Igarashi-san had heard that he had gone to look at the courtyard of the mansion, so he was actually going to go - but when he got down to the entrance hall, a strange man approached him.

　A young man with golden hair cut short and goggles on his head. I wonder if he's about my age. He's wearing a shirt and trousers that I saw in a clothing store, which are expensive in terms of their appearance. The fact that he's in the mansion dressed like this means that he's probably a resident of the other room.

'Hi, nice to meet you. Are you the new leader of the party that just arrived?
Yes, my name is Arichto-Atobe. I'll be staying at this accommodation for a while, so I'll be looking forward to working with you.
'Mr. Atobe, I didn't recognize you after all. We were the top party in the eighth district, but the pecking order changed just now, and we were second in the pecking order. I was wondering what kind of rising star has emerged and I'd love to talk to you.
The contribution was greater than I expected, so I guess I'm in first place provisionally. We were lucky, and that was a big part of it.

　In fact, the fact that we've been able to defeat the named soldiers one after the other is largely due to an element of luck. The Titan Soldiers wouldn't have been discovered without Misaki and Suzuna's skills, and the fact that we were able to defeat them was in itself a stroke of luck.

'You're humble for someone who's running up the pecking order. But your abilities must be pretty good... are the party members strong enough for you?
'I'm still mostly just starting out, but I'm fortunate enough to have one level 9 member leading the party.

　When he hears that we're on level 9, he looks interested. He doesn't seem to be jealous that we've moved up the pecking order, but he seems to have a good-natured personality.

'Speaking of that level, is it Elitia Centrail, who is said to have recently come down to the Eighth Ward?　How did you get me to join the party?
'In the labyrinth, I got together with the girls. And then....
'Oh, you don't have to be respectful to me. I am Georg, leader of the Polar Star.
Polestar?
'It's the name of the party. We have a red dot in our group and she gave it to us. Doesn't your party have a name?

　I hadn't thought of that - I hadn't thought that not only the 'White Night Brigade' that Elitia belonged to, but that each and every one of the parties had a name attached to it.

''I hadn't even thought about it, so........it's not. I didn't know there was a custom of naming them, so I'll discuss it with everyone in the party later.''

　When his tone dropped, Georg clapped me on the shoulder and laughed. He has a plaster of some sort on his nose, but I wonder if he was injured in his search. I'm sure that he is a competent person, as he is the number one in the eighth district until just a few minutes ago, although his physique is close to mine and I can sense a slight nerdiness when I talk to him.

By the way........is that beautiful woman who just passed by your party member?
Oh, yeah. My name is Kyouka. After all, even non-Japanese people think you're beautiful.
A woman that pretty must be pretty hard to handle. But that's not the point. What do you think?　Why don't we go somewhere nice as a sign of closeness? You've earned enough money to spend on fun, right?
Speaking of fun....do you think there are places in the labyrinth country where we can play?

　Georg doesn't say anything, but he grins and affirms it.

　I had been invited by a part-time buddy once, but I didn't go because at the time I was saving money to qualify. It's not that I wasn't interested, but if I went now, I'd be under the severe scrutiny of my peers and the trust I'd built up would be cracked.

'Well, I suppose it's just a matter of how you feel at the time, so let me know if you're in the mood. I know a good place.
Oh, yeah ... when I get a chance.

　Could it be that the explorers of the labyrinth country would rather go to the entertainment district with me - if that happens, I might have to go there eventually. At present it's hard to go there, or perhaps almost impossible to go there.

I'm not sure if you know him or not.　You talk so well together.
Igarashi-san. How long have you been hearing about this?
'I just got here, so I didn't hear anything about it. I don't want to look around on my own, so if you'd like to, you can follow me.

　What did Georg think, or maybe he thought he was being clever - he gave me a thumbs up so that only I could see him and left the mansion.

'Rear-kun, weren't you consulting with everyone about their skills?　No, you need to take a good look at him.

　While saying that, Igarashi-san looks vaguely happy. I wonder if she can somehow tell that I've been chasing her - it's a little unsettling to think so.

''I'm taking a break for now, and I'm going to continue the skills consultation later.
Hmmm... Suzuna-chan can talk about it as much as she wants during the night.
I won't let you stay up late, so I'll get right to the point.

　In fact, if Suzuna and I were to talk about skills together, what other topics would there be to talk about - I hope it wouldn't be a reminder of the difference in generation sense (generation gap).

'Where have you been looking, Igarashi-san?'
'I was just looking at the scenery around me from the front door. Next time, I thought I'd take the doorway over there and go out into the courtyard.
'Oh, good. Let's go then.

　Walking side by side with Igarashi-san in plainclothes - the maid is looking at me smilingly, mistaking me for a maid as much as she can, but Igarashi-san is completely unaware of it.

The carpet in this corridor is very beautiful, it looks like a Persian carpet. Are you interested in that kind of thing, Mr. Higuchi?
'Yes, there's a fair amount of that. Now that I've started earning money over here, I'd like to buy a fixed house sooner or later and have all the interiors I want.
Can I have a pet then?　I'll make sure he's trained and cared for himself.
'Of course it's fine. Let's have an animal of your choice, Igarashi-san.

　Igarashi-san and I still talk to each other more than I thought we would in my previous life. It's a good thing to have a good time, I thought.

