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The visitor that suddenly appeared after breakfast. The one who showed up with a big luggage and ragged breath was the waitress of Dog Bone, Saira. 

“Good morning, Onii-san!” (Saira)

“It is Saira.” (Wolfe)

“Ooh, you are here.” (Ilias)

Saira was looking at the surroundings with interest and ragged breath. Of course she would be excited if she had been called to the house of the person she admires, Ilias.

“That’s quite the luggage you’ve got there. What’s going on?” (Ilias)

“Aah, I have brought the clothes that you requested the other day, Ilias.” (Saira)

“M-Mine?” (Ilias)

We asked to have clothes be made for Ilias when Wolfe’s clothes were made for the first time, but Saira was having a hard time making clothes that she was satisfied with. Or more like, her motivation to create had gone through the roof. It was a repeat of making and remaking. 

That said, she readied a few sets of clothes for Wolfe in that time too. It has gone pretty cheaply despite being order-made.

“I went to hang out at her house the other day to hear about her progress from the other day, but it had gotten pretty hectic. I invited her here, telling her to bring them over once.” 

“Is that so… And so it ended up with this many?” (Ilias)

“No, this isn’t even 10% of it.” 

“What…?” (Ilias)

“I have brought the clothes I have made for the sake of Ilias-sama after careful selection!” (Saria)

“That’s how it is. We can’t accept them all, so try them out quickly and choose from them.” 

“O-Okay.” (Ilias)

And so, the two headed to the room of Ilias. Rakura muttered while watching and drinking tea.

“You have such a cute tailor-san, huh. I would like clothes too, Counselor-sama.” (Rakura)

“I see, do your best. I will at least think about haggling for you.” 

“Wolfe would like a few more too.” (Wolfe)

“Yeah, we gotta increase the amount of possessions you have. Tell me more and more things you want. I will buy whatever I can buy you.” 

“Okay!” (Wolfe)

“So cruel!” (Rakura)

Rakura is in the same cleric clothes every day. Those are her work clothes, but it is a comfortable robe, so it works for casual clothes too. Is that fine for you, cleric?

It also apparently saves the trouble of choosing clothes. A sad reason. 

In that sense, it is a similar situation to Wolfe’s, but I actually had Saira ready a number of the sets aside from the same clothes she had. She can make them fast when it is Wolfe, but when it is Ilias, she apparently takes time. 

Saira is still in training. If it is Rakura who has good proportions and is pretty, Saira could make one or two outfits using her as a model, but…I don’t want her to take such an easy route. Let’s stealthily arrange things with Saira.

“Tadaah!” 

It seems like, from the many clothes that were carried over, Ilias chose one; Ilias and Saira came down. Yeah, who is that?

“Ilias, that looks pre—” 

“Oh my, oh my!” (Rakura)

There were a lot of clothes within the outfits of Ilias that are like those for men, but the ones Saira brought were completely designed with femininity in mind. Just the skirt alone made me do a double-take.

But this is really different from the usual gorilla image I have of her with armor on. The fluffy cardigan gives me a soft impression.

“Does it…look weird?” (Ilias)

“I think it looks good -to the point it makes it hard to believe you are a knight.” 

“Is that a praise?” (Ilias)

“Yeah, you give off a different vibe from usual, but such clothes fit you well too, huh.” 

“I see. Thanks.” (Ilias)

“Well then, let’s have you go out like that.” 

“Huh?!” (Ilias)

“It is after actually having the person wear those clothes and checking how it goes that their imagination will be stirred. And so, I was thinking about you going out in those clothes today for the sake of Saira.” 

“Wait wait, I have been entrusted with the mission to protect you by His Majesty.” (Ilias)

Ilias complained. And that’s when a new visitor came in. I have been waiting.

“Lad, are you he—who is this stunner?” 

“C-Cara-jii?!” (Ilias)

“I have called a substitute. It was pretty obvious that you would still complain about not wanting to go out after all.” 

