GalaxyTL
The day of the joint meeting had finally arrived! The location’s Stella. The leaders of each guild, and one other member, will be gathering there. And as expected, the ones from Ortus will be Dad, our leader, and Adol-san.
“Stella makes me tense…”
“It does have a formal atmosphere. I think that’s why they’re trusted by the country.”
Adol-san chuckled wryly as he said this. Apparently, Dad doesn’t like the atmosphere of Stella. When he went to the Centrei Kingdom with Ludo-sensei, they went to Annulus, but not to Stella, so I don’t really know what it’s like. When I asked, Dad gave me the incredibly clear answer of, “It’s like a super fancy hotel.”
It would probably feel restrictive to Dad, who’s the type to prefer yakitori from a food stall over a fancy restaurant. What about me? I also prefer yakitori. But a fancy restaurant every now and then is nice, you know? I couldn’t do it all the time though. I’d be exposed…!
“Right, the Stella representatives will be their leader, Shezario, and… surprisingly, Isaac!”
“Isaac-san?”
Dad said this as if recalling something, but I tilted my head, unfamiliar with that name. Gil-san then told me,
“Isaac’s… Ludo’s nephew.”
“Ludo-sensei’s nephew!?”
Come to think of it, I’ve heard he has a nephew. I see, so he’s in Stella.
“Ah, you didn’t know, Meg? Ludo’s twin sister is also in Stella.”
“Hoeh~, I had no idea!”
So Ludo-sensei’s a twin too! I knew he had a sister, but it’s only natural when I think about it. Demi-humans have a low birth rate, so when there are multiples, it’s usually twins. It’s rarer for them to have children again, after already having one.
“Insect demi-humans often have twins. So it’s not that rare. But those twins at Annulus aren’t insect demi-humans, so that’s quite rare.”
Dad explained this. That’s also news to me. Ah, I see. So that’s why Ludo-sensei said they were rare when he saw Rune and Goot. I get it.
“Isaac’s a little bit rigid. I don’t dislike him, but he’s also the type that makes me tense.”
“The complete opposite of the gentle Ludo-san. But maybe they’re similar in their serious attitude towards work.”
His nephew, huh. I’d love to meet him. I wonder if I’ll be able to at the fighting tournament? Maybe not, since it’ll probably be crowded.
“Well then, we’ll be going now. We’ll be back the morning after tomorrow.”
“Have a good time! Be careful! You too, Adol-san!”
Dad and Adol-san were about to leave the guild, so I waved goodbye. They’re staying overnight because the meeting might take a while.
That secret path Dad can use, the one that goes through a different space, is so convenient! It doesn’t seem like there are shortcuts everywhere, but even so, being able to shorten travel time that much is great. That’s also why there are time differences, like how it takes less time to travel to a place that’s further away, compared to a closer location. What’s the point of maps?
If it was just Dad, he’d probably just tell us the important points when he gets back, but with Adol-san there, I’m sure he’ll properly explain how the discussion went and how things were decided. It’s so reassuring.
“Alright! Time to work as usual until evening! We’ll have to finish Adol’s work too!”
Saura-san said this, stretching, the moment the two of them left. O-Oh my, her chest is jiggling. She has such a great figure. No, that’s not the point!
“Until evening? Is something happening in the evening?”
I was curious because she sounded like something was happening. Saura-san, grinning, said, “Yes.”
“The meeting starts in the evening, right? Adol’s job there is to keep the Don in check. And we have… something we need to record.”
“Eh, record? We can do that?”
“Ah, that’s right. You haven’t heard, have you, Meg-chan? We’re sending Gil’s shadow birds with them. It’s not a problem, in terms of distance, since it’s at Annulus.”
“Ah, I see!”
Gil-san’s shadow bird. In other words, it means we can listen to the meeting in real time. It’s so convenient. Or rather, Gil-san’s amount of magic power and skill are incredible, to be able to connect over that distance. I understand, because I’m also getting better at using magic. I know just how incredible that is!
Well, I just leave everything to my spirits! Because I’m a nature magic user, my approach is fundamentally different. But even so, I can tell that Gil-san’s on another level.
“Do you want to listen in too, Meg-chan? On the joint meeting.”
“Eh, but is it okay for me to listen?”
“Of course. It’ll be good to learn what meetings are like! You can learn a lot, like negotiation tactics and other things!”
