Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Neglect of Duty - 1
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Rien had left.
But that wasn't all.
Now, not a single beginner adventurer remained on the first floor.
The receptionist scratched her cheek from her familiar spot at the request office.
"I just thought we were getting close, and now it's time for her to go."
Rien had just said her goodbyes and departed moments ago.
She had wanted to give her a gift or something, but the only things in the request office were stacks of request forms and piles of slime remains.
Calling something like that a gift would be a bit much.
"If I'd had some time, I would've bought snacks to give her in advance."
She pictured the beautifully packaged snack sets sold at the shop.
Wasn't the relationship between adventurers and townsfolk always one-sided to begin with?
She could roughly guess when they'd leave, but she hadn't expected it to be today of all days.
There was no obligation for mere receptionists to be notified of departure dates, and it would be even stranger for her to ask.
It was commonplace for adventurers who entered the tower to suddenly leave the first floor one day.
If anything, the growing fondness made it feel all the more regrettable.
Excluding him, who had stayed here for so long, it had really been ages since she'd chatted with an adventurer outside of work.
Recalling Rien's first impression, she never dreamed they'd end up sharing such a serious conversation.
"I hope I didn't cause any unnecessary misunderstandings..."
Honestly, at first, she'd even felt a twinge of jealousy.
She'd mistakenly thought Rien was approaching Earthbound Spirit out of romantic interest.
Looking back, her emotions had gotten ahead of her before she could properly assess the situation.
The key to clearing up the misunderstanding had ultimately been direct conversation.
On the day an incident broke out in town and she was left alone to hold down the fort, she happened to run into Rien, creating a natural opportunity for the two of them to talk one-on-one.
Even then, it wasn't as if Rien hadn't taken the lead in steering the conversation...
In the end, it was all thanks to Rien.
They saw each other every day, yet their relationship hadn't progressed at all.
The chance to hear his true feelings and the secrets he'd kept hidden had come from Rien's advice, after all.
The day they met on the park bench.
The first thing Rien asked about was the unprecedented closure of the request office.
"Whaaat?!"
"Why are you reacting like that..."
"Wow, no wonder. You two ghosts said you were busy on the exact same day!"
Rien belatedly realized and smacked her forehead with her palm—thwack.
"If it was for a date, it makes sense why your senior didn't explain his reason for being busy."
The way Rien acted afterward wasn't anything like what she'd imagined.
The worries about him maybe taking a liking to Rien over her felt utterly foolish now.
"No way... Are you two already dating?"
"Y-Yeah? No! It's not like that. Not yet..."
If anything, she resembled a girl getting excited over a romance from the latter half of a chivalric tale.
"Planning to confess today? Your outfit is just... Wow, the sizing is insane."
"Argh! What are you talking about?! Don't stare so blatantly."
Actually, now that she thought about it, there might've been something a bit sly in her gaze.
It was an outfit bought from Deina with exposure in mind, after all.
"Your attire is pretty bold compared to when you're working."
"I-I don't usually dress like this."
"You really went all out today, huh."
The barrage of questions continued after that.
Who fell for whom first.
What aspect had made them fall head over heels.
What the rest of the date itinerary was.
"Whoa... So your senior was the one who made the first move."
Every single question made her face heat up.
Mixed in occasionally were questions solely about Earthbound Spirit.
"Your senior really never left the first floor, huh?"
"That's for sure."
"Hmm... What is his deal?"
It was clear she was interested in Earthbound Spirit, casually asking for info about him.
But the foundation of that interest didn't seem like the same as Ellie's own.
Her curiosity got the better of her, and she ended up asking outright.
Wasn't Rien interested in Earthbound Spirit romantically?
Why was she so nonchalant even after hearing about the date?
"Me? Liking your senior?"
"Wasn't that it?"
"I've only known him for a few days."
"Still, you were following him around more than seemed normal..."
Rien explained the misunderstanding and opened up about herself.
From why she'd entered the tower, to her immediate goals, and even her personal family situation—everything.
She hadn't pried that deeply, but it seemed Rien had wanted to confide in someone.
