Leave a comment

Ryuu’s story still hadn’t ended.

The day after Ryuu talked to Cain, It seems he went to Gim’s place to discuss things and they started their supporter work for his party two days later.

Since it would be too crowded if everyone went together and would result in inefficiencies, they decided to go in groups of three.

The combinations settled on were (Maricle + Arle + Kuro or Lyco), and (Triela + Ryuu + Kuro or Lyco). There was always one male among them, a leader, and Kuro or Lyco filled the last slot.

However, they didn’t go on immediate expeditions or anything. They mostly did day trips and, even when they ventured far, they would return from 2 to 3 days up to 4 to 5 days, covering a relatively short distance.

“So, Kuro’s story happened after Cain left.”

It seems that a while after Cain arranged for them to work in Gim’s party as supporters, Ryuu happened to discover Kuro trying to sneak out of the house. To be precise, she stumbled upon Kuro while she was attempting to leave the house and go somewhere else.

“Something about Kuro’s behavior made me suspicious… I thought something was off, so I called out to her, and she was really startled.”

No matter how many times he asked her what she was doing or where she was going, Kuro seemed nervous and fidgety, not able to calm down.

So, after pressing her with a firmer tone, she eventually confessed with her ears lowered.

“She said, ‘I’m going to Ren.’”

I just remembered, previously when I asked Triela and the others about what they wanted to do in the future, Kuro said she wanted to go with me.

Kuro had apparently been seriously considering coming with me for a long time. But leaving Triela and the others she’s been with for so long was also a difficult decision. Besides, no one in this group wanted to leave.

The cat beastkin, as a species, were generally individualistic, but they still tended to form groups for survival. Unless there was a good reason, they didn’t easily leave their group. So, Kuro couldn’t bring herself to express her desire to leave the party and had been enduring it.

Kuro also understood her role within this group and was well aware of the impact her departure would have.

However, that changed when Cain left the group. He didn’t listen to persuasion and even took part of the group with him. It was at this point that Kuro decided that if she wanted to leave the group as well, it wouldn’t be a big problem.

Nevertheless, while she liked me, she also had a fondness for Triela and the others; perhaps she liked them the most after me. Kuro didn’t want to express her feelings, fearing tears and anger from them, so she decided to slip away quietly. Well, she did leave a note, at least, it seems.

When Ryuu heard Kuro’s story, he apparently felt a mix of exasperation and anger. However, he realized that scolding Kuro here, who already seemed quite disheartened, might not be the best course of action. So, he decided to console her while trying to persuade her.

“I understand Kuro’s feelings. However, silently leaving is not the right way. You should talk to everyone and express your feelings properly. I’ll help you persuade everyone too, so let’s go back for now.”

It seems he said something like that.

“Ryuu helped me a lot by coming along.”
“Is that so… That’s good, Kuro. Ryuu, you worked hard too.”
“Well, it’s about my comrade, so it’s only natural, right?”

Ryuu turned slightly embarrassed.

Hmm, it seems like Ryuu has grown into a different person compared to before. Being young is truly amazing.

After returning home, the two of them conveyed Kuro’s feelings, persuaded everyone, and obtained their understanding before getting approval to leave the party.

By the way, Lyco, who was expected to be the most stubborn, didn’t actually resist or make a fuss. Instead, she showed understanding of Kuro’s feelings and even gave her support.”

“I also want to come along, but the current me would only be a hindrance,” she apparently said. And then added, “Please stay by Ren’s side for my part too.” Come on now, I’m not a kid, you know?

Afterward, they once again consulted with Gim, and it seems it was quite a hassle, obtaining his permission that Kuro would generally accompany them on expeditions and that, depending on the circumstances, she might leave them during one such expedition.

As they continued their activities, Gim received a special request for goblin extermination this time. After Gim inquired at the guild and such, there was even talk that I might be in the town where this quest came from.

“So when we came here, Ren was really here. Gim is seriously amazing!”

That’s how it’s connected to Kuro going with me. I see.

“Oh, just so you know, if it’s too much trouble, it’s totally fine! You have your own circumstances, Ren, and if it doesn’t work out, Kuro will understand and try again some other time. You know, Gim mentioned something about age-related issues affecting the range of available quest types, so…”

Ohh, so they even discussed that stuff.

“I understand the situation. Personally, I don’t mind Kuro joining the party. However, I’m not the leader of our group, so I can’t make that decision on my own…”

As I glanced sideways toward the kitchen area, I noticed Lily looking down with her arms crossed, seemingly deep in thought. Oh, our eyes met.

“…”