Chapter 17 (1/2)

Chapter 17

Cleanup.

Eight’s party escorts me back to the entrance under the condition that I join them the next time they go hunting.

「Umm, thank you very much for today…」

Eight’s group had to interrupt their hunt in order to escort me back during the twilight hours just before the break of dawn. I can’t believe I recklessly charged into the labyrinth alone and had to be carried out.

…What am I, a cat that got stuck in a tree?

「Well, these things happen. Don’t worry about it.」

「You’ll help us next time, so it’s fine.」

…Their kindness is killing me. I’m covered in blood, even my hair is stiff from it. One of my shoes is missing, and my clothes are full of holes. I must look like an old wet rag right about now. Considering Yuel was safe the entire time, there was no need for any of this.

「…Yeah, hit me up anytime.」

I ruined an entire outfit and lost a shoe. I was in such a hurry I didn’t pick up anything the monsters dropped either. I’m totally in the red. You could say it was a complete waste.

「Well hey, it’s pretty gallant of you to push yourself that far for a girl’s sake. Right, Geyser?」

I’m deeply moved by Eight’s warm follow-up. He’s a real friend.

「…It was all just a misunderstanding though, huh? Buhahhhahahahahaha!!」

「Wai, Geyser, don’t laugh! …hheh… No, it was really cool, really… heh…」

A real friend…

「Bbbbhhhhahahahahaha!!」

「Hhhhhheh… ahaha…」

A real…

Geyser is openly howling with laughter while Eight is barely stifling it. The laughter only gets louder as the other adventurers start to join in.

…I wanna punch these a.s.sholes.

But, they did cut their hunt short just to bring me back. Hitting them would be ungrateful of me. No, well, after the first hit I’d be the one getting beaten. All I can do is clench my fists and endure it.

…I-I’ll remember this!

Apparently Eight’s group is going to call off the hunt for today and adjourn at the adventurer’s guild. I want to go see for myself that Yuel is okay, but I can’t show up at the tavern looking like this. I’ll head back to the inn, wash up and change my clothes. Honestly, I’d rather clean off all this blood at a public bathhouse, but they probably aren’t open at this time.

When I get back to the inn–

–there’s a black-haired ~16-year-old girl sitting at the front desk, drowsily resting her chin on her hand, watching the entrance with lidded eyes.

「Eh, wait, blood!? A-Are you okay!?」

It’s the inn’s poster girl, Downblouse-san. Why do I call her Downblouse-san? ‘Cause I can see down her blouse all the time. She wears loose-fitting tops and sleeps leaning on the reception desk. Her t.i.ts aren’t that big, either. When she puts her hand on her chin she leans forward, and her loose clothing falls away from her small b.r.e.a.s.t.s. As a result, I can see her b.r.e.a.s.t.s right down her blouse. Therefore, she is Downblouse-san.

This inn doesn’t get many customers, probably because of the location. And it’s not attached to a bar so it doesn’t offer any meals. A lonely inn with just the basic accomodations.

So why do I still frequent this inn? Downblouse-san here is the reason. Well, I mean, it doesn’t hurt that it’s significantly cheaper too.

Usually she’s sleeping and I can call out to her after I get my fill of the view, but today she’s already up. It’s quite early. Is she diligent or lazy? I don’t get her

. This ditzy girl.

「Ah, I’m fine, my wounds are already healed. Sorry, but could I get some water? Preferably a lot of it.」

I ask while feeling my blood-soaked clothes. The blood is already drying, so it might be too late to save these clothes. They’re full of holes anyway.

「A-Are you truly unhurt? Um, well then, please wait in your room, I will bring it shortly.」

「I will retrieve it later, please be careful not to spill it.」

I thank Downblouse-san for bringing the washtub to my room.

I remove my clothes. Yeah, these clothes aren’t usable anymore. I should just throw them out. For now, I’ll stuff them into my item box.

I dip the towel in the water to start cleaning myself, then–

–I hear the sound of the door flinging open.

「Master!?」

Turning my eyes toward the door, I see Yuel standing there in a waitress uniform, out of breath.

…The skirt is shorter than I expected.

No, now is not the time. This is bad. She’s back sooner than I expected from what Geyser told me. Yuel supposedly works in the tavern until around dawn.

It was my own misunderstanding, but her master went to the labyrinth to look for her and ended up in tatters. How will Yuel feel about that? In the worst case scenario she’ll decide, “It’s my fault that Master…”

「Are… are you hurt!?」

Seeing me all bloodied, Yuel runs over with an upset face.

「Ah, well, you see…」

How can I talk my way out of this one? If I said it was all from my enemies, that would sound kinda cool, but she’d still be worried.

「Geyser-san’s group were talking about it at the tavern. That Master went looking for me by yourself in the labyrinth.」

…She already found out, huh? I thought they would just make fun of me for a while, but to immediately turn it into a drinking story, I sure have some great friends.

I’ll remember this.

「I’m so sorry. I-I…」

Yuel hangs her head with a forlorn expression. But it’s not Yuel’s fault at all. I got hurt because of my own misunderstanding. A feeling of guilt wells up in me.

「It was all my misunderstanding. Yuel did nothing wrong.」

「B-But…」

「I’m just glad we’re both safe. Isn’t that what really matters?」