That day's training continued until the bell rang at three o'clock.
After finishing the training with Emily's voice, Alvin and Iris left without stopping at the party house.
"... I learned a lot today, desu"
"That's good to know! I'm sure you'll be able to make it to the top if you keep training and make good friends!"
Iris and Emily walked side by side.
Alvin and Milis were walking behind them, and Shinji and Renka were walking at the end.
"I've been told similar things ... by Shinji-san, desu"
"Good for you! I'm sure if Shinji says it, it's true. Then, I'm going to go over to Shinji's side"
"Oh, ... yes"
Emily left Iris's side and ran to Shinji's side. She came to the other side of Renka, and hugged Shinji's arm.
Renka blamed her, Shinji complained that it was hard to walk, and Emily let go of her arm with a look of indignation on her face. Then the three of them started talking happily.
(Shinji-san ... maybe he's popular?)
Emily's favoritism was clear and obvious.
"Iris-chan, are you tired?"
"...I'm fine, desu. I was surprised to find out that senpai was too ... fast, desu"
"It's thanks to you, Master! I think I'm getting stronger"
Iris joins the conversation between Alvin and Milis.
After a while, the party house came into view as they walked along, talking casually.
But there was a man in his late thirties standing in front of the magnificent main gate.
He seemed to be missing his right arm, and one sleeve was flapping in the wind. He had short blue hair, sharp eyes, and a large stature.
The man who was looking around caught the gaze of Alvin and the others.
Whoa! He widened his eyes and came running at them with all his might.
"Iris~~~!!"
"... Papa, he's already here"
He hugged Iris with only his left arm.
Iris lets out a deep, deep sigh as she guards her father's face with both hands when he tries to rub her cheek.
"Galleo-san, it's been a long time"
"Sensei! It's been a long time!!"
"Oh, Alvin, Milis, Renka. It's been a long time. I'm sorry that Iris seems to have bothered you!"
The man who smiled ... Galleo set Iris down on the ground and patted Alvin's head in a crass and messy manner. After that, he turned to Shinji and Emily and Galleo bowed his head.
"My daughter has been taken care of. I'm Galleo. Iris's father and the one who taught Alvin and the others"
"Nice to meet you. I'm Shinji. I'm a member of Alvin's party. This is Emily. Alvin's mentor"
"Nice to meet you. Please treat me well"
Galleo shook hands with Shinji and Emily in turn.
"Since we're all standing around, why don't we go inside and talk?"
"Let's do that, shall we?"
This is how the discussion about Iris took place at
* * *
"First of all, thank you for taking care of my daughter. She just left me with a single letter and caused trouble for me. It was thanks to Alvin and the others that we were able to reunite in this way"
As they sat around the long table in the cafeteria, Galleo bowed deeply once again. He grabbed Iris's head with one hand and made her bow with him.
"It's no trouble at all"
"It's good to see you after all these years"
Milis also nodded at Alvin and Renka's words.
"That's what you say.... Also, congratulations on your upper-intermediate rank. When I was asked about this place at the guild, I was told about it. You've done well in this short time"
"""Thank you!"""
Alvin and the others had been trained by Galleo and his congratulations made them delighted.
It was a special pleasure to be praised by the teacher who had taught them so much since they were children.
"The environment is too different between you and my daughter now that you are upper rank. And Iris, you need to come home with me first and find a party. I told you, you can't go solo."
"I couldn't find anyone good locally at.... So, I'll find one here"
"Ability is important, but above all it's about trust. You have to team up with someone locally who knows each other for a long time"
"I can't do that... there are only people who drag me down. That's why I've always been solo"
Iris and Galleo's gazes collided.
"You are a woman. Also, a rearguard one. Sometimes the bad people will come at you with force!"
"...But local peoples are not always safe... I'm going to look for someone who is good at ... and has a good personality here!"
"It's not safe to look for them. Also, you're going to be working solo until you find one. Intermediate rank enemies are much stronger than lower rank ones. Soloing as a rear guard is really dangerous!"
