The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet

Chapter 346: The Happiness the Hero Desires

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

"Iris, you know about Chiffon, don't you?"

While walking through the town searching for Chiffon and the others, I asked Iris, who was walking beside me.

"Huh?"

"I mean, when I mentioned Chiffon's name, you didn't react at all, just like 'Oh, is that so?' So, you know her, right?"

"Ah... how careless of me to make such a silly mistake."

Iris looked awkward and averted her gaze.

Very suspicious.

Was she plotting something?

"Not many people should know that Chiffon has become the next hero."

"..."

"It's a bit hard to believe it was just a coincidence that we have the same destination."

"..."

"Have you been researching Chiffon, or do you have some kind of objective?"

"Alright, alright... I admit defeat. Sigh... to be interrogated so persistently, Rain-sama, you can be quite mean, can't you?"

"I'm curious because it's you, Iris. If possible, I'd like to avoid fighting again."

I recalled the time when Iris and I fought for our lives.

Back then, we had no choice but to fight...

If I could, I would never want to fight Iris again.

"Rain-sama..."

"So please, if you have something on your mind, tell me. If you're troubled by something, tell me. I'll help you."

"It's been a while since we've faced each other... hehe, Rain-sama, you really haven't changed at all. You're still as incredibly kind-hearted and somewhat reckless as back then... but you have a very gentle heart."

Iris blushed slightly and gazed at me intently.

The emotion in her eyes... was it trust?

And kindness, perhaps?

Iris has definitely changed.

She's completely different from when we fought before.

Her personality is the same, but she seems more mellow... like a burden has been lifted from her.

"Alright. I've been vague about myself, but I'll tell you everything that has happened and what I’ve been thinking."

"Really!?"

"Yes. I am someone who keeps promises, you know?"

"As long as it's someone you like, right?"

"Hehe, you remember that."

Iris laughed mischievously.

Some things haven't changed, it seems.

"Rest assured. As I said before, I like you, Rain-sama. I will keep my promise."

"Then..."

"But... it seems there's something more urgent than my story right now."

Iris glanced off into the distance.

Following her gaze...

"Chiffon!"

There was the figure of the missing hero.

――――――――――

"Fufu, this is so exciting."

"Uh..."

In contrast to Iris, who seemed to be having a great time, I was simply at a loss.

What kind of situation is Chiffon in now?

To find out, we decided to observe from a distance first, so we were tailing her.

During this time, for some reason, Iris and I ended up sticking very close together.

Hiding in the shadows, our bodies practically overlapping...

This feels like we're secret lovers sneaking around.

"What's wrong, Rain-sama? Your face is red."

Iris looked very amused, grinning widely.

Ugh... she's definitely doing this on purpose.

"Leaving the tailing aside, why do we have to be so close together...?"

"Well, of course. If we act too conspicuous, we'll be noticed immediately. We don't have any tailing skills. So, in a naive way, isn't it harder to notice us if we do this?"

"That is..."

She has a point, sort of...

"Well, to be honest, I also enjoy seeing Rain-sama flustered when we're close like this."

"Hey, cut that out."

"Hehe, my apologies."

I sighed deeply but couldn't bring myself to blame Iris.

It's not in a weird way, but I was actually enjoying this time together.

Before, we hardly ever had the chance to talk like this...

Even though we're in an unusual situation, I found this time enjoyable.

That said, we can't just enjoy ourselves all the time.

We have things to do, and we need to do them properly.

"What about Chiffon?"

"Don't worry. She hasn't noticed us."

We continued tailing Chiffon...

Soon enough, she stopped walking.

Chiffon met up with an elderly couple.

They were talking very happily and familiarly.

"Are they her family?"

"Probably. Normally, you'd think they're her grandparents, but..."

Still, Chiffon seemed too casual.

She was laughing heartily and occasionally patting the elderly couple.

At our age, we'd typically treat our grandparents with a certain level of respect.

As children, we might be more uninhibited, but as adults, we learn to be more courteous.

But Chiffon's attitude was not one you'd have towards grandparents.

It was more like how you'd treat your actual parents.

Kids always remain kids...

They tend to stay casual with their parents.

Well, that's a generalization and doesn't apply to everyone.

Uncertain about their relationship, I kept watching...

Chiffon started walking with the elderly couple.

Following them, we saw them enter a dining establishment.

"They seem to be having a meal... What do you think, Rain-sama?"

"Whether they're her grandparents or parents, I'm not sure... but normally, it's just a family meal, right?"

"Indeed. I agree. It's a common, everyday scene."

"Yeah, a normal scene."

In other words...

Chiffon feels happiness in such normalcy.

Probably because she couldn't experience the ordinary.

What kind of past does she have?

What experiences has she been through?

I was intensely curious about her.

"For now, that seems to be it about the hero. From the looks of it, she's completely trapped in a dream... which is troubling. And considering her companions are nowhere to be seen, they're likely trapped in the same dream. What will you do now?"

"Well..."

First of all, I want to meet with Alpha-san, who caused this situation, and talk to her.

Without knowing her, I can't decide what to do or how to act.

"I want to talk to Alpha-san. Iris, do you know where she is?"

"I don't. After I lent her my strength, she disappeared... and later, I too was temporarily trapped in a dream. Since then, I completely lost track of her."

"I see... In that case, let's make finding Alpha-san our next objective."

"But how will you do that? Kagune is a large city. Including the surrounding areas, the search range is vast. There's no way we can manage it alone."

"Then, we’ll get help."

TL Note- What will Rain do?

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