GalaxyTL
Ah! No, no, me! That handsome guy just greeted me, and I was just spacing out! I need to return his greeting properly. Even if he’s still holding onto the red-haired guy’s ear.
I really should have done it first, but please forgive me, I just woke up.
“H-Hello. I’m Meg. Um… Schlie-re-chiー… nyo…-shan…”
Ugh, his name’s so long! I never thought I’d be able to say it properly, but I thought if I said it slowly…!
On the ground, the guy whose ear was being held was making a huge fuss, laughing and writhing in pain, “Bwahaha! Rechino! Rechino! Bwahahaha, ow! Ow, ow, ow! Stop, stop it!!” Schlie Letziano-san’s expression remained the same, his gentle smile unchanging. Somehow, that made it even more frightening…
“It’s alright. You’re still just a child, it’s only natural you wouldn’t be able to say it properly. Schlie is fine. Everyone calls me that.”
“Schlie-shan. I’m shawry. And thank you…”
Schlie-san’s words were kind, in stark contrast to his actions. Thank goodness…! His customer-service smile softened a little, so I figured his words were genuine.
He must be the type whose true intentions were difficult to decipher, even if you knew what his fake smile was hiding… But even knowing that, you’d still be captivated by his charm. In short, he was simply too beautiful… His voice was fairly deep, too, so he was definitely a man.
“Now then, let’s not stand here chatting at the entrance. Shall we head inside? Gil, I need to discipline this fool, so please show her in.”
“Sure. …Have a word with him for me later.”
“Of course. Meg, I’ll see you later.”
Saying this with a widening smile, Schlie-san dragged the red-haired guy away, yet in a surprisingly elegant manner. He was going to keep punishing him even after all this time…? He looked so beautiful, yet terrifying. I had to make a mental note to never anger him… Though I have to say, the red-haired guy was pretty tough himself, barely reacting to having his ear nearly ripped off, aside from making a little fuss!
“Let’s go in.”
“Okii!”
Gil-san, who’d finished putting away the basket and cloth without me noticing, called out to me, and I replied energetically. With how I looked, I needed to act a little more like a child, right? Oh well.
“Ah, welcome back, Gil! So how was it? Was my hunch right…?”
As Gil-san opened the door to the building, a pleasant chime rang out. Hearing it, those inside turned their attention towards us. There weren’t many people, but they were staring at me with surprised expressions, making me feel a little uneasy. I reflexively clung to Gil-san’s leg.
Then, an energetic voice called out from behind a counter at the back of the room. The way her voice trailed off was probably because she’d noticed me. I’m so sorry.
The room fell silent, as if time had stopped. The woman at the counter continued staring at me. Awkward… Then, the silence was broken by a strange remark from the same energetic woman.
“Do you… need to register a pet…?”
I wasn’t even considered human!
As Gil-san removed his hood and mask, he retorted in an exasperated tone, “No, she’s not a pet…” So his true appearance was finally revealed! Jet-black hair and eyes that seemed to draw you in. He was the mysterious, handsome type after all…! The fact that he was relaxing like this probably meant this place was like home to him.
Seemingly snapping out of it, the woman declared to the others who were stirring in the building, “I’ll explain later!” in a clear, strong voice. Then, she exited the counter and hurried over to us.
She had beautiful, long, emerald-green hair. Tied into a ponytail, it swayed gracefully every time she moved. …Incidentally, so did her incredibly ample bosom… I-I’m not jealous or anything!
She had an incredible figure, with a slim waist and a shapely backside. She was wearing a rather revealing, light green dress that made it hard to look her in the eye. Even so, her large, green eyes, the same shade as her hair, and her energetic features gave her a fresh and sporty impression, rather than anything overtly erotic. Perhaps her cheerful personality was showing through.
This curvaceous beauty…
“Hello there! I’m Sauradite, of the Halfling race. Just call me Saura!”
She was about the same height as me, a child barely reaching Gil-san’s waist…! So small!
Well, how to put this? To say she was adorable would be an understatement…! But as a mature adult, I expertly concealed my excitement, introduced myself, and bowed politely.
“Meg-chan, huh! My, my! You’re just precious! Can I give you a hug?!”
I was gaping at this petite beauty with a bombshell body when I was suddenly enveloped in a hug. I hadn’t even said yes yet!? Besides, you’re the adorable one here!
…Though, I wasn’t complaining. I had some opinions about large breasts, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bury my face in them. Although, it was a little suffocating!
