'Huh?　What's going on, Rita?

'Oh, good morning. Master.

　Morning.

　I opened the door to my room at the inn and found Rita standing in the hallway.

Good morning, Rita. You could have slept more slowly.

　This inn - or rather, the house is rented out by the Ilgafa Lords family.

　So, other than me and Rita, Aine and Leticia, Cutlass and Reggie, there's no one else.

　We don't have a set time to eat, and we should be able to relax. ......

'Why is Rita standing in the cautious posture?'

"Wow, I'm master's slave(none) .......

Yes?

'The longer I have been away from you, the more I would like to serve my master from now on. Please, please send me an order at ...... whatever you want. Master .......







Perhaps this is Rita's loyalty run amok.

"Loyalty run amok?

Rita, you haven't seen Nei-kun in a while.

　It's true.

　Rita and Letitia were separated for about 15 days.

During that time, Rita was always in a state of Natsukuri deficiency. When she met Naku-kun again, she took a lot of Naku-kun's ingredients, and that's what happened to her.

...... That being said,

　I looked at Rita, who was sitting next to me.

　Rita isn't sitting on her haunches, she's in a sitting pose, like a puppy. It's too good for the beastly Rita, but I don't feel comfortable watching her.

　Everyone is gathered in the living room of the inn, including me and Rita.

　Everyone is looking at Rita in the sitting doggy pose with concern.

I can kind of understand what Aine is saying.

　Leticia nodded.

''From what I've heard, a condition like Rita-san's is called 'loyalty run amok' (over-loyalty).

'You know of it, sir!　Letitia, which one!

It's a rumor among the nobility. It is said that this is likely to happen when a slave who loves his master with all his heart is unable to dissipate his loyalty for a long time. When a slave is reunited with his or her master, loyalty overflows and the slave becomes 'overly loyal'.

""I see!"

　Aine, Iris and Cutlass are nodding their heads in agreement.

　Why.

...... That is to say, Rita has been away from me for a while and could not dissipate her too strong loyalty. The energy that has no place to go is running amok after seeing me again, and that's what happened?

Yes.

I think.

Iris agrees.

You can't blame yourself for this, can you, Rita?

　...... I guess it can't be helped.

　I pulled Rita's hand away and made her stand.

　Then I let her sit down in the chair closest to me.

'...... your, Master.'

You know what? Rita, I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going anywhere. You don't have to be "loyalty overrun.

'But, but ......'

　Koto.

　Rita pressed her forehead to my chest.

　Her cherry-red eyes were glazed over.

　This is a characteristic of the state of 'loyalty run amok'.

...... I'm anxious to be away from Nagi and ...... master, and I have a lot of things to do for you. There are so many things I want to do for you. When I saw her in person, ...... I didn't know which one to start with. So I'd like to get some instructions from my master: .......

You know what, Letitia?

Yes. Mr. Nagi.

Rita's 'Loyalty Runaway [Over Loyalty]' is what we call a state of confusion.

I think so.

That means I can use my cheat skill, 'Heart Healing Hug' to heal you, but ......

You might want to stop doing that .......

　At my question, Leticia shook her head.

''This is a matter of Rita-san's loyalty. I wouldn't recommend ...... forcing it out of your system with your skills.

Indeed.

And there's no harm in that.

　Letitia chuckled.

'Wouldn't it be better if Nagi-san took the time to satisfy Rita's loyalty?

"I think if you serve Rita as your master until you're ready (・・・・・・・), things will go back to normal.

'So your brother has an obligation to be served by Rita (・・・・・・),'

I wish I could help you with this: ......

　Aine, Iris, and Cutlass are all difficult faces.

　I mean, the duty to be served and served is a novel(zanshin) .......

...... Yeah. I get it.

　I patted Rita's head.

　Rita's eyes are closed in a pleasant way and she's wagging her tail like a puppy.

'It's my job to take care of my friends' mental health, too. I'll make Rita feel better for the rest of the day.

...... Really?

'True. You can do whatever you want, Rita.

Thank you, Nagi ...... master .......

　Rita rubbed her cheek against my hand.

　I'm sure she's worried about a lot of things from being away from me.

　Rita is the most physically strongest person in the party, but mentally she's a bit unstable, so I'll take care of that.

　I'll take care of that for you.

What are you going to do?　Do you want to lay around the house?　Or do you want to go out?

I'd like to get out of the house to serve you.

Really?

'Nagi ...... You're here to 'report' to Metecal, aren't you, Master?　We need to help with that.

All right. Okay, Aine. Can you get me a hood and a cape?

I'm ready.

　Aine quickly and quickly took out a blank hood and cloak from her luggage.

　There's the Iturna Order's facility in Metecal, and Rita just escaped from the Viscount family.

　Let's disguise ourselves, just in case.

'Let's go then. What is Rita ...... doing here?

...... replenishing your master's scent.

