After leaving the A rank party, I aim for the deep part of the labyrinth with my former students
"Yuke-san."
After finishing a few reports and preparations, night had fallen.
I had come to a secret spot in the forest by Lake Ordan, stretching my legs a bit, when a voice called out from behind me.
"Nene? What are you doing here?"
"Well, I followed you, of course."
Nene smiled and sat down beside me.
I had said a word before leaving, and I hadn't been especially careful about leaving any traces or masking my presence.
If it was Nene, she could have easily tracked me down.
"Nice place, huh?"
"Yeah. This place holds a lot of memories."
"Really?"
Nene tilted her head slightly, and I gave her a small smile.
She wasn’t part of the group yet when we came here.
"Back when ‘Clover’ had just formed, we were a total rookie party, and I was a rookie leader. Our first job led us right here, to this 'Ordan Lakeside Forest.'"
"I heard about that. You guys took down a named magical beast with a bad reputation, right?"
"That was more or less accidental. I was a pretty unreliable leader back then—unprepared and careless. It was a really close call."
As I gave a wry smile, Nene gently took my hand.
She must have sensed I was about to let out some weakness.
"Right by this spring, we gave each other lots of lectures—on both sides. I think that’s the day ‘Clover’ truly became a party in the real sense of the word."
Under the moonlight, as I looked at the spring, the memories of that day rose vividly.
Silk dishing out soup while nitpicking my decisions.
Rain declaring, with dissatisfaction, "Next time I’ll take down something stronger."
Marina diving into the spring stark naked, beckoning me to join her.
…It feels like it all happened just yesterday.
"I wish I could’ve been there with you all."
"Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to go on about stuff from before you joined."
"Nah, don’t worry about it. Still, I do honestly wish we had met earlier."
"True. If you had been with us, we probably wouldn’t have been caught off guard and might’ve had a safer victory."
At my words, Nene blushed and turned her face away, embarrassed.
That unexpectedly shy side of her is part of what makes her so adorable.
"I wonder why Marina didn’t come talk to me. Was I still the unreliable leader from back then?"
"No way! That’s definitely not true!"
She gripped my hand tightly and looked straight at me.
Her expression was serious, with a few tears beginning to well up.
"Everyone knows how amazing you are, Yuke-san. I rely on you all the time, too."
"Thanks, Nene."
"I think Marina-san just fell into a trap. She’s a bit too kind-hearted sometimes…"
Nene sighed softly, eyebrows lowered with concern.
"Yuke-san, I grew up in one of the worst slums of a crime-ridden city."
"Yeah, I’ve heard."
"People who are smart and mean… they're way more underhanded, cowardly, and thorough than you might imagine. I don’t know Marina-san’s past, but people like that will take away all your ways out."
I’d seen plenty of scams and threats while trying to help a childhood friend.
But in Nene’s crime city hometown, I’m sure she’d seen even worse than I ever had.
"So it’s not your fault, Yuke-san. And of course, not Marina-san’s either."
Saying that, Nene wrapped me in a gentle hug.
Even though I had made her talk about such a painful part of her past, she still went out of her way to comfort me.
It made me feel a bit pathetic—but also… like a weight was lifted.
To tell the truth, it had been eating at me all along.
That Marina left without saying a word to me.
That I hadn’t noticed her struggles.
I thought I could protect everyone—Marina included—no matter what.
I thought that just because I loved her, I could solve everything.
But the reality—that I couldn’t—was heavier than I expected, and it had cut deep into my heart.
"Just for a bit—it’s Yuke Time."
"Yuke Time…?"
"It’s a time where I’ll allow you to do anything you like, Yuke-san."
At the unfamiliar phrase, I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
"Anything, huh?"
"A–ny–thing! But, if we're away from camp for too long, everyone might get worried, so please keep it short, okay?"
"Now that's quite the unreasonable request."
I chuckled as I said it, though inwardly, I was already grateful.
Just being held like this was enough to warm my heart and melt away the worries.
I think all I really wanted… was simply to voice my troubles and have someone accept them.
It's childish, I know—even I think so. But the more you grow up, the harder it becomes to be honest about these things.
"Come on, isn't there anything you want me to do?"
"Let’s see…"
Pretending to think, I took the chance to enjoy Nene’s embrace a little longer.
She’s usually shy and tends to keep a little distance, so moments like this are rare.
Might as well let myself be spoiled while I can.
"Ah…! Wait, is it that I’m not enough for you?"
"Of course not. Not at all."
"I want to be of help to you, Yuke-san. Um… even if it’s, you know… something a little bit naughty, that’s okay too?"
Nene turned her eyes away, blushing slightly as she said it.
"I heard… sometimes that kind of thing helps cheer up boys."
"Good grief. Who told you that?"
"Mamal-san. Right before she left for Vilmuren Island, she whispered it to me."
…Honestly, what is that woman thinking?
What is she doing, encouraging her own daughter like that?
No—maybe it was her way of pressuring me in her own roundabout way.
She is like that sometimes.
"Nyahaha, I’m joking! Joking! I know that’s not really your style, Yuke-san."
As Nene laughed to cover up her embarrassment, I gently kissed her on the forehead.
"Nya…!"
I must have made mistakes along the way without even realizing.
It should’ve been obvious that I wasn’t the only one feeling worried. Just thinking about it for a second would’ve made that clear.
"Just the forehead, huh?"
"From here on out, let’s switch to ‘Nene Time.’ I’ll do anything you ask."
At my playful offer, Nene gave a soft, bashful smile, her cheeks tinged pink.
"…Okay."
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