A month has passed since I started working for the Alliance. I also follow up with Camille and Miranda, and I manage to do my job every day. Ms. Miranda is about the same age as Ciel, an attractive woman with red hair and a tight, skinny body. And she is also an adventurer who is good at fighting with daggers. When I say why it doesn't work, she says it's because she's still active and only works in the guild for the parenting period. You think you're dreaming of returning to active duty in a couple more years and adventuring around the place with your parents and kids? I thought it would be interesting to have a variety of people around because they told me that there was such a way of life.
"Lapis, it's payday. Are you planning on buying something?
"Right...... First you give gifts to Ciel and Karin who are taking care of you, and the rest is your savings. I'd like to rent my own room."
That's what I answered Mr. Camille's query. I've known since I started working that Alliance salaries are a lot higher than the average in this city. Sure... you think you can get close to double the average downwork? If you want to wonder why, Mr. Miranda told me why.
The reason I was involved with a bloody adventurer was to say that it's a mentally and physically arduous job, so nobody would go on without paying this much -. Well, it's rare these days, but I've been awesome for a week or two since I worked out. Ordinary people might be scared of that.
That's why I was about to leave Ciel's room sooner than I thought. She tells me it's good to stay forever, but I'm not thinking about staying in a boulder for the rest of my life. It's good now, but even she'll find someone nice in the future, and at that point, I don't want to be in the way.
When I told Ciel that I was going to pay the rent and the food, she stuck it out that I didn't want it, so I managed to convince her to just accept the food. I mean, I'm free to use it except for the cost of food, so there's nothing wrong with turning it to savings. If you're paying here, you should be able to rent a cheap room if you work for three months. But before I do, I want to spend my first paycheck for the two of you I'm looking after - but I've been living alone for a long time, and I can't figure out what makes you two happy. Let's ask a bunch of seasoned seniors here.
"Um... I've never given a gift or anything, so don't you know any good stores?
"Then why don't you go around the grocery store for a lunch break? I know a store with lots of things that girls might be happy with. I'll take you."
"Is that true? Please!
Mr. Miranda would be close to his age with the Siers, and he would surely choose a good gift. For some reason, Miranda looked at me with a complicated look that made me feel safe.
"What's wrong with you?
"No that... Lapis would have gotten a gift or a pile of it from a guy. Because he was like that at all... he said it's surprising. I think I know a lot from people."
Oh, is that what you're saying? Surely it's not strange to get all kinds of invitations from guys for this look. I was called out a few times when I started working, but every time I stared at him silently, there was no man who approached me outside of work.
"Because you live in the country. They're all old people around, and young people leave right away, and they don't have that experience."
"No body. If I were a man, I would have spoken."
Mr. Miranda laughs with Kerakera. Of course, that's a fabrication. There were no old people around me.
"Then lunch break, please"
"Leave it to me! 'Cause I'm sure they'll choose something they like."
Hit me in the chest. Confident Mr. Miranda. Leave it to her and she'll be fine...... probably.
§ § §
After finishing lunch early, we decided to go around some grocery stores with Mr. Miranda's guide as soon as possible. There are many kinds of grocery stores for a bite, ranging from stores dealing mainly with daily necessities to stores dealing with small ornaments. One of the things I was taken to was a store that handled a lot of products for girls.
"Welcome"
The clerk who opened the door for me at the entrance says so and greets me with a smile. When I return the meeting and go inside, a lot of the girls say it's noon and take the product and happily stipulate that it's not the same. When I hesitated not to get into that air yet, Mr. Miranda took my hand and stormed a bunch of girls.
"Lapis, how about this? Doesn't that look good on Ciel's hair? I think this one's perfect for Karin."
"Uh..."
I get handed hair decorations and bracelets and everything, but to be honest, I don't really see the difference. They all look similar in shape to this... But you chose it because of me, and I believed in Mr. Miranda's taste and made various observations myself. Unlike me, the girls around are making noise about having to put a lot on their hair and bodies. I guess that's not a gift, it's for me to buy. I tried to imagine Ciel and Karin wearing the product in their hands, but it didn't come to mind that they were just as happy as these kids.
"You don't seem to be pinning anything. So next time you want to see some clothes, too? It's worth more than decorations, but I'm sure you'll be happy for that."
"Right. Then let's go that way."
The break is short. Hurry up and choose or I'll run out of time to buy it. When I rushed into the next store, the same sight was unfolding there as just now. The second time, I won't be more frightened now. I arrived at a corner lined with everyday clothes, desperately devoured by Mr. Miranda, who would not hesitate to draw the girls apart. Mr. Miranda quickly locates the products and arranges them before me one after the other. I was impressed by how handy it was.
"Come on, Lapis, this is for Karin. This is Ciel's clothes. Pick one."