The two of them were at odds with each other, and Galleo's tone of voice became increasingly stern. Iris also looked up at Galleo with a glaring look, as if she was getting stubborn.
"Sensei! Please calm down!"
"I'm calm enough"
"Calm down too, Iris, okay?"
"... I'm calm, desu. I know he's worried, but he's being too harsh"
Alvin and Renka intervened, but the glaring match between Iris and Galleo showed no signs of stopping. Milis was also flustered.
In the meantime, Shinji gave Akane a look. Seeing Shinji's intentions, Akane retreated to the kitchen and brought in fresh tea, serving it to everyone in turn.
"Let's take a break for now. Please drink it, Galleo-san and Iris-san"
Galleo, who had suddenly regained his composure after hearing Shinji's words and smelling the delicious aroma of the tea, sipped his drink. Iris and the others did the same and cleared their throats.
"Let's get organized once and for all"
When things had quieted down, Shinji opened his mouth.
"Okay, first of all, Galleo-san does not allow solo activities. He doesn't want you to work at Intermediate rank or higher unless you're in a party. You have to be in the same party with someone you trust, and he prefers local people"
"Well, That's right"
Galleo nodded slowly.
Shinji restrained Iris with his hand as she tried to argue.
"And Iris-san looked for someone local, but there was no one good. That's why She've always been solo. But It's not that she's obsessed with soloing, she just wants to find good friends in this city and join them. She also needs to take requests to earn money for her stay"
"... That's right, desu"
Iris nodded at Shinji's words.
"So, let's find a compromise. For example, during a month... Iris-san will look for a companion. For safety and cost reasons, we'll lend her our place to sleep. At the end of the month, Galleo will check on those companions. If there is any trouble along the way, or if she can't find any companions, she can return to the hometown quietly...."
Hearing what Shinji had said, Galleo and Iris pondered. Alvin and the others stared at the situation.
"There are too many opinions from... Papa. So, I want ... extend it to two months"
"Iris-san, you know the truth, right? If Galleo-san is serious, he can take you home, no questions asked"
"... That's true, but ..."
Iris tried to argue with her dad, but she had to agree with Shinji's argument.
Galleo looked at Iris, who was quiet, and then looked at Shinji.
"There may be danger during a month. It's too late to stop it before it's happening. So, what do you think about that?"
"It's Iris-san own responsibility. Avoiding danger is also an essential part of being an adventurer. This time, she only ran away from home, but if she tries to suppress everything, she might end up in a foreign place next time"
"... You're right. That's right. Iris is not the kind of girl to give up on being an adventurer"
"Hah…." Galleo lets out a big sigh.
"Iris. If you can keep the conditions Shinji-san has said, you can try it"
"... Papa, really!?"
"Ou. I know you're stubborn, just like me. But you have to be really careful. You're my only daughter.... I'm really, really worried about you. Just know that"
"...Yeah. I understand…. Thank you, Papa... I love you"
Iris stood up from his seat and Iris hugged Galleo. And Galleo gently patted his daughter's head.
"I'm glad it all worked out so well! You're the real deal, Shinji!"
"It's just a coincidence. Even if it's a fight between father and daughter, you know"
"That's right. The rest is up to Iris"
The dining room returned to a relaxed atmosphere.
"All right, then, let's eat! Why don't you join us, sensei?"
"Is that okay?"
"It's okay!"
When Alvin saw Akane nodding, he replied.
Iris comes to Shinji's side, away from Galleo, who has started to talk about food with Alvin.
"Ano, thank you for that ...."
"You're welcome. I'm glad you got the chance"
"... Yes. I'll try my best. ...!"
Shinji nodded with a gentle smile to Iris, who nodded strongly.
Invasion of Iris's Papa.
He is a little overprotective because of his daughter's importance.
Shinji-kun's mediation prevented the forced return home.
Chance Continues.
Iris's favorability rating has gone up a bit!