*

　On the day of the Spirit Festival--Christine was in her office signing documents.
　Ninety percent of the work is left to the family order, but only the signature has to be done by herself.
　Honestly, it's a pain in the ass.
　Since he's put together so much, I even think it's fine if he does it to the end.
　However, the person in charge of the Countess Elway territory is me.
　Even if it's troublesome, if it's my job, I have no choice but to do it.
　For example, even if it's the day of a spirit festival--''

''........Laura.
Excuse me?

　Christine rested her hands and spoke to Laura, who was standing off to the side.
　There are about ten documents left.
　A competent house order would put the more urgent documents on top, so that meant the less urgent ones were left.

''The eagle is going to the spirit festival.
No.
Why?

　I shouted at the merciless answer.

'Master Chris, have you forgotten that you were attacked by bandits?
I haven't forgotten.

　I wrote a letter to the family and went to the funeral.
　How could he forget all this, since he was not a chicken?
　And moreover, it was my own man who died.

'Then why?'
You have no idea who these thieves are.
...it's

　Laura's face contorts.
　Thanks to our guest (rarebito), we were able to get out of the crisis, but we never found out why the bandits attacked us.
　I should have taken him alive to find out what happened, and if that's not possible, I should have scrubbed his identity from his belongings.
　However, that's what I can say now.
　At that time, the death of a subordinate and the encounter with a guest were not enough for that.
　It would be the same for Laura.

'I have to see if he's just a bandit or if he was hired by someone else.
That may be true, but...

　If Charlotte is the one who sent me, we must take measures.

''As a matter of fact, those thieves are trying too hard.

　He didn't retreat even though his friends were being killed so much.
　If they had gone that far, I felt that Charlotte's protégé might have been dressed as a bandit.

''So you think Chris-sama is going to be the bait?''
That's right. If someone was sending me, I'm sure they'd take some action.

　If you don't go into a tiger's hole, you won't get a tiger - that's what I'm talking about.

Dismissed.
Why?
I can't guarantee Chris's safety.
What's the return on your investment without taking a risk?
It could be a high-risk, no-reward proposition on our own merits.

　Laura said in a determined tone.

'A bandit of that caliber could be defeated by you guys, couldn't it?'
''It's true that in a single combat, we won't fall behind an ordinary bandit, but...''

　Laura shuddered in a blur.
　Perhaps she was remembering how she was assembled by the bandits.
　I'm not going to tell you that you're always talking about being brave.
　It's one thing to expect the worst and another to be exposed to a realistic threat.
　Christine knows that much.

'I can't deal with being outnumbered,'
Why don't we fight with the advantage of being on the ground?
That doesn't mean they're capable of it.
.....

　Christine moaned softly.
　Because she realized now that her thoughts were standing too differently.
　Laura thinks pessimistically about things.
　For her, the very idea of taking a risk is difficult to admit.
　Unless you can show a good return, Laura must not approve of the decoy operation.

'What's more ... if there's a mastermind behind it, I suspect he's sending in a handful of handlers.
It's just a matter of probability, isn't it?
I think the odds are pretty good,
...hmmm.

　It's true that he's failed once, so he'll send a handful of handlers next time.
　Well, Christine would play her strongest card from the beginning--''

''I still want to bring our guest into the fold somehow. I wonder what those two are doing right now.
'Makoto-sama has added a Foxtail bandit and a Bisonhorn warrior to his team, conquering dungeons and defeating giant skeletons in his job as a guard. In doing so, he seems to have acquired a large amount of magic stones. He is also highly regarded by adventurers not only for his abilities, but also for his personality, and is rumored to be a sure B-class in the next assessment.

　I was trying to talk to myself, but Laura was biting at a great rate.

Do you know much about this?
Master Chris sent me.

　Huh, did you say that?　Christine tilted her head inwardly.
　'Adventurers are like rootless people, so maybe it's just as well not to overdo it.

'Can I assume you're thinking positively?
....

　Laura was silent, but since she's red to her ears, it's safe to assume that she's thinking quite positively.
　Come to think of it, Laura is at a good age.
　Perhaps the fear that she might not be able to get married at this point is working.
　Be that as it may--.

"...Laura.
Excuse me?
Please let me go to the spirit festival.

　Christine once again spoke of her hopes.
　The bait operation was an excuse.
　I really wanted to go play.

''I'm ... sorry.''
Why?
We don't have the power to protect Master Chris.

　Well, Christine let out a sigh.



