Chapter 15 Meeting (2)
I pondered for a moment.
“I heard you were kidnapped. But you managed to return safely?”
“…….”
Should I judge that Chloe’s information network is fast?
Or should I be disappointed that she had no idea about the kidnapping plan at all?
TSKK, insisting on it would be forcing it.
Even if I mentioned it, she would answer that she couldn’t even imagine it like last time, and since I agreed with that, I had nothing to say.
“Is the culprit Ilencia?”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm, a bit unexpected.”
“I think so too.”
Not all memories are coming back.
Among the Hero candidates, she was relatively friendly.
I thought she might covet Jace but wouldn’t come at him aggressively.
Well, whatever.
Rather than spending time solving mysteries, let me prepare countermeasures first.
The only being who can easily handle Ilencia.
I should try to make Aruru, the S-grade Spirit Master, my ally.
Aruru goes beyond neutrality and thoroughly pursues individual action.
It’s partly due to her personality, but she had no need to lead any faction from the beginning.
She commands dozens, hundreds of spirits.
She’s like a one-person army by herself, making her incredibly powerful.
Especially when facing Ilencia, she’s guaranteed a win rate of over 90%.
A girl born with the greatest spirit affinity.
The moment Aruru says ‘Don’t play with that girl,’.
The Elf girl’s spirits will disappear without a trace.
Then she becomes half-complete.
How devastating would that be? It’s truly a perfect matchup.
“How about we fill our stomachs first?”
Chloe casually suggested.
Is it because she’s not being much help?
Hiding her sense of shame, it seems she’s trying to make up for it with food.
Right, I was getting thirsty.
Soon I found myself sipping coffee in a quiet cafe atmosphere.
Perhaps from the caffeine intake, my head felt much clearer.
“Here, take this.”
She leisurely handed over a bundle of documents.
It seems she finished the investigation within the timeframe.
I looked through the contents about the Hero candidates.
Some matched my knowledge.
But there were also some slightly different parts.
Just comparing like this was a great help.
‘Some are outside the Academy.’
There were guys trying to get stronger through special training like hunting monsters or exploring dungeons.
I could exclude them from priority.
What I need to worry about right now are the Hero candidates inside.
I grasped the general situation, but the whereabouts of the most important person was missing.
“I’m not sure about Aruru’s location. As you know…….”
Aruru is a free-spirited girl.
You never know when or where she’ll appear.
Even if I meet her, there’s no guarantee she’ll become my ally.
I have something to rely on, but I think I’ll need to clash with her to get an estimate.
“Are you sure she’s at the Academy?”
“Yes. I confirmed her wandering around a few days ago.”
“Then…….”
“You’re thinking of joining hands with her. To keep Ilencia in check…….”
She accurately sees through my intentions.
Well, we’ve talked this much, so it would be strange if she didn’t know.
“I’m stuck from the start.”
“───??”
“I need to find her quickly…….”
“───!!”
“…….”
Hmm, what should I say?
I felt some inexplicable sense of disharmony from Chloe’s reaction.
She looked bewildered as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have, then was startled a beat late.
“What’s wrong?”
“…….”
She silently pointed beside me with her finger.
I casually turned my head but there was nothing…….
“───!!”
She was so small I almost missed her.
A girl with a petite figure was staring straight up at my face.
Rolling her eyes around and constantly twitching her fox ears.
Fox Beastkin Aruru.
She, the S-grade Spirit Master, appeared on her own.
Let me briefly expand on some common knowledge…….
Beastkin combined with animal characteristics are in charge of cuteness in this world setting.
So-called walking mascots.
There’s only Aruru here, but outside they appear everywhere.
Inn owners, tool shop merchants, guides, etc., working in all occupational groups.
Their main characteristics are elementary school-like appearance and monster strength.
Beastkin remain the same size even when they become adults.
Aruru was also small, but despite how she looks, she was older than this body.
“…….”
Seeing her in person, she was incredibly adorable.
The expression ‘living doll’ fit her perfectly.
Baby skin and plump cheeks are just unfair, aren’t they?
She’s so tempting that I unconsciously want to stretch and pull them.
Even her soft fur emits a bewitching charm that feels lovely.
“You, looking for me?”
She slightly tilted her head and moved her lips.
Her voice was as captivating as her cute appearance.
As if enchanted by something, I petted Aruru’s head.
“EUHHEUNGG…….”
Far from showing resistance, she showed signs of welcoming it.
Dimly rising memories…… Jace used to do this often.
“Yes, I was looking for you.”
My intuition hit the mark.
She would definitely become my ally.
Despite her delicate appearance, Aruru’s power couldn’t be ignored by anyone.
Later she makes a contract with the Spirit King.
While summoning the Spirit King, she was truly the strongest.
She is a girl, but since she’s older and strong, I’ll rely on her without burden.
But…… she wasn’t listening to me at all.
She was staring at the untouched food, drooling profusely.
“…….”
Right.
Among Beastkin characteristics, there existed the glutton attribute.
Luring with food, that’s exactly what I was counting on.
However, she doesn’t just accept food indiscriminately.
If she did, someone would have already recruited her.
In Aruru’s case, she only takes food given by people she trusts.
“You can eat it.”
“Really?”
“I’m fine, so eat to your heart’s…….”
She moved before I could finish speaking.
She climbed onto my lap and swallowed a piece of cake in one bite.
“───!!”
Overwhelmed by the sweetness, she covered her cheeks with both hands.
As if claiming to be the happiest girl in the world, she expressed joy with her whole body.
I tried asking just in case.
It seemed at least a minimal trust relationship was already established.
Hmm, maybe I’ll benefit from Jace’s merits this time?
