The group ended up attending the party at Shimon’s invitation.
Ah, Veronica has arrived. Holding a cigarette, she looks grumpy as well. By the way, she’s wearing a suit, not a dress. It suits her due to her tall stature. And by her side is Karubene. Of course, he’s also wearing a shirt and vest, not a dress.
“Huh? What, you mean a two-faced companion?”
“No, she’s a Dark Harpy, right?”
The opponent is confused as to why Veronica, who should be an ally, is on the enemy’s side.
“Who are you calling two-faced? Are you talking about you three idiots?”
“Wh-what did you say, you one-horned freak!”
Karubene must have let that slip out. The surroundings fell silent. The Satyrs who were chatting stopped and turned to look at the source of the voice.
“Looks like you don’t have the money to fix it either.”
“Hey, sis, please take care of this guy.”
Oh dear, it’s gotten out of hand. Just then, Justal and Clarissa pushed through the crowd. Even the agitated Dark Harpies fell silent and retreated.
“Honestly, I thought it was some noisy mice that had infiltrated. It’s you two. Shimon-sama is a bit too carefree.”
Justal furrowed his brow as if he had smelled something unpleasant. Clarissa also let out a short sigh.
“Haa, there’s nothing we can do. He probably wants friends. Speaking of which, False Hero, we’ve learned detailed information about you all.”
“Is that so? Then I have a question: I’m the False Hero, but what are everyone else called?”
Isn’t calling me “False” a bit harsh? Maybe everyone else has been given rude nicknames too.
“Let’s see… Philiana of the Gouken Sword, Nina of the Curved Blade, Sharin of the Gale, Pillon of the Torch, Cecilia of the Light Sword.”
Wait a minute, aren’t those cool? Even Piyo has a cool-sounding nickname.
“Pillon of the Torch?”
“Yes, her magic is weak, but her spark is said to ignite battles.”
…Hmph, well, I guess that might be the case.
“And me…?”
“Hiroaki, the False Hero. Others include Veronica of the Dream Flower, the Satyr drunkard, and the lone Honeybee.”
Veronica’s nickname was something I came up with casually. Wait, does Karubene and Pauline’s names not matter? And Lauren isn’t even mentioned.
“Calling you the ‘Dream Flower,’ I expected a different kind of woman, but you’re a complete disappointment.”
“Hey, sis, this pointed ear is being rude.”
Justal, pointed at by Karubene, cleared his throat. He’s saying rude things to me too. What’s with “False Hero”? Damn it, I want to complain, but it’s partly true, so I can’t say anything.
“In any case, you will remain quiet while you are here. If you cause trouble again, you will be handed over to headquarters immediately. Now, let’s go, Clarissa-sama.”
Justal pushed Clarissa’s back and disappeared into the crowd. Behind them, Sharin was trembling.
“G-Gale of the… That’s so cool…”
“Are you serious? What do you mean by giving me a weird nickname? What’s ‘Curved Blade’? Does it refer to my dagger?”
After the two supervisors left, we went back to enjoying the party. We couldn’t relax at all, constantly chasing after Piyo so she wouldn’t get lost and making sure Karubene didn’t drink too much. I no longer cared about being glared at by others.
“Hey Piyo, don’t get so excited.”
“Wow! A chocolate fountain!”
“Don’t touch it, whatever you do. Honestly, calm down.”
Speaking of which, where did Sharin go? She disappeared into the crowd. I asked Piyo, but she didn’t know.
“Hey Piyo, could you go stay near Philiana for a bit?”
“Okay, sure.”
I couldn’t find Sharin anywhere. Did she go home early? If so, that’s fine, but would she really leave without saying anything?
Suddenly, I looked towards the terrace and thought I saw a faint figure behind the curtain.
“Sharin, were you there?”
“Arisugawa, is something wrong?”
“No, I just couldn’t see you.”
The terrace, which I stepped out onto, offered a panoramic view of the wide country. The lights spread out like stars, centered around this hotel. Looking at the night view from up here, I felt like a king.
“Aren’t you going to eat anything else, Sharin?”
“Ah, I dislike crowds. I feel a bit suffocated.”
I see. I was starting to feel a little tired too. Live music was flowing from behind us. On the dance floor, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, dancing to the music.
“Hey, how about a dance?”
I don’t know why I said it myself. Sharin’s glass-like eyes widened. Still, I silently took her hand. We spun around on the narrow terrace. A clumsy dance. Yet, it felt somehow fun. A feeling of my heart floating.
“Kuh, Hahaha.”
“Heh, hehe.”
When the song ended, we both naturally burst out laughing. Like when we did something mischievous as children, hiding it from the adults.
“Shall we head back to our room soon?”
“Yes, before they ruin the party.”
Opening the curtain and returning to the commotion, everyone was, as expected, doing whatever they pleased.
