“Fuaa… Huh, where is this…?”
Retina woke up. Well, with all this noise, of course she’d wake up…
Homura froze with a dumbfounded expression.
I looked up at the heavens. Ah, Mr. Ceiling, we meet again…
Ignoring my escape from reality, Homura recovered from her freeze faster than expected.
“W-W-Wha!? What is this, who are you!?”
“Ue…? …Oh, Adem-sama? Kyaa.”
Retina, noticing me beside her, looked at my upper body and let out a short scream.
“W-What does this mean!? W-Who are you!?”
“Uh, um… well, my name is Retina… um, I’m tentatively working as a Saint…”
Retina honestly answered Homura’s interrogation.
“S-Saint-sama!?”
Homura looked at me with a face that seemed to say “Seriously!?” and I nodded back.
“W-Why is Saint-sama sleeping in the same bed as Adem-san!?”
“Ah, well, it’s that… I was drinking with Retina yesterday.”
Well, I was forced to drink, actually.
“Ah, that’s right! I am terribly sorry about last night…! I got carried away with the talk of being allowed into Adem-sama’s party…!”
“Oh, you remember that part…”
Even drunk, she seems to be the type to retain memories.
“Saint-sama is… in Adem-san’s party…?”
Homura muttered in a trembling voice, moving her neck stiffly to look back and forth between Retina and me.
“A-Ah. Well, it’s not finalized yet, though.”
“Adem-san and Saint-sama drank… slept together, same party… Saint… Superior, version… I’m, not needed…!? Awa, ababa…!!”
“O-Oi, Homura?”
Homura wasn’t just trembling in voice but body… surpassing trembling, she started super-vibrating.
“U.”
“U?”
“Uwaaaaaaaah!!”
“Ah, hey, wait!?”
She turned around and ran away crying.
A subtle atmosphere filled the space between those of us left behind.
After a moment, I opened my mouth and spoke with a voice seeping with exhaustion.
“…I’m going home for a bit…”
“Y-Yes…”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
Once I went home and quickly got ready, I showed my face at the Guild again. Originally, I had a meeting with Linfa, and in addition, I was having Retina gather with us to finalize the party joining discussion.
I entered the Guild and looked around. There were no figures resembling them; it seems neither has arrived yet. Was I a bit early?
“Ah, good morning, Adem-san!”
Just as I was thinking of killing some time waiting, I heard a familiar, energetic greeting.
It was Carine from the reception.
“…Morning.”
In contrast to her lively greeting, I returned a low-tension one. Part of it was that I still wasn’t feeling well, but the betrayal from yesterday crossed my mind, and I ended up responding brusquely.
No, I know she was told by Elanza to report if I came, so essentially she just did her job, and holding a grudge over that is just misplaced anger, but…
At my blatantly grumpy attitude, Carine let out a groan as if slightly flinched. Perhaps she had her own thoughts on the matter, she made an apologetic expression.
“Uhh… Ah—… Yesterday was rough, wasn’t it?”
“Thanks to you.”
“A-Ahaha… I-I’m sorry.”
Then Carine did a “Tehe” and tapped her own head. I was slightly irritated.
“…Haa, well whatever. Do you know what happened after I passed out yesterday?”
“About after that? Um, the Guild Master and Saint-sama continued drinking for a while, but eventually, Saint-sama also fell asleep… and since we couldn’t just leave her rolling around the cafeteria like other adventurers, the Master took her to the infirmary…”
“…I also woke up in the infirmary today, though.”
“Um… Saint-sama was clinging to you and wouldn’t let go, so since it was a hassle, she just…”
I pressed my temples.
It really was that guy Elanza’s fault!
No, but still. From what she just said, it’s almost certain that no mistake occurred between Retina and me last night. I can rest easy on that point. If I had accidentally had a fling with Saint-sama, imagine the trouble. Social reputation aside, the Divine Guidance Church is scary.
“Adem-sama!”
While we were having that exchange, the Saint-sama in question appeared. When Retina found me, she came over at a trot.
“I’m sorry, did I make you wait…?”
“No, it hasn’t been long since I got here either.”
There’s still a little time before the meeting with Linfa. We’ll grab breakfast once we’re all together anyway, so shall we wait in the cafeteria?
