THAT IS A BENEVOLENT TAVERN: ~GIRL MEETS GIRLS~

1

“A contract? Again?”

Runoa Faust was a bounty hunter. Ever since the head god of the familia she belonged to had left this realm, she had traveled from place to place, changing factions as she went, getting contract requests every day. Hunting bounties was how she covered her traveling expenses.

At the moment, the wandering girl found herself in the Labyrinth City, Orario.

Because of her strength, she was known as Black Fist in the underworld here.

“Gale Wind’s killing spree wiped out the last of the Evils. Isn’t the power struggle already over?”

She was in a tavern on the outskirts of the outskirts. Buried in a back alley, down a flight of stairs, several ­demi-­humans were having secretive conversations. When she took contracts, she always used this bar.

“Gale Wind is the target this time.”

Runoa wore a scarf to cover the bottom half of her face. Across from her was a human merchant. Catching wind of her real strength, he had ignored the other people in the bar and brought the contract to her. Runoa’s clientele tended to bring unwelcome favors.

“I heard Gale Wind kicked the bucket in the cross fire from that.”

“Gale Wind is still alive, and she left us a clue in the end. Right after the Evils’ hideout was destroyed, someone saw a bloodstained elf running away.”

A detailed likeness was lying on the tabletop. The parchment showed the instant the elf ran past, a side view of a haggard face through broken pieces of a mask. Sunken ­sky-­blue eyes, beautiful golden ­hair—­an elf woman.

“My men investigated, and we know where she fled to as well. She’s at The Benevolent Mistress.”

Saying this, the merchant put a small bag with the advance payment on the table.

“One of the men under my protection was injured during Gale Wind’s most recent spree. Not only that, she might have found out that our Bruno Corporation was connected to the Evils. Before that gets out, erase her.”

He got up without waiting for a reply, letting his words and the gold speak for themselves. After the client left the bar, Runoa took a deep breath.

“…Well, I said I’ll take care of anyone as long as I get my reward, but…”

Runoa had gotten this far on brute strength alone. She had captured bounty after bounty in order to make an easy livelihood. But she was gradually getting tired.

“Orario’s adventurers are a little too strong…”

The adventurers in the Labyrinth City got an order of magnitude stronger once you crossed a certain line. Even for Runoa’s almost one hundred percent success rate on jobs, ­second-­tier adventurers and above were inevitably difficult fights. ­First-­tier adventurers were an instant no. Orario was a hive of superhuman monsters, sunup to sundown and beyond, fighting every day. It was a negative feedback loop where she crushed her targets, raising her reputation, leading to more crazy jobs coming her way. Her nerves were wearing down more and more with each passing day. Even the mead that she had liked so much at this bar had lost its flavor.

“Argh. I’m already tired. I just want to be able to settle down and find someone to take care of me. I could lie around a small house all day, and he doesn’t have to be attractive…”

Runoa Faust. Seventeen years old.

She grumbled like someone twice her age as she looked up at the ceiling.

“Maybe I should quit being a bounty hunter…?”

“Another contract? How many is that this month?”

Chloe Lolo was an assassin.

She had belonged to a certain crime familia, and after getting sick of the endless stream of compulsory jobs, she had completed the unreasonable task set by the head god and been allowed to leave. As she traveled, she earned her living as an assassin.

Currently, the stray cat found herself in the place known as the Center of the World, Orario. Due to the success rate of her assassinations, her name spread in the underworld under the alias Black Cat.

“Well, if you prepare a proportionate reward, I’ll do the job, but…”

Wearing a hood, Chloe was in a belfry that had been abandoned years ago. The ­long-­silent bell hung from the ceiling as tranquil moonlight poured through the arch. It was one of the places she used for meetings when she took contracts.

“Ah, of course. The target this time is Gale Wind.”

The man standing before Chloe was a dwarf merchant. He seemingly had many enemies, and he was also greedy. Sensing opportunities for money, he was a business connection who gathered contracts for her.

“Hmm, Gale Wind…is still alive?”

“Yeah. If you take the job I’ll give you the details. It’s a ­first-­class wanted person this time.”

He handed over a single wanted poster. Drawn on it was a masked adventurer wearing a deep hood. The sum written above the likeness was 80,000,000 valis.

“A bounty worth that much is unheard of. We got it before anyone else. The money’ll be an even ­split—”

“Forty million in advance. And I’ll take seventy percent of the reward,” she cut in, shutting down his proposal.

“W-wait. Even for you…it should at least be ­sixty-­forty…” he responded, suddenly flustered.

“No. You can say she’s gotten weaker, but this is the monster who destroyed the Evils ­single-­handedly…Taking out someone like her…if I don’t get at least that much, it isn’t worth it.” Chloe stubbornly stood her ground.

The hood she wore fluttered in the night breeze. It was deep enough to cover her eyes, with two little peaks from her cat ears befitting the name Black Cat. The crescent moon illuminated the small movements of her lips.

“I can just do it myself, you know? I could always drag the information out of you.”

“O-okay, I got it…we’ll split it how you said.”

The dwarf gulped and assented, disinclined to argue with an assassin who specialized in torture. He handed over the parchment with information about Gale Wind and left the belfry as if running for his life.

“…Easy, meow.”

Once she was alone, Chloe’s tone of voice changed, and she heaved a heavy sigh.

“That killjoy had a no backbone, not tasty at all, meow…Bringing back the contract sooner would be better, meow.”

Chloe had gotten here on just her assassination ability.

Business was business, so she put on a facade that could not be looked down on and threw herself into the business of the night. But she was increasingly tired.

“Assassination here just doesn’t pay off, meow. All the money I work to earn ends up going to pay for the preparations for the next job, meow.”

As far as Chloe and her almost one hundred percent success rate were concerned, Orario’s adventurers were too strong. The elaborate preparations required to assassinate them ate up all the rewards. Once, she had gotten lucky and taken out a ­second-­tier adventurer. After that, the jobs were all challenges, and by the time she had painstakingly set up a gravestone, people were coming with new coffins for her to fill. Her painstakingly groomed tail that she took so much pride in was whipping up a storm.

“Ahhh. I want to live an elegant life with a handsome boy waiting on me already, meow. I want a slice of heaven where he pats my tummy and butt and makes my heart race until I’ve had my fill, meow.”

Chloe Lolo. Sixteen years old.

Secretly filled with desire, the young catgirl whispered as she looked up at the moon. “Maybe I should quit the assassination business, meow…”

2

Rain was falling.

It was a cold rain. It washed everything away. The specks of blood dropping to the stone pavement mixed with the drops, melted, and disappeared.

“…”

Lyu walked by herself, dragging her wounded body through the empty back alley.

She did it.

She had finished it.

She had gotten her revenge.

She had destroyed them all: the familia that had stolen her comrades and all those who supported it.

However, that retribution would not bring back what she had lost. It only brought an empty feeling.

“…Where am I…?”

Her field of vision, which had been crimson tinted, now turned gray.

Her friends’ smiles, their final pained ­expressions—­she could not remember any of it anymore. The tears that had poured from her eyes and the lamentations that had rushed from her lips had disappeared somewhere along the line.

She knew she had become empty.

The fury that had kept her moving had turned to a boundless darkness coiling around her heart. And in that ­never-­ending darkness, Lyu was no longer attached to life.

As though condemning her, the cold rain from heaven stole her warmth. As though the gods had willed it. The foolish death of an elf who had strayed from her path.

Her body was so covered in blood there was no longer any telling what was hers and what was her enemies’. Wheezing as massive pain racked her heavily injured body, Lyu tried to move limbs suffering from unprecedented fatigue, and she collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut. She fell into a puddle, dirtying her body with splashes of mud. She began to freeze.

…Unsightly.

It was a cold night. She lay in a circle of dim light born of a used-up ­magic-­stone lamp. This was where Lyu died. No one to care for her, in some dark, dirty back alley. A fitting end for a foolish fairy.

Goddess Astrea…Alizé.

The goddess’s sweet smile flashed in her mind. Her affectionate words rang in her ears.

She wanted to hear the voice of her friend who was already gone and at peace one last time. Embracing those conflicting emotions, Lyu waited for her death, gradually closing her eyes.

“—­You okay?”

However.

As Lyu’s consciousness slid into the dark abyss, someone reached out a hand.

“…?”

She could faintly see a girl in front of her as she opened her eyes. ­Bluish-­silver hair shifted under the poncho she was wearing. The girl’s voice resembled the gentle call of the chief goddess, and also her departed friend. The girl kneeled down and kindly grasped Lyu’s ­blood- and ­grime-­covered right hand.

…aaah.

My hand that refused the touch of other ­people—­accepted her hand.

Soft.

Warm.

Kind.

Wrapped in warmth, something spilled from Lyu’s dried up eyes.

—“It’s not time for you to come yet.”

She thought she could hear her old friend’s voice, and her consciousness completely faded.

The instant she realized the dream had ended…

Lyu’s eyes opened.

“—!”

Her eyelids opened wide. She was looking at a wooden ceiling. The feeling of sheets and a blanket wrapped around her body indicated she had slept in a bed. What she was seeing was not a memory but an actual wooden room. Morning sunlight shone through a window.

“This ­is—­Gah!”

As she sluggishly tried to sit up, her upper body immediately collapsed.

Lyu was assaulted by a wave of pain and weariness. As she fell back into the blanket, she noticed the bandages wrapped around her arms. Someone had given her medical treatment. Perplexed by the unknown room, and the smell wafting through the air, she heard light footsteps as a girl opened the door and came in.

“Ah, you woke up. Great.”

“…You are…”

“Don’t try to do too much, okay? You were really badly hurt.”

The newcomer holding bandages and a washcloth was the same ­platinum-­haired girl Lyu had seen in the back alley. She was wearing some kind of shop’s uniform, just like in Lyu’s memories. It was clear she had carried Lyu to this room and cared for her.

“You were asleep for three days. It’s good you were able to wake up.”

“Three days…”

Hearing that number, Lyu was not particularly surprised. Her only thought was:

I’m still alive. That was all.

“I’m Syr Flover.”

As Lyu blankly looked ahead, the girl, Syr, introduced herself. She was cute. An affable smile floated across her face as if to put Lyu at ease, speaking to her kindness. She was the exact opposite of Lyu, who tended to be especially frank in her responses.

Someone who could just naturally get people to smile; “girl next door” was a perfect descriptor.

“This is a small building at the tavern that I work at. After I found you collapsed in the alley, I had you carried ­here—”

“Why?”

“Eh?”

Interrupting the girl, Lyu asked. Thoughts of regret and despair mixed together.

“Why did you help me?”

She had lost everything. Having killed her bitter enemy, she had no more reason to cling to life. The only thing left for her was emptiness. She could not find another reason to live on. Knowing just how empty her eyes were, Lyu looked back at the girl.

“Let’s see…” Syr looked as though she was concerned about Lyu, smiling as she lowered her eyebrows. “I couldn’t just leave someone so wounded in the rain.”

“…”

It was an incredibly straightforward response. If Lyu were in her position, she would definitely have done the same.

Would she still be able to say that if she knew who I was?

Lyu was the Gale Wind. The most wanted person in Orario, who had brought chaos to the city.

“Were you not…suspicious of someone collapsed in a place like that?”

“At the moment, Orario is dangerous no matter what. And also, I’m used to people with special circumstances.”

…Used to? People with special circumstances?

Doubtful, Lyu shifted her gaze back to Syr as she set the medical supplies on a shelf and knelt on the floor, looking up at her.

“Miss Elf, what’s your name?”

“…And once you know, what will you do?”

“I’d like to call you by it.”

When Syr responded so easily, Lyu’s voice caught in her throat.

This is difficult. Her manner is strange. Who is this girl?

She did not have the willpower to live; she should have had eyes as empty as someone already dead. Nevertheless, as Syr kindly approached her, Lyu was confused.

She tried to turn away, attempting to reject the girl’s innocent, sunny goodwill. However…

…She’s the second person…

Lyu had not knocked her hand away. The first person had been the leader of Astrea Familia, her old friend Alizé Rovel, the one who invited her to join the familia. She had been the first and last person until this point. When people she had just met tried to shake her hand, Lyu instinctually batted them away.

However, that rainy day, in a dark back alley, the girl had grasped Lyu’s hand.

The elf’s hand that was so deeply stained in darkness had also not rejected Syr’s hand.

She doesn’t resemble Alizé at all. So why…?

She looked at Syr’s smile and her hand. Unsure and with nowhere else to look, Lyu finally opened her mouth.

“Lyu…Lyu Leon.”

“Lyu…That’s a nice name.” Hearing it, a smile bloomed on Syr’s face like a flower.

Lyu’s gaze fled to the blanket covering her. Syr and her joyful expression were definitely hard to deal with.

“Cough! Aaaanyway…” Faking a cough, she began:

“Lyuuuuu will…feeeeel…beeeeetter. Feeeeel better!” She started spinning her finger in front of Lyu’s eyes and nose.

“…”

“Lyuuuuuuu wiiiiiiiiiill smile!”

Her finger kept moving. Lyu froze up like a statue.

What is this?

Some kind of ritual?

Is this a psychological attack?

“Yay!”

“?”

She pressed Lyu’s nose for the finishing blow.

“It’s a ­good-­luck charm to make you feel better. I do it for the kids I know all the time, you know?”

Saying that, Syr smiled as though she had finished a hard task.

Unable to intercept it, Lyu again froze.

“…H-huh? You didn’t start smiling? That’s strange…”

Syr looked genuinely confused as she watched Lyu stay frozen. When Lyu’s head finally started moving, she glared with ­half-­closed eyes as if to say, What are you doing? That’s rude.

Syr awkwardly forced a laugh. She did not notice Lyu’s sullen look.

Lyu’s eyes, which had been empty just a minute ago, started to cloud with emotion after her ­back-­and-­forth with the girl.

“That ­bed-­ridden elf up yet?”

Just then, another person entered the room: a female dwarf with a good physique. She was tall for a dwarf, taller even than Lyu. The word giant fit her perfectly, and her ­earth-­colored ponytail made a strong impression. Without saying a word, one could tell she had a hearty disposition.

“Yes, Mama. It seems her name is Lyu Leon. Lyu, this person is mistress of the place where I work. Her name is Mia.”

Mia…?

As Syr stood up, the word “Mia” triggered a reaction in Lyu. A certain piece of information crossed her mind, but she shook her head immediately, dismissing it.

“Jeez, more hassles when I’m already short on staff. And it’s not a stray dog or a stray cat you go picking up, but a pain-in-­the-­ass elf.”

“But, Mama Mia, you let me, didn’t you?”

As Mia’s grumbles mixed with sighs, Syr smiled back.

Lyu knit her eyebrows. Mia talked like a dwarf who naturally did not get along well with elves. The mistress looked down at her.

“I saw the clothes and gear that she took off you…You’re Gale Wind, aren’t you?”

At that, Lyu’s expression immediately changed. Her eyes sharpened to a piercing gaze. Hearing the name Gale Wind, Syr looked surprised.

“And if I am, what will you do? Hand me over to the Guild?”

Lyu knew that a wanted person like her was deemed dangerous. It was fair to say she had already abandoned herself. As Lyu confronted her, Mia snorted at the inanity of it all.

“Why would I need to do something annoying like that, idiot?”

“­Wh—”

“When you can move again, then do whatever you want. You just have to pay a reasonable price for the three days you’ve stayed here.”

Lyu looked stunned at her unthinkable response.

“Lyu? If it’s convenient for you, why don’t you stay here for a little while? If you stay at this tavern, you’ll be safe. At least until the excitement has calmed down a bit.”

What is this girl saying? It would be normal to be scared of a ­top-­tier wanted person, or at least be excited by the opportunity to turn them in for money. Even if this is a trap, it would be pointless to trick me like this, though, since I can’t resist anyway.

