The picturesque rice cakes are delicious today

Me, me?

Yeah.

I thought I heard something wrong and asked, but Lao Cres just nodded.

"What, why? Maybe I'm not good at this kind of thing."

"... that's why."

I don't know what it is, but Laocles... said, looking a little complicated.

"I may be stuck in your fluffy mouth and talk."

... erm.

No. You're not saying that? Is that what Laocres is saying? "Oh, my God..."

"Otherwise, the opponent who doesn't need to be bluffing will be easier to talk to." Yeah, that's the way it works. "

I feel like I've been told something bad. "I'm so fluffy, I don't need to be bluffing..."

... well, I think that's a good thing in this case.

Fluffy, I don't need to be bluffing. Well, that's not desirable for me, but... this is what I do.

It seems that Faye's low magic power sometimes works to our advantage. Maybe I'm a fluffy, unreliable guy, and that's what works.

If that's my role in everyone... I think I'll do it.

“Okay, if that's the case, I'll try.”

... of course, I don't like fluffy. If possible, I don't want you to think it's fluffy.... uuuu.

... so...

"... hey, what are you guys thinking?"

”Hmm... well, maybe I'm the right person for the job, so...”

Huh. In the end, I don't think so.

"Yeah. I think so too..."

Luster and I decided to talk alone. [M] Everyone else is a little further away. For once, there was a Knights of Bones nearby so that I could not harm Luster, but as for Luster, the monsters seemed to have nothing to do with it.

I don't know who you're dealing with, but I won't talk to you.

"Yeah... it would be helpful if you could teach me a lot, but, well, if you don't want to talk, you can't help it..."

... I don't know how to do this. Crore must be very good at this, and Lao Cres is also familiar with it. Even Faye is good at negotiating.... I'm the worst at this job!

"Um... well, I'll tell you something else?"

"... what about you?"

"Yeah, well, um, I don't know what to talk about. Hey, do you have a topic you want to talk about or a question you want to ask?"

For the time being, Luster had a dazed look on her face.

”... you're the one who's going to ask.”

Yeah.

"What are you going to do when you talk?"

"Huh? Hmm... what are we going to do?"

For the time being, I made a suggestion to connect the spots, so I didn't think about what would happen to it. "Um..."

"... I don't know if you can tell me what I've told you."

"No, you're stupid."

You're an idiot anyway. It can't be helped. I don't know what to do with this. But I know that Crore and Lao Cres are going to leave it to me... so I'm going to have to do it my way.

"Well then... do you want to talk about Crore?"

I can't help it, so at least I'll suggest topics that Luster might be interested in to make it easier to talk about.

"... you mean Karen."

Then, Luster unexpectedly expressed her interest. Okay. Let's talk about this for now. I'm not good at interrogating people, but I think we can do something about it.... it would be nice if you could spin something in the meantime.

"What you call Karen, for us, is Crore." Uh, we live together in the woods. "

"...... Soleila, right?"

Yeah.

Then I talked about what was going on in Crore's woods. It's very popular with horses and fairy cafes. They said they liked cooking surprisingly, and they liked edamame beans.

Luster was listening to me with a strange look on her face. He seemed to be interested, and sometimes his words came out in a rash.

... that's what he knows about [Karen].

I mean, she's got more magic than anyone else, and there really were a couple of times in the past when she failed on her mission. I get gifts from all over the place, so I can understand her taste when I look around.

Karen likes to wear red gems, so she usually gives them to Luster. The size of her dress. Is it liquor of my favorite brand?

Then... the name "Karen" was taken from Calendula... Kinsenka. That's probably why she likes Kinsenka, both of them.

... somehow, you've been watching a lot, and you've been telling me a lot of details. The word "stalker" was all over my brain, but, well, that means... that Luster is just looking at you, and that means...

"Hey, does Luster like Crore?"

I guess that's what it is, I asked, thinking it was a stingy thought.

At once, Luster looked strange and unpleasant.

"... what are you going to do when you hear that?"

"No, it's amazing, I thought..."

I'm not making a fool of myself. Really. I want you to know that, and I'm trying to explain it to you... suddenly I remember.

"Someone I trusted... said, 'Love is fear.'"

There was a time when the teacher said something like that.

Y-You 're terrified?

Yeah.

Luster raised a bewildered voice like, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Fear, what did you say?" She said, "I'm not myself anymore, I'm scared if the other person doesn't like me, what if I don't dress well in front of them..."

While recalling, I'm imagining a little... I think it's amazing.

