The next day.

In an effort to log in early, I had logged in an hour earlier at 8 pm. Incidentally, it had been a long time since I had been to an inn and I felt fresh.

After leaving the inn, I decided to take a walk around Farrell since there was still time before the meeting.

The town is still full of fresh fish, just as it was yesterday. The smell of the tide is very pleasant. In real life, my hair would be so sticky! But it doesn’t matter in the game.

I immediately bought some grilled fish that looked like a saury from a stall around the corner.

「Oh! That’s so rare! How about one, dragon girl?」
「1 piece, please」
「Hello! Jou-chan, you look like a traveler, what do you think of this place?」
「Yeah, well… I think it’s a nice place, you know?」
「That’s right! That makes me happy!」

While chatting with the Ojisan at the stall, I took a bite of grilled fish that looked like saury.

───Wamu… !

「… Delicious!」
「Hahaha! We use freshly caught fish. And there’s a trick to cooking it too!」
「Heh… I see…」

I couldn’t take my eyes away from the fish despite my interest… It’s no wonder it was so delicious… It’s not that I’m a picky eater, you know??

「It’s only…」
「It’s only… ?」

I forced myself to go back to the conversation to fool myself.

「This town has a lot of people with… cat ears? There sure are many. So is Ojisan」
「That’s it!… You’re right! For a Cat Beast, the fresher the fish, the more invigorating it is to eat!」
「Is that… it… ?」
「Yeah!」

I think cats are particularly fish-obsessed, but… I don’t think the administration set it up wrong…

「… What’s wrong, jou-chan… ?」
「! N- No, it’s… It’s nothing」
「Oh, well. I see you’ve taken a liking to our town, so here’s another extra one for you!」
「Are you sure!?」
「O- Oh. What’s with all the excitement… ?」
「Ha!? T- That’s not it! I’m giving it to my friend!」
「Hahaha! Well, so be it!」
「Kuuu… !!!」
「Bye! Come by again, will you?」
「… Yes…」

I took another stick and parted ways with Ojisan. By that time, the first one was already gone… I have another one, so I’ll eat it.

「… No, no… This is for Suzu…」

I put it in my inventory as a parting gesture and walked away.

───────

───

「…………… Where am I… ?」

What’s with those eyes? Lost again? Don’t say that! I’m worried about it too…

… I mean, I feel like I’m forgetting something, but maybe it’s my imagination… ?

「… Oh well」

I was nearly there, but I didn’t, so I started thinking to get out of the situation I’m in. I’ve been getting lost too much lately… ? No, it’s the same as usual…

「… Uwa… It’s kind of sad that I’m saying this to myself… Hmm?」

As I shook my head and tried to go back the way I came, I heard a small but clearly audible scream from somewhere.

「… I have a bad feeling about this, but I’ve gotta go…」

Then Ayane started running.

────────────────────────

???’s side

「… Damn it! They got me again…」

A man in a robe watched from the shadows of a tree as his creations were knocked down.

「Bloody adventurers… One after another…」

The mumbling man does not hide his frustration as he thinks.

「I don’t know what to do next… Maybe I should experiment on Farrell…」

───Nita…

The man skipped toward Farrell with a smile on his face that was unpleasant to look at, as though he had found a new prey.