“…It’s a bit much to stand around here, so let’s sit over there and wait. Carine, see you later.”
Being seen off by Carine, who bowed, we took seats in the cafeteria.
“Linfa should be here soon.”
“Y-Yes.”
“…………”
“…………”
Silence.
What do I do? Now that we’re facing each other again like this, it’s super awkward.
Since Homura was there this morning, we glossed over it, but thinking calmly, a man and woman spending the night in the same bed is a problem. I’ve concluded that no mistake happened, but it’s uncertain how she perceives it.
…I should probably clear that up. I want to resolve any misunderstandings.
I steeled my resolve and opened my mouth—
“”Um””
We harmonized perfectly.
“…Sorry, go ahead.”
“N-No, it’s not a big deal, so please go ahead, Adem-sama…!”
“No no, mine isn’t really a big deal either.”
“No no no, mine is even less of a big deal so…!”
After deferring to each other for a while, since it was fruitless, I decided to speak first.
“…Um, about last night.”
“!”
“…Nothing happened, right…?”
When I asked fearfully, Retina…
“Eh, ah… um, yes…”
She looked down, blushing as she said it.
………….
Eh, did something happen??
I froze at Retina’s suggestive reaction.
Retina was looking down slightly, glancing up at me intermittently.
Sweating nervously, I asked timidly.
“…………Did I, by any chance, do something…?”
“Ehh? N-No! Adem-sama did not do anything!”
“I didn’t…?”
“Ah.”
When I muttered, feeling something snagging about her phrasing, Retina covered her mouth with a face that said “oops.”
Eh, was I the one being done unto!?
“N-No, that’s not it! This is… a figure of speech, you could say…!”
Retina waved her hands frantically, making an excuse that wasn’t an excuse.
“U-Um, it seems I get a little strange when I drink… So, um, I might have said some weird things, but please don’t worry about it too much…”
“Well, if you say so…”
…At least I didn’t do anything, and even if I was the one on the receiving end, I have no memory of it, and there’s no actual harm right now. I can still turn back.
After closing my eyes for a few seconds, I cut in.
“—Nothing happened. Let’s go with that.”
“Y-Yes…”
I stopped prying any further.
There are things humans are better off not knowing.
Shortly after, Linfa came to the Guild.
“Linfa, morning.”
“Good morning, Linfa-sama.”
“Ah… yeah, morning.”
Linfa, returning the bow prompted by Retina’s polite bow, looked between Retina and me and made an indescribable expression. Well, she saw the state of things yesterday, so it’s no wonder.
“Um, yesterday was…”
“Linfa, let’s stop talking about yesterday.”
“Eh? Why?”
“Let’s, stop.”
“O-Okay.”
As if yielding to my pressure that allowed no argument, Linfa stopped mentioning it.
“Just to reconfirm, Retina will be acting with us starting today, is that alright?”
“Yeah. If Adem decided it, I don’t mind, and I think having Saint-sama in the same party is reassuring.”
“I see, then it’s decided.”
“T-Then!”
“Yeah, once again, nice to have you in the party.”
“Yes! I look forward to working with you! I will do my very best sincerely…!”
Retina, having officially become a member of the party, showed her enthusiasm.
“Now that that’s decided, I want to confirm: what level of magic can you use, Retina?”
“Um… Healing magic, protection magic, and Holy attribute attack magic, I can use the basics of each…”
It seemed she had generally mastered the magic a Saint job would likely use. Hearing just this, she seems like excellent talent, but she has already banished from five parties. Plus, what comes to my mind is the healing magic she cast on me when we first met.
Retina, self-reporting, lacks confidence contrary to the content.
Almost certainly she has some kind of complicated defect…
I could ask for details here, but it’s probably more certain to see her actually facing monsters in the labyrinth.
“…Alright, let’s head to the labyrinth immediately—”
Guuuu.
Just as I was about to say that, a somewhat cute sound rang out. I instinctively looked at Linfa, but she shook her head vigorously. Which means.
Retina was looking down, her face bright red.
“Ah—… Let’s have breakfast first.”
“…Ugh, I’m sorry…”
At Retina’s voice, quiet as a mosquito’s buzz, Linfa and I let out wry smiles.
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