Chapter 2: The Sad News of Their Failure
“Alright, I’m heading out now. I’ve put lunch and dinner in the cooler, so please warm them up before you eat.”
You really didn’t have to say all that, Yamada. You’re being way too overprotective—oh, but if you’re thinking that, you’re underestimating the situation.
They don’t even need to eat, and they could spend the entire day just sleeping. That’s the kind of beings they are. Honestly, they don’t have to do any cleaning or chores either. If they wanted, they could live a life like plants.
If I don’t properly tell them what to do, they’ll just end up soaking up some inexplicable energy from the atmosphere and basking in the sun (adorably) until the day is over.
What about Sensei, you ask? Well, being with Sena is pretty much the same—
“Hey, why are you poking your finger into my cheek?”
“Ichi, what were you thinking just now? If possible, explain it in under 400 characters.”
“Why are you poking my cheek—”
Sena pressed her finger harder against my cheek, puffing it out. As always, I worried that she could read my thoughts, but if she could, I’d really have no choice but to accept my fate, so I decided not to think about that.
“Explain.”
Sena asked succinctly.
“Um…”
Watching us, Sensei had a mischievous cat-like grin as she chuckled, “Heh heh heh.” I shot her a glare, but she just poked my other cheek with her finger, repeating the same demand as Sena.
“I thought maybe I was being a bit too overprotective, that’s all.”
“Not at all, it’s not overprotective. If I were to put it in your words, I’d say, ‘Good, keep it up.'”
The pressure from her finger on my cheek vanished.
“I think it’s fine to head down to the town tomorrow.”
She clung to my right arm. The edges of her mysterious outfit floated around us as if they had a will of their own, wrapping around my arm and Sena.
“I think tomorrow would be fine too, Ichiro.”
“I also think it’s fine to wait until tomorrow.”
Sensei wrapped her arms around my left arm. When I glanced at her, she had that same mischievous cat expression, as if she was in the middle of executing a prank. There was no doubt about it; she was definitely a schemer.
“Ahhhhhhh!!!”
At this point, all I could do was bury my head in my hands and scream.
They say, “When three women gather—” but even with just two, they were enough to leave me flustered.
“Yo!”
In the usual gathering spot for guides, Milan was chatting with the other guides. When I called out to her,
“Roh-nii-san!”
She rushed over with the lightness typical of children.
“What brings you here today?”
“Well, there’s something I want to talk about, so let’s grab a bite to eat while we chat.”
“Roh-nii-san…”
Milan seemed a bit hesitant about my invitation.
“What’s wrong? You don’t want to eat with me?”
“Not at all!”
“Then what’s the problem? Come on, kids shouldn’t hold back.”
I urged her along, saying, “Let’s go, let’s go!”
“I need to prepare some souvenirs for Maro and Fio too.”
Milan groaned, “Uuuh, Roh-nii-san,” but I just patted her back, telling her not to worry, “Come on, lead me to a good place.”
As I enjoyed my meat, Milan was happily munching on a delicious honey and cheese galette.
“So, what’s up?”
“What is it?”
“Tell me the latest hot topic.”
Milan chewed her galette and swallowed before responding, “Right now, the talk of the town is definitely about the Hero Party.”
“Oh wow, the Hero Party never seems to run out of topics, huh?”
“Of course! They’re the heroes who protect the world!”
“Heroes, huh…”
If I kept getting caught up in every little detail, we’d never move forward. I shook my head a few times and took a deep breath.
“Alright, continue with the story.”
“Got it! So, it seems the heroes have started exploring the new Newly Constructed Ultimate Labyrinth, but even for them, it was pretty tough—”
Calculating the strength I had left, it seemed they had retreated at the boss room of the innermost layer.
“They turned back on the first floor.”
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