Debut
The stares poured down on him.
Longing, greed, jealousy, hostility—every emotion imaginable was packed into those gazes. They were so thick that not only Jun, their target, but even the companions seated beside him could feel them crawling over their skin.
“W-wow…”
“I knew it would be fierce, but I never imagined it would be this bad.”
Emili and Carol scanned the room with visibly sickened expressions. The adventurers made no attempt to look away; they simply kept staring at Jun as if he were public property.
“Sorry, Jun. I shouldn’t have opened my mouth.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m fine.”
Tatsu hunched his massive shoulders in a way that looked almost comically timid. Jun clapped him on the back and forgave him without a second thought. He had no intention of blaming a newly made friend over something this trivial—and besides, he had seen this coming from the start.
It was only ever a question of sooner or later.
At the proof ceremony he had displayed all three of his cores for everyone to see. On his application he had listed every ability he possessed without omission, made no attempt to hide Fortuna or Sprout, and then backed it all up by landing a clean hit on the Guild Master. Any adventurer hungry for a powerful ally was bound to drool over him. Anyone who lived on ego or nursed a fragile sense of self-worth was bound to seethe with envy. A scene like this had been inevitable. Tatsu’s words had simply made the inevitable arrive a little early.
People were already edging closer, watching for the right moment to approach. Jun rose from his seat before they could swarm him. The angel and the divine beast, catching his intent at once, stuffed the rest of their muffins into their mouths and fluttered up onto his shoulders.
“I’m going to head out before this gets any more annoying. Carol, show me where I’ll be staying. Tatsu—if you feel bad, treat me next time. Deal?”
“Yeah. I’ll treat you to something huge, so look forward to it.”
“See you later, Jun-oppa.”
After exchanging goodbyes with Tatsu and Emili, Jun looked at Carol, who still hadn’t answered. She was already gathering her handbag and rising to follow him. Jun tried to stop her.
“Carol, you don’t have to show me around. Stay and enjoy the after-party a little longer.”
“I have to be at work early tomorrow anyway, so leaving now is the right call. I’m heading home, and I’ll just show you the way while I’m at it. Please don’t feel obligated.”
She didn’t sound like she was lying, so Jun accepted the kindness. The moment he and Carol started to leave the central plaza, the people who had been waiting for their opening hurried after him—only to find their path blocked by Yuri, who appeared without a sound and cut them off cold.
“Where will I be staying?”
The question came the instant they cleared the plaza. The Bright Church had promised to cover his food, clothing, and shelter under Special Protection Status—completely free of charge. Considering how much most adventurers bled just to keep a roof over their heads in a labyrinth city with ruinous prices, it was an extraordinary privilege.
“Housing provided under Special Protection is usually an inn under contract with the guild, but for you, Jun, we’ve arranged something special—an employee-only studio apartment inside the guild itself.”
“Is that allowed? I’m not staff.”
“You’re also a priest formally registered with the Church, so it’s fine. In return, if the guild is short on medical personnel on your days off and asks for your help, please accept whenever you can. Understood?”
Carol winked as she said it, then stopped in front of something that looked suspiciously like an elevator entrance halfway down the corridor. She pressed the upward arrow beside the door. A familiar ding sounded, and the doors slid open.
…Fortuna.
Hmm?
This is a medieval fantasy world, right?
Yes, it is.
Then why is there an elevator?
Why not? Is an elevator not allowed?
…Isn’t that the normal reaction?
Fortuna shook her head firmly, as if to say no, it isn’t. Jun followed Carol into the elevator, still wrestling with the thought.
So elevators in a medieval fantasy world are normal. Right. Magic exists, so an elevator isn’t that strange…
“No—no matter how I look at it, this is weird!”
He tried to force the unbelievable reality into something that made sense, but fifteen years spent in a medieval countryside village that looked like a school field trip destination made it nearly impossible.
“Pardon? Jun, did you say something?”
“…No. Nothing at all.”
He couldn’t very well pick a fight with Carol over it, so he brushed the question aside. She looked ready to press him again, but the elevator doors opened just in time.
A few steps from the elevator stood a front door. Carol produced a key from her handbag, unlocked it, and stepped aside as if inviting him to go in first.
“Whoa. Our house.”
“Fortuna-unnie, we should inspect it carefully before we decide.”
The angel and the divine beast flew inside ahead of him. Jun snorted a laugh and followed.
