"I'll make sure to pass the message to Bell, Hestia-sama."
"Got it, leave it to me."
"Thank you. Sorry for dropping by so early."
I bowed to Hestia-sama and left the church, the home of the Hestia Familia.
It was the morning of my second day of training with Bete-san. Since I wouldn't be entering the dungeon for about a week due to the training, I'd decided to inform Bell. Unfortunately, he'd already left by the time I arrived.
With no other choice, I asked Hestia-sama to relay the message and headed back home.
It was just past seven o'clock, the sun fully rose. I still had time before training with Bete-san began, enough to grab breakfast and get to the warehouse with time to spare. Though… considering how intense training with Beta was, I'd better stick to a single piece of bread. Eating too much might not end well.
As I walked back, I noticed Lefiya in the central plaza, shoulders slumped in dejection. Remembering yesterday's events, I figured now was a good time to apologize and make plans for a meal together.
"Hey, Lefiya!"
Her elf ears twitched at the sound of my voice, and she turned toward me. Her face, however, was a picture of despair, as if the world had ended.
"W-What happened?!"
I rushed over, alarmed, and asked her what had upset her so much.
"Ais-san… she…"
"Ais-san what?"
"She was… hugging a man…"
"…Huh?"
Ais-san, hugging a man?
"Whaaaaat?!"
My shout echoed through the early morning plaza.
𓂀═════════════𓂀
Piecing It Together
Back at home, I got the full story from Lefiya.
According to her, she'd woken up early to practice her incantations and study magic as usual. While doing so, she happened to see Ais-san vault over the wall of their home and decided to follow her.
She tracked Ais-san all the way to the northwest district but eventually lost sight of her. Feeling at a loss, Lefiya collided with an adventurer. She asked him about Ais-san, but he immediately ran off.
The adventurer, apparently a Level 1, was skilled at evasion, likely thanks to training in Daedalus Street. Lefiya managed to close the distance to within three meters but lost him again.
After searching for hours, she finally sensed a presence, peeked out of an alleyway, and saw Ais-san… embracing the adventurer.
What could I even say to that?
"Lefiya, are you absolutely sure Ais-san was hugging that adventurer?"
"…What do you mean?"
"Well, you were pretty emotional when you saw them. Is it possible you misinterpreted the situation?"
"Now that you mention it…"
Lefiya began recalling the scene in detail, her expression troubled.
"So, how exactly were they hugging?"
"Umm…"
"Was it face-to-face?"
"…No, not really."
"From the side, then?"
"…Yes."
A side hug?
"Couldn't she have been lending him her shoulder?"
"Lending her shoulder?"
"Yeah. Maybe he couldn't move, and Ais-san was helping him."
"Now that you say that… that might be it. No, it has to be! That must be it!"
She stood up, her clenched fists shaking with renewed determination. It seemed her mood had improved, which was a relief.
Still, if Ais-san had snuck out early in the morning to meet this adventurer, it raised questions. Lefiya had mentioned he was Level 1, what kind of adventurer was he?
"Hey, Lefiya. What did that adventurer look like?"
"Huh? Wait a second… um, he was a human…"
"A human."
"With white hair…"
"White hair."
"And crimson eyes, like rubellite…"
"Hmm?"
"Oh, and he sort of reminded me of a rabbit."
"…Wait a minute."
Only one person came to mind.
"Was it… Bell?"
"Wait, Toki, you know that adventurer?"
"Know him? I'm in a party with him all the time."
"…What?"
I briefly explained my relationship with Bell to Lefiya. The result?
Crash.
The desk was smashed to pieces.
Lefiya stood there, visibly furious. For a moment, I couldn't help but notice how her refined features looked stunning even in anger.
𓂀═════════════𓂀
Jealousy
What Lefiya felt in that moment was jealousy.
"I want to go on adventures with Toki, too!"
From what she'd gathered, Toki and Bell weren't even in the same familia. Yet, they saw each other regularly, far more often than the three times a week Lefiya managed.
The difference in their Levels… Was that the problem?
This morning, of all mornings, Bell was with Ais. My idol and my crush. The anger I felt toward this "Bell Cranel." who was so closely involved with both of them, began to boil.
(Bell Cranel... I'll remember that name for sure!)
𓂀═════════════𓂀
"Ah-choo!"
"...Are you okay?"
"Y-yes! I'm fine!"
𓂀═════════════𓂀
.
I glanced at the clock. 8:15 AM. My meeting with Bete was at 9. ...This might be cutting it close.
"Lefiya, sorry, but I have an appointment with someone now."
"...That Bell Cranel you mentioned earlier?"
"No, someone else."
As I spoke, I popped a piece of bread into my mouth and began changing. Just in case, I tucked a recovery potion and a magic potion into my shadow pouch.
"Sorry to leave so soon, but I've got to go."
"Alright."
Lefiya stood up and walked toward the door. ...I'll have to fix that broken table later.
𓂀═════════════𓂀
By the time the sun had dipped below the horizon and the western sky retained only a faint glow, I was dragging my battered body back home.
Today's training had been brutal, I thought I was going to die. Actually, Bete almost broke my leg midway through. I barely dodged in time, but not before trying to return the favor and failing.
What kind of strategy should I use tomorrow? Maybe it's time to test out that new spell. Though its power is still underwhelming...
Lost in thought, I neared home when I noticed someone standing outside. It was a familiar figure, one that gave me a strange sense of déjà vu.
"This is... the place, right?"
It was Bell, looking nervous as he stood in front of the house.
"What are you doing here?"
"Oh, Toki!"
His anxious expression lit up into a beaming smile.
"Actually, I have a favor to ask of you."
"...Let's head inside first."
"Sure."
