I ran into Chester again while looking for a place to eat.
Everyone was bewildered by the unfamiliar word “food court.” I, on the other hand, was surprised because I was too familiar with it. Chester looked up at us with a frown and a grumpy expression.
“What? It can’t be helped, you know? With this many people, and Chester is here too. Ah, what was it called? Race-free? They say anyone can enter. Well, it doesn’t matter to me since I’m small.”
“R-Race-free, huh? Could you guide us there for the time being?”
When I asked, he frowned even deeper and made a displeased face. Then, as if he finally heaved his heavy body, he started walking heavily across the sand. He was mumbling about my holiday flying away. I had met him a little before, and a question popped into my head, wondering if he hadn’t been on holiday then, but I decided to stay silent.
“By the way, um, excuse me for asking, but what race are you, Chester? A Centaur?”
“Yes, I am… you probably won’t believe me even if I tell you.”
For some reason, he turned away with a huff. Philiana petted him to calm him down.
“No, no, we believe you. After all, we’ve seen all sorts of things. There’s nothing you can say now that would surprise us.”
“Uum, well, if you say so, I’m a Centaur. It’s just that my hometown is different.”
Oh, so that’s what it is. Perhaps in his hometown, there are many Centaurs with this small stature. In other words, they’re like hobgoblins. In a world with so many races, of course, there are hobgoblins.
“I see, I see. You should have just said so from the beginning. Then I can believe you’re seventeen years old.”
When I said that and nodded, he looked genuinely happy and asked, “Really?” He must have been mistaken for a child every time and not believed. As we were talking, we saw tables and food stalls set up in a corner of the beach. There were parasols, fitting for a resort. This way, we could sit freely and secure a spot.
“This is it. Well then, I’m off.”
“Ah, thank you. See you later.”
We waved goodbye as he walked away. Various delicious smells filled the air. Piyo, looking like she couldn’t take it anymore, darted her eyes around. Before we could even sit down, she dashed off. Philiana hurried after her. At the same time, Cecilia chased after Karubene, who had darted off in the opposite direction. As fun as this is, we mustn’t forget our companions waiting in the room.
I bought a few takeout bento boxes and decided to return to the room by myself. When I told Nina and Sharin, who remained, about it, Nina gave me a suspicious look.
“Eh? You’re leaving us behind?!”
“But it’s not dangerous, is it? I need to deliver lunch to the ones waiting in the room too.”
“Th-Then I’ll just sit here. You two go ahead.”
I felt bad leaving her alone, but it seemed like the bento boxes for the rest of the members would be bulky, so I apologized and asked Nina to secure our seats.
