The Strongest Onmyoji and the Shikigami With AI are Unparalleled in Another World ~ A Second Life Properly Enjoyed Using Artificial Intelligence ~ - Chapter 155

When my vision returned, I found myself in Leanne’s office at the guild in the royal capital.

In the room, Kenneth was sitting at a desk, working.

“Oh? You’ve returned? And everyone is together… though there’s someone I don’t recognize,” Kenneth said as he looked us over, staring intently at Pamela.

“She’s the district mayor’s daughter,” Leanne replied.

“I see… no chance of winning, then,” Kenneth remarked.

How rude.

“Shut up! This isn’t about winning or losing!”

“Wise decision. So, what brings you here?” Kenneth asked, putting down his pen.

“You’re holding a grudge about the work I shoved onto you, huh… No, I’ve returned, but it’s so late. I thought it would be a hassle to cook dinner, so I figured we’d go eat out. Since we’re here, I thought we’d do it in the royal capital.”

“That sounds good. Shall I prepare a carriage?”

“No, it’s close by, so we’ll walk. Did anything happen on your end?”

“I have a message: His Majesty would like to know the progress, so he’s asked you to come to the castle.”

Well, the king would be curious. But wasn’t I supposed to report everything as it happens?

“Got it.”

“Leanne, I’ll join you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Tomorrow’s a day off, right?” I looked over at Natalia, who was in charge of deciding breaks.

“Yep, it’s a day off.”

Knew it.

“There, see?”

“Understood. Then please accompany me tomorrow. Kenneth, I’ll go tomorrow.”

“Understood. Apologies for interrupting your dinner plans. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Alright. I’m counting on you… Let’s go, then.”

We left the room and exited the guild.

The royal capital we had visited not long ago was still lively, its streets bright even under the dark sky, with many people walking around.

We made our way to the shop Leanne and I had visited together previously.

Once we arrived, a staff member guided us to a more spacious private room than before.

Inside the room, AI-chan was quick to grab a seat by the window, so I sat next to her.

Then, Leanne came and sat beside me.

“…You absolutely refuse to let anyone else sit next to Yuuma, don’t you?”

“Now that you mention it, Leanne always sits next to Yuuma, doesn’t she?”

When Alice pointed it out, Lily seemed to notice as well.

“Quiet, you little brats. Just sit down already,” Leanne snapped, and everyone took their seats.

“…Well, there’s always someone who casually sits directly across from Yuuma. Every single time,” Alice remarked, prompting me to glance at Natalia, who was sitting directly in front of me.

“It’s just a coincidence,” Natalia denied, but now that I think about it, she always seems to be directly across from me—whether in my room or in the carriage. It’s like the sides are taken by the smaller ones, and Natalia is always fixed in front.

“Just ignore it. The only ones bothered by it are those two over there,” Annie said indifferently, as she started browsing the menu with Lily and Pamela.

“This is so expensive…”
“As expected of the royal capital…”

After exchanging glances, Lily and Pamela turned their eyes to me.

“Order whatever you like. I’ll cover it,” I said. With five gold coins per day and a success bonus of 200 gold coins, I had plenty to spare. I might as well spend it on them since I have no other use for it.

“So cool!”
“B-rank really is different, huh?”
“For now, I’ll take the most expensive wine,” they said, returning to the menu with renewed enthusiasm.

“Such commoners… and Pamela, you’re supposed to be a girl from a good family,” Leanne said, exasperated.

“This and that are two different things,” Pamela replied.
“Well, Yuuma-sama is treating us, so we should gratefully enjoy it,” Annie said.
“You don’t need to be grateful. Just order whatever you want,” I added.

The three excitedly decided on their orders, and once everyone had placed theirs, the drinks and food arrived, and we all began eating and drinking.

“So, while you were in the royal capital, you two were enjoying stuff like this, huh,” Annie said, giving me a sidelong glance as she sipped her wine.

“Hey, the inn you guys stayed at wasn’t bad either. It’s one of the top-ranked places in the royal capital,” Leanne remarked.

She was right. The food there was fantastic. Even the fish Alice and I had caught was skillfully prepared, so the inn’s chefs must have been very talented.

“True enough. But it’s also about the atmosphere,” Annie added.

Annie gazed at the night view through the window.

Meanwhile, AI-chan and Alice who had claimed the spots by the window were eating, drinking, and staring outside the whole time.

“…Natalia, when you became an adventurer a few years ago, did you ever imagine you’d come to a place like this?”
“Not at all.”
“…Didn’t think so.”
“We owe it to Master, you know!”

Sure, I said I’d treat them, but they could easily afford this place on their own. Though, knowing them, they’d never come here individually.

“Hey, hey, Pamela, what’s this? A snail?”
“It’s escargot.”
“Huh… Oh! Snail is delicious!”
“It’s escargot…”

Of course, the elf who loves caterpillars would enjoy this.

“Such noisy people… in a place with such a nice atmosphere,” Leanne grumbled.
“It’s fine; it’s fun,” I replied.
“Exactly, right?”

Leanne quickly shifted her opinion.

We continued eating and drinking, and after finishing our meal, we headed to the guild and then back to our rooms. Once there, we sat around the kotatsu and drank tea.

“So, we’re taking tomorrow off, but we’re going the day after?” Annie asked, her head resting flat on the table as she checked.

“That sounds good to me.”

“Who’s going? Everyone?”

What should we do?

“It’s the last time, so let’s all go. We might even get to see a dragon.”
“A dragon, huh… Well, seeing one at least once in a lifetime wouldn’t be bad.”

“You guys good with that?” I asked Natalia, Alice, and Lily.

“I’m fine with it!”
“…Might as well, since we’re here.”
“I’m from the area, so of course I’ll go.”

It looked like all three of them were on board.

“Pamela, are you coming with us?”

“I’m not. But later, just hand over the magic stones and other stuff all at once, okay?”

“Got it.”

Not that we have much since there weren’t many monsters around.

“Take care, okay?”

“Yeah.”

We all ended up spending our time together until it was quite late before going to bed.