――–I, Sakura, am awakened by a strange scent that tickles my nose.
“Hng…?” (Sakura)
I frown at the sunlight streaming in through the window.
Birds are chirping, people are hustling and bustling.
I’m wrapped all over in something soft and…
Futon? I think it’s a little different, so I fell asleep—it’s morning?
—My heart races and I jump up.
“Work…!” (Sakura)
“Yapani’s greeting is quite unusual.”
An unfamiliar place, unfamiliar voice.
I slowly turn around to face the voice and see…
“By the way, we say, good morning.”
He’s probably only ten years old, but he’s calmer than an adult, he’s got more dignity than an adult—Narugoa-san was staring at me.
No, it’s not just Narugoa-san.
Alraune-san, Kyuuketsu-san, and Poison Slime-san, all four of them are looking from the table and staring at me.
I blinked my eyes and said,
“Good morning……?” (Sakura)
I dumbly returned the morning greeting.
“Okay, let’s head to the table.”
“Look, the food will get cold.”(Alraune)
“I’m really hungry and I’m about to collapse.” (Kyuuketsu)
“That’s what you get for training so hard in the morning…” (Sergeant)
“It’s my daily routine every morning.” (Kyuuketsu)
“I was really surprised, to wake up seeing you lifting a huge rock with one hand…”
“—Excuse me, what is this?” (Sakura)
No more, I couldn’t stand it. I have to speak up.
At the same time, I gradually began to understand the situation.
Yes, we have suspended the attack on the Inanaki Sacred Mountain and have returned to the safe house, a cheap inn in the town of Canal.
Then this is not the time to be doing this…
But they looked back at me with a quizzical expression and said,
“It’s breakfast time, you know?”
He answered so casually.
“Hey, breakfast…” (Sakura)
“Oh, this is too tedious.” (Alraune)
Suddenly, Alraune-san, who looked peeved, stood up and lifted me up.
“Well, hey, what are you doing Alraune-san…!?” (Sakura)
“Just Al is fine.” (Alraune)
And then she half forced me to sit down.
Then, as I was still in a daze, a number of unfamiliar dishes popped into my field of vision. And I can only look in amazement
I don’t know that one, I don’t know this one either.
I’ve barely seen some of it, but I’ve never eaten it…
“Now that we’re all here, let’s eat before it gets cold.” (Alraune)
“Okay! Let’s eat!” (Sergeant)
“Kyuu-chan don’t be so greedy. You have something on your face.”
“It’s made from good wild herbs. It’s good for digestion.” (Kyuuketsu)
As soon as they saw that I was seated, they began to tuck into their food.
I still don’t know how to handle this situation, I just sat there frozen.
As if she couldn’t bear to see me like this, Alraune-san leaned forward toward me.
With a plate in her hand.
“Here, this is your salad. If you don’t eat it quickly, Kyuu-chan will eat it all.” (Alraune)
“Eh… that, I…” (Sakura)
“What? Is it something you don’t eat?” (Alraune)
“That’s not the case…” (Sakura)
“Maybe you don’t eat breakfast? You don’t have to do that, Kyuu-chan is different now…” (Alraune)
“–I’m telling you, this is not the time for this!!!” (Sakura)
I was surprised at how loud my voice was.
Everyone stopped eating and looked at us.
I couldn’t stand their gaze, so I faced down.
“…I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I know I’m being so rude… I’m even complaining when I’m one-sidedly making a request… But I don’t have much time…!” (Sakura)
The corners of my eyes begin to heat up as I spat out those words. Then my head turns white.
“While I’m doing this, people I care about are being forced to work while spitting out blood! Even my sister could collapse at any moment…!” (Sakura)
The scene of the once peaceful Inanaki Sacred Mountain came back to life behind my trembling eyelids.
Komainu-san, Nekomata-san, Yukime-san, and Momiji-neechan.
My heart is even more strained because I have memories of happier times.
So I had to do something about the Inanaki Sacred Mountain as soon as possible, and yet…
“At this moment, I’m the only one who is having breakfast leisurely!” (Sakura)
“–It’s at times like this that you should at least eat, Sakura.”
I slowly raise my face.
Narugoa-san was looking straight at me.