Lyu was confused by the fact that these two were entirely unconcerned about her identity. Her heart was in disarray.

“Mama Mia is reaaally strong. She can definitely protect you, Lyu. And I want to know more about you. ­So—”

Don’t get any closer.

And stop looking at me with that smile.

Don’t stick out your hand with a smile that reminds me of Alizé.

Lyu’s throat quivered, unable to endure the anguish oozing inside her heart.

“­I—­I…!”

Without realizing it, she shouted as though trying to shake off her confusion.

“I…I already have nothing ­left—­comrades, a place to return to…I did something incredibly foolish, and I should have died then.” Her fingers dug into the blanket, and all the thoughts that were stored up in her heart spilled out in repentence.

“Lyu…” Seeing Lyu’s distress, a sad, lonely expression appeared on Syr’s face.

“Arrrgh! No way, no way. This is what you get from elves. High-­strung and ­obstinate—­it’s annoying.” Mia responded bluntly, paying no heed to Lyu’s pained expression.

“Your life would have ended if she didn’t do anything. You should at least think of it as good luck. And what is that crap you’re saying? When did elves become so impolite they can’t even say thanks to the person who saved their life?”

“Tch! Like a boorish dwarf could understand!”

Lyu forgot her pain in her indignation. She had become more flexible after entering Astrea Familia, but the elf’s stubborn side was exposed here.

“My reason for living is already gone!”

As Lyu forcefully said ­that—­gurgle. A cute sound rang out from her torso.

“…”

“…”

“…”

Lyu froze, Syr stared in puzzlement, and Mia was in shock. Recognizing that her stomach had growled while she was talking, the proud elf turned bright red as she flailed in embarrassment.

“Looks like your body still wants to live, though.”

“Gah…!”

A huge disgrace. Thinking back on it, given her total exhaustion followed by three straight days of sleep, it was natural her body would want nutrients. Lyu had not felt this embarrassed in years. Spurred on by Syr’s stifled laughter, her slender ears got hotter. As she looked down, she resented her physiological response.

“Mama Mia.”

“Hm?”

Syr winked at Mia as though plotting something. Lyu was too busy wallowing in shame to notice.

Mia looked dubious, but Syr smiled suggestively in return.

“No way around it. Ignoring a hungry person will hurt the tavern’s reputation. Come on, eat some food.”

“W-wait a minute! I didn’t say anything about wanting to ­eat—!” Lyu did not know when to give up. Mia did not let her finish her refusal, glaring as she grabbed the elf’s head in a vise grip.

“?!”

“Your babbling is annoying. Listen to what people say, you stubborn elf.”

“………?!”

Mia’s large hand squeezed her head tightly, as if squashing a fruit. Still injured, Lyu could not evade it. She could not even react. More than anything, she could not escape the restraint at all. A trickle of sweat formed on the back of her head as the giant dwarf ­single-­handedly restrained her. In that instant, Lyu understood the difference in strength between the two of them.

“Get changed and come get some food.”

“­Guh—”

Finally releasing Lyu, Mia turned around and lumbered out of the room. Breathing heavily, Lyu wiped away sweat as Syr whispered in her ear.

“Mama Mia is reeeeally scary when she gets mad. I think it would be better to come,” Syr said with a cheerful smile.

Lyu looked back with frustration. She belatedly began to realize that she had been dropped into an outrageous place.

The reluctant elf was brought to the dining hall, a room not quite large enough to be called spacious. It was deserted; just the three of them were there. Mia disappeared for a little while into what was apparently the kitchen and returned carrying a plate with steam rising off it. It was a risotto with root vegetables of various colors and carefully boiled, finely cut chicken meat.

“There. Eat it before it’s cold.”

“Mama Mia’s food is ­super-­delicious.”

“…”

She did not have the option to say no. She could imagine that vise grip on her head if she imprudently refused again. With a slightly reproachful glare at being forced to sit at the dinner table, Lyu picked up the spoon in resignation. She scooped up a little bit of the rice and vegetables and brought it to her lips.

“…”

First, the pleasant flavor of the ­broth-­soaked rice spread through her mouth. Next was the flavor of the vegetables. They melted into the mellow rice and warmed the inside of her mouth. At the same time, the chicken meat split apart and seemed to melt on top of her tongue. The ingredients’ natural flavors mixed together and supported each other. Lyu looked down at the risotto as a rich scent wafted up from the plate.

“…The flavor is strong. I prefer it simpler.”

“That so?”

“Dwarf cooking is too rough. Skillful elf cooking is more refined.”

“That’s too bad.”

Mia ignored Lyu’s disinterested complaints, as though she did not care. Standing to the side, Syr watched over the graceful elf. Lyu listed multiple broad complaints, but finally, her cheeks lightly flushed, she whispered in wonder.

“But…it’s warm and delicious.”

Mia’s mouth curved into a bold grin. Syr smiled broadly. Like a snowfield under the spring sun, Lyu’s stiff cheeks finally softened. The dwarf mistress suddenly spoke up.

“ ‘Eat delicious food.’ That’s a fine purpose to have in life, a reason to keep living.”

The overly earnest Lyu, her body warmed by the food and the tranquil flavor still on her tongue, mistook what Mia said for a wise proverb.

She’s right; the reason people go on living might just be something like that.

Lyu picked up her spoon and ate another bite of risotto. And another. And another. Before long the plate was empty.

“Ho-ho! You ate all of it.”

“…Thank you…very much.”

As Syr took care of the plate, Lyu thanked them awkwardly. She looked down at her bandaged hands with an embarrassed expression on her face, her lips loosened ever so slightly, and she felt like a little bit of happiness had spread through her empty shell.

“­So—­you ate it.”

At that point…

Watching over Lyu from the side, Mia’s tone of voice suddenly changed.

“That’s the result of someone’s labor, you know. Lots of valuable ingredients were put into it, too.”

“…What are you saying?” Lyu’s voice hardened again as she sensed a suspicious atmosphere.

“You didn’t think that feast was free, did you? I let you eat some food, and I’ll be sure to charge a price. I’ll have you pay the bill in full.” Mia grinned as she answered.

“The price…totals up to fifty million valis.”

“Th-that’s absurd!” Lyu slammed her hand on the table as she stood up forcefully, doubting her ears the moment she heard the price.

“Seems like you can’t pay. Guess I’ve got no choice. I’ll have you work here to pay off what you owe,” Mia continued, unconcerned.

“Wh…!”

“It’s perfect, since I’ve been low on staff.”

She was lost for words as the dwarf mistress said that without any hesitation, as though she had planned it. Shocked, Lyu felt her voice rising.

“That’s ­oppression—­fraud!! Like I’d let you get away with an excuse like that…!”

Lyu would normally never lose her composure to this extent. Ordinarily, she would have instantly retaliated against an outrage like this, but she could not. Because Mia was stronger.

Her clenched fists trembled at the unreasonable humiliation she was suffering.

“This is Orario, you know? You never know what’ll happen, aboveground or in the Dungeon.”

Like a towering boulder, Mia did not waver in her arrogant demand. Lyu turned to Syr.

“In this tavern, whatever Mama Mia says is absolute~~.”

This girl’s just crying crocodile tears…!

As Lyu’s face gradually twitched, Mia delivered the finisher.

“Syr is right. Here we go by my law. If I say black is white, then it’s white.”

The giant dwarf smiled viciously.

—­Looking back on this later, Lyu would recognize this series of events was a pretext to cheer her up. Syr and Mia were desperately conspiring to get her to keep going. However, there was no way Lyu would understand that at the time.

—­I’ve been had!

The elf was screaming in her mind.

“It’s decided. I’ll have you work as an employee at my tavern.”

From that day forward, Lyu was forced to work at The Benevolent Mistress.

Eight thousand valis rent. That was the cost of the apartment Runoa was leasing.

“I took it in the end, but…should this be my last job?”

The location was in the city’s northwest block, seventh district. It was a corner of Orario near the giant wall that encircled the city. The ­three-­story apartment building got no sunlight thanks to the wall, and it was cold at night because the building was made of stone. Runoa had taken a liking to this property. Because of the location, no one came by. People living in the building were all poor or had something to hide, like Runoa.

And since the dwarf owner’s stated policy was “As long as you pay your rent, I don’t care,” Runoa was grateful to not have anyone prying into her business unnecessarily. And best of all, it was quiet. The occasional person talking to themselves and ominous laughter coming from the room next door were a bit of an annoyance, though…

­Bounty ­hunting was a profession where it was easy to make enemies, so she had not told anyone this address.

“If it’s going to be my last, then I’ll end with a win. Well…except this one is Gale Wind, though.”

The single stone room had only a handful of furnishings, the bare minimum: crude wooden bed, ­magic-­stone lamp, etc.

The only thing of note was her work ­outfit—­the black gauntlets and battle ­clothes—­and a handmade sandbag.

The wooden chair creaked as Runoa sat down, after turning on the ­magic-­stone stove to make a pot of hot milk. She looked over the information sheet for her target.

“Other than the place she’s hiding, there’s nothing. Even if she always wore a mask to hide her identity, it’s weird they don’t even know her full name. Adventurers are supposed to be registered with the Guild, aren’t they?”

The paper she had received from the corporation that supposedly had the profile of Gale Wind did not even have a description of the person.

Useless. Runoa grimaced.

“Dammit, Guild, don’t publish worthless information…”

The Guild was covering for Gale Wind. She was the last living member of Astrea Familia, who had worked with them to maintain the peace and order of the city.

No, protecting her isn’t quite right. Maybe a final mercy is a bit closer.

Gale Wind had lost herself in revenge, exacting retribution against all the merchants and adventurers who supported her ­enemies—­even the Guild members who had worked with ­them—­so they could not get away without punishing her. They had revoked her status as an adventurer and registered her on the blacklist. The organization had kept up appearances.

“It doesn’t seem like there’s any more information, though…Guess I have to check it out myself.”

Once she decided, she jumped into action. That was Runoa Faust, bounty hunter. Grabbing the scarf she always wore, she stood up. Her destination was the tavern The Benevolent Mistress, where Gale Wind had been taken. Quickly finishing her preparations, she opened the door and headed for that bar.

“Astrea Familia…That faction’s rank was B. Eleven members, all of them ­second-­tier adventurers. They reached the ­forty-­first floor, cleared ­twenty-­one floor bosses…Mrrow, the more I read, the more monstrous she looks.”

Lying on a bed in her underwear, Chloe murmured. Her single stone room had an extravagantly plush carpet, a bed with a canopy on it, a ­chandelier-­style ­magic-­stone lamp, and ­magic-­stone fireplace, everything heavily customized in order to be more luxurious. It was without a doubt a palace for Chloe alone, the epitome of bad taste and wasteful spending.

For the price, the room was perfect…other than that from time to time she could hear the dull sounds of something being struck in the room next door.

This was the secret address of the one feared in the underworld as Black Cat.

Propping her cheek up as she lay on the bed, her black cattail wriggling from her similarly colored lingerie, Chloe sighed as she looked down at the parchment.

“You can tell how tough she is just from the Guild’s public information, meow. This familia caught a lot of the Evils.”

The information sheet spread across her pillow was not about Gale Wind herself, but about the faction she belonged ­to—­the no-­longer-­extant Astrea Familia.

“According to the Guild’s public information, Gale Wind was a Level Four. But if you add in that she destroyed the final ally of the Evils, Rudra Familia, by herself…then she is top class among Level Fours, no doubt, meow.”

Ah, I don’t want to kill her, Chloe thought as she lay facedown on the pillow.

Level Fours are hard to do, and if I’m not careful, I’ll get killed in the cross fire.

Regret over jumping the gun welled up in her chest.

“…Oh well, meow. This is my last job anyway, meow. I’m getting a lot of money for this, and after I run away from here, I can live easy with lots of cute boys to take care of me, meow.”

Chloe giggled evilly to herself as wicked ideas ran through her mind. Losing herself in wild daydreams for a little while, the catgirl rolled on her back and held her slender hand up to the light.

“Finishing off Gale Wind will be my crowning glory, meow.”

She hopped to her feet and put on the tunic and robe that lay carelessly on the floor.

Facing someone truly strong head-on was suicide. Therefore, ­assassination—­the ability to freely use poison, traps, and the like at the right time and right place to take someone out unaware. To do that, it was necessary to understand the target’s habits and area of activity.

She was not going to be lazy about gathering information on her target. This was Chloe Lolo, assassin. Her target was the tavern The Benevolent Mistress, where Gale Wind had escaped. Wearing her hood for disguise, Chloe opened the door to her room.

““Uhn?””

As the two doors thudded closed at the same time, Chloe and Runoa saw each other. Both were dressed up like they were going out. Neighbors who had not met before today.

Who’s that ­sick-­looking human, meow?

Who’s this degenerate catgirl?

They kept their opinions to themselves. Chloe snickered at the human who did not care about her appearance, and Runoa made a dubious face at the mysterious catgirl hiding her eyes.

“…”

“…”

Both silent, they locked their doors and proceeded down opposite hallways. They recognized each other as having guilty consciences and knew nothing good would come of interacting. Their backs to each other, they left the apartment building by different routes, but they were headed toward the exact same place.

“No…”

Lyu stood in front of the dresser murmuring in shock. A waitress was reflected in the mirror.

She was wearing a light green dress that went below her knees with a white apron wrapped around her body. Feared as Leon of the Gale Wind, Lyu felt incredibly out of place in a cutesy uniform like this. If her comrades in the lost familia were here now, they would burst out laughing, no doubt. Goddess Astrea would definitely be trying to hide giggles.

Her shining gold hair had even been dyed a light green color.

“It looks good on you, Lyu! You’re super-cute! Just to be safe, I dyed your hair so that no one will recognize you as Miss Gale Wind.”

While Lyu was shocked, Syr was enjoying herself, an affable tone in her voice. It was several days after that fateful day when they had decided she would work at the tavern. Lyu had finally gotten healthy again and was reborn as an employee of The Benevolent Mistress. Mostly because of Syr. By force.

Lyu found Syr’s unreserved smile and praise unbearably detestable right now. She wanted to take off the white cap on her head and pummel it into the ground.

“Allll right, let’s get right to work. Time to pay back that expensive meal, right?”

“Kuh.”

Smirking, Syr warned her that unapproved movements would not be allowed. As a ­duty-­bound elf, it was calamitous for Lyu. If she ran away without returning the favor to people who had made so much effort to heal her, not to mention fed her, the honor of her proud forest species would be sullied.

Because of that, even if she had been treated badly, Lyu’s morals would not let her run away, no matter how much she wanted to do so. Even for the peculiar members of Astrea Familia, such a thing was unheard of.

“I’ll introduce you to Ahnya and the others later, but first I’ll teach you the job.”

“Hey, what do you say when someone teaches you something?”

There was nowhere to run.

Lyu was pinned on either side by the smiling Syr and Mia with her arms crossed.

“Thank you…in advance…” Her voice quivered as she whispered, her cheeks turning bright red in embarrassment.

Thus began Lyu’s daily struggle.

Everyone’s first job at The Benevolent ­Mistress—­was peeling.

“Newbie, can you peel vegetables, meow?”

“…Where I was before, it was usually catered.”

“People always think it doesn’t look that bad, meow. Here, if you just hold the knife like ­thi—”

“—­Don’t touch me!”

“Fugyah?!”

“Kyaah! Lyu knocked Ahnya into the vegetables!”

“What are you doing, you dumbass!!”

“Kuh!”

Thanks to her aversion toward being touched, she had knocked her coworker ­down—­failure.

Her second job at The Benevolent Mistress involved going shopping.

“Okay, Lyu? When you’re buying ingredients, give a cute smile. And it’s fine to beg a bit.”

