Chapter 76: Charlotte and a Work Acquaintance

"So yeah, that’s how it is."

At the guild reception desk, I explained the detailed conditions of my request to a receptionist I was on familiar terms with.

Her name was Hana. She was the same person who once crashed and burned trying to get Riven’s contact info.

"I see. That sounds… troublesome."

"Right? Feels like my skin’s breaking out from the stress…"

"Excuse me? Are you picking a fight? I’ll kill you."

"Sorry."

I personally thought it was worth mentioning, but apparently not from her perspective. The glare she gave me was so loaded with jealousy and murderous intent that I apologized on the spot.

She let it go—at least outwardly. Instead, she leaned hard on one elbow against the counter and rested her chin in her hand.

We were technically on business hours, but since she knew me well and no one else was around, her tone was casual.

During work, she came off as a polished, polite lady, but in reality, she was the kind of woman who could be rough like this. Well, the fact that she never let it slip on the job was proof of her professionalism.

"Ugh, when’s a tall, rich, handsome guy going to hit on me already? I’m so done dealing with old men at this counter."

"There you go again…"

"Unfair, unfair, unfair! You’re always surrounded by hot adventurers. It’s not fair!"

Here we go again.

I’d known Hana since the days of the Crimson Sword, and she was well aware of my history. She probably knew my background story too, but the only thing that seemed to matter to her was the fact I was always running around with men, which made her insanely jealous.

"Maybe I should just quit this job. No guys here, it’s a total drought."

"You have another job lined up?"

"If I did, I’d have quit ages ago!"

These kinds of complaints weren’t new—I’d been listening to them for years, maybe since the very first time we met. At this point, I was used to it.

For the record, she really was efficient at her work, though.

"So, how about my request?"

"Mm. I’ve got the paperwork drafted. After this, the guild will run an internal check for a bit. Since this one’s dealing with the Goddess of Fortune, we can’t just toss the request up at random, you know?"

"That’s one way to put it… Fine. So basically, you’ll look for someone to take it on for now, right?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

Even while chatting, her hand never stopped moving. She really was good at her job.

I’d even heard she was popular among adventurers. Either she just didn’t notice, or only guys way out of her strike zone ever hit on her. Probably the latter.

"Alright, we’ll handle it from here."

"Thanks for the help. Well then—"

"Not so fast."

Just as I turned to leave, relieved that my request had gone through, she grabbed me by the upper arm and held me back.

"It’s early and I’m bored. Stay and talk with me a bit. Or are you feeling so awful you can’t even manage that?"

"I don’t mind. Like I said, though, I’m a little short on sleep… yawn."

I couldn’t stop a yawn from slipping out mid-sentence. For some reaso,n I was tired. Not like I’d stayed up late or anything. Hana gave me a skeptical look.

"Hm? What’s wrong?"

"…By the way, does your boyfriend know about this?"

"Boyfriend?"

I didn’t have one. Who was she talking about? Don’t tell me another guy out there was calling himself my boyfriend again. I really didn’t need that hassle.

"You know, the black-haired one. Riven, right? You brought him in for adventurer registration a few months back. You’ve been coming in with him to look for requests lately, too, haven’t you?"

"Ahh."

Right, him.

Well, if a woman who was always swapping out party members suddenly started sticking with one guy, people were bound to make assumptions. I guess I hadn’t ever explained the situation here. Nobody had asked, after all. Well—except back at the Stray Cat Tavern, where they teased me into explaining.

"He doesn’t know. I haven’t talked to him about it. And for the record, he’s not my boyfriend."

"Oh, come on, no way. He’s not? You’re telling me you can act that natural around a guy and he’s not your boyfriend? The last time I saw you that comfortable with a man was with Reynard."

"He’s just like Reynard, honestly. Not that type."

"Hmm…"

Yep, that was her ‘I don’t believe you’ face. Seriously, she always tried to twist everything into romance.

Riven and I had a clean contract. We were friends, but not in a boyfriend-girlfriend way. Please don’t take away one of my rare friends.

"Eh, whatever. It’ll be more fun not digging deeper."

"That’s a terrible reason."

"Lighten up, lighten up."

At this point, arguing was pointless. I’d just have to accept it, even if it didn’t sit right with me.

"Anyway, if you’re in the same party, you should at least let him know when you’re not feeling well."

"I don’t really want to make him worry…"

"You say that, but if it affects the job, you should tell him. What’s up with you? That’s not like you. Normally, you’re way more pragmatic."