I don't quite understand the word "love". I like to paint, and sometimes I fall in love with Laocles, Crores, Liane, and Ange at first sight because I want to, but it's not like love.

... I wonder if you're scared. But I think it's [love] that has the power to push that fear back. I can imagine that much.

That's why I think it's amazing to love, and I think it's amazing to love someone. I think it's amazing to beat fear.

"... fear?"

... but suddenly, Luster mumbled and thought about it.

"After all, is love a fear?" Sensei... the person who told me that story is not experienced in romance, so I couldn't match the answer to the theory that love is fear... "

Luster had a somewhat complicated expression on her face when she heard me make excuses.

Wasn't Luster scared?

It's a corner, so I thought I'd give you an answer, so I asked.

Didn't you get scared because you felt like you were no longer yourself, or because you thought Crore might hate you?

And...... Luster turned to answer with a confused expression on her face.

"...... I've never thought about that before."

Oh, I see. Well, the teacher is weird, and I don't think he should have wanted a general response to his personal feelings.

"Ahh... I've never thought about it."

However, Mr. Luster seemed to be thinking about something, rather than answering.

It was the first time I saw Luster's thoughts, so it was kind of fresh and a little surprised.

Luster leaned down and thought about something. "Fear, right..." she muttered. She suddenly raised her face and asked me.

"Hey, why is he calling himself 'Crore'?"

"Huh?... oh, why isn't it another pseudonym?"

Luster nodded her head as she heard it.

"Well... the name 'Crore' was the one she used when she approached me. I know it was a disposable name, but she said she likes it now. My favorite... my favorite name. She seems to like living in the woods."

When I answer, Luster looks a little hurt.

"... he can say that to anyone"

"Yes, I know that Mr. Crore is that kind of person.... but she really has a beautiful smile on her face in the woods."

I really want to say that Crore is like a forest. Anyway, I'll show you my sketchbook.... Luster looked at Crore in my sketchbook, and she looked like she had mixed realism and longing, just like when she was listening to Ogasaki in a distant country.

This is what Crore of the Forest feels like.

Of course, I know that this isn't just Crore, but... I don't think Crore is lying and keeps calling himself "Crore." I mean, you're gonna smile like this.

"So, at least in me, she's Crore." Not Karen, Crore. I want to like Crore who likes herself. "

It's okay for Luster to call Karen "Karen". I think he should do as he pleases. And just like that, in my mind, Crores is Crores, and Crores is free to call himself [Crores]...

... when she answered with such a sentiment, Luster suddenly said:

"...... Karen isn't here anymore, is she?"

I wondered what it was about, and Luster's face was so bitter that she dropped her gaze to the ground diagonally.

”I'll make it into something, or else I'll kill you... before that, it's gone already”

... I don't quite understand the meaning of his words, but I know that you're trying to organize your feelings to become a Luster, so I listened in silence.

"Fear, hey... I'm sure it's more frightening than all those ghosts."

And then Luster smiled and looked at me with a self-mocking smile. For the first time since I started talking, I feel that my eyes have been properly aligned.

"... All right. Enough. I'll give you a hard time."

Luster's expression was still full of irritability and confusion, but... it was much more refreshing than before. It still takes time to figure out something, get it sorted out, catch it and swallow it, but in the meantime, the immediate goal is to look like that face.

"Hey, kid, it's a deal."

"Yeah. What?"

"I'll answer your question." So let me go. Without telling them anything, here and now. "

I'm a little lost in what Luster said.

Releasing Luster here... means not consulting with Laocles or Crore.

This is not something I can decide on my own... but I think it's fine.

"Okay, that's fine."

"... is it okay?"

When I nodded, Mr. Luster looked somewhat surprised. He didn't think I'd accept.

"Yes. That's fine. Instead, you'll have to talk to us and never harm us again."

Luster didn't answer my question, but I thought, well, maybe it would be okay, so I decided to leave it at that for now.

at......

"Because the promise is a promise... um, can I go with Mr. Marpink?" Well, sign the contract. Also, just give me the back of your hand. "

“How's it going?

"It's the magic of the contract. If you tear it off, I'll make sure your dick grows on your head."

While recalling the magic contract used by Mr. Marpink, he added more and more such conditions as "nothing else can be said about our information", "never again harm us", "never join the King of Arson", "never again steal a sealed jewel", etc.

"My head, my dick... oh, yes!" Here! Take off this strange flower! "

Along the way, Mr. Luster began to make noise, so I remembered. Oh, yeah. That's what they said. Luster, my dick was still shaking over my head.

... I think it's pretty cute like this, but I decided to just nod my head.