The Clerk at the Fujiwara Trading Company
“Oh? Well hi there, Mr. Takatsuki’h!”
A girl with bunny ears hopped toward me.
“Oh, hello there, Nina,” I greeted her. She was carrying some big boxes in both hands that looked fairly hefty.
“Let me help,” I offered.
“Uhh... They’re pretty heavy’h,” Nina responded.
Perhaps, but I couldn’t let a girl hold them alone while I walked empty-hande—
“Urgh, this is heavy!” I stood corrected... I couldn’t handle this.
“A ha ha, that’s what happens when you pack fifty bottles of Macallan flaming cocktails in a box,” Nina chuckled. “I think it’d be a bit too much for a human.”
Ah, right. Nina was a beastwoman, a race many times stronger than any human.
“You’re a nice person, Mr. Takatsuki’h. You actually offered to help a beastwoman like me.”
“That makes me nice?” I asked.
“Sure does. A lot of humans wouldn’t blink at the sight of a beastman doing hard labor.”
Guess it was a difference in otherworld culture. I could never treat a cutie like Nina or any of the cat-eared girls as nothing more than some hired muscle.
“The boss is just like you. You people from the otherworld are all so kind,” Nina said. Her expression mellowed. Fujiyan sure had one dedicated partner.
“I see that Fujiyan isn’t around today,” I noted. Nina’s responding expression was somber.
“He...said he had an appointment with the daughter of a Macallan lord for some business negotiations today.”
“Wow...” He was already meeting people that high up? Fujiyan sure had connections.
“By the way, will he be available today?” I asked. I figured that Nina would have a general idea of his schedule.
“No... I’m afraid he has a banquet to attend with that noble lady!” Nina pouted. She seemed jealous.
That darn playboy...
“Well, it’s a shame, but some other time, then,” I said.
“Mr. Takatsuki! You’re free today, ain’t ya’h?”
“Huh?”
“Please, could ya give me some company’h?”
And so, for some reason, I wound up having dinner with the clerk of Fujiyan’s shop.
◇ In the adventurer’s guild, near the stalls by the entrance ◇
“The noblewomen, those Catgirl Cantina waitresses, the boss is always actin’ sweet on everyone! He doesn’t pay a bit of attention to how I feel!”
Nina followed her complaint up by downing a tall pint glass in one gulp. She could really handle her drinks.
“Hey, uh, Makoto?” Lucy whispered into my ear. “Don’t you think Nina’s drinking a bit too much?”
“Hmm...” I pondered. “I mean, I thought that beastmen are all pretty good at handling their liquor.”
It was something I’d heard from Fujiyan. Incidentally, I was way too shy to handle a dinner with Nina alone, so I’d called Lucy for some backup.
“Mr. Takatsuki! How do I tell the boss what I feel’h?” Nina asked.
“Uh, well, let me think...”
I was the only one who knew that Fujiyan’s Waifu Game Player skill allowed him to read minds. Meaning that there was a one hundred percent chance that Fujiyan knew about Nina’s affection.
But what do I tell her? I wondered.
“Don’t worry, Nina,” Lucy consoled her. “You’re cute, so you’ll be fine.”
It was kinda rare to see Lucy being so considerate.
“Wahhh... You really think so, Miss Lucyyy?” Nina asked before suddenly collapsing onto the table with a thud. She was now drawing the deep, slow breaths of someone fast asleep.
After a brief silence, Lucy and I glanced at each other. Since we couldn’t just leave her behind, we decided to wait for a while. But I couldn’t help noticing that...
“Fujiyan sure is popular, huh,” my tongue slipped with unsubtle jealousy.
“I-I mean, you’ve got people who like you too...”
“Hm? You say something, Lucy?” I asked.
“Nope, not a word!”
For some reason, I was now being smacked on the head. What’d I do? Well, no big deal—I’d just drink in silence. And maybe keep Nina’s gripes in mind the next time I felt like pulling Fujiyan’s leg.
“Anything you wanna eat, Lucy?”
“Hmm, let’s see...”
The stalls at the guild entrance were flooded with liquored-up adventurers. The night was still young.
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