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Ciel let out a long and heavy sigh.
To keep peace, the princess can’t afford to not interact with us, but she also can’t act favourably towards us either. I can sympathize with Ciel’s reaction.

To tell the truth, if Ailneige was assigned the role of commoner, we could have had the choice not to socialize with anyone.
However, the reason we chose against it is because Ciel’s appearance is too far from that of a commoner’s to be convincing.
Also, if our real strength was revealed for whatever reason, the commoner identity would likely get us dragged into trouble.

If we have to act as a regular commoner, we can’t have magic power equal to nobles, and since we’ll need to conceal our actual magic power, the sorcery we can use in our day-to-day life will be even more limited.
That would be extremely annoying. We’re already quite limited even now, so I’d rather we don’t add more restrictions.

And while this is based on hindsight, since we have a classmate with an appraisal Job, the commoner act would have been extremely difficult to maintain, so our current arrangement was the right choice.
At the same time, the moment we were in the same year as a royal, this sort of trouble became inevitable.

「In any case, it is merely one of many possibilities. Taking it to the extreme, it’s even possible that the aim of this invitation is to eliminate you if she considers you difficult to deal with.」
「Well, isn’t that violent? Still, I can’t easily deny that possibility.
After all, nobles are quick to eliminate people they don’t like.」
「It’s an undeniable reality that there are many who behave that way.」

Mia replied with a downcast tone, but Ciel replied with a mischievous smile, 「No need to feel bad about it.」

「We don’t mean to deny that kind of method. Honestly, if violence can solve a problem, we’d use it too.」
「Yes. Please decide at your own discretion.」
「Is it really okay to say that?」

Not expecting Mia’s positive response—I didn’t expect it either—Ciel asked with a tone of surprise.
With an almost motherly air of maturity, Mia chuckled.

「You two have risen to be a B-rank hunter on your own strength, so it’s not a problem.」
「So the hunter rank can be seen that way too. That’s good to know.」

To become a high-ranked hunter, you need both the ability and sufficient contribution to the Hunter Guild.
It’s judged based not only on the quantity and type of requests you have completed—as well as your success rate—but also on your character.

Becoming a B-rank hunter means that the community can put their trust in you. That’s the long and short of it.

「It’s my pleasure to be of help.
However, I have heard of S-rank having a particularly unique position, so please bear that in mind.」
「Is there a catch with being S-rank?」
「The rank is apparently used at times to tie down individuals with too much power.
Moreover, it’s also said that those who become S-rank tend to have personality issues.」
「Oh? Then since we were previously offered S-rank, do we also have personality issues?」
『I can’t quite refute that.』

It would be cruel to have Mia respond to that question, so I interjected.
I am aware that I’ve deviated much from normal human sensibilities, being more like a divine, while Ciel herself has an extreme lack of interest in others.
While we might not be causing anyone trouble, we don’t really have the typical agreeable personalities.
Probably due to my negative response, Ciel pouted her lips in displeasure.

「That’s quite a mean thing to say, Ain.」
『From other people’s perspective, I mean. I like you the way you are, Ciel, and I’m sure that I’ll continue to like you as you change in the future.』
「Fufu. I know that. After all, I like Ain too.
Even if you grow selfish in the future, that isn’t going to change, you know?」

Quickly cheering up, Ciel replied with a gentle smile.
While it’s by no means the first time Ciel has said that she likes me, her unabashed words always warm my heart.
While I feel embarrassed, and I can’t quite do the same myself, it’s comforting, like finding my place in this world.
Even though I would love to bask in the moment, Mia is also here, so I need us to return to our main concern.

『Now, about Princess Leshimiiya’s invitation, what shall we do?』
「The invitation, huh… Well, instead of overthinking it, it’s probably better to just accept the invitation.
Mia, can we leave the rest to you?」
「Affirmative. Still, the possibility of Princess Leshimiiya wanting harm on you is quite low, so I believe there should be nothing to worry about in that regard.」
「While I do think it isn’t high, what makes you so certain of it?」
「If I have to say, it’s because the order of invitation is neither too early nor too late.
Had it been early, it could be seen by others as special treatment; late, and it would appear as if Princess Leshimiiya considers you low priority.」
『Then with us being in the middle, people would take less interest in us, is it?
Since she decided on the order with our personal stance in mind, it’s hard to think that someone so considerate intends to harm us.』
「I see. Understood.」
「Well then, I will now deliver our response letter, so please relax.」

With a bow, Mia exited the room.
Just as I was pondering about what may happen tomorrow, 「Ain, Ain!」 Ciel called me, so I decided to leave it to fate and began chatting with Ciel.

And that ends this week’s chapter! That’s right Ain! Tomorrow’s problems are for tomorrow Ain to struggle with! Precious Ciel chat time cannot be wasted!

It was funny how when Ciel joked about using violence as an answer, Mia was like “That’s fine. You two did survive on your own, you can make your own decisions. Plus, you have a strong social position as high-ranked hunters”. Even Ciel was surprised, lol. And this once again illustrates the importance of character assessment for hunter promotion, you really can’t let thugs tarnish or abuse the community’s trust. Meanwhile, S-rank hunters have personality issues, lol. It seems like we’ll be having a meeting with the princess next, I sure hope it goes well and not sideways at all!

Now then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please feel free to comment. Stay healthy, stay safe, and have a nice day~!

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