“This is our current line-up. We have two other members, but one of them strained their back and the other is working their other job, so they’re on hiatus at the moment,” Leila summarizes.
The team members that we have met are all really kind. What a relief!
Now that they’re done, it’s our turn!
“I’m Sakurako. Um, we come from far away and this will be our first adventure, and our first job with the Guild, so I’m really nervous, but I’ll do whatever I can. I’m a chef.”
“A chef? Sweet! People with cooking skills don’t often think about going on adventures, so you’re a rare treasure!” Ganzi says happily.
Thank goodness. I was skeptical about whether I’d measure up, being a chef. I didn’t expect such a positive response. Phew.
“I’m Kazuya, and I’m a merchant. I told Leila yesterday, but I can use beginner-level support magic, including storage magic.”
“Sounds like you’re good with your hands. Being able to use storage magic is pretty accomplished for someone your age,” Ganzi says. “Which brings me to my next question—what relationship do you two have? We hardly ever see black hair in these parts. Are you siblings?”
“No, me and Sakurako are eng—”
“Kazuya! Geez!” I yank his arm before he can again doggedly claim we’re engaged, and he shuts up. “We’ve been friends since we were little. We’re like brother and sister.”
“Sakurako, you’re seventeen, right? Although you look younger…” Ganzi examines me. “Seventeen’s not much different from eighteen. That’s what Luke is.”
“No, I just turned nineteen,” Luke corrects him.
“Oh, right. You did. Well, seventeen’s great. You’re the same age as Luke. And looks like Sakurako and Kazuya aren’t together. Good for you, Luke!”
“Ganzi, I told you, please don’t say stuff like that.” Luke flushes.
Luke’s nineteen? Why’s it good that we’re close in age? And why’s it good for him that Kazuya and I aren’t together…?
“Why do you keep bringing up Sakurako at the same time as Luke?” Kazuya speaks up, still in a bad mood.
“Well. It so happens that Luke spends all day, every day, exterminating monsters. I thought that was the only thing he was interested in, but yesterday he told us that when he met Sakurako, his heart was pounding like he encountered a powerful enemy! Ouch!” Ganzi winces and leans down to rub his shin. “Luke, you don’t have to kick me!”
“What do you expect when you blurt out stuff like that! Why would you say that?” Luke glares at Ganzi, his face bright red. He glances at me to check my reaction and lowers his gaze in embarrassment.
What? Could that mean…Luke likes me? Me?! No, wait. Ganzi said ‘like he encountered a powerful enemy’. Does that mean Luke only sensed that I was a formidable opponent— Nope, not gonna dwell on that. I’m a dainty cook in this world. A weak cook.
Before Luke realizes that I’m pretending—I mean, before his feelings change—I mean, as long as I’m weak—No, not that either. Um, what am I trying to say? Anyway, I’ll just keep my hopes up.
“Wait a minute,” Kazuya barks. “Are you letting us into your party because you have ulterior motives? Why don’t you explain Luke and Leila’s relationship? You look close; are you together? I’m sorry, but I can’t believe you would try to mess around with another girl when you’re in a relationship.” He glares at Luke.
Luke’s eyes widen and he goes rigid with shock, taken aback by the sudden hostility.
Don’t be so harsh, Kazuya…
But yeah, Leila being in the picture does complicate things.
However, Leila splutters with laughter. “Oh my God! No way! Ha ha ha! That’s gold, Kazuya! What are you talking about? I’m Luke’s mom.”
Deafening silence descends on Kazuya and me. This time it’s our turn to freeze.
“What?” we demand in unison.
She’s…his mom? What?!
“She’s my mom,” Luke confirms, ducking his head in embarrassment.
“Your mom?” we both repeat.
I swallow my stupefaction and look her up and down again. Her glowing and firm skin. Her curvy body. And there’s not even the faintest wrinkle on her face. How can she be any older than twenty? Yet Luke’s nineteen, so does that make her over thirty? At least? Is every woman in this world like this?!
Leila shoots me and Kazuya a stunning smile. “It just so happens that we’ve been looking for new party members, but couldn’t find anyone we could trust. Until Luke found a cute girl for us.”
“You’re making less and less sense. We just met. Why would you think you can trust us?” As always, Kazuya doesn’t mince his words.
Leila smiles placidly. “Anyone who Luke likes can’t be bad. Because he was born with a special skill… If Luke’s settled on you, then it’s fine.”
Luke has a special skill? I cock my head, curious.