“Saura, Meg’s drowning.”
“Oh, my apologies. But you see, the only ones I can hug comfortably like this are my own kind or children. Which means… it’s been ages! Besides, Meg-chan is just so adorable! That’s why I lost my composure and blurted out those strange things earlier…”
Saved from death by smothering thanks to Gil-san’s timely intervention, I was now having my cheek rubbed against hers. Ah, I understand. A child’s skin is so soft and smooth… Though, Gil-san, that “drowning” analogy was spot on, it’s hard not to laugh!
“Oh dear, I’m so sorry, Meg-chan. You’re trembling so much. I won’t bite! I’m not Kei, after all.”
“Kei… shan?”
She’d mistaken my trembling from suppressed laughter for fear… I’m so sorry. Personally, having my cheek rubbed by a beautiful woman was a treat.
A new name piqued my interest, and I couldn’t help but ask. I understood guilds were like companies, so it made sense they’d have a lot of members. In fact, I’d seen a few when I entered the building. Names… I need to try and remember them. A newcomer should remember their seniors’ names and greet them properly, it’s how you communicate!
“…The most handsome man in the guild. And he loves cute girls. Oh dear, Meg-chan’s in danger… Gil!”
“Of course. I shall protect her at all costs.”
Saura-san confirmed this with Gil-san, her expression deadly serious. And Gil-san replied just as earnestly. …No, wait, wasn’t that just a playboy thing? A handsome, womanizing man… I wonder how many women he’s made cry? Come to think of it, wouldn’t that make me, a child, relatively safe?
The part that bothered me the most was this: the most handsome in the guild, but…
“Gil-shan, Schlie-shan, and even that onii-chan with red hair… they’re all handsome, you know…? And Saura-shan, you’re beautiful too…”
Really, this was it. Every person I met was incredibly good-looking, it was troubling! What, once you reach Special-grade, are you required to have certain looks? Doesn’t that mean I’m out!?
As I pondered this, Saura-san patted my head, saying, “Good girl,” but then followed it with a long, heavy sigh, adding, “Well, it’s true that we have a lot of good-looking people in our guild, and Kei is pretty handsome too. Ah, but we also have those who are scary-looking and… unfortunate-looking!”
“Unfortunate-looking”…? Saura-san, your choice of words… My face twitched a little. So she was the type to speak her mind. And I’d only encountered handsome men so far… I must be pretty lucky. As I was spacing out, Saura-san continued, oblivious to my thoughts.
“Kei’s handsomeness… it’s not just about his looks! It’s his words, actions, and even his ideology that are truly handsome! He simply adores cute things, wanting to cherish and protect them with all his might, but that just makes him even worse…!”
Saura-san hugged herself and shuddered. Here we have the naturally airheaded, dangerous, handsome man. Just hearing about him made me sympathize with the girls he’d charmed. I didn’t want to meet him, but I was incredibly curious. …We were in the same guild, so I’m sure our paths would cross eventually… I’d worry about it then.
As the three of us stared off into the distance, the guild door opened with a chime. Turning towards the entrance in unison, we saw Schlie-san with his refreshing smile and the red-haired guy, who looked pale and exhausted, approaching. …His ear, it was the same color as his hair.
“Sorry for the wait. But Saura? How long do you intend to make our little guest stand? I thought you’d have shown her to the guest room by now.”
“Eh, ahaha! It slipped my mind! I couldn’t help it, Meg-chan’s so adorable!”
Not the least bit fazed or apologetic, Saura-san stuck her tongue out at Schlie-san, who’d reprimanded her with a smile. To be able to withstand such a terrifying smile… I made a mental note that Saura-san was secretly a formidable person. And she looked very cute when she was being playful.
“My bad! It was my fault. Don’t glare at me like that, Schlie!”
“Haa… You’re apologizing to the wrong person.”
“That’s true. I’m sorry, Meg-chan. You must be tired… I’ll show you to your room right away! And I’ll even bring out some special snacks.”
“Seriously!?”
“…Why are you planning to tag along, Juma?”
Their banter was so entertaining… I bet they had these comedic exchanges daily. Schlie-san, who always seemed so serious, must have a lot of headaches… As always, thank you for your hard work.
In the end, the five of us—me, Gil-san, Saura-san, Schlie-san, and the red-haired guy—ended up heading for the guest room.
I wonder what kind of snacks they have…?