“Ah, thank you, sir! You’ve been a great help. Just getting the goods back is already a big win for me.”
“I’m glad I could return them to you quickly.”
The owner of the fruit shop was expressing his gratitude to me.
—Shortly after I lost sight of those twin sisters, I happened to run into the owner of the fruit shop.
He had noticed the theft and was searching for the culprits. At first, he was suspicious of me, but once I explained the situation, he believed me fairly easily.
It seems he trusted me because I’m a ranked adventurer.
I hadn’t realized how effective a title could be. I think I now understand why that ranked adventurer I met in Miniegel was so confident.
As the shopkeeper carefully inspected the stolen goods, I asked him a question.
“By the way, do you have any idea who the thieves might be? Or where they might have gone?”
“Ah, not at all. I just caught a glimpse of some white hair, but they were fast, really fast. I lost them in no time. They must be a well-known thief or something.”
The shopkeeper shrugged, saying he had no clue where they went.
It seemed their whereabouts remained a mystery…
I bid farewell to the shopkeeper and turned to leave when—
“Oh, hey! It’s Isto-sensei!”
I turned toward the familiar voice.
There stood Tiara, Almoa, and Regin from Elpida, each holding a bag in their hands.
“What are you guys doing here?”
“Buying supplies, as you can see,” Tiara replied.
“We were running low on food, and we figured we shouldn’t leave everything to you, Sensei. So, we talked it over and decided to handle it ourselves.”
I see. As always, my kids are so capable. Such good kids.
“Also, Almoa told us we could pick anything we wanted as a reward.”
“Tiara! You weren’t supposed to tell Isto that!”
“Oh, come on, it’s fine. Almoa said it was a reward for working so hard during our seven days of combat training. There’s nothing to feel embarrassed about, even if Sensei knows now.”
“Well, yes, but still…”
Almoa hugged Avril close to her chest, causing the contracted spirit to make a little “hmph” sound.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Almoa, you really do care about your family, don’t you?”
“Ahhh… That’s exactly the kind of thing I didn’t want you to say out loud!”
The silver-haired girl turned her back to me, clearly flustered. Tiara, on the other hand, didn’t seem satisfied with her reaction.
“This is your perfect chance to make a good impression on Isto-sensei. I don’t get it.”
She pouted, her cheeks puffing out.
What exactly were you expecting, Tiara? If Fiole had overheard this, she would’ve made a scene again.
Speaking of Fiole, she wasn’t with them, so she must’ve stayed behind. A small mercy, I suppose.
Tiara looked at me.
“By the way, Isto-sensei, weren’t you heading to the Guild Union? Are you done already?”
“Not quite. I made a little detour—”
Before I could finish, I blinked in surprise.
One of them was acting very strange.
“Sigh… Haah… Siiigh…”
Regin had been sighing nonstop, looking more melancholic than I’d ever seen.
“What’s going on with you?”
“Oh, that? Regin’s got a little case of lovesickness,” Tiara said matter-of-factly.
“Lovesick?!”
Her answer caught me completely off guard.
“We ran into someone absolutely stunning while shopping. Apparently, Regin fell in love at first sight.”
“My, my.”
“Ever since then, he’s been like this—completely out of it. Not that I mind; the noisiest one getting quiet has been nice. Makes shopping a lot easier.”
Ouch, that was harsh. But she wasn’t wrong—aside from the sighing, Regin was unnervingly quiet, his eyes distant.
On a whim, I asked Tiara a question.
“As his younger sister figure, how do you feel about it? Does it make you a little sad?”
“Me? A younger sister figure? Sad? Are you joking?”
Brutal.
“Regin can fall in love with whoever he wants; I don’t care. As long as he doesn’t screw up the upcoming Explorer Ranger Exam, I’ll be happy. Otherwise, all the effort I put into supporting him with my skills will be for nothing.”
“Try to be a little kinder to him, okay?”
“We’re family. No need to tiptoe around each other.”
Fair enough, but her blunt assessment was probably her way of showing affection for Regin.
“So, what kind of person did Regin fall for?”
“Hmm, not just one person—it was two, actually.”
“…?”
“Twins, maybe? They looked identical. Their hair was even whiter than Almoa’s, and their skin tone was different, so they’re probably from another country.”
Wait a minute.
Tiara rested her finger on her chin, recalling the twins’ appearance. True to her memory-organizing skill, her description was precise and left nothing out.
There was no mistaking it. It was Ruma and Parte—the twin sisters.
“Do you know where they went?”
“No idea. They hurried into an alley and disappeared. Why? Do you know them, Sensei?”
Without answering her question, I looked out into the bustling street.
People moved about in waves of energy and life.
What did this vibrant scene look like through the eyes of those twin sisters?
For now, they’ve blended into the crowd. Where could they possibly be?
