Ha, ha.


　Garum, who had been running in early in the morning while wearing heavy armor, was the first to finish the ten laps around the perimeter of Centria. The others, who had been torn off when he found himself torn off, were still in the shadows, and as for Tsutomu, he was lagging behind the laps.

　Garum, who had finished his run in which also served as security for Centria, walked slowly, scratching his hair that was soaked with sweat. What sprang up inside Garum, who was tired and mindless, was Zeno, who had been biting himself to the end.


(.........no good.)


　Normally my breath wouldn't be this erratic as I would normally run at my own pace, but I felt like I was going to shake off Xeno, who was following me until the eighth lap. That's why his breath is so disturbed so far, so Garum grumpily taps the ground with his tail.

　After the Winter General battle, Garum became clearly aware of Zeno as an opponent. He didn't have a good impression of Zeno at first, as he didn't like Amy, who was originally in an idle position.

　However, when she talked to Zeno, she saw that he had a big mouth, but he also made an effort to match it, and she began to take notice of him. And through his apprentice Daryl, they had deepened their relationship, and he had come to have a certain amount of respect for them as a clan member.

　But after seeing Zeno's success in the Winter General battle, an impatience had grown in Garum's heart. A pedigreed dog that was only good to look at, but had no hunting ability, but he found himself fighting a good fight and being praised by the leader. That's how Garum felt about it, and he had started to compete with Zeno for something like morning runs and Daryl's education.

　But when he and Zeno had a light argument about Tsutomu's opinion the other day, Garum was reminded of this and was ashamed of himself. I'm sure he was looking for some relief when he called out to Tsutomu, who was very uptight, now that I think about it. The word "domesticated dog" said by Weiss was not necessarily wrong either.


(I must be stronger.)


　Whether it was Amy, who had made a contract with Sylph to strengthen her twin-wave slash, or Hannah, who had made the Fist of Demon Flow practical, the clan members of the Infinite Circle were getting stronger and stronger. This is not the time to stop being jealous of Zeno. As Garum was making a mental note of the need to push forward even further, Zeno, who lost a battle for second place with Daryl, walked over.


''Please buy me some juice later!
Okay, okay, okay.


　The two of them had promised to buy the loser a juice while they were running, so Daryl is enthusiastically demanding it of Zeno without showing any fatigue. In comparison, a breathless Zeno looks like he's giving me a break. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this.


"Did you get wound up by Daryl from there?
Ha-ha, I thought it would be fun to whet your appetite, Daryl. And here we are.


　Garum has a complicated look on his face as Zeno looks a lot more pathetic than he did during the Winter General battle. Then Zeno ran to buy some juice, while Daryl wiped his sweat and looked sympathetically at those who were isolated within the barrier.


'It's kind of scary, isn't it?'
...the enemy is just a religious group. It's nothing to be afraid of, if you know what I mean.
But that Leon-san was badly injured, and he ended up getting away, right?
'There is no mercy or faith in monsters, but religious groups are bound by it. There will be speculation mixed in with this stampede. That's why people aren't dying even now. It's better than the monsters that simply go on a rampage for magic stones.


　It was true that it was foul-smelling, but still, for Garum, who had been dealing with the criminal clan, it was rather easier to deal with humans. From behind Daryl, who was looking up reliably at Garum who was talking about such speculation, the clan members came to the finish line one after another.


''Good work. Where is Xeno going?''
I'm going to get a drink.
'Oh, so that means you lost. You're a miserable person after all those dares.


　Leleia, who is chuckling and smiling fearlessly, has the same complicated look on her face as before. I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who has had to deal with this. It seems to have changed since Tsutomu called me into his room, but it is a good change.

　Thanks to the fact that he is now able to speak his mind from time to time, he is now able to converse with Amy, Corina, Hannah and Daryl with ease these days. Hannah seems to be lamenting the increase in the number of victims caused by Tsutomu, just as she did with Korina, but she still seems to be getting along with them.


