*

"Mister, wake up, please. Mister.

　My body shook with the familiar voice.
　At first, he was reserved with yuzu, yuzu.
　But gradually, the restraint disappears.
　Still, it's only a shudder.
　Suddenly the shaking stops.

"Mister!
I'm going to get up.

　He says it in a slightly stronger tone and raises himself up in disgust.
　I rub my eyes and look around.
　It was the Golden Sheep pavilion's own room - room 101.
　I slept here and woke up here.
　It's not natural.
　If there is a question -.

"Why is Sherry here?

　I ask Shelly, standing by the bed.
　She's not in her underwear or the way she was born.
　She's dressed as usual.
　In short, I'm in my normal clothes.

'Sir, have you forgotten?'
I remember my promise.

　I talk back to Shelly, who gives me a dumbfounded look.
　Yesterday, he told me to take care of Mary and Anne.
　No, they didn't tell me that directly.

'What I want to ask is why is Shelly here?'
'I had no choice but to go in because my husband wouldn't come down for any length of time.

　Shelly put her hands on her hips and let out a small sigh.
　She wrinkles her brow, but she's not angry.
　It's a pose of being angry.
　Still, it seems like it's been a long time since I've seen him.
　Huh~, Makoto stretched absently and got off the bed.
　He walked over to his desk and put on his clothes.

'If you didn't bother to come into my room, you could just knock--'
I knocked.
Really?
I'm not going to lie about this.

　'Totally,' said Shelley, letting out a deep sigh.

'I'm sorry about that one.
It's true.

　This time I let out a small sigh.
　Mako wants to let out a sigh too.
　He seems to be becoming a useless human being at an accelerated rate.

'You're screwed.
What?
I'm not going to be able to stay away from Shelly if I don't.
Oh, you're going to leave?
I'm not gonna do that.

　I mutter in my mouth, "I don't care if he asked me to break up with him.
　But I'm not sure I'd be able to break up with him gracefully.

''For now, I'm not going to break up with you,''
Yeah?

　The word "so far" bothers me, but I'm just a little happy.

'At my age, I have these eyes, you know. It's impossible to find someone better than your husband.
What if it's more than me?
'Sir, it's all about how we feel about each other when we're in love with each other.

　He has a tone of voice that says, "You don't understand.
　I feel uncomfortable when a woman much younger than me talks about love.
　It's not even an answer before that.
　However, I agree with the part about how important it is to have feelings for each other.
　Well, I think there are some issues that can't be dealt with just by the feelings between the two of you.

'But then again, it's more than me, isn't it?
'My husband is a competent adventurer, and he's never been behind on his lodging payments. I think he's a perfect person, except for being a worldly person.
That's a very lived-in assessment.
'I did say my age and my eyes. I don't want to treat my body like this poorly.
Yeah, that's right.

　I don't have to think of it as solid.
　But Sherry had run the Golden Fleece Restaurant all by herself.
　It's not surprising that he's got the right attitude.
　In the first place, if you call it selfish, then so is Makoto.
　I'm looking for comfort in her.
　Nevertheless, there is love, too.
　It's not the kind of love that burns with intensity.
　It's a quiet, smoldering love.
　A quiet, smoldering love, said Makoto, holding his mouth.
　A little, no, quite embarrassing.

'What's wrong with you, holding your mouth all of a sudden?
'When I thought about quiet, smoldering love and all that, I suddenly felt embarrassed.
"-Oh!

　Shelly's eyes widened in surprise when Mako confessed honestly.
　But she immediately narrowed her eyes--.

'I don't want to, mister. You said that out of the blue.''

　Is it embarrassment?
　Shelly averts her gaze and strokes her hair repeatedly.

'Sorry.'
It's not bad, not bad. It's just that you have to be prepared for it.

　Shelly looked at me, holding her chest.

'You see, my husband doesn't say things like that very often.
I'm telling you.
Normally. Normally.

　Shelly said, sounding a bit miffed.
　'I certainly don't usually say that much.

'I was embarrassed,'
...sir.

　This time his tone is dismissive.

"What can I say, body first, mind later--
That's not true.
How?

　I ask.

'It's the heart first, properly.'
You said you wanted to close the door.
Well, it's been an unfortunate incident with Alan.

　Shelley said, awkwardly averting her gaze.

'So, when did you start on me?'
I wonder how long it will take.

　Shelley chuckled.

'I guess I kind of thought it would be nice, though.
I'm not sure.
Should I have said that I fell in love with you the moment our eyes met?
It smells like a lie.
That's a rude thing to say.

