The Matter of My Party Members Being Aware of My Desire to Be Banished - Chapter 9

“We have completely wiped out the goblins. We searched the village to be sure, but there was no sign of any goblins. I think you can live in peace from now on.”

“Thank you very much!”

Shion spoke on behalf of our party to the Chief of Jirai Village, who had requested the goblin extermination.

We watched their conversation from a short distance.

Shion was experienced in handling such matters, so we left it to him.

In this respect, too, Shion was a suitable leader for our group.

“Oh, thank you very much!”

The village chief grabbed Shion’s hand and wouldn’t let go.

It seemed like their conversation would go on for a while.

“For a long time, Jirai Village has been plagued by a large number of goblins… However, we couldn’t find any adventurers who would accept our request… We understand, though. Killing goblins isn’t profitable, so it’s put aside… But you all came to help! We are truly grateful that you’ve come…! Thank you so much, Uuuu…”

The village chief… was crying.

They must have been really worried about the goblins.

The villagers behind us also smiled and waved at us.

Their faces were filled with relief.

“It is an honor to receive your praise. If you find any more goblins, please contact the Adventurers’ Guild, and our group will gladly take care of them.”

“R-really? How kind of you! Thank you very much! I’m sorry I can only express my gratitude.”

“No, no. That’s more than enough for us. However… we would like you to save your words of thanks for another time.”

“Why is that?”

“Because it’s an adventurer’s duty to help those in need. We would like to hear your thanks when we can be of service again.”

With that, Shion showed a refreshing smile.

“What a…”

The village chief was a middle-aged man in his 50s, but he seemed to be captivated by Shion’s charm, his mouth slightly open and his cheeks blushing.

“Shi-chan’s using his Prince Charm Killer technique again.”

“He’s such a sinful leader, isn’t he?”

“Damn! He’s got both good looks and character! By the way, Shion is younger than us, right, Honoka?”

“Yes, I think he’s 16 this year.”

“It’s amazing how someone a year younger than us can be so mature…”

“Ufufu~ From my perspective, both Rokuto-san and Honoka-san are good kids too~”

We watched from a distance and said whatever we wanted.

Shion probably couldn’t hear us… right?

“But even though he says such cool things, Shi-chan is the one who almost set the village forest on fire earlier, right?”

“Shion was… really scary back then… I guess concentrating too much on the breasts… I mean, letting your guard down in battle is a bad idea…”

“Well, I don’t mind if everyone just watches our battles in peace. After all, it just proves how strong I am!”

Honoka puffed out her chest with a proud smile and crossed her arms.

She’s always so positive.

“I don’t think that’s why Shion-san got angry though~”

Marn-san smiled and, for some reason, raised her ample breasts.

It was such a feast for the eyes that I couldn’t take my eyes off her chest.

“Ma-san knew what she was doing~. But we should stop this, or Shi-chan will be scary when we get back…”

“Ufufu~. Then I’ll stop. I just couldn’t help but compete with Shion-san.”

“Competing? Marn-san, are you competing with Shion in something? Oh, is it about being a fan of big breasts or small breasts?”

I’m definitely a fan of big breasts, but Shion might be into small breasts.

“Ah, Rokkun. This topic is taboo for Shi-chan…”

“Everyone! Come over here!”

Shion called to us.

He waved his hand hurriedly… wait, he’s waving with his palm up?!

That’s the kind of gesture that says “Bring it on!”

“Eh… I don’t want to go…”

“Yeah, Shi-chan looks angry. Let’s use Rokkun as a shield.”

“That’s right. Rokuto-san said earlier that he would be our meat shield.”

“Goblins are less scary than Shion right now!?”

In the end, with Honoka and Marn-san pushing me from behind, the three of us went to Shion.

“Why are you two pressing your chests against Rokuto’s back? …Are you trying to pick a fight? Rokuto, what about you?”

Shion’s smile is so dark! It’s scary!

“Sigh, seriously… Anyway, everyone step away from Rokuto and line up… Here we go.”

“You all seem to be getting along well.”

“Ahaha… Thank you. Now then, Village Chief, let me introduce you to my companions who fought alongside me to exterminate the goblins.”

Shion started the introductions.

This was something of a routine that Shion always did at the end of a request.

Since the leader got the most thanks, he wanted to introduce his proud companions at the end.

“First, the dual-wielder, Honoka.”

“Hi there~”

“Next, the mage, Marn.”

“Hello~”

“And finally, the baggage carrier, Rokuto.”

“Hello~”

Well, I wasn’t really involved in the battle.

The only work I did when I came to the village was to use my “Storage” ability to transport the baggage to the designated place, and then to store the scrap materials the villagers asked for in my “Storage”…

“Baggage carrier… Pffft.”

I heard laughter.

As I looked at the source of the voice, a woman with flashy make-up had appeared beside the village chief.

“Pukukuku… One of you is so plain~”

“Hey, Chibusa! How could you say such a thing! I’m sorry, this is my daughter!”

So she’s his daughter.

It’s true that being a baggage carrier is a plain role. I think so too.

And with only good-looking and beautiful people in my party, my plainness stands out even more.

I’m aware of that.

But… It’s irritating when someone else says it directly to me!

I wish they’d keep their thoughts to themselves and not say them out loud!

“Instead, you said Shion-sama, right? I want to express my gratitude, so please come to my house~”

She approached Shion with an exaggeratedly sweet manner of speaking and looked up at him with puppy dog eyes.