“You…” (Ilias)

“Fuafuafua! Isn’t that fine, Ilias? It wouldn’t hurt to wear the clothes your mother likes every once in a while.” (Cara)

“You are not gonna say that you are dissatisfied with Cara-jii being your substitute despite simply being on standby at the house, right? If you go that far, I could call Lord Ragudo though.” 

“Stop that! You definitely must not!” (Ilias)

And so, with a sincere persuasion, Ilias and Saira will be going around the city together. A pair of the same age. It should go well considering the personalities of the two. 

“Fuuh!” 

“Lad, it is rough for me…” (Cara)

“Wolfe, don’t be so on guard with Cara-jii…” 

“Counselor-sama, I wanted to go play too.” (Rakura)

I have to do something about the relationship between Cara-jii and Wolfe already. Rakura doesn’t matter.

And so, it is finally time to unveil the item that I prepared secretly. 

“It would be boring to stay in the house, right? I have prepared a bit of a side-show.” 

———

I walk around the city together with Saira. It is not only the market, clothes stores, shoe stores, and stores I normally wouldn’t go to but Saira knew well. I didn’t expect there would be so much difference in our range of actions even though we are of the same age. 

Even so, the eyes in the surroundings bother me. Is there anything weird? No, it wouldn’t be strange for them to mistake me for someone else in this appearance. I have no choice but to take it that way. 

This is for the sake of Saira. This isn’t something I can’t bear if I just think of it like that. 

“Fuuh, we have gone to pretty much all the places I wanted to! My creation desire is also going strong! Ilias-sama, shall we have a short break?” (Saira)

“Aah, right.” (Ilias)

We sit at a bench in the plaza and take a break. Good grief, his mysterious assertiveness is troubling. Can’t he use a bit of that to polish himself? 

He is lazily escaping from studying and training, different from Wolfe. It is because he is like that that he is still relying on the possession spell of Maya.

I have been given the opportunity to become his bodyguard. Should I lead him to a slightly more proper lifestyle? But if I am too strict, he might end up escaping in a sly manner. Thinking about it like that, the future prospects look bleak. A sigh leaked out from me.

“U-Uhm, Ilias-sama, are you bored?” (Saira)

“Aah, sorry. The sigh just now was directed at him. He has been escaping from training and often doesn’t show up since way before, but to think he was doing stuff like this.” (Ilias)

“Onii-san has been coming often to check how it is going. And also a lot of other things!” (Saira)

That ‘other things’ bothers me… He hasn’t put a hand on her, right? No, Saira is a cute city girl. I also feel like his attitude towards her is comparatively gentle. 

But if she likes him, it wouldn’t be bad? No, I don’t really like it, so there’s no doubt it would be bad.

“The other day, he introduced my clothes to Ban-san—uhm, a famous merchant in this city, and arranged a request to make clothes for the black wolfkins aside from Wolfe!” (Saira)

You can now see black wolfkins here and there in this city. I thought the fashion sense of them was similar to that of the clothes made for Wolfe, but could it be that they were made by Saira? 

“The clothes of Wolfe were nice. Were the clothes you made for the black wolfkins also good?” (Ilias)

“Yes! All of the black wolfkins liked them a lot, and I got gifts in return!” (Saria)

Saying this, Saira showed me the necklace she had on. It does feel simple, but the brilliant minerals are eye-catching. 

“That’s impressive. They are still getting used to this city. They should still be groping around in their attempts at negotiation.” (Ilias)

“And and! My results were acknowledged, and I have been accepted as a disciple in a clothes store that Ban-san manages!” 

I have heard about Saira. She would normally work at Dog’s Bone as a waitress, and would make clothes in her free days for self-study. She wants to open a store in the future, so she wants to learn the techniques for the sake of that. 

But an artisan normally only takes a disciple when they want them to succeed their store in the future. There wasn’t anyone who wanted to take in Saira who might become a future business rival. 

But she is taking long strides towards her objective. A person from the same age as me is certainly advancing towards the path she has chosen. 

