153 149 The efforts we have accumulated will be a strength. (1/2)

The party, a review party, lasted until late into the night, partly due to the effects of alcohol and partly due to the good atmosphere.

The underage group, who were originally going to stay the night, went to bed in the napping room before the date was over.

Suela, being pregnant, went to sleep early, accompanied by Himikku.

The rest of the group got drunk, one person dropped out, two people dropped out, and the last person who was tasked with cleaning up the mess was...

You've grown up a lot, haven't you?

”Really?　I guess the shape has changed, though.

I've lived longer than you, and I've never seen a mineral tree grow that long.

It was an unusual combination of me and Kaylee.

I would pack up the plates and organize the table to make room, and Ms. Kaylee would watch as I tried to do the work I was going to do until I felt sleepy.

When we were alone, you would feel a little bit of the opposite s*x, but I intentionally kept my distance as an ordinary colleague, as she lost her tribal gender feelings.

If it was just the two of us, and if it was at night, the vampire's memoria would have been a conversation between the three of us, but unfortunately, because of her weakness for alcohol, she was actually down before the underage group.

As for the remaining members of the group who have not yet spoken, Kaido is down on the sofa due to the desperation of drinking and forcibly increasing the tension between Japanese sake and otherworldly sake, while Minami and Kitamiya have somehow started comparing drinks and are down at the same time, and as if the usual bromance is a lie, they are cuddled up and asleep! .

So that left me with my ogre-trained liver and Ms. Keely, who was pacing moderately.

At this stage I didn't hold her back and said the place was dismissed.

Even if they didn't want to, I didn't think it was a good idea for two people who weren't in a relationship to stay together late at night.

I didn't fall asleep right away, though.

I had a bottle of the dark elf's favorite slightly sweet and sour fruit wine, which I'd been drinking since Suela recommended it, and some leftovers from the banquet dinner that Himik and Katsu had cooked for me, and I decided to have an evening drink by myself. I was going to take care of the mineral tree.

Surprisingly, Kaylee agreed to go along with me.

But that doesn't mean she's going to care for your weapon, she says she's just curious to see my weapon, and she watches me work, slowly savoring the sake and plucking I've prepared with her glass in hand.

It's really just a messy sword-shaped weapon at first, but now it's in the shape of a sword no matter how you look at it, so it's no wonder that it's known as a blacksmith's tearjerker.

Although not enough time has passed for me to miss it, my partner's appearance has changed so much that I'm surprised I used it after enough time to become attached to it.

The shadow of the original buddy has been cleaned off, and in my hands is a magnificent large sword.

The blade, which started out with a dull glow, now has a polished mirror-like luster and has become so much more like a weapon that I wonder how many people would believe it was just an ordinary iron plate made into a sword.

Brush its surface with a cleaning cloth, being careful not to cut your fingers.

A growing sword, or perhaps more accurately, a sword, in this form.

It is a partner in a game-like setting.

In addition, it comes with such a gambling element that they say you have to wait a long time to see if it grows well.

I got a cynical weapon in my hands, but I can now say that my choice was not a mistake.

As I carefully polish my partner's sword with a cleaning tool, I have a conversation with Keely.

”And then?　Isn't there something you want to talk to me about?

It's more accurate to say that it's a confirmation of a message rather than a conversation.

Without looking at Keely, who seems to be in a mood to say something, I asked her without stopping my gaze on the mineral tree and without stopping my grooming, ”What do you mean?

What do you mean?

At first, you are interrupted by Keely's inarticulate words.

You know, it's a shame that you took the trouble to adjust the amount of alcohol you drink so that you could be alone with me. It's okay if it's not there, but my gut tells me that I should listen to it here, so I'd like to hear it if I could.

But contrary to her words, Caylee's actions themselves said there was something about her.

That doesn't mean she doesn't have a bad poker face.

It doesn't mean that she doesn't enjoy the party.

It doesn't mean she didn't stand out from the crowd.

It's just that my instincts, trained by my instructors, sensed something strange and kept it in a corner of my mind.

This was just a feeling I had in my head.

I'm used to being in a hurry, so that's the level of effort I'm willing to put in.

And it seems that your instincts were working just fine today.

After taking a sip of her reserved drink, she smiles at you.

Her smile is well-groomed, but if I had to describe it in terms of color, I'd say it's definitely black, not white.

Which would you rather hear first, the bad story or the little bad story?

Sure enough, my senses were right and the words coming out of her mouth were not good.

”What an unreasonable choice between the two, and I came without the option of not listening.

You only talk about it because Jiro-kun wants to hear it.

”Don't act like you're doing it there, because that's what most guys do, but don't think it's going to work on me when I'm looking in front of you. If you want, you can walk away from this place as fast as you can.

I'll put you at ease and you'll listen to me to the best of your ability.

”There's no comfort factor when you know you're going to use force.

I sensed from her that she was going to do everything in her power to physically bring the discussion to the table, instead of bringing it to the table verbally, so I decided to listen to her.

I'm in despair that there's no good news in the answers, but I'm in despair because I've gotten to the point where I don't even need a headache medication, and I'm urging her to speak up while polishing my sword.

It's not a good idea to have a good time, but it's a good idea to have a good time.

”At this stage of bad news from the top brass, a bad feeling has turned into a bad alarm. What's that?　Am I a target for restructuring?

”Ha-ha-ha, I wouldn't let someone like you go.

”It's nice to hear you appreciate it, but it's hard to be happy when you know there's bad news coming afterwards.

It's one of the worst things about modern society, and if there are no declarations of dismissal, what else is there?

It's not an easy thing to imagine, even in my experience.

So which one do you want to hear first?

Well, with a bad story.

So, in an effort to mitigate some of the mental damage by hearing the bad news first and then the slightly worse news, I decide to listen to the bad news first.

”It's going to be a bit of a chore for you, okay?

How awkward is a little awkward?

”Don't you back off?

”To the point of subtraction?

”Run away?

”Do you want to run away?

”Don't you want to escape from reality?

”...... is that far?

Yes, I felt really sorry for Jiro when I heard this story.

The smile on her face is to hide her sympathy, or maybe it is to hide her compassion, but when she is about to say the main point, the smile disappears from her face.

It's not just a simple matter of time before you get to the point where you're going to be able to get your hands dirty.

You know, there was an incident that led to the death of Prince Mushiko?

”Oh.

Even if it is muddled with an incident, it is a case that I myself was almost preyed upon.