Now that she mentioned it, she was right. Work was work—I needed to handle it properly. Why hadn’t I thought of that?

It was bothering me more than it should.

Hana gave me a mischievous smile, the kind that said she’d just thought of something annoying.

Uh oh. I knew that face.

"You haven’t teamed up with the same guy consistently since the Crimson Sword, so of course I thought, ‘Hm, special case.’ And yep, looks like he really is special."

"Special, huh…"

If I had to answer, then yeah—he was. I cared about him, and I wanted to support him.

But was that why I hadn’t told him about not feeling well? That didn’t feel quite right either. I didn’t even know why I hadn’t thought to say something.

As I mulled it over, Hana’s gaze cooled suddenly, sharp enough to make me flinch.

W-what was with that look? Like I was the one in the wrong here.

"…Charlotte, don’t tell me you’ve never been in love before?"

"Huh!?"

Way too sudden. How on earth did we get here?

"Wait, seriously? No way. You’ve gone through so many guys, acting all smooth like you’re used to handling men, and you’re telling me you’re still pure?"

What!? What is this woman even saying out of nowhere!?

I couldn’t help glancing around, worried someone might’ve overheard.

At this time of day, most adventurers were gathered by the request board, so only a few were hanging around the counter. Chances were low that anyone heard.

I let out a quiet sigh of relief and lowered my shoulders.

When I looked back up, she was staring at me like I’d just sprouted a second head.

"That reaction—no way, really? You mean you weren’t trading your body every night with a different guy?"

"That’s not how it was! Sure, I’ve flirted here and there, used a little charm when I had to, but I’ve never gone that far."

"Why not?"

"Why not…?"

It wasn’t like there was some huge reason.

If push came to shove, I was prepared to use it as a card to play. But I really didn’t want to. And somehow, I got by without needing to.

Pure luck, that’s all.

"…Because it’s scary."

I wasn’t lying.

It really was scary. That was all.

…If I crossed that line, I felt like I wouldn’t even know who I was anymore.

Not that I’d ever say that out loud. Dragging in memories from a past life—no one would ever believe me.

"Cute, much?"

She threw her head back theatrically, like an actor hamming it up on stage.

Her words sounded like praise, but her expression said exasperation.

"If you’d shown just a little of that side to other adventurer girls, you probably could’ve avoided a lot of trouble."

"Ugh… It doesn’t matter. I haven’t caused any problems from grudges lately!"

"Yeah, yeah. Good for you. You’d better be thanking your boyfriend for that."

He’s not my boyfriend.

Not that I’d bother correcting her—it would just make her repeat it even more. Best to let it slide.

If Riven were around, she wouldn’t joke like this, so it’s easier if I’m the one who puts up with it.

She let out a long sigh. Funny—I’m the one who should be sighing. But her expression looked strangely refreshed.

"Anyway, just make sure you tell them. You say you don’t want them to worry, but not being able to worry about you properly is even worse for your companions, you know?"

"…Alright."

"Good. Then I’ll hold onto these papers. You go tell them right now!"

She leaned over the counter and lightly tapped me on the head.

It didn’t hurt, but I found myself rubbing the spot anyway.

"Right now?"

"Of course. You were just going back to the inn to rest anyway, weren’t you?"

"Well, yes, but…"

"If you’re feeling really awful, the guild can handle it, but it’ll mean more if they hear it from you. Finding out something important about your comrade from someone else’s mouth—it stings a lot more than you think."

Ugh. Put that way, I didn’t really have a choice.

They were definitely going to scold me.

Especially after what happened with Salem. There was no way they wouldn’t.

Honestly, judging by how Trishel and Riven reacted, it was obvious something had happened to me.

I didn’t notice the difference myself, but Riven especially kept watching me closely, like she was checking my condition.

If that was because of Salem’s incident… what was I supposed to do?

Another heavy sigh escaped me. Dread weighed down my chest. Knowing full well I’d face something unpleasant, and still having to go—it sucked.

"…Fine. I’ll tell them after this."

"That’s the spirit. You should listen when your elders give advice, you know ☆"

The way she said it, it felt like there was literally a star mark at the end of her words.

She waved me off, and I left the guild, pulling my hood lower as I greeted a few familiar faces on the way.

The sun was glaring down hard. I yawned, stretched, and started walking toward the inn where Riven and the others were staying.