Chapter 17: The Skirt
The next day.
I was awakened by the sound of someone knocking on the door. I rubbed my eyes as I opened it and outside I saw it.
My drowsiness vanished in an instant the moment I saw my visitor’s face.
“Good morning!” (Jade)
Garnet-san was standing there in plain clothes!
Why is she here? She should be working today…
Wait, she’s wearing a skirt today! It looks so cute on her…
It’s rare for her to wear a skirt. I want to burn the image of it into my eyes but… it’s not really good to stare.
Aah… I want to see it though!
But I really shouldn’t!
“Your eyes are wandering around.” (Garnet)
“I-I’m sorry. The sun is too bright. B-by the way, the plain clothes!” (Jade)
“I always change my clothes at work.” (Garnet)
“O-oh! So, are you about to head to work?” (Jade)
“Yes. But, before that, there was something I wanted to talk about.” (Garnet)
“I’ll listen even if it takes years!” (Jade)
“It’ll only take a few minutes. Is that alright?” (Garnet)
“Yes!” (Jade)
“You’re too energetic.” (Garnet)
“Being energetic is my only strong point!”
It’s nice being able to talk to Garnet-san, even if it’s only for a few minutes.
I’m a lucky person to be able to experience this as soon as I wake up.
“So, what do you want to talk about?” (Jade)
“Will you come to the guild today?” (Garnet)
“Yes, just like usual.” (Jade)
“I see. Sorry for waking you up.” (Garnet)
W-wait! Is that it?!
I’m already happy just exchanging a few words but I’d like to talk a bit more!
“Umm! If you have anything you want to say, I’ll listen…” (Jade)
I’m sure she came to my house because she wanted to ask me for something.
That’s why Garnet-san asked if I was going to the guild.
If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have needed to check on me.
After all, I visit the guild almost every day.
“I was thinking of entrusting Marin to you if you have the time.” (Garnet)
“Entrusting Marin-chan to me?” (Jade)
“I’m worried about leaving her alone.” (Garnet)
“So you want me to take care of her?” (Jade)
“Marin is very attached to you and Dorami-chan. If it’s you, I won’t have to worry.” (Garnet)
Really?!
You trust me that much?!
“I’ll take on this role!” (Jade)
“You don’t have to force yourself.” (Garnet)
“I’m not forcing myself! I was only going to the guild to turn in a quest anyway!” (Jade)
Well, the truth is that I was also going to accept a new quest.
But, this is a great chance to get to know Garnet-san better! I can’t let this chance be!
More than that though, Garnet-san will worry if Marin-chan is left alone so she won’t be able to work with peace of mind.
I’ll reassure Garnet-san by taking good care of Marin-chan!
“Thank you. I can only make a request like this to you and Dorami-chan.” (Garnet)
“Only Dorami and me…” (Jade)
She trusts me that much.
After 10 years of hardship, it feels like a dream to become this close to Garnet-san.
“Is Marin-chan at home?” (Jade)
“She’s still sleeping. I’ll go wake her up and tell her.” (Garnet)
“Okay. Once Dorami wakes up, I’ll go and pick her up.” (Jade)
“I’ll leave it to you. …By the way, do I look weird in a skirt?” (Garnet)
“Eh?! W-why do you think so?” (Jade)
“It’s because you keep glancing at it.” (Garnet)
“You saw that?!” (Jade)
“I did.” (Garnet)
Garnet-san nodded.
I must’ve been unconsciously looking at it.
“It doesn’t look strange at all! What you usually wear is fine, but you look good in a skirt too!” (Jade)
“Skirts actually feel uncomfortable.” (Garnet)
“Then, why are you wearing it?” (Jade)
“Marin gave it to me as a present.” (Garnet)
“She really loves you.” (Jade)
“I love her too. She’s my one and only sister. I want her to be always happy.” (Garnet)
I got the feeling that she didn’t want her to be an adventurer.
I’m probably right.
Being an adventurer is a dangerous profession.
But… even if it’s for Garnet-san, I can’t make Marin-chan give up on becoming an adventurer.
It’s Marin-chan’s life, it’s only right that she gets to decide what to do with it.
But, there’s definitely something I can still do.
I’ll help Marin-chan so that Garnet-san can let her be an adventurer without worrying!
After seeing Garnet-san off, I headed back to the bedroom.
I woke up Dorami, ate some bread, and told her about today’s schedule.
“We’re going around the capital today.” (Jade)
“Not the guild?” (Dorami)
“I’m just going to report a quest completion. I’m going to be taking care of Marin-chan today.” (Jade)
“Dorami wants to do that too!” (Dorami)
“Marin-chan will like that. You’re close to her age, and she admires you too.” (Jade)
With my words raising her mood, Dorami ate the bread in one go and washed it down with some milk.
After getting dressed, I headed to Garnet-san’s house.
“Welcome!” (Marin)
When I entered, Marin-chan greeted me with a smile.
She excitedly led us inside and talked.
“Jade-kun and Dorami-chan are really good friends with onee-chan!” (Marin)
“Did Garnet-san tell you about it?” (Jade)
“Yep! She said you gave her flowers and fish, helped her take care of the flowers, chased away some spiders, and even gave her a bed! When we were talking about it, she sounded like she was enjoying herself!” (Marin)
I was desperately trying to stop my grin.
I want to see Garnet-san smile while talking about me.
“Ah, I forgot to tell you. I’m going to be watching over you today.” (Jade)
“Umu. We will show you around the capital!” (Dorami)
“I’m looking forward to it! I also want to go out as soon as possible!” (Marin)
“Let’s go, then.” (Jade)
Without any objections, we left Garnet-san’s house.
For the time being, I headed to the guild and reported my quest completion at the 18th counter.
When I went outside, Dorami was surrounded by a bunch of children.
She looked like she was telling stories about her adventures as usual.
“There was a presence but you couldn’t see it. However, you could feel its gaze from the darkness. That’s right, the monster this time could turn invisible!” (Dorami)
“Invisible?! It’d impossible to beat!”
“Dorami talked with Jade and dug a pitfall!” (Dorami)
“A pitfall?! But, you’d be full of openings!”
“If it attacks, just defeat it. In other words, it’s a chance to turn the tables!” (Dorami)
“Dorami-chan is so clever…!”
“But, the monster didn’t attack because it was wary of us. When the sun rose, Dorami and Jade left the scene. The reassured monster came out and then… don!” (Dorami)
“Did it fall in?!”
“It did! The monster was full of openings and then… bam! Jade’s fist made it explode! Dorami had to look at the monster scattered everywhere…” (Dorami)
A round of applause.
Dorami looked very happy to be praised by all the kids.
“Dorami-chan is amazing! Even though you don’t have a flower crest, you bravely face monsters…!”
“Monsters don’t scare Dorami! There is only one thing that Dorami is afraid of!” (Dorami)
“What is it?”
“It’s silence… followed by strange sounds like rustling…” (Dorami)
“I’m scared…”
“But, Dorami will ignore her fears and continue traveling!” (Dorami)
“Traveling alone is amazing…!”
“Marin is also going to travel alone. That’s why she’s going to be that reliable too!” (Dorami)
“I’ll do it! I’ll be as tough as Dorami-chan and be a strong adventurer like Jade-kun…!” (Marin)
Being admired by Marin-chan, Dorami smiled in satisfaction.
Well then…
It seems like they stopped at a good point, so can I interrupt them now?
“Are you done telling stories?” (Jade)
“Umu. Today, we warriors are going to rest. We need to recharge until our next adventure!” (Dorami)
We left the guild with the children waving at us.
