“Hey, pal. I guess you’re going through a lot, but… mind moving aside a bit?”
Before long, an adventurer running out of patience called out to him.
“…………”
“Tch. Hey, are you listening?”
Irritated by the boy who still showed no reaction, the adventurer shoved him aside somewhat roughly.
“Ah……”
Easily losing his balance, he landed flat on his backside. Perhaps surprise at how little force it took, he looked slightly shocked. However, seeing that there was still no reaction, he seemed to lose interest immediately and began talking at the reception desk.
……Does he intend to just sit there in a heap forever? The other adventurers, and evidently the guild staff too, seemed to have no intention of getting involved with him. As long as he wasn’t causing a scene inside the guild, they appeared to be taking a stance of non-interference.
I don’t exactly want to stick my neck into trouble either, so maybe that’s the natural response.
Right. I shouldn’t get involved, and there’s no need to. No need, but…….
“……Sigh.”
I let out a single sigh and walked toward the boy who showed no sign of moving.
Approaching the boy, I called out.
“Hey. You okay?”
“……”
“If you stay slumped down in a place like this, you’re gonna get kicked eventually.”
“……”
“Just stand up for now……”
“……Tch!!”
When I grabbed his arm to forcibly pull him up, the boy finally reacted, shaking off my hand.
“Leave me alone!”
“Come on, now…… let’s at least do this somewhere else. You’re being a nuisance.”
At my words, the boy ground his teeth with a grit sound. Whether out of stubbornness or something else, he showed no sign of standing up.
Is he a child…? No, actually, he is still a child. Both in physique and voice.
He reacted, so perhaps if I walk away he’ll stand up on his own eventually, but I was starting to feel like this was becoming a hassle.
“Wha……! H-Hey, what are you doing……!?”
I grabbed the boy by the scruff of his neck and lifted him up. Naturally, he flailed and resisted, but I paid it no mind.
“Hey now, don’t struggle.”
I carried him straight into the cafeteria attached to the guild, tossed him onto the nearest sofa, and sat down next to him myself.
“Kya…… You! What is the big idea!?”
“Ah, he~y! Can I order, please!”
“H-Hey, are you listening to me!?”
“This one, and this one…… and this. What are you eating?”
“I don’t want anything! Listen when people are
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“Ah, make it two of the same, then.”
Despite asking, I ignored his reply and went ahead and finished the order on my own.
Once the order was done, I turned my face to the boy sitting next to me.
“What’s your name?”
I had heard him being called something that sounded like a name earlier, but I decided to ask just in case.
“Tch…… Don’t be ridiculous!”
Bam! Making a loud noise, the boy tried to stand up from his seat. I grabbed his shoulder firmly and forced him back down.
“Gweh!? Wh-What is your problem!?”
“Ah, my bad. It’s polite to introduce oneself first. I’m Adem.”
“That’s not what I meant! Don’t mess with me!”
“Now, now, don’t say that. Let’s get along as fellow rejects who lost their party members on the same day. Let’s get along.”
“……What?”
Oh, he took the bait.
“I showed up earlier only to hear that my party was dissolved this morning. Surprised the hell out of me.”
I’m not lying. I was the one who suggested we dissolve, but they were the ones who processed the paperwork, and it is true that I was surprised to hear it was already done this morning. If you want a reason, it was my lack of strength, so, yeah, not a lie.
“……Is that so. So, what business does a guy kicked out of his party have with me?”
There was a bit of venom in his words, but his tone seemed to have calmed down somewhat. At least he seemed willing to have a conversation.
“No, well, I just thought it was a huge coincidence. How should I put it…… don’t you feel a sense of fate?”
“…………”
The look the boy gave me was incredibly suspicious. I don’t want to feel any fate with the likes of you, his eyes said. Fair enough.
“So, with that in mind—though I know it’s a bit abrupt—won’t you at least tell me your name?”
I asked for his name again, but the boy furrowed his brow and fell silent. Hmm, he’s a tough nut to crack.
