Chapter 55
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Mion
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"Phew... Hoo... Hoo..."
"Good work, Sia."
"Hngh... Yeah!!"
Thud!
"Sia, if you sit on the ground like that, your pants will get dirty."
"Eek! Nooo... I'm so tired!!"
Today, they repeated sets up to 35 minutes, then slowly walked three more laps around the open lot behind the dorm before her form finally gave out.
"You walked a bit farther than yesterday. Good job."
"R... Really?"
"Yeah. You did great."
Pat, pat.
"Heehee! Cain, what are we having for dinner tonight?"
Claude had obediently finished training, glanced at us, and gone inside first, leaving just Sia and me in the lot.
"Oh, I made plans to have dinner with Mion tonight."
"Huh? With her...?"
"Yeah, she introduced me to the mentoring program last time, so I promised to treat her as thanks."
"Umm... What about us?"
"Huh?"
"Aren't we going together?"
Sia asked me with a slightly dazed look on her face.
"Huh? I was planning to go just the two of us."
"Why?"
"Well..."
I turned to look at Sia to answer, and her cheeks were puffed out a little.
"Well?"
"If you all came along, it'd make Mion uncomfortable."
"I... Is that so...?"
"Yeah. Even though she casually recommended the mentoring program, if all three of us went at once to say thanks, she'd probably feel burdened."
"Ugh... But she's..."
"Do you think Mion, who deals with tons of people at work, would want to be surrounded by a crowd even after hours?"
"Ah!"
I pointed out a perspective she hadn't considered, and Sia seemed to find it plausible. She deflated her cheeks and nodded.
"Hiiing..."
"I'll make plans for us to eat together next time, so don't feel too left out."
"Okay."
"Shall we head to the room then?"
"Yeah!"
I helped the exhausted Sia up from the dirt ground, dusted off her butt, took her back to the room, got ready to meet Mion, and left the dorm.
Morning of the 25th.
Due to the monthly layer reshuffle that happens when the last day rolls over to the 1st, explorers who took a break early or had been staying deep in the labyrinth long-term were returning around now. The guild was pretty quiet today.
"...On."
"..."
"...Mi-on."
"..."
Snap!
"Kyaa!!! Wh... Who!! An attack on the gu... guild!!!"
"Mion, what are you doing?"
"Ah...? Mayu sis?"
"Seriously, spacing out from the morning? What day is it today?"
Twitch!!
Mion, who had let out an embarrassing shriek, blankly stared at her colleague who had just flicked her forehead.
Her senior coworker handling duties next to her, the one Cain had been showing interest in lately... Right, smaller than Sia but still way bigger than her own, and they jiggled so...
"Eeeek!!!"
"Oh my, what's gotten into you today?"
"Eek! Sorry, sis."
Realizing too late that she'd yelled at Mayu, she apologized.
"But what did you just call me?"
"Huh? Oh, we're doing monthly settlements starting tomorrow, so I said let's grab a drink after work. You've been ignoring me every time I talk to you!"
"Ah... Sorry, sis! I have a dinner thing tonight..."
"Huh? A date? A daaaate? With a guy?"
"Eek... Ahh!!"
This is bad! Mion's head filled with panic.
With seven out of ten guild staff being women, rumors and gossip spread like wildfire.
The reason Mion could confidently tell Cain and his group that there were no secrets in this city during breaks or downtime was the overwhelming info she picked up gossiping with colleagues.
The thought of herself being the star of that gossip this time made her vision go dark already.
"It is, right? Who's the guy? Huh??"
"Hehehe... Nooo, sis, that's going too far."
Mion tried to manage her expression and brush it off, but Mayu grinned slyly.
"Oh come on, I won't tell a soul, promise? You've worked here four years and never even joined our girls' nights out, let alone dated anyone. Now you're zoning out all morning mumbling about a dinner date? You expect me to believe it's nothing?"
"Ugh..."
When romance talk came up, Mayu went into overdrive, talking faster than she did with explorers. Mion squeezed her eyes shut.
