Is it a customer?
Sorry, I am not in the mood to draw today, so I am done.
Eh?
A butcher?
If it is that, there should be a lot of those in the market, but I think they are already closed.
That's not it?
The bar?
If it is that, you should get to one after turning that street there. You will be walking for a bit, but it should be easy to find.
Meeting someone there or something?
You ask why?
That place, there's a lot of adventurers and people looking to have jobs done, but that's a place that people living here go to.
You old men are new in this town, right?
I saw you people entering the Adventurer Guild just a few moments ago, but I have been drawing the faces of people for quite a long time, so I can somewhat tell.
My sister is an adventurer as well after all.
Guiding, you say?
Hm, there's no need to, you know. It is truly easy to tell where the butcher is after all. Also, I am waiting for my sister here, so if I leave this place, I might worry her. That's why, I am sorry.
Even if you beg me, it is just troubling…
'It is different from when you came before and don't have the confidence'? True, even I as a resident get flustered every now and then, but…
Hah…
Understood.
Then, I will accompany you till we see the store, okay?
Please wait for a bit.
Sorry, Rin-san. I will be leaving for a bit, so can you look after the tools while I am gone? I will return quickly.
Thanks.
Sorry for the wait. Let's go.
When was the last time you came?
You came here half a year ago huh. Then it is no surprise you would get lost.
It has been incredibly lively lately with buildings being made, moved, and even the gate has been moved twice in half a year.
Even though it took 10 years to do that before. It is amazing.
The butcher and the store's locations have changed.
The prices haven't changed since half a year ago, but it seems to be prospering quite a lot.
My sister always spends her money there.
I try to stop her, but she quickly forgets.
But you old men adventurers should do jobs that fit your strength and do it safely, okay?
Don't misunderstand the increase in security and liveliness, there's people that die suddenly in the wasteland because of it after all.
Development is good, but the restrictions have gotten looser and there's people that open the gate just with money.
That's why, take care, okay?
No way.
I am not intelligent.
I only heard that from my sister.
Eh?
Why do you old men know that my sister is Toa?
Eh, the store is not over there.
Get your hands off me!
What are you doing?!
No!
Someon—Hngh!!
***
"Hurry!!"
"I know! Hey, wouldn't it be easier to just cut her to pieces?"
"We have to get to the hideout first. It might be more convenient to have her alive. We are not the ones to decide that."
The men run in the dark alleys.
One of the men was shouldering a jute sack. Inside of it, there's the young girl they abducted.
Also, they acted on the knowledge that she knows of someone. There's no doubt it was a planned crime.
The young girl that was drawing portraits close to the Adventurer Guild, Rinon.
She is the little sister of one of the adventurer party members that represent Tsige.
For the people that know this, harming her is unthinkable.
Who knows what kind of grudge they hold towards the sister of Rinon, Toa.
Sadly for them, the details of this won't come to light and they will be dealt with as petty intruders.
"?!! What, a brat?!"
"You people, what are you planning on doing with Rinon?"
A girl holding a sword not matching her size with a young voice that matched her outer appearance asked this.
"Tch! An acquaintance of yours huh! Oi, erase her!"
"Kill her before it causes a ruckus!!"
It was a group of three men.
They were running through the alley in line, but they were blocked by a blue haired girl.
They didn't answer the question of the girl, and judging from the conversation, the man at the front judged that she is an acquaintance of Rinon, and confirms with the man at the rear that's behind the one that's shouldering the jute sack with Rinon inside.
Receiving the permission to kill.
The man gave his approval in an instant.
"If you hadn't met us, you wouldn't have had to die!!"
There was the shine of a blade in the hands of the man.
Without even showing a single bit of hesitation, the man unleashes an attack that contained killing intent at the girl that was still standing there.
"Doesn't answer, a blade, killing intent… Guilty."
Who knows if that mutter had reached the ears of the man.
The second man stopped his feet —-cause the comrade at his front had been cut in half vertically.
The figure of the girl was gone.
And just like that, it connected to the second surprise.
"Rinon is a friend."
The man that is shouldering Rinon turns his head…at the place where the voice came from.
There, he saw the figure of his leader skewered by spear-shaped things.
When he nervously looked down, he saw the blue haired girl there.
No, the man thought that this is something taking the form of a little girl.
"She promised to have dinner with me today."
The man noticed the abnormality in his body.
He couldn't feel the lower half of his body.
When he looked, he could see that the strangely-shaped sword of hers had pierced his stomach, and yet, he couldn't feel pain.
It was frozen —the place where it was pierced and everything below it. And this had reached his chest, shoulders, as it continued to advance.
It finally reached the neck, and a *creak creak* noise he is not used to hearing began to resound.
Ah right, there was no blood either.
The man that was pierced remembered the man that was killed first, the one he can't even afford to turn his head to see anymore.
Those were the last thoughts and senses of this man.
The little girl takes out the katana and sheathes it back to its scabbard. While at it, she swings her right hand once and the three kidnappers turned into dust of ice and disappeared.
She catches the jute sack with her left hand.
Carrying it with both hands, she runs just like that and returns Rinon to her work spot.
The jute sack was opened, and Rinon who was gagged and had both hands and legs bound came out.
