Adventurer's Guild Café: I Was Wrongfully Exiled by the Saint, So I Will Enjoy My Second Life with My Fluffy Friends - V 2.2 Chapter 4.5

“It’s so nice and cool.”

“Ruu~!”

I had taken off my shoes and dipped my feet into the gently babbling stream, its soft, soothing sound rustling like wind through leaves.

A large tree nearby cast a deep shade over the water, shielding us from the harsh summer sun.

Lulu was splashing around happily in the shallows, while the Mokomotts were greedily devouring the sweets we’d been given in town.

Some things never change — such little gluttons.

“This is where Gier saved us, huh…”

I murmured that to myself while absentmindedly watching Lulu frolic in the water.

The stream flowed along the outskirts of town. If you went upstream, the water was probably deeper, but this far down, it was shallow and calm. Clear and cool, it felt like it was gently washing away my fatigue.

I’d dreamed of being saved by Gier, inside the belly of the underground fish. Ever since Lulu brought me to Grantania, I’d heard that it was here, at this very stream, where Gier first rescued me.

I guess… I just wanted to see it for myself. It felt like the place where my second life began—or maybe the place where I first met Gier. Or… something like that.

“…Wait, why am I thinking about Gier all of a sudden?”

I found myself pressing my fingers to my cheeks. Lately, I’d catch myself remembering him at the strangest times.

What’s going on with me? Whenever I think about him, my heart feels like it skips a beat.

“Ruu?”

“N-No, it’s nothing!”

My face grew hot all of a sudden, and I fanned myself in a panic. Lulu gave me a puzzled look before turning back to chase a little fish darting through the water.

Splash! A fish leapt in the stream.

Now that I think about it, that fried underground fish we had was so good.

Dan and Yan are both such amazing cooks. I’m kinda jealous. Maybe I should ask them to teach me how to make fried fish next time.

Oh, right—Gier said he liked fish too. If I get good at it… maybe I could make some for him?

“Ruu~!”

Lulu, who had been chasing fish around, suddenly perked up her ears and lifted her head from the water.

I’d been absentmindedly watching the stream when, for a moment, I thought I saw Gier’s reflection shimmering on the surface. Tilting my head, I murmured—

“…Maybe I’ve been thinking about Gier too much lately.”

“Is something the matter with me?”

“Because I thought I saw—like, a hallucination of you on the water…”

“Hallucination?”

His face appeared on the sparkling, rippling surface, tilting slightly in confusion.

My tail puffed out in surprise.

“Wah—wawah!?”

I spun around instinctively.

And standing there was Gier, dressed in his usual black uniform.

Not a dream. Not a hallucination.

The real, actual Gier.

“Gier!?”

I was so shocked that Gier looked genuinely startled for a second—then, quite uncharacteristically, let out a soft, amused laugh.

Since I had my skirt hiked up and my feet soaking in the water, I quickly pulled them out, wiped them off in a fluster, and slipped my shoes back on.

All the while, Gier politely turned away and waited.

It’s not like showing my legs is something to be embarrassed about, but since I usually wear long skirts and knee-high socks, it somehow felt… awkward.

“Sorry for surprising you. I didn’t expect to find you here, so I called out without thinking.”

“U-Um… Gier, what are you doing here…?”

Prompted by Gier, we moved over to the shade of the tree. Lulu, apparently bored with splashing around, had joined the Mokomotts in their frenzied snack scavenging.

“My horse likes this spot. I was just out for a walk. Then I saw someone who looked exactly like you…”

Ah, that makes sense. Gier did say he was out walking his horse when he rescued me, didn’t he?

In a way, I guess I was saved thanks to his horse.

As I glanced around, wondering where it was, Gier let out a sharp whistle with a flick of his fingers.

“There—grazing around over that way.”

At his call, a large horse trotted leisurely over from a nearby meadow.

“Wow…”

Its sleek black coat gleamed in the sunlight, and its intelligent eyes locked onto mine. With a soft snort, it looked at me with deep, wet eyes that shone like polished obsidian.

Horses are common enough in both Aluda and Grantania, so even a big one like this didn’t really scare me.

“His name’s Shooting Star. He’s fast—like a meteor,”

Gier said with a teasing smile.

“My savior… no, more like my savior horse, huh?”

I laughed and reached into my basket, picking out some wild raspberries I’d gathered earlier. Holding them out to Shooting Star, I gently offered them near his muzzle.

They were freshly picked just before I came here.

“I came here because… I wanted to see the place where you saved me, Gier.”

“I see. I was wondering what you were doing all the way out here in such a remote spot.”

“This is also the place where my second life began. I guess I just… felt like seeing it for myself.”

I glanced up at Gier, just a little. His expression looked… complicated. Like there was something he wanted to say but wasn’t sure how.