𓂀═════════════𓂀
Bell explained that starting today, Ais had agreed to train him in combat for a week. However, her methods as a first-tier adventurer were far more intense than anything Bell had anticipated, leaving him utterly exhausted.
Feeling dejected, Bell had decided he needed to supplement her training with something else.
"And so, you came to me."
"Yeah."
It was true, I had taught Bell a few things when he first became an adventurer.
But that had only been basic knife-handling techniques. I hadn't taught him anything else because...
"Bell, I've told you before, right? My fighting style isn't suited for adventurers. It's not what you're looking for."
Even though I had left my life as an assassin behind, I hadn't abandoned the skills that came with it. My fighting style was fundamentally rooted in assassination techniques.
"I know. But you're the only one I can turn to. And besides, "
"Besides?"
"...You're my friend. My best friend. I felt I could be honest with you."
"Best friend." Those words made me realize, for the first time, that he was relying on me with no strings attached.
"...Alright."
"Really?!"
"Yeah. Let's head to the yard."
"Okay!"
𓂀═════════════𓂀
After some light stretching in the yard, we faced each other.
"As I said, my fighting style isn't meant for adventurers. Ais can handle that part of your training. I'll teach you how to fight humans."
"Humans?"
"Yes. This style is also effective against humanoid monsters."
"Humanoid monsters..."
Bell's eyes widened, likely recalling the Minotaur incident from a month ago.
"Exactly. Now, let's get started. First, hold the sheath of your knife."
"The sheath?"
"Yes. The sheath isn't as convenient to wield as the blade itself. Training with it will help prevent you from dropping your weapon during combat."
"Got it."
Bell drew his black dagger and leaned it against the wall. I retrieved a sheath from the shadows and took my stance.
"We won't go too hard tonight since you still have Ais's training tomorrow. You don't want to overdo it."
"Understood."
"Just remember: if you slack off, you'll end up using more potions, and that'll burn through your savings."
"Don't worry about that, I'm ready!"
"Alright, let's begin."
"Yes!"
And so, our night training commenced.
"By the way, Toki, can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"Why is there a table split clean in half inside your house?"
"...It's a long story."
𓂀═════════════𓂀
It was the third day of training with Beta-san. With work tomorrow and only one last task, to teach Bell how to fight, I was on my way home, mentally celebrating the nearing end of the day. That's when I saw it.
The scene unfolded right in front of my house, just before sunset. A fairy and a rabbit were locked in a tense standoff. Correction: the fairy was glaring at the rabbit.
The"rabbit." of course, was none other than Bell. He was decked out in his usual light armor, his emerald-green protector glinting in the fading light, likely just back from the Dungeon.
The"fairy" was Lefiya. She had come by yesterday morning for advice, broken my desk, and left. Her usual attire looked oddly battered today.
Standing at the entrance of my home, Lefiya glared, no, openly threatened Bell. Behind her, I could almost see the image of a dignified fairy radiating anger, while a trembling white rabbit seemed to cower behind Bell's form.
Well, for now, let's save Bell.
❖━━━━━༺༻━━━━━❖
"What's the meaning of this?!"
Lefiya stormed forward with enough intensity to almost break the table. I tried to calm her down with a placating"Now, now." but it didn't seem to work. Bell, seated in a chair opposite her, trembled visibly. Honestly, I sympathized; I was terrified too.
After ushering both of them into the house, I served tea in hopes of settling the mood. But even the calming herbal blend didn't seem to affect Lefiya's fiery temper.
"Let's start with introductions. Both of you, sit down." I said, trying to mediate.
"…Fine." Lefiya grumbled as she reluctantly sat down. That was nerve-wracking.
"Alright, Bell, you go first. Lefiya, this is Bell Cranel, a junior adventurer from the Hestia Familia. He's also my best friend."
"P-Pleased to meet you." Bell stammered nervously.
"Bell, this is Lefiya Viridis, a second-class adventurer from the Loki Familia. She's my, "
"Girlfriend!" Lefiya interjected loudly.
"…What?"
I was about to say"friend." but Lefiya interrupted with something completely unexpected. Wait, girlfriend?
"Whaaaat?! Toki, you have a girlfriend?!" Bell exclaimed.
"N-no, Lefiya and I aren't, "
"We're a couple!" Lefiya declared, her gaze sharp as she stared down Bell. Her words seemed to carry an odd sense of rivalry.
My heart was racing like crazy. Lefiya… my girlfriend? Since when? Where? How?
"Well… um, this is Lefiya, my… girlfriend." I said, my mind still reeling.
"Nice to meet you!" Lefiya said proudly, for some reason looking quite triumphant. Meanwhile, I was still trying to wrap my head around the situation. What should I do? Oh, right, I should ask her why she came by today.
"So, Lefiya, why did you visit at this hour?"
"Oh, um, I was thinking maybe Toki could teach me parallel chanting."
"Huh? I thought you could already do parallel chanting."
"With me, it's tricky because my High-Speed Chanting ability makes my magic unstable."
"Ah, I see."
Parallel chanting and high-speed chanting were both advanced techniques, equally challenging. One allowed for precise magic control during combat, while the other compressed magical power for rapid activation. For Lefiya, attempting parallel chanting likely triggered her natural inclination toward high-speed chanting, making it difficult to manage her mana.
From there, the conversation delved into a discussion about magic, training regimens, and unexpected revelations about Bell's newfound abilities. Amidst tense exchanges and rigorous practice sessions, it became clear that this would be no ordinary training. Both Lefiya and Bell left feeling that Toki's training was possibly even harsher than sparring with Ais.
𓂀═════════════𓂀
The morning after their training, Lefiya spent her time in bed, blushing furiously at the memory of her bold declarations, all while dreading her next session with Ais.
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