“Give a cute smile…beg…”

“Yep, if you do that, they’ll give you lower prices. It’ll be okay; the old guys at the shop are nice! So good luck!”

“Understood…Shopkeeper.”

“Oh, that ­uniform—­The Benevolent Mistress, eh? What do you need today?”

“Those fruits. Please give me a discount.”

“Eh?”

“I said discount, please.”

“Um, that’s…”

“Please do it quickly. Are you trying to insult me?”

“Y-yikes?! Help ­me—!”

“Lyu! That’s not pleading, that’s threatening! And cramping your face isn’t smiling; you look like a hit man!!”

“Kuh!”

Banned from the ­greengrocer—­failure.

The third job at The Benevolent Mistress was serving customers.

“…The menu.”

“Oh, a new staff member? Quite the beauty, too! But kind of blunt.”

“Kuh!”

The guests did not like her ­expression—­failure.

And the jobs after that, too: failure, failure, and failure. A storm of disappointments.

“You’re more useless than I thought…” Mia sighed heavily.

“Kuhhh…!”

When Mia called her out, Lyu endured the humiliation.

This is wrong. It’s because I only just started. I’m just nervous because it’s an unknown experience. Even refined adventurers make big mistakes in the face of the “Unknown.”

Lyu was decidedly not useless, she reassured herself with a loud voice in her head.

…No, it was like this when I was with Alizé, wasn’t it?

When she had joined Astrea Familia, Lyu had constantly made mistakes. At the time, she had caused problems for the chief goddess Astrea and her friend Alizé.

When I’m not used to things, I always make mistakes.

“At this rate, instead of paying back the food, you’re just acquiring more debt.”

“Kuhh…”

Ashamed, Lyu continued her trials.

Why is Gale Wind working as a waitress…?

Outside the window, the sun was setting in the blue sky. Going undercover as a customer at The Benevolent Mistress to gather information, Runoa was confused at the spectacle she saw. The elf was wearing a waitress uniform, interacting with customers and taking away plates with a gloomy face.

A wanted person who’s even on the Guild’s blacklist suddenly got a ­part-­time job at a bar…No way, I don’t understand at all…

The elf matched the description and likeness she had received from the corporation. Her hair seemed to have been dyed, but it was unmistakably the same person.

However, Gale ­Wind—­who once sent tremors down the spine of all the villains in the ­city—­had exchanged her bloodstained battle clothes and hood for a waitress uniform and white headpiece…

What is that look? I want to laugh, but I can’t.

“…Hey, hey, waitress, is that elf employee new?”

“Yes, meow. So new that she needs to be watched constantly, meow. At the moment, I’m taking of her myself, meow!”

But you’re messing up orders, too, you stupid cat.

Annoyed at the waitress’s ­self-­satisfaction when she had brought coffee instead of the black tea she had ordered, Runoa peeked over at Gale Wind again. She was moving around the tavern with a distinct lack of familiarity, and even writing down the orders from the patrons was a struggle. She was somehow managing with the gallant help of a ­blue-­and-­silver-­haired girl.

A ruse to throw off trackers, or a trap…? But this looks too stupid.

While watching the ­ill-­tempered elf from the side, she sipped her coffee. Looking around at the smiling women guests, she struggled to figure out how to handle the situation.

Why is Gale Wind doing chores at a bar, meow?

Under the same setting sun…

Chloe was pretending to be a messenger and sneaking glances through the back door of the store. The scene unfolding before her eyes shocked her. She watched as the elf was called to the back of the kitchen and scolded by the dwarf mistress.

“It seems pretty busy, but what’s wrong with that elf girl?” She tried probing a bit while handing over a letter addressed to the tavern.

“Ahh, sorry. She just started…She messed up a bit, so she’s getting some advice.” The ­blue-­and-­silver-­haired girl answered with a hint of a wry smile.

Chloe was confident that the elf was Gale Wind when she heard “just started”…but just like a certain bounty hunter, she could not shake her confusion.

Also, that dwarf…she’s ­super-­scary, meow. Don’t want to make that frumpy woman mad…

Even from afar, she could recognize the dangerous potential of the mistress’s anger.

Gale Wind was quietly nodding and putting up with the scolding, her expression like that of a monk in training who had endured several hours under a waterfall.

“Miss Courier…are you new? Are you that interested in our tavern?” The girl smiled sweetly as Chloe quickly confirmed Gale Wind and the layout of the bar.

“…Aaah, that was rude of me. As you guessed, I’m a provisional employee. Anyway, I’ve confirmed the letter has been delivered.”

Acting normal, Chloe returned the smile and left via the back door. She jogged through a back alley where the sun did not reach.

“Whew, that was dangerous,” she whispered to herself as she pulled down the brim of the hat she wore as a disguise. “I can’t let my guard down in there, meow…The footsteps of the chefs in the kitchen were awfully quiet, it seemed…“

From my perspective, that platinum haired girl is dangerous, too.

This was Orario. People were trained to deal with wild hooligans, including adventurers, but…

“A bar that puts Gale Wind to work…that place might be bad news, meow?”

Making an odd face as she whispered, she wondered if she might have hit the bull’s-­eye—

“Ha-ha, no way.”

The skilled assassin couldn’t help but laugh away the absurd thought.

Yes, she foolishly laughed it off.

“Haaa, I’m tired, meow. Mama is rough with both people and cats, meow.”

Ahnya complained as she and Lyu carried groceries.

No comment on the cat part, but she does use people roughly, Lyu agreed silently.

Several days had already passed since she had started working at The Benevolent Mistress. She had repeatedly messed up, but she was working as an obedient tavern employee.

“Ah, Lyu. Hold the basket properly! If the vegetables fall, Mama will yell at you again, meow!”

“…I think it’s fine.”

“Letting your guard down like that will cost you your life, meow! I’ve slipped countless times! I’ve been doing this longer than you, so you should listen to what I say, meow! Fufun!”

Falling down and holding a basket aren’t related, though. Plus, you’re awfully proud saying that.

After Syr, this Ahnya girl was the next person Lyu had gotten to know. She seemed cheerful and simple. An idiot…or at least lacking in some way. The way she kept trying to touch Lyu’s hand, no matter how many times the elf countered by knocking her away, was good evidence.

She tried to give off an air of seniority and experience, but no matter how Lyu looked at it, she was still better…on paper. Objectively, maybe. By a slim margin.

”…At any rate…”

“?”

“You still look so gloomy, meow. Kind of…depressed, meow? It’s concerning, meow…”

Lyu was at a loss for words as Ahnya spoke bluntly, placing the basket of vegetables on the table.

For better or worse, the thoughtless catgirl had no restraint. Recognizing she was right, Lyu could not respond. She had been made to work plenty at this tavern, but there was still a gaping hole in her heart. It would unintentionally reveal itself, and her expression would darken.

“…Sorry for making you worry.”

Maybe Ahnya has been paying so much attention to me because she is worried about me. Thinking this, Lyu apologized.

“Why should I worry about you?”

But Ahnya made a ­stupid-­looking ­expression—­or rather a deeply confused one as she tilted her head.

“N-no…but you said I was depressed.”

“Depressing things are depressing, meow. But Mama definitely uses elves roughly, too, so you’ll forget about the things bothering you, meow.”

Lyu went ­wide-­eyed at her words.

“Look at Mei over there, meow. She also had a lot of things happen and looked ­suuuuper-­depressed at first, but now she doesn’t have the time for that, meow.”

Ahnya pointed to one of the catgirl chefs. She was shorter than them, scampering around like a prum. She did not even have the time to adjust the chef’s hat slipping off her head, a busy whirlwind as she moved around the kitchen.

“So feel free to feel down, as long as you get back up again, meow. Everyone at this tavern was like that, meow. And you’ll get there, too, meow.”

She crudely and carelessly said this. She did not have any proof. However, her words made Lyu’s heart feel several times lighter, so much so that she was jealous, wondering how much easier it would be if she could be like that.

“Ahnya…were you like that, too?” Lyu asked, suddenly curious.

“­I—­I…” The catgirl all of a sudden started to get flustered.

Her eyes darted to the left and right, making suspicious movements. The slender tail coming out of her back started quivering as though it could not stay still.

“­I—­I just remembered a chore, meow! I need to go for a bit, meow!” Awkwardly excusing herself, she disappeared.

Even that carefree girl had special circumstances. Lyu felt bad for bringing it up.

“Lyu, if you are back from the storehouse, then hurry up and come here.”

She was briefly glancing in the direction that Ahnya had fled when Mia stuck her head into the kitchen and called her over.

“Next is washing the plates. Even a clumsy elf like you can do that, right?”

“…Understood.”

Lyu nodded and headed over to the washing area. Noting the stacked-up tableware, she started washing them with water.

“…”

She dunked them over and over in a bucket of water. Soap bubbled, and the grime on the plates fell off. As the other girls carried over more dishes, she accepted them and kept moving her hands. Quietly, like a puppet.

Ahnya said all of that…But if the days continue like this, what should I do?

Lyu pondered her situation amid the squeaks of the plates she was wiping and the rush of flowing water in the washing area.

There is what Mia said. Eating delicious food is a good enough reason to live by itself. If that’s true, then there’s no reason for me to work here. Actually, I should probably get mad about this ridiculous maltreatment and leave. I could be free and do what I like.

In truth, now that she thought about trying to run away, she would be able to do so. But she didn’t. It was not a sense of duty as a proud elf holding her back. It was because she did not have any goals to accomplish, and she had nowhere to go back to.

I already…don’t have anything…

The emptiness of her revenge. The sense of loss from losing all her comrades. A hodgepodge of feelings dominated her heart. In an instant, her mind fell into darkness. The final support for her heart, the goddess Astrea, was no longer in Orario. Lyu herself had been the one who encouraged her to leave the city.

I cruelly forsook my own principles, and I’ve been stained and burned by the black flames. Why would she ever acknowledge me or let me live with her again?

She no longer had a home to return to.

And now I’m using this tavern in a vain attempt to avert my eyes…

I’m spending peaceful days working hard at a job I’m not used to, forgetting my emptiness temporarily. I’m depending on this idle life and calling it unavoidable as an excuse.

Acknowledging her feelings, Lyu recognized that much. She was not finding a goal. Not thinking about the future. Continuing to drag along her lost past. It was all just avoiding reality.

If I could find some other reason to stay at this place ­after—

“Lyu, can I help you?”

“…”

Lyu silently looked at Syr as she approached.

I see. It’s because this girl is here.

Here was the reason that she could not break away from this tavern.

“…I’m okay. I’m not too busy, so you can do your own chores…”

“I’ve finished over here, so I thought I’d help out a bit? And this many dishes is pretty rough for one person.”

Easily dodging Lyu’s reservations, Syr lined up next to her. Lyu did not bother hiding her sigh. She had only known her for a little while, but she knew that it would be pointless to say more. They rinsed off the plates in the same wash area together.

Syr Flover…a person who took my hand.

Listening to another set of bubbles and water, Lyu glanced over at the girl. When she had collapsed in the back alley, Syr had grabbed Lyu’s ­blood- and ­mud-­covered hand. She had not rejected her, despite her elven tendency to prevent anyone she hadn’t accepted to touch her skin, a deeply ingrained habit.

It’s not as if I had acknowledged her…

There was no way she would be able to discern the character of someone she had only just met. That was obvious. She had just accepted the warmth of Syr’s hand without reservations. As though she had felt the girl’s kind spirit, or it was a fated meeting.

Just like Alizé.

That reality was what kept Lyu from trying to leave the tavern. She was the second special person to move her that way, and without realizing it, she could no longer do without her.

“Are you getting used to the job here?”

Lyu was stealing a glance at Syr when her heart jumped at the sudden question. Unusually flustered, she gave a long reply to cover it.

“A-a bit…but I’m still messing up a lot. I’m not as good at dealing with things as you are…”

“That’s not true.”

Syr smiled wryly as she shook her head. “I made all sorts of mistakes when I first started…Hmmm, probably even worse ones than you.”

“…You did?”

“Yes. When the tavern employed me, back when I first started working.”

Lyu was shocked. Syr stopped washing.

“At the beginning, I thought I could at least do this…but I broke a lot of plates, scorched lots of pots, messed up the ingredients I was supposed to buy…Mama Mia got really mad.”

“…That’s hard to believe.”

Surprised, she was pulled into the girl’s story. As far as she could tell, Syr was better than anyone else at all of the jobs in the tavern now.

“It would be nice to be able to say it was all a dream. But it’s true. I’m still not very good at cooking.”

She covered the bottom half of her face with the plate she was polishing as her cheeks slightly reddened, as if she was really embarrassed.

“When I got home, I’d dive into bed and whimper about how bad it was.”

Hearing that, Lyu’s lips opened a bit, and a soft chuckle escaped. Syr had shared an unexpected side of herself.

“—­You finally laughed.”

“?”

“Before that, you would never laugh. It seemed like you were always worried about something.”

Lyu was surprised at the warmth in Syr’s ­metallic-­blue eyes. She looked back at the elf as she bashfully covered her mouth with one hand. Syr just innocently smiled.

I was able to laugh…

As Syr’s cheerful smile faded, Lyu thought back.

It was like that before, too.

From Lyu’s perspective, Syr had unnecessarily meddled countless times. Helping her with her work and even making it so she could work at the tavern in the first place. She had given the homeless Lyu shelter from the rain.

Ever since she had collapsed in that back alley, Syr’s dedication had helped Lyu.

“…I…”

“?”

“I don’t understand you.”

As Syr tilted her head, Lyu turned to her.

“Why do you trouble yourself for me like that…? Why go so far? Are you trying to poke your nose into my business?”

She finally asked the questions that had been secretly lingering in her mind.

The girl who had drawn the smile out of her matched the elf’s gaze. The clamor of the tavern continued: the footsteps of staff unhurriedly walking around, the bustle of food preparation from the kitchen, the conversations of customers eating with relish. Quietly watching Lyu, she finally smiled again.

“Lyu, come with me for a bit?”

Heading through The Benevolent Mistress’s back entrance, they walked a bit into the back alleys. Proceeding through countless winding streets, up dozens of stairways, through arches and tunnels, they reached a building. An abandoned church. One of dozens of forgotten churches in the city’s seventh district.

She brought Lyu to the roof of the building. When she crossed the threshold, she was wrapped in a brilliant light, and the sights of a peaceful town spread before her.

“Yep, it’s another beautiful day!”

It was close to the blue sky. Syr raised a celebratory voice at the transparent blue canvas.

“Is it okay to leave the tavern without permission? If I do this, that dwarf owner might yell at me again…”

“You’re always trying hard, so you can get away with a little.”

Syr smiled like a mischievous little child. Lyu had recently come to realize that Syr was talented but a bit lacking in diligence from time to time. Almost like a breeze that could not be contained.

“…Then why did you bring me here?”

“Because it’s my favorite spot. I wanted you to know about it, too.”

The roof of the chapel was a bit higher than all the buildings around it, so it had a great view. Far off in the distance, Central Park was visible, and past that the ­still-­sleeping Shopping District. Lyu could understand why it was her favorite place.

This reminds me of Alizé, also…

Her old friend had also liked high places. They had often gone to the roof of a building, surrounded by the lovely blue sky as they talked about the future.

However.

In Lyu’s eyes now, that beautiful sky was ­also—.

—­Gray. It all looks gray.

Not just the ­sky—­everything looked colorless. That was what Lyu saw from her shroud of emptiness. As if everything she saw turned to gray.

Lyu’s light ­green–­dyed hair shook as she looked down.

“Higher than this is no good, and any lower wouldn’t work, either. This is the only place where you can see all of Orario and still feel the presence of the people in the streets.”