His gaze was clear and unwavering.
He stares at me while eating some dark mass.
“I understand the current situation of Inanaki Sacred Mountain, and I understand that we are in a situation where we need to deal with it immediately.”
“Why then…” (Sakura)
“I understand that and now I’m telling you to eat. Sakura, when was your last meal?”
I was at a loss for an answer.
I was confused by the suddenness of the question, but most of all because I really couldn’t remember.
“Three nights ago, I think I had… an onigiri.” (Sakura)
“—That’s unbelievable!” (Kyuuketsu)
Kyuuketsu-san stood up with her eyes blazing as if she had seen a monster.
“Narugoa-san! Sakura-chan is working too hard and is losing her mind! We need a hospital! We have to take her to a hospital!” (Kyuuketsu)
“I-Is that so…?” (Sakura)
“That’s so!” (Kyuuketsu)
She grabs me by the shoulders.
She’s a little bit smaller than me, but the look on her face is terrifying!
“You know, Sakura-chan! If you ask me, skipping a meal is sheer madness! Why? And why would you do such a foolish thing!?” (Kyuuketsu)
“I’m busy with work… *Chomp*!?” (Sakura)
Unable to reply, some kind of food was thrust into my open mouth.
――In fact, it’s still going on!
For some reason, she is shedding tears! She’s also crying as she pushes a lot of food into my mouth!
It was so sudden that all I could do was stare blankly!
“I’ll give this to you! I’ll even give you my share! See, eat more! This is so delicious!” (Kyuuketsu)
“*Chomp* *chew*!? Wa~it! Wa!” (Sakura)
“Wait, Kyuu-chan, Sakura, her jaw is about to pop off.”
“It’s better than dying! At this rate, Sakura-chan’s slender body will shrivel up and disappear! Look, her stomach is already caving in…!” (Kyuuketsu)
“What the—!? That’s my chest!” (Sakura)
I slapped Kyuuketsu-san’s hand and covered my modest chest.
Oh, I thought I was going to die!
“–That’s the thing Sakura.”
Narugoa-san said dipping half of the dark mass into some cloudy soup.
“Kyuu-chan is a morbid health enthusiast, and if there is an unhealthy person nearby, she goes a little crazy.”
“Oh, what a ridiculous thing…!” (Sakura)
“–Alraune, what do you think?”
Narugoa-san called her name.
She gracefully eats colorful leafy vegetables and simply says “yes”.
“I don’t want to leave my back to someone who isn’t even sure when and what they last ate.” (Alraune)
“Even Alraune-san…!” (Sakura)
“–You know!” (Alraune)
Alraune-san glared at me, interrupting my words.
The tremendous power of her gaze made my heart constrict.
She will beat me.
I jerked my shoulders in shame at the thought, but Alraune-san held out a teacup with a handle.
“You don’t usually sleep very well, right? Here, this is my special herbal tea.” (Alraune)
“Eh……?” (Sakura)
“It will help you relax.” (Alraune)
Alraune-san forced me to drink a cup of tea before returning to her meal.
I could neither sip it nor push it back, but just stood there dumbfounded.
“By the way, what do you think of the current active personnel Sergeant?”
“…I really hope they don’t work until they collapse.” (Sergeant)
Poison Slime-san, or Sergeant, is digesting all kinds of food together and speaking at the same time.
His expression looked very unhappy.
“I’ve got to go through a dizzying array of procedures, including worker’s compensation certification, personnel changes, and more… I’m going to collapse, seriously…” (Sergeant)
“All right, all right, I’m sorry, Sergeant, that’s enough.”
“Well, in this day and age, I don’t really want them to work overtime for even a second… In the end, we’re the ones who get pissed off… It’s always the same, all the troublesome things come to us…” (Sergeant)
“Sergeant, I’m really sorry…”
Narugoa-san’s reaction was really different from what I had expected, instead, he turned around and apologized immediately.
I, on the other hand, was terribly confused.
It didn’t matter what happened to my body.
I was prepared for this when I ran out of the Inanaki Sacred Mountain.
If I was told that it was necessary to save everyone, I would gladly offer my life or anything else.
