Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330657219422179/episodes/16817330657541703082
The four of us from “Sword of Wheat” are walking along the darkened street.
The number of people on the street has already decreased, and there are not many people walking along the street illuminated by the magic lamps.
I chewed on a piece of bread with meat on it that I had bought at a stall near the guild, and looked at Rietta, who was bouncing along next to me. Her hand, which I had joined at her insistence, was swaying happily.
“—So, I’ll have to rent a new room today!”
“I’m sorry, ……. What are you talking about?”
“The room at the inn! Didn’t you hear me, Tale kun? I told you that Tale-kun’s room had been rented out, so I had to rent it again!”
“Sorry, sorry, you were worried about where I was going to sleep tonight.”
I smile at Rietta’s appearance. Even simple interactions like this are fun for me after being away from people for three months. Especially if they are the girls I know better than anyone else.
I enjoy the lively conversation with Rietta, who immediately puts me back in a good mood and starts talking to me.
–The only thing that bothers me is the fact that we seem to be …… so close to each other.
I smile bitterly at Rietta, who is now walking towards me, taking my arm and hugging me. Rietta has always been kind of spoiled, but I feel like things have escalated since we met again. Is it because of the loneliness of not seeing each other for a long time?
I try not to worry too much about it, thinking that she will calm down in a little while. Besides, she is usually so mature at times like this…
“Rietta, you’re being too clingy. We are already 17 years old. It’s immodest.”
“Eh~, But…”
“There are still people around. You’ve been around long enough.”
“Yess”
Rietta moves away from my arm with Ur who is correcting her voice from behind. Our hands are still tied, but I think this is tolerable.
“Tale should also not be too sweet on Rietta. She’s not a little kid anymore.”
“Oops me too….. Okay, I’ll be careful.”
“Yes.”
Urs is still firm, after all. The same mature attitude that she used to have is very helpful in keeping the party tight.
That’s when I thanked Ur for correcting my discipline and turned to look forward. I instinctively turned my attention to the feeling of my jacket being pulled from behind.
The hem of my jacket was being held by a hand reaching out from behind me. I move my gaze to follow the source of the hand, and see Ur, the girl who had just told us about moderation, looking away with a slight blush on her cheeks. her triangular ears above her head were twitching.
I couldn’t help but giggle and look forward. Despite what she said, Ur must have been lonely too, because I was too. I could understand how she felt, because I had felt the same way.
Without saying anything to her shyness, I continued my conversation with Rietta as we made our way to the inn. Unlike Ur, who was silent, Anri, who was next to her, joined in the chatter.
While I was truly enjoying our first conversation in a long time, we found ourselves in front of an inn. It is a reasonably priced inn that we have been using since we started working as adventurers in this town.
It is a bit far from the guild, but the rooms are clean and inexpensive enough that even a newcomer can afford it.
I opened the entrance door and entered the inn, feeling deeply moved by its appearance, which was unchanged from three months ago. The proprietress at the reception desk was surprised that it had been so long since I had seen her, but we struck up a conversation, and she arranged for me to stay in a room for the day.
We moved up the stairs and split up in front of our respective rooms. As before, one room was allocated for me and one room for the other three. Rietta begged me to sleep with her for the night, but gave up after being scolded by Ur again.
I entered my room and sat down on my bed, feeling warm as I thought back on my interactions with the three of them. It seemed that the same room I had used just three months ago was available, and it had been a long time since I had seen this scene again.
–I was very tired today. I had to fight a battle with a ground dragon, travel to the city, and go through various procedures at the guild. ……
The accumulated fatigue induces drowsiness. I yawned and wiped my tears with my hand.
I had to go to the guild again tomorrow to do the rest of the formalities, so it would be better to go to bed a little early today.
Once that was decided, I quickly cleansed myself with water magic and put on the clothes I had asked the landlady to borrow. Once I was cleaned up, all I had to do was go to sleep.
I lay down on my bed and closed my eyes, grateful for the first decent place to sleep in a long time.
With that, my consciousness eventually falls into the depths of a comfortable sleep.
In my half-asleep head, the memories of today’s wonderful day overwrite the three months of painful life. Besides, it would be a good time to be able to sleep in peace without having to worry about being attacked by monsters.
It feels like my whole body is being swayed by the warm water. And it’s been a while since I fell into a defenseless sleep, with no sense of time.
–At the edge of my almost sunken consciousness, I catch the sound of the door to my room opening.
My consciousness rises slightly. The sound of banging on the floorboard comes up to the side of my bed and stops next to my head. I don’t feel any hostility. What on earth could it be?
I opened my eyes almost unconsciously in my half-asleep state and saw what was there. –Then, all at once, my consciousness awakened.
I opened my mouth, still in a state of surprise, and said to the girl at the other end of my line of sight
“—-Anri? What’s wrong, at this time of night?”
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