''Aaah~!　You're out of luck~
But you're stronger than you were before.
Right!　I'm not as good as Mr. Garum, though!


　Originally from a village and running around outside from a young age, Hannah was physically fit for an attacker. However, his job was a fist fighter and his VIT was low, and Hannah was inferior to the tank job with no compensation for his physical strength. On top of that, the role of an evasive tank uses a lot of stamina, so he often runs out of stamina.

　Such Hannah has been looking up as best she can with a smile like the sun. Although they were like a child and an adult in terms of size, Garm had seen Hannah as a fine tank after seeing her performance against Mount Golem.


(A little more composure, though, would have been better.)


　However, from Garum's point of view, Hanna's flaws were beginning to stand out, such as the fact that she only practiced Demon Fist lately, and that she acted in favor of what she wanted to do. The role of an evasion tank had yet to be established, and there were plenty of skills to hone. But Hannah is trying to learn a new technique called the Fist of Demon Flow.

　Garum thinks that's a shame and points it out to her, but despite her small appearance, Hannah is a stubborn woman. She was the kind of person who had originally turned from attacker to tank despite being stopped by those around her, and even Tsutomu had called Hannah a runaway train that was impulsive and wouldn't stop once she started running.


(I hope I'm not being too selfish.)


　Hanna is seen to be worthy of helping the people of Centria who are in trouble these days. Since they all lived in the village like a family, Hannah is a kind-hearted person who will take the initiative to help anyone in need.

　Tsutomu, on the other hand, can't be called kind. He has no mercy on those who oppose him, and is indifferent to those who do not care about him. We are told by Xeno that he had the same reaction as Diniel when he was summoned to King's Landing, and that he looked at the refugees with a horribly cold eye.


(He's kind to his people, though...)


　It's true that the cold side of him is noticeable, but still, Tsutomu is kind to those he interacts with. He still shows up not only to the Infinite Circle, but also to the White Mage's disciples and the Silver Beast, and he even communicates directly with the old lady in the forest apothecary instead of leaving the purchasing of potions to Oli. Tsutomu still hasn't forgotten the debt of gratitude he owes to the old lady who believed in him during the ruckus with the lucky ones.


(Should I have taken her out a bit more than just the God's Dungeon...)


　Garum, who was sincerely thinking about this, found Tsutomu running just as fast as he was walking fast.


''Two more laps to go........''
Hang in there.


　Tsutomu, who had already been overtaken by Garum twice, made a grim face and Garum lightly pushed him back to encourage him.


　â€


How are you feeling?
Yeah, it's perfect.


　Leon smiles back at the expert white mage as he turns around to check the condition of his regenerated arm over two days. Tsutomu and Amy, who had been following along with Tsutomu, who had been watching the healing process using the heel for the past two days, also looked a little impressed.


''It was informative. Thank you for allowing me to visit.''
No problem. I'm happy to help you in any way I can.


　The mature man, who was treating the injured people and searchers without fear of the rampaging dragon in the last Stampede, shook hands with Tsutomu with a smirk on his face. Amy peeked out from beside Tsutomu.


'Does Tsutomu want to be a doctor?'
I'm just honing my healing skills because I'm a healer.
When I become a doctor, I'll get my treatment for free!
That's the point...


　Amy, who didn't feel the need for medical treatment at all, gave Tsutomu a look of disappointment.

　In terms of recovery skills, Tsutomu is the same as the professional white mages, but after all, they are good at recovering patients on a daily basis. And perhaps because of his knowledge of healing, his skill recovery power is also higher than that of an ordinary white mage.

　Tsutomu also has a knowledge of physical structure that is at the level of general education in Japan, so his recovery skills are compensated. Even so, there are some things that should not be easily cured, so when it comes to perfect healing, professional white mages are better than him.

　Afterwards, as Tsutomu was talking lightly with the professional white mages, Amy tugged at the hem a little bit. When Tsutomu turned around, Amy beckoned to him, as if she were calling his wife, and pointed to a place.


