GalaxyTL
“Little lady, I haven’t seen you around before. Where’d you come from? Where are your parents?”
The muscular giant asked in a booming voice. No, he probably didn’t realize he was being loud. His dazzling golden hair was like a lion’s mane. He must be some kind of lion demi-human, I thought, trying to escape reality.
Because his questions were hard to answer! If I knew the answers, I wouldn’t be in this situation. As I was pondering how to respond, I heard approaching footsteps, “Totatatata!” Turning around, I saw Saura-san heading towards us with a frightening expression. S-Saura-san, your face…!
“Nika! Stop it, you’re scaring Meg-chan! You need to be more aware of your appearance and voice!”
“Hmm? Did I scare her? Sorry about that, little lady!”
The giant laughed heartily once more, “Gahaha!” Ah, he was a guild member, after all.
“You’re not even reflecting…”
Saura-san slumped her shoulders dejectedly. I had a feeling, but she was definitely someone who had a lot to deal with. She was carefree, yet had a strong sense of responsibility. Contradictory traits coexisting harmoniously!
“Ah, um, I’m okii! I’m not shcawed!”
I quickly reassured them. I wasn’t scared, really. I was surprised by his voice and size, but I didn’t think someone this cheerful could be scary. He might be intimidating if he got angry, but you could tell from the first interaction that he wasn’t the type to lash out randomly. I gave him a big smile.
“Oh, it’s Saura. What’s up, you little… This one’s awfully cute, dammit.”
“Oh my, that’s rare. Nika, you’re flustered by Meg-chan’s cuteness. Hmm, maybe Meg-chan’s cuteness is more effective than using magic…”
Hold on, were they even on the same page? They didn’t seem to care, so maybe this was their normal mode of communication. Again, I had a hunch, but the people in this guild were all strange… no, unique. Was it because they were Special-grade? No, maybe birds of a feather flock together.
In that case, Eugene-san, the founder and leader of the guild, must be the strangest… no, wait, the most unique of them all.
“People are terrified of me on first sight, even grown men! Little one! You’ve got guts! I’m impressed!”
“I’m not a ‘little one’! I’m Meg!”
“Oh, my bad, Meg. I’m Veronika. Call me Nika!”
“Nika-shan! Nice to meetchu!”
I really liked this guy. He was cheerful, bright, and, judging by his physique, strong. I got the feeling that he hated lies and schemes, preferring to face things head-on. I felt like I could trust someone like him. Though that’s just my personal opinion!
“I’ll properly explain Meg-chan’s situation to the heads of each department. And you too, Nika. Come see me when you’re done with your current request.”
“Oh, right. Then I should be free to hear it tomorrow. I’ll grab some dinner and finish up quickly!”
“See ya later,” Nika-san said, flashing a white-toothed grin, and left. It felt like his heart was as big as his body. Bold, you could say. Was that just a stereotype?
“Fufu, Meg-chan, you’re so brave. You surprised me!”
“I’ll be back soon,” Saura-san said and then left. Oh, so Saura-san could see me. Wait! Did she see me struggling to get down…? H-How embarrassing!
…That’s right! I wasn’t playing around! Someone, please get me down!
I completely forgot to ask, what a fool. I hung my head dejectedly. Ugh.
『Kuku, Meg-chan, I’m back.』
“Hyaah!?”
A soft voice suddenly whispered in my ear. Kei-san? Did he sneak up on me again? I turned around…
…And locked eyes with a pure white snake with crimson eyes.
“Hyaaaaaaaah!?”
I couldn’t help but let out a strange shriek and try to escape. But I was stuck in the sofa. Nooo! Please don’t bite, snake-san!
Whether or not the white snake knew what I was thinking, it slithered across the sofa, over me, and down onto the floor. I shuddered as the snake brushed against me, a chill running down my spine. Eek!
As I trembled, tears welling up in my eyes, I heard Kei-san chuckling again. And then, in a blink of an eye, the white snake transformed back into the slender beauty I knew.
Y-You…! You’re shortening my lifespan!!
“Sorry, sorry, did I scare you? You’re so cute when you’re surprised. Do you… not like snakes…?”
I couldn’t help but pout at Kei-san, who was smiling without a hint of remorse. But their following words sounded a little sad.
“I don’t like shnake-shans who like to shcare people! But… I like shnake-shans who are kind!”
I lightly reprimanded them for their actions and then gave a lighthearted reply.
I thought they’d feel sad if someone said they didn’t like their own kind. And I had a feeling Kei-san had gone through that many times.
But I’d never touched a snake directly, and I hadn’t had enough interactions with snakes to decide whether or not I liked them. I had a scary image of them, but I wasn’t scared of Kei-san, so I meant what I said.
“I see. You’re right. …I’m sorry, Meg-chan. I won’t do it again.”
“Then I like you!”
“Fufu, thank you.”
It felt like Kei-san’s words of gratitude carried many meanings.
Kei-san easily lifted me off the sofa. I’d struggled so much before, and it was this easy!?
So they knew I was trying to get down…! Uwaa, so embarrassing!
“By the way, Meg-chan, what were you trying to do? You were trying to get off the sofa, so you must have wanted to do something, right?”
Ah! That’s right! Nika-san’s appearance and Kei-san’s prank made me completely forget. I frantically searched for the tiny light from before.
“Huh, It’s… gone.”
The pink spirit that had been hiding in the corner of the guild was no longer there. I looked around, wondering if it had moved, but while there were other pink lights, I couldn’t find the pale pink one. Where did it go?
“Are you looking for someone?”
“There wash this spiwwit-shan I wanted to shee… but it seems like it’s gone…”
“A spirit… Oh right, Meg-chan is an elf.”
Kei-san didn’t seem to understand at first, but they quickly remembered that I was an elf and nodded in understanding.
“I hope you find it again…”
“I don’t know much about spirits… but if you want to see it again, Meg-chan, I’m sure you will. I don’t think any person or spirit would dislike being wanted by such an adorable child.”
As always, Kei-san’s words were smooth and handsome. And I was able to readily accept them. It felt like I’d have a better chance of seeing that spirit again if I believed that!
“Okii! I really wanna meet it again!”
Saying it out loud somehow made me feel like it would come true. I felt a surge of hope! Kei-san smiled and muttered, “That spirit’s lucky.” I wonder why.