Saura-san invited me, so I’ll join, if it’s okay. I clenched my fists and answered, “Yes, please!” And then she patted me on the head, saying, “Good girl, good girl.” Why!?
“…Then you also need to properly finish your work, Meg.”
“That’s right!”
Gil-san said that, and I was struck with a realization. That’s right, today’s a day for me to go on a quest. Though it’s within the city, and just helping out. But work is work. I need to do my best!
“If I remember correctly, you’re working as a salesgirl at Ran-chan’s shop today, right?”
“Yes! So I’m wearing the outfit Ran-chan really likes, the one she said looks good on me!”
I said that, then spun around once, so they could get a good look. I’m wearing a mini-length overall dress with lace on the hem and cuffs. It’s easy to move in, and I love it. Because it has straps, I can also show off the fancy white shirt I’m wearing underneath. My hair’s in a ponytail today, so I’m using a scrunchie made of the same lace to hold it. Ran-chan gave it to me as a bonus. As expected!
“Yes! Incredibly cute, as always, Meg-chan! You’ll be fine, since it’s Ran’s shop, but be careful about everything, okay?”
“Okaaay!”
Come to think of it, it took a while for me to be able to go on jobs within the city on my own. I mean… everyone’s so overprotective! It was hard to get permission because they thought it was dangerous to be alone, even within the city. I remember going on so many jobs with a guardian, until I was finally allowed to go alone. It was incredibly awkward taking up their time!
“Call me if anything happens.”
“Okay! Thank you as always, Gil-san!”
And now, they’re okay with me going alone if I let Gil-san cast a spell on my shadow so he can come through it immediately, if needed. He apparently also senses when I’m in danger and can come immediately even without that, but it’s faster if he’s directly connected to my shadow, that’s his reasoning. However, I wonder what the principle is behind being able to sense danger. But I accept it, because it’s Gil-san.
…Don’t think for a moment that this means they’re not overprotective anymore. I’m sure you can imagine how long it took to even get to this point. I still have a long way to go until I’m independent.
And so! There’s nothing more to prepare, so I excitedly left the guild. But first—
“I’m off!”
Greetings are important! When I said this energetically, everyone in the guild saw me off. It’s so nice how everyone’s smiling. Ah, I’m so happy. I stepped outside, not even bothering to hide my smile.
I greeted those I passed on the street, and then arrived at my destination, the Lagran☆(Kirarin) Tailor Shop. It’s still an amazing name.
Everyone in this town’s so nice, so I don’t really have to worry, I always think that, but… there are tourists and people here for work, so it’s not good to be careless. I have seen some bad things happen before.
And today, I’m working as a salesgirl, I even have to try to get customers to come in, so I have to be extra careful! I’ve been told this over and over. By all my guardians….
“Ahhhh! I’ve been waiting, Meg-chan! And you’re even wearing that! I’m so happy!”
“Ran-chan, good morning! I’ll be in your care today!”
“Perfect greeting! Take care, Meg-chan. One of my dreams has finally come true.”
And the impactful person who came out of the shop is… Lagrange-san, or Ran-chan, as she prefers. As always, her outfit is flashy, her Tigal (tiger) ears and tail swaying, a large, curvy figure, an incredibly eye-catching person. But frilly clothes suit her. Maybe it’s because the material’s good?
“Dream…?”
I was curious about that word she used, so I asked. She then brought her face incredibly close to mine, so I instinctively took a step back. You startled me!
“Remember when you first came here, Meg-chan? I asked if you wanted to be the poster girl here!”
“Ah, that’s right!”
But Gil-san and Kei-san immediately rejected her proposal back then. They said there was no way I could be alone in the city. But thanks to that, I was able to become the poster girl for Ortus, and you could say the me today exists because of Ran-chan.
“So I’m really, really happy you’re finally my poster girl, even if it’s just for today!”
“Ehehe… I’m also happy to be able to help out at the shop! I’ll do my best today!”
“Mmm, so cute! I could just eat you up!”
“Fwah!? No eating me!”
She was licking her lips at such close range, so I involuntarily trembled, shaking my hands in the air. Ran-chan laughed, saying, “Just kidding.” But was it my imagination that there was a glint in her eyes? And I’d like to think it was my imagination that my shadow swayed slightly. Gil-san…
After that little incident, my work for the day began. I’ll do my best!