“So that’s what happened, wasn’t it?”
Reizei Akino took a sip of her tea.
They were in a room within the residential area of the building where Keiichiro and Akino lived. The three people present were Keiichiro, Akino, and Tsukasa. Tsukasa, visiting for the first time, looked around the room with keen interest.
“In any case, I’m glad you are unharmed.”
Keiichiro had been explaining the whole affair to Akino. Depending on the circumstances, there was a chance Keiichiro might be called in for questioning. If he only explained things then, it wouldn’t exactly be a relationship of equals.
“Come to think of it… wasn’t it you, Reizei, who sent Ibara-san over?”
Keiichiro asked about something that had been on his mind. Ibara Natsume had appeared with such convenient timing.
Had she been monitoring Keiichiro’s movements daily? Or perhaps, did she have some particular thoughts about this recent expedition?
“No. I was unaware of Kageura-sama’s plans.”
However, Akino denied his assertion, stating she hadn’t known about Keiichiro’s activities. Yet, the fact remained that Natsume had been close by Keiichiro’s side.
As Keiichiro mulled it over, a hand extended from the side. A white hand expertly poured tea into his empty cup.
“——I had her follow him based on my own judgment.”
The voice came from the side. Aside from Keiichiro and the others, only the maid was present. And maids typically did not interject into their conversations. Such was the expected conduct of an attendant.
But this case was likely an exception. Especially if the maid herself——was the one involved.
“Is that so?”
Akino addressed the maid——Ibara Natsume. Natsume nodded silently in response.
“Yes. Given that the Young Mistress holds him in high regard——”
“So, even without instructions, you endeavored to act in accordance with my intentions, is that it?”
Akino smiled, seemingly impressed. Not merely serving as an attendant out of duty. To genuinely care for one’s master and act proactively is, for a maid——
“……………………To somehow find a flaw in him.”
“Pfft!?”
Akino spat out her tea. Natsume deftly wiped away the tea that had sprayed onto the table.
(She completely timed that for when Akino took a sip of tea.)
That strange pause before Natsume spoke… It could only have been timed to strike precisely when Akino brought the cup to her lips. ——It seemed Akino had quite the ‘excellent’ maid.
“…So you work as a maid here. This is the first time I’ve seen you since I arrived.”
Keiichiro sipped his tea elegantly.
It had been several days since he started living here. He thought he’d met most of the maids by now. Yet, he had no recollection of Natsume. He felt he surely would have noticed if he’d seen her before——
“I serve as the Head Maid. Therefore, I rarely attend to guests directly.”
Apparently, she was the Head Maid.
“…Hey, hey.”
“?”
As Keiichiro and the others were talking, Tsukasa called out to him, poking his shoulder with a fingertip.
“Kageura-oniichan, are you in a party with her?”
Tsukasa was looking at Akino. She was currently having her face wiped by Natsume and seemed oblivious to their exchange. ——What a maid, treating her master so brusquely.
“No… we’re not.”
Akino was strictly a sponsor. An ally, yes, but not part of the same party that delved into dungeons together.
“In that case, Kageura-oniichan,”
Tsukasa continued. But there was no momentum in his voice. He shifted hesitantly, twisting his body slightly as he formed the words.
“Would you… hate… forming a party with me?”
Having said that, Tsukasa averted his gaze. An undeniable anxiety showed in his expression.
“…………………………”
(I can’t imagine being in any party other than 【Holy Sword】.)
Keiichiro thought. About the goal he was striving for.
I want to get stronger. Strong enough to fight alongside everyone in 【Holy Sword】 again.
Therefore, the idea of settling down in another party——had never occurred to him.
“That’s——”
“Wouldn’t that be perfectly fine?”
Just as Keiichiro was about to refuse, Akino cut him off. She gazed at him intently with a serious expression——all while Natsume was still wiping her face.
“Reizei?”
Keiichiro questioned her. Akino rarely interfered in his affairs. But that was precisely why he listened carefully to her words now. It meant Akino herself had judged the matter important enough to speak up.
“Certainly, going solo prevents the division of experience points. However, compared to a party, you are limited to leveling in hunting grounds of a somewhat lower rank.”
Akino explained, appealing not to emotion, but to logic. She spoke of its necessity for Keiichiro to achieve his goal.
“If Kageura-sama’s ultimate goal is the Demon Capital——its very summit, then I believe a party will eventually become necessary, will it not?”
Akino’s words were worth considering. For now, he was clearing dungeons smoothly even while solo. But he might eventually hit a wall.
If his progress were to stall, could he find reliable allies quickly? Searching only after it became necessary would simply mean losing valuable time.
“If I may be so bold as to add——”
It was Natsume who spoke up, seemingly in support of Akino.