While I was pondering my next approach, the food I ordered arrived. Plates were set down in front of both me and the boy. It would be a waste to let it get cold, so I guess I’ll dig in.
Oops, before that.
“It’s my treat, so eat whatever you like. Ah, of course, if you hate it or something, you don’t have to force yourself, okay? Since I ordered it on my own.”
Saying just that, I began to eat. The flavor was a bit rough, but it was seasoned strongly, had good volume, and tasted good.
Guuuu.
As I ate in silence, that sound drifted over from beside me.
I stopped my hand and looked up to see the boy turning red and trembling.
“…………fa.”
“Hmm?”
“Linfa. My name is Linfa!”
Saying that, the boy—now Linfa—timidly began to reach for the food.
“Right. Nice to meet you, Linfa.”
“…………”
“By the way, Linfa, have you decided what you’re going to do from now on?”
“…………”
“Join another party? Or maybe put out a recruitment call?”
“…………”
“If you don’t have any specific leads, why don’t you party up with me for a while?”
“…………What?”
Linfa, who hadn’t even been making eye contact let alone replying, reacted with a twitch.
“Like I said earlier, maybe this is some kind of fate. Doesn’t it work out perfectly?”
“Are you an idiot?”
I tried to say it brightly, but it seemed to have rubbed him the wrong way. Linfa spat the words out unpleasantly.
“Why on earth would I have to team up with a guy who got kicked out of his party!”
“Well…… that’s true, I guess?”
Now that he mentions it, he’s right. My mistake. The thing I said to break the ice ended up backfiring.
“But look, there’s no guarantee you’ll find your next party immediately, right? If anything, just until then—”
“I refuse! I am a Spirit User. I’ll find a next party in no time.”
“! Heh, a Spirit User, huh?”
While saying this and that, Linfa, having emptied his plate, took out what looked like a drawstring coin purse from his pocket.
“Hey hey, I told you it’s my treat.”
“I don’t want to owe you anything. Especially someone troublesome like you.”
“Ah, hey.”
Coins were placed down with force. Ignoring my call, Linfa headed back toward the reception desk.
Left behind, I picked up the coins, sighed slightly, and shrugged my shoulders.
“That’s not enough.”
“……Why are you following me?”
“I’m not following you. I have to look for a new party too, you know.”
Even though I just said that I’d go solo for a while. Look, everyone changes their mind sometimes, right?
“…………Hmph.”
Though he scowled, it seemed he didn’t have the energy to pursue it further. Linfa faced forward.
“Okay, thank you very much. Next person—”
Carine froze for a moment upon seeing Linfa, then exchanged a look with me standing right behind him. After looking back and forth between us a few times, Carine’s eyes went wide as if she suddenly realized something.
“Ah, you two are registering a party, right!”
“Hah!? No! Wrong!”
“O-Oh, that’s not it?”
“Of course not! I came to ask for party mediation!”
“I-I see. Excuse me…… In that case, please present your adventurer ID—your Guild Tag.”
The spell [Analyze] was cast upon the proffered adventurer tag.
Reading the information from the tag, Carine furrowed her brows.
“Um…… I am terribly sorry, but currently, we cannot offer party mediation or recruitment for Linfa-sama……”
“Wha…… What did you say!? Why!”
“Linfa-sama has exceeded five party dissolutions via mediation within the last six months. According to guild regulations, we must refrain from mediating parties for you during this period……”
Linfa’s jaw dropped open.
I see. So he got snagged by the regulations.
Practically speaking, five dissolutions in less than half a year is, to be honest, quite a lot. Either his skills are severely lacking, or he has a difficult personality. ……I have a feeling it’s the latter, but we’ll see.
Adventuring is a profession where lives are at stake. Since the guild bears responsibility for its introductions, it’s unavoidable that penalties are imposed on adventurers who are seen as problematic.
“N-No way……!”
“However, if you find a party or members on your own, we can accept the registration……”
Saying that, Carine glanced at me.–
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