But then, why are you people so…
“Why are you being so nice to me…?” (Sakura)
“—It’s because you’re a friend, Sakura.”
Narugoa-san said it s if it was a matter of course. The other three also accepted it as if it was natural.
“Friend…?” (Sakura)
“That’s right.”
“I suddenly grabbed you…?” (Sakura)
“I can’t blame you, it was an urgent matter. You might want to think of a better way next time.”
“…I made a one-sided request for you to save Inanaki Sacred Mountain.” (Sakura)
“One-sided? We said we would cooperate, isn’t it a mutual agreement?”
“Be-because of me… I almost exposed the true identities of Narugoa-san–!” (Sakura)
“It’s only natural to follow up on the mistakes of one’s peers.”
His words reached my heart straight to the core.
Something trickled down my chin and spilled onto the floor.
Before I knew it, I was crying.
I wasn’t sad or in pain, but for some reason, I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing.
“Look, Sakura, it’s easy.”
Narugoa-san smiled kindly at me and said.
“Saving the Inanaki Sacred Mountain and guaranteeing the healthy work-life of the (employee) monsters—these are two things that are easy for me to do because I have six hands.”
He smiled mischievously as if he were really a boy of his age.
――I don’t know a single thing about them at all.
Why would a human boy lie about his identity and lead a band of monsters on a journey?
And I don’t know anything about his friends, who have levels far beyond the norm…
But there is only one thing for sure.
He does… they do see me as a proper employee monster.
“Thank you…” (Sakura)
I mouthed the words of gratitude, with tears streaming down my face.
At the same time, the tremendous pressure on my back disappeared.
“Oh my, Sakura, your face is a mess.” (Alraune)
“Sakura-chan, here, I’ll give you more!” (Kyuuketsu)
“It’s usually society’s fault… The current structure itself, which puts all the debt on the younger generation, is…” (Sergeant)
Alraune-san wiped my face with her handkerchief, Kyuukersu-san puts food on a plate for me, and Poison Slime-san was still mumbling about something…
I finally sipped on the “herb tea” that I had received from Alraune.
If anything, it reminded me of a small field of flowers basking in the spring sunshine.
――–I, Sakura, am awakened by a strange scent that tickles my nose.
“Hng…?” (Sakura)
I frown at the sunlight streaming in through the window.
Birds are chirping, people are hustling and bustling.
I’m wrapped all over in something soft and…
Futon? I think it’s a little different, so I fell asleep—it’s morning?
—My heart races and I jump up.
“Work…!” (Sakura)
“Yapani’s greeting is quite unusual.”
An unfamiliar place, unfamiliar voice.
I slowly turn around to face the voice and see…
“By the way, we say, good morning.”
He’s probably only ten years old, but he’s calmer than an adult, he’s got more dignity than an adult—Narugoa-san was staring at me.
No, it’s not just Narugoa-san.
Alraune-san, Kyuuketsu-san, and Poison Slime-san, all four of them are looking from the table and staring at me.
I blinked my eyes and said,
“Good morning……?” (Sakura)
I dumbly returned the morning greeting.
“Okay, let’s head to the table.”
“Look, the food will get cold.”(Alraune)
“I’m really hungry and I’m about to collapse.” (Kyuuketsu)
“That’s what you get for training so hard in the morning…” (Sergeant)
“It’s my daily routine every morning.” (Kyuuketsu)
“I was really surprised, to wake up seeing you lifting a huge rock with one hand…”
“—Excuse me, what is this?” (Sakura)
No more, I couldn’t stand it. I have to speak up.
At the same time, I gradually began to understand the situation.
Yes, we have suspended the attack on the Inanaki Sacred Mountain and have returned to the safe house, a cheap inn in the town of Canal.
Then this is not the time to be doing this…
But they looked back at me with a quizzical expression and said,
“It’s breakfast time, you know?”
He answered so casually.
“Hey, breakfast…” (Sakura)
“Oh, this is too tedious.” (Alraune)
Suddenly, Alraune-san, who looked peeved, stood up and lifted me up.
“Well, hey, what are you doing Alraune-san…!?” (Sakura)
“Just Al is fine.” (Alraune)
And then she half forced me to sit down.
