It's morning, and I meet red hair in the tavern for breakfast.
We came here for dinner too, but seeing the guild at the start of the day sure is something else. There's much movement from adventurers and the clerks, merchants and the quest givers.
After breakfast, we make our way up to the registration floor.
"We choose our missions from these murals, and then bring them to the clerks at the booths." I explain.
"I see. I'll register myself first, and after that we can take a look."
We decided to choose some missions today already. After this, we'll buy equipment and leave the city. Is it truly okay to go without any sort of training?
Anyways…
We line in for one of the booths and end up meeting that same clerk that helped me yesterday. What are the odds I saw her and entered in line for her booth?
"H-hi!" I try to make a friendly smile.
"Oh, hello again Mr. Aki! Have you prepared yourself for your adventure?"
"We're getting ready, but for now we came to register my party member."
She then looks at red hair by my side and widens her eyes.
"Such a pretty girl! Is she your---"
Ahhh! She's going to say something she really shouldn't! I try to gesture her to stop mid-sentence, but to no avail…
"Girlfriend?"
Noooooo!!!
She looks at me with a puzzled expression, as if asking: 'something wrong?'… I look at red hair and she stares daggers at me, a glint of anger in her eyes and an inquisitive look, wondering what the hell I must've said to the guild employee for her to reach such a conclusion…
I didn't do anything… Stop looking at me with a 'wanna die, bastard?', face…
The clerk on the other hand hasn't even noticed she just stepped on a minefield!
"No. How did you even reach such a conclusion? It's inconceivable you would even think of placing me together with this ridiculous ambulant piece of garbage…" Red head says matter-of-factly.
P-piece of garbage… There was no need to get that angry… Or am I so bad that even a harmless joke would justify all of this aggression…? Ah, I see, maybe she's a tsundere, so she's actually happy on the inside--- Nope, she looks pretty pissed on the inside as well.
Is it my face after all…?
C-Caham!
It's better I don't take this personally. Truth be told, it's the expected reaction coming from red hair… Since the first time I saw her, her eyes seemed to be burning. More than being angry at me, or even for being brought to this world, isn't she actually venting out her anger over something else…? That's the impression I get from her.
Besides, my heart is already broken since first grade.
"Hah---!?" The clerk is simply left open-mouthed. A fly is gonna go in if you stay like that, you know?
Her answer was so intense, the clerk couldn't even understand whether it was a joke or something. She was definitely serious, though… Her anger was a clear indication it wasn't a joke, though the clerk might not have immediately picked up on that since they just met.
Next, it's the clerk's turn to slit her eyes and furrow her eyebrows.
"Garbage!?"
If you treat someone this badly in front of a gentle person, they might get angry, you know… There's absolutely no need for us to cause such a terrible first impression in the guild right from the start…
Let's just pretend it was a joke and not cause a commotion…
"Ahaha...ha... And that's just how it is! A joke! So funny!"
I laugh, while my heart bleeds.
"Oh! Uhh, a little harsh for a joke…"
No kidding…
Luckily, the clerk accepts the excuse and regains her composure.
And thankfully red hair doesn't say anything else. I'm not sure if she understood that she might've taken things too far, or simply because she didn't want to waste any more time. Probably the last option…
"Then… Hehe, does that mean… No girlfriend then?"
The clerk then smiles while tucking her hair behind her ear, and inclines her body towards me, looking me in the eyes.
Wait. T-this is---!
Could it be 'that'!?
…
Is she actually joining in on the bullying…? That kind of 'no maidens?' comments you would see on the internet? It has a different impact when you're actually asked the same in real life…
Wait, let`s not be hasty. Right now she is simply trying to ascertain a fact.
I`ve read that in cases like this, it`s not about your answer itself, but rather about your posture as a whole as you answer. Don`t be intimidated, just play it cool. My personal life is my own.
Besides, the whole idea that a man my age should`ve had at least one girlfriend so far is completely outdated. First of all, what if I didn`t want a 'girl'friend in the first place? Or what if I`m not interested in either relations and/or sex?
Well, it's not my case… Buuuut it's not something that should be judged by others, either way!
That's right, I just have to answer normally. I have nothing to be ashamed of here. Rather, she's the one who shouldn't make personal questions like that all of a sudden.
"N-n-no4, I-I d-dooen't hhafe."
Sorry, I stuttered.
Very badly.
I don`t even know how I was able to fit a numeral in a spoken sentence.
Question: 'what should I do if my mind understands something that my emotions fail to perceive?'
I'm sorry for being that kind of pathetic person!
"That's good to know…" She makes a different kind of smile. I don't quite get it, but for some reason my heart skipped a beat.
Then I hear a small 'hmph' from my side.
"Could we move on now?" Red hair says, impatiently.
Reeeed! You came back to save me!? I didn`t knew you had any sort of mercy in your heart! I will never forget how you just saved me from this humiliation!
I follow up on her assist.
"A-ah! We're here to register her as well…"
"O-oh! Sure, just a second!"
The employee drops the subject and submits red over the same procedures I went through. She had to say her name out loud though, since she couldn't write… Come to think of it, how was I even able to write my own name in their language…?
I'm not sure if red got embarrassed, but her eyebrows furrowed even more than the usual. The clerk even tried to cover it up, saying that it isn't so rare that even some of the more experienced adventurers don't know how to read either. And also that the guild offers some workshops if she is interested in learning.
Anyways.
"Here it is, Ms. Akane."
She receives that same pouch full of freebies, as well as the guild card.
I take a peek.
Adventurer's Guild Card
Name
Airi Akane
Age
19 years old
Rank
D rank
Number of completed missions
—
Highest defeated monster rank
—
Deposited Goddo
—
Airi Akane… I only got to know her name because she had to tell it to the clerk… That is, assuming that is her actual name.
Next, the clerk asks us. "Will you form a party for the missions?"
"That was the plan, but befo---" I start.
"How does the party system work?" But red--- Airi cuts in, in her hurried, no-bullshit way, as usual…
The clerk then puts on her work smile, as she answers.
I came here for the smile, won't deny.
"Very simple, all you have to do is register the mission together with your other party members. The parties may range from two to seven people, though the guild's usual recommendation is to form parties of either four or five. Then, the reward will be given according to each person's participation on the mission."
Sounds like quite a convenient system. But…
"How is the participation verified?" I ask.
"The guild card is capable of automatically registering important accomplishments of its owner. For example, the number of monsters you've defeated, their kinds, what kind of conversion or expression you used and the extent of your participation during battle. These information are then analyzed in the guild and used to decide each one's rewards."
"I see…"
That's one heck of a function then. It observes and keeps tracks of our actions? And here I thought we would have some sort of privacy without the internet… If it even registers what kinds of monsters I've killed, then imagine if I ended up killing a person. I guess it makes sense for adventurers to be under this kind of surveillance…
"Enough daydreaming, we're wasting time. Let's go take on a mission already."
Airi turns around and walks away.
Polite as always…
"Thank you for everything, we'll be back once we decide on some missions."
"Take as much time as you need, I'll be working all day. But I'm free at night… Ah! And remember you may register up to five missions at the same time!"
"Ok!"
Up to five missions… We could pick different missions for the same area, that way we could save up on time.
We head for the mission boards.