Shooting Star licked the raspberry from the palm of my hand with a swift flick of his tongue, then nudged his soft nose up against my cheek.

“Waaah, so cute!”

“…Shooting Star’s clever. I’m sure he remembers you too, Kuna.”

Gier said it with a note of quiet pride. And for some reason… I believed him.

Shooting Star’s eyes were incredibly kind.

“Thank you—for saving me back then.”

At my words, Shooting Star gave a soft snort, almost like a reply.

“You got tangled up with some strange guy again, didn’t you?”

“Huh?”

Since it was a rare chance, I offered Gier some of the sweets and tea I’d been given in town.

Apparently, he had taken the morning off to let Shooting Star unwind and stretch his legs. I’ve got time, so I’ll keep you company, he’d said — and I couldn’t help but wag my tail from how happy that made me.

Lulu had taken quite a liking to Shooting Star. She was riding on his back as he calmly grazed nearby, full of energy and excitement. I did tell her, “Don’t bother him too much,” but Shooting Star didn’t seem to mind at all.

As we sat watching the sparkling stream reflect the sunlight, I spoke with Gier.

“I heard it from the guild. That you were harassed by a noble from the Kingdom of Aluda.”

“…Yeah. There was a bit of trouble.”

I wasn’t afraid anymore. Just… the bitter feeling of having everyone looked down on still lingered in my chest.

“…But I’m okay. He was a strange person, sure, but it didn’t seem like he was involved in anything criminal.”

Gier let out a quiet sigh.

“Kuna, your idea of ‘okay’ is a little concerning. Even if it didn’t cross into criminal territory, I want you to be careful around anyone who disrespects you.”

Now that he said it, maybe judging someone as “not a criminal” was a pretty lenient standard…

“I-I’ll be more careful.”

As my ears and tail twitched nervously, Gier spoke again.

“Sorry, I’m not angry. It’s just… even if it’s better than the neighboring country, there are still some weird people around here too. If anything happens, don’t hesitate to go to an adult nearby. If it’s your request, they’ll do just about anything for you.”

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Gier, you really are a worrywart.”

“…Did I sound too much like a lecture?”

He asked, sounding a bit self-conscious.

“? No, not at all.”

I twitched my ears and tilted my head.

“I get told often that I’m like an old man stuck in a young body. Both in looks and in the way I think.”

Come to think of it, he does have a calm, mature air about him… But how old is Gier, anyway?

“…I’ll be twenty-six this year.”

“!”

It was as if Gier had read my thoughts when he said that.

I’d been thinking he was in his early thirties. But, well—age doesn’t really matter. Gier is a good person. That’s all that counts.

Gier gave a wry smile at my reaction.

“Yeah, I guess even you’re surprised.”

“I think it’s because Gier carries himself like someone with a lot of life experience. He has that calm presence.”

To me, he’s like an older brother.

…No, maybe more like a parent figure, since he’s so responsible.

“Well, my life hasn’t exactly gone smoothly. That’s why when I look at you, Kuuna, it’s like I’m seeing myself—and it makes me uneasy.”

“…Seeing yourself?”

“Yeah. I’ve been through a lot to get here… but I had Kiril. Well, to be honest, because of him, I probably look older than I should…”

His voice was hard to read—half grateful, half annoyed—and I couldn’t help but smile a little.

“Maybe it’s because you’re still young, but I get really worried if you’re living properly every day.”

“With Gier-san and everyone around me, I’ll be fine.”

I answered that, but for some reason, the part where he said “young” made my chest sting.

It was a new feeling, and I was a little confused by it myself.

“I wonder why… I feel like I’ve been thinking about you almost every day too.”

“…?”

Wait, what!? What does that even mean?

I glanced sideways at Gier, and he looked genuinely puzzled, as if thinking, “Hmm?”

…Apparently, there wasn’t any deeper meaning.

But somehow my heart kept pounding. It had been like this for a while now. Weird.

Gier didn’t seem to notice and continued.

“Over ten nobles have already fled from the Kingdom of Aluda. It seems like more will come.”

“I see…”

His words made me a little downcast.

I don’t think all those people are racist against demi-humans. But I couldn’t help remembering the dream I had inside the underground fish.

—Father and the others… heading toward Grantania. Toward Finaldatt.

Maybe that really could happen.

“Well, even if that’s true—”

Interrupting my gloomy thoughts, Gier said firmly:

“Everyone will protect you. Including me. So if danger ever comes your way, please don’t hesitate to ask the adults around you for help.”

Because he saw me rush out during the fight with the underground fish, I think he felt that even more.

Even if Father does come here… I’ll face that when it happens.

I’ve already decided to live here.

Besides, Father probably doesn’t care about me at all.

I just want to continue living a peaceful life here.

“Yes. Thank you.”

Gier worries about me just like everyone else.

Thinking that made my heart race, and my tail wagged on its own.