Perhaps recognizing Lyu’s thoughts, or perhaps not, Syr continued talking as she looked out at the view.

“When you’re here, you can understand what sorts of things the town is thinking.”

“…Understand…the town’s thoughts?”

“Yep. The people holding their head high as they walk, the carriage dashing through Main Street…the adventurers’ arguments, and the children’s laughter.”

Lyu looked up at Syr’s back as she continued speaking.

“For years, Orario was always sad, scared…”

“…”

Orario’s Dark Age. The rise of evil that had been the source of the Evils had brought fear and mayhem to the city. Blood flowed in the endless cycle of destruction. Many ­non-­adventurers were lost, too. Having stood on the front lines where chaos and order clashed, Lyu felt her heart hurt when she thought of the residents of the city still living in fear. She was filled with shame and a desire to apologize.

“But, you know, lately it’s different.”

“Eh?”

“The town is gradually starting to be able to smile. They can celebrate and be happy.”

As Lyu’s eyes went wide, Syr turned around, and said:

“That’s thanks to you guys, isn’t it?”

“—”

Lyu was at a loss for words as Syr smiled.

“Ganesha Familia, Loki Familia, Freya Familia…and also Astrea Familia. You and lots of other adventurers fought, were hurt, and still kept trying…and you protected the people.”

Several familias had been established in order to subdue the Evils. They all had their own intentions, but they had fought the followers of the evil gods in order to drive away the darkness covering Orario. Lyu’s Astrea Familia had also stood for justice and continued to fight to protect people’s smiles. They had tried to destroy evil. And Lyu’s own blade had brought an end to it.

“The neighborhood is peaceful thanks to what you all did. That’s why I have to try to find some happiness for you, too.”

“—”

“If the person who worked the hardest isn’t happy………Well, I don’t like that.”

“You’re wrong! Wrong!” Lyu shouted back. “When my friends were killed, I wasn’t fighting for peace! That wasn’t justice anymore! I just lost my temper for a personal grudge, to get revenge…!”

And the result was this. In the end I got my name on the blacklist, and I’ve incurred the wrath and resentment of lots of people.

Syr continued to smile at Lyu, who had acted as judge, jury, and executioner for the criminals throughout Orario who were suspected of a connection with the Evils.

“Even so, the adventurers who come to the tavern say it…even the gods say it. ‘Orario was reborn.’ ”

As if saying “Look,” she pointed to a street corner below where a performance was happening. On one corner of the main street, a band was playing a song honoring a valorous adventurer. It would have been impossible to imagine such a scene when evil was rampant and public order was crumbling.

Lyu was speechless.

She had missed it while consumed by the flames of revenge. Something she had not noticed as she grieved for her friend and the comrades who had lost their lives, moaning that there was nothing left.

Something still remained of Alizé and the rest: the fruits of their labor. What Lyu had managed to accomplish was compensation for her friends’ lives.

“I’ll say it for everyone else, okay?”

As Lyu struggled for words, Syr gazed into her eyes and smiled.

“You fought so hard for us…Thank you.”

When she heard those words, a single tear silently spilled from Lyu’s eye.

“Now, everyone is able to smile.”

Syr looked out across the neighborhood one more time.

The wind carried the voices of laughing children, just like an ordinary peaceful town. If she listened closely, she felt sure that she could sense the feelings of the town.

The feelings of the people who lived here.

I…

In the midst of everyone’s feelings, Lyu thought she heard a certain voice. An imagined voice amid the others.

She could sense the smiles of Alizé and her friends living on in the town.

Their soft ­whispers—­In our stead…

I…I have to make sure of it myself, I think.

She would have to watch over their legacy in their stead. That was what Lyu thought.

She had decided on a future she wanted to set out for.

The sky…

As the world turned watery through her tears, the surrounding skies cleared up. Like a forest sprouting new leaves all at once, the gray disappeared, and the beautiful blue color returned.

Lyu realized that the heart she had thought was empty now held something. Her tears fell again.

…She’s a mysterious person.

Wiping her eyes, she looked at Syr, who was gazing out over the town. She had unraveled Lyu’s feelings just like ­Astrea—­like a goddess of compassion.

I acknowledge her. Her ­meddling—­her ­words—­brought me back on to my path.

Just what is she?

As Lyu stared at her, Syr turned around and broke into a smile.

“Your eyes became really pretty.”

“…If you think so, then it’s only thanks to you.”

“Really? I’m glad. I like people like you…People who can become beautiful for someone else’s sake.”

As if Lyu was too radiant to look at, Syr’s metallic-blue eyes squinted into a smile, her cheeks blushing in delight for an instant.

“What will you do now? If you’ve found what you want to do, then you don’t need to force yourself to stay at the tavern, you know? I can talk to Mama Mia for you.”

“I…”

She paused for a second before straightforwardly acknowledging her answer.

“I want to repay you.”

I want to repay you for letting me notice what Alizé left behind. For letting me see this beautiful blue sky again.

Those were Lyu’s true feelings.

“…Is that okay?”

“Yes. If not for you, my friends would have let me have it.”

Without a doubt.

Thinking that, Lyu’s face relaxed. As the girl gazed in surprise, a small, neat, ­flower-­like smile appeared on Lyu’s face. Syr grinned broadly.

“Well then, I’m glad you’ll keep working with me at the tavern.”

“Understood. It’s not like I have anywhere else to go. I’ll burden you for a bit longer.”

“Yep. I look forward to it, Lyu.”

Surrounded by the sky, they smiled like old friends, the blue sky warmly watching over them.

“About time to head back?”

“Yes.”

At Syr’s prompt, Lyu nodded. Lyu looked back one last time in order to etch the scene of the beautiful sky and town into her memory as she left the roof, exiting the deserted church with Syr. She headed back, wrapped in a warm feeling that she did not have when she had arrived. Before long, she could see The Benevolent Mistress.

Her eyes leaped to the people loitering in front of the tavern’s rear entrance. It was Ahnya and the rest of the employees.

“Ahnya? Why are you here?”

“Fufun. I saw that you guys were ditching work, so we wanted to congratulate you, meow!”

“Aren’t you just procrastinating?”

Ahnya responded to Syr’s question with an odd pride, but she yelped and turned red at Lyu’s observation. However, she stared at Lyu’s face and then smiled cheerfully.

“I like that expression better, meow.”

“…Yes. I stopped being so gloomy.”

Lyu smiled slightly back. The other catgirls besides Ahnya looked on happily. The procrastination was just an excuse. Lyu understood that they were waiting for her to come back after Syr had taken her out.

“No more going easy on you, meow! You’re a rival, not just a stray we took in, meow! You better be prepared to put your jaw into it, meow!”

“Back, Ahnya?”

Ignoring Syr’s gentle correction, Ahnya moved closer to Lyu.

“Which is to say, let’s try shaking hands again, meow!”

This is what she’s been after.

The catgirl triumphantly put out her right hand, and Lyu’s hand made as if to grab it. Just as she was about to do ­that—­slap! She knocked the hand away with all of her strength. The atmosphere froze.

…Crap…

Lyu’s hand had reflexively moved as she started to sweat. Even someone as insensitive to people’s feelings as Lyu could understand. The carefully constructed pleasantness had been wrecked. While time stopped for Syr and the other staff, she timidly peeked at Ahnya…and saw a savage cat with a blazing fire behind her eyes.

“I’ll definitely touch you, meow…!”

“­W—”

Lyu was agitated as the stubborn catgirl started talking big.

These catgirls are annoying in an entirely different way from Alizé and the ­rest—!

Lyu was sure of that as Ahnya gradually slipped into a stance, staring daggers at her.

“Haah!”

“­Wha—­Syr?!”

Syr had suddenly hugged her.

“You let me touch you.”

“L-let me go!”

Syr did not seem to mind as Lyu turned red. Wrapping both arms around her neck, she put her cheek on Lyu’s.

“Myaaaaaaa! Why am I bad and Syr’s okay, meow? That’s impossible! This is a matter of pride, meow!!”

“—!”

“Fugya!”

Lyu countered, Ahnya was sent flying, and Syr laughed aloud. The rest of the staff all started clapping and laughing along, too.

“…Hey, you stupid girls! Ain’t every last one of you skipping work?!”

Watching from afar, Mia’s eyes narrowed, and finally she bellowed at them as their horseplay continued.

Lyu thought.

Syr and the other staff were not a replacement for Alizé and the rest. Believing something like that would be a disservice to these girls. And the grief and emptiness from losing irreplaceable comrades was not so easily healed. Even if it healed, unexpected twinges could bring back Lyu’s loneliness.

However, I have to move forward. Even if I remember the past, I can only move forward. Together with Alizé’s legacy.

She decided to write a letter. One addressed to the goddess she had been separated from.

What I’m doing and what I’ve decided…If this ever gets delivered, she’ll know. She would definitely smile when she reads it.

Returning to The Benevolent Mistress alongside Ahnya and the rest, she secretly whispered to the girl who had helped her, who had constantly meddled and led her to discover so many things.

“Thank you, Syr…I’m grateful.”

3

The evening sun set beyond the western wall.

Surrounded by the gigantic city wall, Orario’s darkness came early. Runoa had learned that much, having come to this Labyrinth City almost four years ago.

“…She’s changed.”

West Main Street was tinted red. In the middle of a street crowded with adventurers returning from the Dungeon and laborers whose jobs were over for the day, she had stopped and looked over at The Benevolent Mistress. The elf staff girl was reflected in her eyes.

Gale Wind…Her expression is softer now.

She was still awkward at her job. She was still not very good at customer service. But after observing the situation several days ago, Runoa could tell that Gale Wind’s face had changed a bit. Before, she always looked as though she was forcing herself and darkness clouded her face.

Her aura had suggested she’d lost someone important, or maybe lost her path.

But it was different now. She was holding her head high, her dignified figure exuding vitality like a large tree in a forest. A spark of determination had returned to her ­sky-­blue eyes, and she sometimes smiled ever so slightly when her colleagues called out to her.

Ahhh…she found a place she belongs.

As if feeling her gaze, Gale Wind turned toward her.

Exchanging glances through the window, Runoa puller her scarf up over her mouth and started moving with the crowd again, heading away from the tavern.

Betrayed is maybe a bit much, but…maybe, recently, I felt like we were alike.

Walking along Main Street, Runoa noticed that she was jealous of Gale Wind.

“Family, friends, familia…I don’t have any of that.”

Looking up at the twilight sky, she spoke to herself.

Being alone in a crowd of people like this brought back old memories.

—­Runoa Faust was born in a certain territory of the empire, far from Orario. Before she was old enough to understand what was happening, she lost her parents in the war that led to the country serving the empire, so she became a street urchin, fending for herself without anyone’s protection. Between theft, fights, and turf wars with other street kids, a day did not go by without some new bruises.

For Runoa at the time, it was obvious to jump at the opportunity to join a familia as soon as she found out about them and the Falna she could be granted. It was just that important to have power. If she could join one, she would not have to worry about the bare necessities like food or shelter. After she had a Status, her physical strength increased to a new level. Runoa’s struggle to survive became significantly easier.

The head god of the familia was a confusing guy. Later she heard that he amused himself with a coup d’état and revolution game. She had never really understood his will and did not enjoy how he used his followers like pawns. Maybe he had loved them, but she did not really understand it.

In the end, it collapsed into infighting, and the familia was destroyed.

—­After that, she began drifting from place to place like tumbleweed.

There wasn’t a twilight like this in the imperial territory where I grew up.

For Runoa, such an unfettered life was alluring and exciting. She started collecting bounties in order to earn money for traveling. Whenever she remembered to, she would provisionally join an appropriate familia and have her Status updated. She had already had three conversions. She had never really joined a particular familia.

Outside the ­city—­outside ­Orario—­a difference in Level was absolute. Unlike the Labyrinth City, which boasted the Dungeon, people who could level up were few and far between. The only places that could lay claim to multiple people of Level 3 and higher were famous cities and countries like the Empire or the Great Country of Magic, the handful of world powers. With her talent for fighting, Runoa leveled up quickly and was acknowledged as superior wherever she ­went—­but became isolated.

Her time in her first familia had made her stronger by leaps and bounds. Rough as she was, she provoked animosity and jealousy in her colleagues, so she was not familiar with the concept of comrades. She thought she was fine with that. She took pride in her ability to get by on her own strength. That was why she had decided making friends was unnecessary.

—­But I was out of my element here.

Three years ago, she had the opportunity to come to Orario. The Labyrinth City was different from anywhere else in the world she had seen. She did not know how it would look in a few years or a few decades. But Orario at the turning point of the Dark Age was a scary place. Back then, the clash of justice and evil, as well as the powers attempting to use that clash, led to countless formidable forces squaring off around the city known as the Center of the World. So many strong people were fighting like madmen to fulfill their desires and wishes.

Coming to that place by herself, Runoa was swallowed up by the raging waves of the period.

—­The first time I thought I might die was probably when I got the contract for Freya Familia.

Once, she had targeted an adventurer belonging to a certain beautiful goddess’s faction, but the tables were turned on her. She ran for her life from four terrifying prums, just barely escaping alive.

For the girl who had boasted of her invincibility outside the city, her first total defeat was only the first shock.

I knew that Orario was dangerous, but I still jumped in. I can’t deny that it was mostly just a carefree desire to test my strength. I never thought they would be so monstrous.

Biting back her humiliation, she started to pick and chose her jobs. She fought and fought, and the struggles never ended. By nature, she hated to lose, and whenever she was wounded, she would scream and flail in frustration. She leveled up a third time. But it was endless. Adventurers stronger than her kept appearing one after the other. She would do in a target and get a large reward, but she still did not feel better.

Before I knew, being alone became tiring.

For the den of demons that was Orario, solitude was a poison that ate away at your body.

It was imperative not to go it alone. She had struggled to get this far, but she was reaching her limit.

Just like the Dungeon that could only be challenged with a party, Orario was merciless to solo wanderers.

“…It’s exhausting, really…”

Looking back on the days leading up to now, Runoa sighed, wallowing in a sentimentality that was unlike her.

Some of it was the light shock at seeing that Gale Wind had found a place she belonged, but the source of it was the exhaustion. She was tired. Tired of being alone.

Thinking along those lines as she walked among the crowds coming and going on Main Street, all of a ­sudden—

“Oh…Runoa?”

A goddess appeared. She had buoyant, long, ­honey-­colored hair. She was holding a paper bag to her impossibly large breasts, clearly returning from shopping. Her kindly, rounded eyes sparkled with surprise. One of her followers was beside her as protection. Surprised at running into her in this crowd, Runoa whispered her name.

“Demeter…”

“That surprised me, I didn’t think I’d meet you in a place like that.”

“Me, too.”

A room in Demeter Familia’s home, Wheat Hall, in the north of Orario. There, at Demeter’s invitation, Runoa had taken her top off and was naked from the waist up.

“I had wanted to ask you to check my Status, so it was perfect timing.”

“You only come to see me when you need your blessing renewed. You can come anytime, you know?”

Runoa forced a laugh as Demeter examined at her back with a pout.

Demeter pricked her fingertip with a needle, dripping ichor on Runoa’s back while she sat on a chair. In the blink of an eye, a hieroglyph list appeared, and a new inscription was added.

Runoa had contracted with Demeter. In other words, Demeter Familia was her fifth membership.

“The hall is quiet. How are Persephone and the rest?”

“It’s harvest time, so almost all of the children are in the fields outside the city. The sun’s set, so they’ll be coming back soon, I think.”

It was random chance that Runoa had contracted with Demeter. When she came to Orario hunting bounties, her Status eventually became out of date. While she was looking for a suitable group, she had bumped into Demeter as she had today and asked for help. From Runoa’s perspective, the carefree, ­gentle-­seeming Demeter seemed like a goddess of good character and had been easy to negotiate with.

