Chapter 62
“Who are you two… no, what is your relationship with Max…?”
She asked Flora and Ellen.
Hearing the question, the two hesitated for a moment before giving their respective answers.
“A Younger Sibling and her Oppa.”
“Well, on the surface, we’re a boss and an Employee, but if you look deeper, maybe something like an office wife?”
At Ellen’s words, Usagi flinched in surprise.
Before she could even ask if that was true, Flora cut her off with a voice as cold as ice.
“Don’t play vulgar jokes on someone you’re meeting for the first time.”
“Hah? What kind of dirty imagination does this Girl have! An office wife means a close female comrade at work. It’s a platonic relationship, not the messy one you’re thinking of! Got it?”
“…Let’s just drop it.”
Flora ignored Ellen and focused on the woman in front of her.
“Since we answered, it’s only right that we ask too, isn’t it? What is your relationship with Oppa?”
“We belong to the same Association.”
Usagi gave a broad answer to leave open the possibility that she worked in an administrative or other role at the Bohemian Association, but the other party’s perceptiveness was on a different level.
“A 4th-Tier Mercenary of the Bohemian Association… You must be a valuable asset to the Association. Thank you for telling me.”
“!”
Usagi could only blink, unable to even deny it, at Flora’s remark, declaring her tier as if she could see the numbers.
With a feeling of disbelief, she brought up her next question.
“I will apologize in advance if I am mistaken. By any chance, are your names──.”
Right before Hoshikawa Yukina could spit out the name of the Magic Noble Family
Clack! The office door opened and Max walked in. The three people on the sofa looked at Max simultaneously.
Usagi let go of her tension with a look of relief.
Max stared blankly at Usagi, who had arrived earlier than expected, before letting out a chuckle.
“When did you get here? You should have contacted me in advance.”
“I-I just arrived. I was going to contact you, but I didn’t know your number…”
“Ah, that’s true.”
At Max’s reaction, Flora and Ellen quickly exchanged glances.
Once the Customer left and they were alone with Max, they just had to casually ask if she was the Person they were expecting, and the verification would be complete.
“She said she came to give Oppa the Request Reward.”
“Is that so?”
Bursting into a soft laugh at how diligent she was, Max checked the time.
Without coming any further inside from the entrance, he pointed outside.
“Shall we head out now, then? The timing seems about right.”
Usagi nodded and simultaneously stood up from her seat, excusing herself to the two people sitting across from her.
Max reopened the closed door and informed Flora and Ellen.
“I’ll be heading out again. Make sure you both eat. Call me right away if anything happens!”
“Then… I will borrow Max for a moment.”
Usagi’s Max Rental Declaration.
Flora and Ellen could only watch blankly.
Thud!
It was five seconds after the door closed.
Ellen jumped up, grabbed Flora’s shoulders, and shook her.
“Girl! What are you doing spacing out! We have to follow them right now!”
“…Then who’s going to watch the office? Are you going to abandon it right after opening?”
An Employee of a Mercenary Office had the primary duty of guarding the place and receiving clients when the Ace Mercenary was away.
Just today, calls kept coming in from the Association regarding Academy-related matters, so leaving a newly opened office empty was out of the question.
“You saw Unni’s expression earlier. Doesn’t it make you think?”
Flora knew what Ellen was talking about. Flora had vividly seen the other woman’s face and demeanor change the moment Max entered.
“…Still, Oppa really didn’t seem to have any thoughts about it.”
“Hah! Don’t pretend to be rational. Those pointy ears of yours that were sticking straight up are completely flattened now. Did a landslide hit them?”
At Ellen’s remark, Flora pouted and touched her ears.
As if they were representing her complicated psychological state, they flopped forward.
“Anyway, don’t follow them. If we tail them, we’ll definitely get caught.”
“Ah~ No fun. If I had known this would happen, I would’ve learned a Tailing Skill or something.”
“If you’re curious, ask Oppa when he gets back. It doesn’t seem like he’d hide it anyway.”
“Isn’t that just you dumping it on me because you can’t ask Oppa yourself?”
“…”
Flora ignored Ellen’s words and neatly placed the drinks she received as a gift into the Refrigerator.
As she closed the Refrigerator door and moved to clear the snacks and cups left on the table, her Smartphone let out a vibration.
Bzz! Bzz!
Flora’s eyes widened when she saw the name pop up on her Smartphone.
[…Grandfather?]
Usagi wasn’t the only one who wanted to borrow Max.
··
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Max rode the Elevator down with Usagi.
Perhaps because of the realization that they had grown closer through the request, there was no awkwardness even in the silence. In Max’s perception, Usagi’s keeping silent was her default state anyway.
Ding!
He asked how she had been as they stepped off the Elevator.
“Have you been well?”
“Nothing much happened.”
“That’s good. Uneventful is the best.”
Only after exiting the building did Usagi decide to ask as well.
Her lips trembled slightly, as it felt like she had never asked after the well-being of anyone other than her Younger Sibling.
“H-has Max been well…?”
“I’ve been healthy, even though I was busy with the Office Opening. Up until a little while ago, I was handing out business cards around the area asking for work.”
“I see. I’m sorry for visiting while you were busy.”
