Once I was officially a part of the team, I was given a room and some training clothes. Then one of the rescue team members, Mill, gave me a rundown of team rules. Contrary to his terrifying appearance and gruff voice, he explained everything politely and made it all easy to understand.
I was officially a member of the rescue team now.
I felt restless and nervous as the truth sank in.
That night, Alec arranged a welcome party for me. It was a little embarrassing, admittedly, but at the same time I was happy. I felt like this was a good sign that things would go okay.
However . . .
“So this is the guy Usato recommended, huh? He’s just a kid!”
“Whoa, even smaller than Felm, too. You eatin’ enough, little man?”
“Either way, this is where the feeding begins. Like it or not.”
The people surrounding me, and their comments, were terrifying. I was standing there unable to move, trembling, when Alec came out of the kitchen in an apron and sighed at the sight of the other rescue team members.
“Look at all of you with your freaky faces,” he said. “You’re scarin’ the new recruit!”
“Who are you calling freaky?! Like you’re any different!”
“Yeah, but it’s all about the danger levels! You lot look like you’re set to eat the poor kid!”
“You calling me an orc?! You want some of this?!”
“Quit puttin’ words in my mouth!”
All of my frightening new companions settled down at the table, arguing as they did. I knew they weren’t bad people, but that didn’t make them any less scary. I took a deep breath and tried to calm the rapid beating of my heart. That was when I heard footsteps from behind me. I moved out of the way slightly for them to pass. It was the demon girl with the tanned skin.
“Hm? You’re that . . .” she muttered.
She looked about the same age as Usato, maybe a little younger.
“Ah,” I exclaimed the moment I saw her.
“Finally,” said the girl, “someone is afraid of me. Well, you just shiver in your boots all you—”
“You’re that girl Rose knocked out with a flick of her finger,” I said, cutting her off.
The girl promptly stumbled over her own feet, then stomped over to me in a rage.
“L-listen up, okay? I’m a demon!”
“I know. Usato told me there was one in the rescue team. He said you weren’t a bad sort, and that I should be nice to you.”
The demon’s face flushed red.
“Hrk! Damn him!” she said, stomping her feet.
I was still a little worried that the girl might be dangerous, but I passed by her and headed to the table. It was covered with plates of food. I’d heard that Alec had made all of it, and as I took a seat at a corner of the table, I remembered again how important it was not to judge books by their covers.
“Hey Nack,” said Mill, who was already at the table.
“Hello, Mill,” I replied.
I took a look around. The dining hall was easily large enough for the whole team, and it looked very clean. Cleanliness was important for them, so they probably tidied the place often.
While I was thinking about it, two others entered the dining hall. I knew one of them already. She smiled at me.
“Hey there, Nack,” she said.
“Ururu!”
She’d brought me here earlier. She wore a bright, ear-to-ear smile as she waved. She was dragging a man along with her. She had him sit in the chair opposite me.
“I’m so glad to see you’re a part of the team. That’s great!”
“Rose almost flicked me into another world, but I survived,” I said.
“Oh, are you okay? No broken bones?”
I’d meant my words as a joke, but Ururu looked genuinely concerned.
Rose can break bones with a flick?!
I put a hand to my forehead. The man sitting next to Ururu chuckled.
“I’d wager that the captain was going easy, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Oh, right,” I said, and then: “I’m sorry, and you are?”
“Sorry, I still haven’t introduced myself. I’m Orga. You’re Nack, right? My little sister Ururu has told me all about you.”
“Ah, so you’re her big brother.”
I could see the resemblance in their blonde hair.
“Are you and Ururu part of the rescue team like Alec and Mill?” I asked.
“Not quite. Unlike Rose and members like Alec, Ururu and I work exclusively as healers. We usually spend our days working at our infirmary in town.”
“Oh, the infirmary.”
So Orga and Ururu must be the two healers that Usato told me about. The rescue team plays several different roles in terms of healing, then.
The demon girl slumped roughly into the empty seat next to Ururu. It looked like her anger had subsided, but she was still in a foul mood.
“Oh, Felm! What’s with the long face?” asked Ururu, not at all concerned about the girl’s attitude.
In fact, Ururu smiled just as bright as always and gave the girl a pat on the head.
“Huh?! Hey, knock it off! No touching the horns!”
Orga laughed. “As energetic as always, aren’t you Ururu?” he said.
“You’re not going to stop her?” I asked.
“It’ll be fine. Felm’s more bark than she is bite.”
Yeah, but she looks like she might cry.
Before I knew it, the table was full, and all the seats were filled except for the captain’s.
“Rowdy bunch, aren’t you?” came a voice.
The dining hall went silent in an instant. Everyone stopped what they were doing and waited for Rose to take her seat. Even Alec and Mill, who were big and scary, sat up straight and at attention while they waited for what Rose would say next. I knew then that they held a great respect for Rose. She carried a weighty presence. Rose sat down. A few seconds passed in silence.
“So we’re all here,” she said.
Nobody spoke a word. I did the same as everyone else and waited for what she would say next. What was she going to say? I couldn’t help but feel a nervous excitement well up in me.
“We’ll skip the formalities,” Rose announced. “Today we have a new recruit, so we’re celebrating. But don’t go off the rails, you hear?”
“Huh?” I uttered.
Don’t go off the rails?
Rose’s words were so simple and straightforward that I was left stunned. But while I sat there confused, Mill and the others jumped to their feet.
“The captain gave the okay!” Mill declared.
The others roared, and the silence of the room was completely shattered. It exploded with smiles and laughter as everyone reached for some food.
“I, uh, what the . . .?” I started.
I couldn’t follow what had just happened, and simply looked around at everyone rambunctiously going about their meals. Then a plate was put in front of me with a little of everything on it.