“You are impressive, Saira.” (Ilias)

“Feh?” (Saira)

“I have been training the whole time since childhood in order to become a knight like my father. I learned swordsmanship and became a knight in that instance, but it has been stagnant since then. But you are progressing steadily. I honestly admire you as someone your age.” (Ilias)

“T-That’s not true! Your strength is top 5 even in Taizu, Ilias-sama! You are simply young right now, but when your strength is recognized, I am sure you can even become a knight captain!” (Saira)

“It is embarrassing, but it has been a repeat of training and patrolling since becoming a knight. It is only recently that I managed to get achievements. But that wasn’t my own strength either.” (Ilias)

“If you put it like that, I myself was also given the opportunity by Onii-san! We are the same!” (Saira)

Really? Saira was given the opportunity, but it was her own skills that allowed her to take it into her hands. In my case, it was an achievement that came from the cooperation of many people. 

I feel like Saira, who managed to do it because he was there, is different from me who wouldn’t have been able to do it without him there. 

“Muh, that face is saying you don’t think that’s the case! The speed in which we progress may be different, but the strength you have gained is the real deal! You yourself denying that effort is wrong! I myself may be doing well in my path, but my technique is still not there yet. If you look down on yourself, Ilias-sama, I would be even lower, you know?!” (Saira)

“That’s not—no, I am sorry. I forgot that I have been told that excessive humility can bring discomfort to others.” (Ilias)

“That’s right. I know the strength of Ilias-sama and admire it!” (Saira)

It is rare to see someone acknowledge me to this degree in such a straightforward manner. He rarely said that out loud, and the people of the Ragudo Division acknowledged me, but few would tell me that to my face.

Compared to that, Saira told me clearly what she thought. I am a bit embarrassed by this, but it doesn’t feel bad. Looks like I am weak to compliments. Let’s be careful. 

But enjoying it for a bit should be okay. 

“…I see. So that means we both respect each other.” (Ilias)

“T-That would be the case!” (Saira)

“Then we are equal in standing. I would like you to stop calling me in such a stiff manner. Please call me Ilias without the -sama, Saira.” (Ilias)

“Eh, no, uhm…” (Saira)

“What? Are you saying you really are different from me?” (Ilias)

Uuh, that way of putting it sounds like Onii-san…” (Saira)

Now that I think about it, putting it in such a mean manner is not like me. If I had to pinpoint an influence, it would be him. Let’s make it his fault. Thinking about it like that makes it unexpectedly easier to use such mean methods.

“That might be true. But it is something that would be difficult for me to say if it were the usual me. I shall make use of it. Also, you are beginning to loosen up your way of speaking too, Saira.” (Ilias)

“That’s, uhm…then…Ilias. Is that okay?” (Saira)

“Yeah, I would be happy if we were to get along from here on.” (Ilias)

“—Yeah, I may be inexperienced, but I look forward to being with you!” (Saira)

It is only at this age that I finally get a female friend from the same age. Even if the paths we take are different, we yearn for our dreams, and continue to polish ourselves. We might be similar in that way. 

“I would like to go shopping together with Wolfe-chan too!” (Saira)

“Right, that girl would be happy about that.” (Ilias)

Wolfe is beginning to get used to this city too. I am sure she will get close with that girl too. 

The first step I have not taken until now wasn’t that big of a deal. What I lack right now might come into sight by taking a step into paths like this one.

Did he send me off because he understood this would happen? If that’s the case, I have to thank him. There will be the eyes of others as soon as we return, so it would be embarrassing. I will thank him when we are alone. 

I bid farewell to Saira just like that and left. She apparently has to work at Dog’s Bone at night. She now has more time to spend on her own path that there’s more employees but, even with that, it is not easy with daily expenses and all that. 

Let’s cheer for her effort with such things included. I should be able to cheer for her just like she did for me. 

But what do we do about the remaining large amount of clothes? Saira said she wanted me to wear them since she made them for my sake. I feel like it is going to be taking a lot of space. Also, I don’t really want to put it in the chest drawers that have chainmails. 

Let’s buy a new one when he is free. That should do.

It is late now, but once I return home, it might be a good idea to go to Dog’s Bone with everyone. 

