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“So, that’s how you guys met each other?”

As he turned towards me to confirm, Bruno took a seat on the stool facing Cestlavie, with Lynn sitting beside him. Quite proactive of her, but it’s frustratingly typical of Bruno to be completely clueless about it.

With that, I naturally found myself sitting next to Cestlavie. While seated, I somehow found myself meeting Cestlavie’s gaze.

“…Well, you could say that I suppose?”
“…I guess we kinda do?”

In reality, we apparently had known each other for a long time, but it wasn’t something worth mentioning aloud.

Bruno, with a raised eyebrow, reacted to our vague responses.

“What’s up?! Is there something else going on?!”
“No, it’s not like that.”
“…”

I tried to make an excuse while Cestlavie avoided eye contact, digging into his ear with his pinky finger.

“—It seems you’re all here.”

At that moment, a woman who appeared to be a dog beastfolk, dressed as a receptionist for the guild, approached us. She looked about four to five years older than us. Her hair was brunette, her eyes brown. She had a medium build and height, wearing low-heeled shoes. Her makeup was subtle, and her appearance—while not overly flashy or dull—featured a pleasant smile and a round-tipped ear atop her head, giving her an attractive and amiable aura.

“Hello, I’m Estella Bajona, a staff member of this guild. May I explain the outline of the request?”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Julia Fortuna, a C-rank adventurer. I look forward to working with you today.”

Other than myself, everyone seemed familiar with Estella as they exchanged brief greetings before she pulled over an empty stool and a well-worn, low table from the corner.

With Estela at the forefront, we gathered around the table in a somewhat informal manner, sitting cross-legged on the floor.

“Now then—” With a preamble, a piece of paper —no, it was a map, slightly larger than the table— was unfolded. “To put it bluntly, the request this time is for an investigation of a haunted mansion.”

““““A haunted mansion?!””””

♦♢♦

The incident dates back several months ago.

It seems that three seven-year-old boys trespassed into one of the mansions in a suburban villa area that is now unused. The reason? — It’s a typical test of courage.

And, as is also typical, in the dilapidated mansion’s corridor, illuminated by the moonlight of the full moon, without casting a shadow, there appeared a woman so beautiful that she seemed not of this world—

After the terrified boys screamed and fled, the ghost that silently chased after them reportedly vanished into thin air at the end of the corridor… This account, tearfully recounted by the boys upon their return, is of uncertain veracity.

Subsequently, several brave souls, having heard the rumors, sneaked into the mansion —though technically that’s trespassing on someone else’s property, a full-blown criminal act— and each experienced similar encounters on nights of the full moon.

However, on other days, they only reported seeing faint shadows or feeling someone’s presence.

Concerned about the bad reputation near the capital despite it being a desolate villa area, the authorities attempted to contact the owner. However, the owner, a renowned painter, has been missing for about ten years.

— And so, it seems that the Adventurer’s Guild has been approached to investigate the cause.

♦♢♦

“If you’re not up for it, we can assign the task to someone else… Um, are you okay with ghosts and the like?” Estella questioned.

“If we know from the start that it’s some kind of ghost, then there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Another ghost? They’re a pain because swords don’t work on them.”
“What kind of clergyman is bad with ghosts?”
“…umm, I might not be best with ghost stuff, but I’ll do my best.”

Each of us responded with an unconcerned attitude.

“It seems you’re all fine with it. Then, we’ll entrust this task to your party. The deadline is the day of the next full moon… which coincides with Prayer Day¹.”

The departure is set for tomorrow morning, so the job falls between Mirror Day and Prayer Day on the weekend, which is a fortunate arrangement for us students. Conversely, if we miss this chance, we’ll have to wait until the next full moon, so it’s imperative that we resolve it this time for sure.

“The reward is eight gold coins upon success… It’s funded by the villa management association, any issues with that?”

Whether this is high or low remains unclear, but Bruno and Lynn nodded satisfactorily, while Cestlavie shrugged lightly. …For now, it seemed like they agreed.

“Understood. Will we receive maps and information for the location?”
“Yes, they’ll be prepared along with the contract. However, since the place is currently remote, you’ll need to arrange your own transportation to get there…”
“It’s understandable since it’s a villa area. —Are there any other issues?”
“Well—”

Estella pondered for a moment, then suddenly clapped her hands together.

“Ah, yes. Even if it’s just a formality since you’re forming a party, could you please decide on a leader in case something happens? It’s necessary for the contract.”
“A leader…?”

As a natural flow, I looked at Bruno and Cestlavie, but they both turned away, rejecting the idea from the start.

(…What should I do?)

Choosing one of them as the leader doesn’t seem plausible since they wouldn’t follow each other’s orders. But deciding it on a majority vote might also leave some bitterness.

“Um…” At this point, Lynn raised her hand timidly. “For the leader, I think it should be Miss Jill if she’s okay with it.”

“…Huh?!” I blinked in surprise at the unexpected suggestion.

“Hmm… Well, I guess that’s fine. Seems appropriate.”
“Well, Jill is the highest rank among us, and she’s dependable.”
“Then, I’ll have Miss Julia as the leader.”

My bewilderment was left far behind as the conversation progressed inexplicably smoothly.

“Just a moment, please! I’m just an outsider who decided to join the request today on my own! Is it really okay for me, as a newcomer, to be the leader?!”

““““Yeah.””””

It was decided unanimously and easily.

1. Mab: Sunday