🦊 🦊 🦊
“IS everyone ready?” Ektor asks.
“You didn’t forget anything, Ektor?” Macro questions him.
“I triple-checked everything, plus I had Claire and Angela check the paperwork for themselves. And so did you, Macro!”
The day’s finally here, and it’s bright and sunny, to boot. That’s right! The day the mid-tier guild, Lanakiller, finally ranks up! The six of us: Ektor, Macro, Rinny, Angela, Claire, and myself, are lined up outside the League of Guild’s main building, mentally preparing to head inside.
Today’s the day. Ugh, I’m so nervous!
“It’s too bad we couldn’t have everyone here,” I say quietly, and Angela chuckles in response.
“That’s how it goes sometimes. Once a group gets big enough, it becomes impossible getting everyone together in one spot.”
“I know you’re right, but still…”
Angela’s bright blue ponytail swings side to side playfully as she laughs. Her posture, with her head held high, only makes her look cooler than ever. I can’t help but be charmed by her mannerisms.
“Tonight marks the first time we’ll have all our guild members together in one room! We gotta hustle to get ready for the party once we’re finished here!” Claire exclaims.
That’s right! There might be a couple of folks missing now, but we can celebrate with everyone later tonight. But before that can happen, we have to make sure the application is perfect, so there are no problems.
“How long are we going to stand here? I’m going in,” Macro snaps, breaking up our lively conversation, before striding inside the building. He sighs as he leaves, shrugging us off in annoyance.
He’s right, though. There’s no point in standing around out here. Rinny immediately follows him inside, shouting after him to not run off on his own. Ektor goes next, meekly telling Macro and Rinny to stop fighting. Claire, Angela, and I smile as our eyes meet before we follow the three guys inside.
Things are never quiet with those three!
Once inside, Macro and Rinny immediately quiet down. Or rather, Ektor forces them to be quiet… At any rate! This is an important moment! Ektor approaches the reception desk, with the five of us standing slightly behind him. He has a brief conversation with the male receptionist.
“…It seems like your paperwork is all in order. We need to register your guild members next, so gather everyone together.”
“Not all of our members are here right now, but I brought this magic stone with us that we imbued with their power beforehand. Does that work?” With that, Ektor reaches inside his bag and takes out a palm-sized transparent stone, holding it out to the man at the desk.
It’s a stone able to record information. It currently holds samples of Kiefer, Candice, Wells, and Marino’s magic. Since everyone’s magic is different, it’s a way to prove their unique identities.
“Yes, this will be fine,” the receptionist says. “Since we have their magic fingerprints on file, it shouldn’t take long for me to confirm their identities.”
Anyone who works for a guild, even without becoming an official member, must register their magic fingerprints with the League of Guilds. Since the four of them have helped Lanakiller in the past, that means they’ve had to register at some point. Still, I’m impressed they can check something like that so quickly. Nothing like this exists in our small village, mainly because there aren’t enough people for it to be necessary. You know you’re in a proper city when you have something like this.
“Each of you will need to cast your magic into this crystal, one at a time,” the receptionist says.
Following his directions, we each touch the crystal he holds in his hand. He tells me not to be nervous, to simply use the stone as if using a simple magical gadget.
Easier said than done! Besides, I’m still not used to using gadgets…
A part of me is glad I was able to try out some magic tools since joining Lanakiller, but I’m still pretty flustered.
Once Claire is done, I channel my magic into the crystal, when suddenly the receptionist lets out a surprised cry and grabs me by my shoulders, shaking me.
“Huh? This can’t be…!”
“Eep?! D-Did I mess it up somehow? I didn’t mean to…”
Isn’t my magic the same as everyone else’s? What should I do?!
As I stand there in shock, the man almost immediately snaps out of it, apologizing profusely. “Oh, gosh! I’m s-so sorry! I’ve just never seen that color before. I always get in trouble for letting my emotions get the best of me… Gosh, I don’t know what came over me. There’s no problem at all, so please don’t worry.”
Err… About that…how can I not be worried based on such an overreaction?! He says it’s not a problem, but it seems like a huge problem!
My body’s trembling all over, tears threatening to spill from my eyes, when I’m suddenly surprised by a low voice coming from just behind me. At the same time, I feel a large hand on my shoulder, only further ramping up my anxiety!
“Hey. Yeah, you. Didn’t your parents teach you any manners? I won’t stand by while you scare my sweet Miku half to death…”
I tentatively look over my left shoulder to see Ektor, a princely smile on his face.
His terrifyingly calm voice doesn’t match his expression at all! And the intensity of his stare is terrifying! I want to know what caused the receptionist to react the way he did, but I’m not that angry about it!
Just as the thought crosses my mind, feeling more anxious than ever, I’m startled by a loud thwap of someone’s hand slapping the receptionist’s desk, and my head instinctively whips to the right. It’s just one surprise after another!
“Are you for real? Don’t you know anything about personal space? You’re a real failure as a receptionist if you can’t keep a professional attitude at work! I want to speak to your manager. You’re going to pay for upsetting my sweet little sister!”
This time, it’s Claire who’s terrifyingly angry! There’s no way I can get a word in edgewise. I freeze, feeling trapped between two furious hot heads.