　◆◇◆

　What came out for dinner was a kind of marsh crab doria called 'Bubble Crab' and a shrimp soup called 'Mud Shrimp'.

'I thought it would be muddy because it's called a swamp crab, but it was neatly prepped,'
'Yes, I know. I've never seen spices like that before, but I like the way they taste.

　The cream sauce, which was laden with rich, fluffy crab meat, went well with the rice cooked with spices. The food at the tavern was also delicious, but it was cooked in a wild way. In comparison, the food served at the mansion was more elegant. The food served in this house is more elegant than that, and Igarashi is in a good mood as he pours it into his mouth.

　It's a good idea to have a good time with them, but if you're looking for a good time with them, you'll find that they're not very good for you.

'Misaki, I don't think you'll grow up liking it,'
Well, you're taller than Ellie, aren't you?
"...I change my height from day to day. I'm just not feeling well today.

　Elitia said, but she didn't seem to like herbs, and she separated the herbs in the shrimp soup from all the others. She doesn't like vegetables either, and she meticulously sorted out all the things in the salad, like the peppers in the salad.

'Ellie-san, you don't like vegetables?　Shall I eat?
''N-No, it's fine, we'll eat this all together later...''
I think you should eat only good food, so you don't get stressed out. You get your nutrition from all kinds of things.
Well then, can you just eat half of it?

　Elitia looks embarrassed before she warns Misaki, but she takes advantage of Suzuna's kindness. That Suzuna also has too much doria, and it is still brought to Theresia - do sub-humans eat well, or is Theresia special?

''.........hmm......''

　This is one of the few times that Theresa, who doesn't have a voice, can be as close to a voice as possible. Everyone seemed to notice and paid attention, a little surprised.

'Aricht, can't you write with Theresa?'
'I don't seem to be able to write or anything. I guess he sees and hears and understands, but he's blocked from communicating his will in words.
''I would like to hear Theresa's voice. Because even with my skills, I can't hear her voice.

　It means that even if you can sense Teresia's emotional movements through psychic sensing, it doesn't mean you can hear her as a voice.

''.........''

　Theresia looked at the food, then at Suzuna - and nodded coyly.

''Ah ... you told me it's good, didn't you? I think so too, Theresia-san.''
..........

　When we can communicate with each other at will, the bizarre appearance of the lizard mask no longer hinders communication. It wasn't just for me, it was the same for everyone else.

''Ah, yes. Arihito brother, there's a bath in your room, do you want to go in first?
I'll take a bath later. It's not a bad idea to be the first to take a bath, but I live alone and only take a shower in the morning.
If I lived alone, I would have been like that too. The bath makes me sweat right away. Suzu is very patient, though.

　Since Misaki and Suzuna even go on a ski trip together, they must have had the opportunity to take a bath together. It's quite fun to bathe with friends, isn't it?

It's a good idea to have the same room, Theresa-san, so why don't you come in with me? It takes a lot of time for the six of us to go in separately.
..........
'Te, Theresa. Since Igarashi-san has said as much, you can come in with me.

　She didn't answer - I was harried, expecting her to shake her head, but she managed to nod her head.

　Is it just my imagination that she looks so lonely? Theresia's eating speed slowed down subtly.

　The lizard's mask also seems to be somewhat shunned. I'm not the only one who senses this, and Igarashi-san calls out to me with concern.

''Theresa-san, do you perhaps want to go in alone?　That's just the way it is sometimes.
..........
No, I mean do you want to go in with someone other than me?

　That's when Theresa finally looked at me. My eyes meet the eyes of the lizard exactly and I can't deflect them.

I'm always indebted to you, so........that's what I mean. Theresia-san, you seem to be very disciplined like that. It's not too much to ask for the flow of a man's back, but...
Well I won't stop you if you insist.
'No, no ... if anything, wouldn't you prefer it, Theresa?'

　With everyone's attention, Theresa gradually begins to turn red. Even Igarashi-san, who saw it, blushes as if she were caught in the act - would it be a full circle if I blushed too?


'Well that's what you were worried about?'
'But of course I can't make it easy for a man and a woman to take a bath together. But Theresa-san looks so lonely. If she adores you this much, I thought it couldn't be helped...

　The blush on Theresia's face gradually recedes. She stares at Igarashi-san - the emotions there are exactly the kind of subtleties of a maiden's heart that I can't read at all.

''Ah........that's right. Teresia-san, just wait for a moment now. Once we get something like a swimsuit, it won't be as slutty to go in with you.
'Doesn't that make us feel better about coming in?　You can play in the bath with your brother Arihito...I'm embarrassed, as expected. And I'm not a b*tc*.
''Can't I just say that I'm equipped like a swimsuit?''
'Bo, body armor is not a swimsuit. Besides, I consider bathing to be a different matter even if I get a swimsuit, so keep that in mind, Aricht.
'Oh. No, you don't have to go in there with me...
The problem is that Miss Theresa seems to miss you, so Mr. Rear has no right to object.

　I think Igarashi-san trusts too much in the idea of a swimsuit. For me, the difference between nakedness and a bathing suit is a perk, even if there is a difference in what I can see.

　Anyway, today we were divided into three teams, and I had to take a bath by myself. Let's get into the Royal Suite's bathroom at the end of the day to see what it's like.