“I am back, everyo—” (Ilias)

That place had become a battlefield where many corpses lay about.

———

It all began from the desire to fix the relationship between Cara-jii and Wolfe after having invited Cara-jii to the house. Their common point is training. Thinking that their relationship wouldn’t get better like this no matter how much time passed, I readied a game that everyone could play together.

What was spread on top of the table was a board game I am deeply familiar with from Earth. You advance depending on the number of the dice, would earn money, and aim for the goal after going through a variety of events. 

That’s right, it is the life game. My monomania of ranking up my partner from a wooden stick to a wooden sword had been collected in this game. 

A super big map with many branching points. The amount of events you can pull from the event point are over a 100. On top of that, there’s also item cards to obstruct your opponent. It widens the strategy. 

A large-scale game that allows you to go from a countryside farmer all the way to king. 

In our first run, they were able to understand the fun of the game while getting somewhat stuck because I had to explain the rules, and it ended amicably. But that’s where Rakura said something unnecessary. 

“How about we give a punishment to the one that ends up last?” (Rakura)

The one who immediately agreed was Wolfe. Because of that, Cara-jii couldn’t disagree too strongly and the rule was added. And so, the one in last place will be punished. 

However, if it were to be applied, I doubt there will be a proper punishment if Wolfe ends up being 1st and Cara-jii ends up 4th, or Rakura ends up 1st and I end up 4th. 

And so, we decided to announce what will be the punishment we give for when we are 1st place before the game begins. 

If we do that, the punishment Wolfe thinks up could end up hitting her Shishou, so I thought a punishment that’s too heavy wouldn’t be happening. But Wolfe was merciless…and Rakura too. 

When I heard the punishment Wolfe proposed, I doubted my ears. I was also on the verge of regretting how I educated her, feeling like I messed up somewhere. That said, if we are considering that she was simply thinking purely about a punishment, you could say it is just like Wolfe. 

Wolfe trusted that I would be able to avoid 4th place; Rakura had the troublesome way of thinking that anyone is fine since she is not the one doing her own punishment.

Everyone’s motivation rose as a result. What was bad about that? What’s bad is that I added items to obstruct others. 

That’s how they began to pull each other’s legs. Rakura was targeting me the whole time and Wolfe was always persistently targeting Cara-jii. As for the two men, they were reading the atmosphere and trying to maintain the balance.

As for the important result… The strongest one in this game was Wolfe. How to say it, it felt like she could control the results of the dice. 

The one in 2nd place was the creator. I have all the data in my head, so I am the one with the widest array of strategies. It is also in great part because I was keeping 2nd or 3rd place so that I didn’t aggro the others. 

3rd place was Cara-jii, the normal player. Rakura self-destructed by going the gambling route. 

The punishments I gave out were at most ‘play the next game on an air chair’ or ‘become the chair of the 1st place on the next game’ which hurt no one. 

But the damage from Wolfe getting 1st was terrible and Rakura received the full brunt of it. It was so horrible that I will omit it all. If I had to give an example, it would be ‘eating charcoal’.

Rakura was suffering one-sidedly. Even with that, Wolfe was still merciless, and Cara-jii finally ended up falling prey to the punishment. 

Wolfe looked happy from seeing Cara-jii falling into a critical state, but the gamble of Rakura hit dead on. Wolfe got a direct hit from the most dangerous punishment and ended up in a critical state too. 

I thought that would be the end of it, but the 3 of them colluded together at the very end and announced the same punishment. I was trying to not agro them by maintaining 2nd and 3rd, but the creator couldn’t maintain the aggro management at the end with no punishments, got caught up in a 3v1, and finally fell. 

The other 3 were also downed from the accumulated damage of the punishments they got. The life game closed its curtains with no survivors.

Aah, I thought there would be no opportunity for me to have a taste of sin… *Sniffle*

“What are you all doing…?” (Ilias)

That’s when Ilias came back.

Everyone got scolded.

But it seems like Wolfe and Cara-jii began getting along a bit better since that day. The life game became a traumatic experience for Wolfe and Rakura, so it has been sealed.

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