“I can’t give you details on that yet. It really is special. Sorry I can’t tell you more, but would you like to join us anyway? All of us would love to have you.” Her sexy smile is on high beam.
Still wondering what Luke’s special skill could be, I turn to see Kazuya’s lips pursed bitterly. Has he changed his mind about joining the Evenfall Lions?
He slowly relaxes his jaw and speaks deliberately. “Okay. We’ll join you. But we’re not planning on staying with you long-term. Since this is our first Guild job, we just want to gain experience with a team of veterans. Once we get used to things, we’ll probably leave you. We’ll only join as long as you agree to those terms.”
“That’s fine. I’d love for you to stay longer, but that depends on how things shape up. If we prove to you that we’re worth sticking with forever, then there won’t be an issue, will there? I think we can do that.” Leila’s pleasant smile is full of confidence.
Kazuya gives a thoughtful nod. Negotiations took a while, but we’ve managed to join Luke’s party. My shoulders relax. Yay!
“That’s settled, then. Okay, let’s get to our quest.” Leila cuts to the chase.
“Have you already got a quest lined up?” Kazuya asks.
“Yes, we’ve got our orders. We signed up to take out an owl demon. We were looking for specific support jobs that’ll be good for this quest.”
“Owl demon? I remember hearing about that somewhere,” I say.
Kazuya nods. “That’s the monster that showed up outside of town recently, correct?”
That jogs my memory. Right, the gatekeeper mentioned it when we entered town. Something about sightings of an owl demon nearby, and that we needed to be on guard.
“Yes, it’s the talk of the town. Owl demons are B-class monsters, but depending on their size, they can be on par with A-class monsters. All hell would break loose if it attacked a rural town like Rosettebern. So we need to beat it before it comes here.”
“By the way, what does an owl demon look like?” Kazuya asks seriously.
“It’s got the body of a man and the face of an owl, and it’s quite big.”
Kazuya shoots me a troubled glance. I wonder why. What’s he getting at?
The body of a man and the face of an owl… Oh, yeah! That’s exactly like the monster we came across right when we arrived in this world. But as I recall, it only took one punch. It wasn’t the type of monster a whole town should be on guard over. I probably defeated the henchman of an owl demon, like its assistant or something.
But Kazuya looks like he suspects it was an owl demon, so I shake my head and say, “Sounds strong, huh, Kazuya?” to imply that I think we defeated something else.
He sighs and turns back to Leila. No need for that attitude.
“To defeat it, we need to head out of town, I suppose. What happens if we can’t find it?”
“If we don’t, then we won’t be able to collect the reward from the Guild. But it’s never a total waste of time to go out past the town limits, because we can hunt other monsters and gather precious and expensive plants. In fact, since you two want to gain experience in different roles, I think you’ll gain more from doing that and learning to live outside, rather than from seeking a dangerous owl demon as our primary objective.” Leila’s rather persuasive.
Kazuya pretends to think it over, then says, “I understand, then. By all means, we’re on board with accompanying you. Are you leaving now?”
“Not today, but tomorrow morning. Normally, it’s one party per quest, but because this is an emergency, they’re letting a whole bunch of adventurers sign up for it. Everyone’s leaving tomorrow at the same time. So do what you can to get ready for it today! It’d help if you can get your hands on some armor with defensive power, but if you don’t have the gaul for that, come as you are. Merchants and cooks aren’t expected to fight, anyway.”
We nod. Kazuya looks very serious. No, it looks like he’s biting back words.
“Kazuya?” I prod. He looks me in the eye and blinks, resolute.
“L-Leila, does that outfit of yours have…defensive power?” he asks meekly, nodding at her clothes. Try as he might, he couldn’t help but be curious. I wanted to ask, too, but I didn’t have the nerve. I’m amazed he did. He has some serious guts.
Leila pushes out her chest and crosses her arms. “Oh, this? No, no physical defensiveness whatsoever, but sky-high magical defense. And it increases my magical power a ton. As a mage, I provide a lot of logistical support. So this is premium mage equipment.” She winks.
Aha, so there is rhyme and reason to her outfit. That bugbear’s solved.
Kazuya appears convinced. He crosses his arms pensively and murmurs, “So in this world you can legally wear bikinis anywhere?”
Kazuya. You might think you’re mumbling under your breath, but I hear you.
Geez, Kazuya’s at that age where he can’t ignore someone in a bikini… Oh. That’s it! Kazuya likes guys, so he should be more hung up on people of the same gender. So the person he wants to see in a bikini is…a guy?
The image of 56-year-old, single, muscular Mr. Watanabe in a bikini sends a shudder through me.