After chasing them, they first caught up with Charlotte.
"Charlotte!"
Charlotte puts her hands on her lap and she's, uh, out of breath.
Where's Iris?
"Ah, that way. Sorry, I couldn't catch up."
That's how Charlotte pointed down the road.
I can see Iris behind me.
I'm doing everything I can. If it stays like this, it's going to be limitless.
"I'm on my way!
"Yeah, I'm sorry. I'll catch up soon."
I followed Iris at full speed.
Iris, wait!
……
When I called, Iris wiped his eyes with a stick, but he didn't stop.
--I can't help it.
Bowan!
I spread smoke in front of Iris...
"Wap!
I caught her like a net.
"Iris...."
"... what?"
Iris said so, burying his face in the smoke bed.
Mm-hmm. You're angry.
"Ask Fine to go home. So please fix your mood."
"... doesn't Lute want to be with that woman? I mean, you were deluded. Ever since yesterday!
"Yes, but...."
At that time, I didn't expect Fine to be so aggressive...
"I admit I was floating. Sorry, for Iris, it's an adventure for onee-san."
"Chi, no... I was angry with that..."
"Isn't it?
………… I knew it. "
...? What is it?
Let's go anyway.
"... hey, do I have my feet and hands tied? Are you bothering me?
"What, do you care what Fine said earlier? Don't worry about that."
"... I care. I'm weak. I'm worried....."
……
I can't help it...
"It doesn't matter if it's strong or weak, I want to stay with Iris. That's all."
"... really?
Iris, who was burying his face in smoke, showed us a little face.
"Yeah."
"... really?
"Yeah... it's true."
"... but..."
Well, what should I do!?
I was so embarrassed to say that!
"Anyway, please fix your mood! I'll do anything! Exactly! I don't like this heavy atmosphere!
I lowered my head. [M]
"... anything? Will you do anything for me?
"Uh-huh. To the best of my ability."
…… Okay, I'm in a good mood. "
I sighed relieved.
"Nhihi... I'm looking forward to it"
Iris is laughing suspiciously... What are you thinking?
Well, okay. In the meantime, I seem to be in a better mood.
Girls are in trouble at all.... maybe that's cute.
"Lute! Iris!"
Charlotte came here waving his hand.
"Iris. You can't go alone."
"... sorry"
"I know you regretted it, but it would be dangerous if there were monsters, right?
"Yes...."
"Next time you want to, you can take me with you. Right?"
"Yeah... I'm sorry. Thank you."
Charlotte is wearing Iris' head.
It's kind of a reversal of the usual. It's an unusual sight.
At that time, there was a sound of leaf rubbing.
It's Fine. She jumped in from somewhere and got down next to us.
…………
The mask is looking at us.
Before I say anything...
"Oh, I'm sorry."
---Fine knelt on the spot.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... uu, uuuu"
"Oh, hey...."
Fine rubbed her face on the ground, and began to raise her voice as if the beast were roaring low.
"Don't do it... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... don't do it..."
With such a pathetic figure and voice, I lost my word.
Iris and Charlotte also looked at each other with a dazed face.
"Don't stop... uuuu... uu... uuu..."
Fine stuck to my leg.
"Hey, let me go."
When I said it, Fine shook her body and immediately let go of my leg.
What happened to Fine?
Sure I said something to throw her out, but did that one say something that caused her to do this?
I don't know, but it's not unusual, is it?
"Fine, what the hell is going on?
Did you see her? Charlotte sat by Fine.
However, Fine was crying overbreathing as she leaned and couldn't answer the question.
I'll answer Charlotte's question instead.
"I'm not taking you to the dungeon. Go home. That's what I said."
"... yes."
Charlotte stared at Fine with his merciful eyes.
"Lute, well, that was half my fault... so..."
That's what Iris says.
Charlotte looked at me the same way.
They want you to say something nice.
Of course, if you look like this, you'll want to do it unexpectedly. It's so pathetic.
But that was unusual aggressiveness...
"Hey, Lute... hurry up..."
Let's go.
Iris' eyes began to accuse me.
Damn it, Iris was the first one to fight, wasn't he?
But...
When you cry like this, you say, "What? Was it my fault? Did I say that a little too much?".
Besides, that's it.
To be honest, seeing Fihne, I kind of felt like I was seeing myself back in the day.
Simply put, I sympathized with her.
I can't help it. I didn't mean to tell you to go home with a lighter feeling than to withdraw the foreword, but let me talk to you for a minute.
I changed places with Charlotte.
"Fine, Charlotte and Iris are irreplaceable to me. It doesn't matter whether it's helpful or not, whether it's strong or weak. That's why I want you to stop saying that."
I said so gently as I could.
"... doesn't it matter if it's useful, if it doesn't stand up, if it's strong or weak?
Fine raised her face in a mask and repeated some of my words.
"Yeah, that's right."
"That's not true. It's useless, but no one needs it."
... Fihne's words were weak, but a strong will to say so was conveyed.
"So, I'm sorry. I'm sure I can help you, Mr. Lute. If Iris and Charlotte, who don't seem to have any power whatsoever, think like that, why are they being nice to Mr. Lute?"
I chose my words carefully.
"If I dare to go along with your reasoning, I think it would be useless at that point because I want to be with you.
"... do you want to stay with me? Why? It's useless."
That's...
"I feel happy when I'm with you. It is difficult to put into words why you feel that way. Maybe it's not rational."
Fine left it for a while. It looked like I was thinking about something.
And then...
"...... I also feel happy to spend time with Mr. Lute."
That's what he said, hopefully.
Why are you so close to me...?
No, I'll leave that for now. I'm sure she means it.
"Okay. I asked you to leave earlier, but I'll ask for your opinion. I obey them."
When I say so, Fine finally looks up and...
I slowly removed the mask. Her crying face became dew.
"That's it....."
Iris noticed the tattoo.
The attitude tells me that Fitney took off the mask perhaps to convey good faith.
"I'm really sorry. Please forgive me."
She apologized to Iris first.
"I'm sorry, too. I was a little frustrated and said something extra. So, um... I'm sorry, too. Please forgive me."
"Of course not. I'm really sorry. Charlotte, will you forgive me, please?
"Fufu, I didn't care from the beginning. So, is it okay to make up?
"... will you take me to the dungeon?
The two nodded together.
"... I'm glad."
Fine said that with the face that the lost child found his parents.
Iris and Charlotte looked at each other and sighed relieved.
"Thank you very much. Thank you very much."
Mm-hmm.
It's intuitive, but I don't think Fine will be eating them anymore.
Instead, I'm more worried about my heart, which has broken down into tears in just one word.
……
I can't help thinking about it. We have to move on now.
"Alright! Let's go to the dungeon for now! I'm tired of seeing these bamboo shoots."
…………
……