“Not at all! It’s time to cast the bait and wait now. You came at a good time.”
The two naturally headed toward the boulevard.
It was because there were no notable restaurants near the office.
“Do you have a menu in mind or anything you want to eat?”
“I don’t know any restaurants nearby…”
“Hmm, what would be good.”
“Max, you choose. I’ll pay the bill.”
Walking with Max, Usagi realized it. The way they were walking now was completely different from when they were at the party in District 19.
They didn’t link arms, nor did they hold hands. They just walked in the same direction, keeping a moderate distance.
[…This must be reality.]
Hoshikawa Yukina felt a strange emptiness and bitterness.
Being with Max but not linking arms made her confused about where she normally put her hands when walking.
“You’ll pay the bill, huh? Seeing you act so confident makes me want to eat something expensive.”
“N-no problem! I’ve been earning money steadily too…!”
Yukina didn’t know how much the expensive food in the Districts in the 10-range cost.
Still, it would be cheaper than the commission fee she hadn’t paid back then. That was her immediate thought.
“Hmm.”
Max stood on the boulevard and looked around.
I had a few shops come to mind, having been dragged around every nook and cranny by Flora and Ellen while preparing the office.
“Alright. I’ve decided.”
Max took long, confident strides.
Feeling uncomfortable with the gazes piercing her face, Usagi put on her mask and stuck close to Max’s side.
“Here it is.”
The place Max led Usagi to was quite secluded, even within District 14.
However, unlike the Lower District, there were absolutely no unsavory characters in sight, and the streets were clean. There was no loud noise either.
A signboard reading [Mingle Mingle] caught Usagi’s eye.
“Is this a cafe?”
“They have a cafe menu, and they have food too.”
It was a shop neatly designed with luxurious wood.
“I went around here and there while preparing the office, and this place has the best value for money. It’s comfortable because it doesn’t have a stiff, formal atmosphere.”
“I have enough money. So there’s no need to worry about value for money.”
“It’s important to me. It’s hard for me to enjoy food that’s too expensive for what I get, no matter if I’m being treated.”
“If that’s the case…”
As Max took the lead, opened the door, and waited, Usagi quickly followed behind him.
There were many empty seats, so they headed to a quiet corner and sat down.
“I’ll have the meatball spaghetti.”
Max decided on his menu as soon as he sat down. He had definitely been here before.
Opening the menu she was handed, Usagi froze on the spot.
[W-what is this?]
The cheapest spaghetti was 70,000 Credits, and a fresh Fruit Juice was 40,000 Credits.
Having gone straight back after visiting Emmaus Medical Center, Yukina had never encountered the murderous prices of the Districts in the 10-range.
She thought District 30s were too much, but this couldn’t even be compared.
A chill ran down her spine just thinking about how much it would have cost if they had gone to a truly high-end restaurant.
“I’m not hungry, so I’ll just have a ginger ale…”
“Why? You have to eat.”
“…I’m just not that hungry.”
“Let’s share mine. I’m not that hungry either.”
Max pulled out the tablet and proceeded with the order.
[…]
Usagi felt like she was going to die of embarrassment.
It stung her deeply that upon seeing the price of the spaghetti, her first thought was how many Energy Jellies she could buy with that money. She felt the wall between her and Max all over again.
She was a Mercenary without even an office.
Considering the Hospital bills and the cost of stocking up on consumables needed for requests, she wasn’t even free to eat proper meals.
Usagi’s heart was torn to shreds like a bullet-riddled target.
“Nothing happened at the office, right?”
“I was just attending to clients.”
Even though her mood had plummeted into the abyss, her answer to Max’s question came out sharp as a knife.
In addition, she finally remembered what she had been meaning to ask.
“Max, who are those two at the office? They said they were your younger siblings…”
“She’s the Younger Sibling I mentioned before, a smart and capable Younger Sibling, unlike me. She agreed to help out with the office work for a little while.”
“Huh?”
“Ah, of course, they aren’t both Family. The energetic one is an Employee. I guess you could say she’s like the mood maker of the office.”
Usagi was bewildered.
Because it didn’t seem like a lie.
[Max’s real Younger Sibling? That beauty?]
Hair color can be changed with dye, so a different color was understandable.
[But she has animal ears? Max is a beastman too, but is his bloodline thin?]
Anyway, since he said she was his real Younger Sibling, there was no point in questioning it.
Besides, even though it was hard to accept, it was honestly the conclusion she wanted.
“Here are the meatball spaghetti and ginger ale you ordered.”
“The ginger ale goes over there.”
Even while the staff came and set down their order, Usagi’s contemplation continued.
[Then that means they aren’t Scions of a Magic Noble Family.]
Come to think of it, having two Scions of a Magic Noble Family in a Mercenary Office - the premise was wrong from the start.
If they were Scions of a Magic Noble Family, she would have immediately dropped to her knees and groveled for her Younger Sibling’s heart.
“Here, try some. It’s a place I recommended, so don’t even think about refusing.”
Max handed her a small plate piled high with meatball spaghetti.
“Yeah… I’ll just have a taste.”
Where had her heart, torn to shreds like a target hit by a machine gun, gone?
Usagi accepted the plate Max handed her, suppressing the corners of her mouth that were trying to rise.