Part 9: A Gathering
UNABLE to hide his eagerness, Albert led the way to the job board. And when we emerged from the corridor into one side of the lobby, I saw an unhappy Ralf standing with an equally unhappy Ellie. The foreboding atmosphere around them made them difficult to approach, but I couldn’t just ignore them. After all, given what had happened the day before, chances were good I was the topic of conversation. So I let my new friends know I’d be right back, then headed over to Ellie and Ralf.
“Good morning,” I said. “Is everything okay over here?”
“Good morning, Miss Yamagishi.”
“Morning, Haruka.”
They both immediately turned to smile at me, and then continued their conversation. It was terribly tense.
“Oh, is ‘Yamagishi’ Haruka’s family name?” Ellie asked innocently.
“…Are you trying to make some kind of point?” Ralf retorted. “Do you really think you’ve got something on me just because you’re on a first-name basis with her? Gods, you’re hopeless.”
I didn’t know if they were old acquaintances or what, but it appeared they had spent the moments before my arrival quarreling, and Ralf’s words were decidedly barbed. I heard a rhythmic tapping sound and found that it was coming from his fingertips drumming on his sword. Ellie, meanwhile, kept twisting and untwisting a lock of her hair around her finger in irritation.
“And another thing,” Ralf said. “Why do I have to find out news about Miss Yamagishi from the likes of you, Miss Hitstan? I’d like to speak to her myself, so kindly give us some privacy, won’t you? Don’t you agree, Miss Yamagishi?”
“Well unfortunately for you, she already made her decision,” Ellie snapped back. “So why don’t you buzz off? Isn’t that right, Haruka?”
I pressed a hand to my forehead. Why were they fighting over me like dogs with a bone? I may not have gotten mana sickness, but aggravating situations like this gave me a serious headache.
Ralf’s irritation was only natural. I should have sought him out the day before and explained my reasoning to him myself. In my frazzled rush, I had left it all to Ellie, which hadn’t been ideal.
Knowing I was causing others to argue was taking a serious toll on me, especially given that it was two people who had been nothing but kind to me in this unknown world.
“I should have told you directly,” I said. “I’m deeply sorry for any upset I caused, Ralf.” I bowed my head deeply and continued, taking advantage of the pause in their argument. “I acted ungratefully,” I said. “I canceled my stay you reserved at the inn partly because I didn’t want to burden you more than I already had, but also because of my selfish desire not to increase my own debt. Regardless, that was why I imposed on Ellie’s kindness.”
“No, no, you have it all wrong,” Ralf said. “We’re not angry at you, Miss Yamagishi…”
“H-He’s right, Haruka,” Ellie chimed in. “I was the one who persuaded you to listen to me.”
Despite their heated words with each other, they were now both trying to defend me to myself. I appreciated their efforts, but any way you looked at it, I had caused this problem. I couldn’t allow them to be so gracious toward me.
“No, it wasn’t either of you,” I insisted. “I’m the one who so shamelessly relied on your kindness, both of you. And as the person responsible, I’m embarrassed by my conduct.”
Perhaps I’d used my lack of familiarity with this world as an excuse to let myself be spoiled by the people around me. But just as I was about to say more, I heard someone call out to me from a distance. Curious, I lifted my head to see who it was and discovered yesterday’s rambunctious quartet heading through the Guild’s lobby toward us.
“Boss Lady! Goooood morning! Hey, who the hell’s makin’ ya bow yer head like that? Let me at ’em!”
“Hey, hey, hey,” said another one, “hold on a sec and use those eyes for once in your life, man. Wait. It’s freaking Ralf.” Then he addressed Ralf directly: “You son of a bitch, you’re planning to use her up and throw her away, huh? Better be ready to face me like a man!”
“Your luck ran out when we showed up. Ain’t no way we’re letting you get away with squat, asshole!”
“Cut it out, you reckless idiots! Don’t just charge in like that!”
Dennis, Dominic, and Roman had surrounded Ralf, each spouting off aggressively. Totto rushed over to talk them down, despite not quite understanding the circumstances—maybe after everything that had happened the day before, he was trying his best not to start fights indiscriminately.
“Boss Lady, huh? That’s hilarious. Haruka, you know them?” A new voice had joined the commotion.
“Yes, in fact, I do,” I said. “We’re trying to have a serious conversation here, Albert…”
The boy had now joined the fray too. Up until a moment ago, he’d been practically bouncing with excitement in front of the job board. Now he tugged incessantly on my tracksuit jacket, like he was a little kid annoying his big sister. Things were rapidly spinning out of control, but just as I was about to start clutching my head in despair, I heard a loud click coming from behind me.
As one, we all turned around to look and found one of the receptionists glaring at us, her chin raised haughtily, presumably having just clicked her tongue quite loudly. She pushed her glasses firmly up on her nose, then spoke in clear, ringing tones, taking no notice of our stares.
“You’re causing a disturbance in front of the counter. Would you kindly take your discussion elsewhere?”
We looked at each other, silently agreeing to change locations, then meekly shuffled off toward a deserted section of the guild lobby. That lady’s scary, but kinda cool.