It was true that Rien was interested in Earthbound Spirit, but not for romantic reasons.
She learned that Rien's life hadn't been smooth sailing.
No fitting words of comfort came to mind, so she simply listened attentively.
The reason Rien had come back to the request office alone multiple times was all for a purpose.
"Hidden requests, huh... Sometimes other types of monsters do appear, but the rewards are at most double those for slimes."
"Aha..."
"Earthbound Spirit doesn't go around hunting special monsters like that."
Unfortunately, as far as she knew, there was no info matching Rien's hopes.
"Feel free to say whatever you want, sis."
Once the walls between them crumbled, Rien started calling her "sis."
"I'm leaving anyway. Even if you spill all the secrets, I'm still going."
"..."
Thinking about it, she was actually the perfect person to confide in with things hard to share.
There were plenty of close ties in town, but opening up your heart risked rumors spreading among the residents.
No need to worry about that with an adventurer who wouldn't stay on the first floor.
From then on, perhaps feeling comfortable, Rien dropped the formal speech.
It was a rare experience even among the townsfolk.
"So... I'm trying something, but it feels like there's no progress."
"Yeah, this town really lacks proper date spots."
Before she knew it, the conversation topic had shifted to love advice for her.
Rien seemed experienced in romance; she pondered Ellie's situation deeply before responding.
"I'm set on him, but I don't know how he feels about me."
"You know it too, sis—the only way is to ask directly and hear his thoughts."
"I'm not confident. At first, I was trying not to make things awkward, but now daily life has settled into this routine, making it even harder to approach."
Rien pointed at her outfit.
"Dressing in a different style from usual is your effort to get closer than ever, right?"
"Y-Yeah."
"Then seize the opportunity."
It was probably the next words that spurred her into action.
"People leave if there's no affection. Whether friends, lovers, or even family."
"..."
"Your senior coming every day—even though the requests are all the same and he never misses a day—isn't just because he's bored. You know that."
Something like regret seemed mixed into Rien's words.
"I thought he stayed on the first floor because it was tied to getting stronger, but it's simpler than that."
"The reason?"
"It's because of you, sis. Isn't it obvious?"
Those you don't love, you leave.
Those you love, you don't.
"Who visits someone they have no feelings for every single day?"
That was Rien's conclusion.
"Well, that wasn't actually the reason."
She smiled, recalling the conversation from a few days ago.
Thanks to Rien, she'd mustered the courage to bring up the question she'd been too scared to ask.
She'd asked why he lived on the first floor.
He had a past beyond her wildest imagination and wounds he'd kept hidden.
She learned that the adventurer hadn't started climbing; he'd already challenged and given up multiple times.
She finally understood why, in the past, he'd repeatedly stabbed his own throat and recovered at the clinic— the reason behind that bizarre behavior.
It wasn't romantic like Rien's conclusion, but that was okay.
Just the fact that he'd opened up only to her about his untold past made them feel like something special.
It hadn't played out as she'd imagined, so they hadn't quite reached a proper conclusion, but there was still plenty of time.
All the adventurers had left, and now nothing stood in the way.
Since that conversation, their relationship had grown much closer, leaving only the path forward.
"I wonder when he'll come."
The receptionist waited today as well.
She propped her elbows on the counter, rested her chin in her hands, and waited.
Until her one and only customer, her one and only adventurer, came for requests.
Ellie worked for that one adventurer alone.
That was supposed to be the case.
"..."
She was thrilled when she spotted a familiar face through the window.
He's here for requests; the door will open any second now.
But the adventurer didn't budge.
His mouth opened and closed—he seemed to be talking to someone.
The window wasn't wide enough to see who was on the opposite side.
He was just a few steps from entering the request office, so why stand there chatting for minutes on end?
Ellie couldn't contain her curiosity.
She finally opened the door and stepped outside.
"Earthbound Spirit..."
At his side was a woman.
Red hair, and a face that struck as alluring at first glance.
"Who the heck is she..?"
No way she was a town resident—Ellie would've recognized her.
And all the other adventurers besides Earthbound Spirit had left, for sure.