Then, as I was still in a daze, a number of unfamiliar dishes popped into my field of vision. And I can only look in amazement
I don’t know that one, I don’t know this one either.
I’ve barely seen some of it, but I’ve never eaten it…
“Now that we’re all here, let’s eat before it gets cold.” (Alraune)
“Okay! Let’s eat!” (Sergeant)
“Kyuu-chan don’t be so greedy. You have something on your face.”
“It’s made from good wild herbs. It’s good for digestion.” (Kyuuketsu)
As soon as they saw that I was seated, they began to tuck into their food.
I still don’t know how to handle this situation, I just sat there frozen.
As if she couldn’t bear to see me like this, Alraune-san leaned forward toward me.
With a plate in her hand.
“Here, this is your salad. If you don’t eat it quickly, Kyuu-chan will eat it all.” (Alraune)
“Eh… that, I…” (Sakura)
“What? Is it something you don’t eat?” (Alraune)
“That’s not the case…” (Sakura)
“Maybe you don’t eat breakfast? You don’t have to do that, Kyuu-chan is different now…” (Alraune)
“–I’m telling you, this is not the time for this!!!” (Sakura)
I was surprised at how loud my voice was.
Everyone stopped eating and looked at us.
I couldn’t stand their gaze, so I faced down.
“…I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I know I’m being so rude… I’m even complaining when I’m one-sidedly making a request… But I don’t have much time…!” (Sakura)
The corners of my eyes begin to heat up as I spat out those words. Then my head turns white.
“While I’m doing this, people I care about are being forced to work while spitting out blood! Even my sister could collapse at any moment…!” (Sakura)
The scene of the once peaceful Inanaki Sacred Mountain came back to life behind my trembling eyelids.
Komainu-san, Nekomata-san, Yukime-san, and Momiji-neechan.
My heart is even more strained because I have memories of happier times.
So I had to do something about the Inanaki Sacred Mountain as soon as possible, and yet…
“At this moment, I’m the only one who is having breakfast leisurely!” (Sakura)
“–It’s at times like this that you should at least eat, Sakura.”
I slowly raise my face.
Narugoa-san was looking straight at me.
His gaze was clear and unwavering.
He stares at me while eating some dark mass.
“I understand the current situation of Inanaki Sacred Mountain, and I understand that we are in a situation where we need to deal with it immediately.”
“Why then…” (Sakura)
“I understand that and now I’m telling you to eat. Sakura, when was your last meal?”
I was at a loss for an answer.
I was confused by the suddenness of the question, but most of all because I really couldn’t remember.
“Three nights ago, I think I had… an onigiri.” (Sakura)
“—That’s unbelievable!” (Kyuuketsu)
Kyuuketsu-san stood up with her eyes blazing as if she had seen a monster.
“Narugoa-san! Sakura-chan is working too hard and is losing her mind! We need a hospital! We have to take her to a hospital!” (Kyuuketsu)
“I-Is that so…?” (Sakura)
“That’s so!” (Kyuuketsu)
She grabs me by the shoulders.
She’s a little bit smaller than me, but the look on her face is terrifying!
“You know, Sakura-chan! If you ask me, skipping a meal is sheer madness! Why? And why would you do such a foolish thing!?” (Kyuuketsu)
“I’m busy with work… *Chomp*!?” (Sakura)
Unable to reply, some kind of food was thrust into my open mouth.
――In fact, it’s still going on!
For some reason, she is shedding tears! She’s also crying as she pushes a lot of food into my mouth!
It was so sudden that all I could do was stare blankly!
“I’ll give this to you! I’ll even give you my share! See, eat more! This is so delicious!” (Kyuuketsu)
“*Chomp* *chew*!? Wa~it! Wa!” (Sakura)
“Wait, Kyuu-chan, Sakura, her jaw is about to pop off.”
“It’s better than dying! At this rate, Sakura-chan’s slender body will shrivel up and disappear! Look, her stomach is already caving in…!” (Kyuuketsu)
“What the—!? That’s my chest!” (Sakura)
I slapped Kyuuketsu-san’s hand and covered my modest chest.
Oh, I thought I was going to die!
“–That’s the thing Sakura.”
Narugoa-san said dipping half of the dark mass into some cloudy soup.
