Brother how did you find me here?

I can see where you might go.

　He's saying it in a boring way, but he's breathing slightly and sweating slightly.
　The fact that a 【Brave Man】 who has a physical ability that far surpasses that of an ordinary person would be like this, he must have run around quite a bit to find it.
　I'm not sure if she's quite concerned about the fact that she'd go so far as to say 'something was strange', or if she cares about her sister.

It's frankly weird.

Shut up. Who are these guys........sub-human girls and 'men'?　How do you know him?

They're my friends. They can do what they want with whomever they want.

It's not personal. I don't want to get caught, in case I get caught. Dinner with a man?　Of course they're going to make a fuss about it. Can't you understand that?

Well it's not just the two of us, and Kash is there too.

　Mr. Phillip appeared out of nowhere, and Kash had a worried look on his face.
　Mr. Phillip's cold expression so far was replaced by a gentle smile.

'Oh, no, I'm sorry young lady. I'm not a suspicious person. I'm this sister's brother.

Are you Nico's brother?

'Yes. I came looking for you because I was worried about you, and I saw that you were having dinner with me. Thank you for keeping my sister company and, on your side, may I ask you about your relationship with her?

　The 'confusion' is firmly in effect for Mr. Philip.
　He can only perceive me as 'a man who seems to be everywhere', and he doesn't have any discomfort with that perception.
　The smile I directed at Kash is nowhere to be found, and he is staring at me.

'Like she said, we're friends.

How do you know him?　What kind of people do you know?

Hey, bro, don't be rude.

　She's probably aware that my brother doesn't know who I am, but she doesn't mention it either.

'I'm sorry, but I'm going to ask you to stay away from my sister. --Hey, let's go home.

I don't need you getting involved in my private life, too.

That's just something a normal brother and sister would talk about. Who are you, Nico?　Who are you, what do you stand for, and what would go wrong if it happened?

　She is 【Brave Girl of the Silver Ridge】Nicola. She is an adventurer and aims to achieve a high level of excellence. She sells herself as a prince character and is popular for her beauty, gentlemanly behavior and smart magic. Her fans are excited by her involvement with the bandit princess, and numerous women admire her.

　So, making a normal lover like a normal person could be a big deal.
　And that too, with a dull guy like me, it would be troublesome just to start a rumor.

　I understand what you are saying, Philip-san.
　It was one thing to be able to understand and another to sympathize, but I understood.

''I don't like you, brother.''

　Nicola-san speaks out her emotions, as if she can't argue with them. Perhaps it's because she's in front of her brother, but I feel like she's just a little bit young.

'I see. I love you, sister.

　Mr. Philip snickered and then looked at us.

'I've spoken to the restaurant. Please enjoy your meal to your heart's content. If you would like, young lady, you can see your sister again. Without the gents over there.

　He gives Kash a smile and a sharp look at me, and then he heads straight out of the store.

'Um,'

　I stopped him.

"Yes?

You said he was acting strangely. If you're worried about him, why don't you talk to him?

...Yes.

　He looked uncomfortable for a moment, as if he didn't like what I was saying, but eventually nodded and turned away.

'I'm sorry, both of you. My brother has a personality thing.

It looked like he was worried about you.

''....I don't know. My brother doesn't want the product "Silver Prince" to be damaged. This is something you made up. ........well, it's true that he's a jerk, but he's not a bad person.

　The character "White Silver Prince" seemed to have been invented by his brother.

　Adventurers are a popular business. It is not uncommon for their ranks to drop due to member withdrawals, scandals, and scandals.
　In that sense, the steadfast top three parties are great.

''Ah, you know what, Reme.

　Nicola got up from her seat and came close to me.
　She puts her face close to my ear.
　The fresh smell wafting in the air. The warmth of her body close to me.
　For a moment, my heart skips a beat.

I'm not sure if I'll ever see you again, because...well...there are things we couldn't talk about today...

Yeah, okay.

　I tell her the name and location of the inn.

'I'm sure I'll be with Kash then too, if that's okay.

　It's not like I'm letting you stay at the inn to meet Nicola, or that I'm a disqualified guardian.
　It's not that I'm afraid of notes or anything. It's a matter of responsibility.

'Of course it is. Kash, if you don't mind, will you see me again?