　Rita sniffs and sniffs, bringing her face to my neck.

　Around my collarbone (sakotsu), then my shoulders. Then she moves to my ear, ...... and her breathing is kind of ticklish. I mean, in this position, my arms are still against Rita's chest .......

...... manzoku.

　Rita nodded, hmmm, and moved away from me.

　I'm not sure I'm going to be okay. Rita.

　...... If I have to, I'll use the "Heart-Healing Hug" to remove the state of affairs with a "rescue heart hug".

''I'll be off then.''

I'm off.

　Me and Rita waved to everyone and left the inn.







　We first headed to the town's cafeteria.

　If you want to get information efficiently, the 'Adventurer's Guild' is better suited, but this town's guild is deeply involved with the nobility. There's a chance that the information may be skewed or rewritten to suit their convenience.

　If that's the case, it's better to listen to the gossip (rumors) in the cafeteria or tavern.

　Rita, the beastman, has excellent hearing, so she can gather information without even having to leave her home.

"Master.

Do you have a story you're interested in?

They're all talking about the martial arts tournament.

　Rita answers, moving her beast ears under her hood.

'I was wondering when the interviews for the martial arts tournament will start, and if it's okay for the public to attend. Also, it seems that anyone who helps with the tournament will have their name engraved on a pillar at the martial arts tournament.

Your name?

Yeah, they say that for every ten days they work without pay, the letters double in size.

...... That's how you get people to come to .......

No. I don't think it's coming together.

　Rita shook her head.

'They've stopped running the martial arts tournament. They haven't even held any interviews yet.'

The operation?

Apparently it's also because Tanaka-Coga is missing. It's rumored to be .......

'That guy was the favorite to win, for one thing. Also, you don't have to force me to be respectful.

　As we told you, Tanaka-Koga returned the equipment and successfully cancelled the 'contract', apparently.

　I hope he can start over as a normal adventurer.

...... By the way, Master.

Hmm?

Um, can I have it?

Why are you all of a sudden?

　When I look at it, Rita's cherry-red eyes are glazed over.

She's in a state of "loyalty run amok" (over-loyalty).

　Rita, who is in this state, needs to serve me to get rid of it.

　I look around. Everyone is too busy talking to each other to pay attention to us.

　...... Now would be a good time to do it.

Good luck with that.

　In front of us was a teriyaki of meat and vegetables.

　From there, I choose a vegetable with as little sauce on it as possible (so that the sauce doesn't drip), stick my fork in it, and hand it to Rita.

　Rita noiselessly pulls a chair up next to me.

　Our seats are against the wall, as if this were to happen. It's easier to listen to what people are saying, and I can see the whole shop this way. The back door is also very close.

　And if we faced the wall, people wouldn't be able to see what we were doing.

　Rita takes a fork in her hand and slowly holds it close to my face.

　Maybe it's because the food is steamy, or maybe it's because she's blowing on it again and again, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

　Rita is red all the way down to her neck.

Just because you're in a 'loyalty runaway' state doesn't mean you're not ashamed of yourself .......

　It's a good thing that you're not going to be able to find a way to make your life easier.

　I'm not going to be able to get the same thing done.

　Then Rita's face comes closer and...

"...... is, yes. Go ahead. Master.

　Pop.

　I gulped down the vegetables Rita gave me (something that resembled a carrot).

　Only half of it.

"...... master... ...... nagi

I'm sorry. I broke it in the middle of eating.

Hey, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I couldn't say "aun" to you.

　Snap.

　Rita swallowed half of the vegetable with her fork in it and swallowed it intact...

────?

　I turned bright red and held my mouth.

'Wow, I ...... ate it. Master put his mouth on ...... half of it. I ate my master!'

Calm down!　They didn't eat me. No, I could have eaten half of you. Because it wasn't me!

　Rita is waving her hands in the air and rattling around.

　I'm getting confused too.

　I've been living with her for a long time and it's not like I'm going to care about that now that I've mentioned it, but what the hell.

What do you think? What do you think?" "Calm down. Rita. Yes, deep breaths.

"Sue ...... haha. Yeah, I'm at ....... How's it going?

It's ready. I mean, you don't have to put my hand on your stomach.

────?

　Rita, fluttering again.

　It was some time later that we had a cup of tea together.

　Finally, Rita seems to have calmed down a bit.

'...... I'm sorry. Master ...... Nagi.

　Rita murmured with a placid expression.

　Her expression is getting a little bit shakier.

It looks like the "runaway loyalty" has been cured. I'm glad to hear that.

You know what? Nagi. I've been away from Nagi for a while, haven't I?

　And it wasn't long after that...

　Rita sipped her tea and began to talk a little more.

'All the time I was thinking about it. What should I talk about when I see Nagi again, and what should I do?

...... Really?

'Yeah. And yet, when I actually met Nagi again, all the things I had been thinking about before came rushing in all at once, 'Wow,' and I think I panicked. I'm sorry.

