorry.” 

Kanata quickly understood the situation: the boy was being mocked by two men and a woman.

(Oh, here it is. It was mentioned in a letter, but I never thought I’d actually see it.)

It was a classic event among adventurers. 

Typically, those looked down upon would reveal hidden abilities, but it was unclear whether this young boy had any. Before Kanata could say anything, they had already entered the building.

“Why do people have to look down on each other? If they just cooperated and supported each other, it would be better,” Kanata thought.

Perhaps it was simply human nature.

Since there was nothing he could do about it, Kanata left the guild and resumed wandering around town.

“Oh, Kanata-kun, it’s you.”

“Huh?”

Kanata turned around at the sound of a familiar voice. It was Kanna, someone he knew.

“Kanna-san…”

He wasn’t sure if she had the day off or if she was going to work at night, but she had an off-duty vibe. However, she was still dressed provocatively, and seeing the cleavage peeking out of her open shirt brought back memories of that time.

“H-hello.”

“Huh? Ah, I see. You’re so cute, Kanata-kun ♪.”

Even if they weren’t actually doing it, any teenager who had experienced that kind of situation would react this way, Kanata thought to himself. Kanna knew how to charm men and was probably well-versed in how to treat a boy his age.

“You know, it’s actually quite special?”

“Huh?”

“No one else has ever seen us together, but if any of my previous clients saw us, they’d be amazed. When I’m with you, Kanata-kun, I put my heart into it.”

She placed a finger on her lips, closed one eye, and winked. It was an expression that perfectly blended cuteness and sexiness.

“What are you going to do for lunch, Kanata-kun?”

“I don’t have any particular plans. I just came out because I’m free.”

“Oh, well then…”

Kanna slowly approached Kanata and leaned in, placing her hand on his waist.

The exquisite softness of her touch was truly wonderful and had a magical power that made one want to keep touching it.

“I’ll just treat you to lunch. But if you want…”

She giggled.

Later, Kanata was treated to lunch by Kanna.

He wasn’t swept away like before, but there was something that caught his attention.

“Come to think of it. I just noticed something.”

Kanata was curious about Kanna’s clothes.

The outfit was revealing at the chest but had a cute mini-character design on the stomach.

“… is that?”

“Oh, this? Isn’t it cute? It’s Haishin-sama’s mini-character.”

That’s right. It was Haishin’s mini-character.

It wasn’t something that was sold, but rather a woman who worked at the brothel with Kanna was skilled in sewing and had made it.

“This is popular among the women at the brothel. Now almost all of them wear it.”

“… Oh, I see.”

It was still a bit complicated for him, but he surely found the Haishin mini-character to be kind of cute.