In particular, Demeter Familia was a ­commerce-­oriented faction, running the farms producing wheat, vegetables, fruits, and the like. She figured that she would not end up in a fight if she was in a ­non-­martial faction, even if she messed up.

“All right, you’re updated.”

“Thank you, Demeter.”

Taking the update report that had been translated into Koine, Runoa started reading it without bothering to cover her chest.

I’ve been neglecting it for a while, but still…it rose a pretty good amount…

She should have been pleased with what was a good amount of growth for a Level 4, but Runoa was tired. She fully understood how monstrous Orario could be, so all she could manage was a sigh to herself. Borrowing a candle, she immediately burned the paper with her secret Status on it and fixed her clothes.

“Runoa. You’re going to have dinner, right?”

“Ah, no, I…”

“I planned a feast today. I’m sure I made too much, so there will be food left over. Will you help me? Persephone also wanted to meet you.”

Intending to turn down Demeter’s kindness, Runoa was overcome by the goddess’s gentle smile. She scratched her cheek as Demeter started the preparations for tea.

Strictly speaking, Runoa was a follower of Demeter, but not a member of her familia. It was just for the purposes of updating her ­Status—­Runoa was free to convert at any time. Runoa had intended to listen to any requests Demeter had in return, but the goddess who ruled over fertility had only smiled cheerfully without asking for anything.

Speaking bluntly, it was a convenient place for Runoa to update her Status.

That had made her feel a little guilty, and she still felt rather bad about it.

“Before we ­eat—­here, pie and cookies. It’s just the leftovers from yesterday, though.”

Dessert before dinner, huh? It must be nice to be a goddess who can’t get fat. Runoa looked suspiciously at Demeter’s ­always-­thin waist and enormous, jiggling chest as she reached out to take the handmade treats: a tomato pie, which replaced apples with vegetables, and wheat cookies. The tomatoes in the pie were as sweet as strawberries, and the wheat in the cookies was mixed with herbs to draw out the sweetness.

“Mmm…delicious. Your food is amazing like always. Have you considered opening a restaurant?”

“No way! If you praise me too much, it’ll go to my head.”

Laughing, Demeter made black tea. Runoa smiled unconsciously at her warmth. She enjoyed this time. The only place in Orario that Runoa could feel like this was here.

“Is your ‘job’ still busy?”

“…Yeah, I have one big job left. But I was thinking this should be my last one. I’m getting a little tired…”

Demeter had never asked what Runoa did. There was no way she should have figured it out. But she would sometimes let her have these calm moments, with those kind eyes as though she were consoling a child.

If it were not for Demeter, Runoa might have collapsed long ago.

“After you stop, what will you do?”

“…”

“Hey, Runoa? If you’re interested…why not raise wheat, vegetables, and fruit with us? It’s rather hard work, but it’s really worthwhile, you know?”

Runoa stared in a daze as Demeter smiled across the table. She had actually considered maybe joining Demeter Familia. Among all the gods she had dealt with up to now, Demeter was the best to work with, and the group members who followed her were friendly. And she felt like a place to return to like this would feel pretty nice.

But Runoa did not do it…

“Thanks, Demeter…but I can’t.”

“Runoa…”

“I just don’t think I can do something like that.”

Runoa held her hand up and stared at the back of it.

“You’ve seen my Status, so you’ve probably figured it out I think, but…I do rough work. I beat people up, spill lots of blood…”

“…”

“My hands…are really dirty.”

Runoa’s alias was Black Fist. The origin of the name was not the gauntlets she used. It was another name used by people in the underworld in fear at the blackish red stains on her fists from tearing flesh, breaking bone, and spilling blood by the gallon. Runoa could see her knuckles tainted with blood, her hands colored black by beating so many people.

“Wheat, vegetables, and fruit…you work hard to nurture them so that people get to eat them, right? They bring joy to so many, too…If my hands got involved…Yeah, they would probably taste bad.”

That was the reason she had kept my distance from Demeter Familia. If other people found out that Black Fist was connected to Demeter and the familia, her reputation might tarnish theirs.

After meeting Demeter, she had not accepted any contracts aimed at the faction the goddess supported, the familias affiliated with the Guild. Though no one else knew that.

Bounty hunters were similar to the mercenaries contributing to the city’s turmoil, so it was natural they would be the targets of animosity.

“I’m sorry, Demeter. I should go. Thank you for the pie and cookies.”

“Runoa, we…”

“It’s okay. Really. I’m going to wash my hands of it after this job.”

Standing up from her chair, she put on a ­full-­spirited smile for the ­sad-­looking Demeter. It hurt Runoa to make her worry. It would probably be best to abandon this last job.

But she would not.

Probably, this would be a ceremony that would allow her to break with her bounty hunter past, her new beginning, and also a means to vent her anger.

She felt a childish resentment toward Gale Wind, who had bathed just as much blood as her but still found a place to belong while Runoa had not.

A ­self-­deprecating smirk crossed her face for an instant before she put on a brave smile for Demeter and left the room.

“And if I’m just gonna be hanging out, I should probably do it with idiots like me instead of you guys.”

The light from the sea of ­magic-­stone lamps shone brighter than the stars above.

It was hard to see the stars at night in sleepless Orario. Chloe had come to understand that since she had come to the Labyrinth City almost four years ago.

“…She’s changed, meow.”

Evening settled on West Main Street.

She was staring down at The Benevolent Mistress from a moonlit roof. She was looking down on the elf employee who had just thrown out an adventurer.

Gale Wind…You’re a different person from just a little while ago, meow.

She had spectacularly tossed an adventurer who had made a pass at one of her coworkers out of the building, and she had received a round of applause. She looked hard to deal with, but the smile she directed at the ­platinum-­haired girl she just helped was like a flower emerging from melted snow.

No…she’s returned to how she was, meow.

As if sensing Chloe’s presence, her ­sky-­blue eyes looked up.

Wearing a hood low over her eyes, Chloe suddenly flipped over like a stray cat. She soundlessly crossed the roof and landed in the shadowy backstreet.

“You found a place you belong, meow?”

She spoke to herself in the empty, dark alley, her cat ears making two little peaks in her hood.

She took Gale Wind’s information sheet out of her breast pocket. The Guild had not released this likeness of the ­mask-­wearing adventurer, and they didn’t know her face. This bounty that had been put out by adventurers and merchants.

Gale Wind had gone too far. She had incurred the wrath of too many people and now had a bounty on her head.

If you can make a face like that then…if you’ve found a place you belong in the daylight, at least be a bit smarter about it, she thought.

She sighed with a heavy heart as she trudged along.

“If you’re going to mature, there are easier ways, meow…”

People could be tenacious about clinging to life. Sometimes that made the job hard to do. She knew that from firsthand experience dating back to just after she was born.

—­Chloe Lolo had been a member of a criminal familia that was whispered of in secret all around the continent.

Before she was even given the name Chloe, she had to perform a job in order to join the familia. How to handle poison, how to build resistance to it, how to use a ­knife—­she was taught all of it from birth. With a starting point like that, developing a logical point of view was hopeless from the start. If she took out a target whose name she did not know by pretending to be an innocent little girl, she was praised. If she took poison and just barely survived, writhing in agony, she was praised…Life was probably most pleasant when she did not know anything.

The familia I belonged too, well, they were pretty much garbage.

The deity who established it called it ­role-­playing.

“If there are guys who want dirty jobs done, then there’s no way around it. I’ll wear the mud.” Cheerfully saying such absurdities, the patron deity sowed blood and death through the ­underworld—­garbage presiding over slaughter.

She eventually got fed up with the familia when an assassin who was like an older sister to ­her—­the mother who had given birth to her and watched over her without ever sharing her ­secret—­messed up on a mission and died. Going against the rules of the organization, she had lost her life shielding Chloe.

Learning the truth later, Chloe also discovered how useless tears were. Doubting the organization and rebelling against the rules, she told the founding goddess she wanted to quit. Chloe could still remember her smirk even now.

Her ceremonial assignment to be able to leave was an unreasonable string of deadly demands to test her resolve. She had almost fainted when she was told to take out a certain empire’s Level 3 ­upper-­tier knight with a single knife. But Chloe had done it. Thanks to that, she leveled up, too. The goddess was trash, but she was honest enough to uphold a contract signed in blood.

—­Well, what I’m doing didn’t really change much, though.

Chloe had gained her freedom, but she was still lost.

She did not know what she should do. She did not know what she should live for. Knowing nothing but how to kill people, she was missing something. She was damaged.

If you traced back the secret to her success to its source, it lay in the expressions and tone of voice she had learned just mimicking ridiculous gods.

If I hadn’t adopted this stupid speech pattern and personality, I wouldn’t have been able to do it. The real Chloe that no one ever saw was scared, a crybaby.

In the end, the business she had chosen was assassination.

One kill, lots of money. For earning cash quickly and efficiently, there was no other choice.

There was a relatively large number of vermin in the world. So it was rare that a job would bother her. Sometimes, she was even like a chivalrous thief and became a hero for orphans to mimic. That was a pretty pleasant. Particularly the soft feeling of getting hugged by little boys. That was around when her sexual inclinations started to twist, and she started becoming filled with desire.

—­I was sure there was no one who could stop me.

Thinking back on it, Chloe had gotten carried away when she waltzed into Orario.

It had the worst public order in the world at the time, and stepping into that city unconcerned about jobs and without taking it seriously was the first mistake. Orario was a den of thieves. The stronghold of adventurers, sealed in those giant city walls. Chloe had just been a big fish in a little pond. The cat who did not know the depths of the abyss known as the Dungeon received a baptism from the monsters born and tempered there.

—­The first time I thought, “Ah, I’m dead!” was when I took a contract on Ganesha Familia, meow.

When she tried to target a certain adventurer in the elephant god’s faction, she almost got herself killed. She ran for her life from the terrifying heroine known as Ankusha.

For the girl who had boasted of a perfect kill record outside the Labyrinth City, it was the first frustration, the first failure.

The difference in strength between Orario and the outside world was exceedingly large; it was not something Chloe could measure with tools she had gained from the familia that had raised her.

Remembering the fear that made her tail stand on end, Chloe started picking her jobs carefully.

Her assassinations had rules.

First, she would not kill children. Especially little boys who were the treasure of the world. Robbing the world of that treasure was unthinkable.

Also, she would only kill people who were human filth, or else were mentally prepared to die. If a target broke either of those rules, she would throw the client’s money back and cancel the job.

Fortunately, if it could really be called that, she had never had to cancel a job once (though she had failed before). As if to mock the supposed upheaval of the Dark Age, the contracts that made their way to Chloe were generally just thugs taking each other out or groups throwing their weight around in their power struggles. Laughing bitterly at the pointlessness of it, Chloe easily completed those jobs. She leveled up again and was now Level 4.

However, no matter how many she killed, assassination contracts never ended.

The rewards were gold coins: chips in exchange for red drops of life.

Just how much blood have I soaked this blade in?

She had gotten here on inertia alone. Or possibly, what little pride Chloe had had not allowed her to stop.

However, her heart was starting to get melancholy. She was used to being alone due to the nature of her work, but more and more, she found herself wanting a place to rest. A place she belonged, like Gale Wind.

Under the starry sky, she held up her assassin’s knife to the moon, soaking in her emotions in a way that was unlike her.

“I’m tired, meow…”

Sighing, Chloe put away her knife as she sensed the presence of another person. Leaving the backstreet, she turned onto Southwest Main Street. Lost in thought for a long time, she had wandered so far south that she had ended up here.

Resting her shoulders on a wall, she casually watched the flow of people.

“Meow?”

She noticed a certain god.

His brown hair was pulled back behind his head. His masculine face was a prime example of a ­good-­looking man. He wasn’t wearing a top even though it was halfway into fall already, which brought the phrase “man of the sea” to mind. Next to him, a follower was helping by pulling a luggage cart.

“…Mya-ha!”

Recognizing his figure in the midst of the crowd, an evil smile crossed Chloe’s face.

She leaped out the next instant, jumping onto him.

“Guoh?! Wh-what?!…Guh, Chloe Lolo.”

While his helper was shocked, the god murmured the name of the person who was clinging to his back. His face twitched. Chloe smiled suspiciously as she also responded to the person she had happened to notice in the crowded road.

“Long time, no see, Njörðr. You doing well?”

“Maaan, I’m lucky, meow. Since we bumped into each other, you’re treating me to a drink, meow.”

“You’re just dragging me along…”

A room in a ­high-­class bar in the Shopping District that covered southern Orario.

In a ­sound-­proofed individual room, alone with Njörðr, Chloe had stripped down to just one piece of underwear.

“By the way, why do you always undress completely when you show me your Status…?”

“That’s rude, meow. I’m wearing panties, meow! It’s just so I can keep up with your exhibitionism, meow!”

Like a certain bounty hunter, Chloe had converted and contracted with Njörðr. He was the god who ruled over the fish who lived in Port Meren to the southwest of Orario.

The faction he managed was in the fishing business, operating in the ocean, starting at the brackish Lolog Lake that connected with Meren. They repeatedly went out to sea to catch lots of fish. The fresh seafood caught by Njörðr Familia was sold in Orario, and just like the agriculture managed by Demeter Familia, it made a big impact on the city’s food situation.

He had apparently come from Meren today with his followers to sell seafood. The fisherman who had been helping him out until earlier had already headed back.

The reason why Chloe had contracted with Njörðr, who lived outside the city…

“Is it okay to take a tone like that, meow? Should I expose your smuggling, meow?”

“Guh…!”

It was because of that.

Thanks to one of her jobs, Chloe had infiltrated a suspicious place and happened to see Njörðr taking freight from a shady group to secretly smuggle into the city.

He had apparently helped out with the smuggling on the condition that it was necessary for the fish, but Chloe did not know the details. Even without knowing, it was still sufficient for extortion.

Thanks to that, Chloe got a convenient, handsome way to update her Status, and Njörðr was not in a position to resist with her holding that over him.

“I can’t update my Status if I’m not like this, meow~.”

Lying down on the soft sofa, she gave the impression of a queen. She was enjoying herself since he had covered the high fee to get into the tavern. The god grimaced as he moved beside her to update her Status.

A secret room with a ­half-­naked god and mostly naked girl.

If a waitress brought the alcohol now, she would unquestionably misunderstand what was going on.

“Because you are such a good, handsome god, I’m letting you see this unladylike figure, meow. My lovely nude body honed for assassination…Does it take your breath away, meow?”

“Take my breath away…? Your chest is flatter than mine.”

“What?! I’m just still developing, meow!”

As an assassin, there were times I also used my feminine wiles. Well, only idiot targets were done in like that, though. Truly wary men were usually on guard.

—­Incidentally, when Chloe had been about to do it for real once, she scratched her partner’s face, so she was still a virgin.

“There, it’s done.”

“Grrr…you’ll pay for that, meow.”

Miffed, Chloe took the update sheet and looked at it.

It’s been a while, but still…it’s gone up a good amount, meow.

She sighed.

Doing people in without too much effort was supposed to be what assassins did, but her Status continuing to rise was proof of a lot of hard work.

“So? If you got an update, does that mean Black Cat got another troublesome request?”

“Please don’t call me that name, meow. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a blemish on my record, meow.”

Code name aside, having a second name or alias from other people was proof of failure to an assassin. Having a second name made meant that an assassination failed or that someone had seen her. This was all because the adventurers in Orario were too strong…

Being compared to a bounty hunter like Black Fist is a real nuisance, Chloe thought.

“Hey…you’re tired, right?”

“…”

As expected of a god, he had figured her out and seen what she was feeling in her heart. Chloe silently got off the sofa and grabbed the food on the table with her fingers in a show of poor manners.

