The Strongest Onmyoji and the Shikigami With AI are Unparalleled in Another World ~ A Second Life Properly Enjoyed Using Artificial Intelligence ~ - Chapter 89

We continued walking and arrived at the river.
Then, Alice took out a fishing rod for us, and after laying out a mat, the two of us sat down side by side and started fishing.
“…This isn’t a walk.”
Annie squatted down next to me, resting her cheek on her hand and giving me a sidelong glance.
“It’s a walk up to this point.”
“…Yeah, yeah. Now, let’s secure dinner.”
“I’m not going to do it.”
As expected, Annie didn’t seem to like fishing.
“Well, it’s fine. Just sit down.”
As I said this, Annie sat on the mat.
Then, Koma-chan rested his head on Annie’s thigh and closed his eyes.
“You’re so cute…”
Annie petted the sleeping Koma-chan.
“Annie, what do you usually do?”
“What do you mean?”
When I asked, Annie tilted her head.
“I was wondering what you do besides work. Winter is coming soon, right? I’m going to be really bored.”
“Well, I’m bored too. Lately, I’ve been playing with Koma-chan, but before that, I was either making medicine or doing solo fashion shows.”
Fashion shows…
Alone…
I’m not one to talk, but that’s kind of sad.
“What are your future plans? After retiring as an adventurer.”
“Who knows… I’ll probably just keep making medicine since I can. There aren’t many adventurers who think much about the future.”
Living day by day, huh…
“So basically, you’re bored and have no future plans.”
“Well, you could say that. But it can work out in many ways.”
She can do magic and make medicine.
With her skills, she won’t have trouble living.
“Is that so, is that so.”
“Hey, what are you trying to say?”
Annie probably has a sense of what I’m getting at.
“You’re solo, right?”
“Sigh… solicitation?”
“Yeah.”
“I knew it…”
As expected, she understood.
“It’s better than going out alone. But probably, bandits are going to start increasing.”
“Maybe… but you really gather the women, don’t you? What are you going to do with so many?”
I’m not gathering them.
“I don’t have such an intention. In terms of party balance, I’d prefer Clive over you.”
“But Clive is a man, isn’t he?”
That’s not it.
“He has his own party. You’re the only solo.”
“I’m just joking. I only heard your mother mumbling.”
That flashy fox.
“Ignore my mother.”
“You don’t have hobbies or anything to do because you had twelve wives, right?”
Maybe.
With so many kids and grandchildren, there would never be a dull moment.
“That was in a past life. I’m not going to be like that.”
“To be honest, I don’t think it’s impossible…”
Why?
“…I think so too.”
Alice also agrees.
“I’m sincere, you know.”
“That’s exactly why.”
Eh… She said the same thing as Layla.
“Let’s drop this topic. Anyway, from today, you’re officially a party member.”
“So pushy… I don’t work that much, you know? I have my work as an apothecary too.”
“That’s fine. Just whenever you have the time and it suits you.”
“Hmm… well, if that’s the case, it’s fine.”
She nodded rather easily.
“Is it really okay?”
“It’s not like I’m solo by choice, and we’re in the same clan. If it were another adventurer, I’d refuse, but since we’re in the same clan, it’s fine… I sometimes go with other parties too.”
“By the way, why have you stayed solo? Why not join another party? It’s a clan with a lot of women, right?”
Do the other women dislike you?
“I’m a B-rank and the vice leader of this clan, you know? Normally, if I joined a party, I’d become the leader. But if such a leader didn’t work much, the party members would be troubled, right?”
That’s true.
Annie could still earn, but the other party members would struggle.
Even so, she wouldn’t want to be a leader with more responsibilities than she already has, let alone outranking herself to become a leader.
“I see. If that’s the case, don’t worry. I don’t mind.”
“Right. That’s why I said it’s fine. It’s convenient for me too, since I’m not good at close combat.”
Annie said this while petting Koma-chan.
“…You’re a good leader who takes care of negotiations, is close with a guild receptionist, strong, and protective.”
Alice praised me, but one of those points felt odd.
“So, what are we going to do next? The eastern ruins again? Honestly, I don’t want to go… Can we even go after what happened?”
Annie, now officially part of the group, asked about our future plans.
“The matter regarding the demons was not made public, so they can’t restrict access to the eastern ruins. It seems the issue with the western forest is a significant problem too.”
“Yeah, our group mostly disappeared due to that.”
“So, it looks like the western forest will be reopened. I was planning to talk about it over dinner, but I think we should stop going to the eastern ruins and head to the western forest instead.”
It’s far, and walking there is a hassle.
“Oh, it’s reopening? That’s sooner than I expected, but it’s good. There’s hardly any trouble between adventurers there.”
Only adventurers from the western district go there.
“Well, let’s talk over dinner.”
“Yeah… Hurry up and fish. You haven’t caught a single one yet.”
Annie gave me a sidelong glance.
“That’s how fishing is.”
“…Don’t rush, don’t rush.”
“Sigh… I guess we’ll be stopping by the market today too.”
I’ll catch something, I promise.