“Oh!”
They had called it a studio, so he had expected the kind of single-room box you saw near university campuses. What he found instead was a high-end loft-style officetel. Sofa, table, bed—plus a refrigerator, a washing machine, and even an induction cooktop (he decided to stop questioning it; magic had probably made the thing somehow). He could move in and live here tomorrow without a problem.
“Jun! Jun! This place looks amazing!”
“There are no drafts, and the sunlight should be excellent. Master, I believe you should choose this one.”
“Yeah. I think so too.”
Fortunately, both the angel and the divine beast seemed pleased. Jun turned to Carol and nodded. She smiled in relief and handed him the key she had used to open the door.
“This room is yours now, Jun. Please use it freely—no need to be modest. That said, because it’s inside the guild, there are a few rules you’ll need to follow carefully.”
“What kind of rules?”
“It’s for single occupancy, so you may not bring members of the opposite sex inside. Summons are exempt, of course. After midnight, please refrain from bathing or making loud noise. Smoking and strongly scented cooking should also be avoided as much as possible.”
Every single one of them was a rule he had heard a hundred times in his previous life—apartments, dorms, studio flats. Moments like this really drove home that people lived the same way no matter where you went.
“There are a few more guidelines as well. You’ll find them in the handbook inside the room.”
“Understood. Anything else?”
“As your dedicated receptionist, there are a few things I’d like to ask you. Mm… it might take a while, so would it be all right if we stepped inside to talk?”
“Didn’t you just say I can’t bring members of the opposite sex in?”
“Official business is fine. Personal visits are not. Oh—were you hoping to have a personal conversation with me?”
“No.”
Jun answered without a flicker of hesitation. Carol blinked blankly for a second, then puffed her cheeks out like a blowfish. Coming from someone who usually projected nothing but polished adulthood, the expression was startlingly cute.
“Hahaha. I’m kidding, kidding. So stop being mad, Carol.”
“Hmph! You’ve had a rough day, so I’ll let it slide this once. But don’t you dare pull a stunt like that again. Understood?”
“Got it. Anyway, let’s put the official talk off until later. You said you have to be at work early tomorrow. Go home and clock out already.”
He had died before ever properly experiencing working life, but even he knew no office worker enjoyed unpaid overtime. He wasn’t heading into a labyrinth first thing in the morning, so there was no reason to keep her late.
“Heh. It’s fine. I’m already essentially off the clock.”
“Excuse me?”
“My place is the room right next door to yours. We’re neighbors now, so I look forward to working with you.”
Carol smiled with shameless charm. Was the pure self-interest radiating from that smile just his imagination?
“So, Jun—may I come in?”
“Huh? Uh, yes. Come in.”
With no remaining grounds to refuse, Jun let her in, still looking faintly awkward about it. Carol walked to the table in the center of the room as if it were already hers, pulled out a chair, and sat. Then she began turning her head this way and that, surveying the space.
“I thought we’d stocked everything you’d need, but looking at it now, the room feels so bare. You’ll need decorations, a full set of dishes, and plenty of other daily necessities. Which is why, Jun, tomorrow I’d like you to go shopping with—”
“Here are some refreshments.”
The office lady’s all-out dating invitation, dressed up in the most reasonable excuse imaginable, was cut off at the perfect moment. She shot a resentful glare at the culprit, who ignored it completely and directed her pink bird—the spirit of the divine beast—with crisp commands. Under that direction the pink bird darted in and out of Jun’s subspace, pulling out all manner of goods and arranging them around the room.
Once the place looked reasonably lived-in, Sprout—who had been flying about tidying—settled onto Jun’s shoulder and fixed Carol with a silent, unblinking stare. Under that icy gaze, Carol began nervously chewing on a fingernail.
Fortuna.
Hmm?
If I ever take Sprout as a concubine, you won’t have a single thing to worry about.
Judging by the performance she was putting on right now, Sprout would make an outstanding drill sergeant for keeping the harem hierarchy in line. She already treated Fortuna as her benefactor and served her with perfect deference, so she would never threaten the position of principal wife. He really ought to give serious thought to bringing her in as a concubine.
But first, one truly critical question.
Sprout.
Yes, Master.
Uh… roughly what cup size do you think you’d be?
A full, substantial E-cup, I should think.
Mm. Barely—but she passed.