“In times like this, that’s how it has to be, meow.”

“If you feel like it, why don’t you come to my familia?”

Chloe froze for a second and then tried to cover it with a suggestive smile.

“What’s that? Have you been captivated by my beauty and fallen prey to your desires, meow?”

“Aah, yeah, something like that would fine. If I got my hands on a cute female helper like you, the gods would rejoice.”

Njörðr responded to her teasing with a wry laugh, meeting her eyes with a concerned gaze.

Njörðr is a good god.

He’s handsome, tall, and cares for children. He’s a god of good character.

While knowing the true identity of Black Cat, he had not revealed it to anyone, and while he complained about it, he still put up with her selfish and absurd requests, as if he was trying to give her a brief moment to relax.

After being quiet for a bit, she smiled slightly in a way that was different from before.

“You should stop that, meow. A cat who stopped killing people and reformed to be crazy about fish…it’s kind of ridiculous, meow.”

“…I see.”

That was how she truly felt.

She was honestly happy at his offer, but she could not quite see herself taking it.

“And familia aside…I don’t really understand things like comrades and friends, meow.”

That was also how she really felt.

With no interactions since her first familia, she was a lonely stray cat. She did not know how to go about joining a group.

That’s way harder than killing people, she thought.

“Is there anyone who gets along well from the start? No, it starts with conflict. You shout at each other; you want to punch each other.”

“You gods are always talking about ‘fighting under the sunset’; is that what this is, meow? But as for me, I don’t even know how to do that much, meow…”

Chloe’s bread and butter was deadly fights. Alive or dead were the only options she knew.

She could not face Njörðr, who was kindly gazing at her as he tried to convince her. She suddenly looked up at the ceiling. She said the thought that popped into her head.

“But, you know…if there was someone who could fight me with all their strength, come at me to kill…and still crack jokes with me…it would be nice to be that carefree, meow.”

They held many feelings in their hearts.

However, they would soon encounter each other.

“When are you going to do in Gale Wind? Think about how many days have passed since you took the contract.”

“You’re annoying. I got it already.”

The client had called Runoa out to pester her. Glaring back at him in the tavern on the outskirts of the outskirts, she laid out her plan.

“Let me be clear: I’m washing my hands of everything after this job. I want a promise from you guys at the Bruno Corporation to not get involved with me again after this.”

“…Thinking you can return to an honest life after all this?”

“I don’t know anything. But if I don’t make a start, nothing will happen.”

She responded clearly as the human from the corporation scowled.

“Don’t worry, I’ll do the job. Just wait and I’ll finish her, like I always do.”

Adjusting her scarf, she announced with a piercing gaze:

“Tomorrow ­night—­that’s when it starts.”

“Black Fist is targeting Gale Wind, it seems! She even said she would do it tomorrow! What should we do?”

“Mmm~, this is bad timing.”

In a forgotten belfry, a concerned client’s voice echoed. Chloe had been called out here; she used her business tone and slowly replied.

“Competing for prey…These times are really exhausting.”

“What are you saying so casually? If we don’t get her quickly, they’ll get there first!”

The dwarf’s voice came at her from both sides as the hood she wore low over her eyes shook. Chloe understood why she was so tired. It was because Orario was stagnating in darkness. After experiencing so much darkness, she knew that it had borne more swirling malice, more chaos than any other country or city she had seen before.

“…But even that is done.”

By none other than Gale Wind’s hand. Orario had been reborn. Chloe felt that.

“Who’d have thought I’d get stuck taking out Gale Wind…? What an unpleasant job.”

“O-oh?”

“Relax. A job’s a job, and I already took the prepayment, so I won’t ditch the contract.”

While the client lost his composure as though he were seriously getting scared, she reminded him that she was a professional.

The existence of Gale Wind was a breeding ground for future troubles.

People who resented her would probably come at her with malicious intent some point. So her disappearing now was for the sake of the future.

Arming herself with that pretext, Chloe steeled her resolve.

“Tomorrow night, I’ll do her in.”

4

“…”

Moving through the hallway of the side building, Lyu stopped and looked out the window.

The early morning sky was cloudy.

Gray was covering the whole sky, creating a disquieting feeling.

I’m being watched…

Since she had started working at The Benevolent Mistress, Lyu had felt someone watching her. At first the gaze did not include hostility or ­malice—­more ­exhaustion—­so Lyu had written it off as a ­non-­problem, but at this point she could clearly sense the intent behind it.

Namely, bloodlust.

I didn’t think it was a pursuer…but clearly my intuition was off.

A gaze like that had only one explanation. Someone had tracked down Gale Wind. The misgivings she had about getting Syr and the rest wrapped up in this by letting them shelter her had come to fruition. And just when she had been taken on as an official employee of the tavern.

At this rate, I’m going to cause trouble for The Benevolent Mistress…for Syr and the others.

Those thoughts in her mind, Lyu silently started moving into the side building. She headed toward Mia’s room.

“Pardon me. I’m sorry, I need to talk……Syr?”

She had knocked and started to open the door when she saw Syr in the room with Mia. Unlike Lyu and the other girls, Syr did not live in the side building. Lyu was surprised to Mia’s unexpected visitor so early in the day.

“Good morning, Lyu.”

“…Good morning, Syr.”

“What do you want this early?”

Nodding, Lyu walked over to the two. As Lyu was about to start, Mia cut in.

“You’re about to say something like ‘I’m sorry since you just employed me, but I’d like you to let me quit,’ aren’t ya?”

“!”

“Sheesh…Don’t get jumpy just because some people started coming sniffing around for you.”

Lyu was caught ­off guard as Mia just shook her head and crossed her arms.

“…It’s too soon to say if they have figured me out. But me being here will cause problems ­for—”

“I’ve had nothing but problems since we first brought you here, idiot.”

“Guh!”

Mia brazenly looked down on Lyu, not letting her string two thoughts together.

“The one who hired you is me. And this bar and all the employees here are mine. I won’t allow any of them to up and disappear on me.”

Lyu was bewildered as Mia gave a shocking reply.

“Lyu, we finally got to work together, so separating would be lonely.”

“Syr…but…”

“It’s okay. Mama aside, Ahnya and the others are strong, too. This place is safer than any other place you could go.” Syr entreated her to stay and then smiled.

Lyu had already gathered that this restaurant was far stronger than the average familia. Not just Mia individually, either; all of the staff that had special circumstances were highly skilled. What Syr said was likely true.

Even so, Lyu kept hesitating, with “buts” and “howevers” and endless excuses.

“Don’t be so hesitant. I always knew this time would come. If you don’t want to cause problems for us, then just work hard and pay what you owe.”

The giant dwarf poked the elf’s chest with a thump. Lyu winced at hearing such an absurd thing…but after a pause, she smiled.

“Understood…I started this. I’ll handle it somehow or another.”

She was happy that Mia and Syr treated her almost as if she was a member of a familia. Just as she felt that, her stomach rumbled. Syr and Mia both started laughing.

“Speaking of, what did you come to talk about this early in the morning?”

“About that…Tonight, we have errands, me and Syr. The bar won’t run without the two of us, so we are closing for the night.”

“Errands? Syr, too?”

Lyu followed up, curious about the sudden announcement.

“What kind of errand?”

“A new hire like you thinks she needs an explanation for everything…You’re awfully overprotective of this stupid girl.”

Me? Overprotective of Syr?

Completely confused, Lyu shifted her gaze to Syr, who just smiled wryly. When she tried to ask again, Mia waved her off, not in the mood to pay it any mind.

“Jeez, this stupid girl is way more annoying than you…Maybe I should just throw her out.”

“Mama Mia~, I didn’t do anything~!”

Mia looked extremely annoyed as the girl pretended to cry. Lyu was just perplexed, unable to follow the semblance of a conversation.

“Well, because of that, I’m counting on you to take care of things. Let the others know, too.”

“…Understood.”

“Incidentally, this has nothing to do with what we were just talking about, but don’t go breaking anything in the bar. After I come back, if anything has happened to my place…you’ll pay for it.”

More ludicrous demands…

As the dwarf leaned in with a threatening expression, Lyu subconsciously pursed her lips and nodded.

“I’ll remember that.”

Evening.

Mia and Syr left the tavern, and Ahnya and the rest threw their aprons over their heads and cheered in celebration. The staff, which was usually oppressed by heavy labor, gladly welcomed the unexpected time off.

They cheered so much that Lyu found herself thinking, Are you that excited? And of course, it was pointless for Lyu to try to stop them.

While Mia was away, a small party began in the side building’s dinner hall, everyone eating and drinking what they wanted. The catgirl Mei made all of the tavern’s signature dishes and lined them up on the table. It looked so good that even the conscientious elf reached out and took some against her better judgment. The next day, the mistress’s wrath was sure to strike.

Several girls became drunk and were sleeping together in a huddle in the dining hall.

Of the dozens of employees, Lyu was the only sober one. She gave up on carrying them to their individual rooms and just spread blankets over them.

She returned to her own room, sighing and smiling as she remembered getting up to similar antics while she was in Astrea Familia.

Moonlight shone through the window.

In the side building, Lyu had been allocated a single room. There was no vestibule and no furniture, except for a bed and a table. In the corner was a knapsack with her weapons and tools stuffed into it.

When she lay down, Lyu was soon wrapped in a peaceful drowsiness. She had the adventurer’s habit of sleeping lightly while still maintaining some degree of alertness, but for some reason, tonight she felt comfortable.

In that case, she would be able to make it until that time without opening her eyes.

A sweet fragrance invited Lyu even deeper into ­sleep—

“—!”

In an instant, she was awake again.

She wrenched open her eyes as she shook off her drowsiness. She pinched her cheek and held her arm up to her nose.

“This smell…Sleeping Scent!”

It was an item that put anyone who inhaled it to sleep. Depending on the ingredients and how it was made, it was possible to make a normal person sleep so deeply that practically nothing could wake them up.

It had been so strong that she had almost slept despite her ­well-­developed Resistance, which made Lyu shudder. A skilled ­herbalist—­someone with a built-up Synthesis ­ability—­had undoubtedly used the best ingredients to make this. She could guess it had cost a lot of money.

Even now, her head was still fuzzy, making it hard to think.

“­Tch—!”

She shook her head to maintain her consciousness. Don’t stop moving. If I stop…Lyu took out the two shortswords she had hidden under her pillow.

This can’t be natural…An enemy attack!

There was no need to think further than that. Without a doubt, the target was Lyu.

Pursuers had come. An assassin to take out Gale Wind.

The enemy must have observed that The Benevolent Mistress employed many highly skilled people, so they would not have gone about it that simply; at the very least, they would not straight-up attack the tavern……After forming a hypothesis, Lyu cursed her carelessness.

They only want me…but I’m worried about Ahnya and the rest.

The Sleeping Scent had probably permeated the ­three-­story building. Other than Lyu, every other staff member would have fallen completely asleep and would not be able to wake up. Fearing the possibility of hostages, Lyu moved immediately.

Stopping only to quickly put on her boots, she approached the room’s wooden door.

—­There.

Grasping the knob with her fingers, Lyu could feel it. Some shadowy existence shrouded in the dark night had come down the hall and was just on the other side. Holding her breath, she turned the doorknob.

Giii…! A creaking sound rang out as Lyu opened the door.

“…?”

As she entered the hallway, she looked around, but there was only stillness. She could not see any suspicious shadows. The only light source in the hall was the pale gleam of the stars through the window.

The wooden hallway returned to silence.

—­Nothing?

Lyu doubted her instincts, but the next instant…

“”

A shadow stuck to the ceiling dropped down without a noise.

Shining in the darkness was a pair of green cat eyes.

Their owner was holding a sharp assassin’s dagger. The claws of the figure’s left hand let go of the wooden slats, and it kicked off the ground.

A strong attack came from Lyu’s blind spot.

“—?!”

Instinctively, Lyu jumped to the side with a grunt. As she moved, she just barely dodged the surprise attack.

Zan! The blade of the knife stabbed into the floor as Lyu’s roll kicked up some dust.

“A-ah…!”

A bead of sweat flew as Lyu quickly righted herself. The shadow in front of her stood up in a slow, graceful motion.

A black hood pulled low over her eyes, battle clothes that emphasized ease of movement, ­high-­laced boots.

The small assassin smiled, her slender tail wriggling back and forth, and her cat ears making two mounds in her hood.

“It would have ended more easily for you if you were asleep.”

Lyu eyed the sharp assassin’s blade in her right hand as she drew in her breath and spoke.

“You’re…Black Cat?”

The assassin only responded with an elusive smile. Hidden behind her hood, she sighed ever so slightly.

“The assassination was a failure…”

She gently released the weapon she was holding. In accordance with the laws of nature, the knife dropped. Just as Lyu was caught ­off ­guard by the odd ­movement—­Black Cat kicked the knife.

“Guh!”

“Now I’m coming with brute force.”

Lyu dodged the knife flying at her. In that opening, Black Cat took a smoke ball out of her breast pocket and threw it to the floor. A smoke screen.

“Frolic.”

Using the smoke as a distraction, she chanted softly.

An incantation!

Lyu only just made out a spell. It was most likely an extremely ­short-­triggered chant.

What’s coming?

Her field of vision constrained, Lyu’s tension increased dramatically. In a hall too narrow to be a proper battlefield, she immediately readied her swords.

“­Guh!”

From behind.

Betraying Lyu’s expectation, Black Cat charged. Hidden in the smoke, she sliced from behind. Shocked her opponent had caught her unawares from behind, Lyu responded with her shortswords, Futaba.

But…

“What?!”

The blade she swung with her left hand hit only air. The blade sliced through her enemy’s torso with no ­feedback—­Black Cat’s figure disappeared like a haze of fog.

“An illusion?!”

What scattered instead of blood were particles of light called mana.

As her eyes widened, the black shadow again aimed at her back.

“Correct.”

Her opponent whispered, her lips curved enchantingly. It was illusionary magic to confuse her enemy. This time, the real Black Cat flashed a ­high-­speed thrust.

“Whoa!”

Lyu responded to the unexpected attack with ­whirlwind-­like force. Her right hand swung so fast her body blurred as she turned around and deflected the fatal attack aimed at her back.

“!!”

A loud metallic sound rang out. Sparks lit both of their faces to reveal Lyu’s strained profile and the shocked expression on Black Cat’s lips below her hood. Having survived the attack, they immediately put some distance between them.

“You could block that…I really hate Level Fours. I even used my trump card.”

“Tch…!”

“But I cut you.”

Barely visible in the smoke, Black Cat showed her the blood residue that indicated her knife had hit.

The enemy’s weapon, the blade was dyed a light purple.

Poison? Lyu guessed.

The small scratch on her right arm was giving off an abnormal amount of heat, confirming her suspicions.

“This one is called Violator. It’s cute, right? This is my special tool. I have it absorb lots and lots of poison.”

“…!”

“What it absorbed today was…Liquid Poison Vermis.”

Lyu’s face twisted as she heard the name of a certain valuable drop item. An intense toxin so strong that even a couple drops could make a ­top-­tier adventurer suffer, even if they had Resistance. And of course, it would be deadly if left untreated.

“You don’t have the special antidote, right? Well, not that I’d let you use it even if you did.”

From behind Black Cat, another illusion appeared, giggling. Sleeping Scent, poison, illusion.

I see. Just like the ­rumors—­an abundance of attacks aiming for weak spots. Between all of that and an agility that made Lyu break out into a cold sweat, she was sure this was Black Cat. The assassin whose name resounded loudest in Orario’s underworld.

“…You were hired…to come kill me, huh?”

“Yes. The payment is the reward on your head, though.”

“The person who hired you?”

“You think I’ll tell you?”

As Lyu started to sweat from the intense poison eating away at her, Black Cat smiled scornfully.