She must have fallen in love with Shion at first sight.

Now she’s trying to get closer to him.

She’s so bold, even in front of everyone.

Come to think of it, when we arrived in the village and greeted the chief, a woman appeared for a moment and then ran away.

Was it his daughter who saw the handsome Shion and went to freshen up?

Shion’s popularity is amazing wherever he goes.

Look at the way I’m treated…

Even though we’re both men, there’s a world of difference between us.

As long as I’m the baggage carrier, this treatment will continue…

“Everyone, go back to the carriage first. We have another request to take care of, and I want you to rest as soon as possible.”

Shion turned to us and smiled.

“I’ll just talk to them for a bit.”

“Alright, I got it.”

He’s always so polite to everyone.

That’s probably why, even though he’s so popular with women, we never hear about any problems with women from Shion.

Shion said that and I was about to go to the carriage, but…

“Sigh. Well, if our leader says so, I guess we have no choice.”

“…Yes. Let’s leave it up to our leader.”

“Huh? What’s going on?”

Both Honoka and Marn-san sighed heavily…

“Well then…”

“Yes…”

They grabbed me.

“Huh?”

Honoka held my right arm and Marn-san held my left.

“Let’s get back to the carriage first, Rokkun.”

“Indeed. We’ll wait and play Shiritori while we wait.”

“Wait, I can walk by myself!?”

In the end, I was escorted to the carriage.

And both of them seemed a little angry.

◆◆

“I’m terribly sorry! My daughter was so rude to our benefactors!”

“Village Chief, please don’t apologize so much. It was your daughter who insulted me.”

When Shion looked at her daughter, she flinched and her shoulders shook.

“See? Hurry up and apologize while Shion-san is still here!”

“W-what’s the big deal? It’s only natural to laugh when there’s only one plain baggage carrier among them. Pfft… I can still laugh about it now.”

“You ungrateful girl! That baggage carrier brought a lot of wood and resources to our village! We wouldn’t have been able to repair anything without his help! Besides, some of the things he carried were cosmetics that you ordered yourself!”

“So what? Anyone can carry baggage. In fact, everyone does. I did it this morning. I fetched water from the river. That’s a respectable job too, carrying baggage, isn’t it? Anyone can do it~”

“Chibusa, you… I’m sorry, Shion-san. Ever since her mother passed away, my daughter has become quite arrogant…”

“Village Chief, you have it tough too. Shall we teach her a lesson?”

Shion took a step towards the daughter.

Then she looked sideways at the village chief.

“…Village Chief, could you step outside for 30 seconds?”

“But…”

“It’s all right. It’s only 30 seconds.”

Shion smiled.

But it was not a charming smile, but a strong, firm smile, as if giving a last warning.

“Th-then… Chibusa! Make sure you apologize properly!”

The door closed… and after a while, Shion spoke.

“Well… I am an adventurer. When I kill monsters, I am called a benefactor. But… if I kill humans, it would be a crime.”

“? What are you saying, Shion-sama? Instead of such a serious conversation, let’s have some tea, since this is a rare encounter after all…”

“The point is, adventurers have the power to kill people at any time, but they don’t because it would be a crime.”

Flames appeared in Shion’s palm.

The flames became more intense.

“I like being thanked for killing monsters, but I hate it when people badmouth my party members. If your mouth continues to insult him… you might be the next target for extermination.”

Without extinguishing the flame in her palm, Shion took a step… and another step closer to the daughter.

“…Y-you’re joking, aren’t you…?”

Shion didn’t answer.

Silent as she was, Shion radiated a threatening aura.

It was as if she wanted to burn the daughter to ashes with those flames, just like the goblins.

“Ah… um… um…”

“Fufu… I’ll settle for a warning today. For the sake of the village chief.”

Shion extinguished the flame.

But her sharp look remained.

“And by the way, I am a woman. And I am only interested in men. Do you understand what that means? What kind of person that baggage carrier you mocked is for me… what I think of him…”

“I’m sorry!!”

The daughter’s legs finally gave out and she collapsed to the floor.

Then, as if she had come to her senses, she hastily apologized.

It seemed she had finally realized.

She had stepped on a landmine.

“I’m glad you’ve learned to apologize. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

As Shion left the room, the village chief was waiting outside.

He looked at Shion worriedly.

“It’s over now, so please come in. Your daughter apologized properly, she’s a good girl.”

In the end, Shion smiled.

“Such a nuisance… But as a leader and a woman, I can’t stand to see Rokuto belittled.”

Shion’s eyes lost their sparkle and she smiled eerily.

“Oh, I shouldn’t make that face in front of Rokuto. I have to stay cool and calm as always.”

Pinching her cheek, Shion’s smile returned to its usual refreshing one.

“Well, I’d like him to realize soon that I’m a woman… and to get interested in small breasts as well.”

And so Shion returned to the carriage where the oblivious Rokuto was waiting.

◇Brief Character Introduction◇

Shion Granz

A reliable leader with a neutral, attractive appearance that perfectly blends the features of a beautiful boy and a beautiful girl. Although often mistaken for a man at first glance due to her appearance and somewhat affected behavior, she is actually a girl.

She tends to get quite moody when the subject of breasts comes up.

The scariest time for her is when someone insults one of her party members – that’s when she gets really angry.

TL note: I will refer to Shion as he/him whenever Rokuto is around and still oblivious.