　In the evening - Makoto was sitting at the counter of the 'Golden Sheep' pavilion, drinking lemon water.
　He glanced toward the stairs, but Yuka hadn't come down yet.
　Fene and Liv have been wonderfully hickeyed, even though they went out before noon.
　I'm worried that they're going to be holed up in earnest, but it's not just Yuka who is concerned.
　I'm also worried about Fene and Liv.
　Especially Liv.
　Maybe I should have at least asked them where they were going to have a drinking session.

'I wonder if Liv's guy will be able to come back in one piece?
He's not a child. He'll be fine.

　Mako muttered softly, and Shelly rested her hands on the dishes and said, "I'm sorry, but I'm not happy.
　It's not because of the decorations that she looks happier than usual.
　Perhaps it was because it was a festival, but today there were a few glancing guests.
　One or two people an hour, but still, a guest is a guest.

'What's it like to have a drink before noon?'
It's normal for mercenaries and adventurers, usually.
I don't feel like I fit in.

　Mako blurted out to herself.
　In his former world, it wasn't uncommon for him to drink in the middle of the day on holidays.
　He didn't try to change his lifestyle, even if he was concerned about his uric acid levels and blood pressure, but since he was summoned to this world, his desire to drink had become less and less.

'Sir, it has begun,'

　Shelly turned off the lights and the shop was enveloped in darkness.

'Here, look,'

　Mako was prompted by an innocent laughing Shelly to look at the decorations on the wall.
　Then there were red, blue, yellow and green lights floating there.

''Thank you for everything, Spirit-sama,''

　Shelly folded her hands in front of her chest and spoke a word of thanks.
　The light - the spirit drifted through the air, blinking repeatedly.

'Heh~ It's beautiful.'
I know.

　Shelly smiled with satisfaction and looked up the stairs.
　She caught sight of the stairs and saw that Yuka was about to come down.

''Well you're not going to change your clothes or anything, are you?
Why do you have to change your clothes?

　Yuka said, miffed, and sat down at the counter.
　She was wearing a white sailor suit, a black cape and a triangular hat.

''Yes, come in,''
Thanks.

　Yuka took the cup from Sherry and popped it in one go.
　Puh-leeze!　He exhales like an old man and puts his cup on the counter.

'....Makoto.
What?
If you thought I would doll up for an event, too bad. I'm not one of those obvious girls who all dress up for an event.

　'You're a heroine in a galley game,' spat Yuka.

'No, that's all sorts of strange.'

　When you go on a date, you have to pay attention to your personal appearance.
　Even if it's not a date, you've probably worn a yukata to a summer festival.
　It's weird that the only comparison is to a galley game.
　Whether it's manga, anime, drama, or movie, we dress up for events.

All sorts of strange things, but the strangest part of it is that I call myself a heroine.
I'm a heroine, right?
'No, no, don't put reality and fiction together. Even if it was fiction, you're not a heroine.
You have dark hair?

　Yuka ruffled her hair as if she didn't understand.

'You can't be the main heroine with black hair, you can't be the main heroine. It's a position that may or may not have a niche fan base at the bottom of the popularity poll.'
Why?
It's a bad character.

　The main heroine is supposed to be a neat and clean girl.
　This is especially true in a galley game.
　Why should I pay to drop a heroine with a bad personality?
　If it's a specific genre of bishoujo games, you might be able to put up a main heroine.

'I'm sorry you have such a bad personality!
If that's what you think, then make up some of your mind!
No!
Why?
Because there was no point in wearing the cat, of course.
He's enlightened for the wrong reasons.

　Mako let out a deep sigh.

''Yes, yes, don't fight with each other. Enjoy the Spirit Festival.''
All right, let's go.
If you try to hold my hand, I'll stab you.

　It's going to be a thrilling event.

Let's go?
Hey, don't leave me.

　As Makoto started to walk away, Yuka followed him in a panic.

''Oh?''

　I stepped outside and marveled at the sight.
　The normally darkened streets were decorated in four different colors.
　Although it was only decorated, there were no food stalls.

''Heh, it's like fireflies.''
...Fireflies...
Why do you sound so serious?
'No, well, the fireflies are beautiful, but...'
It's beautiful, though, isn't it?
It's a bug, right?

　When I was in elementary school, the guys who brought beetles and stag beetles to school were my heroes.
　Makoto did his best to catch them too, but at some point in time he started to think they were creepy.

'Have you ever seen a firefly, Yuka?'
I'm from the 23rd arrondissement. No way. Do you have one?
Yeah, I've seen it locally.

　Hmmm, Yuka countered.
　Is it pity that resides in her eyes?

''.........So it's in the middle of nowhere.
That's what we call a country club.

　Mako clenched her fists.