After chatting with Lilia and her friends for a bit, we decided to head to the meeting place. If we head out now, we'll be there 20 minutes ago, so it will be just about the right amount of time.
　As we were leisurely moving around enjoying the scenery, we suddenly found a strange...well, a strange person.

　Holding a large wooden staff in his hand, a small figure waddles about as if he is about to fall over. It's hard to tell if he's a man or a woman because he's wearing a dark green robe.
　In any case, the behavior of the person who is behaving in a way that is not thought to be in a normal state, I became concerned and approached him or her.

''.........Um, what's going on?''
Excellent, I commend it. If you wish, I would be grateful if you could help me with this foolishness.
'What?　Ah, yes. If there's anything I can do to help...

　I turned around and called out to her and saw the person's face. It was a girl with orange hair and green eyes, though I couldn't make out the length of her robe.
　She was very small, 5'3" tall, but her appearance did not match her age in this world. From the fact that she calls me a young man, she must be quite old.

'No, creatures are unequal. There are species that don't need to be taken orally, and there are those that are on the verge of collapse after just '10 days of fasting'. Well, that's me.
Huh, huh...
Oh, don't get me wrong. I am not some kind of strange religious person, nor am I a pervert who enjoys hurting myself. No, all scholars and researchers are a kind of pervert, and if that's what you mean, am I a pervert too?　Well, whether or not I'm a pervert is an interesting agenda item, but it's not relevant here.
...Well, um, I mean, what do you mean by that?
''I've been so absorbed in my research that I haven't eaten anything recently. I was going to look for a stall, but it's too big and I got lost. I'd appreciate it if you could help me with food.

　What a complicated person to talk to. Oh, yeah. Why is there something wrong with everyone I know?
　Anyway, to sum it up, it sounds like "I'm hungry, give me something," so I take some food out of the magic box and hand it to her.

　Then the woman took the food and began to eat it with great vigor. The face that emerged from the hood was a beautiful girl's appearance, without a doubt. She had short, dark orange hair, but her bangs were long and draped over her eyes, giving her a slightly darker look.
　I'm sure she's probably elven, as she has the characteristic long ears.

　The woman finishes eating the food I offered her in the blink of an eye, drinks the tea I gave her as an accompaniment, and then smiles.

''No~thanks for the help. Thank you, 'Miyamakite-kun', you are indeed a wonderful young man.
'What?　Why is my name...?
I have good taste in the ingredients I serve, and this tea is delicious. Hmm, I wonder if the quality of taste is influenced by one's personality?　I can't say for sure, since we have so little to judge, but don't you think that those with good taste are often superior in character?
No, no, it's not...
Yeah, that's how I knew your name?　What, you're already famous. Wouldn't it be odd for me to know?　Well, most importantly, I heard about it from 'the people' and 'friends', so there may be some differences in information from the general public.
Huh, huh...

　This guy talks so much he talks like a machine gun.......he talks like a machine gun. I can't follow him at all.

'.........well, what do you mean by people and friends?
'Yeah, you'll still be wondering about that. 'Don't worry, I'll politely explain it to you. First of all, by 'people' you mean the 'elves of Rigforesia'. I'm the "Elder" of the Elves. I've never met you because I tend to be a recluse. I've only heard of you.
Huh, huh....
'But don't you think it's ridiculous to carry a shady guy like me as the eldest?　I'm more in tune with my s*xuality when I'm holed up in a dimly lit room researching... well, I guess it's not too much of a compliment since I'm exposing my haplessness like this as a result.
....

　　He speaks three words while I speak one. I can't keep up with the conversation at all.

'Then there's my friend. This is 'Hikari'........oops, now you call yourself Noin. Noin and 'Laguna'.
What?
Listen, the reason I'm here this time is because of that Laguna. I arranged the invitation, and I was invited to come here. I don't know what to do. I'm not going to be able to tell you what to do, but I'm going to say that I'm going to be able to tell you what to do, because I'm an old friend. I couldn't do away with it, so I came out here in the sunshine.
Hey, can you give me a minute?
'But daylight is hard. I'm going to melt... yeah?　What is it?

　I decided to interrupt the woman who seemed to be talking everywhere if I really let her go and ask her about the shocking details I had just heard.
　Also, that weird magic is the kind of thing you'd have to fast for 10 days to develop!

Are you ... acquainted with Mr. Noyn and Ms. Laguna?
Yeah?　Oh, yeah, I'm sorry. I forgot to say my name because I knew your name. I hope you don't think I'm rude, but I'm still trying to be polite in this, and I will thank you for saving my life. I mustn't. We're going off on a tangent again.
....
As you may have guessed, I traveled with the first hero... well, I'm a third-rate mage everywhere.

　The words that were told to me with a friendly smile on my face by Nikoli and a friendly smile, this time my mind went blank.

　Dear Mom, Dad - what's going on with my strange person encounter rate?　I'm even beginning to wonder if I'm cursed for good. Anyway, it was Noin-san's - a former companion - that I happened to meet by chance.