　Shelly puts her hands on her hips and raises her eyebrows.
　She lets out a small sigh and lowers her hand.

'Well, mister,'
What?
'Time for adventure. The three of them are waiting for your husband from earlier.
"We'll equip you with a cage and leggings, just give me a minute.
I'll be back downstairs.

　Shelly muttered as she let out a sigh.

*

　When Makoto walked down the stairs wearing his basket hand and leg armor, Shelly was waiting at the counter, while Fene, Mary, and Anne were seated at the counter.
　There was no sign of Yuka and Fujica.
　I wondered if they were still asleep.
　I shook my head, thinking that I should wake them up.
　As an elder and the leader of the team, he feels obligated to take care of the two of them.
　But they are not children.
　Overinterference is not good.
　Mako turns her gaze to the counter seat - Fene.
　She is propped up against the counter, her tail wagging effortlessly.
　There's a bulging backpack under her feet.
　Shelly looks up at me when we're halfway down the stairs.
　Somewhat late, Fene's ears move and her tail stops moving.
　It was fast from there.
　She got off the chair and ran over to me.

'Brother, you're late!　I'm tired of waiting!
Sorry.

　Makoto scratched his head.
　It's not a buzzkill.
　Mary and Anne stand up and come closer to us.
　Both of them seem to be already getting ready.
　But since they are dressed lightly, they feel unreliable.

Thank you for being here today, Miss Makoto.
Thank you very much.

　Mary bowed her head and Anne followed suit.

'You can take it a little easier, man.
But a fledgling like us...
I think it's important to be polite.

　Mary mumbles gurgling and Anne follows up.

'Brother, we're not in the same class,'
'Achievements aside, the length of time I've been an adventurer hasn't changed that much.

　If Mary and Anne were just starting out, then Mako was just as good.

'But, brother,'
It's okay.

　Mako stroked Faene's head with a wrinkle.
　Fene's eyes narrowed in comfort and her lips twitched in a sultry manner.
　He felt that he had been misled.
　In fact, he was right.
　Well, I know how Faine feels.
　It's a problem to be licked by your peers, and we're going to have an adventure together.
　I want to respect Mary and Anne's opinion, but you never know what's going to happen.
　The pecking order - the chain of command - should be in place in case of an emergency.
　Makoto turned his gaze to Mary and Anne.
　Then they straightened up.
　Their eyes shone.
　With this, it seems unlikely that they will be taken lightly or their advice ignored.
　Then I want to earn a favorable impression.
　I want to be perceived as a good person.
　Maybe Yuka would laugh at you for trying so hard to be a good person.

That's why you should take it easy.
I understand.
It's a social call.
I know.

　Anne blurted out, and Mary's lips twitched in a sultry way.

'So, what are you going to do today?'
I'm going to the woods to pick herbs.
I'd like to make some money killing monsters while I'm at it.

　Just," Anne blurts out, adding.

'What's wrong?'
...and the reward is negligible.
Hey, Anne!
It's important.
Yeah, that's true.

　Mary raised her voice, but lost momentum at Anne's rebuttal.

''I should remind you that I can't pay you,''
That's not cool, either.
...that's the extent of us.

　'Ugh,' grunted Mary.

''May I?''
Yeah, don't worry about it. I'm getting paid by Shelly.
"--!

　They gasped and looked at Shelley.

'Sir, please don't talk to me in a misleading way.
The reward is Sherry's good mood.

　'Already,' said Shelly, putting her hands on her hips to appeal that she was angry.

'Good. It was a joke.'
I'm so relieved.

　They both let out a breath of relief.
　Apparently, I've given them a bad imagination.
　They're both women, so they must be sensitive to this kind of topic.
　It's a bypass - or rather, in the former world, it's s*xual harassment.
　It's not good. If you don't think and act more thoughtfully, you'll be thought of as someone who likes to talk down.

'That's why you don't have to worry about the compensation.
My brother is a softie.
That's not all, though.
Come to think of it, she said she could help you, too.
That's what I'm talking about.

　Mako crossed her arms and chuckled.
　He would have taken care of them at some point without Shelly asking him to.
　It just happened to be this time.
　I looked at Mary and Anne again.

'First off, I'll tell you two to decide on a course of action.
I understand.
I can't hold you accountable for anything.

　Mary and Anne nodded, and Mako inwardly patted her chest.

'Then I'll go--'

　'Sir,' said Shelley, interrupting Mako's words.