“Continuing to train solo will only result in becoming a stand-alone player incapable of coordination. If Kageura-sama’s objective is to return to his former party, then discarding the opportunity to gain party experience from the start seems unwise, does it not?”
Natsume spoke of what would happen after Keiichiro achieved his goal.
Even if he became strong, even if he managed to return to 【Holy Sword】—would he be content merely wielding his own power, lacking the harmony required of a party member?
(It seems my thinking had become rather rigid.)
The process of reaching his goal, and what came after achieving it… He’d been thoroughly argued down on both fronts. A complete defeat.
“…Tsukigase.”
Keiichiro addressed Tsukasa. Tsukasa’s shoulders visibly tensed. He bit his lip, waiting for Keiichiro’s response.
“I was expelled from the party I used to belong to.”
Keiichiro spoke about his own situation—things Tsukasa needed to know if they were to form a party.
“But I intend to get much stronger… and I want to return to that party someday.”
Keiichiro’s past, and his goal. And most importantly——
“So, even if we form a party, for me, it will only be temporary.”
——Meaning, he had no intention of staying in this party permanently.
“Even knowing that, do you still want to form a party with me?”
“Yeah. I do.”
It was a refreshingly prompt reply. No hesitation, no second thoughts. And yet, somehow——it didn’t seem like a thoughtless decision.
“Even if this party with me is just a stepping stone towards Kageura-oniichan’s dream——I’d still be happy.”
Tsukasa grasped Keiichiro’s hand. Clasping it near his chest, Tsukasa smiled.
“You see? I feel like meeting you was fate, Kageura-oniichan.”
Tsukasa spoke, his smile soft, his tone gentle, as if cherishing the thought.
“So, really, bring it on! The conclusion to Kageura-oniichan’s dream——I’m going to see it through to the very end with my own eyes, you know?”
Tsukasa didn’t back down.
The fact that Keiichiro had a troubled reputation. The fact that they would inevitably part ways someday. Knowing all this, Tsukasa still wanted him.
“…I see. In that case, I’ll be counting on you from now on.”
It was necessary for his own future. And here was someone saying they needed him.
There was no way he could possibly keep refusing.
“Hey, hey! Reizei-san, aren’t you going to join too!?”
“Me… are you asking me?”
Perhaps thrilled that Keiichiro had joined, Tsukasa’s eyes sparkled as he leaned forward, eager to recruit further. Akino was momentarily taken aback by the sudden invitation. However, quickly regaining her composure, she took a sip of her tea.
“…You have a point. A party does need someone in the tank role, after all.”
“Decision made~!”
Tsukasa flashed a peace sign.
Reizei Akino was a 【Paladin】—the class considered most suitable for the tank role. Her participation would be highly significant for the party.
“Then, then! What about Maid-san!?”
“I shall decline.”
“The type who doesn’t just go with the flow!?”
Natsume refused quite readily. She surely had her own reasons——presumably.
“Well then, I shall handle the registration procedures. Now, regarding the party name——”
“…A party name, huh.”
To receive the benefits granted to official parties, they needed to register with the Association. And registration, naturally, required a name.
“This is where the leader should make a firm decision!”
“…Am I the leader?”
Tsukasa’s gaze was fixed on Keiichiro. Since Tsukasa had been the one to suggest forming the party, Keiichiro had simply assumed he would be the leader.
“Oh? I was under the same impression.”
It seemed a difference of opinion within the newly formed party had already surfaced.
“A name…”
Keiichiro looked up at the ceiling. Various words raced through his mind.
“——————————【Afterimage】”
Before he realized it, Keiichiro had spoken the word aloud.
Afterimage.
I see. It certainly seems like an appropriate name for a party led by an idiot obsessed with his past with his childhood friend.
Thinking that, I observed Tsukasa and Akino’s reactions.
“…”
“…”
Akino and Tsukasa were silent.
Then, they looked at each other—
“Yeah! It’s a cool name!”
“I think it’s lovely as well.”
The words they both spoke were of agreement.
Apparently, it met with their approval.
“Alright then, starting today, we’re members of Party ‘Omokage’!”
Tsukasa raised his cup in a toast.
—Though it was just tea.
“Yeah.” “Indeed.”
Keiichiro and Akino also raised their cups.
The three cups clinked together, making a clear sound.
“By the way, those cups cost 100,000 yen each.”
“Whaaaaaaaah!?”
Tsukasa let out a scream.
It appeared he was an Adventurer who still possessed the financial sense of a commoner.
In any case, this is how the new Party ‘Omokage’ was formed.
“Speaking of which, Kageura-oniichan, which party did you belong to before?”
“…【Holy Sword】.”
“No waaaaay!?”
“…I suppose that’s the expected reaction.”
And so, a party with Keiichiro as the leader was formed.
Chapter 1 will conclude in one more chapter.
The next chapter is planned to be from the 【Holy Sword】 side.