　Rita said and bowed her head to me.

　I patted Rita's head through my hood.

It's okay. Don't worry about it.

But ...... you got in trouble, didn't you?

I don't mind.

Really?

"And ...... I've been thinking about all the things I'd like to talk to Rita about when I see her again, too.

Please be specific, Master!

Straight face?

'Oh, it's like a 'loyalty run amok' has swept in. It's like I can't wait to hear what my master has to say. I don't know what to do.

Don't go off the rails with a straight face.

Because I want to know what Nagi was thinking about me while we were apart.

Okay, in order.

"Order,

I'll do it when Rita does.

...... Moo.

'Rita, you've gone into a state of 'loyalty runaway' because of all the things you've been thinking about, haven't you?　Then you might as well tell me a little at a time, don't you think?

Okay, okay.

　Rita held her chest and took another deep breath.

　Then she looked at me and whispered...

I was just wondering if you could give me your thoughts on ......

Thoughts?

Last time I sent you a picture of Letitia and I wearing a dress in True Consciousness Shared Mind Linkage True, didn't I?　I'd love to hear your thoughts on that, I thought. Of course, Nagi may not have seen that footage yet, but, but...

'As far as I'm concerned, the third yellow dress I wore was the most flattering. The color matched Rita's blonde hair, and the skirt was short and looked easy to move around in.

────?

　Boh.

　It looked like ...... steam erupted from Rita's head.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work.

"That's not fair to answer so quickly.

No, because it's all on record.

"...... master watched me. He watched me in my dress ...... and changed my clothes ...... ugh.

　Yeah. Yeah. I saw you get dressed at .......

　Rita, I saw you looking in the mirror while you were getting dressed.

　I overheard Laetitia talking about it. She said that her underwear didn't fit anymore. She said she wanted to talk to Aine about it when she saw her - and how she would look at ...... when she told me about it.

　I remember every bit of .............

　Because I didn't expect him to send me a video like that.

　...... It can't be helped, can it?

"So, what I was thinking about next...

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

　Rita's finger caught me between my lips with a flash.

I can't, not now. If I listen to Nagi right now, my heart will stop beating. If my heart doesn't stop beating, I can't stop myself. So, you can go to ...... and wait until you're home!　Hey!

Okay, okay.

Yeah, and... I think Nagi should be prepared for one thing.

　Rita thought for a moment and then said something like that.

'Preparedness?'

"Because I've been away from Nagi for a little over 10 days and I'm going to go into a state of 'loyalty run amok (over-loyalty)', even if it's only temporarily .......

Yeah. Well, I'm glad you're feeling better.

"I've been connected to Nagi for a few days now with the True Consciousness Shared Mind Linkage True. But even so, we're still in this situation.

...... Yeah.

'So now Cecil and Raphilia are in the saint's cave, right?

............

　Come to think of it, that's right.

　Cecil and Rafilia are currently assisting the saints with their research.

　Rita, who's only been away from me for 10 days, is going into a 'runaway loyalty' state...

　I've been away longer than that, Cecil and Raphilia (especially Cecil) can be found at ......

...... Rita.

Yes, sir. Master.

If you two go on a 'loyalty run', will you cooperate?

I'll help you. Of course.

　Rita chuckled.

I'll make sure Cecil and Rafilia are happy.

I knew it.

'And anyway. Nagi should be ready for the other kids. Hmmm.

　Rita said and sat up.

　She said she was getting embarrassed when she calmed down, and that she was going to go wash her hands for a bit.

　I'm glad to see that Rita has calmed down.

　...... I've been thinking about a lot of things while I've been away from Rita, too.

　It's time for my life to settle down - a lot of things, really.

I'm starting to feel embarrassed when I remember .............

　I took another cup of tea.

　Then I look around the cafeteria. Everyone is eating and continuing to talk about the martial arts tournament.

　Really, it would be nice if it was just a normal martial arts tournament.

　And then I'll be done with writing a normal report.



　Crap.



　As I was thinking about this, someone came into the cafeteria again.

"Welcome!

Excuse me. Master. I've come to put up a notice from Count Gervis, if you don't mind.

Huh.

Here's the Countess's coat of arms. I'm not a suspicious person. My name is Takashi Yamazoe, and I participate in the martial arts tournament.



　The black-haired boy said (・・・・・・)

　Yamazoe = Takashi.

　As I recall, there was such a name in Rita and Leticia's research.

He is a contestant in the main battle of the "Martial Arts Tournament" - and from the name, he's probably a "visitor".



"The papier-mâché is the one who seeks the brave. I'm sure the people I know will understand what is depicted and will contact me. I'm sorry, but for the sake of world peace, can I put up this parchment?



　The black-haired swordsman, Yamazoe Takashi, said this as he held a rolled up piece of parchment in his hand.