"Come onnn... I never even told you who my ex was, right? I swear I won't tell anyone!"
"R... Really, sis?"
Mayu had married a bit late at 32, but she was known in the guild as a romance expert.
She solved her colleagues' love dilemmas handily and had snagged a great guy herself recently. Plus...
'I... I've never even dated anyone.'
She'd always thought romance had nothing to do with her. But lately, thinking about that guy who was suddenly showing interest in her and other girls made work slip through her fingers. She'd been making mistakes.
"O... Over lunch shift..."
"Yep, leave it to me!"
Of course, confiding in Mayu meant rumors would spread a bit, but her expression was like a cat spotting prey right now.
No way she'd let it slide easily.
Figuring a few teases for date coaching from Mayu over the next few days wasn't bad, Mion turned her head and whispered to buy some time, like it was a big secret.
Normally, the two receptionists couldn't leave their seats at lunch or break time, but it was slow today. Nearby staff covered, and they ate together chatting.
"Oh my! That Cain guy? The slave from Claude's party?"
"Siiiis!!!"
"Pfft! Mion, you're hilarious. Who knew our Mion was like this over a guy?"
"Hoo... Forget it, no more!"
"Aww, sorry!!"
Squish!
Annoyed by Mayu's needling comments, Mion tried to calm down, but lost it when those big breasts enveloped her arm.
"Enough!!"
"Come on, don't be like that. So it's a date tonight? Then I'll cover your shift so you can clock out early and get dolled up."
"Dol... Dolled up? What's that supposed to mean! I'm plenty..."
"Still mid-20s or whatever, but there's that girl in their party with even bigger boobs than me. Sia? Younger and cuter than you. Think you can compete?"
"Kuh...!"
"Just trust your sis, hehe..."
Like that, over the short lunch, Mayu drilled tons of practical tips into her. Mion clocked out early and headed to the dorm to prep for meeting Cain.
"Hmm..."
Vrooom.
Not knowing exactly when receptionists clocked out, I prepped busily just before sunset and arrived at the guild. But Mion's seat was empty.
"End of month, fewer people, so she finished early?"
"Cain!"
"Hm?"
As I confirmed her empty seat and turned to leave, the big-chested receptionist next to her waved wildly at me.
Hm... That chest belongs to Mayu, right? Suspected to be Johnson's ex-mistress. What's this about?
"Hello."
"Oh, hi! Cain... right?"
"Yes, that's me."
"Aw, so formal~"
Her counter was free too, so I approached.
Up close, yeah, between Camella and Sia size-wise? Definitely big.
Her uniform shirt looked ready to burst—must be hard finding the right fit. Somehow the buttons held as she rested her breasts on the desk.
But through the gaping shirt, her bra and all were on blatant display. She struck a pose, smiling seductively at me.
Definitely experienced with taken men. Slut level around 0.8, I'd say.
"Congrats on the pregnancy. And the marriage."
"Tch... How'd you know?"
"Hm... Mion mentioned it?"
"Hng~"
One slut's enough, but troublesome. From the angle, this one's rotten too.
"Mayu."
"Yes?"
"Are you close with Camella by any chance?"
"Y... Yes?"
Bringing up Camella out of nowhere startled her.
"Oh... Not really close, huh?"
"Ah... Ahaha, Ca... Camella? Who's that...?"
Catching Camella's name from left field, Mayu panicked and stuttered.
"Oh, the lady boss at 'Johnson's Sundries.' I owe her a lot."
"I seeee... But...?"
"Oh, why? I think I overheard Camella—wait, was it her?—mentioning Johnson or you last time. Thought you might know each other."
"Ugh..."
From what Mion said, no rumors of her ex even circulated here. She'd hidden it thoroughly.
But now her seatmate's explorer casually drops her ex-lover's name and wife—her face control was crumbling.
"Well, see you."
"Y... Yes, goodbye."
She seemed about to probe more, sensing I knew something, but I backed off. Mayu sighed deeply, sending me away.
I stood outside the guild building where I could see the main street well. After a while, Mion's voice called from afar.
"Cain~"