“Kyuu-chan is a morbid health enthusiast, and if there is an unhealthy person nearby, she goes a little crazy.”
“Oh, what a ridiculous thing…!” (Sakura)
“–Alraune, what do you think?”
Narugoa-san called her name.
She gracefully eats colorful leafy vegetables and simply says “yes”.
“I don’t want to leave my back to someone who isn’t even sure when and what they last ate.” (Alraune)
“Even Alraune-san…!” (Sakura)
“–You know!” (Alraune)
Alraune-san glared at me, interrupting my words.
The tremendous power of her gaze made my heart constrict.
She will beat me.
I jerked my shoulders in shame at the thought, but Alraune-san held out a teacup with a handle.
“You don’t usually sleep very well, right? Here, this is my special herbal tea.” (Alraune)
“Eh……?” (Sakura)
“It will help you relax.” (Alraune)
Alraune-san forced me to drink a cup of tea before returning to her meal.
I could neither sip it nor push it back, but just stood there dumbfounded.
“By the way, what do you think of the current active personnel Sergeant?”
“…I really hope they don’t work until they collapse.” (Sergeant)
Poison Slime-san, or Sergeant, is digesting all kinds of food together and speaking at the same time.
His expression looked very unhappy.
“I’ve got to go through a dizzying array of procedures, including worker’s compensation certification, personnel changes, and more… I’m going to collapse, seriously…” (Sergeant)
“All right, all right, I’m sorry, Sergeant, that’s enough.”
“Well, in this day and age, I don’t really want them to work overtime for even a second… In the end, we’re the ones who get pissed off… It’s always the same, all the troublesome things come to us…” (Sergeant)
“Sergeant, I’m really sorry…”
Narugoa-san’s reaction was really different from what I had expected, instead, he turned around and apologized immediately.
I, on the other hand, was terribly confused.
It didn’t matter what happened to my body.
I was prepared for this when I ran out of the Inanaki Sacred Mountain.
If I was told that it was necessary to save everyone, I would gladly offer my life or anything else.
But then, why are you people so…
“Why are you being so nice to me…?” (Sakura)
“—It’s because you’re a friend, Sakura.”
Narugoa-san said it s if it was a matter of course. The other three also accepted it as if it was natural.
“Friend…?” (Sakura)
“That’s right.”
“I suddenly grabbed you…?” (Sakura)
“I can’t blame you, it was an urgent matter. You might want to think of a better way next time.”
“…I made a one-sided request for you to save Inanaki Sacred Mountain.” (Sakura)
“One-sided? We said we would cooperate, isn’t it a mutual agreement?”
“Be-because of me… I almost exposed the true identities of Narugoa-san–!” (Sakura)
“It’s only natural to follow up on the mistakes of one’s peers.”
His words reached my heart straight to the core.
Something trickled down my chin and spilled onto the floor.
Before I knew it, I was crying.
I wasn’t sad or in pain, but for some reason, I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing.
“Look, Sakura, it’s easy.”
Narugoa-san smiled kindly at me and said.
“Saving the Inanaki Sacred Mountain and guaranteeing the healthy work-life of the (employee) monsters—these are two things that are easy for me to do because I have six hands.”
He smiled mischievously as if he were really a boy of his age.
――I don’t know a single thing about them at all.
Why would a human boy lie about his identity and lead a band of monsters on a journey?
And I don’t know anything about his friends, who have levels far beyond the norm…
But there is only one thing for sure.
He does… they do see me as a proper employee monster.
“Thank you…” (Sakura)
I mouthed the words of gratitude, with tears streaming down my face.
At the same time, the tremendous pressure on my back disappeared.
“Oh my, Sakura, your face is a mess.” (Alraune)
“Sakura-chan, here, I’ll give you more!” (Kyuuketsu)
“It’s usually society’s fault… The current structure itself, which puts all the debt on the younger generation, is…” (Sergeant)
Alraune-san wiped my face with her handkerchief, Kyuukersu-san puts food on a plate for me, and Poison Slime-san was still mumbling about something…
I finally sipped on the “herb tea” that I had received from Alraune.
If anything, it reminded me of a small field of flowers basking in the spring sunshine.
