“Welcome back!” Given that we hadn’t come home at all last night, Tigaro was probably concerned. She came running excitedly down the stairs to greet us.
“We’re back, Tiga! And, actually, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about,” Frieze said.
“What’s this all out of the blue?”
“Oh, don’t worry, nothing bad. Let’s go talk over there!”
“I’ll be in my room,” I said before turning away from the three girls standing in the entrance hall and heading upstairs to my bedroom.
I was sitting on my bed mindlessly killing time when a knock sounded on the door. Tigaro came in, looking much more nervous than usual. Understandable, I thought, given that it was just the two of us alone on top of the fact that she had been tasked with keeping me occupied.
“Hey, a-are you...free right now...?”
“Sure, I’m free. How come?”
“Umm, well... I was feeling like a stroll around the neighborhood might be nice! I already tried asking Frieze and Oltea too, of course, but they said they seemed to just want to rest for now.”
“I see. Sure, I’ll go with you.”
“O-Okay! Thanks!” She exhaled, relieved to not have been rejected. Despite her characteristic nervousness, she always tried her best for the sake of the party’s success and was a truly kind person. It was because of exactly those qualities that I wanted to become her friend. Taking the opportunity to deepen our connection was the right move. Still, as we left the house together, anticipation mixed with anxiety until the two emotions filled me in equal measure.
“Is there any place in particular you’d like to go, Tigaro?”
“I mostly just want to be able to go for a walk, but... Oh, right. Hey, where could we find cheese for sale?”
“The closest shop for cheese is probably going to be on the main street—the one with the guild.”
“Ah, well...um, in that case, I feel like going that way,” Tigaro said, pointing in the opposite direction of the guild as though she was wary of the possibility I might run into Frieze and Oltea.
“Let’s go that way, then,” I said, and we set off down the tranquil residential avenue. Before long, we arrived at a stretch of road lined with storefronts.
“Oh,” I started, getting my companion’s attention. “Did you want any new clothes, Tigaro?”
“I don’t particularly need any at the moment. Besides, I gave all my money to my parents already. Even if I did want to buy something, I wouldn’t be able to,” Tigaro said. While Oltea, Frieze and I were out on a job the other day, Tigaro had gone to Hybrid Town to visit her parents and, it seemed, give them the money she had earned from her previous job. She really was a kind girl for taking such good care of them.
“It’d be my gift to you,” I said. It might not be the cheapest method, but gift giving was perfect for strengthening a bond. Tigaro had told us that she always wore her maid uniform just because it felt nice. Surely she’d appreciate being given a new set of clothes if they were similarly comfortable.
“I’m good for clothes, really. Thanks to your...‘Clean Beam,’ was it? With that keeping my uniform fresh, I don’t even have to worry about it getting damaged in the laundry. I’ve even got some spares to swap out,” she said.
“Sure...” I said. She did not seem to be holding back, just genuinely uninterested in clothing. If I was going to get her a gift, I wanted it to be something that would please her, so...
“Tigaro, do you like flowers at all?” I asked. Nothing was more emblematic of gifts for women than a nice bunch of flowers.
“Well, sure, as much as anyone does, I guess. At the mansion where I was staying before coming here, there was a flower bed that I used to like looking at now and then after I finished my work for the day.”
“In that case, why don’t we go to a florist? I was thinking of decorating my room with some flowers, and I’d love it if you could pick some out for me,” I said. I actually intended to buy them for her, of course, but I feared that she would modestly decline if I said so outright. I decided to give them to her as a surprise.
“It’d really be okay if I chose them?”
“Sure, it’s not as if I know the first thing about flowers. Pick some that you like! Enough to make a bouquet would be perfect.”
“You got it. Show me the way and I’ll choose some,” she said. We continued down the street until we arrived at the flower peddler. A diverse assortment of flowers adorned the storefront and filled the air with a pleasant scent. Tigaro examined the offerings with a careful thoroughness as her expression softened into a smile. I was watching her when someone called my name.
“Kaito!” came a happy-sounding woman’s voice from within the shop. A hybrid girl with floppy ears like those of a lop rabbit came out to greet me, a bouquet clutched in her hands.
“Good afternoon, uh...”
“I’m Lulina’s mom! A while back you bought some flowers from my daughter for a whole gold coin, and I’ve been hoping for a chance to say thank you ever since!”
“Ah, so you’re that little girl’s mother,” I said, realizing I was speaking to the parent of the child who had been selling flowers in front of the guild hall. That was the day that we had met Frieze.