The combination of the smoke curtain and the enemy’s illusion was brutal. It was near impossible to find her real body, with only the faintest footsteps separating the two.

She had to escape the ­smoke-­filled corridor. But of course, the enemy also recognized that and had surely strung out ­traps—­her Strategy.

Smiling coldly, Black Cat, along with her illusion, disappeared into the smoke. She chanted “Frolic!” again. This time she intended to end it.

—­I have to get out of the enemy’s assassination range.

Bracing herself for a few wounds, the instant Lyu pressed her boots into the floor…

“Hi, I’m butting in.”

Outside the window, a shadow danced.

“”

The moment Lyu and Black Cat heard that voice in their ears, a fist swung down from the shadows. Immediately after, the window frame shattered.

“Uuuuh!”

“Unyah!”

Though Lyu had immediately taken evasive action, the force tossed her into the air as the the cat wrapped in a curtain of smoke cried out. Countless fragments scattered as the wooden floor collapsed.

Lyu gave up trying to understand the situation and chose to retreat instead. In the back of the tavern, there was an area set aside for another planned ­building—­the inner courtyard where she landed.

“…The side building…”

Raising her head, Lyu lost her voice at the scene above her. On the ­three-­story building, one hallway…was gone, as if it had been blown to smithereens.

“…How am I going to explain this to Mama Mia?”

The first thing that came to mind was the ­ogre-­like expression Mia would make. Covered in cold sweat, the elf immediately shook her head.

Chasing away stupid distractions, she looked out over the destruction.

“Magic…No…Could that have been bare hands?”

Thinking back to the voice she heard just before the explosion, Lyu had a terrifying thought.

They probably jumped from a nearby building and approached the side building. And put all of their strength into their fist.

Finally, a shadow slid out of the hallway where the remnants of the smoke screen were dissipating and landed in the courtyard where Lyu was standing.

“I guess this really won’t be easy, huh…? Well, surprise attacks don’t really sit well with me, so it’s okay, I guess.”

A scarf wrapped around her neck, her shoulders and chest covered by lightweight clothes, and leather fingerless gloves on her fists, a human girl stood before Lyu, her ­chestnut-­colored hair fluttering.

“Wh-what are you doing meow? Cough! Why are you here, all of a sudden! Are you really Black Fist?!”

“Oh, yeah. Aren’t you Black Cat? Then it’s a double bounty!”

In the dense smoke of the hallway, a ­dust-­covered Black Cat screamed out. The human who was being shouted at looked up and disinterestedly responded.

“When two people have the same target, the faster one ­wins—­that’s my rule. No grudge over who gets her first.”

“Eei! A ­muscle-­brain, just like the rumors…”

As Black Cat spat in frustration, the girl turned to Lyu.

“That being the case, I’m going to kill you now.”

“…Even Black Fist is after me…”

Standing before Black Fist, a bounty hunter whose fame matched Black Cat’s, Lyu felt out of place more than scared.

The assassin aside, being followed by a bounty hunter drove it home that people really did want her dead.

At the same time, Lyu felt a sense of wonder, realizing that both Black Fist’s and Black Cat’s appearances and behaviors were those of girls a similar age to hers.

“Get ready. I don’t really like fighting people who don’t know what’s coming.”

“…”

Lyu took her stance as Black Fist hit her fists together, preparing for war.

Figuring out an escape is pointless, since I probably can’t avoid a fight anymore. But unlike Black Cat, she is straightforward and by the book.

A speech like that did not really suit a bounty hunter.

A ­three-­way fight with Black Fist and Black Cat…can I hold out?

She examined her body as sweat glistened on her skin, the poison already working its way through her system.

“Orraah!”

“!!”

They charged together, trading punches and slashes. Weaving together dodges and counters, they kept switching places as a dizzying display of offense and defense unfolded in the blink of an eye. Lyu’s outline blurred as her blade sang through the air.

Black Fist’­s—­Runoa’­s—­body pitched about as she unleashed a storm of blows.

Befitting her name, she did not target any weak spots like Black Cat. It was just a straightforward brawling match.

Using both of her fists in a ­bare-­knuckle ­brawl—­just straight-up hand-to-hand.

She’s faster!

Runoa clicked her tongue at her opponent’s Agility.

Her strength is higher.

Lyu scrutinized her opponent’s Strength.

““!!””

One deflected swords; the other parried fists. The flash of a blade sent blood spurting from a cheek; a barely dodged punch ripped part of a tunic. As the evenly matched battle unfolded, Lyu and Runoa’s battle for supremacy sped up.

“­Muscle-­brained freaks are nice and simple, meow.”

As Lyu and Runoa violently battled, Black ­Cat—­Chloe—­looked down from the top of the building she had climbed. She left the ­hot-­blooded fools to themselves. Aiming to profit from their struggle, Chloe laughed derisively, waiting for Gale Wind and Black Fist to wear themselves out.

“They probably both expect me to intervene…but it’s hopeless, meow. I’ll just keep attacking from the outside and sweep when the going gets good, meow.”

A nasty smile on her face, she took out three throwing knives and held them between her fingers.

Other than the three combatants, no one would intervene. The people in neighboring buildings could surely hear the struggle and sounds of fighting, but they would prioritize avoiding trouble, accustomed as they were to brawls between ruffians. By the time the Guild and other adventurers hurried out, Gale Wind would already be dead.

It was the same for Gale Wind’s coworkers. They were surely still deep in dreamland at this point thanks to the Sleeping Scent Chloe used.

There was no one to intervene. Chloe smiled from her unrivaled perch. Or so she thought.

“Fuwaa~ahh!”

“?!”

She spun around in shock at hearing a ­stupid-­sounding yawn from behind her back.

“Mmmmeow…Something was kind of annoying and it woke me up, meow.”

A girl with brown fur emerged on the rooftop, a catgirl like her. She was one of the staff at The Benevolent Mistress.

That ­stupid-­looking catgirl. The one that spent so much time with Gale Wind, like that ­platinum-­haired girl.

If I recall, her name is Ahnya.

Chloe was dumbfounded.

“That’s…! The scent’s effect should have kept you from waking up for several ­hours—­do I smell alcohol?!”

“Uuuuh~! I drank a little too much, mmmeow…”

The stench of alcohol wafted over as Chloe covered her nose instinctively. She recognized what had happened.

It’s not that this catgirl was unaffected by the scent like the other staff. She was already asleep before the scent, and the sound of the hallway exploding and the fight finally woke her up. In other ­words—­she’s just an idiot!

“So you guys…are having some kind of ­showdown. Are you enemies of Lyu, meow?”

Though she was still half-asleep, Ahnya’s eyes sharply narrowed in an instant. Chloe stared dumbly as a wave of tension built inside her.

Putting aside her stupidity and whatever else, she must have a Resistance on par with Gale Wind’s to have overcome the sleeping scent. She’s pretty capable for a restaurant worker.

Chloe found it suspicious that she had come to the roof instead of going over to Lyu. She could not tell whether she was insightful or just an idiot.

She had come holding something in her hand: a long, ­pole-­shaped club wrapped in white cloth.

“…And if I am?”

Putting on a bold smile again, Chloe grabbed the assassin’s blade Violator in one hand.

“I’ll blow you away, meow!”

Ahnya launched herself forward. Chloe threw all the knives she had pulled out before as her opponent came at her head-on. Without waiting to see whether they had been deflected by the thing Ahnya was wielding, she threw a smoke bomb to her feet like before.

“—­Frolic!”

Without a moment’s delay, she chanted. As smoke shrouded Chloe, light particles swirled to her left and right.

“Felis Kurus!”

In an instant, two illusions appeared soundlessly.

Felis Kurus. An illusionary ­short-­trigger magic that gave birth to mirages that were mirror images of the caster. The upper limit was two bodies. Without a real body, the mirages could not attack or defend, they just moved under Chloe’s command. Chloe used this magic for confusion, disturbance, and ­surprise—­all sorts of tricks useful for assassinations.

Hem her in, meow! Before she figures out they’re mirages, stab her back!

For Chloe, who was bad at head-on fights, this was her method for a guaranteed victory. Distract Ahnya with the smoke curtain and surround her with mirages dancing all around her.

“I can’t see anything, meow!”

Chloe licked her lips as Ahnya froze. However.

“This is ­annoying—­meow!”

She was dumbfounded again as the girl used her weapon to kick up a whirlwind.

“Haaa!”

Taking a stance, she spun once with her weapon. The club mowed down both mirages and dispersed them in one blow before she returned to face Chloe, who instinctively began an emergency retreat. She was unable to dodge a strong hit to her shoulder that knocked her away.

“Meoww!”

With that, she was sent flying toward the courtyard where Lyu and Black Fist were fighting.

“What?! You’re a catgirl, too, meow?”

Having blown away the smoke screen, Ahnya jumped down, too, landing right in front of Chloe.

Now that her hood was gone, Chloe stared in annoyance at her opponent.

The hallway had been narrow, but the rooftop was wide open; plus, the reach of Ahnya’s weapon made her a very different opponent from Lyu. As did her wholehearted stupidity.

“Dammit, you just keep…!”

“Isn’t it hard talking like that, even with another catgirl, meow? Don’t try to act, just be yourself, meow!”

Crick! Something snapped in Chloe.

“­Nuuuaa­You’re talking pretty high and mighty, meow! Aren’t you getting in the way of my greatness?”

“Oh, she talked, meow! And you even smell a little like me, meow!”

“Don’t confuse me with an idiot, meow!”

“Who’s an idiot, meow?”

Lyu and Runoa glanced over in annoyance at the yowling cat pair.

“I know, meow! This is like that doppelganger thing, meow!”

“Who’s a doppelganger, meow? Look closer, meow, my body and tail are more slender. I’m a cool beauty, meow!”

“But my breasts are bigger, meow!”

“Y-you…!”

Ahnya put her hands on her waist and thrust out her chest in pride as Chloe’s voltage skyrocketed.

“Oh…it tore. Guess I’ll take it off, meow.”

Ahnya removed the white cloth wrapped around her club weapon. What emerged was a masterfully crafted spear. Chloe’s eyes opened wide.

“An engraved golden long spear…It couldn’t be.”

She had heard of it before. In a certain Goddess of Beauty’s large faction, there was a silver ­spear–­wielding ­cat-­person adventurer who was called “the fastest.” That adventurer had a younger sister. She had disappeared from the main stage at some point: a golden spear wielder. Her other name was…

“You…Vana Alfi?!”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that name, meow…”

Ahnya’s ears seemed to droop sadly at Chloe’s words. But that was just for a split second. Pulling herself together, Ahnya put on a cheerful smile.

“Right now, I’m just the stray cat Ahnya. I don’t know anything about Vana Alfi, meow.”

She spun her spear and prepared herself.

“Time to blow you away real quick and go help Lyu, meow.”

“Tch…Just you try, meow!”

Glaring at each other, they sprinted. The knife and spear flashed as the two catgirls collided.

“…!”

As Lyu dodged the barrage of punches by the skin of her teeth, another bead of sweat splashed from her skin.

“Orrrah! How about this?”

Runoa resolutely attacked, her scarf dancing as she moved.

She’s strong…

Runoa’­s—­Black Fist’­s—­true strength was greater than Lyu had imagined. Her ­self-­taught style of attack was ferocious, and the force behind each punch was tremendous. When she hit the ground, the paving stones shattered, leaving craters. She had that much force without using ­enchantment—­her stats in that area were superior.

Just as her alias indicated, despite using only her fists, her storm of wild hits did not give Lyu the time to counterattack.

It’s the poison…No, even if I were at full strength…!

Lyu was fighting a defensive struggle, racked by the pain emanating from her right arm where the assassin’s blade had nicked her. Even accounting for that, Black Fist’s attacks would have been difficult to manage.

She restricted her enemy’s paths to escape using her natural genius for brawling and raw instincts. The gloves she wore had plates installed across the back of the hand to aid in dealing with swords, so even when Lyu thrust her swords in desperation, they were parried.

Finally, Runoa’s fist landed cleanly on Lyu’s chest.

“Guh?!”

She reflexively jumped back as she was pummeled by an unthinkable blow. Her internal organs were wounded, and she coughed up some blood as she hit the ground hard.

She rolled to the side as a tightly clenched fist landed for an immediate follow-up attack; the stone flooring shattered behind her.

—­I have no choice…

This was not the time to be holding back. Standing up and wiping the blood away, she resolved herself. She opened her mouth as she continued trading blows with the girl rushing in:

“—­Distant forest sky. Infinite stars inlaid in the eternal night sky.”

“Concurrent Casting?!”

Runoa’s eyes went wide as the chant began before her.

She’s trying to use magic? I’ll wait and see…

The ­high-­speed casting was unleashing enough magic to make her opponent tense up. Not only did they not know the nature of the spell, but they also had to be wary of the chance it was a ­sure-­kill trump card. The prudent choice for Runoa would be to switch to a ­hit-­and-­run ­strategy—

—­As if!!

But she did not.

“Orraaaaa!!”

“?!”

Far from it, she increased her attacks on Lyu by another level. Her opponent’s ­sky-­blue eyes clouded in distress.

It’s a bluff, I’m not falling for it!

She read Lyu’s aim.

She was pretending to bring in the big guns in order to get her opponent to fall back and find a chance for attack or else try snatching an opening to disappear. With that much magic in front of them, even an ­upper-­class adventurer would get impatient and mess up their strength and rhythm. It was a tactic commonly used by magic swordsfighters.

However, Runoa was unperturbed.

Runoa’s strongest trait was not the force behind her fists but strategy. Just by herself, living only on her own strength, even in Orario her nerves were a cut above the rest.

Corner yourself with Ignis ­Fatuus—!

Concurrent Casting is amazing, but it’s a bad choice for fighting me.

With that much magical energy, once she lost control of it, Lyu would destroy herself from the inside from the blowback.

Runoa had finished off countless magic swordsmen in dramatic ­close-­range fights like this.

Runoa howled, showing what she was worth without any fear.

“Blow yourself up and drop dead!”

She wound up even higher, unleashing more and more punches.

“—­Heed this foolish one’s voice, and once more grant the starfire’s divine protection.”

However, Lyu kept chanting.

“”

“Grant the light of compassion to the one who forsook you.”

As Runoa went ­wide-­eyed, Lyu continued to weave her spell without faltering or slowing down. She kept chanting without stopping, sweat flying as fists grazed her, like a singing, dancing fairy. Far from stopping, she sped up.

This elf…did she ­really—

Runoa realized she had misread her. Lyu had recognized she would move in to try to stop her and intended to ride out her Concurrent Casting.

Attack, defense, movement, evasion, and ­chanting—­she did all five at once. She had an unabated, overwhelming battle speed that far exceeded what Runoa had imagined. She continued to chant at the front lines of the battle, putting out everything she had.

It was not a bluff or anything of the sort.

This elf believed in herself. Her Technique, her experience overcoming countless scenes of carnage.

The strength of magic had saved herself and her comrades in the abyss of the Dungeon, which Runoa had never seen.

“Come, wandering wind, fellow traveler.”

A single misstep would be ­self-­destruction. If she took a hit from Runoa, she would be pulverized. As if unconcerned by any of that, Lyu’s chanting voice did not waver at all.

A will of steel, or rather “the spirit of the great tree.”

Lyu had nerves to rival the great holy tree said to be raised in the elven ­forest—­Runoa’s heart trembled at a foolhardiness that exceeded than her own. She did not have any way to get out of range of the magic anymore.

This is ­bad—!

Sweat poured out of her body.

“Cross the skies and sprint through the wilderness, swifter than anything. Imbue the light of stardust and strike down my enemy!”

Lyu did not overlook her hesitation. She completed the chant in one swoop.

She activated it instantly.