His usual proper words and actions and a face that inevitably generates goodwill.
I’d guess most female students would be favorable.
That much would be mixed with male students’ envy and jealousy…….
“…….”
Chloe looked at me with a strange gaze.
Is she surprised that Aruru and I are on friendly terms?
She seemed to go from bewildered to making criticisms that weren’t really criticisms, saying something like it must be nice to be popular with girls.
Why? What’s the problem?
You wouldn’t have been completely without such things either, would you?
“The problem is solved.”
Well, that’s still a matter to be seen.
She just has goodwill toward me, and now it’s time to start luring her.
“Then I’ll be going now. I have a lot to do…….”
She tactfully withdrew as if telling us to talk comfortably.
Meanwhile, Aruru was still focused on the food.
When I tried to move her who was sitting on my lap to the side.
As if the current position was good, she wiggled her bottom here and there.
Ah, what should I do? Her reaction is too cute!
She’s not fox-like, but really a half-fox girl.
It’s like having a cute daughter, very heartwarming…….
“Did you perhaps switch?”
“Hm?”
“Your fiancée is a different woman.”
“───??”
My head went blank for a moment.
What was that about? It seems she mistook Chloe for a new girlfriend.
“Never mind then.”
Aruru seemed to have no particular thoughts about it.
From now on, I might need to be conscious of others’ gazes…….
I should refrain from actions that might be misunderstood by people, especially Seria.
“I heard you’ve gotten somewhat better now.”
“I was lucky.”
“It seems you’re being targeted from various places. How’s that?”
“Well, it’s just a bit bothersome…….”
“If you’re honest, I might be able to help.”
“…….”
I realized intuitively.
Aruru isn’t someone to bluff against.
She’s pure beyond her appearance.
Purity and goodness have somewhat different meanings, but anyway, it was advantageous to reveal the facts as they are.
“Actually, it’s quite difficult…….”
“Try calling me Sister.”
“───??”
“Just once is enough.”
My head went blank again.
Sis, Sister…… no, this is a bit wrong, isn’t it?
It’s true she’s a sister because she’s older, but her elementary school appearance makes it feel strange!
Still, this much had excellent cost-effectiveness.
I could gain the cooperation of an S-grade Spirit Master with just one word.
“…….”
While continuing to contemplate, suddenly a certain memory came to mind.
After reading the girl’s inner circumstances, I hesitated no more.
“Big Sister?”
“Not Big Sister, but Sister.”
“Si, Sister…….”
AAH, I feel some inexplicable sense of immorality!
It feels like calling a daughter Sister…….
Not caring about my bewildered state, Aruru smiled broadly.
“…….”
Ultimate healing…….
That clear and clean smile melted away my complicated feelings.
The girl turned around to face me.
Soon she placed her dainty hand on my head.
“Good boy, good boy.”
“…….”
Continuous patting.
Without background knowledge, one might wonder what this is about.
But I could understand Aruru’s feelings.
She’s a girl head of household.
She lost her parents in the Demon King’s army attack.
She’s in a position where she has to take care of her younger siblings alone.
After that.
Somehow she entered Hero Academy and awakened her abilities.
Due to Hero Academy’s characteristics, Hero candidates are essentially top scholarship students.
Not only scholarships, but they receive various support.
But Aruru was even saving her allowance to send money back home.
So she herself can’t even eat properly.
How pitiful is that? She has the glutton attribute but has to starve!
Anyway, she seemed to miss her siblings.
Being alone and far away, she must be very lonely.
But do her siblings come to mind when she sees me?
Well, she might hope her siblings grow up wonderfully like Jace.
“You must never go astray again.”
“…….”
She firmly says not to go crooked again.
Hmm, rather than a daughter, being a sister might be good too? This feeling isn’t bad either!
“Oh right, there’s a condition.”
“……What was that just now?”
“That was the first condition.”
“…….”
She grins while trying to look out for her own interests.
Good. I don’t like receiving help one-sidedly.
Anyway, Aruru’s only demand was just that.
“Take responsibility for my meal expenses.”
Indeed, it doesn’t stray from expectations.
It’s not particularly a great condition, so I nodded.
It couldn’t be cheaper than this.
Apart from the condition, I just wanted to take care of her.
“The third condition is…….”
“There’s a third one too?”
“Mm-hmm, I’ll just tell you later. Think of it as a request rather than a condition.”
Well, what could the third one be?
Considering Aruru’s capabilities, I could accept up to the tenth.
She had already finished eating all the cake pieces.
As if needing more, she waved her tail with pleading eyes.
Yes, eat a lot.
I don’t know about other things, but money is abundant.
I generously ordered the entire menu.
Soon the table was filled with all kinds of desserts.
“───!!”
A girl moved to tears as if she owned the whole world.
Just watching her made me feel full.
OMNOMNOM.
While deliberately ignoring the terrifying speed at which food disappeared in an instant, I organized my thoughts for a moment.
This ended as cleanly as possible.
Now no one can rashly step forward.
When I was feeling satisfied, numerous gazes were detected.
“…….”
Before I knew it, quite a few students had gathered.
Most were completely captivated by Aruru’s cuteness.
It seems their hearts are healed just by watching from afar.
I was about to accept and move on with that understanding.
I suddenly turned my head toward a certain place.
“…….”
“…….”
Our eyes met.
It was our pretty fiancée, but unlike usual, she had a cold expression.
AAH, this situation is surely…….
It’s like being caught red-handed on a date with another girl!
As if facing a once-in-a-lifetime crisis.
Cold sweat started pouring out without me realizing it…….
Please give a review of this novel in your free time @NovelUpdate.