Okay.

That's nice. I don't have many subhuman friends for a living.

　Kash looks happy at the word "friend".
　Kash is good friends with Mila and Sitri, but they are more of colleagues.
　It's a very good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

'I'm glad, too,'

'I know you have a sweet tooth. I have a recommendation for you and I'll take you there.

　Poof, Kash's face lights up.

'Well then, both of you, I'll see you another time.

　With that, Nicola left the store.
　Kash waved at her until she left the shop.
　Nicola occasionally turned around and responded.

'It looks like we've gotten to know each other pretty well,'

Nico, he's a good man.

Yeah.

I'll put that in my book.

I see. By the way, Kash, I'm pretty full, do you want some of this cake?

Really? You're sure?

Yeah, Kash did a great job today, too.

　Sooty, I hold my cake out in front of Kash.
　It's not a bribe.

　◇

　The training area was set up in the basement of the union facility.
　In the center of the circular space, I was communicating with a fire spirit.

"Spirit, answer me...

　All the heroes visit the 'Shrine of the Spirit' after their position (job) is revealed.
　If you find a spirit that likes you there, you'll get a contract and be able to use spirit magic.

　In other words, yes, spirits have a spirit. They are able to think and judge whether people are good or bad.
　But we don't usually communicate with spirits.

　They seem to enjoy "watching" the lives of people they like, and after giving them their blessings, they are basically non-interventionist.
　If you must talk to them, this is the only way to sharpen your mind and call out to them.

'I have a favor to ask of you--Sarah.

　She doesn't like her name, so she has to call herself by this nickname.

''........What's up, loser bird?''

　I heard a voice. I don't know where it's emanating from, but the voice reaches my ears.

'Loser bird...?　No, sure, Leme beat me to it.

　I responded, relieved at the response.

''I lent you the Flame of the Gods, how can you lose?　The flame of the gods?　I'm not putting on gods or anything for showmanship?''

The guy was stronger than that, albeit frustratingly so.

''I'm not inferior to the Demon King's horns, but I'm not inferior to them. You're not using it well, your fighting style is bad. Hebo bird. You're my contractor, don't lose.''

　She seemed to care about the defeat then, too.

'I'm sorry. Your flame was truly amazing. The loss was due to my lack of strength.

..... I hope you understand that. And?　What do you want?

'When you were taught magic ... spirit arts, there was one technique you were not taught,'

"You couldn't handle it at the time.

What would I do now?

"I don't know. But if you fail to learn it you'll be ashes.

　Sarah's voice sounded serious.

'I'm going to train in my magical body (avatar).

'Wow, modern boy. Surely, in that case, I wouldn't mind turning into ashes.'

　It's not good. My magic body (avatar) generation costs quite a bit of money.

But, even if your body is good, I wonder if your mind can keep up. This is a technique to change your body's mechanism, so the human mind might not be able to withstand it.

'The previous generation endured, didn't they?　Legend has it.

　There was a legend of a brave man who was assimilated with a fire spirit.

''At that time, we were in the middle of a war. It's a good thing that you're not the only one. Humans are strong in that situation, right?''

Not for the sake of humanity, but I feel the same way.

Must we win at all costs?

Yeah.

'It's as tough as a human inheriting the Demon King's horn.

Great. Leme endured. I have to be able to do as well as he did to win.

'Haha, I don't understand the logic behind it, but it's just like you. Even at the shrine of the spirits, you were angry at the gods and spirits. Reme is the brave one~, do you like that girl so much?''

Longing. Since I was a little girl.

''I don't know what that feeling is, but yeah. You will find that the target of your admiration will never fall apart. I'm not sure if the longing for it will ever disappear if it remains the same as it was when I admired it.

　Sarah sounded somewhat convinced.

'But it's interesting. People try to get closer to the beings they admire. Sometimes we try to go above and beyond. You don't want to keep them far above you, do you?'

I don't know about the others, but we're friends.

So?

I think we should be even.

"Hmm.

Can you help me?

"Good, handsome bird. When you learn to use this technique, you'll be known as the phoenix.

　For the rematch with Leme that will come sooner or later, I will become strong.
　I will train how to fight without relying on the spirit arts, and then - I will learn the profound techniques of the spirit arts.