GalaxyTL
“The hall doubles as the entrance. You have to go through it to get to the reception desk. Anyone who’s never been here before goes through an initiation here.”
“Initiation…?”
His demeanor was blunt, but his explanations and guidance were surprisingly clear. He got straight to the point, not getting sidetracked, so we were moving at a good pace. Though it would be more fun if he threw in some anecdotes, like, “This happened here once.” But I doubt this boy would do that.
“All sorts of magic is flying around, like concealment spells and traps. Didn’t you notice? You’re pretty oblivious.”
“I didn’t notith.”
The boy kept throwing in those subtle jabs. But I wasn’t annoyed or anything. I’d already been informed that he was a bit… rebellious. So no matter how much he tried to provoke me, I’d just think, with a warm smile, “Someday, you’ll cringe at this embarrassing phase. Good luck,” and that was the extent of my reaction.
So I just gave a brief reply, completely ignoring his taunts, and it seemed to catch him off guard. He’d furrow his brow slightly. Well, I wasn’t going to change my attitude. Please forgive me for looking at him with the same eyes as a world-weary old lady gazing at a youngster.
“…There’s a staircase behind the reception counter. But we’ll look around this floor first before going to the other floors.”
“Okay!”
The boy sighed unhappily and then announced this. Yeah, he takes his work seriously. How straightforward.
The guild had a circular layout, with the reception counter in the entrance hall at the center, and various rooms surrounding it. We went clockwise from the counter, starting from the left. The main facilities were the cafeteria, training grounds, and infirmary, with storage rooms and restrooms scattered in between. Yep, I’d been to all the places on this floor. Carried, of course. It would be quite a walk for someone with as little stamina as me. Uu, I’m so out of shape.
Just like the training grounds, the back of the infirmary and the storage rooms were set up as separate spaces, the rooms far more spacious than they appeared from the outside. Having lived a life without magic, it still felt strange. But it was so convenient. It made me wonder if land even mattered in this world. And as if reading my thoughts, the boy chimed in with an explanation.
“Don’t think that rooms with permanent spatial distortion magic are common, you know? Aside from here, you’d only find them in castles.”
“Why?”
“First of all, the building needs to be durable enough to withstand having that kind of magic cast on it. Just acquiring the materials for that is difficult, and the processing takes a lot of time and money. So most people give up.”
S-So that’s why. So this building, with all these spatial distortions, was… sturdier than a castle? I remembered Schlie-san saying that this was the safest place in the world. I see, that made a lot of sense.
It suddenly dawned on me that this wasn’t a place for a little kid like me to be taking for granted. I needed to work hard, or I’d probably be kicked out as useless once I was an adult!
“There’s a pillar at the back of the counter, right? There’s a staircase behind it that leads to the basement. The basement has facilities for forging, processing, and labs. It’s a sanctuary for artisans. They’re all crazy, so be car—”
Huh? Was he going to say “be careful”? He abruptly stopped speaking and fell silent. I peeked at his face curiously, and he quickly averted his gaze.
“It’s not like I’m… worried about you or anything! I just meant… a little shrimp like you would just get in the way, so don’t go wandering down there!”
The boy said this quickly, flustered. Oh, how tsundere. In other words, he was worried about me? So he was a kind boy after all. I knew what this was!
Anyway, it’s about time we did something we should have done at the very beginning. I thought now was a good time and spoke.
“I’m Meg.”
“Huh…?”
“My name, it’s Meg. We didn’t intwoduche ourshelves. You can call me Meg! Nii-cha you are… Reki-shan?”
“…!”
That’s right, introductions. And because of that, I was still calling him “boy” in my head. I had this weird habit. I had a personal rule that I wouldn’t call someone by their name, even in my head, unless we’d properly introduced ourselves. There were exceptions, of course, like celebrities, teachers, and company presidents. But I generally applied this rule to everyone else.
The reason was trivial. Introducing ourselves clarified our relationship, and most importantly, I could remember names better that way. If we greeted each other properly, I could remember someone’s face and name after a single meeting. It was one of my few talents.
So I’d been looking for a good opportunity to properly introduce myself to this boy from the beginning. But he seemed a bit difficult to approach, so I was waiting for the right moment.
“Yeah… but what’s with that ‘-shan’?”
“Sowwy about that… I can’t… shay it pwoperly.”
I apologized sincerely to his retort, which was probably just to hide his embarrassment. He obviously didn’t think I was doing it on purpose, so he didn’t scold me, but he asked me to call him by his name.
“Reki… nii?”
“I’m not your big brother!”
“Reki… kun…?”
“Stop adding things to my name. It’s annoying! I said you can just call me by my name!”
His face was getting redder in the latter half of that exchange, so I decided it was best to back down. I wasn’t sure what was so embarrassing, but I’d do as he asked.
“Then… Reki. Nice to meetchu!”
“…Let’s move on.”
In the end, I didn’t even get a proper reply, and he didn’t even call me by my name. But we were in the same guild, so I’d just have to wait patiently until he finally called my name. No rushing. I could wait as long as it takes! I had a long lifespan, after all!
Perhaps trying to hide his embarrassment, Reki’s pace quickened, and I ended up having to jog lightly to keep up. Reki, you have long legs despite looking like a boy!
As I was struggling to catch my breath, Reki suddenly stopped. What’s wrong? I’d finally caught up. I took the opportunity to get some air back into my lungs. Suu, haaah.
“Reki?”
“…It’s nothing. Let’s go to the next floor. We’re not going to the basement today. Too many people working. So, we’re going to the second floor.”
“Okii.”
He said only that and then started walking again. Alright, I need to keep up, I thought, but…
…Huh? I can keep up even while walking?
Wait, could it be…?
I observed Reki, and he seemed to be walking much slower than before. He was being considerate, adjusting his pace so I wouldn’t have to run.
Realizing this, I smiled to myself. Because if I pointed it out, he’d probably get annoyed. And I could foresee a future where I’d be forced to run again!
What kind of rooms were on the second floor? I followed Reki, my heart filled with anticipation.