About five clothes each? I'll take them one by one and spread them out in front of me. Karin has short, brown hair and eyes, so you should stop coloring the same pedigree. Then bright colors, not dark colors - the white lineage might be good. Ciel has long, beautiful peach hair, and I think it's a good black lineage with a clear color. You're a magician.
In the end, worried about my troubles, what I chose was a white piece for Karin. Ciel had a tunic with white edges on the black ground. They are both perfect for the look of both of us, and if you wear them everyday, they are just the right clothes, so I think you'll be happy with this. I put the accounted for product in my bag, and I bowed my head to Mr. Miranda.
"Thank you. Thanks to Miranda. I couldn't have chosen it alone."
"Good for you, Lapis."
I thanked Miranda for her scattered relationship and when I tried to get some fruit juice on my way home, she was happier than I thought. Thank you again. In the evening, after work, I did not head to Ciel's house as usual, but turned to the familiar dining room. It's my payday, so I promised them a meal.
Many people enter and leave the store only at meals. I don't hesitate to look at people like a few different people, but when I ignored them all and went inside, I saw two people doing a little ale at the table in the deepest part of the store.
"Lapis!
"Over here, over here!
They call me out loud so I can't beat the noise in the store. When I got to the table waving my hand and answering that, Rio from the payroll came to pick up my order.
"There you are, Lapis. What are we gonna do today?
"It's payday. Three servings of this Komail beef steak, please."
"You're excited ~. Okay! Ask your father to make it delicious."
A Komail cow is a cow created by mating to food, and its meat is often traded at such a price that eyeballs pop up. It's a steak made of that meat, so the price is pretty high in this mass dining room. Karin and Ciel looked a little worried, but I laughed at them both the way I said it was nothing.
"Are you okay, Lapis? A comer cow."
"I'm not pushing you?
"It's okay. You both know the guild pays well, don't you? It's not a rare occurrence, there's no other use for it, and I need to spend as much money as I do at this time. Better yet, where have you two been today? It was a near-field request, wasn't it?
"Oh, yeah, yeah. Listen to me, Lapis. Karin didn't even ask me to stop, but she went into a demon."
"Hey, Ciel! You promised to keep that to yourself!
Sometimes the two of us go through the process when we're at the reception at the guild, but I don't know the details because Miranda was closing the process today. Rio brought me a steak for the number of people to the table as I laughed and heard the two of them talking funny and crazy about where they went and what demons they crusaded.
"Please wait. It's an excellent Komail beef steak. Taste and eat."
"Wow! I might eat for the first time!
"Neither do I. I didn't have any luck at all."
Even the two of us who have been in this cafeteria for a long time have never eaten this menu. It's worth the luxury.
"Let's eat before it's cold, both of us, not impressed"
"Right. I'll have it!"
"I'll take it. Wow... so soft"
As soon as I stuck out the fork, the gravy flooded out of it. This is a phenomenon that has never been seen in meat eaten before. I guess that's all this meat means is fine. When I tried to cut in with a knife as I rang my throat with Gokuri, Ciel was right and I was able to cut it without much resistance. The moment I slowly carried the meat into my mouth by skewering a slice with a fork in my hand that seemed to tremble with a little excitement, the flavor I had never eaten before spread into my mouth.
"Ugh... yum -!"
"Yummy! What is this!
"I can't believe I haven't eaten this before. I've ruined my life."
I carry the meat into my mouth one after the other in amazement at the Trinity. While moisturizing my throat with the additional ale I asked for, I tried different ways of enjoying the leftover meat: pinching it in bread or pinching it in vegetables. Delicious meals only make people happy. When I ate all the meat and everyone was in a good mood and relaxed, I remembered the day and pulled out the clothes I had just bought from my bag. And I hand the clothes to both of them with their necks in their hands.
"Lapis?
"What's this?
"That's a gift for the two of us who always take care of us. Thank you. It's my first paycheck, so I wanted to send you two something."
When the two surprised looked at the clothes in their hands several times, they jumped like they were thrilled.
"Wow!?
"Lapis!
"You're a daughter really already! What a good daughter!
I get messed up by two people with tears in their eyes. I got slapped all over my body by two excited people, or stroked my hair until it was unscrupulous, but I don't feel strange and unpleasant. Rather glad. I was not even in the pattern confused by the feeling I had never had before.
"It's better if you're happy. Shall we put that on for the next holiday and go play with the three of us?"
"Right! Make sure you do!
"Looking forward to it! We need to be as stylish as we want then!
It's a delightful miscalculation that you two would be so happy. Where shall we go for the next holiday? It just makes it fun to think in my head. Get out of town for a month and a little bit. I hoped from the bottom of my heart that I would live happily ever after.