It's the one that crashed, right?
She's a degenerate everywhere.


　Seeing the female knight, whose cheeks were stained as Leon stroked her head with his healed left hand, Tsutomu was slightly dumbfounded, then thanked the white mages and left the healing room.

　Then he turned to Amy, who was following behind him in a languid mood, and asked her one question.


'I heard that Amy was singing in the square yesterday.
'Uh, yeah. There was a monster attack, and the air was pretty subdued, right?　That's why I took advantage of the concert of the musicians.


　Tsutomu had been told by Corina that Amy had been singing and dancing with the musicians in the big square last night. Amy put a hand to her head as she shrugged in embarrassment.


'Tsutomu, you were in the back, right?'
That's a good look.
Yes, I understand. Yes, I do.


　Tsutomu had gone with Daryl and Amira to check on Amy, just in case, but he didn't expect them to find out. Tsutomu looked at Amy, who was sniffling and thin-chested, with white eyes.


'I don't mind doing it, but you should at least say a word. There could be a monster lurking around, you know.
'Hmmm?　You usually don't say anything at all, but here you're worried about me! Then I'll do more stuff!
Don't get cocky.
Oh, dear. I'm sorry~. I won't do it again.


　When she groped her head with the wand she was holding, Amy pushed back, laughing happily. However, Tsutomu confirmed that there were many guards in that square, so he quickly let go of his wand.


''Well, it looks like the Maze Control Squad was guarding it. Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but next time you'll have to take one of the tanks and attackers with you.''
Yeah. All right. So, how did it go?
Hmm?
What did you think of my song?
You're good at it. It's just like being an idol in a labyrinth city.
Right?


　Tsutomu knew nothing about the songs and dances of this world, but the crowd still seemed to be mesmerized by Amy's voice as the musicians played. Amy grinned at the praise, and then suddenly looked evil as she thought of something.


'Tsutomu~. I volunteered to do it. That's why I didn't get any money from the musicians or anything!
Hey, great.
So.... Tutom is gonna pay me!
Why not? Well, that's okay.


　It's a pretty unreasonable request, but Amy's sponsors have sent a huge amount of expensive stuff to the infinite circle. And some of the money is in the form of donations, so there's nothing wrong with giving them a million gpong separately. As Tsutomu fished through the magic bag to prepare the gala, she grabbed his hand.


''It's not. Look, it's just before I saw you earlier, why don't you give me a little stroke?
You're a cheapskate.
Because I don't need that much money anymore...
I know.


　Amy probably didn't really need it, as she made the most money of all the clan members. So Tsutomu was also fishing through his magic bag to see if he could do something curious, but he timidly placed his hand on Amy's head.


'Hmmm, oh, a bit further back. Oh yeah, like, from there to the side...' Oh, great!　And give me a pop!
That's a lot to ask for.


　Tsutomu smiles at Amy, who instructs him on how to stroke her in detail, and moves his hand as requested. Amy's white hair is smooth and comfortable to the touch, and it also smells slightly good.


''Thanks~. I'm satisfied!''
(It could be the last time...)


　After stroking around for a while, Amy looked up at him with a satisfied look on her face. Just remembering what Amira had told him a few days ago, Tsutomu gently grabbed Amy's cat ears with both hands, since he was so busy.


''Nyah!''
Oh, I'm sorry.
But you're not going to stop, are you?


　Amy sounded surprised when the cat ears on her head were touched, but Tsutomu apologized, but didn't stop his hand. Amy looked up at Tsutomu, who was holding the fluffy cat ears between his fingers, with a throbbing look on his face.


'W-what's wrong?　Tsutomu?　You're being incredibly aggressive today.
Well, it's worth it. Well, now that I'm satisfied, let's go home.


　With a meaningful look on his face, Tsutomu removed his hand from his head and went back to the inn where the Clan members were staying with Amy, who had become more mature than usual.