After being released, Rinon begins to cry.
But when she notices that the one who saved her was the blue haired girl, she soon wipes those tears away.
"T-Thank you for saving me, Komoe." (Rinon)
Rinon gives her thanks to Komoe, the friend she met not that long ago.
She is an apprentice at the Kuzunoha Company and normally doesn't come out to the public, but since meeting her with the introduction of Makoto, she has become the friend of Rinon.
Now that Komoe is able to make gates to Asora, in her free days, she would come to Tsige every now and then.
'I will be going out to play'.
There are times when Makoto doesn't know that Komoe's destination is Tsige.
Those are quite the convenient words.
Within the customers and adventurers, they see her pretty often and know her as a relative of Tomoe.
"Rinon, more importantly, today is meal day." (Komoe)
"I-I know! When the others come, okay? Hey Komoe, could it be that you saved me on your own? Where are the criminals?" (Rinon)
Even though Rinon embarrassedly managed to give out her thanks, Komoe lightly pushed that away and confused her.
"That level of ruffians, I alone am enough-de gozaru." (Komoe)
"…Sorry, I don't understand what you are saying. Is that Tomoe-oneechan language?" (Rinon)
"That's right, Edo language. Tomoe-sama taught me. You can translate it as 'I alone am enough against those thugs'." (Komoe)
Looks like Tomoe's weird way of speaking had been established within those two.
"I have also been taught Golgo language. 'Don't stand behind me'." (Komoe)
Komoe doesn't seem to mind at all what she did a few moments ago and has a carefree talk with a girl that looks the same age as her.
"…Komoe, I don't understand well, but I feel like you can ignore those kind of teachings…" (Rinon)
"Really?" (Komoe)
"Yeah. When I meet Onii-chan again, I will talk to him about it." (Rinon)
"Onii-chan huh. Would it be better for me to call Waka-sama as Onii-chan?" (Komoe)
Komoe seems to be falling into thought.
Rinon felt like that gesture was cute and thought of a small prank.
"How about calling him Papa or Father?" (Rinon)
"Tomoe-sama told me once before to call him Daddy, but Mio-sama got incredibly scary." (Komoe)
"…I-I see." (Rinon)
"Yeah. My bananas got salt and powdered herbs sprinkled on them. I don't want that anymore." (Komoe)
"Banana huh. It appears at the Kuzunoha's store every now and then, but I don't see it often. They taste good." (Rinon)
"When I get them next time, I will share with you. Look forward to it, Rinon." (Komoe)
While they were doing harmless talk like that, someone calls Rinon from faraway.
This was a voice Rinon was familiar with and wouldn't ever mistake.
"It is Onee-chan." (Rinon)
"Right. I will tell Toa-ane about what happened just now." (Komoe)
"Won't it worry her?" (Rinon)
"Can't allow danger to remain." (Komoe)
Komoe says it firmly as if to say she is not backing off.
"Komoe is strong and mature, so it is nice. Maybe I should learn to fight as well." (Rinon)
"…? Why? Rinon is good at drawing. I like it. I think it is more impressive than fighting." (Komoe)
Komoe was called mature.
Rinon is able to do something like drawing -which she can't- and is gaining money, so Komoe was unable to understand why she was jealous of her and tilts her head.
Komoe is a resident of Asora and her standing is also special.
She doesn't have money.
It is still too soon for her allowance, so she is basically provided what she has.
That's why there are times she is troubled when she comes to Tsige to play.
In the eyes of Komoe, Rinon who has money in her pockets is amazing.
Makoto has been a lot in Asora lately since it is summer break, so he has been teaching Komoe, but this town doesn't have that concept of thinking. Using children as important manual labour is completely normal, and it is not strange for children like Rinon to work on their own accord.
Unless you are born in a pretty well-established household, this is the usual, and it could be said that Komoe is a rare case.
But well, she is doing special work in Asora in her own way, so it is not as if she is playing around all the time though.
"Ahaha, thanks. This is a pretty rowdy place after all. I have to think by myself for a bit too." (Rinon)
"If you want to train in the camp, I can ask Waka-sama. I can be your trainer." (Komoe)
"Uh, yeah. I will think about it a bit. There's the option of having Onee-chan teach me as well." (Rinon)
"Got it." (Komoe)
"Ah, right! As thanks for before, let me draw a portrait of you, Komoe!" (Rinon)
"Really?! T-Then, one where I am at the side of Waka-sama!" (Komoe)
The proposal of Rinon made Komoe show a smile fitting of her age.
"…I don't know about having a masked person at your side." (Rinon)
"Muh~, then without the mask!" (Komoe)
"I haven't seen the face of Onii-chan before. When I see his face, I will draw that one, so today make it a different one." (Rinon)
"Eh~. Then…uhm…a drawing with Rinon and I!" (Komoe)
"M-Me?!" (Rinon)
Rinon was clearly flustered about the second request of Komoe.
She actually hasn't drawn herself much.
"Counting on you!!" (Komoe)
The confused Rinon and the wide smile of Komoe.
The two girls wait for Toa to arrive as they clean up the place, and they welcomed with joy the late night of summer that finally arrived.