“Luminous Wind!!”

A giant ball of light shrouded in a green wind burst forth with a flash.

“““~~~~~~~”””

Lyu and Runoa were both blown back.

“Funyaa!”

“Hey, ­wa—­Meowwwwww!”

It also devoured Ahnya and Chloe nearby.

Lyu’s tremendous attack sent all four girls flying. Several magical bullets flew around where Runoa and Lyu were fighting in the courtyard. All of the buildings nearby were covered in cracks, billows of smoke rising from the scene of destruction.

“Guh~~~~~! You were prepared to blow yourself up…You really did it…!”

“If you were farther away, I wouldn’t have hit you…”

Runoa dragged herself out of the broken storage shed, a hateful smile on her face. Peeling herself off the wall of the side building, Lyu wiped her ­sweat- and ­burn-­covered face. Lyu had not given Runoa the chance to dodge, unleashing her magical cannon at short range.

“You idiot, Lyu~~~~~~~~!! I came to help you! What are you doing, meow?!”

“Are you trying to kill us, meow?!”

“Ahnya aside, didn’t you come here to assassinate me?”

As Ahnya and Chloe stood up from the wreckage, whining, Lyu looked at Chloe with ­half-­closed eyes. She was about to apologize to Ahnya, but she stopped when Runoa approached.

“Ahhhh! Nice, I’m burning up! Idiots like you are why I could never quit this job.”

Runoa laughed savagely as she punched her right fist into her left palm, true to her nature.

She knew it was imprudent, but in front of such a straightforward personality, Lyu broke into a smile as well.

She immediately fixed her expression and readied her twin blades.

“—­Ha-ha-ha! This is perfect; you beat yourselves up!”

All of a sudden, a new voice rang out through the courtyard.

“…Huh?”

“This is…”

Runoa raised an eyebrow and Lyu looked around as a crowd of thugs emerged. They were holding swords and clubs in their hands.

“The Bruno Corporation…? What’s all this? I told you to leave Gale Wind to me!”

Runoa fixed the human leading the thugs with a piercing glare. Next to him was a dwarf with a vile smile.

“That dwarf…he’s the one who brought me this contract, meow!”

Chloe’s eyes narrowed, as they all started to recognize what was happening.

“I see how it is…It wasn’t just Gale Wind, it was us, from the beginning…”

“Correct! Black Fist and Black ­Cat—­you two are also thorns in our side!”

The human ­merchant—­one of the top brass of the Bruno ­Corporation—­grinned.

“We had you two fight Gale Wind, so that we could take you out once you had been weakened…That was the real meaning of the contract! It was convenient that only our Bruno Corporation had Leon’s information!”

In other words, the double bounty on Gale Wind was also part of their plan.

The two people who were secretly part of the same group used the same information in order to lure in Runoa and Chloe, working to get them both to eliminate Lyu on the same day.

“The Evils were defeated thanks to none other than you, Leon! After that, this town, Orario, was reborn!”

The merchant put to words the same future that several people had felt and then continued.

“And the one who will establish the order of the newly reborn Orario is our corporation!

“So now, we can’t afford to leave disruptive elements like you two ­has-­been, unaffiliated mercenaries!”

The mastermind ecstatically announced his plans.

Their eyes narrowed as they caught a glimpse of the merchant’s greed as he gratified his own selfish desires.

“And most importantly, we can’t allow people who know about our connection to the Evils to live! Do it, you guys!”

He thrust his hand out, ordering the throngs of men forward. Licking their lips at the wounded beauties in front of them, the net of thugs started closing in.

However.

“Hmph…pointless.”

“Such a ­third-­rate villain, meow…”

Runoa and Chloe sighed deeply after this disheartening revelation, losing their drive.

“I’m most mad about being used for such a pointless plan…”

“It was unavoidable, meow. I was already worrying about retiring after this, meow…”

As they looked into the distance, Ahnya talked to Lyu.

“Hey, Lyu? Is it okay to blow them away, meow?”

“I don’t mind. There’s no reason to hesitate.”

The next instant, the thugs dove in to attack. Heaving a weary sigh, Runoa raised her head and spoke for everyone.

“—­If you want to bring us down, then you better come with at least ten times this many.”

Immediately after, there was a chain reaction of screams. In an instant, the agonizing cries rising into the starry sky were cut off, and the mob of thugs were viciously beaten and splayed across the courtyard.

It was an easy victory.

“Wh-whaaaa…?!”

“Ten times, my ass! Even twenty times wouldn’t be enough, meow!”

While kicking the human and the dwarf client, Chloe laughed sadistically. The merchant was beaten until his face was disfigured, his lips opening and closing like a fish.

“D-don’t think you’ve seen the last of us…! Our Bruno Corporation lurks in the shadows…!”

“Ah, you’re annoying. Shut up already.”

A fist swung down, and a squelched whimper followed.

The masterminds pulling the strings behind this violence were easily wiped out. The only ones left standing in the end were the same as at the start: the four girls.

“Shall we continue?”

“Obviously. Just had to take care of a little business first.”

“Bring it, meow!”

“I’ll beat you to death, meow!”

Runoa, Lyu, Ahnya, and Chloe exchanged sharp gazes. Their heads hot with fervor, they prepared to start fighting again.

“Let’s go!”

­However—

Thud, thud…

As they took their stances, they heard the earth trembling.

“This sound is…”

“What, meow…?”

“………”

“………”

Runoa and Chloe were confused.

Ahnya turned ghostly pale, while Lyu started sweating anew, and not because of the poison.

Finally, the source of the trembling earth appeared before their eyes with a shout of rage.

“—­Oi, dumbasses!”

It was Mia.

“What is this?”

The window and hallway of the side building were blown away, and the storage shed and alcohol warehouse had a big hole in them with food and bottles in disarray. The carnage covered the carefully ­set-­aside area that had been planned for a new building.

It was laughably battered.

“Whose bar is this? Huh? Answer me.”

The owner of The Benevolent Mistress had returned. A waterfall of sweat started flowing down Lyu’s brow. Sensing that this was not just some random shop owner, Runoa and Chloe stood ­stock-­still. Ahnya was wracked with sobs as tears welled up in her eyes. Mia’s face was downcast in the darkness, so they could not tell what she was looking at.

“Mama! Mei and the girls got drunk on the ­alcohol………Ah-ha-ha-ha! It’s probably better not to say that…”

As Syr came running over, she saw Mia and then Lyu and the rest after she had already started speaking. Seeing the situation, she forced a laugh before she ran away by herself.

No help was coming.

“M-Mama, Mama! Hear me out, meow! There’s a good ­excuse—!”

Ahnya ran over to Mia, unable to hold out. Kabam!!!! The catgirl who came before her, desperately trying to explain, sank to the ground after a single blow from the giant dwarf.

“”

The other three were at a loss for words as Ahnya lay facedown, smoke rising from the top of her head. The earth trembled again as the giant dwarf moved in front of the frozen girls.

Standing in her shadow, Lyu knew the feeling she had when they first met was correct. She had thought she had just mistaken her for someone else, but she had not.

Beautiful and lovely. A certain adventurer with the same name. She looked nothing like the rumors, so Lyu had not believed it. Her lips trembled now that she knew for sure.

“Mia…Mia Grand.”

“That’s…Freya Familia’s former head.”

“Level Six…Demi Ymir, the little giant.”

Runoa and Chloe turned pale as they murmured. Their bodies knew it. Or rather, they remembered…

In ­Orario—­there were monsters beyond imagining.

“­You—”

The dwarf looked up with a dreadful expression and released all of her fury:

“—­dumbasseeeeeeeeesssssssssss!”

5

Warm morning sun poured down.

A clear, cloudless blue sky announced the beginning a brisk new day. The clamor of people on Main Street was peaceful.

“Uuuhh…why am I doing this kind of thing, meow…?”

“You’re annoying. Just shut up and work, stupid cat…”

On that peaceful morning, a couple of people choked back tears as they worked. Chloe and Runoa.

They were wearing waitress ­outfits—­the uniform of The Benevolent Mistress. They were nailing boards to the ­broken-­down parts of the side building and storage shed.

“It’s because you guys busted up the shop, meow…”

“The one who broke the building wasn’t me, meow! It was this ­muscle-­brained bounty hunter and that homicidal elf, meow!”

“Wait, don’t go blaming other people, stupid cat!”

“I always go too far…”

Along with Chloe and Runoa, Ahnya was removing rubble, and Lyu was pulling the wheelbarrow it was loaded into.

It was three days after the incident.

Having suffered Mia’s imperial wrath, they were forced to do the cleanup work for the destroyed areas around the tavern, working until today. As indicated by their outfits, Chloe and Runoa were The Benevolent Mistress’s newest employees.

The careers of Black Fist and Black Cat, terrors of the underworld, had ended with a whimper.

“I’m going to escape. I’ll definitely escape, meow…!”

“That’s a bad idea, giving up is better…”

“Mama’s special distilled fruit wine. When the storehouse was blown to pieces, it went bad, meow…”

Chloe swore she would escape as she swung her hammer with teary eyes, but Lyu and Ahnya had knowing looks. Chloe and Runoa had smashed up Mia’s property. They were ordered to work until they had paid back what they owned. The amount specified was 100 million valis.

“It’s just some booze and an old building, that’s absurd, meow!” “Yeah, yeah!” They had tried to argue, but they were laid flat with a single blow from Mia’s clenched fist. Trying to plead their case with the dwarf they had enraged was hopeless.

—­Incidentally, the catgirls who had started a party by themselves were even now working triple shifts in the tavern to dry up.

The open area that had been planned for another building had been damaged too much, so it was now being turned into a courtyard.

“But I think this is good, meow. Thanks to Mama, the guys who knew your identity were caught by the Guild, so now no one will come after you, meow?”

“Probably, although this isn’t good at all. In the end, that crazy dwarf is the one controlling my fate!”

The ­black-­and-­blue head of the Bruno Corporation who had tried to take down Gale Wind, Black Fist, and Black Cat had been taken to the Guild on that day. They took that opportunity to round up the entire Bruno Corporation, too. All of it was Mia’s work.

She had not been satisfied with simply dealing with the girls who had busted up her tavern.

“If you say anything about these girls, I’ll bury you. If you leak anything to the Guild, I’ll bury you. Whatever I do, I will bury you.”

Looking furious as she lightly tied them up, that faction of the Bruno Corporation literally started foaming at the mouth. Five years later, she would make a heroic march into the corporation and ­single-­handedly destroy the ­familia-­scale organization that hid behind the ­scenes—.

After that trauma was impressed upon them, the names of the wanted people never crossed their lips ever again.

“Quit chattering, you stupid girls!”

Mia’s angry shout rang out from the direction of the tavern, sending shivers down their spines.

Seeing them freeze in terror, Lyu averted her eyes, knowing this involved her, too.

What happened that night…I don’t ever want to remember it.

“Everyone, breakfast!”

“Hurray, meow!”

“We’ve been at it since early, so I’m starving…”

Chloe and Runoa cheered when Syr came to the courtyard to call them, and the four girls started to move.

“Ahh, at this point the only reason to keep living is the food, meow…”

“Ah, this is bad. We’re in such deep trouble…”

“According to the owner, eating delicious food is reason enough to live.”

“That know-it-all face is so annoying, meow!”

“Yeah, yeah, this useless elf!”

“What? Correct yourself! I’m not useless!”

“Mya-ha-ha-ha! Lyu is definitely useless, meow!…Meow? Idiot or useless…which is better, meow?”

“You’re super-dumb and annoying, so just shut up, meow!”

“What’d you say?!”

“Everyone’s getting along well, it seems.”

““““Not at all!””””

Syr seemed to be smiling as they responded in unison. She started giggling and then turned toward Runoa and Chloe.

“Also, you have guests, Runoa and Chloe.”

“Us?”

“Meow?”

As they followed Syr to the entrance of the ­tavern—

“Congratulations on your new job~!”

“You surprised me. Who’d have thought you’d be working at a tavern.”

“Demeter?!”

“And Njörðr, meow?!”

The cheerful goddess and congenial god had come bearing produce and seafood.

“I heard from Syr that there were new workers, so I wondered if it might be…”

“When I heard the description, it was dead on. Here, a celebratory gift.”

“De-Demeter, you’ve got it wrong!”

“We aren’t staff, meow! We’re slaves! Slaves, meow!”

Njörðr and Demeter smiled broadly as they watched Chloe and Runoa struggling to explain.

“But it’s a relief. You’ve gotten used to it and all.”

“You’ve put on various facades, but you look much livelier than before.”

Runoa and Chloe were at a loss for words as the gods looked at them with kind eyes, as if watching over children. They glanced at each other with an uneasy, dissatisfied sort of look.

“We’re a lot alike, meow! And we get along perfectly, meow!”

“Don’t lump me with an idiot like you, meow!”

“Well, it’s probably fine not to worry…That is, there’s no need to.”

“Yes, I agree.”

Ahnya jumped in with a misplaced sense of pride and Chloe snapped back instantly as Runoa and Lyu nodded in agreement.

As a result of their gigantic fight to the death, or perhaps just a brawl between them, they had become coworkers who could argue and trade fists without concern. Chloe and Runoa were certainly smiling at that point.

Seeing that, Demeter and Njörðr both grinned.

“Next time I’ll bring Persephone and the rest. We’ll enjoy the food you bring us.”

“Okay…Thank you very much for everything up until now, Demeter.”

“Looks like you got some companions finally. You said you couldn’t make friends, but you’ve got a place where you belong. Treasure it.”

“Njörðr, I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused, meow…Thank you.”

The way the girls said their thanks and accepted the gods’ gifts was reminiscent of the bonds between deities and their followers.

Demeter and Runoa hugged. Chloe’s tail trembled as Njörðr patted her head, announcing the end of their relationship. The girls smiled until it was over.

“—­Recently, we’ve had more employees loafing about, so this is a good opportunity. Gather ’round.”

After the gods had left and breakfast was over, Mia assembled the staff of the tavern. Crowded among the chairs and tables, they focused on the mistress standing behind the counter.

“I’m the law in this shop. I’m the owner. Whatever I say is absolute. Even gods don’t quibble with me.”

“She’s really not scared of the gods at all, meow…”

Chloe whispered absentmindedly as Mia crossed her arms and looked cocky.

“And since I’m the owner, I’m your Mama. You all are my girls. Everything in this bar in mine, and anyone who tries to lay a hand on anything of mine will pay for it.”

Lyu, Runoa, and Chloe all went ­wide-­eyed. Syr and Ahnya and the rest, who had been at the tavern longer, smiled.

This was The Benevolent Mistress.

The tavern that could send any strong adventurer, outlaw, or villain running away in fear.

And no matter what their past, girls would be worked like mules, serving delicious food and alcohol, sharing smiles with lots of ­guests—­a benevolent restaurant.

“Got it, you stupid new girls? Starting today, you call me Mama!”

This time she looked directly at Lyu, Runoa, and Chloe. One groaned, another was embarrassed, and the third made a face of disgust, but the scolding voice prodded them.

“Quickly, now!”

“…Mama Mia.”

“…Mama Mia.”

Their cheeks red with embarrassment, Runoa and Chloe mumbled her name. Finally came Lyu.

“…Mama Mia.”

She looked straight at the mistress, the words coming out without ­resistance—­to her surprise.

For some reason she could not comprehend, she smiled. Smiling in acknowledgement, Mia nodded.

“Well, then, guests are coming! Raise your voices! Even at the shittiest of times, this is a place to come eat food with a smile.”

Grinning, she gave a rousing shout. Obeying their mistress, the cute girls in uniform gathered by the front door.

They greeted the guests approaching with a smile, and said in unison:

“Welcome to The Benevolent Mistress! Come on in!”