ch221-ch240 · 239-ch239

Chapter 239: The Man with Wandering Eyes, Part 2

"......and that's where things stand."

"That's completely hopeless."

While Soushi and I take turns practicing the Windmill kata we were just taught, our supposed master, Hiramatsu-san, has his back to the practice and is holding love consultations with Aikawa.

Isn't he consulting the wrong person?

"Huh? Didn't you just say you had a chance?"

"There was a time when I, too, believed that......"

"Heeey! So what am I supposed to do?!"

That girl is just enjoying the show, you know......

"We should get to know Endo-san a little better first. She's a former adventurer, right?"

I'd like to know that too!

"Right. She switched over from adventuring. Her job is 【Water Mage】—her main duty is supplying water inside the dungeon. When someone's out, she covers the dungeon-side counter too......"

Normally, on the surface, she seems to spend her time calculating the water-usage fees for each shop's tanks.

Tank cleaning and the like is also a flick of water magic for her.

For the Chiba branch, she's an unusually busy one.

"Mm-hm. And what's her type of man?"

"I'd like to know that myself. I've never once seen her hit it off with any of the other male staff. Clearly I'm her closest friend, no?"

I want to know too!

Also, that last part is pure wishful thinking.

"In that case, we should ask Watanabe-san or Shiraishi-san. If she used to be an adventurer, maybe she does like strong men after all......"

Anego-san said adventurers were a hard no, though?

Maybe you start feeling that way after doing it long enough.

How long was Endo-san an adventurer, I wonder?

"Strong men! That's ME! So there IS a chance, isn't there!"

"What is a Single babbling about? These days even high schoolers are Double. And you just lost to Haru-kun right in front of Endo-san, on top of it."

"What was that? Haruki—another match!"

How does it always end up there......

Well, if winning gains me nothing, it's just a normal bout, and it sounds like decent training, so fine.

Oh......

"Sato-san is coming."

"That trick again? The one-trick idiot's gambit. I absolutely will NOT turn around."

"......Why not?"

"Gyoeh! Sato—! Since when?!"

His suspicions have him seeing ghosts everywhere.

I'll spare him the thrust this time.

A warrior's mercy.

But what does Sato-san want, I wonder?

"......I need extended leave. Came to talk about the schedule."

"Oh, uh. The schedule's fine, but why extended leave all of a sudden?"

"I have to reach Level 30 by October. If I start my leave now, I'll make it."

Oh? I've heard this one before somewhere.

Realizing it's shop talk, Aikawa leaves the two of them and drifts over to us.

"Hey, hey. Sato-san is a looker, isn't he. Wonder if he has a girlfriend?"

"Hmmmm. Is he, now?"

Oh my, Soushi-kun—jealousy?

Or is this Aikawa's revenge?

I just want them to stop using me as the buffer, though.

"That gorgeous car is Sato-san's too, right?"

Where Aikawa points, a sports car sits parked.

Huh—so Sato-san commutes by car.

Association staff are well paid, so the cars they drive are nice ones, I suppose.

"Cars, huh......"

Soushi lets out with a sigh mixed in.

Aikawa did say she wants her license, after all.

And what should I do about it, I wonder......

"That's sudden. Well, I get it. But for a long one, it's not just me—the others will have to cover your shifts too. We'll sort the schedule when everyone's gathered."

"......My apologies for the burden. I'll speak to the others myself."

With that, Sato-san heads back into the branch.

"What's gotten into him all of a sudden? ...HAH! Could it be—?!"

Hiramatsu-san, scratching his head as he walks back over, seems to have realized something.

The 'everyone to Floor 30' operation is set to take place in the Chiba Dungeon, and Kasumi-san is arranging it as we speak.

Naturally, a request goes to the branch as well—it's only the day after, but had Hiramatsu-san already heard?

"What's wrong?"

"Is HE after Endo-san too?! Leveling up for HER?! This is bad—no time to lose! I'm filing for leave too!"

""Ehhh—?""

And now Hiramatsu-san is gone too......

I do not think Endo-san's type is "strong men"......

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"Wh-why—why, why. Endo-san's TYPE? And what do you plan to do with that information?"

Ah—I fumbled the order of the story.

I opened with "by the way" and somehow ended up asking whether they knew Endo-san's type.

"H-Hiramatsu-san. It's Hiramatsu-san. He wanted to know."

"Exactly—Hiramatsu-san went off somewhere declaring Endo-san likes strong men, so we were discussing whether that's actually true."

Aikawa and then Soushi scramble to cover for me.

Aikawa, you don't have to panic that hard, you know?

"Hmm? Hiramatsu-san, is it? And then he declared training and took leave?"

So he really did file for leave......

"Well, Hiramatsu-san IS in love with Endo-san, after all."

—says Shiraishi-san.

It's past five; the two of them, finished with work, have joined us, and we're having tea at Mia-san's shop.

Incidentally, Mia-san isn't here today.

Having fully vacated the HQ shop, today the HQ crowd is throwing her a farewell party, apparently.

If that's the case, she might not come tomorrow either?

"Endo-san's type, you say......? An honest sort, perhaps? I've never heard it from her directly, though. The one who's close with Endo-san would be Sakura, wouldn't it? Sakura might know......"

Huh? So she won't tell us?

And Shiraishi-san seems uninterested too.

"Shiraishi-san, I'd think this kind of topic would be right up your alley—are you not interested?"

"Hmm. Endo-san has fierce competition coming her way, you see. Side carelessly with anyone, and who knows who'll hold it against you. But siding with Endo-san herself—that, I could do."

I see—Hiramatsu-san is hardly the only one in love with Endo-san, is he.

Well, as her nominal disciple, I suppose I'll be cheering for Hiramatsu-san......

"......Strong, and honest. ......HAH! Could that be describing Haruki-san? Endo-san really is a dangerous person, isn't she!"

"Well, Hiramatsu-ryu won't cut it, I'd say."

Aikawa is saying something......