'What's wrong?'
I packed your lunch.
I'll carry her.

　As Sherry put the lunch box on the counter, Fene ran over to her.
　She took the lunchbox and put it away in her backpack.

'Well, let's go again then,'
Yes, sir!
Yes!
Yes.

　Three voices echoed in the cafeteria.

*

　As if someday, Mako and the others proceeded along the river.
　Mary is in the front, Anne is in the second row, and Makoto and Fene are in the third row.
　Incidentally, there is a distance between them.
　The reason for the distance between them was to make their positions clearer.
　It was Mary and Anne who received the request.
　Makoto and Fene are only insurance.
　You can also have a look at the following information

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that you have to be in a position to do something.
What?
It's a monster-dodging bell.

　Speaking of which, Fene used to wear a bell around her neck.

''The two of you said you wanted to take down the monster. We have to respect their intentions.''
I don't know if my brother is a nice guy or a hard-ass.
I've been told that a lot.
Who said that?

　I looked to the side and saw Fene looking up at me.
　She looked a bit miffed.

''Well, a lot of things...''
It's only Sherry, Liv and Laura, isn't it?
There's Yuka and Fujika, man.
I mean the woman my brother is having an affair with.
It's a secret.

　Mako follows them, keeping her distance from them.
　I can't say that the three of them have told me that I'm like two-faced.
　I'm going to be in a bad mood too~, I look up at the sky and let out a sigh.
　Then--.

''Ugugu........''
Why are you moaning?
I'm the first person to meet her, except for Miss Smith. And yet--
'You used the Awareness Inhibition skill when we met in the Skeleton King's dungeon.
'That's it, that's it. My attitude hasn't changed since I found out I'm a woman.
It's...

　Mako looked at Fene, or rather, at Fene's modest chest.
　However, it was only for a moment.
　In spite of that--''I saw your breasts!

'I saw your breasts.　It's not too different from Laura's in terms of ratio!　And I still have a lot of room to grow!　There's so much potential in this chest!
Ratio-wise, do you really want to win that badly?
Of course. Besides, there's something about this situation that makes me feel so defeated. As a woman.

　Fene clenched his fists and said.

''Well I guess it's rather me.
No, that's not true.
How?
I love you. I love you.
Yeah?
You're a little too disgusting.
No, the humidity...
What does that have to do with anything?
'I want my confession to be moist,'
What about the ribs?
I was so horny at the time.
You don't need an atmosphere.
I wish I could.
I'll try to be positive. Anyway, I love my brother. He's strong and kind... he helped me in my time of need, so I just love him.
You have to love it.
I'm just in love with you.

　Mufu~, Fene said with a snort.
　I wonder why.
　There's no moistness or sweet and sour atmosphere.

''You were saying a lot of things yesterday.
It's a sales pitch.
More and more, I'm not getting away from my love life.
'Brother, I don't want you to expect me to feel glossy in this situation.
Why?
The guys who came after us beat us to it, and we can't even raise our level. Moreover.....

　Fene looked at Mary and Anne with narrowed eyes.

'I feel a sense of urgency.'
Okay.

　Mako let out a small sigh.

'By the way, how are those two?'
Frankly, I don't think it's a good idea for a novice to chase two rabbits.
Is this bad?

　Hmmm, Fene groaned.

''It doesn't matter if there are consequences, but...''
But what?
In my experience, chasing two hares is a mistake. That's why there are adventurers, since it's hard to catch a single hare.
Yeah, of course. What would Fene do?
'I'm going to wear a monster-avoidance bell around my neck to where the medicinal plants grow. My brother........what are you going to do?

　Fene looks up at you.
　'What do you mean by that, do you advise me that I should concentrate on collecting herbs?

''Well no, I won't.''
Are you sure?

　After a considerable pause, Fene gave him a quizzical look as he answered.

''I thought it would be better to tell you, though. If we're here, we can follow through on most situations, right?'
I can follow up to some extent. It's not possible if you get killed immediately.
Instant death.

　I hadn't thought that far ahead.
　If you think about it, there is a demon brown bear (Evil Grizzly) in this forest.
　If you took a direct hit from a demon brown bear attack, you could die instantly.

I'm going to ask you again. What are you going to do?
I'm not going to do that.

　After all, I'll answer after a considerable pause.
　It's true that if the demon brown bear attacked him, he could die instantly.
　However--''

It's important to fail when you can. I think it's important to fail when you can fail.......maybe.
My brother.

　Just as Fane made a pitiful noise, a pain shot through his neck.